"What do you want?" he asked.
"To see Father Silvanus," replied Vereli quickly.
Peering at the three boys rather suspiciously, the old doorkeeper said with deliberation, "Such boys! To want to summon Father Silvanus for a joke! What do you want of him?"
"Let's go," suggested Vinzi softly. "Father Silvanus certainly has no time for us."
But Vereli was not so easily put off and said unabashed, "We carry a message from grandfather and wish to give it to Father Silvanus himself, as we were told to do."
At this, the old man opened the door a little wider and let the three boys step in. "You can wait here," said he abruptly and went down the dim passage.
The boys heard his shuffling step long after he was out of sight, and after a while other footsteps, firm and rapid, approaching.
"That's Father Silvanus!" exclaimed Vereli, but already the priest stood before them in his long robe and gazed at them searchingly.
"You are one of the boys at the Tower; you bear their mark," he said to Vereli. "Who are your companions?"
"This boy belongs to Lorenz Lesa and the other one is his cousin, Vinzi Lesa of Leuk."