‘The Court understands my purpose as well as you do, Monseigneur.’

’Silence, Mademoiselle.  Your convent obstinacy is ended for ever now, since to send you to one would be to appear to hide a scandal.’

‘I do not wish to enter a convent,’ said Esclairmonde.  ’My desire is to dedicate my labour and my substance to the foundation of a house here at Paris, such as are the Beguinages of our Netherlands,’

The Bishop held up his hands.  He had never heard of such lunacy and it angered him, as such purposes are wont to anger worldly-hearted men.  That a lady of Luxemburg should have such vulgar tastes as to wish to be a Beguine was bad enough; but that Netherlandish wealth should be devoted to support the factious poor of Paris was preposterous.  Neither the Duke of Burgundy, nor her uncle of St. Pol, would allow a sou to pass out of their grasp for so absurd a purpose; the Pope would give no license—­above all to a vain girl, who had helped a wife to run away from her husband—­for new religious houses; and, unless Esclairmonde was prepared to be landless, penniless, and the scorn of every one, for her wild behaviour, she must submit, bon gre, mal gre, to become the wife of the Scottish prince.

‘Landless and penniless then will I be, Monseigneur,’ said Esclairmonde.  ‘Was not poverty the bride of St. Francis?’

The Bishop made a growl of contempt; but recollecting himself, and his respect for the saint, began to argue that what was possible for a man, a mere merchant’s son, an inspired saint besides, was not possible to a damsel of high degree, and that it was mere presumption, vanity, and obstinacy in her to appeal to such a precedent.

There was something in this that struck Esclairmonde, for she was conscious of a certain satisfaction in her plan of being the first to introduce a Beguinage at Paris, and that she was to a certain degree proud of her years of constancy to her high purpose; and she looked just so far abashed that the uncle saw his advantage, and discoursed on the danger of attempting to be better than other people, and of trying to vapour in spiritual heights, to all of which she attempted no reply; till at last he broke up the interview by saying, ’There, then, child; all will be well.  I see you are coming to a better mind.’

‘I hope I am, Monseigneur,’ she replied, with lofty meekness; ’but scarcely such as you mean.’

Alice Montagu’s indignation knew no bounds.  What! was this noble votaress to be forced, not only to resign the glory of being the foundress of a new order of beneficence, but to be married, just like everybody else, and to that wretched little coward?  Boemond of Burgundy was better than that, for he at least was a man!

‘No, no, Alice,’ said Esclairmonde, with a shudder; ’any one rather than the Burgundian!  It is shame even to compare the Scot!’

‘He may not be so evil in himself,’ said Alice; ’but with a brave man you have only his own sins, while a coward has all those other people may frighten him into.’