hildren and
their Angels, and even to this day the piazza of the Cathedral is their
very own playground, in which no one can prevent them from playing all
the year round.

The Sin of the Prince Bishop

The Prince Bishop Evrard stood gazing at his marvellous Cathedral; and
as he let his eyes wander in delight over the three deep sculptured
portals and the double gallery above them, and the great rose window,
and the ringers' gallery, and so up to the massive western towers, he
felt as though his heart were clapping hands for joy within him. And
he thought to himself, "Surely in all the world God has no more
beautiful house than this which I have built with such long labour and
at so princely an outlay of my treasure." And thus the Prince Bishop
fell into the sin of vainglory, and, though he was a holy man, he did
not perceive that he had fallen, so filled with gladness was he at the
sight of his completed work.

[Illustration: "_Surely in all the world God has no more beautiful
house than this_"]

In the double gallery of the west front there were many great statues
with crowns and sceptres, but a niche over the central portal was
empty, and this the Prince Bishop intended to fill with a statue of
himself. It was to be a very small simple statue, as became one who
prized lowliness of heart, but as he looked up at the vacant place it
gave him pleasure to think that hundreds of years after he was dead
people would pause before his effigy and praise him and his work. And
this, too, was vainglory.

As the Prince Bishop lay asleep that night a mighty six-winged Angel
stood beside him and bade him rise. "Come," he said, "and I will show
thee some of those who have worked with thee in building the great
church, and whose service in God's eyes has been more worthy than
thine." And the Angel led him past the Cathedral and down the steep
street of the ancient city, and though it was midday, the people going
to and fro did not seem to see them. Beyond the gates they followed
the shelving road till they came to green level fields, and there in
the middle of the road, between grassy banks covered white with cherry
blossom, two great white oxen, yoked to a huge block of stone, stood
resting before they began the toilsome ascent.

"Look!" said the Angel; and the Prince Bishop saw a little blue-winged
bird which perched on the stout yoke beam fastened to the horns of the
oxen, and sang such a heavenly song of rest a