The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli

Author:Marguerite De Angeli [Angeli, Marguerite De]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-307-80635-2
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2011-09-14T04:00:00+00:00

THE next morning the weather cleared, and by the end of the fourth day the spires of Oxford appeared. Before long they crossed the Cherwell into the High Street. Everywhere Robin looked, there were students, walking about or talking on street corners. They filled the punts and barges that crowded the two rivers. They sprawled under the park trees eating bread and cheese, but wherever they were, they talked and talked and talked.

Most of the students were poor, and were dressed in every sort of particolored gown or tunic.

“It seems to me,” said Robin, “as if they try to see how outlandish they can make themselves look.”

The travelers went up the High then turned on past the Saxon Tower and the market cross to St. John’s College, where they were received with courtesy and where they spent the night.

Beyond Oxford the country began to be more rolling.

Sometimes the road led through forests, then, again, it ran beside the river, crossed a bridge, and went up through a village. Once they had to turn aside and allow a cavalcade of horsemen to pass. It swept by in a fine parade of shining mail, bright banners, and gaily caparisoned horses. In their midst rode a lady with her attendants. Robin wished the lady had been his mother.

Where was his mother now? Did she know about him and where he was? Did she know that he walked with the help of crutches?

They followed the cavalcade up the winding road to the top of the hill, where there was a sign announcing a fair at Wychwood Bee.

“There will be jousting!” said Robin.

“There will be dancing!” said John-go-in-the-Wynd.

“And there will be little praying,” said Brother Luke.

“There will be no room at the inn, so we must not linger long.”

“Let us see a little of the fun,” begged Robin.

So they turned aside and spent some hours at the fair, tethering the horses near the gate, giving a penny to a lad for watching them.

All the country people had come from miles around. They had brought cattle and sheep, dairy butter and cheese, whatever had been their portion after giving what was due to the lord of the manor.

Lombards from Europe were there with goods from far-off lands. There were silks and velvets from Italy and France, laces from Flanders.

Robin wanted to be everywhere at once. He wanted to watch the tournament, the bear baiting, the wrestling, and the racing. He wanted to taste all the food: the pigeon pies, the honey tarts, that suckling pig with the apple in its mouth, and the jugged hare. He flitted from one booth to the other with Brother Luke after him.

Finally Brother Luke said, “Hast seen enough, lad? It is a good way to the next hospice, they tell me, and we have two or three days’ journey ahead of us. So come, my son.”

“Let me see only the rest of the Punch and Judy, then,”agreed Robin, “and I shall be willing. For never have I seen anything so funny.

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