"I will hear no more about that story," interrupted the gentleman angrily, "tell me what he says now."
For answer Margery handed her father the letter she had just been reading. He looked at it long enough to glean an estimate of its contents, and then flung it from him angrily, exclaiming, "He has thwarted me again—the mean souled rebel. What does he mean by it?"
Margery could only look at her father in dumb amazement. For why should he be so put out because Miles could not come home and amuse Audrey?
When he had flung out of the room in a storm of anger, she turned to her sister-in-law and said, "I cannot understand my father. Why should he be angry because Miles has gone to London? He would not let him come to Woodstock at Christmas, or even send him a silver crown for a Christmas box."
"Is it true that he is translating the New Testament into English?"
"Yes, he has sent me a copy of the Gospel of Matthew done into English."
"Oh Margery! I am so glad: will you let me see it?" asked Lady Audrey.
Margery looked surprised at her sister-in-law's eagerness. "I would have shown it to you before," she said; "but my confessor told me it was against the law of the Church to read such a book, and that I had better send it back to Miles, and tell him not to do such a thing again, or grave trouble would befall him and us too."
Audrey laughed. She had very little respect for priests or monks. So their threats made small impression upon her; and it was only out of curiosity that she wanted to see Margery's copy of St. Matthew.
But having got possession of it, she would not part with it until she had read it through; and when she had read it once she began to read it again, and then to compare it with the Latin Vulgate.