Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/355

 daughter is  gone.'  When  the  abbot  heard  this,  he  became  very sorrowful, and  bade  then  all  the  brothers  assemble  before  him, and said:  '  show  now  true  charity  to  our  friend,  and  pray  we  God in common  that  He  would  vouchsafe  to  show  him  what  has  been done with  his  daughter.'  Then  all  the  week  they  fasted  and continued in  their  prayers,  but  no  revelation  came  to  them  such as was  customary  to  them  when  they  prayed  for  anything. Truly, the holy  woman  Euphrosyne's  prayer  to  God  was,  both  day  and night, that  she  might  never  during  her  life  be  discovered. So when no revelation  came  to  the  abbot  or  the  brethren,  then  he  consoled him and  said:  'son,  weary  thou  not  of  the  Lord's  discipline,  because He correcteth  every  son  whom  He  loveth;  and  know  thou  that, without God's  will,  not  one  sparrow  falleth  on  the  earth. How much more  can  anything  happen  to  thy  daughter  without  God's ordinance? I know  that  she  hath  chosen  for  herself  some  good counsel, and  therefore  was  nothing  revealed  to  us  concerning  her; and if  it  were  the  case — and  far  be  it  from  it — that  thy  daughter had slidden  into  any  harm,  God  would  not  despise  the  labour  of these  brethen;  but  I  trust  in  God  that  He  will  yet  in  this  life reveal her.'  Then  was  he  heartened  by  these  words,  and  went home praising  God,  and  busied  himself  in  good  works  and  alms. Then one  day  came  he  again  to  the  abbot,  and  said:  '  pray  for  me, because my  sorrow  about  my  daughter  waxeth  more  and  more  in me  with  anguish.'  Then  the  abbot,  compassionating  him,  said: 'wouldest thou  speak  with  a  brother  who  came  from  king Theodosius' household? ' For  he  knew  not  that  she  was  his daughter. Then said  he,  that  he  gladly  would  do  so. Then the abbot bade  Agapitus  to  take  him  to  brother  Smaragdus. Then, when she  looked  on  her  father,  she  became  all  suffused  with  tears; and he  thought  that  it  had  been  from  devotion,  and  recognised  her not, because  she  was  much  thinned  by  reason  of  the  severe  and austere life;  and  she  covered  her  head  with  her  cowl,  that  he should  not  know  her;  and  when  they  had  ended  their  prayers, they sat  together. Then began  she  to  speak  to  him  of  the  heavenly kingdom's blessedness,  and  how  the  entrance  to  it  is  to  be  won  by