"If I know aught of her kindness, and I think that I have proved it well," answered I, "she will be glad to help this orphan maiden." "Let us go and see her, and ask her to come, therefore," said Relf, rising up. "I want to thank her, moreover, for saving you." I was nowise loath, and so we went along under the trees towards the nunnery. And as we went Relf talked of Eldred, the Thane of Dallington, and the wedding that was to come. And all the while I believe that he was troubling about two things that were mixed in his mind--fear that I was set aside by Sexberga, and a wish that I had been the bridegroom. Then we knocked on the great door, and he was silent until a sister looked through the little barred square wicket in the midst of it. "We would speak with the Lady Uldra," I said. "I am the thane who brought her ashore." The sister said nought, but shut the wicket door, and left us. We heard her steps retreating across the little courtyard, and she shut a door after her somewhere else. Then all was quiet. "What does that mean?" Relf said. "That we have to wait," said I "that is all. It is the way in which they treat folk at these places. They would do the same if the queen came. She has gone to her Superior." "What would Emma say?" chuckled Relf, looking slyly at me. "One cannot say much to an iron-barred oak door." "But there are thanes and such-like left outside," he said, laughing more yet. "Now Godwine is not here, I dare say that you have felt, more than once, the queen's tongue for nought." "I will deny it," said I, "to anyone but Elfric the abbot," whereat he laughed till the tears came into his eyes. He had known our queen in the old days before Streone's treachery. I was glad that the wicket flew open again. Relf stayed his laughter in a moment, and became very grave. "What would she say now?" he whispered. "Enough," I said, for the sister, having seen that we waited, unbarred the gate and let us in. Then she pointed to a door on our right, and went away. I took Relf's arm and led him to this door--for he was going to follow the sister--and we opened it. It led into a small high-roofed chamber, that had a great crucifix painted in bright colours on the east wall, and pictured legends on the rest, between high narrow windows. But there stood Uldra, no longer in convent dress, but in some robe of dark blue and crimson that became her well, so that at first I hardly knew her, for now for the first time I saw her bright brown hair that the novice's hood had hidden from me. I could not say that Uldra was fair as Sexberga to look on, but, as ever, I thought that her face was the sweetest that I had seen in all my life.