Gabriel and the Hour Book

by Evaleen Stein

  CHAPTER VII.

  THE BOOK GOES TO LADY ANNE

  AND it was well that the beautiful book was finished, for the very nextafternoon a nobleman, with several attendants, arrived at the Abbey tosee if the work were done. The nobleman was Count Henri of Lisieux, whohad been sent by King Louis to bear to Lady Anne a precious casket ofjewels as part of his bridal gifts to her; and the count had alsoreceived orders from the king to go to St. Martin's Abbey on his way,and if the book of hours were finished, to take it along to the LadyAnne.

  Count Henri was greatly pleased when they showed the work to him, and hesaid that he knew both King Louis and his bride could not help but bedelighted with it. And then, after it had been duly looked at andadmired, the book was wrapped up in a piece of soft, rich silk and laidon a shelf in the chapter-house to wait until the next morning, whenCount Henri would take it away. For he had come far, and the Abbot hadinvited him to stay overnight in the Abbey before going on with hisjourney.

  While all this was taking place, and the book was being examined,Gabriel had been quietly at work in one corner of the chapter-house,grinding some gold; and when he heard that Count Henri was going awaythe next morning, he knew that if he expected to put his own little pagein the book, he must do so some time before he went home that evening;and he did not quite see how he could manage it.

  Late in the afternoon, however, a little before dusk, all the othersleft the chapter-house, Brother Stephen to go to his own cell, while theAbbot took Count Henri out to show him over the Abbey. And just as soonas they were gone, Gabriel hastily put down the stone mortar in which hewas grinding the gold, and, going over to the work-table, opened thedrawer in which he kept his own things, and took out the page on whichhe had written his little prayer.

  He then went to the shelf and took down the book. He felt guilty as heunfolded the silk wrappings, and his hands trembled as he loosened thegolden clasps, and hurriedly slipped in his piece of parchment. He putit in at the very back of the book, after Brother Stephen's last page.Then carefully refastening the clasps, and again folding it up in itssilken cover, he replaced the book on the shelf.

  Poor Gabriel did not know whether he had done very wrong or not intaking this liberty with the painted book. He only knew that he couldnot bear to have it go away without his little prayer between itscovers; and he thought that now God would surely notice it, as he hadwritten it as nicely as he knew how, and had placed it next to BrotherStephen's.

  By this time it was growing dark, and so Gabriel left the Abbey and tookhis way home. When he reached their forlorn little cottage, he foundonly a scanty supper awaiting him, and very early he went to bed; forthey had but little fire and were too poor to afford even a singlecandle to burn through the long winter evening.

  "_Taking down the book . . . he unwrapped and unclaspedit_"]

  As Gabriel lay shivering in his cold little bed, he wondered how longit would be before God would grant his prayer for help. And then hewondered if God would be displeased because he had dared to put it inthe beautiful book without asking permission from Brother Stephen or theAbbot. And the more he thought of the possibility of this, and of alltheir other troubles, the more miserable he felt, till at last he sobbedhimself to sleep.

  The poor little boy did not know that after he himself had been sleepingfor several hours, Brother Stephen, who had not slept, came out of hiscell in the Abbey, and, carrying in his hand a small lamp, passed softlydown the corridor and into the chapter-house. For Brother Stephen,like many another true artist who has worked long and lovingly upon someexquisite thing, found it very hard to part with that which he had made.He did not expect ever again to see the beautiful book after it left theAbbey, and so he felt that he must take a farewell look at it all byhimself.

  As he entered the chapter-house, he set the lamp on the table; and thentaking down the book and placing it also on the table, he unwrapped andunclasped it, and seating himself in front of it, looked long andearnestly at each page as he slowly turned them over, one by one.

  When at last he came to the end, and found a loose leaf, he picked itup in dismay, wondering if his binding could have been so badly donethat one of the pages had already become unfastened. But his look ofdismay changed to bewilderment as he examined the page more closely, andsaw Gabriel's little prayer. He read this over twice, very slowly; andthen, still holding the page in his hand, he sat for a long time withhis head bowed; and once or twice something that looked very like a tearfell on the stone floor at his feet.

  After awhile the lamp began to burn low; and Brother Stephen rising,gave a tender look to the loose page he had been holding, and thencarefully put it back in the book, taking pains to place it, as nearlyas he could, exactly as Gabriel had done. Then, with a sigh, he shut thevelvet covers, once more fastened the golden clasps, and, replacing thesilken wrappings, laid the book on the shelf, and went back to his cell.

  The next morning Count Henri and his escort made ready for their journeyto Bretagne. Count Henri himself placed the precious book in the samevelvet bag which held the casket of jewels for the Lady Anne, and thisbag he hung over his saddle-bow directly in front of him, so that hecould keep close watch and see that no harm befell King Louis's gifts.

  And then he and his soldiers mounted their horses, and, taking acourteous leave of the Abbot and the brotherhood of St. Martin's, theytrotted off along the frosty road.