ked, he turned round unaffectedly. His curiosity was immediately
gratified. In the first row, at a few paces only from him, knelt the
daughter of the Count of Champagne. Her veil was thrown back, and a
cloud of fair hair fell in rich masses upon her neck. Her eyes were
fixed upon the shrine, and her lips moved as though in prayer.

Rechberg was bewildered with admiration. Hellig had exaggerated
nothing, for Richenza was wonderfully beautiful. Suddenly her eyes were
raised toward the young man, who hastily turned away.

In the interval, the ceremony had been completed. The shrine had three
doors, like a large church. They were open, and through a golden
lattice-work could be seen the venerated relics. An immense number of
tapers were burning in candlesticks of silver; several priests were
watching carefully around the shrine, and monks were seated before the
doors to receive the books and engravings and pictures which the piety
of the crowd presented as votive offerings to the holy remains.

Eberhard of Salzburg could not let escape this excellent opportunity of
proclaiming his religious sentiments. He stood upright on the summit of
the altar-steps, immediately in front of the ostensorium, ready to
bless the princes and the people. But, before bestowing the
benediction, and much to the discomfiture of the Emperor and the
confusion of Rinaldo, he pronounced a few words of earnest exhortation,
counselling obedience to the authority of Alexander III.

"Our gracious Emperor and lord," he said, "whose duty it is to defend
the Church, will root out the venom of heresy. It is due to his own
renown, to the name which he inherits from his Carlovingian ancestors,
to the glory which he has won, to rise in aid of the Holy See, and to
show to all the scoffers, that he is the obedient son of the Pope, the
protector of the Church, of law, and of morals. It is on these
conditions that I bless our noble sovereign; I bless all those
illustrious prelates and knights who obey Pope Alexander,--I bless all
the world of faithful Catholics."

He was about to take the ostensorium, when Barbarossa made a sign. It
was impossible that the discourse of the Archbishop before so brilliant
an assembly could be allowed to pass unnoticed.

"Your Reverence has profited by this opportunity," he said, "to remind
us of the duties of our position. These duties are onerous, indeed, now
that error has possessed the minds of many of our fellow-men. We
espo