“The lion’s share,” interposed the Father Superior.

“You are too generous, Reverend Father,” said Brother Dominic.  “We could have done very little at Sandgate if you had not worked so hard for us throughout the length and breadth of England.  And that is what personally I do feel, Brethren,” he continued in more emphatic tones.  “I do feel that the Reverend Father knows better than we what is the right policy for us to adopt.  I will not pretend that I shall be anything but loath to leave Sandgate, but the future of the whole order depends on the ability of brethren like myself,” Brother Dominic paused for the briefest instant to flash a quick glance at Brother Anselm, “to recognize that our usefulness to the soldiers among whom we are proud and happy to spend our lives is bounded by our usefulness to the Order of St. George.  I give my vote without hesitation in favour of closing the Priory at Sandgate, and abandoning temporarily the work at Shorncliffe Camp.”

Nobody else spoke when Brother Dominic sat down, and everybody voted in favour of the course of action proposed by the Father Superior.

Brother Dominic, in addition to his other work, had been editing The Dragon, the monthly magazine of the Order, and it was now decided to print this in future at the Abbey, some constant reader having presented a fount of type.  The opening of a printing-press involved housing room, and it was decided to devote the old kitchens to this purpose, so that new kitchens could be built, a desirable addition in view of the increasing numbers in the Abbey and the likelihood of a further increase presently.

Mark had not been touched by the abandonment of the Sandgate priory until Brother Athanasius arrived.  Brother Athanasius was a florid young man with bright blue eyes, and so much pent-up energy as sometimes to appear blustering.  He lacked any kind of ability to hide his feelings, and he was loud in his denunciation of the Chapter that abolished his work.  His criticisms were so loud, aggressive, and blatant, that he was nearly ordered to retire from the Order altogether.  However, the Father Superior went away to address a series of drawing-room meetings in London, and Brother George, with whom Brother Athanasius, almost alone of the brethren, never hesitated to keep his end up, discovering that he was as ready to stick up to horses and cows, did not pay attention to the Father Superior’s threat that, if Brother Athanasius could not keep his tongue quiet, he must be sent away.  Mark made friends with him, and when he found that, in spite of all his blatancy and self-assertion, Brother Athanasius could not keep the tears from his bright blue eyes whenever he spoke of Shorncliffe, he was sorry for him and vexed with himself for accepting the surrender of Sandgate priory so much as a matter of course, because he had no personal experience of its work.

“But was Brother Dominic really good with the men?” Mark asked.