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Havelok the Dane: A Legend of Old Grimsby and Lincoln

<h2>CHAPTER VIII. BERTHUN THE COOK.</h2> For that night we went to the house of the old dame with whom my father and I were wont to lodge when we came to the market, and she took us in willingly, though she could make little cheer for us. Truly, as had been said, the scarcity was not so great in Lincoln, but everything was terribly dear, and that to some is almost as bad. "No money have I now, dame," I said ruefully, "but I think that for old sake's sake you will not turn us away." "Not I, faith," she answered. "I mind the first day your father came here, and never a penny had he, and since then there has been no want in this house. Luck comes with Grim and his folk, as I think. But this is a son whom I have not seen before, if he is indeed your brother." "I am Grim's son Curan," said Havelok, "and I have not been to Lincoln ere this. But I have heard of you many times." That pleased our old hostess, and then she asked after Grim. Hard it was to have to tell her that he was gone, and hard it was for her to hear, for the little house had been open to us for ten years. "What will you do now, masters?" she asked, when she had told us of many a kindness done to her and her husband, who was long dead now, by my father. I told her that we were too many at home since the fishing had failed, and had therefore come to find some work here, at the court if possible. "Doubtless two strong men will not have to go far to find somewhat," she said; "but the court is full of idle folk, and maybe no place is empty. Now I will have you bide with me while you are at a loose end, for there are yet a few silver pennies in store, and I ween that they came out of Grim's pouch to me. Lonely am I, and it is no good hoarding them when his sons are hungry." We thanked her for that kind saying, but she made light of it, saying that almost did she hope that we should find no work, that we might bide and lighten her loneliness for a time. "But if an old woman's advice is good for aught, you shall not go to the court first of all. Sour is King Alsi, and he is likely to turn you away offhand rather than grant the smallest boon. But there is Berthun the cook, as we call him -- steward is his court name though -- and he orders the household, and is good-natured, so that all like him. Every morning he comes into the market, and there you can ask him if there is a place for you, and he loves to look on a man such as Curan. But if it is weapons you want -- and I suppose that is in the minds of tall men always, though it brings sorrow in the end -- there is the captain of the guard who lives over the gate, and he might be glad to see you enough." We said that we would see the steward, for we wanted no long employment. We would go back to Grimsby when the famine ended, if it were only by the coming of the fish again. Then she gave us of the best she had -- black bread and milk to wit; and after that we slept soundly before the fire, as I had done many times before in that humble house. Black bread and milk it was again in the morning; but there was plenty, and goodwill to season it. Then the old dame sent us forth cheerfully and early, that we might not miss Berthun the steward, from whom she hoped great things for us. So we sat in the marketplace for an hour or more watching the gates of the wall for his coming; and men stared at Havelok, so that we went to the bridge and waited there. One could see all the market from thence. There were a good many of the market folk coming in presently, and most of them knew me, and more than one stopped and spoke. Now Havelok grew restless, and wandered here and there looking at things, though not going far from me; and while I was thus alone on the bridge, a man I knew by sight came and leaned on the rail by me, and told me that he had just seen the most handsome man and the goodliest to look on that was in the kingdom, as he thought. "Yonder he stands," he said, "like a king who has fallen on bad times. I mind that I thought that Alsi, our king, would look like that, before I saw him, and sorely disappointed was I in him therefore. Now I wonder who yon man may be?" I did not say that I knew, but I looked at Havelok, and for the first time, perhaps because I had never seen him among strangers before, I knew that he was wondrous to look on. Full head and shoulders was he above all the folk, and the Lindseymen are no babes in stature. And at the same moment it came to me that it were not well that men should know him as the son of Grim the fisher. If my father, who was the wisest of men, had been so careful for all these years, I must not be less so; for if there were ever any fear of the spies of Hodulf, it would be now when his foe might be strong enough in years to think of giving trouble. Not that I ever thought much of the said Hodulf, seeing how far off he was; but my father had brought me up to dread him for this brother of mine. Certainly by this time Hodulf knew that Grim had come to England in safety, for the name of the new town must have come to his ears: and if Grim, then the boy he had given to him. The man who spoke to me went away soon, and Havelok strolled back to me. "I would that the cook, or whoever he is, would come," he said. "I grow weary of this crowd that seems to have naught to do but stare at a stranger." "What shall we ask, when he does come? and supposing that there is a place for but one of us?" I said. "Why, then, the one it fits best will take it, and the other must seek some other chance. That is all." "As you will, brother," I answered, "but I would rather that we should be together." "And I also. But after all, both will be in Lincoln, and we must take what comes. It is but for a little while, and we shall not like to burden that good old dame by being too hard to please. We want somewhat to do until we can go home, not for a day longer, and I care not what it is." "That is right," I said; "and the sooner I see one of our folk coming over this bridge with a full basket of fish, the better I shall like it. But it may be a long day before that. Now, I have been thinking that it were not well that you should say that you are the son of Grim." I did not quite know how he would take this, for he was proud of my father as I. But that very pride made it easy. "Maybe not," he said thoughtfully, "for it seems unworthy of his sons that we have to ask for service from any man. But I do not think that he could blame us, as things are. Nevertheless, folk shall not talk." "Men know me," said I, "but that cannot be helped." He laughed gaily at that. "Why, here we speak as if one man in a hundred knew you. And after all it may be that we shall get a place that none need be ashamed of. Look, here comes a mighty fine lord from the gateway." It was Berthun the steward, for whom we were waiting, and I knew him well by sight. Often had he bought our fish, but I did not think that he would remember me by name, if he had ever heard it. He was a portly and well-favoured man, not old, and as he came down the street to the marketplace at the hill foot he laughed and talked with one and another of the townsfolk, whether high or low, in very pleasant wise. Presently he stopped at a stall, and priced some meat; and when he had bought it he looked round and called for some men to carry it for him; and at that the idlers made a rush for him, tripping over one another in haste to be first, while he laughed at them. He chose two or three, and sent them up the hill to the palace with their burdens, and then went to another booth and bought. "This is work at which I should make a good hand," said Havelok, laughing at the scrambling men who ran forward when the steward again called for porters. "Well paid also the job must be, to judge of their eagerness." The three men who had been chosen took their burden and went away, and the steward came near us, to a bakery that was close to the bridge end. "I have a mind to do porter for once," Havelok said. "Then I can at least earn somewhat to take back to the dame tonight." "If you do so," I answered, "I will wait here for you. But you will have to fight for the place." Now the steward bought all that he needed, and that was bread for the whole palace for the day, and again he called for porters. Whereon Havelok got up from the bridge rail and went towards him in no great hurry, so that the idlers were in a crowd before him. "Ho! friends," cried Havelok, "let the good cook see all of us and make his choice. He can only take one at a time." "One, forsooth," said a man from the crowd; "why, there is a load for four men there." "Well, then, let him pick four little ones, and give these little ones a chance of being seen." Now I do not think that he would have troubled with the matter any more; but whether the men knew that this was the last load that the steward had to send home, or whether they quarrelled, I cannot say, but in their eagerness to raise the two great baskets they fell to struggling over them, and the steward tried to quiet the turmoil by a free use of his staff, and there was a danger that the bread should be scattered. "Here will be waste of what there is none too much of just now," said Havelok; and with that he went to the aid of the steward, picking up and setting aside the men before him, and then brushing the struggling rivals into a ruefully wondering heap from about the baskets, so that he and the steward faced each other, while there fell a silence on the little crowd that had gathered. Even the men who had been put aside stayed their abuse as they saw what manner of man had come to the rescue of the baskets, and Havelok and the cook began to laugh. "Fe, fi, fo, fum!" said Berthun; "here is surely a Cornish giant among us! Now I thank you, good Blunderbore, or whatever your name is, for brushing off these flies." "The folk in this place are unmannerly," said Havelok; "hut if you want the bread carried up the hill I will do it for you." Berthun looked him up and down in a puzzled sort of way once or twice ere he answered, "Well, as that is your own proposal, pick your helpers and do so; I would not have asked such a thing of you myself." "There is not much help needed," said Havelok. "I think this may be managed if I get a fair hold." Now we were used to seeing him carry such loads as would try the strength of even Raven and myself, who could lift a load for three men; but when he took the two great baskets of bread and swung them into place on either arm, a smothered shout went round the crowd, and more than once I heard the old Welsh name that the marsh folk had given him spoken. "Let us be going," said Havelok to the steward on that. "One would think that none of these had ever hefted a fair load in his life, to listen to them." So he nodded to me across the heads of the crowd, and followed Berthun, and the idlers followed him for a little. The guard turned these back at the gate, and Havelok went through, and I could see him no more. Presently the crowd drifted back to their places, and I heard them talking. Havelok and his strength was likely to be a nine days' wonder in Lincoln, and I was glad that I had asked him not to say whence he was. "He is some thane's son who is disguised," said one. "Maybe he is under a vow," said another; and then one chimed in with a story of some prince of Arthur's time, by name Gareth, who hid his state at his mother's command. "As for me," said the baker, "I think that he is a fisher, as he looks -- at least, that is, as his clothes make him." So even he had his doubts, and I will say that I understood well enough now why my father never brought him here before. Havelok was long in coming back, as I thought, and I seemed to be wasting time here, and so I bethought me of the other man to whom the old dame had said we might go -- namely, the captain of the gate. I should see Havelok if I stood there. The captain was talking with some of his men as I came up, and of course it was of Havelok that they spoke; and seeing that I wore the same dress as he, they asked me if I knew who he was. "He is a fisher from the coast," I answered. "I have heard him called Curan." "Welsh then," the captain answered, somewhat disappointed, as it seemed. "If he had been a Mercian, or even a Saxon, I would have had him here, but a fisher has had no training in arms after all." "Some of us have," said I. The captain looked me up and down, and then walked round me, saying nothing until we were face to face again. "That, I take it, is a hint that you might like to be a housecarl of the king's," he said. "Are you a Lindseyman?" "I am the son of Grim of Grimsby," I said. "Why, then, I suppose you would not think of it, seeing that my place is not empty; but if you will dress in that way you must not wonder if I took you for a likely man for a housecarl. We know Grim well by repute. Come in and tell me about the famine, and this new town of yours that one hears of." Now I could not see Havelok as yet, and so I went into the stone-arched Roman guardroom, and Eglaf the captain fetched out a pot of wine and some meat, and made me very welcome while we talked. And presently I thought that I might do worse than be a housecarl for a time, if Eglaf would have me. I should be armed at least, and with comrades to help if Havelok needed me; though all the while I thought myself foolish for thinking that any harm could come to him who was so strong. Nevertheless, what my father had laid on us all was to be heeded, and I was to be his helper in arms. So presently I told Eglaf that the housecarl's life seemed an easy one, and that it would be pleasant to go armed for a while, if he would have me for a short time, seeing that the famine had left us naught to do. "Well, there is plenty to eat and drink," he said, "and good lodging in the great hall or here, as one's post may be, and a silver penny every day; but no fighting to be done, seeing that Alsi will sooner pay a foe to go away than let us see to the matter. Doing naught is mighty hard work at times." Then he asked if I had arms, and I said that I would send for them at once, and that settled the matter. If I chose to come with my own arms I should be welcome. "I am glad to get you," he said, "for there will be a crowd in the place ere long, for the Witan is to meet, and the thanes will come with their men, and there will be fine doings, so that we need another strong arm or two that we may keep the peace," He took a long pull at the wine pot, and then went on, "Moreover, the princess's Danes are sure to want to fight some of the English folk for sport." "What! is she here?" "Not yet. They say that she is coming when the Witan meets, because the Witan wants to see her, not because Alsi does. But he dare not go against them, and so it must be." Now Goldberga, the princess, was, as I have said, Alsi's ward, and was at this time just eighteen, so that it would be time for her to take the kingdom that was hers by right. It was common talk, however, that Alsi by no means liked the thought of giving the wide lands of East Anglia up to her, and that he would not do so if he could anywise help it. Maybe the Witan thought so also, and would see fair play. Ethelwald and his wife Orwenna had been well loved both here and in Norfolk, and it was said that Goldberga their daughter grew wondrous fair and queenly. I had learned one thing though, and that was that we should have Ethelwald's Danes here shortly, and that I did not like; but after all, what did these few men of an old household know of the past days in Denmark? There had been no going backwards and forwards between the two countries since the king died ten years ago. Nevertheless I was glad that I had found a friend in Eglaf, and that I was to be here. Then I got up to go, and the captain bade me come as soon as I could, for he could talk to me as he could not to the men, maybe. So I bade him farewell, and went slowly back, down the street, sitting down in the old place. It was not long after that before Havelok came, and I saw Berthun the steward come as far as the gate with him, and stand looking after him as he walked away; then Eglaf came out, and both looked and talked for a while, and therefore, as soon as I knew that Havelok saw me, I went away and across the bridge to a place that was quiet, and waited for him there. "Well, brother," I said, "you have had a long job with the cook. What is the end of it all?" "I do not know," he answered slowly. "That is to be seen yet." I looked at him, for his voice was strange, and I saw that he seemed to have the same puzzled look in his eyes as he had last night when we came first into the city. I asked if anything was amiss. "Nothing," he said; "but this is a place of dreams. I think that I shall wake presently in Grimsby." We walked on, and past the straggling houses outside the stockade, and so into the fields; and little by little he told me what was troubling him. Berthun the steward had said nothing until the palace was reached, and had led him to the great servants' hall, and there had bidden him set down his load and rest. Then he had asked if he would like to see the place, and of course Havelok had said that he would, wondering at the same time if this was all the pay that the porters got. So he was shown the king's hall, and the arms on the wall, and the high seat, and the king's own chamber, and many more things, and all the while they seemed nothing strange to Havelok. "This Berthun watched me as a cat watches a mouse all the while," he said, "and at last he asked if I had ever seen a king's house before. I told him that I had a dream palace which had all these things, but was not the same. And at that he smiled and asked my name. 'Curan,' I said, of course; and at that he smiled yet more, in a way that seemed to say that he did not believe me. 'It is a good name for the purpose,' he said, 'but I have to ask your pardon for calling you by the old giant's name just now.' I said that as he did not know my name, and it was a jest that fitted, it was no matter. Then he made a little bow, and asked if I would take any food before I went from the place; so I told him that it was just what I came for, and he laughed, and I had such a meal as I have not seen for months. It is in my mind that I left a famine in that house, so hungry was I. There is no pride about this Berthun, for he served me himself, and I thanked him." Then Havelok stopped and passed his hand over his face, and he laughed a little, uneasy laugh. "And all the while I could not get it out of my head that he ought to be kneeling before me." "Well," he went on after a little, "when I had done, this Berthun asked me a question, saying that he was a discreet man, and that if he could help me in any way he would do so. Had I a vow on me? Nothing more than to earn my keep until the famine was over, I said. I had left poor folk who would have the more for my absence, and he seemed to think that this was a wondrous good deed. So I told him that if he could help me in this I should be glad. Whereon he lowered his voice and asked if I must follow the way of Gareth the prince. I had not heard of this worthy, and so I said that what was good enough for a prince was doubtless good enough for me, and that pleased him wonderfully. "'Gladly will I take you into my service,' he said, 'if that will content you.' Which it certainly would; and so I am to be porter again tomorrow. Then I said that I had a comrade to whom I must speak first. He said that no doubt word must be sent home of my welfare, and he saw me as far as the gate." "Which of you went out of the hall first?" I asked. "Now I come to think of it, I did. I went to let him pass, as the elder, though it was in my mind to walk out as if the place belonged to me; and why, I do not know, for no such thought ever came to me in Witlaf's house, or even in a cottage; but he stood aside and made me go first." Now I longed for Withelm and his counsel, for one thing was plain to me, and that was that with the once familiar things of the kingship before him the lost memory of his childhood was waking in Havelok, and I thought that the time my father boded was at hand. The steward had seen that a court and its ways were no new thing to him, and had seen too that he had been wont to take the first place somewhere; so he had deemed that this princely-looking youth was under a vow of service, in the old way. It is likely that the Welsh name would make him think that he was from beyond the marches to the west, and that was just as well. Then Havelok said, "Let us go back to the widow's house and sleep. My head aches sorely, and it is full of things that are confused, so that I do not know rightly who I am or where. Maybe it will pass with rest." We turned hack, and then I told him what I meant to do; and that pleased him, for we should see one another often. "We are in luck, brother, so far," he said, "having lit on what we needed so soon; but I would that these dreams would pass." "It is the poor food of many days gone by," I said. "Berthun will cure that for you very shortly." "It is likely enough," he answered more gaily. "Little want is in that house, but honest Berthun does not know what a trencherman he has hired. But I would that we had somewhat to take back to our good old dame tonight." But she was more than satisfied with our news; and when she saw that Havelok was silent, she made some curious draught of herbs for him, which he swallowed, protesting, and after that he slept peacefully. I went out to the marketplace and found a man whom I knew -- one of those who carried our fish at times; and him I sent, with promise of two silver pennies presently, to Arngeir for my arms, telling him that all was well. <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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