brother led
Ralph down a lane to the south of the great west door, and along the
side of the minster and so came to the Abbey gate, and there was Ralph
well greeted, and had all things given him which were due to a good
knight; and then was he brought into the Guest-hall, a very fair
chamber, which was now full of men of all degrees. He was shown to a
seat on the dais within two of the subprior's, and beside him sat an
honourable lord, a vassal of St. Mary's. So was supper served well and
abundantly: the meat and drink was of the best, and the vessel and all
the plenishing was as good as might be; and the walls of that chamber
were hung with noble arras-cloth picturing the Pilgrimage of the Soul
of Man.

Every man there who spoke with Ralph, and they were many, was exceeding
courteous to him; and he heard much talk about him of the wealth of the
lands of St. Mary's at Higham, and how it was flourishing; and of the
Abbot how mighty he was, so that he might do what he would, and that
his will was to help and to give, and be blithe with all men: and folk
told of turmoil and war in other lands, and praised the peace of
Higham-on-the-Way.

Ralph listened to all this, and smiled, and said to himself that to
another man this might well be the end of his journey for that time;
but for him all this peace and well-being was not enough; for though it
were a richer land than Upmeads, yet to the peace and the quiet he was
well used, and he had come forth not for the winning of fatter peace,
but to try what new thing his youth and his might and his high hope and
his good hap might accomplish.

So when the supper was over, and the wine and spices had been brought,
the Guest-hall began to thin somewhat, and the brother who had brought
Ralph thither came to him and said:

"Fair lord, it were nowise ill if ye went forth, as others of our
guests have done, to see the deeds of Midsummer Eve that shall be done
in the great square in honour of Holy John; for our manner therein at
Higham has been much thought of. Look my son!"

He pointed to the windows of the hall therewith, and lo! they grew
yellow and bright with some fire without, as if a new fiery day had
been born out of the dusk of the summer night; for the light that shone
through the windows out-did the candle-light in the hall. Ralph
started thereat and laid his right hand to the place of his sword,
which indeed he had left with the chamberlain; but the monk laughed and