drily. "'Tis no marvel that ill men
should lose the good way, when the true ones love so much to walk in
byepaths."

"Thou riddlest, Jack," said Isoult.

"Tell me, dear heart," he answered, "doth God or Satan rule the world?"

"God ruleth the world, without doubt," said she, "but if Satan spake
sooth unto our Lord, he hath the power of the glory of it."

"Did Satan ever speak sooth, thinkest?" he replied smiling somewhat
bitterly. "Howbeit to leave that point,--doth God, or doth Satan, mete
out the lives of God's people, and give them what is best for them?"

"God doth, assuredly," said she.

"Well said," answered he. "Then (according unto this doctrine) when God
giveth His child a draught of bitter physic, he may with safety take and
drink it; but when He holdeth forth a cup of sugared succades
[sweetmeats], that must needs be refused. Is it so?"

"Jack!" wonderingly cried Isoult.

"There be that think so," he made answer, "but I had scarce accounted my
Lady Frances one ere now. Set the thing afore her in that light. This
is the self spring whence cometh all the monasteries and nunneries, and
anchorites' cells in all the world. Is God the author of darkness, and
not of light? Doth He create evil, and not good? Tell her, when the
Lord holdeth forth an honeycomb, He would have her eat it, as assuredly
as, when He giveth a cup of gall into her hand, He meaneth she should
drink it. And methinks it can scarce be more joyful to Him to watch her
drink the gall than eat the honeycomb."

The last words were uttered very tenderly.

When Isoult told Frances what John had said, the tears rose to her eyes.

"O Isoult! have I been wronging my God and Father?" she said in a
quivering voice. "I never meant to do that."

"Tell Him so, sweet heart," answered Isoult.

Isoult thought her husband was right, when, on the following day, she
came across the text, "The Lord that hath pleasure in the prosperity of
His people." But in her innocent way she showed it to John, and asked
him if he thought it meant that it was a pleasure to the Lord Himself to
bestow happiness on His people. John smiled at her, as he often did.

"Sweet heart," he answered, "doth it please or offend thee, when thou
dost kiss Kate, and comfort her for some little trouble, and she stayeth
her crying, and smileth up at thee?"

"Why, Jack, 'tis one of my greatest pleasures," answered Isoult.

Very gravely and tenderly he answered,--"`As one