n
is so dreadful to him, and I was sure that if you knew they had put it
on him, you would not allow it!"

Here the Abbot began to feel a trifle uncomfortable, for he saw that
Gabriel did not know that he himself had ordered Brother Stephen to wear
the chain. But he mentioned nothing of this as he spoke to Gabriel.

"Boy," he said, severely, "what affair of thine is this matter about
Brother Stephen? Doubtless if he is chained, it is a punishment he hath
merited. 'Tis scarcely becoming in a lad like thee to question these
things." And then, as he looked sharply at Gabriel, he added, "Did
Brother Stephen send thee hither? Who art thou?"

At this Gabriel hung his head, and, "Nay, sir," he answered, simply, "he
does not know, and perhaps he will be angry with me! I am his
colour-grinder, and I was in the kitchen getting the egg for his
gold,"--here suddenly Gabriel remembered his bowl, and looking down in
dismay, "Oh, sir," he exclaimed, "I have spilled the egg, and it was
fresh-laid this morning by my white hen!" Here the boy looked so
honestly distressed that the Abbot could not but believe that he spoke
the truth, and so he smiled a little as he said, not unkindly:

"Well, never mind about thy hen,--go on; thou wast in the kitchen, and
then what?"

"I saw you in the garden," answered Gabriel, "and--and--I thought that
if you knew about the chain, you would not like it;" (here the Abbot
began to look very stern again); "and," Gabriel added, "I could not bear
to see Brother Stephen so unhappy. I know he is unhappy, for whenever he
notices the chain, he frowns and his hand trembles so he can hardly
paint!"

"Ah," said the Abbot to himself, "if his hand trembles, that is another
matter." For the Abbot knew perfectly well that in order to do
successfully anything so delicate as a piece of illumination, one must
have a steady hand and untroubled nerves; and he began to think that
perhaps he had gone a little too far in punishing Brother Stephen. So
he thought a minute, and then to Gabriel, who was still standing before
him, not quite knowing what to do, he merely said:

"Go back to thy work, lad, and mind thy colours; and," he added with
haughty dignity, "I will do as I think best about Brother Stephen's
chain."

So Gabriel went back to the kitchen feeling very uncomfortable, for he
was afraid he had displeased the Abbot, and so, perhaps, done more harm
than good to Brother Stephen. While he was quite sure he had di