Transcriber’s Note Italic text displayed as: _italic_ ASPHODEL A Novel BY THE AUTHOR OF “LADY AUDLEY’S SECRET,” “ISHMAEL,” ETC. ETC. Stereotyped Edition LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & CO., LIMITED, STATIONERS’ HALL COURT 1890. [_All rights reserved_] MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS. NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT. THE AUTHOR’S AUTOGRAPH EDITION OF MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS. “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand. The most tiresome journey is beguiled, and the most wearisome illness is brightened, by any one of her books.” “Miss Braddon is the Queen of the circulating libraries.” _The World._ LONDON: SIMPKIN & CO., LIMITED, STATIONERS’ HALL COURT. _And at all Railway Bookstalls, Booksellers’, and Libraries._ CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. ‘AND SHE WAS FAIR AS IS THE ROSE IN MAY’ 5 II. ‘AND THIS WAS GLADLY IN THE EVENTIDE’ 15 III. ‘AND VOLATILE, AS AY WAS HIS USAGE’ 25 IV. ‘CURTEIS SHE WAS, DISCRETE, AND DEBONAIRE’ 41 V. ‘THOU LOVEST ME, THAT WOT I WEL CERTAIN’ 52 VI. ‘LOVE MAKETH ALL TO GONE MISWAY’ 64 VII. ‘HIS HERTE BATHED IN A BATH OF BLISSE’ 78 VIII. ‘GOD WOTE THAT WORLDLY JOY IS SONE AGO’ 89 IX. ‘OF COLOUR PALE AND DEAD WAS SHE’ 101 X. ‘AND SPENDING SILVER HAD HE RIGHT YNOW’ 111 XI. ‘YEVE ME MY DETH, OR THAT I HAVE A SHAME’ 123 XII. ‘AND TO THE DINNER FASTE THEY HEM SPEDDE’ 133 XIII. ‘AFTER MY MIGHT FUL FAYNE WOLD I YOU PLESE’ 144 XIV. ‘LOVE IS A THING, AS ANY SPIRIT, FREE’ 154 XV. ‘NOT FOR YOUR LINAGE, NE FOR YOUR RICHESSE’ 165 XVI. ‘NO MAN MAY ALWAY HAVE PROSPERITEE’ 174 XVII. ‘AND IN MY HERTE WONDREN I BEGAN’ 184 XVIII. ‘LOVE WOL NOT BE CONSTREINED BY MAISTRIE’ 194 XIX. ‘I DEME THAT HIRE HERTE WAS FUL OF WO’ 205 XX. ‘AL SODENLY SHE SWAPT ADOWN TO GROUND’ 216 XXI. ‘FOR WELE OR WO, FOR CAROLE, OR FOR DAUNCE’ 227 XXII. ‘FOR I WOL GLADLY YELDEN HIRE MY PLACE’ 239 XXIII. ‘AND COME AGEN, BE IT BY DAY OR NIGHT’ 250 XXIV. ‘AY FLETH THE TIME, IT WOL NO MAN ABIDE’ 260 XXV. ‘BUT I WOT BEST WHER WRINGETH ME MY SHO’ 271 XXVI. ‘FORBID A LOVE AND IT IS TEN TIMES SO WODE’ 285 XXVII. ‘I MAY NOT DON AS EVERY PLOUGHMAN MAY’ 295