holy man to be thy nurse-tender, and thou
canst write to him concerning thy needs, for doubtless he is a clerk.
Farewell!"

With that she was gone, and this was the last I saw of her for many a
day.

Never have I known such a horror of fear as fell on me now, helpless and
dumb, a sheep given over to the slaughter, in that dark chamber, which
was wondrous lown, {26} alone with my deadly foe.

Never had any man more cause for dread, for I was weak, and to resist him
was death. I was speechless, and could utter no voice that the people in
the house might hear. As for mine enemy, he had always loathed and
scorned me; he had a long account of vengeance to settle with me; and
if--which was not to be thought of--he was minded to spare one that had
saved his life, yet, for his own safety, he dared not. He had beguiled
the Maid with his false tongue, and his face, not seen by her in the
taking of St. Loup, she knew not. But he knew that I would disclose all
the truth so soon as the Maid returned, wherefore he was bound to destroy
me, which he would assuredly do with every mockery, cruelty, and torture
of body and mind. Merely to think of him when he was absent was wont to
make my flesh creep, so entirely evil beyond the nature of sinful mankind
was this monster, and so set on working all kinds of mischief with
greediness. Whether he had suffered some grievous wrong in his youth,
which he spent his life in avenging on all folk, or whether, as I deem
likely, he was the actual emissary of Satan, as the Maid was of the
saints, I know not, and, as I lay there, had no wits left to consider of
it. Only I knew that no more unavailing victim than I was ever so
utterly in the power of a foe so deadly and terrible.

The Maid had gone, and all hope had gone with her. For a time that
seemed unending mine enemy neither spoke nor moved, standing still in the
chink of light, a devil where an angel had been.

There was silence, and I heard the Maid's iron tread pass down the
creaking wooden stairs, and soon I heard the sound of singing birds, for
my window looked out on the garden.

The steps ceased, and then there was a low grating laughter in the dark
room, as if the devil laughed.

Brother Thomas moved stealthily to the door, and thrust in the wooden
bolt. Then he sat him heavily down on my bed, and put his fiend's face
close to mine, his eyes stabbing into my eyes. But I bit my lip, and
stared right back into his yellow wo