ve the care of Geoffrey. She hath been a good and true
serving-woman unto me, and she witteth how I would have him ordered. I
pray you, therefore, if she come unto you, that you would put her about
him. Likewise commend me, I beseech you, unto mine ancient friends and
fellows, and all the meynie, and bid them learn for to love Christ Jesu,
and we shall then meet shortly again. Specially I would desire mine
humble service unto dear Father Andrew, and I do beg him for my sake to
read for himself the blessed book which hath been my comfort.

"And to end,--for I will weary you no longer, dear friend Richard
Pynson, with reading of mine evil hand, and I give you God's blessing
and mine for the kindness you have done unto me, and pray you not to
forget the last words which I said unto you with my voice, but to keep
fast hold of Christ, till you know and love Him better than any friend
in this evil world,--so to end, dear mother, I beseech you that you
would forgive me all wherein I have been an ill daughter unto you, and
all things wherein at any time I have troubled you. Good mother, I am
happy. I am looking out of the night to see the day-dawn breaking.
Come Sunday, I shall be in heaven. Come Sunday, by God's mercy--not by
mine own good, which God witteth is but evil--I shall stand with the
angels before Christ His throne. Haste, haste, dear good day that shall
deliver me! And God give you to know Christ, and send us a happy
meeting in that His blessed habitation, unto the great gladding of your
most loving and dutiful daughter, Margery Marnell.

"Written this second of March, from the gate of the _Urbs Beata_."

CHAPTER TWELVE.

EASTWARD HO!

"Whether he go to East or West,
With Christ he always is at home."

Newton.

For a few minutes after Richard finished reading the letter, there was
silence, unbroken save by the sound of weeping, in the old hall. Friar
Andrew cried like a child. Dame Lovell, too, wept profusely, especially
at the passage in which Margery begged her forgiveness, and sobbed forth
that she had nothing to forgive her. Richard had hard work to read. He
heard her voice in every line, and when he came to the one sentence
addressed to himself, he very nearly broke down altogether. After that
long pause, Richard, who had been sitting with his head buried in his
hands, looked up and spoke.

"Mistress, you mind that I did promise you not to go hence save with
your good will?"