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Florimel was yet but half dressed, when the door of her room opened suddenly, and Lady Clementina darted in the lovely chaos of her night not more than half as far reduced to order as that of Florimel's. Her moonlight hair, nearly as long as that of the fabled Godiva, was flung wildly about her in heavy masses. Her eyes were wild also; she looked like a holy Maenad.
"What is that?" she asked. "Lady Godiva." "Lady God help us! And what is the antidote?" "Hard work in the open air. Why were you so long?" "We got talking!" "What about?" "Mostly about the dangers of falling down and hurting yourself." "Why," asked Miss Joy innocently, "is it so slippery out?" Martha was overjoyed, and began to execute a sort of cautious tiptoe dance. "What are you doing?"
'Ye might do it against Godiva of Coventry, against the blessed Katharine or against Caesar's helpmeet in those days, Katharine said. 'Margot here can match all thy witnesses from the city of London men that never were in Lincolnshire.
Alfgar's name, indeed, still lives in the village of Algar-Kirk; and Lady Godiva, and Algar after her, enriched with great gifts Crowland, the island sanctuary, and Peterborough, where Brand, either her brother or Leofric's, was a monk, and in due time an abbot.
Now on a day about the year 1054 while Earl Siward was helping to bring Birnam wood to Dunsinane, to avenge his murdered brother-in-law, Lady Godiva sat, not at her hall door, dealing food and clothing to her thirteen poor folk, but in her bower, with her youngest son, a two-years' boy, at her knee.
Such was most probably the "villa," "ton," or "town" of Earl Leofric, the Lord of Bourne, the favorite residence of Godiva, once most beautiful, and still most holy, according to the holiness of those old times.
He knew he had gone up The Mountain, at any rate; he knew he had come down The Mountain with the girl walking just before him; there was no forgetting her figure, as she walked on in silence, her braided locks falling a little, for want of the lost hair-pin, perhaps, and looking like a wreathing coil of Shame on such fancies! to wrong that supreme crowning gift of abounding Nature, a rush of shining black hair, that, shaken loose, would cloud her all round, like Godiva, from brow to instep!
She could never quite manage the indelicacy of saying "Godiva," whatever Mrs. Plaistow's figure and age might happen to be, but always addressed her as "Diva," very affectionately, whenever they were on speaking terms. "What a lovely morning, Diva darling," she said; and noticing that Mr.
Go away, ye two little imps, there! The bottle's in your pocket? You'll not lose good hold av the irons. What is ut? oh!" Sister Ursula retreated into the cellar, dropped on her knees, and was praying praying as Lady Godiva prayed before she mounted her palfrey.
These traditions have led us away from the Magical Ointment, which thus appears to be only one aspect of the larger theme of the objection on the part of supernatural beings to human prying. Nor need we regret having strayed; for we are brought naturally to one of the most interesting of our national legends, namely, that of Lady Godiva; and it will well repay a little consideration.
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