At this moment a knocking was heard at the door, and Sir Harry went to open it. "It is Maud, I trow," he said, and it was Dame Marvin who entered the room as soon as the door was unlocked. Lady Paton rose and hurried forward to meet her sister, but the younger lady drew back, and held up her hand as if to ward off a blow, while she said, in a piteous tone,—
"I cannot help it, mother; I may not touch you, dear Cicely, and yet my heart aches to throw my arms round you as in the old days. Oh, mother, mother!" and the young matron threw herself into her mother's arms, to seek relief in tears there.
Lady Paton sank back in her seat with a gasp, while her husband looked on in amazement.
"I feared it might be thus," muttered Sir Harry, and he turned to Sir Miles to explain. "You see, when Maud married Walter Marvin the King's divorce was only being talked about, and he, like many others, could make a joke of the matter, never supposing it would be carried out. He was as much interested in the study of Tyndale's Testament as we were in those days, and we all supposed we should be of one heart and one mind in matters of faith. But the divorce of Queen Catherine seemed to set men by the ears, and Walter Marvin took up her quarrel, until we feared he would bring himself to the Tower if he did not moderate his zeal on her behalf."
"She has been shamefully treated, father," protested Cicely.
"We all admit that, but still it was the King's will that she should be put away, and if our present Queen, the Lady Anne Boleyn, had refused his suit, it would have made little difference. But now that all trouble is over for Queen Catherine, surely we may cease to quarrel about the wrongs she suffered."
"All trouble over?" repeated Lady Paton. "What do you mean, father? Surely my dear mistress is not dead?"
"Oh, yes!" exclaimed her sister and mother in the same breath, "Queen Catherine died early in January of this year of grace 1536."
"Why, I sent my last letter to you by the King's messenger, who was sent with the news to Oxford," remarked Sir Harry.
"But we have had no letter from you," said Sir Miles, quickly. "No letters have reached us from London or Greenwich since Oxford Autumn Fair—more than six months ago—and Cicely and I had grown anxious concerning you, seeing no answer came to our letters."