he long journey
afterwards, had fairly knocked Gerard up. But elastic youth soon
revived, and behold him the centre of an eager circle. First of all they
must hear about the prizes. Then Gerard told them he had been admitted
to see the competitors' works, all laid out in an enormous hall before
the judges pronounced.

"Oh, mother! oh, Kate! when I saw the goldsmiths' work, I had liked to
have fallen on the floor. I thought not all the goldsmiths on earth had
so much gold, silver, jewels, and craft of design and facture. But, in
sooth, all the arts are divine."

Then, to please the females, he described to them the reliquaries,
feretories, calices, crosiers, crosses, pyxes, monstrances, and other
wonders ecclesiastical, and the goblets, hanaps, watches, Clocks,
chains, brooches, &c., so that their mouths watered.

"But, Kate, when I came to the illuminated work from Ghent and Bruges,
my heart sank. Mine was dirt by the side of it. For the first minute I
could almost have cried; but I prayed for a better spirit, and presently
I was able to enjoy them, and thank God for those lovely works, and
for those skilful, patient craftsmen, whom I own my masters. Well, the
coloured work was so beautiful I forgot all about the black and white.
But next day, when all the other prizes had been given, they came to the
writing, and whose name think you was called first?"

"Yours," said Kate.

The others laughed her to scorn.

"You may well laugh," said Gerard, "but for all that, Gerard Eliassoen
of Tergou was the name the herald shouted. I stood stupid; they thrust
me forward. Everything swam before my eyes. I found myself kneeling on
a cushion at the feet of the Duke. He said something to me, but I was so
fluttered I could not answer him. So then he put his hand to his side,
and did not draw a glaive and cut off my dull head, but gave me a gold
medal, and there it is." There was a yell and almost a scramble. "And
then he gave me fifteen great bright golden angels. I had seen one
before, but I never handled one. Here they are."

"Oh, Gerard! oh, Gerard!"

"There is one for you, our eldest; and one for you, Sybrandt, and for
you, Little Mischief; and two for thee, Little Lily, because God hath
afflicted thee; and one for myself, to buy colours and vellum; and nine
for her that nursed us all, and risked the two crowns upon poor Gerard's
hand."

The gold drew out their characters. Cornelis and Sybrandt clutched each
his coin wit