en leap be described as "impulsive"? The Bishop,
ever a stickler for accuracy in descriptive words, considered this.

Nay, not so much "impulsive" as "prompt." Even as the warrior who,
having tested his trusty sword, knowing its readiness in the scabbard
and the strength of his own right arm, draws, on the instant, when
surprised by the enemy. Prompt, not impulsive. A swift action, based
upon an assured certainty of power, and a steadfast determination, of
long standing, to win at all costs.

The Bishop's hand rested upon the parapet. The stone in his ring held
neither blue nor purple lights. Its colour had paled and faded. It
shone--as the Prioress had once seen it shine--like a large tear-drop
on the Bishop's finger.

Deep dejection was in the Bishop's attitude. With the riding away of
the Knight, something strong and vital seemed to have passed out of his
life.

A sense of failure oppressed him. He had not succeeded in bending Hugh
d'Argent to his will, neither had he risen to a frank appreciation of
the loyal chivalry which would not enjoy happiness at the expense of
honour.

While his mind refused to accept the Knight's code, his soul yearned to
rise up and acclaim it.

Yet, working to the last for Mora's peace of mind, he had maintained
his tone of scornful disapproval.

He would never again have the chance to cry "Hail!" to the Silver
Shield. The deft fingers of his sophistry had striven to loosen the
Knight's shining armour. How far they had succeeded, the Bishop could
not tell. But, as he watched the swiftly moving river, he found
himself wishing that his task had been to strengthen, rather than to
weaken; to gird up and brace, rather than subtly to unbuckle and
disarm. Yet by so doing, would he not have been ensuring his own
happiness, bringing back the joy of life to his own heart, at the
expense of the two whom he had given to be each other's in the Name of
the Divine Trinity?

If Hugh persisted in his folly, he would lose his bride, yet would the
Bishop meet and reinstate the Prioress with a clear conscience, having
striven to the very last to dissuade the Knight.

If, on the other hand, Hugh, growing wiser as he rode northward,
decided to keep silence, why then the sunny land he loved, and the
Cardinal's office, for Symon, Bishop of Worcester.

But meanwhile, two weeks of uncertainty; and the Bishop could not abide
uncertainty.

He turned from the river and began to pace the law