only in thought he
owned them: caress them he could not. They flew freely in the air, and
nothing bound them but their confidence in his goodness. Is not this a
symbol of the turn which the course of his life had taken?

When he whistled, the pigeons would come down from the roof, dance at
his feet, and pick up the food he threw them. But he could not touch
them to express his pleasure: he had to content himself with cherishing
them in his soul, if he would not scare them suddenly away.

When Ivo entered the church, his soul was so full of love and childlike
confidence that he almost always said, "Good-morning, God." With a
happy home feeling, he then went into the vestry, put on his
chorister's dress, and performed his functions during mass.

A deep-seated fear of God, sustained by a glowing love for the mother
of God, and, above all, for the dear child Jesus, dwelt in the soul of
Ivo. With especial joy he used to call to mind that the Savior too
had been the son of a carpenter. Of all the festival-days he liked
Palm-Sunday most: it made almost a deeper impression upon him than Good
Friday. Huge nosegays as high as a man, made particularly odorous with
wild sallow and torch-weed, were carried into the church. The nosegays
were sprinkled with holy water, and after the ceremony they were hung
up in the stables to protect the cattle from all harm. At home, all
parties were solemn and serious; no one spoke above his voice,--not
even Valentine; everyone was kind and gentle to everybody else, and
this made Ivo happy.

But, with all this, a thoughtful spirit soon showed itself in him, even
in religious matters. One day the chaplain was explaining that St.
Peter carried the keys because he opened the gates of heaven for the
redeemed.

"How so?" asked Ivo. "Where does he stay?"

"At the gate of heaven."

"Why, then, he never gets into heaven himself, if he is kept sitting
outside all the time opening the door for other people."

The chaplain stared at Ivo, and was silent for some time; at last he
said, with a complacent smile, "It is his celestial happiness to open
to others the gates of eternal bliss. It is the first of virtues to
rejoice in and to strive for the good fortune of others: such is the
high calling of the Holy Father at Rome, who has the keys of Peter on
earth as well as the keys of all those consecrated by him and by his
bishops."

Ivo was satisfied, but not quite convinced; and he pitied in his heart