the Lost Brother 251

companion of his youth returned from wan-
dering the ways of the world.

When the weeks passed, and still he re-
mained a silent and solitary stranger, the
religious spoke sharply among themselves of
the presence of one who had broken vows
and revelled in the joys of life, and had been
received without censure or reproof. Then
the Prior, wrathful now even on account of
his gentleness, rebuked them once again:
“O eyes of stone and hearts of water, are
you so slow to learn? Have you who
sheltered the wild creatures no thought for
this man of much sorrow? Have you who
buried the dead no prayer and no tenderness
for this soul of the living?”

More than once the Lost Brother seemed
to awake from a dream, and spoke of going
forth again from this home of quiet, saying :
“Truly this is great peace and solace to me,
but Iam not of you; my thoughts are not
your thoughts, nor is yours my way of life.
Indeed, though I were to will it never so, I
could not repent of what I have done. Let
me go; why should I be an offence and a
stone of stumbling to those who are righteous
among you?”