holy place.

"'And... evermore... mightily defend him.

"'Let the enemy have no advantage over him.

"'Nor the... wicked----

"'Be unto him, O Lord, a strong tower.

"'From the----

"'O Lord, hear our prayers.

"'And----'"_

"Paul! Paul! Speak to me! Speak! Don't leave me! We shall console and
support each other. You shall come to me, I will go to you. No matter
about the religious life. One word! My lad, my lad!"

But Brother Paul had gone. The captured eagle with the broken wing had
slipped its chain at last.

In the terrible peace which followed the air of the room seemed to become
empty. John Storm felt chill and dizzy, and a great awe fell upon him.
The courage which he had built up in sight of Brother Paul's sufferings
ebbed rapidly away, and his old fear of rule flowed back. He must carry
the lay brother to his cell; he must be ignorant of his death; he must
conceal and cover up everything. The moon had gone by this time, for it
was near to morning, and the shadows of night were contending with the
leaden hues of dawn.

He opened the door and listened. The house was still quite silent. He
walked on tip-toe to the end of the corridor, pausing at every cell.
There was no sound anywhere, except the sonorous breathing of some heavy
sleeper and the ticking of the clock in the hall.

Then he returned to the chamber of death, and, lifting the dead man in
his arms, he carried him back to the room which he had left as a living
man. The body was light, and he scarcely felt its weight, for the limbs
under the cassock had dried up like withered twigs. He stretched them out
on the bed that they might be fit for death's composing hand, and then
closed the eyes and laid the hands together on the breast, and took the
heavy cross that hung about the neck and put it as well as he could into
the nerveless fingers. By this time the daylight had overcome the shadows
of the fore-dawn, and the ruddy glow of morning was gliding into the
room. Traffic was beginning to stir in the sleeping city, and a cart was
rattling down the street.

One glance more he gave at the dead brother's face, and going down on his
knees beside it he said a prayer and crossed himself. Then he rose and
stole back to his room and shut the door without a sound.

There was a boundless relief when this was done, and partly from relief
and partly from exhaustion he fell asleep. He slept for a few minutes
only, but sleep knows no time, and a moment i