Byways in southern Tuscany . e. Less aristocratic gentryadopted the road as a profession and sometimes becameamazingly expert, like a robber Forsyth tells of, who, hav-ing religious scruples and desiring to square himself withheaven, stopped a man just below this very castle ofMojane and killed him with his right hand while he held arosary in his left. One wanders about the untrodden ground this greatcastello once covered, through grass and fallen leaves andunder oaks that have grown up and spread their branchesabove its mounded grave. Over there, long ago, a gate-way opened, and here under th
Byways in southern Tuscany . e. Less aristocratic gentryadopted the road as a profession and sometimes becameamazingly expert, like a robber Forsyth tells of, who, hav-ing religious scruples and desiring to square himself withheaven, stopped a man just below this very castle ofMojane and killed him with his right hand while he held arosary in his left. One wanders about the untrodden ground this greatcastello once covered, through grass and fallen leaves andunder oaks that have grown up and spread their branchesabove its mounded grave. Over there, long ago, a gate-way opened, and here under the sod was a rock-flaggedcourt that resounded to the hoofs of horses, the ring ofweapons, and the shouts of warriors who went clangingin and out. A whole volume of history and romance liesburied here and how one longs to open it and pore overthe yellow pages! One curious legend connected with itsurvives and is still repeated by the peasants runs as follows: Long ago when the castle of Mojane was at the height 220. BYWAYS IN SOUTHERN TUSCANY of its grandeur, it was visited by a great personage, no lessa one indeed, than a queen, who arrived one day with hercourt and a numerous escort of armed retainers. A shorttime after they were all established in the castle, it hap-pened that a feast day of the church occurred. Thesovereign concerned herself little with this festival butthere were those in her suite who felt the celebration of itshould not be neglected and desired to send down to theabbey and fetch a priest. To this there was a refusal fromthe queen, and it was whispered that on account of herreputation she probably feared the abbot might declinesuch a request, furthermore the high-handed lady an-nounced that she herself would conduct the service as shehad entire authority in such matters. The arrogance of this assumption startled the wholecompany, the timid glanced at one another with blanchedfaces, the reckless smiled, but curiosity took possession ofall and the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjecttuscany, bookyear1919
