He stopped, hesitating a little, Ralph and his mother sat perfectly still, without a word or sign of either sympathy or disapproval.  His father leaned forward a little, and smiled encouragingly.

“Go on, my son.”

Chris drew a breath and leaned back more easily.

“Well, we went to St. Sepulchre’s; and she could not see us for a day or two.  There were several others staying with us at the monastery; there was a Carthusian from Sheen—­I forget his name.”

“Henry Man,” put in the chaplain.

“—­And some others,” went on Chris, “all waiting to see her.  Dr. Bocking promised to tell us when we could see her; and he came to us one morning after mass, and told us that she was in ecstasy, and that we were to come at once.  So we all went to the nuns’ chapel, and there she was on her knees, with her arms across her breast.”

He stopped again.  Ralph cleared his throat, crossed his legs, and drank a little wine.

“Yes?” said the knight questioningly.

“Well—­she said a great deal,” went on Chris hurriedly.

“About the King?” put in his mother who was looking at the fire.

“A little about the King,” said Chris, “and about holy things as well.  She spoke about heaven; it was wonderful to hear her; with her eyes burning, and such a voice; and then she spoke low and deep and told us about hell, and the devil and his torments; and I could hardly bear to listen; and she told us about shrift, and what it did for the soul; and the blessed sacrament.  The Carthusian put a question or two to her, and she answered them:  and all the while she was speaking her voice seemed to come from her body, and not from her mouth; and it was terrible to see her when she spoke of hell; her tongue lay out on her cheek, and her eyes grew little and afraid.”

“Her tongue in her cheek, did you say?” asked Ralph politely, without moving.

Chris flushed, and sat back silent.  His father glanced quickly from one to the other.

“Tell us more, Chris,” he said.  “What did she say to you?”

The young man leaned forward again.

“I wish, Ralph—­” he began.

“I was asking—­” began the other.

“There, there,” said Sir James.  “Go on, Chris.”

“Well, after a while Dr. Bocking brought me forward; and told her to look at me; and her eyes seemed to see something beyond me; and I was afraid.  But he told me to ask her, and I did.  She said nothing for a while; and then she began to speak of a great church, as if she saw it; and she saw there was a tower in the middle, and chapels on either side, and tombs beside the high altar; and an image, and then she stopped, and cried out aloud ’Saint Pancras pray for us’—­and then I knew.”

Chris was trembling violently with excitement as he turned to the priest for corroboration.  Mr. Carleton nodded once or twice without speaking.

“Then I knew,” went on Chris.  “You know it was what I had in my mind; and I had not spoken a word of Lewes, or of my thought of going there.”