im in the
luscious dishes before him.

"What does it matter?" the reader may exclaim; "it is not that which
goeth into the mouth which defileth a man," etc.

True, most wise critic, but it is that which goeth out; and if
disobedience be not amongst the evils which defile, then Adam did not
fall in Paradise when he ate the forbidden fruit. Elfric could not touch
flesh on fast days without the instinctive feeling that he was doing
wrong, and no one can sin against the conviction of the heart without
danger.

The party now seated themselves, and without any grace or further
preface the feast began. Servants appeared and served up the most
exquisite dishes, of a delicacy almost unknown in England at that day,
and poured rich wines into silver goblets. It was evident that wealth
abounded in the family they were visiting, and that they had expended it
freely for the gratification of Edwy.

Ethelgiva, the lady of the house, was of noble presence, which almost
seemed to justify the claim of royal blood which was made for her. Tall
and commanding, age had not bent her form, although her locks were
already white. Her beauty, which must have been marvellous in her
younger days, had attracted the attention of a younger son of the
reigning house, and they were married at an early age, secretly, without
the sanction of the king.

The fruit of their union was Elgiva, a name destined to fill a place in
a sad and painful tragedy; but we are anticipating, and must crave the
reader's pardon.

Bright and cheerful indeed was the fair Elgiva at this moment. Her
beauty was remarkable even in a land so famed for the beauty of its
daughters; and the ill-advised Edwy may be pitied, if not altogether
pardoned, for his infatuation, for infatuation it was in a day when the
near tie of blood between them precluded the possibility of lawful
matrimony, save at the expense of a dispensation never likely to be
conceded, since the temperament of men like Odo, the Archbishop of
Canterbury, and of Dunstan, was opposed to any relaxation of the law in
the case of the great when such relaxation was unattainable by the poor
and lowly.

To return to our subject:

The feast proceeded with great animation. At first Elfric hesitated when
the meat was placed before him, but he withered, in his weakness, before
the mocking smile of Edwy, and the sarcasm which played upon the lips of
the rest of the company, who perceived his hesitation. So he yielded,
an