eemed to be all that Dame La Theyn felt
herself capable of saying.

"A few weeks ago," Clarice went on, "before--_this_, there was a higher
and better view of life given to me. One that would make _one's_
crushed heart grow softer, and not harder; that was upward and not
downward; that led to Heaven and God, not to Hell and Satan. There is
no hope for me in this life but the hope of Heaven. For pity's sake let
me keep that! If every other human creature is going down--you seem to
think so--let me go higher, not lower. Because my life has been spoiled
for me, shall I deliberately poison my own soul? May God forbid it me!
If I am to spend my life with demons, let my spirit live with God."

The feelings of Dame La Theyn, on hearing this speech from Clarice, were
not capable of expression in words.

In her eyes, as in those of all Romanists, there were two lives which a
man or woman could lead--the religious and the secular. To lead a
religious life meant, as a matter of course, to go into the cloister.
Matrimony and piety were simply incompatible. Clarice was a married
woman: _ergo_, she could not possibly be religious. Dame La Theyn's
mind, to use one of her favourite expressions, was all of a jumble with
these extraordinary ideas of which her daughter had unaccountably got
hold. "What on earth is the child driving at? is she mad?" thought her
mother.

"What dost thou mean, child?" inquired the extremely puzzled Dame.
"Thou canst not go into the cloister--thou art wed. Dear heart, but I
never reckoned thou hadst any vocation! Thou shouldst have told thy
lady."

"I do not want the cloister," said Clarice. "I want to do God's will.
I want to belong to God."

"Why, that is the same thing!" responded the still perplexed woman.

"The Lord Earl is not a monk," replied Clarice. "And I am sure he
belongs to God, for he knows Him better than any priest that I ever
saw."

"Child, child! Did I not tell thee, afore ever thou earnest into this
house, that thy Lord was a man full of queer fancies, and all manner of
strange things? Don't thee go and get notions into thine head, for
mercy's sake! Thou must live either in the world or the cloister. Who
ever heard of a wedded woman devote to religion? Thou canst not have
both--'tis nonsense. Is that one of thy Lord's queer notions? Sure,
these friars never taught thee so?"

"The friars never taught me anything. Father Bevis tried to help me,
but he did not