Character Analysis
Wenstan is Sir Nigel's manservant—and the Captain Smee of the bunch. Not in the humor department, per se, but in the loveable, harmless way. He's a simple soul. When Sir Nigel mentions he's going to have Edmund fight Hubert for the position of squire, Wenstan's response reveals his child-like nature:
"Hubert?" said Wenstan, as though the idea stunned him. "Oh, I don't—" He stuttered over his words. "I don't think that would be a fair contest at all, my lord." (4.25)
See what we mean? He's a little bumbling and a bit timid, a little soft.
For some reason, though, Wenstan really comes into his own in the Holy Land: "His stammer was rare now, and his tread steady and calm. He looked years younger, too, not at all like Nigel and Rannulf, who had new, hard creases in their cheeks" (36.23). It's very mysterious and happens suddenly, but when everyone else is ready to head home, Wenstan's just getting started. It's like he found his place in life:
He had begged to stay as a servant to Father Urbino, and now I rarely saw the happy manservant, but only heard him, his songs more and more holy, almost always about Jesus's wounds. (42.3)
As they say, age is just a number. And in Wenstan's case, it seems he's finally grown up.