Needles and Pins Author:Justin McCarthy 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: IV A ROAD-SIDE JEST VILLON rose leisurely, gave his hand to Kath- erine, and led her from her seat through the barren land about them to the aisle. Down th... more »e aisle Villon and Katherine walked slowly to the church door, Katherine holding her head high and showing only by a slightly heightened color her consciousness of insult, Villon surveying with a pleasing indifference the mass of lowering faces turned towards them. He was too practised an actor on the shabby stages of the world, even if he were new to its gilded scenes, to be at all abashed or embarrassed by the presence of an audience. Behind them came the women, giggling and tittering to hide their discomfiture, and the pages grinning. Thus in dignified indignity did the lord and lady of Vaucelles-les-Tours make their way to the church door and into the open air. As soon as they had reached the door their enemies rose and followed them in a body. On the threshold Villon paused for a moment and surveyed the place crowded with people, revolving like pious tineas many cares in his mind. Yonderstood his horses with his servants about them, a little group of shining steel and bright color. There were many such groups in the square; Villon guessed swiftly at the number of fighting men they represented. For all his quiet demeanor Villon raged inwardly. He longed to take Bull-face by the nose to have it out with him, to teach him that the fire-new Lord of Montcorbier was the better man. But he foresaw what a brawl would blaze up about him; he thought of his little handful of followers, twelve in all, and realized that he was hopelessly outnumbered. Katherine must be got away in safety, at any cost of swallowed pride. It was more than probable that their departure would not be interfered with, that they would be suffered, at l...« less