At length these articles were signed and the Marshal departed with his
fee, for they must be paid for as though they were a legal document.
Next Hugh must try various horses from Sir Geoffrey's stable, and choose
one of them as his war steed for the morrow, since the beast he had
ridden to Venice was in no condition to bear a full-armed knight. In the
end he selected a grey gelding, quiet of temperament and rather heavy
of build, which it was reported had been used by its former owner in
several tournaments and there borne itself handsomely. This done, well
or ill, his armour must be seen to, and Dick's also, such as it was; his
lance tested, and all their other weapons sharpened on a whetstone that
Sir Geoffrey borrowed. For this was a task that Grey Dick would leave to
no other hand.
At length all was prepared as well as possible in such haste, and they
went to supper with Lady Carleon, who, now she understood that they were
to fight for their lives on the morrow, was more mournful even than she
had been on the previous night. When at last she asked what they desired
as to their funerals and if they had any tokens to be sent to friends
in England, Hugh, whose thoughts were already sad enough, could bear no
more of it. So he rose, saying that he would seek Sir Geoffrey, who was
already in his cabinet engaged upon a letter to King Edward descriptive
of these events and other business.
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