"Hast thou forgotten Floris Brandt?" said Clement stonily.

The sick man reared himself in bed in a pitiable state of terror. "How
knew you that?" said he.

"The Church knows many things," said Clement coldly, "and by many ways
that are dark to thee, Miserable impenitent, you called her to your
side, hoping to deceive her, You said, 'I will not confess to the cure
but to some friar who knows not my misdeeds. So will I cheat the Church
on my deathbed, and die as I have lived,' But God, kinder to thee than
thou art to thyself, sent to thee one whom thou couldst not deceive. He
has tried thee; He was patient with thee, and warned thee not to trifle
with Holy Church; but all is in vain; thou canst not confess; for thou
art impenitent as a stone. Die, then, as thou hast lived. Methinks I see
the fiends crowding round the bed for their prey. They wait but for me
to go. And I go."

He turned his back; but Ghysbrecht, in extremity of terror, caught him
by the frock. "Oh, holy man, mercy! stay. I will confess all, all. I
robbed my friend Floris, Alas! would it had ended there; for he lost
little by me; but I kept the land from Peter his son, and from Margaret,
Peter's daughter. Yet I was always going to give it back; but I
couldn't, I couldn't."

"Avarice, my son, avarice, Happy for thee 'tis not too late."

"No; I will leave it her by will. She will not have long to wait for it
now; not above a month or two at farthest."

"For which month's possession thou wouldst damn thy soul for ever, Thou
fool!"

The sick man groaned, and prayed the friar to be reasonable.

The friar firmly, but gently and persuasively, persisted, and with
infinite patience detached the dying man's gripe from another's
property. There were times when his patience was tried, and he was on
the point of thrusting his hand into his bosom and producing the deed,
which he had brought for that purpose; but after yesterday's outbreak
he was on his guard against choler; and to conclude, he conquered his
impatience; he conquered a personal repugnance to the man, so strong
as to make his own flesh creep all the time he was struggling with this
miser for his soul; and at last, without a word about the deed, he won
upon him to make full and prompt restitution.

How the restitution was made will be briefly related elsewhere: also
certain curious effects produced upon Ghysbrecht by it; and when and on
what terms Ghysbrecht and Clement parted.

I promised to