d man before her, who, not only as a priest was made like to
the Eternal Priest, but as a victim too had hung upon a prostrate cross,
fastened by hands and feet; thus bearing on his body for all to see the
marks of the Lord Jesus.

* * * *

Lady Maxwell and Mistress Margaret both rose and stepped forward after
the Priest's Communion, and received from those wounded hands the Broken
Body of the Lord.

And then the mass was presently over; and the server stepped forward
again to assist the priest to unvest, himself lifting each vestment off,
for Father Maxwell was terribly exhausted by now, and laying it on the
altar. Then he helped him to a little footstool in front of him, for him
to kneel and make his thanksgiving. Isabel looked with an odd wonder at
the server; he was the man that she knew so well, who opened the door for
her, and waited at table; but now a strange dignity rested on him as he
moved confidently and reverently about the awful altar, and touched the
vestments that even to her Puritan eyes shone with new sanctity. It
startled her to think of the hidden Catholic life of this house--of these
servants who loved and were familiar with mysteries that she had been
taught to dread and distrust, but before which she too now was to bow her
being in faith and adoration.

After a minute or two, Mistress Margaret touched Isabel on the arm and
beckoned to her to come up to the altar, which she began immediately to
strip of its ornaments and cloth, having first lit another candle on one
of the benches. Isabel helped her in this with a trembling dread, as all
the others except Lady Maxwell and her son were now gone out silently;
and presently the picture was down, and leaning against the wall; the
ornaments and sacred vessels packed away in their box, with the vestments
and linen in another. Then together they lifted off the heavy altar
stone. Mistress Margaret next laid back the lid of the chest; and put her
hands within, and presently Isabel saw the back of the chest fall back,
apparently into the wall. Mistress Margaret then beckoned to Isabel to
climb into the chest and go through; she did so without much difficulty,
and found herself in the little room behind. There was a stool or two and
some shelves against the wall, with a plate or two upon them and one or
two tools. She received the boxes handed through, and followed Mistress
Margaret's instructions as to where t