The messenger was sorely abashed by these unexpected and unjust reflections; the husband reprimanded his wife very severely for the intemperance of her tongue; and all the women of the country, amongst whom the story rapidly circulated, united in prayer, that her calumny might receive some signal punishment.  Accordingly, the lady shortly after brought into the world two daughters.  She was now reduced to the alternative of avowing herself guilty of a calumny against her innocent neighbour, or of imputing to herself, in common with the other, a crime of which she had not been guilty; unless she could contrive to remove one of the twins.  The project of destroying her own child, was, at first, rejected with horror; but after revolving the subject in her mind, and canvassing with great logical acuteness the objections to this atrocious measure, she determined to adopt it, because she could ultimately cleanse herself from the sin, by doing private penance, and obtaining absolution.

Having thus removed her scruples, she called the midwife, and directed her to destroy one of the infants, and to declare that one only had been born.  But she refused; and the unnatural mother was reduced to seek for a more submissive and supple agent.  She had a maid-servant, educated in the family, to whom she imparted her difficulties; and this confidential counsellor at once proposed a contrivance for removing them:  “Give me the child,” said she, “and be assured that, without destroying, I will so remove it, that it shall never give you any further trouble.  There are many religious houses in the neighbourhood, whose inhabitants cannot be better employed than in nursing and educating orphan children.  I will take care your infant shall be discovered by some of these good people, under whose care, by the blessing of Providence, it will thrive and prosper; and in the mean time I will take such means that its health shall not suffer.  Dismiss your sorrow, therefore, and trust in my discretion.”  The lady was overjoyed, and accepted the offer with assurances of eternal gratitude.

As it was her wish that those who should find the child might know it was born of noble parents,

    She took a rich baudekine,[40]
    That her lord brought from Constantine,[41]
    And lopped the little maiden therein;
    And took a ring of fine gold,
    And on her arm it knit,
    With a lace of silk in plit.[42]

      The maid took the child her mid,[43]
    And stole away in an even tide,
    And passed over a wild heath;
    Thorough field and thorough wood she geth,[44]
    All the winter-long night. 
    The weather was clear, the moon was light,
    So that she com by a forest side;
    She wox all weary, and gan abide. 
    Soon after she gan heark,
    Cockes crow, and dogs bark;
    She arose, and thither wold;
    Near and nearer, she gan behold,