"I am come, by ordainment of the Lord Prior, to receive certain commands of my Lord Duke touching a book that he desireth to have written and ourned [ornamented] with painting in the Priory," said Wilfred in his quiet manner. "But what aileth yonder young master?--for he seemeth me in trouble." What ailed poor Hugh was soon told; and Wilfred, after a critical look at him, went up and spoke to him. "So thou hast a quarrel with God, my son?" "Nay! Who may quarrel with God?" answered Hugh drearily. "Only men and devils," said Wilfred. "Such as be God's enemies be alway quarrelling with Him; but such as be His own dear children--should they so?" "Dealeth He thus with His children?" was the bitter answer. "Ay, oftentimes; so oft, that He aredeth [tells] us, that they which be alway out of chastising be no sons of His." Hugh could take no comfort. "You know not what it is!" he said, with the impatience of pain. "Know I not?" said Wilfred, very tenderly, laying his hand upon Hugh's shoulder. "Youngling, my father fell in fight with the Saracens, and my mother--my blessed mother--was brent for Christ's sake at Cologne." Hugh looked up at last. The words, the tone, the fellowship of suffering, touched the wrung heart through its own sorrow. "You know, then!" he said, his voice softer and less bitter. "`Bithenke ghe on him that suffride such aghenseiynge of synful men aghens himsilff, that ghe be not maad weri, failynge in ghoure soulis.' Bethink ye: the which signifieth, meditate on Him, arm ye with His patience. Look on Him, and look to Him." Bertram stared in astonishment. The cautious scriptorius, who never broke bread with Wycliffe, and declined to decide upon his great or small position, was quoting his Bible word for word. Hugh looked up in Wilfred's face, with the expression of one who had at last found somebody to understand him. "Father," he said, "did you ever doubt of _every_ thing?" "Ay," said Wilfred, quietly. "Even of God's love? yea, even of God?" "Ay." Bertram was horrified to hear such words. And from Hugh, of all people! But Wilfred, to his surprise, took them as quietly as if Hugh had been repeating the Creed. "And what was your remedy?" "I know but one remedy for all manner of doubt, and travail, and sorrow, Master; and that is to take them unto Christ." "Yet how so," asked Hugh, heaving a deep sigh, "when we cannot see Christ to take them to Him?" "I know not that your seeing matters, Master, so that He seeth. And when your doubts come in and vex you, do you but call upon Him with a true heart, desiring to find Him, and He will soon show you that He is. Ah!" and Wilfred's eyes lighted up, "the solving of all riddles touching Christ's being, is only to talk with Christ." Bertram could not see that Wilfred had offered Hugh the faintest shadow of comfort; but in some manner inexplicable to him, Hugh seemed comforted thenceforward.