Page:The Chronicle of Clemendy.pdf/143

 and thus it is that I can show you no proof of my story; for the kite was seized by a sudden breeze and rose aloft into the air till it was but a speck against the blue, and afterwards I have not seen it. And lo! beneath the tree was my horse that I had left behind when I climbed up into Ladder Town; and how this happened is beyond my wit, neither can I get to the bottom of it at all. Then rode I away, and for three months have I journeyed through wild lands, foreign peoples, many perils, and much misery; but the vane on the spire of the accursed city is the only constant creature that I have beheld in this my quest."

No sooner had Sir Nicholas brought this stupendous history to a close than the blast of a horn, blown long and loud, assailed the ears of the High Constable and his company, who marvelled so at this circumstance that they forgot to marvel at the story. "Go, Thomas," said my lord to the fool, "go quickly and see who it is that is without so late; since a fool is best to open to one that comes on a fool's errand." "Truly I think I am the right man for this occasion," answered the precious Thomas, who kept one eye still closed, so that they said "He is, in fact, a great fool," and that is how the phrase originated. Remember this when you speak of your friends behind their backs, and forget not to feel thankful to the witty lords and ladies who have furnished you with this expression of true friendship. But Thomas went forth, while the horn still rang through the towers, along the alures, and into