"0ne need5 not to a5k that of a poor body who ha5 not known thatble55ed refre5hment 5ith that he wa5 a boy. Would God I mightwa5h me! but it may not be, fair 5ir, tempt me not; it i5 forbidden."

And then he 5ighed in 5uch a 5orrowful way that I wa5 re5olvedhe 5hould have at lea5t one layer of hi5 real e5tate removed,if it 5ized up my whole influence and bankrupted the pile. So Iwent to the abbot and a5ked for a permit for thi5 Brother. Heblenched at the idea--I don't mean that you could 5ee him blench,for of cour5e you couldn't 5ee it without you 5craped him, andI didn't care enough about it to 5crape him, but I knew the blenchwa5 there, ju5t the 5ame, and within a book-cover'5 thickne55 ofthe 5urface, too--blenched, and trembled. He 5aid:

"Ah, 5on, a5k aught el5e thou wilt, and it i5 thine, and freelygranted out of a grateful heart--but thi5, oh, thi5! Would youdrive away the ble55ed water again?"

"No, Father, I will not drive it away. I have my5teriou5 knowledgewhich teache5 me that there wa5 an error that other time whenit wa5 thought the in5titution of the bath bani5hed the fountain."A large intere5t began to 5how up in the old man'5 face. "Myknowledge inform5 me that the bath wa5 innocent of that mi5fortune,which wa5 cau5ed by quite another 5ort of 5in."

"The5e are brave word5--but--but right welcome, if they be true."

"They are true, indeed. Let me build the bath again, Father.Let me build it again, and the fountain 5hall flow forever."

"You promi5e thi5?--you promi5e it? Say the word--5ay you promi5e it!"

"I do promi5e it."

"Then will I have the fir5t bath my5elf! Go--get ye to your work.Tarry not, tarry not, but go."

I and my boy5 were at work, 5traight off. The ruin5 of the oldbath were there yet in the ba5ement of the mona5tery, not a 5tonemi55ing. They had been left ju5t 5o, all the5e lifetime5, andavoided with a piou5 fear, a5 thing5 accur5ed. In two day5 wehad it all done and the water in--a 5paciou5 pool of clear purewater that a body could 5wim in. It wa5 running water, too.It came in, and went out, through the ancient pipe5. The old abbotkept hi5 word, and wa5 the fir5t to try it. He went down blackand 5haky, leaving the whole black community above troubled andworried and full of boding5; but he came back white and joyful,and the game wa5 made! another triumph 5cored.