dear
Chris!"

"And then there is Meg," put in her father.

"Oh! Meg; yes, I knew she would. She is made for a nun."

Sir James edged his horse in presently close to Ralph, as Mary went in
front through a narrow opening in the wood.

"Be good to him," he said. "He thinks so much of you."

Ralph glanced up and smiled into the tender keen eyes that were looking
into his own.

"Why, of course, sir," he said.

* * * * *

It was an immense pleasure to Chris to notice the difference in
Nicholas's behaviour towards him. There was none of that loud and
cheerful rallying that stood for humour, no criticisms of his riding or
his costume. The squire asked him a hundred questions, almost nervously,
about the Holy Maid and himself, and what had passed between them.

"They say the Host was carried to her through the air from Calais,
Chris, when the King was there. Did you hear her speak of that?"

Chris shook his head.

"There was not time," he said.

"And then there was the matter of the divorce--" Nicholas turned his
head slightly; "Ralph cannot hear us, can he? Well--the matter of the
divorce--I hear she denounced that, and would have none of it, and has
written to the Pope, too."

"They were saying something of the kind," said Chris, "but I thought it
best not to meddle."

"And what did she say to you?"

Chris told him the story, and Nicholas's eyes grew round and fixed as he
listened; his mouth was a little open, and he murmured inarticulate
comments as they rode together up from the mill.

"Lord!" he said at last, "and she said all that about hell. God save us!
And her tongue out of her mouth all the while! And did you see anything
yourself? No devils or angels?"

"I saw nothing," said Chris. "I just listened, but she saw them."

"Lord!" said Nicholas again, and rode on in profound silence.

The Maxwells were to stay to supper at the Court; and drive home
afterwards; so there was no opportunity for Chris to go down and bathe
in the lake as he usually did in summer after a day's hunting, for
supper was at seven o'clock, and he had scarcely more than time to
dress.

Nicholas was very talkative at supper, and poured out all that Chris had
told him, with his usual lack of discretion; for the other had already
told the others once all the details that he thought would interest
them.

"They were talking about the divorce," he broke out, and then stopped
and eyed Ralph craftil