rd from a shepherdess of
the hills, who found me in my hiding, and brought me honeycomb and
water. In her simplicity she offered to lead me home to the convent;
but while she slept I laid off my wimple and scapular, and stealing her
cloak fled away lest she should betray me. And since then I have
wandered alone over the face of the world, living in woods and desert
places, often hungry, often cold and sometimes fearful; yet resigned to
any hardship, and with a front for any peril, if only I may sleep under
the free heaven and wash the dust from my body in cool water.

V

THE Hermit, as may be supposed, was much perturbed by this story, and
dismayed that such sinfulness should cross his path. His first motion
was to drive the woman forth, for he knew the heinousness of the
craving for water, and how Saint Jerome, Saint Augustine and other holy
doctors have taught that they who would purify the soul must not be
distraught by the vain cares of bodily cleanliness; yet, remembering
the lust that drew him to his lauds, he dared not judge his sister's
fault too harshly.

Moreover he was moved by the Wild Woman's story of the hardships she
had suffered, and the godless company she had been driven to
keep--Egyptians, jugglers, outlaws and even sorcerers, who are masters
of the pagan lore of the East, and still practice their dark rites
among the simple folk of the hills. Yet she would not have him think
wholly ill of this vagrant people, from whom she had often received
food and comfort; and her worst danger, as he learned with shame, had
come from the _girovaghi_ or wandering monks, who are the scourge and
dishonour of Christendom; carrying their ribald idleness from one
monastery to another, and leaving on their way a trail of thieving,
revelry and worse. Once or twice the Wild Woman had nearly fallen into
their hands; but had been saved by her own quick wit and skill in
woodcraft. Once, so she assured the Hermit, she had found refuge with a
faun and his female, who fed and sheltered her in their cave, where she
slept on a bed of leaves with their shaggy nurslings; and in this cave
she had seen a stock or idol of wood, extremely seamed and ancient,
before which the wood-creatures, when they thought she slept, laid
garlands and the wild bees' honey-comb.

She told him also of a hill-village of weavers, where she lived many
weeks, and learned to ply their trade in return for her lodging; and
where wayfaring men in the gui