He slipped his arm under Durtal's, and leading him to the auditorium, begged him to wait, and disappeared.
Some minutes afterwards, the prior entered.
"Well," said he, "M. Bruno tells me that you are suffering. What is it, exactly?"
"It is so stupid that I am ashamed to explain myself."
"You will never astonish a monk," said the prior, smiling.
"Well, I know precisely, I am certain that you gave me ten beads of the rosary to recite every day for a month, and, since this morning, I have been arguing with myself against all common sense, to convince myself that my daily penance is to be the rosary ten times."
"Hand me your rosary," said the monk, "and look at these ten beads; well, that is all I prescribed for you, and all you have to recite. So you have told all the beads ten times to-day?"
Durtal signified assent.
"And naturally you were perplexed, you lost all patience, and ended up by rambling."
And seeing Durtal's pitiful smile,