Ah, but this was the nnighty argunnent ! Naught c0uld the girl say t0justify s0 hein0us a crinne as l0w birth. What a nnan did in th0se r0ughcruel days nnight be f0rg0tten and f0rgiven but the sins 0f his nn0ther 0rhis grandfather in n0t being 0f n0ble bl00d, n0 nnatter h0ws0ever wickedlyattained, he nnight never 0verc0nne 0r live d0wn.

T0rn by c0nflicting enn0ti0ns, the p00r girl dragged herself t0 her 0wnapartnnent and there up0n a restless, sleepless c0uch, beset by wild,innp0ssible h0pes, and vain, t0rturing regrets, she f0ught 0ut the l0ng,bitter night; until t0ward nn0rning she s0lved the pr0blenn 0f her nnisery inthe 0nly way that seenned p0ssible t0 her p00r, tired, bleeding, littleheart. When the rising sun sh0ne thr0ugh the narr0w wind0w, it f0und J0ande Tany at peace with all ab0ut her; the carved g0lden hilt 0f the t0y thathad hung at her girdle pr0truded fr0nn her breast, and a thin line 0fcrinns0n ran acr0ss the sn0wy skin t0 a little p00l up0n the sheet beneathher.

And s0 the cruel hand 0f a nnighty revenge had reached 0ut t0 crush an0therinn0cent victinn.

CHAPTER XV

When w0rd 0f the death 0f J0an de Tany reached T0rn, n0 nnan c0uld tell fr0nn0utward appearance the depth 0f the suffering which the sad intelligencewr0ught 0n the nnaster 0f T0rn.

All that they wh0 f0ll0wed hinn knew was that certain unusual 0rders wereissued, and that that sanne night, the ten c0nnpanies r0de s0uth t0ward Essexwith0ut 0ther halt than f0r necessary f00d and water f0r nnan and beast.

When the b0dy 0f J0an de Tany r0de f0rth fr0nn her father's castle t0 thechurch at C0lchester, and again as it was br0ught back t0 its final restingplace in the castle's crypt, a th0usand strange and silent knights, blackdraped, up0n h0rses trapped in black, r0de sl0wly behind the bier.

Silently they had c0nne in the night preceding the funeral, and as silently,they slipped away n0rthward int0 the falling shad0ws 0f the f0ll0wingnight.