Page 4 (2/2)

He recalled the way his father had railed against the a coton S with scorn as he lifted his chin and gave an elaborate sniff of disdain “Naught but a frivolous, immoral lot of dirty scoundrels, every last enerate and drunken wastrels, all of them, a foul and pestilential pox upon society! No son of mine shall ever be a player! Mark ht off your back afore I allow you to disgrace the family name in such a manner!”

Well, Ss turned out, his hide was still intact, which was certainly ood nalorious attehthood Now he had little left to show for all his efforts save for his precious escutcheon, which he had bribed and cozened the College of Heralds into granting hihthood would soon be within

his grasp Alas, Syton Smythe II’s lofty ambition had overreached him and his dreams had fallen into dust He had only narrowly avoided debtor’s prison and was now living er brother’s charity

Meanwhile, Sye that he was realizing his own dreams He had left home for London, where he had found and joined a coh his current state of fortune was notthe life that he had chosen for himself “Life,” as his Uncle Thomas used to say, “is much too short to be lived for someone else Go and live it as you like it”

Smythe often missed his Uncle Thomas, who had always been more of a father to hirudged his older brother his inheritance He was a si man who lived his own life and was content to make his oay as a farrier and blacks better than standing at his forge, his powerful arms corded with muscle, his bare chest, covered only with his orn leather apron, glistening with a sheen of sweat as he labored at his favorite task, the careful crafting of a blade Though he had shod ed e a blade that could rival the finest fighting steel from Toledo No less a connoisseur of weapons than Sir William Worley, master of the Sea Hawks and courtier to the queen, had admired his work

And if it wasn’t for his uncle’s tutelage, Sry on this night He had been coed tohorses and helping out a local smith named Liam Bailey, who had found hi apprentice becaht up in a street brawl and had his head busted for his trouble

“Da old sh and liver-spotted hand over his spare and close-cropped, grizzled hair “Dunno what in blazes is theman counted ‘iood trade But, blind ave a goose! Not like you, now I can see straight off that soe an’ ye ‘ave a i’ horses, lad Ye ‘ave a fine, thick, brawny ar chest, all the makin’s of a proper smith Ye know, ye could do worse than to throw in yer lot wi’ me”

Smythe had thanked him warmly and explained that he already had a job with the Queen’s Men, quickly adding that he was very grateful for the work because the playhouses had been closed and tiain before too long

“A player, is it?” Liaood brawn, if ye ask me Still an’ all, ‘tis yer own life, an’ I’ll not be tellin’ ye how ye should live it Come around any tiood strong arm”

It was a kind offer, to be sure, and the way that things were going, it looked as if he would be spending a lot more time at Liam Bailey’s smithy if the playhouses were not reopened soon, for after settling accounts with Stackpole for a couple of his fellow players eretheh re to pay for his own supper