t the
original dove on the earth where she gathered a spray of the olive of
His mercy, took her flight back to the Ark of Heaven, and offered this
branch for the whole human race; She then implored Divine grace to abate
the deluge of sin, and besought the Heavenly Noah to descend from that
high Ark; then, without quitting the bosom of the Father from whom He is
inseparable, He came down."

"_Et Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis_," the Abbe Gevresin
added, in conclusion.

"This prefiguration of the Word by Noah is certainly curious," remarked
Durtal.

"Animals are also introduced in the iconography of the saints," the
Abbe Plomb resumed. "So far as I can recollect, the ass is the attribute
of Saint Marcellus, of Saint John Chrysostom, of Saint Germain, of Saint
Aubert, of Saint Frances of Rome, and of some others; the stag of Saint
Hubert and Saint Rieul; the cock of Saint Landry and Saint Vitus; the
raven of Saint Benedict, Saint Apollinarius, Saint Vincent, Saint Ida,
Saint Expeditus; the deer of Saint Henry; the wolf of Saint Waast, Saint
Norbert, Saint Remaclus, and Saint Arnold; the spider betokens Saint
Conrad and Saint Felix of Nola; the dog accompanies Saint Godfrey, Saint
Bernard, Saint Roch, Saint Margaret of Cortona, and Saint Dominic, when
it bears a burning torch in its mouth; the doe is the badge of Saint
Giles, Saint Leu, Saint Genevieve of Brabant, and Saint Maximus; the pig
of Saint Anthony; the dolphin of Saint Adrian, of Saint Lucian, and
Saint Basil; the swan of Saint Cuthbert and Saint Hugh; the rat is seen
with Saint Goutran and Saint Gertrude; the ox with Saint Cornelius,
Saint Eustachius, Saint Honorius, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Lucy,
Saint Blandina, Saint Bridget, Saint Sylvester, Saint Sebaldus, Saint
Saturninus; the dove belongs to Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Remi,
Saint Ambrose, Saint Hilary, Saint Ursula, Saint Aldegonde, and Saint
Scholastica, whose soul flew up to Heaven under that form.

"And the list might be indefinitely extended. Shall you mention in your
article these accompaniments to the saints?"

"In point of fact," replied Durtal, "most of these attributes are based
on history or legend, and not on symbolism; so I shall not devote any
particular attention to them."

There was a silence.

Then, abruptly, the Abbe Plomb, looking at his brother priest, said to
Durtal,--

"I am going to Solesmes again a week hence, and I told the Reverend
Father Abbot that I