re worse." He
applied at the postern, and on stating whence he came and whither bound,
was instantly admitted and directed to the guestchamber, a large and
lofty room, where travellers were fed and lodged gratis by the charity
of the monastic orders. Soon the bell tinkled for vespers, and Gerard
entered the church of the convent, and from his place heard a service
sung so exquisitely, it seemed the choir of heaven. But one thing was
wanting, Margaret was not there to hear it with him, and this made
him sigh bitterly in mid rapture. At supper, plain but wholesome and
abundant food, and good beer, brewed in the convent, were set before
him and his fellows, and at an early hour they were ushered into a large
dormitory, and the number being moderate, had each a truckle bed, and
for covering, sheepskins dressed with the fleece on; but previously to
this a monk, struck by his youth and beauty, questioned him, and soon
drew out his projects and his heart. When he was found to be convent
bred, and going alone to Rome, he became a personage, and in the morning
they showed him over the convent and made him stay and dine in the
refectory. They also pricked him a route on a slip of parchment, and the
prior gave him a silver guilden to help him on the road, and advised him
to join the first honest company he should fall in with, "and not face
alone the manifold perils of the way."

"Perils?" said Gerard to himself.

That evening he came to a small straggling town where was one inn; it
had no sign; but being now better versed in the customs of the country,
he detected it at once by the coats of arms on its walls. These belonged
to the distinguished visitors who had slept in it at different
epochs since its foundation, and left these customary tokens of their
patronage. At present it looked more like a mausoleum than a hotel.
Nothing moved nor sounded either in it or about it. Gerard hammered on
the great oak door: no answer. He hallooed: no reply. After a while he
hallooed louder, and at last a little round window, or rather hole in
the wall, opened, a man's head protruded cautiously, like a tortoise's
from its shell, and eyed Gerard stolidly, but never uttered a syllable.

"Is this an inn?" asked Gerard, with a covert sneer.

The head seemed to fall into a brown study; eventually it nodded, but
lazily.

"Can I have entertainment here?"

Again the head pondered and ended by nodding, but sullenly, and seemed a
skull overburdene