Her bearing was still proud, but her voice quavered.
"My daughters in the Lord," she said, "the doom is almost at our door, and we must brace our hearts to meet it.

If the commanders of the city do what they have promised, they will send some here to behead us at the last, and so we shall pass happily to glory and be ever with the Lord.

But perchance they will forget us, who are but a few among eighty thousand souls, of whom some fifty thousand must thus be killed.

Or their arms may grow weary, or themselves they may fall before ever they reach this house--and what, my daughters, shall we do then ?" Now some of the nuns clung together and sobbed in their affright, and some were silent.

Only Rosamund drew herself to her full height, and spoke proudly.
"My Mother," she said, "I am a newcomer among you, but I have seen the slaughter of Hattin, and I know what befalls Christian women and children among the unbelievers.