y--with whom, or with what,
she hardly knew; but certainly with some person or thing outside of
herself. But they never made her think that she had done wrong--only
that she had been misunderstood and badly used.

Matters were very different with Father Ademar. He was so quiet and
gentle that Maude never felt afraid of him. Confession to Father
Dominic bore the awful aspect cast over a visit to a dentist's surgery;
but confession to Father Ademar was (at least to Maude) merely talking
over her difficulties with a friend. He often said, "Pray our Lord to
grant thee wisdom in this matter," but he never said, "Repeat fifty Aves
and ten Paternosters." And when Maude now laid her troubles before him
as lucidly as she could, he gave her an answer which, she thought at
first, did not touch the case at all, and yet which in the end settled
every difficulty connected with it.

"Daughter," said the Lollard priest, "there is another question which
must be first answered. Thou hast taken up the golden rod by the wrong
end. Turn it around and have the other ensured; then we will talk of
this."

"What other question, Father?"

"The same that our Lord asked of the sick man at the cistern
[pool]--`Wilt thou be made whole?' Art thou of the unity of Christ?--
art thou one with Him? Hast thou closed with Him? Wist thou that `He
loved _thee_, and gave Himself for thee?' For without thou be first
ensured of this, it shall serve thee but little to search all the tomes
of the Fathers touching the unity of the Church."

"But if I be in the true Church, Father, I must needs be of the unity of
Christ."

"Truth," said Father Ademar, in his quietest manner. "Then turn the
matter about, as I bade thee, and see whether thou art in Christ. So
shalt thou plainly see thyself to be in the true Church."

Maude was silenced, but at first she was not convinced. Ademar did not
press her answer. He left her to decide the question for herself. But
many months passed away, fraught with many struggles and heart
searchings and deep studies of Wycliffe's Bible, before Maude was able
to decide it. Bertram, whose mental nature was less self-conscious and
analytical than hers, was at peace long before she was. But the day
came at last when Maude was able to answer Ademar's question--when she
could say, "Father, I am of the true Church, because I am one with
Christ."

The life at Cardiff Castle was very quiet--much too quiet to please
Con