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In contrast to what Jim had been used to finding in castles in England, it
was more spacious than most such guest rooms were; the bed was much bigger,
with four posts and a canopy all the way around it; and what might have been
otherwise considered an arrow slit in the wall was several times as wide as
the ordinary arrow slit-making a good bid at calling itself a window. There
were, however, no shutters on it. In case of bad weather not only wind, but
rain, would enter.
Jim s possessions were piled in a corner; and, among them, he was happy to
see, was his personal, rolled-up and vermin-free mattress. There was also a
table and barrel chairs in the room. Brian carefully closed the door behind
them, beckoned him over to the table, sat down himself with his mazer and
motioned Jim to a chair.
 James, he said in a low voice,  unwittingly, I have led you into a trap. If
your magic gives you means of escaping from here, I beg that you will use it.
This attack on Sir Mortimor s castle should be no concern of yours. I am
heartily sorry you have become involved even this far with it.
Jim looked across the table at Brian and saw that he was in deadly earnest.
 Of course, he said,  I could get away by magic. In fact, we both can get
away by magic. What have you got yourself into here, Brian?
It was not until the last words were out of his mouth, that he had realized
that he had committed an unpardonable social error by asking such a personal
question of Brian, in spite of the fact that Brian was his closest friend. He
had no right to ask Brian to tell him why he was in any kind of situation. He
opened his mouth to apologize, but Brian spoke before him.
 Never mind it, James, said Brian, as if he had read Jim s mind.  I
understand you speak only out of concern for me. No, if you can escape, you
must do so. I, myself, am not free to leave.
 Why not? asked Jim.
 I came here as an invited guest, Brian said,  after meeting Sir Mortimor in
Episcopi, where I was visiting with some other good knights- English
knights-whose grandfathers settled here at the time of an earlier crusade. Sir
Mortimor has not failed in his duties as a host toward me; and I cannot fail
in my obligation as a guest to him, now that he has a difficulty on his hands.
It is not so with you. You came only to find me, and you find me tied here
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while you are free to go. I beg you, James, leave while you can; and if a
message must be sent back to Geronde and Angela, say that I was well the last
you saw of me, and merely had a small bicker on my hands which might delay me
slightly in getting on with what I came here to do.
Jim felt Hob stir again in the knapsack on his back. The little hobgoblin had
ducked down out of sight before Sir Mortimor had come back up to join them, at
the time when they had been talking about Brian s childhood and his early
knowledge of Hob. Now the hobgoblin stuck his head out of the knapsack, and
his breath tickled the back of Jim s right ear as he looked about.
 Oh! he said happily.  Fire and smoke. A fireplace. M lord, is it all right
if I take a look up that chimney?
 Go right ahead, Hob, said Jim-and in a moment the gray figure of Hob had
launched itself from his shoulder toward the fireplace and to all appearances
simply disappeared. Jim turned his attention back to Brian. The last words
that Brian had said had rung oddly false in his ears.
 Brian, he said,  forgive me-and you don t have to answer me, if you don t
want to-but is something wrong? Is there something you re not telling me
that s badly out of kilter? Will you really be ready to go on as soon as this
is over?
 I pledge myself to do so, said Brian.  And that pledge I am not going to
fail upon. I give you my word I will do my best to go back to my search for
Geronde s father, the minute I am away from Sir Mortimor and this castle.
 Then why don t we both leave? said Jim.  Your obligations as a guest-
 Are my obligations! said Brian with a snap.  I have never failed on my
word; and, before God, I never will.
 You re talking about your word to Sir Mortimor, now, aren t you? said Jim.
 What word exactly did you give him?
 James- began Brian on an almost angry note, and then stopped abruptly. He
looked down at the table, looked at his mazer of wine, took a drink from it
and looked back up at Jim.  James, I will continue in my search. There may be
a slight delay, however. You are right. There is something I have not told
you; and it concerns an error and a weakness on my part. It is-the fact is I
have almost no money left to travel with.
 No-? Jim broke off.  I don t mean to- he continued, staring at his friend.
Brian s square, lean-boned face with its blue eyes and aggressively hooked
nose had something defiant about it. He checked the word  pry that had been
on the tip of his tongue and rephrased what he was going to say.
 -Ask any impolite questions of you, he went on,  but how does it happen you
could be out of money so quickly? It seemed to me you had more than enough for
a search here that could take you months, or even a year.
 So I had, said Brian.  The fault is my own, James. We are all sinners and
have our weaknesses. One of mine, as you know, is the dice. I should have
sworn off all such things for the period of this search, but I did not think
of it.
 But what happened, then? asked Jim.
 I came to Cyprus, as perhaps Geronde told you, he said,  because a certain
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Sir Francis Neville, a cousin twice removed, was a knight of the Hospitallers;
and I hoped for advice from him. I knew that he was here on Cyprus on some
business between the Hospitallers and certain well-placed and powerful
gentlemen on the island. Perhaps Geronde told you all this.
Jim nodded.
 But when I got here, Brian said,  Sir Francis had already left again for
the headquarters of his Brotherhood, which has long been elsewhere than the
hospital they founded in Jerusalem, in the name of St. John of Jerusalem, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]