ed
upon the black lettering of the great Bible open at the last
passage under discussion.

The monk bent an earnest glance upon the boy's face. He saw that an
argument which had completely satisfied the other two had not
satisfied this other keener mind. But he asked no questions,
leaving the boy to speak or not as he chose. These were days in
which too much questioning was a dangerous thing. Many men felt as
though they were treading the crust of a volcano, and that a single
unwary step might plunge them headlong into the burning gulf.

When even such a man as Bishop Peacock had been threatened with the
stake, and sent into perpetual imprisonment, even after having
"recanted" his errors, no wonder that all men holding broad or
enlightened opinions trembled for themselves. And yet, as thought
will not be bound, and the young are ever the most ardent in the
pursuit of truth, and the most impatient under the yoke of fetters
unwillingly worn, so neither this young monk nor his still more
youthful companion could be content to drift on without looking
into the stirring questions of the day for themselves.

Edred's mind at this moment was working rapidly and following up a
train of thought as fascinating as it was new. He suddenly turned
back to the very beginning of the book, and began reading to
himself some words he found there. Presently he looked up quickly
into his instructor's face.

"Thy words about four channels put me in mind of the four streams
we read of in the beginning, that watered the garden of the Lord.
It seemed to me as if perchance there was some connection betwixt
them--that the Lord's plan has ever been the same. Surely He led
forth the children of Israel through the wilderness beneath four
standards. And here the four streams are all given. But we hear no
more of any of them later, do we, save the river Euphrates. Out of
the four three seem to have been lost," and the boy raised his eyes
with a perplexed expression and looked earnestly at his teacher.

Between those two existed one of those keen bonds of sympathy that
often enable persons to communicate their thoughts without the
medium of words. In a moment the monk had read what was in the
boy's mind, and in a fashion he answered as though Edred had
spoken.

"Thou thinkest that even as some of God's watering rivers ran dry,
so some of His channels of grace, whereby He meant all men to be
replenished with heavenly light and grace, may perchan