ing convinced that the lady abbess would have sent her charge rather
to a religious house than to that of a franklin, Sir Rudolph sought
which of those within the circuit of a few miles would be likely to be
the one selected. It was not long before he was enabled to fix upon that
near Hereford, and spies going to the spot soon found out from the
country people that it was a matter of talk that a young lady of rank
had been admitted by the superior. Sir Rudolph hesitated whether to go
himself at the head of a strong body of men and openly to take her, or
to employ some sort of device. It was not that he himself feared the
anathema of the church; but he knew Prince John to be weak and
vacillating, at one time ready to defy the thunder of the pope, the next
cringing before the spiritual authority. He therefore determined to
employ some of his men to burst into the convent and carry off the
heiress, arranging that he himself, with some of his men-at-arms, should
come upon them in the road, and make a feigned rescue of her, so that,
if the lady superior laid her complaint before the pope's legate he
could deny that he had any hand in the matter, and could even take
credit for having rescued her from the men who had profaned the convent.
That his story would be believed mattered but little. It would be
impossible to prove its falsity, and this was all that he cared for.

This course was followed out. Late one evening the lady superior was
alarmed by a violent knocking at the door. In reply to questions asked
through the grill, the answer was given, "We are men of the forest, and
we are come to carry the Lady Margaret of Evesham off to a secure
hiding-place. The Lord of Evesham has discovered her whereabouts, and
will be here shortly, and we would fain remove her before he arrives."

"From whom have you warrant?" the lady superior said. "I surrender her
to no one, save to the lady abbess of St. Anne's. But if you have a
written warrant from Sir Cuthbert, the rightful Lord of Evesham, I will
lay the matter before the Lady Margaret, and will act as it may seem fit
to her."

"We have no time for parleying," a rough voice said. "Throw open the
gate at once, or we will break it down."

"Ye be no outlaws," the lady superior said, "for the outlaws are men who
fear God and respect the church. Were ye what ye say, ye would be
provided with the warrants that I mention. I warn you, therefore, that
if you use force, you will be excommu