Chapter House and the old Jerusalem
Chamber, before we go," said Mrs. Pitt, as they left the school.

The Chapter House is a beautiful, eight-sided room, dating from the
thirteenth century. Here the business of the monastery was always
conducted, and at the meetings which came every week, the monks were
allowed to speak freely, and to make complaints, if they wished. Here
also the monks were punished.

"They used to whip them against that central pillar, there," the guard
explained. "Here sat the abbot, opposite the door, and the monks sat
on benches ranged around the room. Parliament met here for many years,
too, its last session in this room being on the day that the great
King Hal died."

The Chapter House has been restored now, and the windows are of modern
stained-glass. In the cases are preserved some valuable documents, the
oldest being a grant of land, made by King Offa, in 785.

To reach the Jerusalem Chamber, it is necessary to go through a part
of the cloisters, and into the court of the Deanery. On one side is
the old abbot's refectory, or dining-hall, where the Westminster
school-boys now dine. John went boldly up the steps and entered. After
a few minutes, he came running out again, exclaiming:

"Nobody stopped me, so I went right in, and looked around. A maid was
setting the tables, and I noticed that she stared at me, but she
didn't say anything, so I stayed. The hall is great! It isn't very
large, but is paneled and hung with portraits. The old tables, a
notice says, are made from wood taken from one of the vessels of the
Spanish Armada. Wonder how they found it and brought it here! I was
just going to ask the maid, when a savage-looking man appeared and
said I had no business there. So I came away. I don't care; I saw it,
anyway!" he added, as they approached the entrance of the Jerusalem
Chamber.

All three sides of this little court were the abbot's lodgings, and
are now the deanery. The Jerusalem Chamber was built about 1376, as a
guest-chamber for the abbot's house.

"The name is curious, isn't it?" remarked Mrs. Pitt. "It probably came
from some tapestries which formerly hung there, representing the
history of Jerusalem. It was in this room, right here in front of the
fireplace, according to tradition, that Henry IV died. A strange dream
had told the King that he would die in Jerusalem, and he was actually
preparing for the journey there, when he was taken very ill, and they
carried him i