In his visits to Lewes before, as well as from the books that Mr.Carleton had lent him, he had learnt that the perfection of the Religious Life depended to a considerable extent upon minutiae that were both aids to, and the result of, a tranquil and recollected mind, the acquirement of which was part of the object of the monk's ambition.

The ideal, he knew, was the perfect direction of every part of his being, of hands and eyes, as well as of the great powers of the soul; what God had joined together man must not put asunder, and the man who had every physical movement under control, and never erred through forgetfulness or impulse in these little matters, presumably also was master of his will, and retained internal as well as external equanimity.
The great bell began to toll presently for compline, and the guest-master rose in the midst of his explanations.
"My Lord Prior bade me thank you for the hares," he said.

"Perhaps your servant will take the message back to Mr.Ralph to-morrow.

Come." They went down the stairs together and out into the summer twilight, the great strokes sounding overhead in the gloom as they walked.

Over the high wall to the left shone a light or two from Lewes town, and beyond rose up the shadowy masses of the downs over which Christopher had ridden that afternoon.