told me to ask her, and I did. She said nothing for a while; and then she began to speak of a great church, as if she saw it; and she saw there was a tower in the middle, and chapels on either side, and tombs beside the high altar; and an image, and then she stopped, and cried out aloud 'Saint Pancras pray for us'—and then I knew."
Chris was trembling violently with excitement as he turned to the priest for corroboration. Mr. Carleton nodded once or twice without speaking.
"Then I knew," went on Chris. "You know it was what I had in my mind; and I had not spoken a word of Lewes, or of my thought of going there."
"Had you told any?" asked his father.
"Only Dr. Bocking. Then I asked her, was I to go there; but she said nothing for a while; and her eyes wandered about; and she began to speak of black monks going this way and that; and she spoke of a prior, and of his ring; it was of gold, she said, with figures engraved on it. You know the ring the Prior wears?" he added, looking eagerly at his father.
Sir James nodded.
"I know it," he said. "Well?"
"Well, I asked her again, was I to go there; and then she looked at me up and down; I was in my travelling suit; but she said she saw my cowl and its hanging sleeves, and an antiphoner in my hands; and then her face grew dreadful and afraid again, and she cried out and fell forward; and Dr. Bocking led us out from the chapel."
There was a long silence as Chris ended and leaned back again, taking up a bunch of raisins. Ralph sighed once as if wearied out, and his mother put her hand on his sleeve. Then at last Sir James spoke.
"You have heard the story," he said, and then paused; but there was no answer. At last the chaplain spoke from his place.
"It is all as Chris said," he began, "I was there and heard it. If the woman is not from God, she is one of Satan's own; and it is hard to think that Satan would tell us of the sacraments and bid us use them greedily, and if she is from God—" he stopped again.
The knight nodded at him.
"And you, sweetheart?" he said to his wife.
She turned to him slowly.
"You know what I think," she said. "If Chris believes it, he must go, I suppose."
"And you, Ralph?"
Ralph raised himself in his chair.
"Do you wish me to say what I think?" he asked deliberately, "or what
Chris wishes me to say? I will do either."
Chris made a quick movement of his head; but his father answered for him.
"We wish you to say what you think," he said quietly.
"Well, then," said Ralph, "it is this. I cannot agree with the father. I think the woman is neither of God nor Satan; but that she speaks of her own heart, and of Dr. Bocking's. I believe they are a couple of knaves—clever knaves, I will grant, though perhaps the woman is something of a fool too; for she deceives persons as wise even as Mr. Carleton here by speaking of shrift and the like; and so she does the priests' will, and hopes to get gain for them and herself. I am not alone in thinking this—there are many in town who think with me, and holy persons too."
"Is Master Cromwell one of them?" put in Chris bitterly.
Ralph raised his eyebrows a little.
"There is no use in sneering," he said, "but Master Cromwell is one of them. I suppose I ought not to speak of this; but I know you will not speak of it again; and I can tell you of my own knowledge that the Holy Maid will not be at St. Sepulchre's much longer."
His father leaned forward.
"Do you mean—" he began.
"I mean that His Grace is weary of her prophesyings. It was all very well till she began to meddle with matters of State; but His Grace will have none of that. I can tell you no more. On the other hand if Chris thinks he must be a monk, well and good; I do not think so myself; but that is not my affair; but I hope he will not be a monk only because a knavish woman has put out her tongue at him, and repeated what a knavish priest has put into her mouth. But I suppose he had made up his mind before he asked me."
"He has made up his mind," said his father, "and will hold to it unless reason is shown to the contrary; and for myself I think he is right."
"Very well, then," said Ralph; and leaned back once more.
The minutes passed away in silence for a while; and then Ralph asked a question or two about his sisters.
"Mary is coming over to hunt to-morrow with her husband," said Sir James. "I have told Forrest to be here by nine o'clock. Shall you come with us?"
Ralph yawned, and sipped his Bordeaux.
"I do not know," he said, "I suppose so."
"And Margaret is at Rusper still," went on the other. "She will not be here until August."
"She, too, is thinking of Religion," put in Lady Torridon impassively.
Ralph looked up lazily.
"Indeed," he said, "then Mary and I will be the only worldlings."
"She is very happy with the nuns," said his father, smiling, "and a worldling can be no more than that; and perhaps not always as much."
Ralph smiled with one corner of his mouth.
"You are quite right, sir," he said.
The bell for evening prayers sounded out presently from the turret in the chapel-corner, and the chaplain rose and went out.
"Will you forgive me, sir," said Ralph, "if I do not come this evening?
I am worn out with travelling. The stay at Begham was very troublesome."
"Good-night, then, my son. I will send Morris to you immediately."
"Oh, after prayers," said Ralph. "I need not deprive God of his prayers too."
* * * * *
Lady Torridon had gone out silently after the chaplain, and Sir James and Chris walked across the Court together. Overhead the summer night sky was clear and luminous with stars, and the air still and fragrant. There were a few lights here and there round the Court, and the tall chapel windows shone dimly above the little cloister. A link flared steadily on its iron bracket by the door into the hall, and threw waves of flickering ruddy light across the cobble-stones, and the shadow of the tall pump wavered on the further side.
Sir James put his hand tenderly on Chris' shoulder.
"You must not be angry at Ralph, my son," he said. "Remember he does not understand."
"He should not speak like that," said Chris fiercely. "How dare he do so?"
"Of course he should not; but he does not know that. He thinks he is advising you well. You must let him alone, Chris. You must remember he is almost
