252 The Story of

But the Prior silenced him, asking gently:
“Do we distress you with any of these
things? God has His times and seasons,
and will not be hastened. At least so long
as you find peace and rest here, remain with
us.

“You are strangely wise and gentle,” the
Lost Brother answered. ‘‘ God, I doubt it
not, has His times and seasons; but with
me I know-not at all what He will do.”

It was no long while after this that the
Prior fell into a grievous illness; and when
he knew that his hour was drawing nigh, he
besought the monks to bear him up to the
foot of the cross on the mound. There, as
he looked far abroad into the earth over the
tree-tops, he smiled with lightness of heart
and said: “If the earth be so beautiful and
so sweet, what must the delight of Paradise
be!”

And behold! a small brown squirrel came
down a tree, and ran across and nestled in
the holy man’s bosom, and its eyes were full
of tears. The Prior stroked and caressed
it, and said: “God bless thee, little wood-
lander, and may the nuts never fail thee?”

Then, gazing up into the blue sky and