The old man had promised to
admit them when he had completed his task, but not before, and the
groom feared it would be some time before he arrived.
'Come, Pauncefort, rest yourself on this bench,' said Lady Annabel,
seating herself in the porch; 'and Venetia, my child, come hither to
me.'
'Mamma,' said Venetia, 'what is the name of the gentleman to whom this
abbey belongs?'
'Lord Cadurcis, love.'
'I should like to know why Lord Cadurcis lives abroad?' said Venetia,
musingly.
'There are many reasons why persons may choose to quit their native
country, and dwell in another, my love,' said Lady Annabel, very
quietly; 'some change the climate for their health.'
'Did Lord Cadurcis, mamma?' asked Venetia.
'I do not know Lord Cadurcis, dear, or anything of him, except that he
is a very old man, and has no family.'
At this moment there was a sound of bars and bolts withdrawn, and the
falling of a chain, and at length the massy door slowly opened, and
the old man appeared and beckoned to them to enter.
''Tis eight years, come Martinmas, since I opened this door,' said the
old man, 'and it sticks a bit. You must walk about by yourselves, for
I have no breath, and my mistress is bedridden. There, straight down
the cloister, you can't miss your way; there is not much to see.
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