noon
I slept not a wink that night , and before daylight was astir and out of doors . For I , too , was curious concerning this nunnery and its inmates ; and was minded to turn Catholic too for occasion , and see if , amongst the ladies , might appear the stately form of her whose fate had been so oddly woven with mine own . But ill fortune attended me . For early as I was , matins had been sung an hour ago ; nor was there another service till noon , and that only for the sisters . I must wait till evensong , to satisfy myself , and , with much misgiving at the delay , dragged myself back to the `` Oriflame . '' Just as I turned off from the Dover road , there passed me in haste two men habited as priests , travel-stained , as coming off a long journey , yet apparently familiar enough with the path which led to the friendly shelter of the convent . I saw neither of their faces , for both were bent over the books they read ; but I marked that one of them was tall and lean , while the other , who walked with more of a swagger , was shorter and better fed .