The White Ladies of Worcester

White Ladies of Worcester, The

Project Gutenberg's The White Ladies of Worcester, by Florence L.
Barclay This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The White Ladies of Worcester A Romance of the Twelfth
Century
Author: Florence L. Barclay
Release Date: July 27, 2005 [EBook #16368]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
WHITE LADIES OF WORCESTER ***

Produced by Al Haines

The White Ladies of Worcester
A Romance of the Twelfth Century

by
Florence L. Barclay

Author of "The Rosary," "The Mistress of Shenstone," etc.

G. P. Putnam's Sons
New York and London
The Knickerbocker Press
1917

COPYRIGHT, 1917
BY
FLORENCE L. BARCLAY

The Knickerbocker Press, New York

TO
FAITHFUL HEARTS
ALL THE WORLD OVER

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.

THE SUBTERRANEAN WAY II. SISTER MARY ANTONY
DISCOURSES III. THE PRIORESS PASSES IV. "GIVE ME
TENDERNESS," SHE SAID V. THE WAYWARD NUN VI. THE
KNIGHT OF THE BLOODY VEST VII. THE MADONNA IN THE
CLOISTER VIII. ON THE WINGS OF THE STORM IX. THE
PRIORESS SHUTS THE DOOR X. "I KNOW YOU FOR A MAN"
XI. THE YEARS ROLL BACK XII. ALAS, THE PITY OF IT! XIII.
"SEND HER TO ME!" XIV. FAREWELL HERE, AND NOW XV.
"SHARPEN THE WITS OF MARY ANTONY" XVI. THE ECHO OF
WILD VOICES XVII. THE DIMNESS OF MARY ANTONY XVIII.
IN THE CATHEDRAL CRYPT XIX. THE BISHOP PUTS ON HIS
BIRETTA XX. HOLLY AND MISTLETOE XXI. SO MUCH FOR
SERAPHINE XXII. WHAT BROTHER PHILIP HAD TO TELL
XXIII. THE MIDNIGHT ARRIVAL XXIV. THE POPE'S MANDATE
XXV. MARY ANTONY RECEIVES THE BISHOP XXVI. LOVE
NEVER FAILETH XXVII. THE WOMAN AND HER CONSCIENCE
XXVIII. THE WHITE STONE XXIX. THE VISION OF MARY
ANTONY XXX. THE HARDER
PART XXXI. THE CALL OF THE
CURLEW
XXXII. A GREAT RECOVERY AND RESTORATION XXXIII.
MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE PORT XXXIV. MORA DE
NORELLE XXXV. IN THE ARBOUR OF GOLDEN ROSES XXXVI.
STRONG TO ACT; ABLE TO ENDURE XXXVII. WHAT MOTHER
SUB-PRIORESS KNEW XXXVIII. THE BISHOP KEEPS VIGIL
XXXIX. THE "SPLENDID KNIGHT" XL. THE HEART OF A NUN
XLI. WHAT THE BISHOP REMEMBERED XLII. THE WARNING
XLIII. MORA MOUNTS TO THE BATTLEMENTS XLIV. "I LOVE
THEE" XLV. THE SONG OF THE THRUSH XLVI. "HOW SHALL I
LET THEE GO?" XLVII. THE BISHOP is TAKEN UNAWARES
XLVIII. A STRANGE CHANCE XLIX. TWICE DECEIVED L. THE
SILVER SHIELD LI. TWO NOBLE HEARTS GO DIFFERENT
WAYS LII. THE ANGEL-CHILD LIII. ON THE HOLY MOUNT LIV.
THE UNSEEN PRESENCE LV. THE HEART OF A WOMAN LVI.

THE TRUE VISION LVII. "I CHOOSE TO RIDE ALONE" LVIII.
THE WARRIOR HEART LIX. THE MADONNA IN THE HOME LX.
THE CONVENT BELL

The White Ladies of Worcester
CHAPTER I
THE SUBTERRANEAN WAY
The slanting rays of afternoon sunshine, pouring through stone arches,
lay in broad, golden bands, upon the flags of the Convent cloister.
The old lay-sister, Mary Antony, stepped from the cool shade of the
cell passage and, blinking at the sunshine, shuffled slowly to her
appointed post at the top of the crypt steps, up which would shortly
pass the silent procession of nuns returning from Vespers.
Daily they went, and daily they returned, by the underground way, a
passage over a mile in length, leading from the Nunnery of the White
Ladies at Whytstone in Claines, to the Church of St. Mary and St. Peter,
the noble Cathedral within the walls of the city of Worcester.
Entering this passage from the crypt in their own cloisters, they walked
in darkness below the sunny meadows, passed beneath the Fore-gate,
moving in silent procession under the busy streets, until they reached
the crypt of the Cathedral.
From the crypt, a winding stairway in the wall led up to a chamber
above the choir, whence, unseeing and unseen, the White Ladies of
Worcester daily heard the holy monks below chant Vespers.
To Sister Mary Antony fell the task of counting the five-and-twenty
veiled figures, as they passed down the steps and disappeared beneath
the ground, and of again counting them as they reappeared, and moved
in stately silence along the cloister, each entering her own cell, to spend,
in prayer and adoration, the hours until the Refectory bell should call

them to the evening meal.
This counting of the White Ladies dated from the day, now more than
half a century ago, when Sister Agatha, weakened by prolonged fasting,
and chancing to walk last in the procession, fainted and, falling silently,
remained behind, unnoticed, in the solitude and darkness.
It was the habit of this saintly lady to abide