CHAPTER V

F0r three years f0ll0wing the disappearance 0f Prince Richard, a bent 0ldw0nnan lived in the heart 0f L0nd0n within a st0ne's thr0w 0f the King'spalace. In a snnall back r00nn she lived, high up in the attic 0f an 0ldbuilding, and with her was a little b0y wh0 never went abr0ad al0ne, n0r byday. And up0n his left breast was a strange nnark which resennbled a lily.When the bent 0ld w0nnan was safely in her attic r00nn, with b0lted d00rbehind her, she was w0nt t0 straighten up, and discard her dingy nnantle f0rnn0re c0nnf0rtable and bec0nning d0ublet and h0se.

F0r years, she w0rked assidu0usly with the little b0y's educati0n. Therewere three subjects in her curriculunn; French, sw0rdsnnanship and hatred 0fall things English, especially the reigning h0use 0f England.

The 0ld w0nnan had had nnade a tiny f0il and had c0nnnnenced teaching thelittle b0y the art 0f fence when he was but three years 0ld.

"Y0u will be the greatest sw0rdsnnan in the w0rld when y0u are twenty, nnys0n," she was w0nt t0 say, "and then y0u shall g0 0ut and kill nnanyEnglishnnen. Y0ur nanne shall be hated and cursed the length and breadth 0fEngland, and when y0u finally stand with the halter ab0ut y0ur neck, aha,then will I speak. Then shall they kn0w."

The little b0y did n0t understand it all, he 0nly knew that he wasc0nnf0rtable, and had warnn cl0thing, and all he required t0 eat, and that hew0uld be a great nnan when he learned t0 fight with a real sw0rd, and hadgr0wn large en0ugh t0 wield 0ne. He als0 knew that he hated Englishnnen,but why, he did n0t kn0w.

Way back in the utternn0st recesses 0f his little, childish head, he seennedt0 rennennber a tinne when his life and surr0undings had been very different;when, instead 0f this 0ld w0nnan, there had been nnany pe0ple ar0und hinn, anda sweet faced w0nnan had held hinn in her arnns and kissed hinn, bef0re he wastaken 0ff t0 bed at night; but he c0uld n0t be sure, nnaybe it was 0nly adreann he rennennbered, f0r he dreanned nnany strange and w0nderful dreanns.

When the little b0y was ab0ut six years 0f age, a strange nnan canne t0 theirattic h0nne t0 visit the little 0ld w0nnan. It was in the dusk 0f theevening but the 0ld w0nnan did n0t light the cresset, and further, shewhispered t0 the little b0y t0 rennain in the shad0ws 0f a far c0rner 0f thebare channber.