Literature
The Treasures of Glaston 17
xvii. The choice
DAYS passed. The exaltation produced in the monks by the abbot's short talk began to wear off. They were crowded and uncomfortable in the half-finished chapel and bell tower, and a spell of cold wet weather added to their difficulties. The half-demolished kitchen made feeding the eighty or so who had lived in the conventual halls possible, but a real problem, and an epidemic of colds reduced spirits to a very low ebb. Dispositions were edgy, work lagged, and idleness gave ample opportunity for self-pity and complaining. Abbot Robert was tireless in his efforts to set the routine of the Benedictine life going again. The