really was considered important
proved to be the earnestness of his recantation of heretical errors, and
when once his confessor was satisfied upon that point, the penitent soul
was relieved by absolution full and free.

After this came the service of his baptism, which, because Ramiro wished
it, for a certain secret reason, was carried out with as much formal
publicity as the circumstances would allow. Indeed, several priests
officiated at the rite, Adrian's sponsors being his father and the
estimable Hague Simon, who was paid a gold piece for his pains. While
the sacrament was still in progress, an untoward incident occurred. From
its commencement the trampling and voices of a mob had been heard in the
open space in front of the church, and now they began to hammer on the
great doors and to cast stones at the painted windows, breaking the
beautiful and ancient glass. Presently a beadle hurried into the
baptistery, and whispered something in the ear of the Abbe which caused
that ecclesiastic to turn pale and to conclude the service in a somewhat
hasty fashion.

"What is it?" asked Ramiro.

"Alas! my son," said the priest, "these heretic dogs saw you, or our
new-found brother, I know not which--enter this holy place, and a great
mob of them have surrounded it, ravening for our blood."

"Then we had best begone," said Ramiro.

"Senor, it is impossible," broke in the sacristan; "they watch every
door. Hark! hark! hark!" and as he spoke there came the sound of
battering on the oaken portals.

"Can your reverences make any suggestions?" asked Ramiro, "for if not--"
and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Let us pray," said one of them in a trembling voice.

"By all means, but I should prefer to do so as I go. Fool, is there any
hiding place in this church, or must we stop here to have our throats
cut?"

Then the sacristan, with white lips and knocking knees, whispered:

"Follow me, all of you. Stay, blow out the lights."

So the candles were extinguished, and in the darkness they grasped each
other's hands and were led by the verger whither they knew not. Across
the wide spaces of the empty church they crawled, its echoing silence
contrasting strangely with the muffled roar of angry voices without and
the dull sound of battering on the doors. One of their number, the fat
Abbe Dominic, became separated from them in the gloom, and wandered away
down an arm of the vast transept, whence they could hear him calling
to th