Benedicamus Domino

The college clock struck once. It was five minutes to one. The lay brothers began to march into their refectory from the long hall where they had assembled, the long hall with a stone floor on the left side of the college quadrangle. They moved very slowly, because Brother Silas, the shoemaker, went first and his deformed left leg forced him to go down the four stone steps sideways into the refectory, which Brother Euphronius, the laundry-man, said was 'more like a cellar than a refectory.' And in fact it was very bare and sunk into the ground, so that the two windows on the far side from the door only let in a stray ray of sunshine. Sitting at table the brothers' eyes were on a level with the gravel drive that led to the college reception room and very often some of them were scandalised by seeing the legs of lady visitors pass, 'with those shocking silk stockings they wear nowadays,' as Brother Cornelius used to say with a twinkle in his eyes.

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