ly chapel above. His armour was all bright and glistering, and
his sword a devouring flame. He flapped his wings thrice ere he
departed, and said unto me, 'Arise, Ulphilas, and work, for thine hour
is come!'"

"And what the better am I," said the irreverent priest, "for this
saintly revelation? I must work too, or "------

"Hold," said the hermit, laying his hand on the other's shoulder with
great solemnity; "speak not unadvisedly with thy lips; there be created
intelligences within hearing that thou little knowest of."

"Thou didst promise; but verily the substance hath slidden from my
grasp: whilst I, fond fool, embraced a shadow. Cajoled by thine
assurance, that my blood should be with the proud current that inherits
these domains, I forebore, and let thee work. But thou hast been a
traitor to my cause I do verily suspect, nay, accuse thee of this fraud.
Thy machinations and thy counsel were the cause. By thine accursed arts
Robert de Lacy hath left his patrimony to a stranger!"

"True, I counselled him thus. What then?"

"I and mine are barred from the inheritance!"

"Shall the word of the Hermit of the Rock fall to the ground? Have I not
promised that thy blood shall be with those that inherit these domains?"

"Promises are slender food for an hungry stomach," cried the unbeliever.

"If the promise fail, blame thy dastardly fears, and not my power. Thou
shalt see the promised land thou shalt not inherit. Thy son shall
receive the blessing."

The dean looked for a moment as though he could have fawned and
supplicated for a reversion of the decree; but pride or anger had the
mastery.

"And so," cried he, "thou findest thy predictions run counter to thy
schemes, perdie; for thou dost mock me in them with a double sense."

"How, false one? Have I not wrought for thee? Hath not he, whose corpse
now resteth in hope, overwhelmed thee with his favours through my
counsel and contrivance? I owed thee a service, for thou wast my stay
and sustenance when driven hither an outcast from the haunts of men. But
thoughtest thou that I should pander to thy lust, and hew out a pathway
to thy desire?"

"To me this!" said the covetous intruder, his voice quivering with rage.

"Yes, to thee, Robert de Whalley," replied the hermit: "because thou
hast not leaped the last height of thine ambition, forsooth--because
thou art not lord of these wide domains, through my interest and holy
communion with the departed--and because I