Mascarose
by Gordon Arthur Smith (9780217510219)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Ill THERE SHALL BE A BEARDED VILLAIN IN great haste Aimar shook the dust of the village from his feet; and yet his encounter at the inn should have added to his self-confidence. His voice had served him well when he had called upon it; it swayed when he would have had it sway; it won all it advantaged him to have it win. He was assured now of a weapon far more potent than the ornamental dagger at his belt. There was but one road to the castle of Gavarret, and that lay before him, white and unmistakable; a sinuous road turning abruptly on itself as it toiled up the cliff, of which Gavarret was the crown. At times, pausing for breath, Aimar looked up and marked the castle's stern aspect; itsheavy ominous walls, its significant battlements, its narrow, deep-set windows. "It frowns overmuch for my liking," he said; "it shall be my business to make it smile." A booted guardsman answered his "hallo" at the outer gate. "What want you at Gavarret, chicken ?" he demanded. "Entrance " replied Aimar briefly. "For what purpose?" the other pursued. "To employ the voice the Lord has given me, and the lute I have gotten for myself." The soldier deigned to laugh. "You can do little harm and doubtless less good," he said, and opened the gate; and as Aimar passed through he flung after him: "You are the one beardless male that Gavarret has seen in many a month. May the saints have mercy on your soul " "I fear not for my soul," said Aimar. "Then look to your body," the other achieved. If the outward aspect of Gavarret was uninviting (I mean the front that faced the town of Gavarret and an imaginary foe), the back did brighter homage to the blue skies and blue eyes of cheery Provence. There Aimar beheld doors that were not gates and towers that were not pris...

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