“Thou to the nunnery?” cried the dame, indignantly. “Well-a-day! We shall see, my lord bishop. Neither ordeal nor cloister shall there be for my pretty one!”
“But, Adiva, I see that it must be as he saith,” said Egwina. “Naught is left for me.”
“Is there not, child? Again did I ask Gunnehilde of thy dream. Greatness is to be thy portion, and thou shalt not spoil the web woven for thee by this thing. A nunnery for thee, who art destined for the bride of Edward? I trow not! Before that shall happen, Edward himself shall be sent for, and then we shall see.”
“Oh, dear Adiva, thou must not do that,” cried Egwina, distressed.
“If thou dost not as I tell thee,” said Adiva, with determination written on her brow, “both the king and Edward will I send for.”
“I will! I will!” cried Egwina, hastily. “Whatever thou dost say that will I do, if only, dear friend, thou wilt not send for them. Gladly would I look upon their faces unknown of them, but I durst not speak with the king. I could not bear for him to look on me with coldness.”
“We will wait for a few days,” said Adiva, “and see whether Denewulf still thinketh the same. If he doth, then will I tell thee what to do. If I can o’ersuade him from such thing, then thou shalt remain with me, and naught will there be to do.”
But Denewulf could not be persuaded from his idea. The honest Saxon desired only to do justice, and to his upright sense of honor this ordeal had been a failure. Only could his conscience be satisfied by a repetition of the ordeal or a retirement to the cloister.
On the other hand, Egwina, actuated by the same delicate sense of honor, was overwhelmed with fear lest Adiva should send for Alfred and Edward as she had threatened. Finding that Egwina inclined more and more to Denewulf’s way of thinking, and that Denewulf was obdurate, the good dame took matters into her own hands.
“Come!” said she to Egwina one day. “Thou shalt go with me this morning to see Gunnehilde. Rememberest thou that time we went through the forest to have her read thy rede for thee? Again will we go.”