"You outlandish cheat! you! What did you come here
for? You have not even let him blood!"
"Let him blood! good madame," exclaimed Master Lambert. "In his
state, to take away his blood would be to kill him outright!"
"False fool and pretender," cried Lady Whitburn; "as if all did not
ken that the first duty of a leech is to take away the infected
humours of the blood! Demented as I was to send for you. Had you
been worth but a pinch of salt, you would have shown me how to lay
hands on Nan the witch-wife, the cause of all the scathe to my poor
bairn."
Master Lambert could only protest that he laid no claim to the skill
of a witch-finder, whereupon the lady stormed at him as having come
on false pretences, and at her daughter for having brought him, and
finally fell into a paroxysm of violent weeping, during which Grisell
was thankful to convey her guest out of the chamber, and place him
under the care of Ridley, who would take care he had food and rest,
and safe convoy back to Wearmouth when his mule had been rested and
baited.
"Oh, Master Lambert," she said, "it grieves me that you should have
been thus treated."
"Heed not that, sweet lady. It oft falls to our share to brook the
like, and I fear me that yours is a weary lot."
"But my brother! my little brother!" she asked. "It is all out of my
mother's love for him."
"Alack, lady, what can I say? The child is sickly, and little enough
is there of peace or joy in this world for such, be he high or low
born.
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