"And who are they?"
"Well, Bernwine is Wilfrid's nephew, and a priest. Hildila is also a priest, and they are reported to be good men."
They were going gently by the sedgy banks; the trees were a deeper russet-brown than they had been when Ædric came wearily past them a few weeks before. He had felt lonely and in great pain then; he was stronger now, and his leg was nearly well, but Dicoll doubted whether he would quite regain the full use of it, as the wound had been very severe and had cut through a tendon. But he felt more lonely now, and dreaded the going among an entirely new set of faces, without a single friend to welcome him.
They went on in silence for some little time. At last Ædric said:
"I wonder if Wulfstan did really go with Ceolwulf?"
"I should think there was no doubt about it."
"If people are dead dost thou think they can come and tell us where they are, and what they are doing?"
"I never knew myself any that did," answered Corman, cautiously. "But all men have believed it to be possible, and there are countless legends and stories which tell of such occurrences."[1]
[1] See "the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great" for the belief in supernatural messages, a work not likely to be known by Corman, but surely representing the orthodox belief of the time.
"Then why dost thou think my father Ælfhere or my mother Alftruda never came to see me and tell me what has become of them?"