"
Then smiled the priest and said: "Then will I not ask thee of thine errand;
for belike thou wouldest not tell me thereof."
Ralph said nought, but waxed shamefaced as he deemed that
the priest eyed him curiously. At last he said: "I will ask
thee a question in turn, father." "Yea," said the priest.
Said Ralph: "This lady of the land, the Lady of Abundance,
is she a very woman?" "Holy Saints!" quoth the priest,
blessing himself, "what meanest thou?" Said Ralph:
"I mean, is she of those who outwardly have a woman's semblance,
but within are of the race of the ancient devils, the gods
of the Gentiles?"
Then the priest crossed himself again, and spake as solemnly
as a judge on the bench: "Son, I pray that if thou art not
in thy right mind, thou will come thereinto anon. Know this,
that whatever else she may be, she is a right holy woman.
Or hast thou perchance heard any evil tales concerning her?"
Now Ralph was confused at his word, and knew not what to say; for though
in his mind he had been piecing together all that he had heard of the lady
both for good and for evil, he had no clear tale to tell even to himself:
so he answered nothing.
But the priest went on: "Son, I shall tell thee that such tales
I have heard, but from whose mouth forsooth? I will tell thee;
from a sort of idle jades, young women who would be thought fairer
than they be, who are afraid of everything save a naked man,
and who can lie easier than they can say their paternoster:
from such as these come the stories; or from old crones who live
in sour anger with themselves and all else, because they have lived
no goodly life in their youth, and have not learned the loveliness
of holy church.
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