Sir Nigel
By SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE Condensation by ALICE G. GROZIER EVIL times fell upon England in the year 1348, when the great plague devastated the land. It was during this period that the story of Sir Nigel takes place.
The house of Loring, like many another noble family, felt the heavy hand of misfortune; for after the Barons' War and lawsuits with Waverly Abbey the men of the Church and the men of the law left nothing but the manor of Tilford for the remaining members of the family, Lady Ermyntrude and her grandson Nigel. Nigel Loring came of a race of heroes, his grandfather having fallen at the battle of Stirling, and his father in the sea fight of Sluys. Nigel, his veins thrilling with the blood of a hundred soldiers, was filled with the desire for adventure and combat; having been trained at the desire of his grandmother in skill at arms and courage, he became also a daring rider. At times a fierce bitterness assailed Nigel at the thought of the wrongs done by the Abbot of Waverly, whom he believed had robbed the Lorings of much of their estate. On the first day of May, the Festival of the Apostles Philip and James, consternation reigned at the Abbey when it was found that a large pike had eaten the carp in Abbot John's fish-pond, Nigel being accused of putting the pike in the pond. Abbot John and the sacrist, Brother Samuel, were in consultation upon the subject when they were rudely interrupted by a buzz of excitement among the monks in the cloister. A white-faced brother flung open the door and, rushing into the room, cried, "Father Abbot, alas, alas, Brother John is dead, and the subprior is dead, and the Devil is loose in the five-virgate field!"