and improved. Who would think that my gossip Editha's son would
come to be the Earl of Evesham! The Lady Margaret is eager to see you;
but I think that you exaggerate the dangers of her residence here. I
cannot think that even a minion of Prince John would dare to violate the
sanctity of a convent."

"I fear, good mother," Cuthbert said, "that when ambition and greed are
in one scale, reverence for the holy church will not weigh much in the
other. Had King Richard been killed upon his way home, or so long as
nothing was heard of him, Sir Rudolph might have been content to allow
matters to remain as they were, until at least Lady Margaret attained an
age which would justify him in demanding that the espousal should be
carried out. But the news which has now positively been ascertained,
that the king is in the hands of the emperor, and the knowledge that
sooner or later his freedom will be obtained, will hasten the friends of
the usurper to make the most of their advantage. He knows that the king
would at once upon his return annul the nomination of Sir Rudolph to the
earldom which had previously been bestowed upon me. But he may well
think that if before that time he can secure in marriage the person of
the late earl's daughter, no small share of the domains may be allotted
to him as her dowry, even if he be obliged to lay by his borrowed
honors. You will, unless I am greatly mistaken, hear from him before
long."

The abbess looked grave.

"There is much in what you say, Sir Cuthbert; and indeed a certain
confirmation is given to it by the fact that only yesterday I received a
letter from Sir Rudolph, urging that now the Lady Margaret is past the
age of fifteen, and may therefore be considered marriageable, the will
of the prince should be carried into effect, and that she should for the
present be committed to the charge of the Lady Clara Boulger, who is
the wife of a friend and associate of Sir Rudolph. He says that he
should not wish to press the marriage until she attains the age of
sixteen, but that it were well that his future wife should become
accustomed to the outside world, so as to take her place as Castellan of
Evesham with a dignity befitting the position. I wrote at once to him
saying that in another year it would, in my poor judgment, be quite time
to think about such worldly matters; that at the present the Lady
Margaret was receiving an education suitable to her rank; that she was
happy here; and that