only yesterday!.... But to-day .... Four and twenty thousand sequins!"
His arms on a sudden failed him, and he sank back in a deep swoon, his
colorless face drooping on his shoulder. Now, while we did all in our
power to revive him, and while one serving-man ran for the leech and
another for the friar, meseemed that the old man's left side was
strangely stiff and numb; yet the low flame of his feeble life was still
burning.

Howbeit, when Master Ulsenius had let blood the old man opened his right
eye; and when presently he was able to say: "Book," and then again
"Book," we perceived by sundry signs that what he craved was water, and
that he spoke one word for another. And thus it was till his chief
confessor, Master Leonard Derrer, the reverend Prior of the Dominicans,
came in with the sacristan, to administer to him extreme unction. But
now, when the reverend Father came toward the dying man with the Body of
the Lord, there was so dreadful and sorrowful a sight to be seen as I may
never forget to my latter day. Instead of receiving that Holy Sacrament
in all thankful humility, my grand-uncle thrust away my lord Prior--a
whitebearded old man, of a venerable and commanding presence--with great
fury and ungoverned rage, storming at him in strangely-mingled words,
which for sure, he meant for others, but in a voice and with a mien which
plainly showed that he would have nought of that Messenger of Grace. And
from time to time he turned that eye he could use on Ann, and albeit he
spoke one word for another, he made shift many times to repeat the
Cardinal's name with impatient bidding, so that it was not hard to
understand his meaning and his intent to receive the Viaticum from none
other than that high prelate.

Howbeit, to us it seemed nothing less than treason to the dying man to
interpret this to my lord Prior, in especial since my grand-uncle had,