ad brushed the bloom."

Hugh paused.

Those kindly and very luminous eyes were still bent upon the fire. Was
the Bishop finding it hard to face the fact that his life's secret had
now, by his own act, passed into the keeping of another?

Hugh moved a pace nearer.

"And deeply do I love you, Reverend Father, for your wondrous goodness
to her, and--for her sake--to me. And I pray heaven," added Hugh
d'Argent simply, "that if she come to me, she may never know that she
once won the love of so greatly better a man than he who won hers."

With which the Knight dropped upon one knee, and humbly kissed the hem
of the Bishop's robe.

Symon of Worcester was greatly moved.

"My son," he said, "we are at one in desiring her happiness and highest
good. For the rest, God, and her own pure heart, must guide her feet
into the way of peace."

The Bishop rose, and went to the casement.

"The aurora breaks in the east. The dawn is near. Come with me, Hugh,
to the chapel. We pray for His Holiness, giving thanks for his
gracious letter and mandate; we praise for the safe return of my
messenger. But we will also offer up devout petition that the Prioress
may have clear light at this parting of the ways, and that our
enterprise may be brought to a happy conclusion."

So, presently, in the dimly-lighted chapel, the Knight knelt alone;
while, away at the high altar, remote, wrapt, absorbed in the supreme
act of his priestly office, stood the Bishop, celebrating mass.

Yet one anxious prayer ascended from the hearts of both.

And, in the pale dawn of that new day, the woman for whom both the
Knight and the Bishop prayed, kept vigil in her cell, before the shrine
of the Madonna.

"Blessed Virgin," she said; "thou who lovedst Saint Joseph, being
betrothed to him, yet didst keep thyself an holy shrine consecrate to
the Lord and His need of thee--oh, grant unto me strength to put from
me this constant torment at the thought of his sufferings to whom once
I gave my troth, and to reconsecrate myself wholly to the service of my
Lord."

Thus these three knelt, as a new day dawned.

And the Knight prayed: "Give her to me!"

And the Bishop prayed: "Guide her feet into the way of peace."

And the Prioress, with hands crossed upon her breast and eyes uplifted,
said: "Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my
soul unto Thee."

The silver streaks of the aurora paled before soaring shafts of gol