The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-25

 burgomaster that he knew his secret. But he spoke to the old man as priest speaks to sinners. Ghysbrecht struggled long. At last he confessed. He signed papers and made full restitu- tion, sending her property to Margaret at once.
 As soon as this was done Brother Clement disappeared.
 Soon afterward the word was passed around, among the devout that a holy hermit had taken up his abode near Gouda in a dark cave under a VOW never to let his face be seen by human eyes. But at night he was seen to go forth and labor stealthily in poor mems fields or do other services for those who needed tn em.
 At first none connected the hermit with Brother Clement, alth ough that famous monks story was in all mouths and everybody was wondering whither he had gone. Men learned in the law came to Margaret and told her no court in Holland or all Europe would set aside her marriage and that she could compel Brother Clement to live with her as his wife, despite the church, since tn cir betrothal was a perfect cere- mony and had been celebrated before he was priest.
 To all this Margaret answered that she would not be an evil woman. The Princess Marie, remembering her promise to young Gerard, announced the apointment of Brother Clement to be Vicar of Gouda. ] But no one could find Brother Clement | no one until Margaret found him in the person of the hermit of Gouda. | Boldly she went to the cell when she was sure. and confronted the hermit He | stared at her and ran away to the woods. | There, immersed in icy water he prayed wildly to God to deliver him from temp | tation.
 Gerard was on the way to become re- l ligious maniac. All his brilliant mind, all his great soul had become bent on the task of standardization and pen anee for his sins.
 1 Margaret dragged herself away, crying: | "Cruell Cruel! Cruelr' He had thrown 1 her down when he tore himself away. | He heard the anguish in her voice as she went, and 1t froze him more than the icy water
 He felt an almost uncomfortable i'm pulse to curse his church. Mortified. he prayed more madly than ever He stood in the torrent to his neck till the bitter cold of the winter night fell on him. Then, hardly able to move. he crawled to his cave.
 | A candle was burning in it. Its light
 
 hair and tender skin and cheeks like peach. It smiled at him. He knelt down beside the lovely vision. 1 At first his disordered thoughts made him think the visitor cherub from heaven. Then he realized that it was a human being. Something broke within him. It was his wild spirit. He wept. and sanity returned to Gerard.
 timorous hand was laid on his shouI- der It. was Margaret. "Gerardr' she i said. You cannot reject usr' |
 And so love, pure, unselfish. unworldly, brought him back from madness Brother Clement came forth from his hermit's cell and became the Vicar of Gouda. The great storm was over. The wind had gone down.
 Now and then a loud wave would still come roaring, reminding them of the fear ful tempest that had been. But except for that the years passed gently and not unkindly The Vicar of Gouda lived for | his parish and men said that not only | human beings, but the very beasts and birds were happier there than elsewhere in all Holland.
 Margaret, glorious in denunciation, was content to see the lover of her youth fulfilling a noble destiny. She poured out her wealth to make possi- ble his good works. Though these two might not go through life side by side their souls were mated in pure and | ideal companionship. 1 So 10 years passed beautifully and graciously, and with them was Denys, who returned broken from the English wars to live by the side of his beloved Gerard, for whose sake he swallowed even his dislike for monks. | The little yellow aired laddie Gerard grew apace and began to show the promise of the man he was to be-the man of whom his country was so proud that to this day there is shown the l house where the great Erasmus was l barn.
 One day Margaret died, very peace fully, very gently. very patiently as she had lived. Her last word was "Jesusl" But before she uttered 1t she smiled radiantly. for the Vicar of Gouda, leaning above her, had whis- | pered:
 T was a priest. had charge of thy soul. But now the good fight Is won! | Never was woman loved so tenderly as | thou by me-"
 A fortnight afterward a pale, bowed | figure entered the Dominican convent near Gouda, as novice, on probation. It was Gerard, come to end as hd had begun.
 In a few days he lay in his cell, dying Just before dawn one morning he said: q come, love, come" Day broke and displayed his face | turned upward in silent rapture and his hands together as Margaret had held hers.
 | Next Sundays one-page classic will be "A Legend of Montrose," by Sir Wal | ter Scott.
 A Few Guesses on Women, From Judges Library