The Vagabond Clown
teasing followed but Mussett took care not to get involved in it.
    ‘Good night, Barnaby!’ he said. ‘Sleep well.’
    ‘How can I do that when I’m under the same roof as you?’ retorted Gill.
    He struggled out and made his way towards the little storeroom that had been cleared for his use. A mattress had been brought in along with a stool, a jug of water and a bowl. The considerate landlord had even provided a chamber pot. After helping him into the room, Dart was dismissed and ran swiftly back to the others. Gill began the laborious process of getting ready for bed and lowering himself by degrees onto the mattress. He slept fitfully, unable to get comfortable and wondering how many days it would take before the pain in his leg began to ease. At cockcrow, he was already awake. Abandoning any hope of sleep, he hauled himself up on his crutch to see whatsort of day it was, opening shutters that had been locked throughout the night to ensure his privacy.
    The weather was fine, the temperature warm. Gill was about to turn away when he saw a figure emerging from a door nearby to stroll across the yard. Nicholas Bracewell disappeared into the stables, leaving Gill to speculate on what made the book holder get up at that hour and why he had been carrying so much timber in his arms.
     
    Lawrence Firethorn wanted to make full use of the day for a rehearsal and he insisted that everyone rose early for breakfast. Seated at the head of the table, he explained to the company what lay ahead of them.
    ‘Today we will rehearse
A Trick To Catch A Chaste Lady
with particular attention to the scenes in which the clown appears so that Giddy can take full measure of the part.’ He looked down the table. ‘Where is the fellow?’
    ‘He left the room before I did,’ said Owen Elias. ‘I expected him to be here.’
    ‘I hope that he’s not causing any mischief.’
    ‘No, Lawrence. Giddy will have gone off to start the day with a good deed. He’s probably letting Barnaby out of the privy.’
    ‘This is no jest, Owen,’ said Firethorn, silencing the sniggers with a raised hand. ‘I prefer to have Giddy where I can see him. If he has been bothering Barnaby in any way, it will go hard with him.’ He picked out the smallest figure at the table. ‘George.’
    ‘Yes, Master Firethorn?’ Dart piped up.
    ‘Have you seen Barnaby this morning?’
    ‘Yes, Master Firethorn.’
    ‘Were there any incidents during the night?’
    ‘None,’ said Elias, ‘for Barnaby’s splint kept getting in the way.’
    ‘This is a serious matter, Owen,’ said Firethorn. ‘Well, George?’
    ‘I called on Master Gill earlier,’ he said, ‘to see if I could bring him breakfast in his room, but he chose to have it with the rest of us. He has not slept at all but it is not Giddy’s doing. There was no mention of him.’
    ‘I’m pleased to hear that. So where is Giddy now?’
    ‘I do not know, Master Firethorn.’
    ‘Nick was supposed to keep an eye on him,’ recalled Elias. ‘You must ask him.’
    ‘But he’s not here either,’ said Firethorn with exasperation. ‘Where on earth is everyone
hiding
this morning?’
    ‘I am not hiding, Lawrence,’ declared Barnaby Gill, making a sudden entrance and pausing in the door for effect. ‘I’ve come to take my rightful place in the company.’ He ran his eye down the table. ‘Has Giddy Mussett absconded yet?’
    ‘No, no, Barnaby.’ Firethorn beckoned him over. ‘Come and sit next to me.’
    Dart moved across to help the newcomer but Gill waved him away, using the crutch with skill and hopping over to the table. Elias moved along the bench to make way for him. Gill’s arrival served to dampen everyone’s spirits and conversation among the actors was more muted. Whenhe had eaten his first mouthful of bread, Gill remembered what he had seen earlier.
    ‘What is Nicholas doing in the stables?’ he asked.
    ‘Is that where he is?’ said Firethorn.
    ‘I saw him walk past my

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