l were beside themselves with delight; and
while the younger children were dancing round and round in happy
bewilderment, Gabriel snatched up a basket, and hurriedly filling it
with some of the choicest of the sweetmeats, started off at a brisk run
for the Abbey; for he wanted to share some of his Christmas happiness
with Brother Stephen.

When he reached the Abbey, his eyes bright with excitement, and his
cheeks rosy from the crisp cold air, and poured out to Brother Stephen
the story of their fresh good fortune, the monk laughed with delight,
and felt that he, too, was having the happiest Christmas he had ever
known.

And then, by and by, when he took Gabriel by the hand and led him into
the Abbey church for the beautiful Christmas service, as the little boy
knelt on the stone floor and gazed around at the lovely garlands of
green, and the twinkling candles and white Christmas roses on the altar,
half-hidden by the clouds of fragrant incense that floated up from the
censers the little acolytes were swinging to and fro,--as he listened to
the glorious music from the choir, and above all, as he thought of how
the dear God had answered his prayer, the tears sprang to his eyes from
very joy and gratitude! And perhaps that Christmas morning no one in all
France, not even King Louis himself, was quite so happy as the little
peasant boy, Gabriel Viaud.

CHAPTER XI.

THE KING'S ILLUMINATOR

AND to say that he was happier than even King Louis, is saying a very
great deal; for King Louis spent the day most delightfully in Bretagne,
in the castle of his bride to be, the Lady Anne. And then, just after
the holiday season had passed, early in January, he and Lady Anne were
married with great ceremony and splendour.

After the wedding, for three months, the king and queen lingered in
Bretagne; enjoying themselves by night with magnificent entertainments
in the castle, and by day in riding over the frosty fields and in
hunting, of which both of them were very fond. And then in April, when
the first hawthorn buds were beginning to break, they journeyed down to
Paris to live in the king's palace.

Before long, King Louis and Queen Anne decided to make a number of
improvements in this palace; and as they both were great lovers of
beautiful books, they determined, among other things, to build a large
writing-room where they could have skilful illuminators always at work
making lovely books for them.

When this room wa