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the castle with the aid of your outlaws; but you could scarcely hold it.

The prince has, ere now, with the aid of those faithful to him and his

foreign mercenaries, captured stronger holds than that of Evesham; and if

you turn his favourite out, you would have a swarm of hornets around you

such as the walls of Evesham could not keep out. It would therefore be

worse than useless for you to attempt what would be something like an

act of rebellion against Prince John's authority, and would give him what

now he has no excuse for, a ground for putting a price upon your

head--and cutting it off if he got the opportunity. You might now present

yourself boldly at court, and although he might refuse to recognize your

title of earl, yet, as a knight and a crusader who has distinguished

himself greatly in the Holy Land, he dare not interfere with your person,

for this would be resented by the whole of the chivalry of England.

Still, I agree with you that your best course is to keep your return a

secret. You will then be unwatched and unnoticed, and your enemies will

take their time in carrying their designs into effect."

Two days later Cuthbert, attended by his faithful retainers, left Sir

Baldwin's castle, and travelled by easy stages through Wiltshire and the

confines of Gloucestershire up to Worcester. He had been supplied by Sir

Baldwin with suitable attire for himself and his followers, and now rode

as a simple knight, without arms or cognizance, journeying from one part

to another. All the crosses and other crusading signs were laid aside,

and there was nothing to attract any attention to him upon his passage.

Cuthbert had at first thought of going direct to the convent of

Worcester, and asking for an interview with Lady Margaret; but he

reflected that it might be possible that some of the myrmidons of Sir

Rudolph might be keeping a watch over that building, to see that Lady

Margaret was not secretly removed to some other place of refuge, and that

the appearance of a knight before its doors would excite comment and

suspicion. He therefore avoided the town, and journeyed straight to the

forest, where he had so often roamed with Cnut and the outlaws.

Here he found that matters had but little changed since he was last

there. Many of those who had fought with him in the Holy Land, and who

had returned by sea, had again taken to the forest, joined by many new

men whom the exactions of Sir Rudolph had already goaded into revolt.

Cnut was received with enthusiasm, and when he presented Cuthbert to them

as the rightful heir of Evesham and the well-known friend of the

foresters, their enthusiasm knew no bounds. They at once accepted him as

their lord and master, and promised to obey his orders, and to lay down

their lives, if necessary, in his cause, as they knew that it was he who

had formally obtained the pardon of the forest band, and who had fought

with them in their attack on Wortham Castle.

To Cuthbert's great delight he heard that his mother was in good health,

although she had for some months been grievously fretting over his

disappearance and supposed death. Cuthbert hesitated whether he should

proceed at once to see her; but he feared that the shock of his

appearance might be too much for her, and that her expressions of joy

might make the retainers and others aware of his arrival, and the news

might in some way reach the ears of those at the castle. He therefore

despatched Cnut to see her, and break the news to her cautiously, and to

request her to arrange for a time when she would either see Cuthbert at

some place at a distance from the house, or would so arrange that the

domestics should be absent and that he would have an interview with her

there unobserved.

Cnut was absent some hours, and on his return told Cuthbert that he had

seen Dame Editha, and that her joy on hearing of her son's safe arrival

had caused her no harm, but rather the reverse. The news that King

Richard had bestowed upon him the title and lands of Evesham was new to

her, and she was astonished indeed to hear of his elevation. Having heard

much of the character of the pretending earl, she had great fears for the

safety of Cuthbert, should his residence in the neighbourhood get to his

ears; and although sure of the fidelity of all her retainers, she feared

that in their joy at their young master's return they might let slip some

incautious word which would come to the ears of some of those at the

castle. She therefore determined to meet him at a distance. She had

arranged that upon the following day she would give out that she intended

to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Dunstan, which lay at the edge

of the forest, to thank him for her recovery from illness, and to pray

for the safety of her son.

She would be carried thither in a litter, and her journey would excite no

comment whatever. She would take with her four of her most trusted

retainers, and would on her arrival at the shrine send them to a

distance, in order to pay her devotions undisturbed. Cuthbert was to be

near, and the moment he saw them depart, to enter.

This arrangement was carried out, and the joy of Dame Editha at again

meeting her son was deep indeed. He had left her a lad of fifteen. He now

returned a youth of nearly eighteen, stout and strong beyond his age, and

looking far older than he was, from the effect of the hot sun of Syria

and of the hardships through which he had gone. That he should win his

spurs upon the first opportunity the earl had promised her, and she

doubted not that he would soon attain the rank which his father had held.

But that he should return to her a belted earl was beyond her wildest

thoughts. This, however, was but little in her mind then. It was her son,

and not the Earl of Evesham, whom she clasped in her arms.

As the interview must necessarily be a short one, Cuthbert gave her but a

slight outline of what had happened since they parted, and the

conversation then turned upon the present position, and upon the steps

which had best be taken.

"Your peril is, I fear, as great here as when you were fighting the

infidels in the Holy Land," she said. "Sir Rudolph has not been here

long; but he has proved himself a cruel and ruthless master. He has

driven forth many of the old tenants and bestowed their lands upon his

own servants and retainers. The forest laws he carries out to the fullest

severity, and has hung several men who were caught infringing them. He

has laid such heavy burdens on all the tenants that remain that they are

fairly ruined, and if he stay here long he will rule over a desert. Did

he dream of your presence here, he would carry fire and sword through the

forest. It is sad indeed to think that so worthless a knave as this

should be a favourite of the ruler of England. But all men say that he is

so. Thus were you to attack him, even did you conquer and kill him, you

would have the enmity of Prince John to contend with; and he spareth

none, man or woman, who stand in his way. It will be a bad day indeed

for England should our good King Richard not return. I will, as you wish

me, write to my good cousin, the Lady Abbess of St. Anne's, and will ask

that you may have an interview with the Lady Margaret, to hear her wishes

and opinions concerning the future, and will pray her to do all that she

can to aid your suit with the fair young lady, and to keep her at all

events safe from the clutches of the tyrant of Evesham."

Three days later, a boy employed as a messenger by Dame Editha brought a

note to Cuthbert, saying that she had heard from the Abbess of St.

Anne's, who would be glad to receive a visit from Cuthbert. The abbess

had asked his mother to accompany him; but this she left for him to

decide. Cuthbert sent back a message in reply, that he thought it would

be dangerous for her to accompany him, as any spy watching would report

her appearance, and inquiries were sure to be set on foot as to her

companion. He said that he himself would call at the convent on the

following evening after nightfall, and begged her to send word to the

abbess to that effect, in order that he might, when he presented himself,

be admitted at once.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE ATTEMPT ON THE CONVENT.

Upon the following evening Cuthbert proceeded to Worcester. He left his

horse some little distance outside the town, and entered on foot. Having

no apprehension of an attack, he had left all his pieces of armour

behind, and was in the quiet garb of a citizen. Cnut attended him--for

that worthy follower considered himself as responsible that no harm of

any sort should befall his young master. The consequences of his own

imprudence in the Tyrol were ever before his mind, and he determined that

from henceforth there should be no want of care on his part. He

accompanied Cuthbert to within a short distance of the convent, and took

up his position in the shade of a house, whence he could watch should any

one appear to be observing Cuthbert's entrance.

Upon ringing the bell, Cuthbert told the porteress, as had been arranged,

that he had called on a message from Dame Editha, and he was immediately

ushered into the parlour of the convent, where, a minute or two later, he

was joined by the lady abbess. He had when young been frequently to the

convent, and had always been kindly received.

"I am indeed glad to see you, Sir Cuthbert," she said, "though I

certainly should not have recognized the lad who used to come here with

my cousin, in the stalwart young knight I see before me. You are indeed

changed 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 honours. 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 unless

constrained by force--of which, I said, I could not suppose that any

possibility existed--I should not surrender the Lady Margaret into any

hands whatsoever, unless, indeed, I received the commands of her lawful

guardian, King Richard."

"You said well, holy mother," Sir Cuthbert said. "But you see the hawks

scent the danger from afar, and are moving uneasily already. Whether they

consider it so pressing that they will dare to profane the convent, I

know not. But I am sure that should they do so, they will not hesitate a

moment at the thought of the anger of the church. Prince John has already

shown that he is ready, if need be, to oppose the authority of the holy

father, and he may well, therefore, despise any local wrath that might be

excited by an action which he can himself disavow, and for which, even at

the worst, he need only inflict some nominal punishment upon his vassal.

Bethink thee, lady, whether it would not be safer to send the Lady

Margaret to the care of some person, where she may be concealed from the

search of Sir Rudolph."

"I would gladly do so," the abbess said, "did I know of such a person or

such a place. But it is difficult indeed for a young lady of rank to be

concealed from such sharp searchers as Sir Rudolph would be certain to

place upon her track. Your proposal that she should take refuge in the

house of some small franklin near the forest, I cannot agree to. In the

first place, it would demean her to be so placed; and in the second, we

could never be sure that the report of her residence there might not

reach the ears of Sir Rudolph. As a last resource, of course such a step

would be justifiable, but not until at least overt outrages have been

attempted. Now I will call Lady Margaret in."

The young girl entered with an air of frank gladness, but was startled at

the alteration which had taken place in her former playfellow, and paused

and looked at the abbess, as if inquiring whether this could be really

the Cuthbert she had known. Lady Margaret was fifteen in years; but she