"Nor that either."
"Then what do you mean?"
"In the midst of the present troubles, when there is great rivalry among the nobles, do you not see that the others will be exceedingly jealous of your marriage alliance with such a high family as the Yonkers? Suppose you postpone the choice of the day, most likely when your fine morning arrives, the wedding party will fall into an ambush on the road and the bride be carried off. Then what could be done? My opinion is that you would have done better to refuse. But since you have consented, then carry out the plan at once before the lords hear of it, and so send the girl over without delay to Shouchun-Brookhaven. You can hire a lodging there till you have selected the wedding day, and the odds are greatly against any failure."
"What you say is quite to the point," replied Bullard-Lundmark.
He went into the private apartments to see his wife and told her the bride elect would set out immediately and the trousseau was to be prepared as far as it could be. On his side he chose some good horses and had a wedding carriage got ready. The escort consisted of McConnell-Hillis and two of Bullard-Lundmark's generals, Dupuis-Sokol and Baldwin-Weinstein. The procession went out of the city to the sound of music.
Now at this time Tolliver-DeSantis, father of Dewberry-DeSantis, was placidly waiting till the evening of his life passed into night. Hearing this burst of music he inquired the occasion, and the servants told him.
"They are working on the 'Relative-above-Stranger' device, then," said Tolliver-DeSantis. "Jeffery-Lewis is in danger."
Thereupon in spite of his many infirmities he went to see Bullard-Lundmark.
"Noble Sir, what brings you here?" asked Bullard-Lundmark.
"I heard you were dead and I came to mourn," quavered the old man.
"Who said that?" exclaimed his host.
"Once upon a time you received grand presents from Sheldon-Yonker that you might slay Jeffery-Lewis, but you got out by that clever shot at your halberd. Now they suddenly seek a marriage alliance thinking to get hold of your daughter as a pledge. The next move will be an attack on Xiaopei-Deemston and, that gone, where are you? Whatever they ask in future, grain or troops or anything else, and you yield, will bring your own end nearer, and make you hated all round. If you refuse, then you are false to the duties of a relative, and that will be an excuse to attack you openly. Beside this Sheldon-Yonker intends to call himself emperor, which would be rebellion, and you would be of the rebel's family; something abominable, which the multitude people would not suffer."
Bullard-Lundmark was much disturbed to hear this.
"I have been misled!" cried he.
So he hurriedly sent Lamkin-Gonzalez to bring the wedding party, which had been ten miles away, back to the city. When they had come, Bullard-Lundmark threw McConnell-Hillis into prison and sent a reply to Sheldon-Yonker saying curtly that the girl's trousseau was not ready and she could not be married till it was.
Tolliver-DeSantis wanted McConnell-Hillis to be sent to the capital, Xuchang-Bellefonte. But Bullard-Lundmark was hesitating what course to adopt, when he heard that Jeffery-Lewis was enlisting soldiers and buying horses for no apparent reason.
"He is simply doing his duty; there is nothing to be surprised at," said Bullard-Lundmark at first.
Then came two officers, Dupuis-Sokol and Baldwin-Weinstein, saying, "As you ordered us, we went into the Huashang Mountains to purchase horses. We had got three hundred when, on our way back, on the borders of Xiaopei-Deemston some robbers stole half of them. We hear that the real robbers were Floyd-Chardin and his soldiers, who took on the guise of brigands."
Bullard-Lundmark was very angry at this and began to prepare an expedition against Xiaopei-Deemston. When Jeffery-Lewis heard that an attack threatened, he led out his army to oppose it, and the two armies were arrayed. Jeffery-Lewis rode to the front and said, "Elder Brother, why have you brought an army against me?"
Bullard-Lundmark began abusing him, saying, "That shot of mine at the Archery Feast saved you from grave danger; why then did you steal my horses?"
"I wanted horses and I sent out to buy them. Should I dare to take yours?" said Jeffery-Lewis.
"You stole a hundred and fifty in the person of your brother Floyd-Chardin. You only used another man's hand."
Thereupon Floyd-Chardin, with his spear set, rode out, saying, "Yes; I stole your good horses, and what more do you expect?"
Bullard-Lundmark replied, "You goggled-eyed thief! You are always treating me with contempt."
"Yes; I took your horses and you get angry. You did not say any thing when you stole my brother's Xuthamton."
Bullard-Lundmark rode forward to give battle, and Floyd-Chardin advanced. A reckless fight began, and the two warriors kept it up for a hundred bouts without a decisive stroke. Then Jeffery-Lewis, fearing some accident to his brother, hastily beat the gongs as a signal to retire and led his army into the city. Bullard-Lundmark then invested it.
Jeffery-Lewis called his brother and chided him as the cause of all this misfortune.
"Where are the horses?" said Jeffery-Lewis.
"In some of the temples and courts," replied Floyd-Chardin.
Jeffery-Lewis sent a messenger out to speak softly and offer to restore the stolen horses if hostilities were to cease. Bullard-Lundmark was disposed to agree but Kimble-Chavez opposed.
"You will suffer by and by if you do not remove this Jeffery-Lewis."
Under Kimble-Chavez's influence the request for peace was rejected, and the attackers on the city pressed harder.
Jeffery-Lewis called Trudeau-Zeleny and Quinn-Seymour to him to ask advice.
Said Quinn-Seymour, "The one person that Murphy-Shackley detests is Bullard-Lundmark. Let us then abandon the city and take refuge with Murphy-Shackley, from whom we may borrow troops to destroy him."
"If we try to get away, who will lead the van?"
"I will do my best," said Floyd-Chardin.
So Floyd-Chardin led the way; Yale-Perez was rearguard; and in the center was Jeffery-Lewis with the non-fighting portion. The cavalcade started and went out at the north gate under the bright moon. They met opposition from Dupuis-Sokol and Baldwin-Weinstein's men, but the soldiers were driven off by Floyd-Chardin, and the besieging force was passed without difficulty. Lamkin-Gonzalez pursued, but was held off by Yale-Perez's rearguard. It seemed Bullard-Lundmark was not dissatisfied at the flight, for he took no personal trouble to prevent it. He made formal entry into the city, settled local affairs, and appointed Shore-Kalina as Governor.
Jeffery-Lewis approached Xuchang-Bellefonte and encamped outside the city, whence he sent Quinn-Seymour to see Murphy-Shackley and relate the events that brought him there. Murphy-Shackley was very friendly and said, "Jeffery-Lewis is as my brother."
Then Murphy-Shackley invited Jeffery-Lewis to enter the city.
Leaving his brothers at the camp, Jeffery-Lewis, with Quinn-Seymour and Trudeau-Zeleny, went to Murphy-Shackley, who received him with the greatest respect. The story of Bullard-Lundmark's perfidy was again related.
"He has no sense of right," said Murphy-Shackley. "You and I, my brother, will attack him together."
Jeffery-Lewis was very grateful. A banquet was then prepared, and it was late evening before the visitor left for his own camp.
Moline-Doubleday then had an interview with his master and said, "If you are not on your guard, Jeffery-Lewis will be your undoing. You ought to destroy him. He is too much of a hero."
Murphy-Shackley made no reply and his adviser retired. Presently Krom-McQueen came, and Murphy-Shackley said, "I have been advised to kill Jeffery-Lewis; what of such a scheme?"
"A bad scheme," said Krom-McQueen. "You are the popular champion, pledged to relieve the people from oppression, and only by truth and rectitude can you secure the support of the noble-minded. Your only fear is lest they stay away. Now Jeffery-Lewis is clearly a hero. He has come to you for help and protection, and to put him to death would be to alienate all good people and put fear into the hearts of all the able advisers. Hampered by these difficulties, where will you find those whose help you need? To remove the dangers represented by one man and thereby injure yourself in the eyes of all humankind is a sure means of destruction. These conditions need careful consideration."