There was a horror of long waiting with the certainty of what was to come.

The narrow street was empty to the eye, and yet there was the knowledge of evil presence, of two strong men waiting in the dark to take their victim to the place of expiation.

And the horror grew in the silence and the emptiness, until it was unbearable.
The door opened and the boy was with the monk under the black arch.
The old man embraced him and blessed him and stood still for a moment watching him as he went down.

Then he, also, turned and went back, and the door was closed.
Swiftly the two men glided from their hiding-place and sped along the uneven pavement.

The boy paused and faced them, for he felt that he was taken.