selda. Then she thought she
was the happiest woman in the world. She thought of the care that she
would give her child as she grew up, and of Lord Walter's delight in
his little daughter when the time should come that she could talk and
ride with him.

But before the baby was a year old, all Griselda's dreams were broken.
Lord Walter said to himself, "It is easy for Griselda to keep her
promise when I ask of her nothing that is not just and right. How can
I trust her until I know that she will obey me in everything? I wonder
whether she would be patient still if I hurt our little daughter."

These thoughts came back to his mind so often that at last he resolved
to try Griselda's patience by taking away her baby from her.

One evening Griselda was playing with her little child. The baby
laughed in her arms and looked sweeter than ever. At that moment the
curtain at the doorway was drawn aside and Lord Walter came into the
room. His face was sad and drawn, and as Griselda looked up at him she
feared that some great blow had fallen on him, or that some enemy had
entered the country.

Lord Walter said to her:

"Griselda, thou hast not forgotten the day on which I brought thee
from thy father's lowly cottage to this my castle. Although thou art
most dear to me, thou art not dear to my nobles. They say that it is
hard that they should serve one so lowly born as thou. Since thy
daughter was born they have said this more and more, I doubt not. As
thou knowest, my will is to live with my people in joy and peace.
Therefore must I do to my child not as I wish myself, but as my
nobles wish. Show then to me the obedience that thou didst promise to
show when thou wert wed in the village street."

As Griselda heard these words she made no moan. Neither did she let
the pain that caught at her heart be seen in her face. When she could
speak, she said:

"Lord, we are thine! My child is thine. I also am thine. With thine
own thou mayest ever do as pleaseth thee best."

The Marquis was full of joy because of the patience and humbleness of
Griselda; but he appeared to be sad, and left her with a troubled
face.

Soon after this, Griselda started as she heard a heavy footstep on the
stairway. Then an evil-looking man walked into the quiet room.

"Madam," he said, "I must obey my lord's will. He bids me take this
child. Thou knowest we must obey, although we may complain and mourn."

Then the soldier took the child so roughly tha