Burlesques William Makepeace Thackeray

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who questions it would be a blasphemer were he not a fool. The well-born and wellnurtured
gentlewoman loves once and once only."
"I pray you, madam, pardon me, I—I am not well," said the gray friar, rising abruptly from
his settle, and tottering down the steps of the dais. Wamba sprung after him, his bells
jingling as he rose, and casting his arms around the apparently fainting man, he led him
away into the court. "There be dead men alive and live men dead," whispered he. "There be
coffins to laugh at and marriages to cry over. Said I not sooth, holy friar?" And when they
had got out into the solitary court, which was deserted by all the followers of the Thane,
who were mingling in the drunken revelry in the hall, Wamba, seeing that none were by,
knelt down, and kissing the friar's garment, said, "I knew thee, I knew thee, my lord and my
liege!"
"Get up," said Wilfrid of Ivanhoe, scarcely able to articulate: "only fools are faithful."
And he passed on, and into the little chapel where his father lay buried. All night long the
friar spent there: and Wamba the Jester lay outside watching as mute as the saint over the
porch.
When the morning came, Wumba was gone; and the knave being in the habit of wandering
hither and thither as he chose, little notice was taken of his absence by a master and
mistress who had not much sense of humor. As for Sir Wilfrid, a gentleman of his delicacy
of feelings could not be expected to remain in a house where things so naturally
disagreeable to him were occurring, and he quitted Rotherwood incontinently, after paying
a dutiful visit to the tomb where his old father, Cedric, was buried; and hastened on to
York, at which city he made himself known to the family attorney, a most respectable man,
in whose hands his ready money was deposited, and took up a sum sufficient to fit himself
out with credit, and a handsome retinue, as became a knight of consideration. But he
changed his name, wore a wig and spectacles, and disguised himself entirely, so that it was
impossible his friends or the public should know him, and thus metamorphosed, went about
whithersoever his fancy led him. He was present at a public ball at York, which the lord
mayor gave, danced Sir Roger de Coverley in the very same set with Rowena—(who was
disgusted that Maid Marian took precedence of her)—he saw little Athelstane overeat
himself at the supper and pledge his big father in a cup of sack; he met the Reverend Mr.
Tuck at a missionary meeting, where he seconded a resolution proposed by that eminent
divine;—in fine, he saw a score of his old acquaintances, none of whom recognized in him
the warrior of Palestine and Templestowe. Having a large fortune and nothing to do, he
went about this country performing charities, slaying robbers, rescuing the distressed, and
achieving noble feats of arms. Dragons and giants existed in his day no more, or be sure he
would have had a fling at them: for the truth is, Sir Wilfrid of Ivanhoe was somewhat sick
of the life which the hermits of Chalus had restored to him, and felt himself so friendless