l the judges, that the poor child was
not then seeking Satan, but you, her teacher, her priest, her pastor.
If you have not the courage to do this, the Lord will require this soul
of you on the day of Judgement. And secondly, we are all flesh and
blood and should therefore not judge one another, but if you remain in
that dress, recollect your duties better than you did in the Stift, and
when you again appear before the little ones, remember the words:
'Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me,
it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and
that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.' And now farewell."

When Paul raised his head he found himself sitting alone in the woods.
Had his guardian angel appeared to him in the garb of the heretic, or
had power been given to this child of the devil to read his heart and
to decipher his innermost thoughts? The evasions in which he had
concealed himself, the veil, with which he had wished to cover his
shame, the pretexts, with which he would clothe the abomination, had
all fallen before the heavy blow of this coarse peasant, he stood there
disclosed to himself the miserable sinner, that he was. Nothing more
remained to be said or to be excused. He was convicted. He rose up with
a sigh, wiped his eyes, so that none should see that he had wept, and
hastened in silent sorrow by the side of the lofty oaks and beeches of
the high-road which he now reached. What should he do? Should he again
appear among the people who now all knew his shame and would point
their fingers at him? Should he escape once more to Speyer and continue
in the crypt of the cathedral the _exercitia_ which had restored to him
his peace of mind for a couple of weeks? Then he found himself near the
deep pond at the entry of the place, out of which more than one young
creature had been drawn out, who preferred this humid death to sitting
on the stool of penitent sinners or to church discipline. "It were
better for him that he were drowned," the man had told him in the wood.
With fixed look he gazed at the deep dark surface. "It were better for
him," he murmured, "better, very much better." He would first let the
small girl approaching that way pass by, then he would follow the
advice of the Baptist, "New scandals must succeed this one, therefore
better is better."

The child whom he had noticed sprang joyfully towards him. "Ah!
Reverend Sir," it cried, "how well i