t?" responded Avice, sternly. "I am an holy sister, and
as Sister Isabel shall certify unto thee, am defamed for holiest of all
our house."

"Ay so," admitted Isabel.

"I am sorry for thee, Cousin!" whispered Maude, her eyes full of tears.

"Sorry!" said Isabel.

"Sorry!" repeated Avice. "When I have ensured mine own salvation, and
won mine husband's soul from Purgatory, and heaped up great store of
merit belike!--Woman, I live but of bread and water, with here and there
a lettuce leaf; a draught of milk of Sundays, but meat never saving
holydays. I sleep never beyond three hours of a night, and of a Friday
night not at all. I creep round our chapel on my bare knees every
Friday morrow and Saturday even, and do lick a cross in the dust at
every shrine. I tell our Lady's litany morrow and even. Sorry! When
every sister of our house doth reckon me a very saint!"

A vision rose before Maude's eyes, of a man clad in blue fringes and
phylacteries, who stood, head upright, in the Holy Place, and thanked
God that he was not as other men. But she only said--

"O Avice!--what doth God reckon thee?"

Isabel stared at her.

"The like, of force!" said Avice, with a sneer.

"Avice, I deemed thee once not far from the kingdom of God. But I find
thee further off than of old time."

"Thou art bereft of thy wits, sure!" said Avice, contemptuously.

"By the Holy Coat of Treves, but this passeth!" [surpasses expectation
or reason] exclaimed Isabel, looking decidedly astonished.

"This world is no garden of pleasance, woman!" resumed Avice, harshly.
"We must needs buy Heaven, and with heavy coin."

"Buy thou it, an' thou canst," said Maude, rocking the child to and fro,
while one or two tears fell upon its little frock. "For me, I thank our
Lord that He hath paid down the price."

She rose, for the child was beginning to cry, and walked to the window
to try and engage its attention.

"A Gospeller, by my troth!" whispered Isabel, with a shrug of her
shoulders.

"Maude was alway given unto Romaunts and the like fooling!" responded
Avice as scornfully as before.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note 1. An officer of the Bishop's Court, whose business was to carry
to their destination written absolutions and indulgences.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

THE ROUGH NIGHT WIND.

"Whan cockle-shells ha'e siller bells,
And mussels grow on every tree--
Whan frost and snaw s