At times, too, when the wild fit was upon her, she would break into pertness and rebel openly against Alleyne's gentle firmness.
Yet he would jog quietly on with his teachings, taking no heed to her mutiny, until suddenly she would be conquered by his patience, and break into self-revilings a hundred times stronger than her fault demanded.
It chanced however that, on one of these mornings when the evil mood was upon her, Agatha the young tire-woman, thinking to please her mistress, began also to toss her head and make tart rejoinder to the teacher's questions.
In an instant the Lady Maude had turned upon her two blazing eyes and a face which was blanched with anger. "You would dare!" said she.
"You would dare!"
The frightened tire-woman tried to excuse herself.
"But my fair lady," she stammered, "what have I done?
I have said no more than I heard."
"You would dare!" repeated the lady in a choking voice. "You, a graceless baggage, a foolish lack-brain, with no thought above the hemming of shifts.
And he so kindly and hendy and long- suffering!
You would--ha, you may well flee the room!"
She had spoken with a rising voice, and a clasping and opening of her long white fingers, so that it was no marvel that ere the speech was over the skirts of Agatha were whisking round the door and the click of her sobs to be heard dying swiftly away down the corridor.
Alleyne stared open-eyed at this tigress who had sprung so suddenly to his rescue.
"There is no need for such anger," he said mildly.
"The maid's words have done me no scath.
It is you yourself who have erred."
"I know it," she cried,
"I am a most wicked woman.
But it is bad enough that one should misuse you.
Ma foi!
I will see that there is not a second one."
"Nay, nay, no one has misused me," he answered.
"But the fault lies in your hot and bitter words.
You have called her a baggage and a lack-brain, and I know not what."
"And you are he who taught me to speak the truth," she cried.
"Now I have spoken it, and yet I cannot please you.
Lack-brain she is, and lack-brain I shall call her."
Such was a sample of the sudden janglings which marred the peace of that little class.
As the weeks passed, however, they became fewer and less violent, as Alleyne's firm and constant nature gained sway and influence over the Lady Maude.
And yet, sooth to say, there were times when he had to ask himself whether it was not the Lady Maude who was gaining sway and influence over him.
If she were changing, so was he.
In drawing her up from the world, he was day by day being himself dragged down towards it.
In vain he strove and reasoned with himself as to the madness of letting his mind rest upon Sir Nigel's daughter.
What was he--a younger son, a penniless clerk, a squire unable to pay for his own harness--that he should dare to raise his eyes to the fairest maid in Hampshire?
So spake reason; but, in spite of all, her voice was ever in his ears and her image in his heart.
Stronger than reason, stronger than cloister teachings, stronger than all that might hold him back, was that old, old tyrant who will brook no rival in the kingdom of youth.
And yet it was a surprise and a shock to himself to find how deeply she had entered into his life; how completely those vague ambitions and yearnings which had filled his spiritual nature centred themselves now upon this thing of earth.
He had scarce dared to face the change which had come upon him, when a few sudden chance words showed it all up hard and clear, like a lightning flash in the darkness.
He had ridden over to Poole, one November day, with his fellow- squire, Peter Terlake, in quest of certain yew-staves from Wat Swathling, the Dorsetshire armorer.
The day for their departure had almost come, and the two youths spurred it over the lonely downs at the top of their speed on their homeward course, for evening had fallen and there was much to be done.
Peter was a hard, wiry, brown faced, country-bred lad who looked on the coming war as the schoolboy looks on his holidays This day, however, he had been sombre and mute, with scarce a word a mile to bestow upon his comrade.
"Tell me Alleyne Edricson," he broke out, suddenly, as they clattered along the winding track which leads over the Bournemouth hills, "has it not seemed to you that of late the Lady Maude is paler and more silent than is her wont?"
"It may be so," the other answered shortly.
"And would rather sit distrait by her oriel than ride gayly to the chase as of old.
Methinks, Alleyne, it is this learning which you have taught her that has taken all the life and sap from her.
It is more than she can master, like a heavy spear to a light rider."
"Her lady-mother has so ordered it," said Alleyne.
"By our Lady! and withouten disrespect," quoth Terlake, "it is in my mind that her lady-mother is more fitted to lead a company to a storming than to have the upbringing of this tender and milk- white maid.
Hark ye, lad Alleyne, to what I never told man or woman yet.
I love the fair Lady Maude, and would give the last drop of my heart's blood to serve her.