set her elbows upon her knees and her chin upon her
knuckles. She gazed into the fire and grew moody, as was her wont
when she had chanced to think of her menfolk that Cromwell had
executed.

'He might have had my head any day this four years,' she said. 'And
had you lost my head and me you might have had any other maid any day
that se'nnight.'

'Nay, I grow too old,' the knight answered. 'A week ago I dropped my
lance.'

Cicely continued to gaze at nothings in the fire.

'For thee,' she said scornfully to Katharine, 'it were better thou
hadst never been born than have meddled between kings and ministers
and faiths and nuns. You are not made for this world. You talk too
much. Get you across the seas to a nunnery.'

Katharine looked at her pitifully.

'Child,' she said, 'it was not I that spoke of thy menfolk.'

'Get thyself mewed up,' Cicely repeated more hotly; 'thou wilt set all
this world by the ears. This is no place for virtues learned from
learned books. This is an ill world where only evil men flourish.'

The old knight still fidgeted to be gone.

'Nay,' Katharine said seriously, 'ye think I will work mine own
advantage with the King. But I do swear to thee I have it not in my
mind.'

'Oh, swear not,' Cicely mumbled, 'all the world knoweth thee to be
that make of fool.'

'I would well to get me made a nun--but first I will bring nunneries
back from across the seas to this dear land.'

Cicely laughed again--for a long and strident while.

'You will come to no nunnery if you wait till then,' she said. 'Nuns
without their heads have no vocation.'

'When Cromwell is down, no woman again shall lose her head,' Katharine
answered hotly.

Cicely only laughed.

'No woman again!' Katharine repeated.

'Blood was tasted when first a queen fell on Tower Hill.' Cicely
pointed her little finger at her. 'And the taste of blood, even as the
taste of wine, ensureth a certain oblivion.'

'You miscall your King,' Katharine said.

Cicely laughed and answered: 'I speak of my world.'

Katharine's blood came hot to her cheeks.

'It is a new world from now on,' she answered proudly.

'Till a new queen's blood seal it an old one,' Cicely mocked her
earnestness. 'Hadst best get thee to a nunnery across the seas.'

'The King did bid me bide here.' Katharine faltered in the least.

'You have spoken of it with him?' Cicely said. 'Why, God help you!'

Katharine sat quietly, her fair hair gilded by the pale ligh