hem, the other boys
were jealous of Kentigern and did everything they could to trouble him
and make him unhappy. They tried to make him fail in his lessons by
talking and laughing when it was his turn to recite. But this was a
useless trick; his answers were always ready, so they had to give this
up. They teased him and called him names, trying to make him lose his
temper so that he would be punished. But he was too good-natured to be
cross with them; so they had to give this up. They tried to coax him
into mischief and lead him do something which would make Saint Servan
angry with him. But Kentigern loved his master too well to do anything
to trouble him. So the boys had finally to give this up also.

There was only one way to bring Kentigern into disgrace. They must plan
a trap, and make him fall into it. For weeks they racked their brains
trying to think what they should do; but at last they thought they had
hit upon a plan.

It was all concerned with a fire. In those days there were no matches
with which to strike a light in a second. Matches had not been invented
in the year 600, nor indeed for many centuries afterwards. Their way of
making a fire was by rubbing two dry sticks together until they grew hot
and a spark fell out upon the wood which was to be kindled. And this
was a very difficult and tiresome thing to do, especially in the winter
when there were few dry sticks to be found. So the fire which was kept
burning night and day in the great fireplace of Saint Servan's school
was tended carefully, and it would be a very serious thing to let this
go out. For how would the breakfast be cooked, and the rooms warmed, and
the candles lighted for the morning service in the chapel if there were
no fire on the great hearth?

So for a week at a time the boys had to take turns in tending the fire;
and the boy whose turn it was had to rise at midnight and put on wood
enough to keep the blaze bright until morning. And oh! how angry Saint
Servan would be with any boy who was so careless as to let the fire go
out in the night.

Now it was Kentigern's week to tend the fire; and for several days he
did tend it faithfully. But the boys were waiting for a chance to play
their mean trick. On the fourth night Kentigern rose as the chapel clock
boomed "twelve!" and went down to the kitchen to give the hungry fire
its midnight lunch of snappy wood. But as soon as he stepped into the
great empty hall he knew something was wrong