was in secular dress; the
other was still in her habit, but carried a long dark mantle across her
arm, and Mary caught her breath and bit her lip fiercely as she
recognised the second to be her sister.

She felt she must cry out, and denounce the sacrilege, and made an
instinctive movement nearer the window, but in a moment her father's
hand was on her arm.

"Be still, Mary: it is all well."

One of the horses was being led away by now through the open door; and
the two others followed almost immediately; but the principal actors
were still in their places; the Abbess and the portress together on this
side; Ralph on that; and the two other women, a little apart from one
another, at the further end of the court.

Then Ralph beckoned abruptly with his whip, and Mary saw her sister move
out towards the gate; she caught a glance of her face, and saw that her
lips were white and trembling, and her eyes full of agony. The other
woman followed briskly, and the two disappeared through to the road
outside.

Again Ralph beckoned, and Mr. Morris brought up the horse that he had
now detached from the ring, and stood by its head, holding the
off-stirrup for his master to mount. Ralph gathered the reins into his
left hand, and for a moment they saw his face across the back of the
horse fierce and white; then he was up, and settling his right foot into
the stirrup.

Mr. Morris let go, and stood back; and simultaneously Ralph struck him
with his riding-whip across the face, a furious back-handed slash.

Mary cried out uncontrollably and shrank back; and a moment later her
father was leaning from the window, and she beside him.

"You damned coward!" he shouted. "Morris, you are my servant now."

Ralph did not turn his head an inch, and a moment later disappeared on
horse-back through the gate, and the portress had closed it behind him.

The little court was silent now, and empty except for the Abbess'
motionless figure behind, with Mr. Morris beside her, and the lay sister
by the gate, her hand still on the key that she had turned, and her eyes
intent and expectant fixed on her superior. Mr. Morris lifted a
handkerchief now and again gently to his face, and Mary as she leaned
half sobbing from above saw that there were spots of crimson on the
white.

"Oh! Morris!" she whispered.

The servant looked up, with a great weal across one cheek, and bowed a
little, but he could not speak yet. Outside they could hear the jingle