"If you would learn, man," he said, in his great voice, "in the world
I was known as Sir Andrew Arnold, one of the priors of the Order of the
Templars, which is a name that you may have heard. But now that I have
laid aside all worldly pomp and greatness, I am but Father Andrew, of
Dunwich, in England."
"Yes, yes, I have heard the name; who has not?" said the lawyer humbly;
"also you are here as guardian to the lady Eve Clavering, are you not,
to lay a certain cause before his Holiness? Oh! do not start, all these
matters came to my knowledge who am concerned in every great business in
Avignon as the chief agent and procurator of the Papal Court, though it
is true that this tiding has reached me only within the last few minutes
and from the lips of your own people. Holy Father, I pray your pardon
for breaking in upon you, which I did only because the matter is very
pressing. Sir Hugh de Cressi here has a cause to lay before the Pope
with which you may be acquainted. Well, for two days I have striven to
win him an audience, and now through my sole influence, behold! 'tis
granted. See here," and he produced a parchment that purported to be
signed by the Pope's secretary and countersigned by a cardinal, and
read:
"'If the English knight, Sir Hugh de Cressi, and his squire, the captain
Richard, will be in the chamber of audience at the palace at seven of
the clock this evening' (that is, within something less than half an
hour), 'his Holiness will be pleased to receive them as a most special
boon, having learned that the said Sir Hugh is a knight much in favour
with his Grace of England, who appointed him his champion in a combat
that was lately to be fought at Venice.
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