those at
Chad. No complaint had reached that house from Mortimer's Keep, as
had been expected, and it was hoped that the thing would never be
heard of again.

Yet it was with something of a sinking heart that Sir Oliver heard
the third day that the Prior of Chadwater desired speech of him;
and as he mounted his horse and summoned his servants about him, he
wondered, not without considerable uneasiness, what this summons
might mean.

He had always been on good terms with the handsome prior of the
Benedictine monastery. The choicest of the game, the fattest of the
bucks slain in the forest, the chiefest specimens of his wife's
culinary triumphs, always found their way to the prior's table, and
an excellent understanding had always been maintained between the
two houses. But the knight had observed of late that the prior had
become more slack in those visits of friendly courtesy which once
had been common enough between them; and when he had presented
himself at the monastery, he had not been quite certain that his
welcome was as cordial as heretofore. It was not until latterly
that this had caused him any uneasiness--it had taken him some
while to feel sure that it was anything but his own fantasy; but he
had just begun to feel that something was amiss, and now this
summons seemed to him to have an evil import.

However, there was nothing for it but to go; and a clear conscience
keeps a man bold even in face of greater peril than was likely to
assail him now. He thought it probable that some rumour of the stir
on the fair day had reached the ecclesiastic, and that he wanted an
account of it in detail. Sir Oliver was quite prepared to give him
that, and entered the presence of the prior with a bold front and
an air of cordial courtesy such as he was wont to wear in the
presence of this dignitary.

There was nothing alarming in the prior's manner. He received his
guest graciously, bid him be seated in the best chair reserved for
the use of guests, and asked him of the welfare of his household
with benevolence and friendly interest. But after all that had been
said, his face took another look, and he brought up the subject of
the travelling peddler or preacher, and asked the knight what his
sons meant by standing champions to a notable and pernicious
Lollard heretic.

The knight started at the words, and disclaimed any such knowledge
both on behalf of himself and his sons. He told the tale as Bertram
and Julian had