e boy, "and I have
come to help you; for they told me Jacques is fallen ill. What would you
like me to do first?"

To this Brother Stephen scarcely knew what to reply. He was certainly in
no mood for work. He was still very, very angry, and thought himself
terribly misused by the Abbot; and though he greatly dreaded the
latter's threats, he had almost reached the point of defying him and the
king and everybody else, no matter what dreadful thing happened to him
afterward.

But then as he looked again at the bright-faced little boy standing
there, and seeming so eager to help, he began to relent more and more;
and besides, he found it decidedly embarrassing to try to explain things
to Gabriel.

So after a little pause, he said to him: "Gabriel, I am not ready for
thee at this moment; go sit on yonder bench. I wish to think out a
matter which is perplexing me." Then as Gabriel obediently went over to
the bench and seated himself, he added: "Thou canst pass the time
looking at the books on the shelf above thee."

So while Brother Stephen was trying to make up his mind as to what he
would do, Gabriel took down one of the books, and was soon absorbed in
its pages. Presently, as he turned a new one, he gave a little
involuntary exclamation of delight. At this Brother Stephen noticed him,
and--

"Ah!" he said, "what hast thou found that seems to please thee?"

"Oh, sir," answered Gabriel, "this is the most beautiful initial letter
I have ever seen!"

Now Gabriel did not know that the book had been made a few years before
by Brother Stephen himself, and so he had no idea how much it pleased
the brother to have his work admired.

Indeed, most people who do good work of any kind oftentimes feel the
need of praise; not flattery, but the real approval of some one who
understands what they are trying to do. It makes the workman or artist
feel that if his work is liked by somebody, it is worth while to try to
do more and better.

Poor Brother Stephen did not get much of this needed praise, for many of
the other monks at the Abbey were envious of him, and so were unwilling
really to admire his work; while the Abbot was so cold and haughty and
so taken up with his own affairs, that he seldom took the trouble to say
what he liked or disliked.

So when Brother Stephen saw Gabriel's eager admiration, he felt pleased
indeed; for Gabriel had a nice taste in artistic things, and seemed
instinctively to pick out the best points