small and shadowy beside the huge statues of
people of other days! Surely the people the statues represent belong
here, and not we! Why, I feel so far back in history that I shouldn't
be in the least surprised to see Raleigh, or Chaucer, or Queen
Elizabeth, walk into this chapel, right now! I should probably go up
and say 'How do you do?'" she added laughingly.

Betty did not know that any one had heard her talking, but Mrs. Pitt
had been listening, and when Betty was silent, she said:

"Come, let's go out into the sunshine of the cloisters now. I am
really afraid to have Betty stay in here any longer! The first thing
we know, she'll be disappearing into the Middle Ages! She's almost
there now!"

As they went through the low door into the cloisters, she continued,
"I want to explain to you children, that in connection with this
Abbey, as with all, there was for centuries a great monastery; and
that the buildings which we shall see, as well as the cloisters, had
to do with the monks. Henry VIII dissolved all the monasteries in
England, you remember."

The ancient cloisters of Westminster Abbey are deeply interesting and
impressive. They are four arcades built around the square grass-plot,
which was the monks' burial-ground. The fine tracery of the windows is
now much broken, and is crumbling away with age, but its exquisite
carving is still plainly seen. The original pavement yet remains; it
is much worn by the feet of the monks, and is almost covered by
tablets which mark the resting-places of the abbots, as well as of
others. The members of our party were touched, as are all, by the
pathetic simplicity of the epitaph: "Jane Lister, Dear Childe, 1688."
Those four short words suggest a sad story about which one would like
to learn more.

"You must know," said Mrs. Pitt, "that the cloisters were something
besides burial-places. Here the monks spent most of their time, for
this was the center of the life of the monastery. The southern
cloister, over opposite, was the lavatory, and there the monks were
forced to have their heads shaved,--every two weeks in summer, and
every three in winter. These walls were then painted with frescoes,
the floor and benches were covered with rushes or straw, the windows
were partly glazed, and lamps hung from the ceiling. In one of the
cloisters was held a class of novices, taught by a master, and this
was the beginning of Westminster School. I believe the pupils were
allowed to speak