<p>Although a stated sequel to "The Monastery," "The Abbot" deals with a wider field and more exalted personages than its predecessor. A few of the old characters are continued, but interest in the deeds of any '' abbot'' or his monks gives way to the troubled chronicle of Queen Mary of Scotland, from the time of her imprisonment at Lochleven Castle, to her flight into England after the Battle of Langside.<br><br>Nearly ten years have passed sinc...