The Knowledge Stone (27 page)

The girl listened with an open mouth: ‘But …’

The boy paid no attention to her and continued his line of thought: ‘Let us think about Miss Kati. As a stable boy, I only saw her when she went riding and she was always very rude and unpleasant to the stable servants. And I saw her bullying her young brother a number of times. And wasn’t there a time last year when she nearly killed the boy by neglecting him when they went swimming in the river? There was something about nettle stings, too. I always felt very sorry for that little boy. Then there was her horse, a fine animal that she had used for many years. I’m not exactly sure what she did to the horse but the horse bolted and finally threw her off in the stable yard. She insisted on being present when the horse was killed later that day. By then she had falsely accused me of attacking her and everybody believed her. I bet she is involved in what is happening to you, too!’ The boy finished his analysis triumphantly.

The girl was quiet, introspective.

‘You know, you may be right,’ she murmured.

Outside the door, the two jailers looked at each other with knowing eyes and were pleased with their strategy. The First Jailer whispered: ‘I think we have a lot more information, now. We must think on this very carefully.’

Breezily, the two men re-entered the room.

The Court Jailer arrived on horseback early the next morning and requested a meeting with the Master. The Master received him and, after polite greetings, the Court Jailer gave this report: ‘Master, my jailers have carried out the work you required me to do and I wish to report that they are unanimous in their judgement of this case. As you know, the maidservant girl spent the whole day with my men in the Jail. During that time, she was examined rigorously using, as I explained before, the most modern questioning techniques, which do not involve violence or injury. Both my men have concluded that the girl is innocent of any involvement in the theft of the medallion and they have stated this unequivocally. Master, here is the paper inscribed with the report. I am pleased to be of service to you and thank you for your confidence in me.’

The Master accepted the written report and thanked the Court Jailer, who then left.

After a night of fitful sleep, the maidservant prepared with great care to meet the Mistress.

Shortly after the morning meal, the Housekeeper came to her room: ‘I have heard nothing from the Mistress as yet but I understand that the Court Jailer has visited the Master. This means that the report of your examination will now be in his hands. We can only wait.’

Towards midday, the Housekeeper returned to the girl’s room. ‘Now I am to take you to see the Mistress. I say again to you what I said yesterday. Listen to this – it is good advice: “Be brave and always tell the truth.”’

‘Both of you come to my desk and sit here,’ the Mistress said. Then she addressed the girl: ‘The Master has received the report of your examination at the Town Jail. Do you know what it says?’

‘Yes, Mistress, I believe it says I am innocent of the crime of theft. I pray to God it does.’

‘That is exactly what it says, child. Furthermore I have never believed in your guilt. Of course the Master had to examine you rigorously – that is his duty – but he too is content that you are not the thief in this house. I have said to the Master that I wish you to continue as my Personal Maidservant and the Master has given his permission for this.’ The woman smiled as the girl burst into tears of happiness:

‘Mistress, I thank you. You are so good to me. I will work so hard for you. I will be the best maidservant ever …’

‘Hush, girl. Go and compose yourself and then come back here to start your work.’

‘Your day in the Town Court is next week on Friday.’ This was the message the First Jailer delivered to the stable boy as he brought him his morning meal. ‘Between now and then we will need to make sure you are healthy and well. To make sure of this, you will eat the same food we have. Also, I’ll get you good clean clothes to wear.’

The boy was always polite: ‘Thank you, Sir, for treating me so well.’

The jailer put down the tray of food and, avoiding the boy’s eyes said: ‘After you’ve eaten, I will fetch you so that you can wash thoroughly. Then you can spend the morning in the yard. You may do that every day until the day of the Court.’

‘Thank you, Sir, I shall enjoy that. You are very kind.’

Simultaneously, the message about the Court was delivered to the Master at the Manor House. When he informed the Mistress, this was overheard by some of the house servants and, before long, the news was common knowledge throughout the workers at the Manor.

When Kati heard the news, she immediately approached her father: ‘Father, is it true that the stable boy’s Court is on Friday of next week? If it is, I must prepare, for I am an important witness who will have much to say on that day.’

Her father looked up from his papers: ‘Yes, Kati, it is true that the Court will judge the stable boy next week. However, there is no need for you to be present.’

‘But Father, why? I am an important …’

‘There is no need for your witness, Kati. I think you already know that the boy has signed a confession of his guilt. Therefore, there is no doubt that he will be convicted of the crime against you. There is absolutely no need for you to be there. I will be there, as the accuser and the head of this family.’

After a short silence, Kati said: ‘But Father, I would greatly like to be there.’

Her father looked at the girl sharply: ‘Really, Kati? Why would you like to be there?’ Kati hesitated:

‘Because I wish to see justice done for the terrible thing this boy did to me.’

Her father looked at her impassively: ‘I would have thought, Kati, that you would have preferred to wipe that very unpleasant crime from your memory. I would have thought that you would not want to see your attacker face to face again. Seeing him would bring back all the horror that happened to you. You would be upset greatly. Is this not so?’

‘Of course I know you are very wise in all things, Father, but I just want to be sure that the Court knows everything about the terrible thing he did. He should never have spoken to me without permission.’

The room quieted suddenly. After some moments, the man spoke in a very soft voice, looking piercingly at his daughter: ‘What is this about speaking without permission, Kati? It is the first I have heard of it.’

Kati was stricken. She had spoken without thinking! Now, she must think quickly and retrieve the situation: ‘Oh, Father, I am sorry. I am so confused. That was another occasion at the stable yard. Then, that same stable boy spoke to me without permission. I was very cross with him.’

‘What did he say, Kati?’

‘I cannot remember, Father.’ Kati’s eyes filled with tears.

‘Were his words rude? Coarse? Insolent? Were you offended by them?’

‘Father, I cannot remember!’ This accompanied by sobs.

After reflection, the man said slowly: ‘It seems to me, Kati, that a harmless unremembered comment from a young stable boy is not a matter that should evoke anger on your part. It is our duty as an important family in this region to treat our servants fairly and with kindness. Furthermore, I cannot understand why you should have associated this harmless minor misdemeanour with an attack of the worst kind on your person, unless, somehow, the two are linked in your mind … or even in actuality.’ The last four words were spoken almost inaudibly, almost as an introspective afterthought.

As he was saying this, the man remembered that the stable boy had vehemently denied his daughter’s allegation and this had been confirmed by the older stable hand. In fact both had protested that the stable boy had not been involved with his daughter but had dealt with the terrified, plunging horse. Also, he had heard that the boy had not signed a confession of guilt until he had been a prisoner at the Jail for many hours. What was it the Court Jailor had said? Ah, yes, his jailers use “sophisticated techniques” to obtain the truth. An unpalatable suspicion was forming in his mind. The Master now looked coldly at his daughter: ‘I am puzzled and disquieted by what you have just said to me. But I will leave that aside for the moment. Meanwhile, you may not go to the Court on Friday of next week. Do you hear this?’

‘But, Father, please, I …’

The man was angered and spoke sharply: ‘Do you not hear that your father is speaking? You will not go to the Court. Now leave me.’

That same day, a personal letter was delivered to the Head Stableman. It had been written by the First Jailer. Going to the privacy of his rooms, the Head Stableman opened the letter and read:

“To the Head Stableman at the Manor House,

Sir, I trust you will recall our meeting of three weeks ago on the subject of a coming case at the Town Court. I have now been instructed that the stable boy’s case will be heard next week on Friday at 10 hours in the morning. I believe your Master will already have been informed. At the Town Jail, we have been looking after the boy, feeding him well and keeping him clean and healthy so that he will be of good appearance at the Court.

Of course you will know that the outcome of the case will certainly be a “guilty” verdict, for the boy has given us a written confession of his crime. However, I remain hopeful that you may speak up for the boy so that he has a chance of reduced punishment. I can only repeat that my assistant and I are convinced of this boy’s innocence.

Finally, Sir, I plead with you to destroy this letter since its contents are such that my assistant and I would not survive its disclosure.

May God bless your heart as you do His work.”

The letter was signed with the names of the two jailers.

The man read the letter carefully several times and sat thinking for a while. Then he rose and burnt it in a metal dish, reducing it to ashes.

Later that day, the Head Stableman requested to speak to the Master privately and was instructed to present himself at the end of the working day.

‘Master, I come to seek your permission to attend the stable boy’s case at the Town Court next week on Friday at 10 hours in the morning.’

‘Tell me, why do you wish to attend?’

‘This boy was always decent, honest and hardworking when he worked in your employ. I know this to be true and I had high hopes for his future. I am sorry that he appears to have committed a crime here at the Manor and there seems to be no doubt he will pay dearly for that crime. I would like to attend the Court to speak up for the boy’s character. Of course I will do this only if I have your permission to speak.’

The Master’s highly disturbing conversation with his daughter was still very much in his mind. Now, another strand of this puzzling case was being added by his Head Stableman, an employee whose judgement he respected greatly.

‘You must give me a moment to think.’ The Master was silent for some moments. At last, he raised his head and looked directly at the Head Stableman. ‘You have my permission to speak up for the boy,’ he said, ‘furthermore, if I am asked to state whether I have any objections to what you have said, I will say that I have none.’

The Head Stableman was taken aback. This support was more than he ever expected!

‘Thank you, Master,’ he said. ‘May God bless you.’

Kati was beside herself with rage! For months she had been looking forward to the stable boy’s time in the Court and had given many hours of thought to what she would say in evidence – and, indeed, the exact way in which she would say it. She must be very precise about this, to make sure that this very insolent stable boy received the worst punishment for this terrible crime against her. This was what Kati kept reminding herself.

She had spent many hours thinking about all the various punishments for the stable boy and had decided on her favourites: ‘I don’t want him to be put to death, not because he doesn’t deserve it but because that would end his suffering. No, I want whipping and beating, all in public where everyone can see it – especially where I can see it! I want him sent to the worst jail in the world where he will be beaten constantly, starved and worked to exhaustion.’ Now she was to be denied the first part of her pleasure – attending the Court and giving damning evidence against him!

In her fury, her mind turned to her brother, who now spent even more of his time in his room, lovingly watching and manipulating his precious astrarium or intensely reading more and more books about the many subjects which interested him.

‘It’s time I gave that pathetic little boy a shock,’ Kati thought. Although as she said the word “little” she acknowledged that her brother had grown almost as tall as her. ‘I know he expects me to break his new clock or whatever it is and yes, I will do that – but not yet. For now, I think he just needs to be reminded who is in charge. Maybe he thinks that ten-year-old boys are too old to cry!’ Kati smiled cruelly, felt very much better and began to plan what she would do.

Two days later, the weather was notably cold, wet and stormy and there was little activity in the Manor House. Kati’s brother was sitting at his favourite table reading; nearby, his beloved astrarium whirred and ticked. Suddenly the boy became aware of another presence in the room. Looking around, he found that Kati had entered the room silently and was standing several metres away from him, completely still.

In her hand, she held a long sharp knife: ‘Little brother, I have come to cut you in a place on your body which will hurt you very much.’ This was said in a low, menacing tone. She had used this technique many times before and knew this would send the boy into a state of hysterical fear, begging for mercy. In this state, she knew she could do anything she wanted to him. She would then amuse herself by hurting him, rather in the same way she did when he was very young and could not resist. As she slapped, pricked or twisted his flesh without mercy, she would say: ‘If you make a noise, I will hurt you even more.’ At this, the boy’s cries would die down to a whimper.