The Song of Renny (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1911 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER II THE HIGH LITTLE LADY The Earl stayed but a short while at Speir. By the third morning after his arrival, before the sun was over the mountain-tops, there was a great array in the Valley of Stones of men, horses, and steel. Then the red Lord of Pikpoyntz rode out of his gates, bareheaded as his use was, thundered down the winding road in front of his clattering staff, flashed his long sword before his array, and was off for some two years. All that was known certainly was that he had again swept through Cantacute; therefore he was again for the southern parts. Not a soul in Pikpoyntz had more stuff for judgment than that fact. Nor was it meet that he should. Speir lived by rapine, and no doubt the stones would have cried it out if they could; but since they could not, it was the Earl's firm policy that no tongued thing should have aught to tongue of. Not a soul in Speir knew where he went or what he did; not a soul of all those who went with him ever set foot in Speir. The little Personage left behind him was royally left. By orders which, you may be sure, did not fail to be explicit she was to want for nothing of all the clothes, all the thousand luxurious necessities and superfluities she could have need or no need of. No more could have been done for the heiress of Pikpoyntz, which Blanchmains was at first tempted to think her. Blanchmains herself and Nitidis were appointed to be her Maids of Honour, Shrike was her chamberlain; Father Sorges, as spiritual director, was to teach her Latin, the rudiments of religion and the lives of the Saints. The good man liked the task. "By the time you return, my lord," he had said, chafing his thin hands, "she shall have made her first communion." Pikpoyntz had then turned upon him like a savage dog. "What d...