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ny that was before him, a mystical rapture seized him. His
spirit seemed to free itself from the bonds of the flesh and
he seemed to be living a new life. He aspired to perfection
with all the passion that was in him. He wanted to surren-
der himself entirely to the service of God, and he made up
his mind definitely that he would be ordained. When the
great day arrived, his soul deeply moved by all the prepa-
ration, by the books he had studied and above all by the
overwhelming influence of the head, he could hardly con-
tain himself for fear and joy. One thought had tormented
him. He knew that he would have to walk alone through
the chancel, and he dreaded showing his limp thus obvi-
ously, not only to the whole school, who were attending
the service, but also to the strangers, people from the city
or parents who had come to see their sons confirmed. But
when the time came he felt suddenly that he could accept
the humiliation joyfully; and as he limped up the chancel,
very small and insignificant beneath the lofty vaulting of
the Cathedral, he offered consciously his deformity as a sac-
rifice to the God who loved him.

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