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The Cloister and the Hearth


"The Cloister and the Hearth" a Tale of the Middle Ages, is by
common consent the greatest of all Charles Reade's stories. A
portion of it originally appeared in 1859 in "Once a Week,"
under the title of "A Good Fight," and such was its success in
this guise that it increased the circulation of that
periodical by twenty thousand. During the next two years
Reade, recognising its romantic possibilities, expanded it to
its present length. As a picture of the manners and customs of
the times it is almost unsurpassable; yet pervading the whole
is the strong, clear atmosphere of romantic drama never
allowing the somewhat ample descriptions to predominate the
thrilling interest with which the story is charged. Sir Walter
Besant regarded it as the "greatest historical novel in the
language." Swinburne remarked of it that "a story better
conceived, better constructed, or better related, it would be
difficult to find anywhere."


_I.--Gerard Falls in Love_


It was past the middle of the fifteenth century when our tale begins.