"I believe," said Gerhardt softly, "that He shall yet come to Zion, and turn away iniquity from Jacob. May thou and I, Rubi, be ready to welcome Him when He cometh!" "You are better than yonder lot," answered Rubi, with a scornful wave of his hand towards Carfax behind them. "Ay, I suppose the Blessed One has some mercies even for Gentiles--decent ones such as you. Well, remember you've been warned. Good night!" "Good night, Rubi, and God go with thee!" As Gerhardt stepped into the Walnut Tree, Isel's voice greeted him from the top of the ladder leading to the upper chamber. "Who is that--Gerard or Haimet?" "It is I, Isel," said the German pastor. "Well, now, don't put out your lantern, but do, like a good man, take this girl back to the Castle. I've been on thorns how to get her back, for I've kept her talking a bit too long, and there hasn't a creature come near that I could ask. It's Leuesa, that Aliz de Norton spoke about, and we've settled she's to be Derette's maid. It's a mercy you've come just in time!" "The next step!" said Gerhardt to himself with a smile. "Well, this at least is no hard one." The girl who came down the ladder and entrusted herself to Gerhardt's escort, was very young-looking for an anchorhold: slim, fair, and frail in appearance, with some timidity of manner. They set out for the Castle. "You know the girl who is to be my mistress?" asked Leuesa. "Will she be easy or hard to serve?" "Very easy, I think, so long as you obey her. She has a will of her own, as you will find, if you do not." "Oh dear, I don't want to disobey her! But I don't like to be scolded at from morning to night, whether I do right or wrong." "Derette will not treat you in that fashion. She has a good temper, and is bright and cheerful." "I am so glad to hear it! I get so tired--" Leuesa suddenly broke off her sentence. "You look young for the work," said Gerhardt. "I am older than I look. At least, people say so. I am twenty-one." "Dear! I should not have thought you eighteen." "Oh yes, I am twenty-one," replied Leuesa, with a bright little laugh; adding with sudden gravity, "I think I am much older than that in some ways." "Hast thou found life hard, poor child?" asked Gerhardt sympathisingly. "Well, one gets tired, you know," replied the girl vaguely. "I suppose it has to be, if one's sins are to be expiated. So many sins, so many sufferings. That's what Mother says. It will be counted up some time, maybe. Only, sometimes, it does seem as if there were more sufferings than sins." "Is that thy religion, Maiden?" responded Gerhardt with a pitying smile. "It's about all I know. Why?--isn't it good?"