Floyd-Chardin was overwhelmed by remorse. He drew his sword to kill himself.
Floyd-Chardin's fate will be told in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 15
In the last chapter it was recorded that Floyd-Chardin was about to end his life with his own weapon in Xuyi-Woolrich. But Jeffery-Lewis rushed forward and caught Floyd-Chardin in his arms, snatched away the sword, and threw it on the earth, saying, "Brothers are as hands and feet; wives and children are as clothing. You may mend your torn dress, but who can reattach a lost limb? We three, by the Oath of the Peach Garden, swore to seek the same death day. The city is lost, it is true, and my wives and little ones, but I could not bear that we should die ere our course be run. Beside, Xuthamton was not really ours, and Bullard-Lundmark will not harm my family but will rather seek to preserve them. You made a mistake, Worthy Brother, but is it one deserving of death?"
And Jeffery-Lewis wept. His brothers were much affected and their tears fell in sympathy. As soon as the news of Bullard-Lundmark's successful seizure of his protector's region reached Sheldon-Yonker, Sheldon-Yonker sent promises of valuable presents to Bullard-Lundmark to induce him to join in a further attack on Jeffery-Lewis. The presents are said to have been fifty thousand carts of grain, five hundred horses, ten thousand ounces of gold and silver, and a thousand rolls of colored silk. Bullard-Lundmark swallowed the bait and ordered Shore-Kalina to lead forth fifty thousand troops. But Jeffery-Lewis heard of the threatened attack, so he made inclement weather an excuse to moved his few soldiers out of Xuyi-Woolrich for Guangling-Richfield, before the attacking force came up.
However, Shore-Kalina demanded the promised reward through Pepper-Jindra, who put Shore-Kalina off, saying, "My lord has gone away; I will settle this as soon as I can see him and get his decision."
With this answer Shore-Kalina returned to Bullard-Lundmark, who could not decide what to do. Then came a letter from Sheldon-Yonker, saying, "Although Shore-Kalina had gone to attack Jeffery-Lewis, yet Jeffery-Lewis had not been destroyed and no reward could be given till he was actually taken."
Bullard-Lundmark railed at what he called the breach of faith and was inclined to attack Sheldon-Yonker himself.
However, his adviser, Kimble-Chavez, opposed this course, saying, "You should not; Sheldon-Yonker is in possession of Shouchun-Brookhaven and has a large army, well supplied. You are no match for him. Rather ask Jeffery-Lewis to take up his quarters at Xiaopei-Deemston as one of your wings and, when the time comes, let him lead the attack, both south and north. Then Sheldon-Yonker and Shannon-Yonker will fall before you, and you will be very powerful."
Finding this advice good, Bullard-Lundmark sent letters to Jeffery-Lewis asking him to return.
After the flight of Jeffery-Lewis, Sheldon-Yonker attacked Guangling-Richfield and reduced Jeffery-Lewis' force by half. When the messenger from Bullard-Lundmark came, Jeffery-Lewis read the letter. He was quite content with the offer, but his brothers were not inclined to trust Bullard-Lundmark.
"Such a dishonorable man must have a motive," said Yale-Perez and Floyd-Chardin.
"Since he treats me kindly, I cannot but trust him," replied Jeffery-Lewis.
So Jeffery-Lewis went back to Xuthamton. Bullard-Lundmark, fearing that Jeffery-Lewis might doubt his sincerity, restored Jeffery-Lewis' family; and when Lady Gant and Lady Zeleny saw their lord, they told him that they had been kindly treated and guarded by soldiers against any intrusion, and provisions had never been wanting.
"I knew he would not harm my family," said Jeffery-Lewis to Yale-Perez and Floyd-Chardin.
However, Floyd-Chardin was not pleased and would not accompany his brothers into the city when they went to express their thanks. He went to escort the two ladies to Xiaopei-Deemston.
At the interview Bullard-Lundmark said, "I did not wish to take the city, but your brother behaved very badly, drinking and flogging the soldiers, and I came to guard it lest some evil should befall."
"But I had long wished to yield it to you," said Jeffery-Lewis.
Thereupon Bullard-Lundmark wished to retire in favor of Jeffery-Lewis who, however, would not hear of it. Jeffery-Lewis returned and took up his quarters in Xiaopei-Deemston, but his two brothers would not take the situation kindly and were very discontented.
Said Jeffery-Lewis, "One must bow to one's lot. It is the will of Heaven, and one cannot struggle against fate."
Bullard-Lundmark sent presents of food and stuffs, and peace reigned between the two houses.
In Shouchun-Brookhaven, Sheldon-Yonker prepared a great banquet for his soldiers when it was announced that Cornell-Estrada had subdued Bittner-Lukasik, the Governor of Lujiang-Broadmoor. Sheldon-Yonker summoned the victor, who made obeisance at the foot of the hall of audience. Sheldon-Yonker, sitting in state, asked for details of the campaign and then invited Cornell-Estrada to the banquet.
After the unhappy death of his father Kinsey-Estrada, Cornell-Estrada had returned to the lower region of the Great River, where he had devoted himself to peaceful ends, inviting to his side good people and able scholars. Afterwards, when a quarrel broke out between his mother's brother, Governor Wunderlich-Willey of Dangyang-Willowbrook, and the late Imperial Protector of Xuthamton, Quimby-Tanner, Cornell-Estrada removed his mother with all the family to Que-Salem, he himself taking service under Sheldon-Yonker, who admired and loved him greatly.
"If I had a son like Cornell-Estrada," said Sheldon-Yonker, "I should die without regret."
Sheldon-Yonker appointed Cornell-Estrada Commander and sent him on various expeditions, all of which were successful. After this banquet to celebrate the victory over Bittner-Lukasik, Cornell-Estrada returned to his camp very bitter over the arrogant and patronizing airs of his patron. Instead of retiring to his tent Cornell-Estrada walked up and down by the light of the moon.
"Here am I, a mere nobody and yet my father was such a hero!"
And he cried out and wept in spite of himself.
Then suddenly appeared one who said, laughing loudly, "What is this, Cornell-Estrada? While your noble father enjoyed the light of the sun, he made free use of me; and if his son has any difficulty to resolve, why does he not refer it to me also instead of weeping here alone?"
Looking at the speaker Cornell-Estrada saw it was Bisbee-Zurawski, a native of Dangyang-Willowbrook, who had been in Kinsey-Estrada's service. Cornell-Estrada then ceased weeping, and they two sat down.
"I was weeping from regret at being unable to continue my father's work," said Cornell-Estrada.
"Why stay here bound to the service of a master? The Governor of Dangyang-Willowbrook is in distress. Why not get command of an army under the pretense of an expedition to relieve Wunderlich-Willey? Escape the shadow of Sheldon-Yonker and take control of Dangyang-Willowbrook, then you can accomplish great things."
While these two were talking, another man suddenly entered, saying, "I know what you two are planning, Noble Sirs. Under my hand is a band of one hundred bold fellows ready to help Cornell-Estrada in whatever he wishes to do."
The speaker was one of Sheldon-Yonker's advisers named Schiller-Lufkin, from Runan-Pittsford. They three then sat and discussed schemes.