The Door in the Wall (13 page)

The King spread out the jeweled collar and dropped it onto Robin’s shoulders, saying, “This shall be a token of our high regard and with it go our grateful thanks.

“Rise, young Robin,” he commanded, and himself raised Robin to his feet.

Robin was filled with gratitude to the King, because now his father could be proud of him. He could not speak for a moment, and indeed knew of nothing to say. But cheers and hand clapping began to make such a noise and clatter that no speech could have been heard.

When the noise had quieted a little, Robin was quieter, too. He remembered the carol he had been learning for this very night, and words came to him.

“Sire,” Robin began, “I do thank you for this great honor, and I beg you to accept my song of Christmas.” He brought forward the little harp he had grown to love and sang this carol:

When the song was ended, once more the Hall rang with shouts and cheers. “Sir Robin! Sir Robin!” Robin found himself standing between his mother and his father.
Sir Robin. Was it he?

“Sir,” he addressed his father, “mind you not that I must go thus, bent over, and with these crutches to help me walk?” For he must know the worst at once.

Gravely Sir John answered, “The courage you have shown, the craftsmanship proven by the harp, and the spirit in your singing all make so bright a light that I cannot see whether or no your legs are misshapen.”

“As for me,” said Lady Maud, slipping her arm about Robin, “what a comfort it will be to know that wars will never claim you. And you can come home, for there is now no need for you to stay here at Lindsay. Nor is there further need for me to be with the Queen. She is now in good health. When the Feast of Christmas is over, we shall all go home to London. Brother Luke shall come with us to be your tutor, if he will.”

When the midnight office was said in the church, the whole household trooped back to the Hall, where tables were spread for the feast. Platters were heaped with food and carried in by pages and esquires. A giant boar’s head came first in order, then pasties and whole suckling pigs, pigeons and geese roasted with feathers on. The meats were followed by flaming puddings and bowls of wassail, chestnuts, and apples.

D’Ath and the other hounds feasted, too, for all the scraps were thrown into the rushes on the floor.

It was nearly dawn when Robin felt himself lifted onto Brother Luke’s back, for he had fallen asleep.

“Where am I?” he asked in bewilderment. “What has happened?”

“Thou’rt here, Sir Robin,” said the friar. “Safe with all thy loved ones. ’Tis the Feast of Christmas, and thou hast found the door in thy wall.”

Around 5:00 a.m. on a warm Sunday morning in October 1953, my Aunt Belle left her bed and vanished from the face of the earth
.

Everyone in Coal Station, Virginia, has a theory about what happened to Belle Prater, but 12-year-old Gypsy wants the facts, and when her cousin Woodrow, Aunt Belle’s son, moves next door, she has her chance.

“An enthralling and inspiring tale of triumph over handicap. Unusually beautiful illustrations, full of authentic detail, combine with the text to make life in England during the Middle Ages come alive.”

—The New York Times

“One has a feeling of the authenticity of the pageantry and atmosphere of medieval England … the illustrations are beautifully handled.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“A poignant story, full of action, and a strongly painted canvas of the times as well.”

— The New Yorker

Marguerite de Angeli was one of the most popular, well-loved authors for young people ever. Born in 1889, she wrote more than twenty-five highly acclaimed children’s books.