The house was a large one, with its floors overhanging each the one beneath it, as was the custom of the time, and with large casements running the whole width of the house.

The mercer had laid by a goodly store of provisions, and for three days the troop, large as it was, was accommodated there.  Cuthbert himself was with them, Cnut remaining at the grange with the ten men originally sent there.

On the third day Sir Rudolph, with a number of knights and men-at-arms, arrived in the town, giving out that he was passing northwards, but he would abide that night at the hostelry.  A great many of his men-at-arms did, as those on the watch observed, enter one by one into the town.  The people of Worcester were somewhat surprised at this large accompaniment of the earl, but thought no harm.  The Abbess of St. Anne’s, however, was greatly terrified, as she feared that some evil design might be intended against her.  She was, however, reassured in the evening by a message brought by a boy, to the effect that succour would be near, whatsoever happened.

At midnight a sudden uproar was heard in the streets of Worcester.

A party of men fell upon the burgesses guarding the gate of the town, disarmed them, and took possession of it.  At the same time those who had put up at the hostelry with Sir Rudolph suddenly mounted their horses, and with a great clatter rode down the streets to the Convent of St. Anne.  Numbers of men on foot also joined, and some sixty in all suddenly appeared before the great gate of the convent.  With a thundering noise they knocked at the door, and upon the grating being opened Sir Rudolph himself told the porteress who looked through it, that she was to go at once to the abbess and order her to surrender the body of the Lady Margaret to him, in accordance with the order of Prince John; adding, that if within the space of five minutes the order was not complied with, he would burst in the gates of the convent and take her for himself.  In another minute a casement opened above, and the abbess herself appeared.

“Rash man,” she said to Sir Rudolph, “I warn you against committing the sin of sacrilege.  Neither the orders of Prince John nor of any other potentate can over-ride the rights of the holy church; and should you venture to lay the hand of force upon this convent you will be placed under the anathema of the church, and its spiritual terrors will be directed against you.”

“I am prepared to risk that, holy mother,” Sir Rudolph said, with a laugh.  “So long as I am obeying the orders of my prince, I care nought for those of any foreign potentate, be he pope or be he emperor.  Three minutes of the time I gave you have elapsed, and unless within two more the Lady Margaret appears at the gate I will batter it down; and you may think yourself lucky if I do not order my men to set light to it and to smoke you out of your hole.”

The abbess closed the window, and as she did so the long row of casements in the house of Master Nicholas were opened from top to bottom, and a volley of sixty clothyard arrows was poured into the group closely standing round the gate.  Many fell, killed outright, and shouts of rage and pain were heard arising.