m.

Then we knocked on the great door, and he was silent until a sister
looked through the little barred square wicket in the midst of it.

"We would speak with the Lady Uldra," I said. "I am the thane who
brought her ashore."

The sister said nought, but shut the wicket door, and left us. We
heard her steps retreating across the little courtyard, and she
shut a door after her somewhere else. Then all was quiet.

"What does that mean?" Relf said.

"That we have to wait," said I "that is all. It is the way in which
they treat folk at these places. They would do the same if the
queen came. She has gone to her Superior."

"What would Emma say?" chuckled Relf, looking slyly at me.

"One cannot say much to an iron-barred oak door."

"But there are thanes and such-like left outside," he said,
laughing more yet. "Now Godwine is not here, I dare say that you
have felt, more than once, the queen's tongue for nought."

"I will deny it," said I, "to anyone but Elfric the abbot," whereat
he laughed till the tears came into his eyes. He had known our
queen in the old days before Streone's treachery.

I was glad that the wicket flew open again. Relf stayed his
laughter in a moment, and became very grave.

"What would she say now?" he whispered.

"Enough," I said, for the sister, having seen that we waited,
unbarred the gate and let us in. Then she pointed to a door on our
right, and went away.

I took Relf's arm and led him to this door--for he was going to
follow the sister--and we opened it. It led into a small
high-roofed chamber, that had a great crucifix painted in bright
colours on the east wall, and pictured legends on the rest, between
high narrow windows.

But there stood Uldra, no longer in convent dress, but in some robe
of dark blue and crimson that became her well, so that at first I
hardly knew her, for now for the first time I saw her bright brown
hair that the novice's hood had hidden from me. I could not say
that Uldra was fair as Sexberga to look on, but, as ever, I thought
that her face was the sweetest that I had seen in all my life.

I was a little abashed before this grave and stately maiden, who
was the same, and yet not the same, as she who had been through so
much danger and trial with me, and I could not find a word to say
at first. Nor could she, as it seemed, and so we looked at one
another until she smiled. It was only for a moment, however, for
when her face lighted up thus, Relf foun