strongly bound all his painted pages
together, and put on a cover of violet velvet, which the nuns of a
near-by convent had exquisitely embroidered in pearls and gold. And,
last of all, the cover was fastened with clasps of wrought gold, set
with amethysts. Altogether it was a royal gift, and one worthy of any
queen. Even the Abbot, cold and stately though he usually was,
exclaimed with pleasure when he saw it, and warmly praised Brother
Stephen upon the loveliness of his work.

CHAPTER VII.

THE BOOK GOES TO LADY ANNE

AND it was well that the beautiful book was finished, for the very next
afternoon a nobleman, with several attendants, arrived at the Abbey to
see if the work were done. The nobleman was Count Henri of Lisieux, who
had been sent by King Louis to bear to Lady Anne a precious casket of
jewels as part of his bridal gifts to her; and the count had also
received orders from the king to go to St. Martin's Abbey on his way,
and if the book of hours were finished, to take it along to the Lady
Anne.

Count Henri was greatly pleased when they showed the work to him, and he
said that he knew both King Louis and his bride could not help but be
delighted with it. And then, after it had been duly looked at and
admired, the book was wrapped up in a piece of soft, rich silk and laid
on a shelf in the chapter-house to wait until the next morning, when
Count Henri would take it away. For he had come far, and the Abbot had
invited him to stay overnight in the Abbey before going on with his
journey.

While all this was taking place, and the book was being examined,
Gabriel had been quietly at work in one corner of the chapter-house,
grinding some gold; and when he heard that Count Henri was going away
the next morning, he knew that if he expected to put his own little page
in the book, he must do so some time before he went home that evening;
and he did not quite see how he could manage it.

Late in the afternoon, however, a little before dusk, all the others
left the chapter-house, Brother Stephen to go to his own cell, while the
Abbot took Count Henri out to show him over the Abbey. And just as soon
as they were gone, Gabriel hastily put down the stone mortar in which he
was grinding the gold, and, going over to the work-table, opened the
drawer in which he kept his own things, and took out the page on which
he had written his little prayer.

He then went to the shelf and took down the book. He felt guilt