Chivalry Author:James Branch Cabell Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The Story of the Navarrese IN the year of grace 1386, upon the feast of Saint Bartholomew (thus Nicolas begins), came to the Spanish coast Messire Peyre de Le... more »snerac, in a war-ship sumptuously furnished and manned by many persons of dignity and wealth, in order suitably to escort the Princess Jehane into Brittany, where she was to marry the Duke of that'province. There were now rejoicings throughout Navarre, in which the Princess took but a nominal part and young Antoine Riczi none at all. This Antoine Riczi came to Jehane that August twilight in the hedged garden. "King's daughter!" he sadly greeted her. "Duchess of Brittany! Countess of Rougemont! Lady of Nantes and of Guerrand! of Rais and of Toufon and Guerche!" She answered, "No, my dearest,—I am that Jehane, whose only title is the Constant Lover." And in the green twilight, lit as yet by one low-hanging star alone, their lips and desperate young bodies clung, now, it might be, for the last time. Presently the girl spoke. Her soft mouth was lax and tremulous, and her gray eyes were more brilliant than the star yonder. The boy's arms were about her, so that neither could be quite unhappy, yet. "Friend," said Jehane, "I have no choice. I must wed with this de Montfort . I think I shall die presently. I have prayed God that I may die before they bring me to the dotard's bed." Young Riczi held her now in an embrace more brutal. "Mine! mine!" he snarled toward the obscuring heavens. "Yet it may be I must live. Friend, the man is very old. Is it wicked to think of that ? For I cannot but think of his great age." Then Riczi answered: "My desires—may God forgive me!—have clutched like starving persons at that sorry sustenance. Friend! ah, fair, sweet friend! the man is human and must die, but love, we read, is...« less