t in time to see a
big white thing sailing away into the sky, and Pierre hopping up and
down in the road screaming and crying.

The Bishop overtook the little fellow quickly. "Lad, lad, hast thou lost
thy goose?" he asked gently.

"Oh Father," sobbed the boy, "our nice dinner! Your dinner, master! The
wicked goose has flown away. Oh, what a careless boy I am to let him
'scape me so!" And he sat down on a stone and cried as if his heart
would break.

"Nay, nay," the good Bishop said, patting him on the head soothingly,
"perhaps the poor goose did not want to be roasted, Pierre. Can you
blame him for seeking his liberty instead? I find no fault with him; but
I am sorry for thy dinner, lad. We must try to get something else. Cheer
up, Pierre, let the white goose go. All will yet be well, lad."

He made Pierre get up, still crying bitterly, and on they trudged again
along the dusty road. But this time there was no dinner for them to
look forward to, and the way seemed very long. Pierre dragged his feet
heavily, and it seemed as if he could not go another step with that
emptiness in his stomach and the ache in his head. But again Saint
Rigobert began to hum his hymns softly under his breath, keeping time to
the beat of his aged feet on the dusty road. The loss of his dinner
seemed to trouble him little. Perhaps he was secretly glad that the poor
goose had escaped; for he was very tender-hearted and loved not to have
creatures killed, even for food.

They had gone quite a little distance, and Rigobert began to sing louder
and louder as they neared his church. When suddenly there came a strange
sound in the air over his head. And then with a great fluttering a big
white goose came circling down right before Saint Rigobert's feet. The
good Saint stopped short in surprise, and Pierre, turning about, could
hardly believe his eyes. But sure enough, there was the very same goose,
looking up into Saint Rigobert's face and cackling as if trying to tell
him something.

"I didn't mean to run away," he seemed to say. "I didn't know you were
hungry, holy man, and that I was taking away your dinner. Sing on and I
will follow you home."

Pierre turned and ran back to the goose and would have seized him by the
neck so he could not get away again. But Saint Rigobert held up his
finger warningly, and the boy stood still.

"Do not touch him, Pierre," said the Bishop earnestly. "I do not think
he will run away. Let us see."

And sur