ould
crook my finger thus, and thou shouldest crouch at my bidding. Nay,
these be evil days, I say again; and more strange things may come to
pass than bearding a lordly abbot in his den!"

Great was the astonishment of Paslew. The stranger stood proudly erect;
his arms were folded, and a withering glance shot from beneath his
brows. Even John Paslew, unused to a sense of inferiority before his
fellow-men, felt cowed before him. For the first time, in all
likelihood, he knew not how or what to answer. The stranger interrupted
this painful silence.

"Since the monks are forbidden to be out a-gadding, the cowl and
scapulary might have found some hindrance over the moors from Kirkstall.
With my hawk and bearing-pole, I can follow on to the sport without let
or question." The latter part of this speech seemed to throw some light
on the purpose for which this messenger had been selected. Paslew was
preparing for a further inquiry, when he was again interrupted.

"I tell thee, a courier of my condition may go free, though nameless.
But to business--Norfolk is tampering with our credulity. He thinks to
gain our time to his advantage: but the work must again be urged
forward. Yet lack we thy aid. May we depend on its being faithfully
rendered? We must have no lukewarm allies in the rear of our camp."

The stranger drew from beneath his inner vest a crucifix, with the
representation of a chalice and of the five wounds of Christ.

Paslew kissed the token, and his suspicions were at rest. But still,
there was a dubiety and hesitation in his manner displeasing to the
stranger. He would bind himself to no distinct pledge respecting the
time of his appearance at the rebel camp; and altogether seemed to
display either cowardice or a want of cordiality. His guest refusing to
stay the night, on a pretext of urgent business farther north, departed
soon after the termination of their interview.

The night was fast closing when the strangers left the abbey. One by one
the pale stars seemed to start out, as if just lighted up in the blue
vault. The dark woods threw their giant arms around the sacred domain,
as though to guard it against unhallowed intrusion. The travellers had
gained the steep ascent towards the south-east, from whence the river,
winding down the narrow valley, seemed as if here and there a spark was
floating on its quiet surface--the lights, gliding on the opposite
brink, fell distinct and unbroken upon the stream. T