It was carefully concealed from the two wounded men, that they were so near each other.  The father did not, therefore, pray for Theobald, to whom neither himself nor any person made the least allusion.  It was from Arnold that his father was to learn all that concerned him; and it was not until the next day, and in the afternoon, that Gottfried, having summoned Erard and Ethbert, listened with them to the narrative of his son.  Matthew remained with the chevalier.

“You know, my father,” said Arnold, “that I went forth against my will.  Ah, what a denial of faith, to make war in the name of the religion of Jesus!  But I thought my presence would control certain spirits, and that I might, perhaps, even prevent a conflict between the two parties.

“I communicated my sentiments to some true friends of the Saviour, who had repaired to the camp with the same intentions as myself; and we often assembled together, in my tent, to arrange our plans, and especially to pray to God.

“But the number in favor of peace and forgiveness of injuries was too small, and all our efforts were useless.  The only thing we could obtain was, that we should not be the first to attack, and that, at the first signal of truce, we should cease fighting.

“For myself and brethren, we had pledged ourselves before God to limit ourselves to defense, and to use our arms only to protect our own lives, but not to strike our enemies.

“We had learned that Theobald, one of their chieftains, the lord of Rothenwald, a strong castle in the neighborhood, and who, for his indomitable courage, as well as the inflexible firmness of his manners, has been surnamed ‘The Iron-Hearted,’ had arrived at their camp, breathing only retaliation and revenge.  We knew, besides, that his wife, the lady of the castle, named Hildegarde, was very hostile to the cause of the gospel, and had even treated harshly two of our brethren, who had been taken prisoners by Theobald, in a preceding action, and to whom the hatred of his wife had been cruelly manifested.

“Nevertheless, my brethren and myself had all a sincere desire to pray to God fervently for the welfare of Theobald and his men.  Alas, he has been killed!  He is dead!  He has gone to give an account of his soul to God.  Poor, poor Theobald!”

Here Erard, who was seated beside his grandfather, laid his hand on his knee and looked at him with a knowing expression.  His grandfather placed his finger on Erard’s lips, and kept it there, as if to enjoin upon the child the greatest secrecy; and Erard, with a sigh, turned his eyes again upon his father.

“But it was he, it was Theobald, who commenced the combat.  He ordered his troops forward; and, himself advancing in front of ours, who had also formed themselves in battle array, he provoked us, calling us heretics and infidels, whom Heaven had already cursed, and whom the Holy Virgin, he said, was about to crush beneath her feet.