the king's possessions, he

still journeyed on to the eastward?"

"he would then come upon that part of france which is still in

dispute, and he might hope to reach the famous city of avignon,

where dwells our blessed father, the prop of christendom."

"and then?"

"then he would pass through the land of the almains and the great

roman empire, and so to the country of the huns and of the

lithuanian pagans, beyond which lies the great city of

constantine and the kingdom of the unclean followers of mahmoud."

"and beyond that, fair son?"

"beyond that is jerusalem and the holy land, and the great river

which hath its source in the garden of eden."

"and then?"

"nay, good father, i cannot tell. methinks the end of the world

is not far from there."

"then we can still find something to teach thee, alleyne," said

the abbot complaisantly. "know that many strange nations lie

betwixt there and the end of the world. there is the country of

the amazons, and the country of the dwarfs, and the country of

the fair but evil women who slay with beholding, like the

basilisk. beyond that again is the kingdom of prester john and

of the great cham. these things i know for very sooth, for i had

them from that pious christian and valiant knight, sir john de

mandeville, who stopped twice at beaulieu on his way to and from

southampton, and discoursed to us concerning what he had seen

from the reader's desk in the refectory, until there was many a

good brother who got neither bit nor sup, so stricken were they

by his strange tales."

"i would fain know, father," asked the young man, "what there may

be at the end of the world?"

"there are some things," replied the abbot gravely, "into which

it was never intended that we should inquire. but you have a

long road before you. whither will you first turn?"

"to my brother's at minstead. if he be indeed an ungodly and

violent man, there is the more need that i should seek him out

and see whether i cannot turn him to better ways."

the abbot shook his head. "the socman of minstead hath earned an

evil name over the country side," he said. "if you must go to

him, see at least that he doth not turn you from the narrow path

upon which you have learned to tread. but you are in god's

keeping, and godward should you ever look in danger and in

trouble. above all, shun the snares of women, for they are ever

set for the foolish feet of the young. kneel down, my child, and

take an old man's blessing."

alleyne edricson bent his head while the abbot poured out his

heartfelt supplication that heaven would watch over this young

soul, now going forth into the darkness and danger of the world.

it was no mere form for either of them. to them the outside life

of mankind did indeed seem to be one of violence and of sin,

beset with physical and still more with spiritual danger.

heaven, too, was very near to them in those days. god's direct

agency was to be seen in the thunder and the rainbow, the

whirlwind and the lightning. to the believer, clouds of angels

and confessors, and martyrs, armies of the sainted and the

saved, were ever stooping over their struggling brethren upon

earth, raising, encouraging, and supporting them. it was then

with a lighter heart and a stouter courage that the young man

turned from the abbot's room, while the latter, following him to

the stair-head, finally commended him to the protection of the

holy julian, patron of travellers.

underneath, in the porch of the abbey, the monks had gathered to

give him a last god-speed. many had brought some parting token

by which he should remember them. there was brother bartholomew

with a crucifix of rare carved ivory, and brother luke with a

white-backed psalter adorned with golden bees, and brother

francis with the "slaying of the innocents" most daintily set

forth upon vellum. all these were duly packed away deep in the

traveller's scrip, and above them old pippin-faced brother

athanasius had placed a parcel of simnel bread and rammel cheese,

with a small flask of the famous blue-sealed abbey wine. so,

amid hand-shakings and laughings and blessings, alleyne edricson

turned his back upon beaulieu.

at the turn of the road he stopped and gazed back. there was the

wide-spread building which he knew so well, the abbot's house,

the long church, the cloisters with their line of arches, all

bathed and mellowed in the evening sun. there too was the broad

sweep of the river exe, the old stone well, the canopied niche of

the virgin, and in the centre of all the cluster of white-robed

figures who waved their hands to him. a sudden mist swam up

before the young man's eyes, and he turned away upon his journey

with a heavy heart and a choking throat.

chapter iii.

how hordle john cozened the fuller of lymington.

it is no