Chapter 9. Tricking the Abbot

“Today’s the day!” sang the Abbot to himself as he dressed himself with extra care. “By twelve o’clock I shall be a rich man. I’ll have lands here, lands there, lands everywhere!”

He skipped as well as his portly bearing would allow to his breakfast-room. This was the day when Sir Richard of Lea was due to pay back the debt he owed. The cunning Abbot had learned that the knight was in no position to pay.

The lands that would fall into his hands were far more useful to him than the money. And today they would be his!

There came a knock on his door. A servant entered.

“The magistrate, sire”, mumbled the servant.

“Show him in! Show him in!” beamed the Abbot, as he attacked his breakfast with relish. Then, as the magistrate was ushered into his presence, “Good morning! Good morning! Do sit down. Have you breakfast?”

“Well, as a matter of fact, I have”, said the magistrate. “But since you – er – ”

“Why, certainly! Do join me!”

He had asked the magistrate to attend that morning so that he could watched the handing-over of Sir Richard’s lands. After the meal the two strolled into the grounds of the Abbey. The creeping shadow of the sundial clock shoed them that the time was drawing near when Sir Richard was due to pay the money.

“It doesn’t look as if your guest is going to arrive, my lord Abbot”, said the magistrate.

“That will be too bad for him”, said the Abbot.

“Perhaps his horse has had a fall”, suggested the magistrate, “or, worse still, perhaps he has fallen into the hands of Robin Hood”.

“That is not my fault”, snorted the Abbot. “He can make no excuses. The agreement between the knight and myself was that the money should be paid by noon today. If it is not here by that time then his lands will be mine”.

The two waited impatiently for the time to pass. The Abbot gave up trying to make conversation. He was too excited to talk. The magistrate was only concerned with seeing that justice would be done at the appointed hour. They walked round the grounds in silence.

The Abbot turned quickly when he heard the running footsteps of a monk behind him.

“There is a man on horseback in the distance, Sir Abbot!” he exclaimed.

“What!” almost screamed the Abbot. “What did he look like?”

“He was too far away for me to see”, answered the monk.

The Abbot rushed into the Abbey and came out to look from the turret at the figure far away along the road. It was knight. The Abbot could see that, for the sun glinted on the rider’s helmet and shield. He knew instinctively that the knowledge that, according to reports, the knight was in no position to pay his debts.

Presently Sir Richard rode up to the Abbey door and knocked. He was admitted to the Abbey, and he walked straight to where the Abbot and the magistrate had seated themselves.

The Abbot was quick to get down to business.

“There is little time left, Sir Richard, for the setting of your debts”, he said. “Have you brought the money with you?”

He asked the question confidently, for he could see that the knight’s hands were empty.

“My lord Abbot”, said Sir Richard respectfully, “I thought perhaps you would agree to take part of my debt and to grant me another year to pay the remainder”.

Sir Richard laughed to himself as he spoke. The Abbot’s face was almost comical in its look of sudden relief.

“Ha!” grated the Abbot. “I thought as much. I am not here to parley with you. I will have all your debt or all your lands!”

“I understand, Sir Richard”, the magistrate put in, “that your agreement was to pay the debt in full today or to hand over your lands as payment”.

“That is true”, said Sir Richard, adopting an air of sadness. “Then, in the meantime, my lord Abbot, will you give me your blessing?” And Sir Richard knelt down to receive the Abbot’s blessing.

“How dare you, sir!” stormed the Abbot. “Come, Sir Knight, we will not waste any more time. We are not here to listen to your excuses. You must pay your debt in money now, or I will have your lands. The magistrate here shall see that everything is done in order”.

The Abbot did not want the money to be paid, and Sir Richard’s next action stunned him as thoroughly as if he had been struck with a quarter-staff. Sir Richard pulled from behind him a great bag of money. It had been hidden there by his cloak.

The Abbot stared blankly. He tried to pull himself together. Was it possible, he asked himself, that Sir Richard could pay fully? He grabbed the bag and slowly counted the money.

“I’m glad that the magistrate is here”, said Sir Richard. “He can witness that correct amount of money has been paid”.

The magistrate nodded. He looked on while the Abbot counted all the coins. The amount was correct. The Abbot was dumbfounded.

“Now perhaps you will hand over the deed that I signed, my lord Abbot”, said Sir Richard, with a bow.

“You valet!” stormed the Abbot. “You distinctly said that you were…”

“Excuse me, my lord Abbot”, put in the magistrate, “you have no option but to hand over the deed, for Sir Richard has indeed paid his debt in full”.

“This is outrageous!” fumed the Abbot.

He had no option, however, but to hand over the deed.

He was still speechless as Sir Richard walked out of the door, mounted his horse, and rode away from the Abbey. The knight could not help laughing at the sad figure of the Abbot as he realized that the lands he hoped for were not to be his.

Sir Richard made up his mind that directly he had enough money to relay Robin Hood he would take him the sum, with whatever else he could afford.

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Chapter 8. Robin and the Poor Knight	\|	Chapter 10. The Ambushed Abbot

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