Читать «Айвенго / Ivanhoe» онлайн - страница 46

“Silence, unbeliever! – you can only answer our questions. – What is your business with our brother Brian de Bois-Guilbert?”

Isaac gasped with terror and uncertainty. He could not tell the truth, but unless he told it, what hope could he have of achieving his daughter’s deliverance? At last he said in a trembling voice, “I bring a letter to that good knight from Prior Aymer of the Abbey of Jorvaulx.”

“These are evil times, Conrade,” said the Master. “A Cistertian Prior sends a letter to a soldier of the Temple, and cannot find a better messenger than an unbelieving Jew. – Give me the letter.”

“Reverend father,” said Conrade, “will you break the seal?”

“Shouldn’t I?” said Beaumanoir, with a frown. “Is it not written in our rules that a Templar has to show every letter he receives to the Grand Master, and read it in his presence? Read it aloud, Conrade.”

Conrade read the letter, which was in these words: “Aymer, by divine grace, Prior of the Cistertian house of Saint Mary’s of Jorvaulx, to Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert, a Knight of the holy Order of the Temple, wisheth health, with the bounties of King Bacchus and of my Lady Venus. Touching our present condition, dear Brother, we are in the hands of certain robbers, who put us to ransom. We learned from them about Front-de-Boeuf’s misfortune, and that you have escaped with that fair Jewish sorceress, whose black eyes have bewitched you. We are happy that you are safe, but you should be on your guard, because we are privately assured that your Great Master comes from Normandy. And the wealthy Jew her father, Isaac of York, asked me to write a letter for him, so I advise you to ask from him a ransom and return his daughter.”

“What do you say to this, Conrade?” said the Grand Master—“And what does he mean by this ‘Jewish sorceress’?”. Conrade was better acquainted with the slang used by the nobles of the period and he explained that this was a metaphor for a beloved woman. But the explanation did not satisfy Beaumanoir.

“There is more in it than you guess, Conrade. This Rebecca of York was a pupil of that Miriam you know about.” Then turning to Isaac, he said aloud, “Your daughter, then, is a prisoner of Brian de Bois-Guilbert?”

“Yes, reverend sir,” said poor Isaac, “and whatsoever ransom a poor man can pay for her safety—”

“Silence!” said the Grand Master. “Has your daughter practiced the art of healing?”

“Yes, sir,” answered the Jew.

Beaumanoir continued, “Your daughter cures people, I am sure, by words and sighs, and other cabalistical mysteries.”

“No, reverend and brave Knight,” answered Isaac, “but in chief measure by a balsam of marvellous virtue.”

“Where has she taken that secret?” said Beaumanoir.

“It was delivered to her,” answered Isaac, reluctantly, “by Miriam, a sage matron of our tribe.”

“Ah, false Jew! Was it not from that witch Miriam, whose body was burnt and whose ashes were thrown to the four winds?” exclaimed the Grand Master, crossing himself. “I will do the same to her pupil! I will teach her to bewitch the soldiers of the blessed Temple. – There, Damian, throw this Jew from the gate—shoot him dead if he tries to come back.”