soult
accepted the offer. Meanwhile, she sketched a mental portrait of Alice.
She would be short, and round-faced, and merry: the colour of her hair
and eyes Isoult discreetly left blank.

So, three days before the wedding, her future sisters-in-law called upon
the bride.

They found Alice's mother, Mrs Wikes, busy with her embroidery; and as
soon as she saw who her guests were, she desired Mrs Alice to be
summoned. After a little chat with Mrs Wikes upon things in general,
the door opened to admit a girl the exact opposite of Isoult's imaginary
picture. Alice proved tall, oval-faced, and grave.

The wedding was three days later, and on Sunday. Blue was the colour of
the bride's costume, and favel-colour--a bright yellowish-brown--that of
the bridesmaids. After the ceremony there was a banquet at Wynscote,
and dancing, and a Maypole, and a soaped pig, and barley-break--an old
athletic sport, to some extent resembling prisoner's base. Then came
supper, and the evening closed with hot cockles and blind-hoodman--the
latter being blindman's buff. And among all the company, to none but
John and Isoult Avery did it ever occur that in these occupations there
was the least incongruity with the Sabbath day. For they only were
Gospellers; and at that time the Gospellers alone remembered to keep it
holy. Rome strikes her pen through the third and fourth commandments,
if less notoriously, yet quite as really, as through the second.

The Averys returned home about the 20th of May. They had left all well,
and they found all well. And neither they nor any one else saw on the
horizon a little cloud like a man's hand, which was ere long to break in
a deluge of hail and fire upon Devonshire and Cornwall.

One evening in the beginning of June, when John Avery sat at the table
making professional notes from a legal folio before him, and Isoult, at
work beside him, was beginning to wonder why Barbara had not brought the
rear-supper, a knock came at the door. Then the latch was lifted, and
Mr Anthony Tremayne walked in.

"Heard you the news in Bodmin?" was the question which followed close
upon his greeting.

"No," answered John. "I have not been in Bodmin for nigh a week, nor
hath any thence been here."

"One Master Boddy, the King's Commissioner for Chantries," saith he,
"came hither o' Friday; and the folk be all up at Bodmin, saying they
will not have the chantries put down; and 'tis thought Father Giles is
ahead o