THE CHRONICLE OF CLEMENDY
dried." "The reason of this is," quoth the Rubrican, "that the scribes were the old monks, who did everything thoroughly; who, when they have once set foot in a country, can never be blotted out of it, nor die away into forgetfulness. Doubtless they were mortal men, even as we are, and had their little failings, but they were very strong men and knew how to make red ink and build monastic edifices. And now Abergavenny Fair is the only place where this ink can be bought, and the scriptorium of the Cwrw Dda the only place wherein it is used: and who knows how long the Sokage hold together in these days whenas all good ancient customs are dying out or being uprooted by main force?" "Take comfort," said Nick, "for there will always be Silurians as long as the world doth last; though I believe they will sometimes be very few and scattered about the land, and forced to work hard for hard masters, and be roughly treated in many ways. But still they will remain until King Arthur come once more, with his Twelve Knights and all his wonderful array, riding through the woods and across the hills to the musick of his magick horn. Then shall old Dubric sing mass in the metropolitical city, and then shall begin the great Silurian year. But lo! the night goes on and we waste the time by talking of what shall be, when we, at all events, shall have been borne with singing along the valley and up the slope of the long hill to our quiet home beneath the grass, where are no storms, nor rains, and the roaring October winds shall sound merely through
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