“She has done miraculous things. Brother Rhun told me howshe healed him and took him to be her true servant. And other suchmarvels… many… When the day of her translation comesround, every year, there are hundreds of pilgrims, Brother Jeromesays so. I have been asking him about all the treasury of relicsyour house has gathered here. But she is the chief, andincomparable.”

Brother Cadfael certainly had nothing to object to that. Indeedthere were some among the treasury of relics amassed byobedientiaries here over the years about which he felt somewhatdubious. Stones from Calvary and the Mount of Olives—well,stones are stones, every hill has a scattering of them, there isonly the word of the purveyor as to the origin of any particularspecimen. Fragments of bones from saints and martyrs, a drop of theVirgin’s milk, a shred of her robe, a little flask of thesweat of Saint John the Baptist, a tress from the red hair of SaintMary Magdalen… all easily portable, and no doubt some of thereturning pilgrims from the Holy Land were genuine, and believed inthe genuineness of what they offered, but in some cases Cadfaelwondered whether they had ever been nearer Acre than Eastcheap. ButSaint Winifred he knew well, he had lifted her out of the Welshearth with his own hands, and with his own hands laid herreverently back into it, and drawn the sweet soil of Gwytherin overher rest. What she had bequeathed to Shrewsbury and to him inabsence was the sheltering shadow of her right hand, and ahalf-guilty, half-sacred memory of an affection and kindness almostpersonal. When he appealed, she listened. He tried to present herwith only reasonable requests. But no doubt she would listen asattentively to this persuasive and enthusiastic youth, and granthim, perhaps not all he demanded, but whatever was good forhim.

“If only,” breathed Tutilo, burning up into hisbrightest and most irresistible radiance, “if only Ramsey hadsuch a patroness, our future glory would be assured. All ourmisfortunes would be over. Pilgrims would come by the thousand,their offerings would enrich our house. Why should we not beanother Compostela?”