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43 - Grey Man by S R Crockett · Grey Man

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  Speaker 1: Chapter forty three. The moot hill of Gervaan, as may
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  Speaker 1: well be imagined, two hundred gentlemen, with their retinue of
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  Speaker 1: as many more of the commonalty, made a gallant stir,
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  Speaker 1: and required almost the providing of an army, so that
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  Speaker 1: as we went southward, the people were well worn to
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  Speaker 1: repair to the court of my Lord Belzy of Carrick,
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  Speaker 1: For the office of Earl John was the greatest of
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  Speaker 1: the Lowland hereditary jurisdictions. Though the House of Castles has
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  Speaker 1: never been so beloved of the people, nor yet so
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  Speaker 1: careful of their rights, as that of the Agnes of Lochnagh,
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  Speaker 1: who from very ancient times have been sheriffs of Galloway. Nevertheless,
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  Speaker 1: it was a right solemn gathering which assembled on the
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  Speaker 1: little hill outside the town of Gervan, where such feudal
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  Speaker 1: courts had always been held. Within the enclosure formed by
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  Speaker 1: the fluttering blue and gold pennons of the Earl, there
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  Speaker 1: was set a high seat for Castileus himself. In front
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  Speaker 1: of him at a draped table, sat his adviser and assessor,
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  Speaker 1: Lawyer Boyd of Penkill, while all round the gentlemen of
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  Speaker 1: his house and name sat or stood. According to their degree,
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  Speaker 1: just outside the line of pennons, within which none might
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  Speaker 1: come save the accused and they who gave their evidence.
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  Speaker 1: Then the trumpeter from the summit of the moot hill
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  Speaker 1: of Gervain made proclamation, with three blasts of his horn,
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  Speaker 1: that the session was open, and that all men's causes
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  Speaker 1: were to be brought to the probation. First there came
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  Speaker 1: sundry usual complaints of stouthrief and oppression, for the country
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  Speaker 1: was yet very unsettled. A woman cried for vengeance on
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  Speaker 1: Thomas of Dermerci, called the wolf for the carrying off
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  Speaker 1: of her daughter. But as Jermerchi was already ten times
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  Speaker 1: a tainted, it seemed as though little would come of it.
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  Speaker 1: But Robert Harburg strode forward and cried out, by your leave,
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  Speaker 1: Earl of Castilus, the wolf of Dormerchi will carry off
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  Speaker 1: no more tender lambs, neither mel with other men's wives
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  Speaker 1: any more. The dainty ladies of Ayr need no more
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  Speaker 1: draw their purses to rescue him, neither to provide him
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  Speaker 1: with costly gear, for he has gone to a country
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  Speaker 1: where he should be keeped being and warm, beaking forever.
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  Speaker 1: The hottest fires of Satan so lately his master here
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  Speaker 1: on earth, and with that he threw the arms and
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  Speaker 1: accoutrement of the wolf on the green with prodigious clattermant.
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  Speaker 1: But this said Earl John, though greatly creditable to our squire,
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  Speaker 1: and of excellent omen for the peace of Kedock, from
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  Speaker 1: this day forth, gives not this poor woman again her daughter.
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  Speaker 1: For he did not wish to assign any reward to
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  Speaker 1: Robert Harburg beside the lands which had already been given him,
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  Speaker 1: perhaps desiring to retain so valiant the sworder near to
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  Speaker 1: his own person an estate. I had been to the
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  Speaker 1: house of Dramercy. Ere I settled accounts with the wolf himself,
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  Speaker 1: replied Robert Harburg, in the same manner of exceeding quiet.
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  Speaker 1: And there have I set all things in order, sending
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  Speaker 1: every man's daughter to her father's house, and every man's
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  Speaker 1: wife back to his keeping, retaining none for yourself, cried
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  Speaker 1: Earl John, for Daffing's sake, for that was his idea
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  Speaker 1: of a jest. Whatever my desires, I have married a
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  Speaker 1: wife that sees to that, even as hath my lord Earle,
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  Speaker 1: quoth Robert Harburg. And so the laugh was turned against
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  Speaker 1: the Earl John, because all knew how carefully the ancient
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  Speaker 1: countess kept the valleys about Castileus and the inch clear
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  Speaker 1: of buxom dames and over complaisant maids. For in his youth,
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  Speaker 1: Earl John had the name of being both generally and
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  Speaker 1: most subtly amorous, yet strange to say the jests thus
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  Speaker 1: broke at his expense. Put the Earl into a good key,
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  Speaker 1: for it was only the outlay of money that he grudged.
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  Speaker 1: So he cried out, Robert Harburg, your tongue can be
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  Speaker 1: as sharp as your rapier. You have rid us of
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  Speaker 1: a great curse here in the south, and there is
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  Speaker 1: muckle need in these parts of such a sword and
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  Speaker 1: such a tongue as yours to keep the landward Oafs
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  Speaker 1: in civility. You shall have the lands of Dormercy with
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  Speaker 1: ten men's fighting charges to hold them against all evil
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  Speaker 1: folk till such time as the land be quiet. And
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  Speaker 1: Robert Harberg bowed low to his lord and retired. As
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  Speaker 1: he went, I clapped him on the back and said, Robert,
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  Speaker 1: I would that my long sword had done his muckle
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  Speaker 1: for me. Steady on the hilt, keep your point low,
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  Speaker 1: your tongue silent, and it shall do more, he answered
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  Speaker 1: over his shoulder as he went by. Then was brought
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  Speaker 1: forward James Muir of Achndraine, clad only in the suit
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  Speaker 1: of russet leather, which he had worn under the mail
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  Speaker 1: wherein he had been taken. He was ever a hang dog,
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  Speaker 1: ill favored oath, and now he looked sullenly and silently
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  Speaker 1: upon the ground. His name and titles were first declared,
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  Speaker 1: Who accuses this man? And of what? Cried Earl John
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  Speaker 1: in loud tones, And every man in the assembly moved
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  Speaker 1: a little, as though he itched to be the accuser himself.
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  Speaker 1: But since there was none that directly knew of our adventure,
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  Speaker 1: no one stood forth save our Marjorie and Knell, till
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  Speaker 1: I myself stepped forward with them, with Robert Harburg and
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  Speaker 1: the Dominie a little behind us. Now speak out, whispered
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  Speaker 1: Harburg of the long Sword to me, and let your
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  Speaker 1: nimble wit win you a wife. And I looked at
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  Speaker 1: Nell and resolved that if she slipped through my fingers,
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  Speaker 1: it should not be the fault of my lack of address.
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  Speaker 1: Who accuses this man? Cried the Herald, taking the word
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  Speaker 1: from his master. For the lords of carric and Castlus
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  Speaker 1: were beyond the paltry fashion of presuvants. I do, said
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  Speaker 1: Marjorie Kennedy, and all men set their eyes on her.
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  Speaker 1: Neither so long as the case lasted did they withdraw
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  Speaker 1: their eyes from her face. Then she opened her mouth
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  Speaker 1: and spoke firmly and sternly her accusation. Ay Marjorie, daughter
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  Speaker 1: of the Tutor of Castilis, in law, wife to this man,
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  Speaker 1: charged James Mure, the younger of Chandraine, with the murder
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  Speaker 1: of my father, committed as all men know, upon the
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  Speaker 1: sand hills of Ayr. I also accuse him of the
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  Speaker 1: murder of William Dalrymple, the lad who carried the message
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  Speaker 1: to Archandraine concerning my father's journey. Cousin said, Earl John,
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  Speaker 1: you have doubtless abundant proof to support these strange charges.
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  Speaker 1: Marjorie Kennedy stood up among us, tall like a lily flower,
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  Speaker 1: and she held her head erect. Hear you, John of Castilis,
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  Speaker 1: and all men, She said, I will tell my tale
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  Speaker 1: of my own griefs. I will say not, for in
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  Speaker 1: no realm do a woman's heartbreakings count for a doccin's value.
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  Speaker 1: It is enough that my father in the simplicity of
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  Speaker 1: his heart gave me to this man as an innocent sacrifice,
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  Speaker 1: cast to a monster to appease his Ravening these many
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  Speaker 1: months I dwelt in this man's castle, I have been prisoned, starved, tortured.
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  Speaker 1: Yet all the mrs of Ochandraine could neither prevail to
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  Speaker 1: break my resolve, nor yet could they close my mouth
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  Speaker 1: concerning the things which I saw. And now I that
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  Speaker 1: am no more bound to this man than I was
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  Speaker 1: when he took me out of my father's house of Colaine.
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  Speaker 1: I who have never looked upon him, that is my
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  Speaker 1: wedded husband, save with eyes of hatred, never lain by
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  Speaker 1: his side, stand here to denounce James Muir and his
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  Speaker 1: father for black cruel, repeated defenseless murder. After forty three
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  Speaker 1: recording by Dylan sedent Toff, san Rafell, California,