The invaders, seeing no reason for returning to
their famine-stricken fastnesses, settled themselves in the enjoyment of
the abundance of the vanquished, who, in their turn, with their
accustomed versatility, submitted patiently, and even cheerfully, to a
yoke which, after the first onslaught was over, pressed lightly; the
Voizins, to whom fighting was a pastime, bearing no malice, and passing
imperceptibly into a genial mood.
Judith now prepared to develop the next move, the object of which was to
undermine the authority of the monks, and make them vulnerable by
isolation. Derisive hints were dropped respecting the failure of the new
religion to help its votaries in the hour of peril; the victory of the
Voizins was attributed to the superiority of their Gods rather than to
deficiency in courage on the part of their foes: this theory, which was
not unpalatable to those who had been half-hearted in defence of their
homes, was also utilized by the more sober spirits as an argument
wherewith to restrain the more ardent from attempting to renew the
struggle under similar conditions. The observances of the religion of
Thor and Odin, or rather of that debased form of it which prevailed
among this singular people, were celebrated under their more alluring
aspects: frequent feasts and dances captivated the laughter-loving
islanders, who had been tried somewhat severely by the severity of the
_regime_ which Austin had endeavoured to impose since he had seen danger
in his damaging encounter with Judith.
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