"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 gold,
bright heralds of the rising sun.
Then from the Convent garden trilled softly the first notes, poignant
but passing sweet, of the robin's song.
CHAPTER XXV
MARY ANTONY RECEIVES THE BISHOP
The morning after the return from Rome of the Bishop's messenger, the
old lay-sister, Mary Antony, chanced to be crossing the Convent
courtyard, when there came a loud knocking on the outer gates.
Mary Antony, hastening, thrust aside the buxom porteress, and herself
opened the _guichet_, and looked out.
The Lord Bishop, mounted upon his white palfrey, waited without;
Brother Philip in attendance.
What a bewildering surprise! What a fortunate thing, thought old
Antony, that she should chance to be there to deal with such an
emergency.
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