“You are a better physician than I, Sir Thomas,” said the prelate—“a soothing falsehood is fitter for a sick-room than an unpleasing truth.”
“How mean you, my reverend lord?” said De Vaux hastily. “Think you I would tell a falsehood to save the lives of a dozen such as he?”
“You said,” replied the bishop, with manifest symptoms of alarm—“you said the esquire's master was returned—he, I mean, of the Couchant Leopard.”
“And he IS returned,” said De Vaux. “I spoke with him but a few hours since. This learned leech came in his company.”
“Holy Virgin! why told you not of his return to me?” said the bishop, in evident perturbation.
“Did I not say that this same Knight of the Leopard had returned in company with the physician? I thought I had,” replied De Vaux carelessly. “But what signified his return to the skill of the physician, or the cure of his Majesty?”
“Much, Sir Thomas—it signified much,” said the bishop, clenching his hands, pressing his foot against the earth, and giving signs of impatience, as if in an involuntary manner. “But where can he be gone now, this same knight? God be with us—here may be some fatal errors!”
“Yonder serf in the outer space,” said De Vaux, not without wonder at the bishop's emotion, “can probably tell us whither his master has gone.”
The lad was summoned, and in a language nearly incomprehensible to them, gave them at length to understand that an officer had summoned his master to the royal tent some time before their arrival at that of his master. The anxiety of the bishop appeared to rise to the highest, and became evident to De Vaux, though, neither an acute observer nor of a suspicious temper. But with his anxiety seemed to increase his wish to keep it subdued and unobserved. He took a hasty leave of De Vaux, who looked after him with astonishment, and after shrugging his shoulders in silent wonder, proceeded to conduct the Arabian physician to the tent of King Richard.