"
"Ah, then she is dark!"
"That is so, Madam; her eyes and hair are black as ash-buds."
"God's truth! Lady," interrupted King Edward, "is this young man's
message of the colour of the eyes of his mistress, which, without doubt,
being in love, he describes falsely? On with the letter!"
"Out of this matter," continued Hugh, "rose a feud yesterday, during
which Hugh de Cressi killed his cousin John, fighting _a outrance_, and
his servant, Richard the Archer, who accompanies him, commonly known as
Grey Dick, slew three men with as many arrows, two of them being Normans
whose names are unknown to us, and the third a grieve to Sir John
Clavering, called Thomas of Kessland. Also, he killed a horse, and when
another Frenchman tried to grasp his master, sent a shaft through the
palm of his hand."
"By St. George," said the King, "but here is shooting! Were they near to
you, Grey Dick?"
"Not so far away, Sire. Only the light was very bad, or I should have
had the fourth. I aimed low, Sire, fearing to miss his skull, and he
jerked up his horse's head to take the arrow."
"A good trick! I've played it myself. Well, let us have done with the
letter, and then we'll come to archery."
"Sire," read on Hugh, "I ask your royal pardon to Hugh de Cressi and
Richard the Archer for these slayings, believing that when you have read
these letters it will be granted.
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