him, before I die there are those among you who
have looked the last upon the light."

Then, standing there before the altar rails, he lifted his great
blade and settled the skull-blazoned shield upon his arm.

Now the patriarch raved and stormed, and one among them cried
that they would fetch bows and shoot Wulf down from a distance.

"And thus," broke in Rosamund, "add murder to sacrilege! Oh!
sirs, bethink what you do--ay, and remember this, that you do it
all in vain. Saladin has promised you nothing, except that if you
deliver me to him, he will talk with you, and then you may find
that you have sinned for nothing. Have pity on me and go your
ways, leaving the issue in the hand of God."

"That is true," cried some. "Saladin made no promises."

Now Balian, the guardian of the city, who had followed them to
the chapel and standing in the background heard what passed
there, stepped forward and said:

"My lord Patriarch, I pray you let this thing be, since from such
a crime no good could come to us or any. That altar is the
holiest and most noted place of sanctuary in all Jerusalem. Will
you dare to tear a maiden from it whose only sin is that she, a
Christian, has escaped the Saracens by whom she was stolen? Do
you dare to give her back to them and death, for such will be her
doom at the hands of Saladin? Surely that would be the act of
cowards, and bring upon us the fate of cowards. Sir Wulf, put up
your sword and fear nothing. If there is any safety in Jerusalem,
your lady is safe. Abbess, lead her to her cell."

"Nay," answered the abbess with fine sarcasm, "it is not fitting
that we should leave this place before his Holiness."

"Then you have not long to wait," shouted the patriarch in fury.
"Is this a time for scruples about altars? Is this a time to
listen to the prayers of a girl or to threats of a single knight,
or the doubts of a superstitious captain? Well, take your way and
let your lives pay its cost. Yet I say that if Saladin asked for
half the noble maidens in the city, it would be cheap to let him
have them in payment for the blood of eighty thousand folk," and
he stalked towards the door.

So they went away, all except Wulf, who stayed to make sure that
they were gone, and the abbess, who came to Rosamund and embraced
her, saying that for the while the danger was past, and she might
rest quiet.

"Yes, mother," answered Rosamund with a sob, "but oh! have I done
right? Should I not have su