The Pocket Bible or Christian the Printer

ouse situated at about the center of the Exchange Bridge. Almost all the other bridges thrown over the two

pprentice at Master Raimbaud's. At the time, however, when this narrative opens, Odelin was absent from Paris, traveling in Italy with his master, who had gone to Milan in order to study the process by which the Milanese armors, as celebrated as those of Toledo, were manufactured.

er away was a little book-case containing in neat rows the volumes in the printing of which Christian and his father contributed at the printing establishment of Masters Henry and Robert Estienne. In the same case Christian kept under lock his family legends and relics, together with whatever else that he attached special value to. Above the case an old cross-bow and battle axe hung from the wall. It was always well to have some arms in the house in order to repel t

ey, here, in this room, out of that case, and withou

esterday when we discovered the theft

d our children

e of honest merchants, whenever occasion demands it, in order to gain access to a house and steal, and that they might play that trick

d as if communing with himself with painful anxiety. "Occasionally, Lefevre spends an evening with us; I have

wondering the other day what may have become of him; moreover, it is out of all q

nly going over the extremely small numb

s, true enough, a soldier of adventure;

almost anything in a hostile country, as is customary with people of his vocation; but he, who almost every

u for these wor

I suspected your brother?

ly reproached, might have caused suspicion to rise in some prejudiced mind, and-but my God-Christian-what ails you, tell me what ails you?" cried Bridget, seeing her husband hide his face between his hands in utter despair, and then suddenly ris

ayed the tortures of his heart, "the loss of the twenty gold crowns, that we gathered so laboriou

hat? Let

! It is too

what have

e, when I think of this affair I lose my head. When, at the printing shop, to-day, the horrible suspicion flashed through my mind, I feared it would drive me crazy! I struggled against it all I co

is stool; again a shudder ran over his fr

n that assails you and that you so violen

sted several minutes, the artisan murmured in

in's departure for Milan-you noticed, like myself, that a marked

; and she added: "Mercy! Would you

Bridget, distracted with grief as she was, did not a

p in the same principles as his broth

it with all my might," and the artisan's voice was smothered with sobs. "A

d take possession of you. Our son is continuously at the printing shop, at your side, as Hena is at mine; better than anyone else should you know your son's heart." Bridget remained silent for a moment

not exaggerate matters; let us not be unnecessarily cast down; let us calmly look into the affair; let us carefully refresh our memories; we may arrive-may God hear my wor

t cause scolded the poor boy, for whom he always before had only kind words. And often since then, have I had occasion to reproach Hervé for his rudeness, I should almost say harshness towards his sister, whom he dearly loved. He now seems to avoid her

he growing indifference of Hervé towards h

é might feel hurt if we showed any preference for Hena or O

ge, he has become an excellent Latinist. Owing to his aptitude in that direction he has more than once been chosen to gather precious manuscripts at the houses of some men of letters, who are the friends of Master Robert Estienne. Usually our son attended to such work with accuracy and despatch. Of late, however, his absence from the shop on such errands is

of his boyhood, all of whom are good and honest lads. He flees their company and spurns their cordial advances. The

am afraid, gained considerable influence over him, and rendered him savagely intolerant. Several of the artisans at the shop of Master Estienne are, like he himself, partisans of the religious reform; some are openly so, despit

upon, must have had the effect of keeping far from our son's mind an act so ugly that we can not mention it without shedding tears of sorrow," added Bridget wiping her moist eyes; "Hervé's piety, my friend, becomes daily more fervent; as you know, the unhappy boy imposes upon himself, at the risk of impairing his health, ever longer fasts. Did I not discover from the traces of blood upon his shirt that on certain days he carries close to his skin a belt that is furnished within with sharp iron pricks? That is not the conduct of a hypocrite! He

n listened to his wife withou

u, the more I consider the facts that you adduce-I hardly dare say so to you-my su

What a horri

e of the most frightful consequences of fanaticism is that it clouds and perverts the most elemental principles

word-theft-how can fanaticism excuse that

n in Paris, and he said emphatically that besides the immorality of the trade that was being practiced in the Pope's name, the extortion of money by such means from ignorance and from popular credulity was nothing short of a fraud practiced upon the people. And

nd murmured in a voi

lso fear! May God h

mpugn to him, in his blind fanaticism the unhappy boy will have believed that he was doing a merit