” You’re taking the words out of old Cartwright’s mouth. We shall have to go and hear him preaching his Christmas sermon.” He yawned. ” I always feel I’d like to time him by stop-watch. I heard of someone doing that the other day. Some local bigwig. It’s a fact. He’d go to church, set his watch … ten minutes’ sermon and no more…. When the ten minutes were up he’d snap his fingers and that sermon had to stop—and it did, for the parson had his living to think of.” His eyes narrowed and he went on: ” I’m thinking of doing it myself one day, when …”
I looked at him sharply. I knew very well what he meant: when he was in command.
I felt uneasy even though the library was full of daylight.
“Well, what are you reading?” His firm fingers were on the leather case.
” Oh, it’s just something I’ve seen in the library. I wanted to have another look.”
He had taken the roll, in spite of my efforts to retain it, for I had to let it go; I could not indulge in a tug-o’-war here in the library for no apparent reason at all.
“The old Abbey again!” he murmured.
“Do you know, Catherine, you’ve got an obsession for abbeys … monks and such like.”
” Haven’t you?” I asked.
” I? Why should I? I was born here. We take all that for granted.
It’s the people who are new to the place who think it’s all so marvelous.”
He put the roll under my arm. ” Why, Catherine,” he went on, ” we’re standing under mistletoe.”
Then he put his arms round me and kissed me quickly the lips.
” Merry Christmas, Catherine, and a happy New Year!”
Then he stood aside and bowed ironically. I went past him with as much dignity as I could, and started up the stairs:;
He stood at the library door watching me. ;
I wished that he had not seen what I had been carrying. I wondered how much of my thoughts he had read. Luke bothered me. I didn’t understand him; and I had the feeling | that he was the one who resented my presence here more | than any . he and Ruth together. If it were Ruth and i Luke, I thought, it would be easier for them than anyone; | and the fact that Damaris had lied as she did could mean that ; she had done so for Luke.
When I reached my room I got into bed again and studied the plan.
It was headed Kirkland Abbey with the date 1520, and as I looked at it, it was as though the place came alive under my eyes, as though walls were built up where they had decayed, as though roofs were miraculously replaced. There it was a series of buildings which housed a community, sufficient unto itself, which had no need of outside resources, since it was completely self-supporting. It was so easy to picture it all.
I realised that I had learned the topography of the Abbey fairly well.
It was not that I had visited the place so much but my impressions had been so vivid. The central Norman tower was an excellent landmark. I traced it with my finger. The north and south transept, the sanctuary, the gallery, the chapter house, the monks’ dorter. And the arcade, with its buttresses, where I had seen the monk, was that which led to the dining hall, to the bake houses and malt-house. Then my eyes fell on the words: ” Entrance to the cellars.”
As there were cellars beneath the Abbey, there would almost certainly be tunnels connecting them with other underground chambers. Such a labyrinth was a feature of abbeys of the period. I knew this because I had read accounts of our well-known abbeys such as Fountains, Kirkstall and Rjevaulx. I noticed with rising excitement that the cellars were on that side of the Abbey which was nearest to the Revels.
I was so intent that I did not hear a knock on my door, and Ruth had come in before I realised she was there. She stood at the end of my bed in the spot where the inonis had stood.
” Merry Christmas,” she said.
” Thank you, and the same to you.”
” You seem absorbed.”
” Oh … yes.” Her eyes were on the roll and I guessed she recognised it.
” How are you feeling?”
“Much, much better.”
” That’s good news. Are you going to get up? Our guests will be arriving very soon.”
” Yes,” I said, ” I shall get up now.”
She nodded; and her eyes went once more to the plan. ( fancied she looked a little anxious.
By the time the family was ready to go to church, Simon and Hagar had still not arrived.
” They are usually here before this,” said Ruth. ” Perhaps something has happened to delay them. However, we shall go to church. We must be in our pew on Christmas morning.”
Matthew and Sarah came down to the hall dressed for church. This was indeed a rare thing and I realised that I had very seldom seen either of them dressed for going out. The carriage would take them to the church and bring them back, and it was one of those traditions that their pew should be occupied on Christmas Day.
There was something which I was longing to do, and that was go to the Abbey and look for those cellars; and I wanted to do it when no one could follow me there. If only I could make some excuse for not going to church, I could be sure that for about two hours there would be no one to surprise me.
I should have liked to go to church with them and to have taken my place in the pew, for I was beginning to feel a fondess for the old traditions and a need of the peace which the Christmas service would give me. But I had a more imperative need—the protection of my child; and I decided to practise a little deception.
When they were stepping into the carriage I stood very still for a moment, putting my hands to my body.
Ruth said sharply: “What’s wrong?”
” It’s nothing, but I really don’t think I shall go with you. The doctor said I should be very careful indeed not to overtax myself.”
“‘I'll stay behind with you.” Ruth told me. ” You she go to bed at once.”
” No,” I insisted. ” Mary-Jane will help me. She is we good and understands perfectly.”
” But I feel I should stay behind,” said Ruth.
” Then if you feel that, I must come with you, for I an certainly not going to allow you to miss the Christmas service. ” H She hesitated.
Then she said: ” Well, if you insist… What are you going to do?”
” Go to my room…. I do want to feel well for the rest i the day.”
She nodded. Then she said to the groom: ” Go and bring! Mary-Jane to me … and quickly, or we shall be late forj church.” J Mary-Jane came hurrying out. j ” Mrs. Rockwell doesn’t feel well enough to accompany us | to church,” she said. ” Take her to her room and look after i| her.”
” Yes, madam,” said Mary Jane
Ruth, satisfied, got into the carriage and in a few seconds they were driving away, while Mary-Jane and I went up to my room.
When we were there I said: “We are going out, Mary Jane
” But, madam …”
I knew I had to take Mary-Jane into my confidence to a greater extent.
When the monk had appeared before her he had brought her into this mystery, and the fact that she had come straight to me and told me what she had seen, and had kept her promise to tell no one else, proved her to be an ally.
” I feel quite well,” I said. ” I should have liked to join the church party, but there is something else I have to do. We are going to the Abbey.”
I made her wrap herself ia the blue cloak, and I myself wore another of dark brown.
Then we set out for the Abbey.
I was anxious that we should lose no time, for I did not know how long our explorations would last and it was necessary that we should be back in the house before the church party returned.
” I have been looking at a plan of the Abbey,” I told Mary Jane ” I have it with me here. When we have seen the monk in the ruins he has been near one spot and that is close by the entrance to the cellars. Let us go there immediately. ” "