The monastery; The abbot.

THE ABBOT..851
out hurting him —And you, reverend brother, will, with your comrades,
withdraw to your cells; for our conference has ended like all conferences,
leaving each of his own mind, as before; and if we fight, both you, and
your brethren, and the Kirk, will have the worst on't-Wherefore, pack up
you pipes and begone."
The hubbub was beginning again to awaken, but still Father Ambrose
hesitated, as uncertain to what path his duty called him, whether to face
out the present storm, or to reserve himself for a better moment. His
brother of Unreason observed his difficulty, and said, in a tone more natural
and less affected than that with which he had hitherto sustained his character, "We came hither, my good sir, more in mirth than in mischief-our
bark is worse than our bite —and, especially, we mean you no personal
harm wherefore, draw off while the.play is good; for it is ill whistling
for a hawk when she is once on the soar, and worse to snatch the quarry
from the ban-dog - Let these fellows once begin their brawl, and it will be
too much for madness itself, let alone the Abbot of Unreason, to bring them
back to the lure."
The brethren crowded around Father Ambrosius, and joined in urging
him to give place to the torrent. The present revel was, they said, an
ancient custom which his predecessors had permitted, and old Father
Nicholas himself had played the dragon in the days of the Abbot
Ingelram.
" And we now reap the fruit of the seed which they have so unadvisedly
sown," said Ambrosius; "they taught men to make a mock of what is
holy, what wonder that the descendants of scoffers become robbers and
plunderers? But be it as you list, my brethren-move towards the -dortour
— And you, dame, I command you, by the authority which I have over
you, and by your respect for that youth's safety, that you go with us without farther speech-Yet, stay-what are your intentions towards that youth
whom you detain prisoner.?-Wot ye," he continued, addressing Howleglas
in a stern tone of voice, "that he bears the livery of the House of Avenel?
They who fear not the anger of Heaven, may at least dread the wrath of.11man."'
" Cumber not yourself concerning him," answered Howleglas, "we know
right well who and what he is."
" Let me pray," said the Abbot, in a tone of entreaty, " that you do him
no wrong for the rash deed which he attempted in his imprudent zeal."
" I say, cumber not yourself about it, father," answered IIowleglas, " but
move off with your train, male and female, or I will not undertake to save
yonder she-saint from the ducking-stool-And as for bearing of malice, my
stomach has no room for it; it is," he added, clapping his hand on his
portly belly, "too well bumbasted out with straw and buckram-gramercy
to them both -they kept out that madcap's dagger as well as a Milan
corslet could have done."
In fact, the home-driven poniard of Roland Grime had lighted upon the
stuffing of the fictitious paunch, which the Abbot of Unreason wore as a
part of his characteristic dress, and it was only the force of the blow which
had prostrated that reverend person on the ground for a moment.
Satisfied in some degree by this man's assurances, and compelled to give
way to superior force, the Abbot Ambrosius retired from the Church at the
head of the monks, and left the court free for the revellers to work their'will. But, wild and wilful as these rioters were, they accompanied the
retreat of the religionists with none of those shouts of contempt and derision
with which they had at first hailed them. The Abbot's discourse had
affected some of them with remorse, others with shame, and all with a
transient degree of respect. They remained silent until the last monk had
~disappeared through the side-door which communicated with their dwellingplace, and even then it cost some exhortations on the part of Howleglas,