widely spread by
those purporting to be hawkers and peddlers. Yet there must be many
honest men who would scorn to be so occupied, and who know not even
the name of these pestilent heresies."

And with that charge the knight tried to dismiss the subject from
his mind; whilst Edred went to bed feeling terribly uneasy, and
dreamed all night of the secret chamber, and how the time came when
they were all forced to take refuge in it from the hatred of the
Lord of Mortimer and his bloodthirsty followers.

But not even to his brothers did he tell all that he had heard and
all that he knew. The words of the gospel in the familiar language
of his country haunted him persistently. He felt a strange wish to
hear more, although he believed the wish to be sin, and strove
against it might and main. Some of the passages clung tenaciously
to his memory, and he fell asleep repeating them. When he woke the
words were yet in his mind, and they seemed to get between him and
the words of his task that day when the boys went to their tutor
for daily instruction.

Brother Emmanuel had never found Edred so inattentive and absent
before. He divined that the boy must have something on his mind,
and let him alone. He was not surprised that he lingered when the
others had gone, and then in a low voice asked his preceptor if he
would meet him in the chantry, as he felt he could not be happy
till he had made confession of a certain matter, done penance, and
received absolution.

A request of that sort never met a denial from the monk. He sent
Edred to the chantry to pray for an hour, and met him there at the
end of that time to listen to all he had to say.

Edred's story was soon told--nothing held back, not even the
innermost thoughts of his heart--and the expression of the face
beneath the enshrouding cowl was something strange to see.

It was long before the monk spoke, and meantime Edred lay prostrate
at his feet, thankful to transfer the burden weighing him down to
the keeping of another, but little guessing what the burden was to
him to whom he made this confession.

Well did Brother Emmanuel know and recognize the peril of
entertaining such thoughts, longings, and aspirations as were now
assailing the heart of this unconscious boy. That there was sin in
all these feelings he did not doubt; that heavy penance must be
done for them he would not for a moment have wished to deny. But
yet when he came to place reason in the place of th