else,
except that he wanted to begin King Louis's book as quickly as possible!

And so he called briskly to Gabriel, who meantime had reseated himself
on his bench:

"Gabriel, come hither! Canst thou rule lines without blotting? Canst
thou make ink and grind colours and prepare gold size?"

"Yes, sir," said Gabriel, surprised at the monk's eager manner, "I have
worked at all these things."

"Good!" replied Brother Stephen. "Here is a piece of parchment thou
canst cut and prepare, and then rule it, thus" (and here he showed him
how he wished it done), "with scarlet ink. But do not take yonder brass
ruler! Here is one of ivory thou canst use instead."

And then as Gabriel went to work, Brother Stephen, taking a goose-quill
pen and some black ink, began skilfully and carefully to make drawings
of the violets as they lay on the ruler, not forgetting the white
butterfly which still hovered about. The harder he worked the happier he
grew; hour after hour passed, till at last the dinner time came, and
Gabriel, who was growing very hungry, could hear the footsteps of the
brothers, as they marched into the large dining-room where they all ate
together.

Brother Stephen, however, was so absorbed that he did not notice
anything; till, by and by, the door opened, and in came two monks, one
carrying some soup and bread and a flagon of wine. As they entered,
Brother Stephen turned quickly, and was about to rise, when all at once
he felt the tug of the chain still fastened about the leg of the table;
at this his face grew scarlet with shame, and he sank back in his
chair.

Gabriel started with surprise, for he had not before seen the chain,
partly hidden as it was by the folds of the brother's robe. As he
looked, one of the two monks went to the table, and, with a key which he
carried, unlocked the chain so Brother Stephen might have a half-hour's
liberty while he ate. The monks, however, stayed with him to keep an eye
on his movements; and meantime they told Gabriel to go out to the Abbey
kitchen and find something for his own dinner.

As Gabriel went out along the corridor to the kitchen, his heart swelled
with pity! Why was Brother Stephen chained? He tried to think, and
remembered that once before he had seen one of the brothers chained to a
table in the writing-room because he was not diligent enough with his
work,--but Brother Stephen! Was he not working so hard? And how
beautiful, too, were his drawings! The more Gab