“The blessed thought is ever in my mind,” said Brother John withirrepressible zest, and winked at Cadfael behind his colleague’s back,and set off enthusiastically along the aisles of shrubs towards theabbot’s gate and the great court. They followed him more demurely, theslender, fair, agile youth and the squat, barrel-chested, bandy-legged veteranof fifty-seven. Was I ever, wondered Cadfael, rolling with his powerfulseaman’s gait beside the other’s long, supple strides, as young andearnest as this? It cost him an effort to recall that Columbanus was actuallyfully twenty-five, and the sprig of a sophisticated and ambitious house. Whosefortunes, surely, were not founded wholly on piety?

This third Mass of the day was non-parochial and brief, and after it theBenedictine brothers of the abbey of Shrewsbury filed in procession from thechoir into the chapter-house, and made their way to their stalls in due order,Abbot Heribert leading. The abbott was old, of mild nature and pliant, a gentlegrey ascetic very wishful of peace and harmony around him. His figure wasunimpressive, though his face was beguiling in its anxious sweetness. Novicesand pupils were easy in his presence, when they could reach it, which was by nomeans always easy, for the extremely impressive figure of Prior Robert wasliable to loom between.

Prior Robert Pennant of mixed Welsh and English blood, was more than sixfeet tall, attenuated and graceful, silver-grey hair at fifty, blanched andbeautiful of visage, with long, aristocratic features and lofty marble brow.There was no man in the midland shires would look more splendid in a mitre,superhuman in height and authority, and there was no man in England betteraware of it, or more determined to prove it at the earliest opportunity. Hisvery motions, sweeping across the chapter-house to his stall, understudied thepontificate.

After him came Brother Richard the sub-prior, his antithesis, large,ungainly, amiable and benevolent, of a good mind, but mentally lazy. Doubtfulif he would ever become prior when Robert achieved his end, with so manyambitious and industrious younger men eyeing the prospect of advancement, andwilling to go to a great deal of trouble to secure it.