The monastery; The abbot.

THE MONASTERY. 77
the hills to boot, you shall not carry away Mary's book without her leave.
I will do battle for it."
" But see you, my love," said the monk, amused with the resolute friendship manifested by the boy, " I do not take it; I only borrow it; and I leave
in its place my own gay missal, as a pledge I will bring it again."
Edward opened the missal with eager curiosity, and glanced at the pictures with which it was illustrated. "Saint George and the dragon —
Halbert will like that; and Saint Michael brandishing his sword over the
head of the Wicked One - and that will do for Ilalbert too. And see the
Saint John leading his lamb in the wilderness, with his little cross made of
reeds, and his scrip and staff- that shall be my favourite; and where shall
we find one for poor Mary? — here is a beautiful woman weeping and
lamenting herself."
"This is Saint Mary Magdalen repenting of her sins, my dear boy," said
the father.
" That will not suit our Mary; for she commits no faults, and is never
angry with us, but when we do something wrong."
"Then," said the father," I will show you a Mary, who will protect her
and you, and all good children. See how fairly she is represented, with her
gown covered with golden stars."
The boy was lost in wonder at the portrait of the Virgin, which the SubPrior turned up to him.
" This," he said, " is really like our sweet Mary; and I think I will let
you take away the black book, that has no such goodly shows in it, and
leave this for Mary instead. But you must promise to bring back the book,
good father - for now I think upon it, Mary may like that best which was
her mother's."
"I will certainly return," said the monk, evading his answer, "and perhaps I may teach you to write and read such beautiful letters as you see
there written, and to paint them blue, green, and yellow, and to blazon them
with gold."
"Ay, and to make such figures as these blessed Saints, and especially
these two Marys?" said the boy.
"With their blessing," said the Sub-Prior, " I can teach you that art too,
so far as I am myself capable of showing, and you of learning it."
" Then," said Edward, " will I paint Mary's picture-and remember you
are to bring back the black book; that you must promise me."
The Sub-Prior, anxious to get rid of the boy's pertinacity, and to set
forward on his return to the convent, without having any further interview
with Christie the galloper, answered by giving the promise Edward required, mounted his mule, and set forth on his return homeward.
The November day was well spent ere the Sub-Prior resumed his journey;
for the difficulty of the road, and the various delays which he had met with
at the tower, had detained him longer than he proposed. A chill easterly
wind was sighing among the withered leaves, and stripping them from the
hold they had yet retained on the parent trees.
"Even so," said the monk, "our prospects in this vale of time grow
more disconsolate as the stream of years passes on. Little have I gained
by nmy journey, saving the certainty that heresy is busy among us with
more than his usual activity, and that the spirit of insulting religious
orders, and plundering the Church's property, so general in the eastern
districts of Scotland, has now come nearer home."
The tread of a horse which came up behind him, interrupted his reverie,
and he soon saw he was mounted by the same wild rider whom he had left
at the tower.
" Good even, my son, and benedicite," said the Sub-Prior as he passed;
but the rude soldier scarce acknowledged the greeting, by bending his
head; and dashing the spurs into his horse, went on at a pace which soon
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