"(Bell tolls)" "# Veni, Sancte Spiritus" "# Mentes tuorum visita" "# Amen" "(Birch rod cracks)" "Is it over?" "PRIOR ROBERT:" "His penance is complete." "CADFAEL:" "Come along, Brother Adam." "You are absolved." "JEROME:" "His soul has been cleansed." "His wounds are filthy." "Oh, Brother Cadfael, please!" "Oh, so you can still feel pain." "I had to chastise myself." "My thoughts were so base." "Your thoughts were your own." "There was no need to own up to them in such lurid detail." "JEROME:" "Brother Cadfael?" "Father Abbot needs you." "Has he returned to the Abbey?" "No, no, no." "He's still half a day from here, but he sends word that he requires your skills." "I..." "I suspect he means your..." "balms and ointments." "Very well." "I had to confess my sins before the holy day." "The first pilgrims are already in the foregate." "A dozen at least." "All of them lame." "Well, what else do you expect on Cripples' Day?" "MAN:" "Let it drop." " Pull it up." " Up!" "up, up, up." "Leave it up there." "(Laughs) Oh, that looks fine." "CADFAEL:" "Come on, boy." "CADFAEL:" "Now, boy, you won't cure them by staring." "(Man cries out)" " Aargh!" " Oh, I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm being as gentle as I can." "I don't mind the pain." "It's what I've chosen." "I can bear it, Luc." "I can." "Why should you want to bear it?" "Young Ciaran is returning home in penitential pilgrimage with bare feet and a brave heart." "His brother Luc goes with him to offer support." "Moral or physical?" "Luc supports me in every way." "When I fall, he makes me get up." "When I slow down, he urges me on." "I see." "Onto where?" "The Isle of Ynys Enlli It's where I was born." "And it's where you will die." "Ciaran has a disease that has no cure." "While his body cannot be saved, at least his soul will be purified." "Do you know the name of this disease?" "Well, have you been to an infirmary?" "He will die, that's all that matters." "Your cross... ..is it heavy?" "The twine's so thin." "Part of his penance, Brother Adam." "And to be admired accordingly." "I wish that all our novices could witness this pilgrimage for themselves." "But...sadly, Ciaran's journey does not take him to Shrewsbury." "I think it should." "These cuts are badly infected." "Can't we persuade you to come back with us?" "Perhaps by the end of holy day" "I..." "I might have had time to heal some of these wounds." "A holy day?" "With other pilgrims?" "A hundred, at least." "All sick and crippled." "Then we'll follow you to Shrewsbury." "PRIOR ROBERT:" "This dormitory is full." "Close the gate!" "But there is still space in the courtyard, Brother." "Father Abbot would admit the rest, I'm certain." "While he's away, I will decide who enters and who does not." " There are too many of them this year." "MONK:" "Gates are closing!" " Father Abbot returns, Brother." "PILGRIM:" "Let me in!" "We're pilgrims!" " Open them." " Bless you, Brother." "Bless you indeed." "Whoa there!" "The bag there in the middle." "I'll pay you when I get the bag." "Or I could erm... ..drop my fee... if you'll join me for some erm...ale tonight." "Is it just a cup of ale you want my sister to raise, eh?" "Eh?" "Get away from me, cripple!" "I'll kill you for that." " Walter, please." " My...my legs." "Here." "Take your bag." "Let me help you." " There." "You're not hurt, are you?" " Yes!" "I must go to my brother." "LUC:" "Get up!" "Come on, Ciaran." "Come on." "MAN:" "Blessed peace and rest." "The order of procession is complete." "St Winifred's reliquary is being prepared, as we speak." " And the pilgrims?" " Er..." "Father?" "Where are the pilgrims?" "Well...well, most of them are...are in the streets of the town." "They should be within the Abbey walls, enjoying our protection." "Yes, but, Father, the guest dormitory, it's full." "Then put them in the courtyard and the storehouse." "But open the gates again and bid them all welcome, Brother Prior." "You think I should line up with the cripples and touch the holy relics." "Incurables have been cured." "Not me." "My fate is certain." "These wounds need cleaning." "Before I wipe away this blood, let me take this cross off." "No!" "Leave it alone!" "Well, calm yourself!" "I meant no harm, Ciaran." "(Door opens)" "I've not taken it off." "Not for a second." "Brother Cadfael will vouch for me." "Won't you?" "Yes." "Of course." "But you must let me treat your neck, where the twine has bitten into it here." "And your feet are still bleeding." "You can't walk for at least three days." "We'll stay that long." " But, Luc..." " I said... we'll stay." " This way, friends." " Take a blanket." " There you are." " To your left." "Welcome." "Take a blanket." "This way." "Now, to your left." "A blanket for you." "CADFAEL:" "Can I help you?" "Brother, you startled me." "Well, do forgive me." "Were you looking for something?" "(Chuckles)" "We're all looking for something, aren't we, Brother?" "We...pilgrims." "We...poor lost souls." "Well, you may well be lost, but you don't look very...poor." "No sin in that." "And you're obviously not a cripple." "Why have you come to this particular holy day?" "Ah..." "Well, I erm..." "I have some relics you might find interesting." "Normally, I sell to fellow travellers," " but if you're interested..." " No, stop there." "Whatever it is you're selling, we have St Winifred's relics here." "We need no others, thank you." "You're Brother Cadfael, aren't you?" "I am indeed." "Simeon Bagot, Merchant of Warwick." "Now, I'm told you can find room for some more inside the Abbey, in the erm...the infirmary or the guest hall." "A fool told me I'd have to sleep in the courtyard." "(Both chuckle)" "The fool was right." "You misunderstand me, Brother." " I do not wish to sleep in the cold." " Nor do many others." "You wear my patience, monk." "You outstay your welcome, merchant." "(Bell tolls)" "(Coughing)" "WALTER:" "Melangell." "Come back here!" "Come here." "Stay away from them." "(Angrily) Oh!" "(Door is unlatched)" "Father Abbot wants them to be warm and dry." "MONK:" "Brother Cadfael, why are you letting all these people in?" "CADFAEL:" "Come on, all of you." "In you come." "Come along." "There's plenty of room." "Plenty of room for all of you." "Come along." "This way." "PILGRIM:" "God bless you, Brother." "(Coughing)" "I'll pay you in the morning." "SIMEON:" "Ah, how about that drink?" " Get off!" "(Simeon groans)" "Brother Prior!" " They're in the warming room." " What!" "(Whispers)" "Out!" "Out!" "All of you, out!" " This room is not for pilgrims." " Wake up!" " Out!" " You have no permission to be here." "JEROME:" "Now, move it out." "Come on!" "Out?" " Not in here." "PILGRIM:" "This is intolerable." "(Grumbling)" " Mind your leg." "Watch your step." "PRIOR ROBERT:" "Come along." "Out!" "Out!" "All of you, out!" "If you need warmth, there's a perfectly good brazier for you there." " It's freezing!" " It's unchristian!" "Look at all these filthy sacks they've left!" " Shall I...shall I fetch them back?" " No, no, no." "Keep them out." "The warming room is for the benefit of Benedictines." "Those pilgrims had no right to enter." "(Sniffs) What...?" "What do they pack when they travel?" " No...no, it's this one." "It absolutely stinks!" " The stench is truly horrible." "(Rasp)" "(Gasps)" "Get Father Abbot." "Yes, Brother Prior." "PRIOR:" "Who owns this satchel?" " Who owns this satchel?" " (Mumbling)" "Answer me!" " Right, I want you all out of here." " (Groaning)" "Out of these cloisters now!" "All of you!" "What is it, Brother Prior?" "What...what have you found?" "It's unspeakable." "Unspeakable!" "Who is this man?" "And how did he come to be here?" "I'm afraid, it's not going to be so easy to find out now, Father." "After what happened when he was found by Prior Robert." "I called for Father Abbot." "What else could I have done?" "All I am saying is..." "I think it's a pity, and I'll put it no stronger than that." "But I think it's a pity you let all the pilgrims just walk out of the room." "I should have kept them locked up here where they had no right to be?" "Given there may be a murderer among them, it could have been a good idea." " What do you mean, Brother?" " Well, Father..." "I'm sure you'll agree, it is unusual for someone to be walking around with a dead body trussed up in a leather sack." "But before I can tell you more... ..I'll have to examine him more closely." "God protect us." "Forgive the lack of welcome, Hugh, but we discovered an extra guest." " You discovered him?" " Yes." "Trussed up like a cooking fowl and stuffed inside this old satchel." " Belonging to who?" " A pilgrim!" "One of the many in the Abbey." "His limbs look as though they've all been broken." "Yes, the joints have been snapped." "Well, you can see." "This satchel isn't very big." "If the body was cold, how else would you force the limbs inside the bag?" "We must get this out of here and buried straightaway." "With...with all due reverence." " Not buried yet." " It stinks!" "That's because he's been dead for some time." "How long?" "Well, a week." "Maybe more." "The weather's been cold." "Father, will you agree with me, this corpse must be buried?" "Father...we might have a murderer among us here in the Abbey." "Everyone must remain in the Abbey till we know the truth." "Which only he can tell us." " If he's buried, we'll never know what happened." " What are you proposing?" "Mos teutonicus." "What's that?" "A vat is filled with vinegar and the body is boiled inside it." "Until the flesh separates from the bones." "I need to examine this skull." "It's out of the question, Brother Cadfael." "Mos teutonicus is for the highest in the land who died away from home." "We don't know his standing." "Or where he lived or where he died." "My point is, Father, the bones can be buried with just as much reverence as the whole body." "And mos teutonicus will allow me to study this skull more closely." "What do you expect to find?" "I think I can feel a crack at the back of the skull here." " A blow to the head." " Mm." "That would fit with the blood and the mucus from his nose, dried around his mouth." "The longer we talk in such disgusting detail, the worse the stink will become." "May I dispose of this, Father?" "Let me have my way and we will all be content." "We will honour this man's bones." "But I too should like to know more about him." "Very well, Cadfael." "Do it." "I'll await your findings." "Who are you, old man?" "And how did you die?" "(Mass bell rings)" "# .." "Luceat eis, Domine" "(Abbey bell tolls)" "# Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum" "# Quia plus es" "# Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine" "# Et lux perpetua luceat et" "# Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine" "# Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum" "# Quia plus es" "(Abbey bell tolls) SIMEON:" "The body of a dead man." "A fellow pilgrim, perhaps, packed tight...in a satchel." "Deformed, decaying, horrible." "SERGEANT:" "Shut the gates!" "Bolt them!" "No-one is to leave." "WOMAN:" "You can't do that!" "MAN:" "Let us out!" "Now, we're...all of us, trapped here." "Not just with a rotting cadaver... ..but with a murderer too." "(Pilgrims gasp)" "Who knows which one of us will suffer the same fate and end up bleeding?" "PILGRIM:" "It's the devil's work." "2ND PILGRIM:" "That's true." "SIMEON:" "Gasping for air." "Dying... in a bag." "None of us is safe." "We must all stay awake and protect each other." "Or else be taken from this world and cast down into the pit... ..of damnation." "SIMEON:" "As for myself, I'll trust in God." "And... ..the relics that have... kept me safe these...five and thirty years." "Gather close and... see what I have." "(Pilgrims mutter)" "From the cold, dead scalp of St Matthew of Harrogate... (Pilgrims gasp)" "..who, as we all know, was struck down by the evil Lord Tarristock as he tried to defend the little children of his mistress." "Who wants to buy a lock of the martyr's hair?" " I will." " How much do you want for it?" "The purse." "The purse - you must give it back." "I'll take it to the old man if you can't face him." "Oh, I understand." "I give you the purse and you keep it for yourself." "No." "And then you tell every monk in the Abbey I'm a thief, so they can turn me over to the Sheriff." "That's not what I call justice, as you'll find." "For now, I want the old man to have his purse back." "The purse." "Nothing else?" "Yes." "There's something I want." "What's your name?" "Melangell." "My name's Luc." "Will you join me in prayer?" "Prayer?" "Murder seems likely." "See... here, where the skull's been split." "As I thought." "Mos teutonicus, and you merely find what you knew already." "Oh..." "It confirms that this could have been enough to kill the man." "From a blow to the head which might have been an accident." "Yes, it might have been an accident." "But as I said before, why hide the results of an accident in an old leather sack?" "There may be other indications it was murder." "I can't find that out until I've reassembled all the bones." "In the meantime, it is essential that all the pilgrims should remain within the Abbey walls." "Must we live in fear of our lives until Brother Cadfael is...done?" "Father Abbot... ..the gates are now locked and guarded." "I urge you to keep them secure." "The pilgrims must go out with St Winifred when her reliquary is carried from the Abbey on Cripples' Day." "If we prevent pilgrims from travelling, they cease to be pilgrims." " There's nowhere to put them." " Find somewhere." "I need to keep every suspect within reach until I know who's guilty." "There should be room in the storehouse or bell tower." "Their purpose is not to accommodate pilgrims." "Their purpose is for whatever Father Abbot decides." "Open the bell tower and fill the storehouse." "You have tonight and the whole of tomorrow to learn what you can." "But when the gates are opened for St Winifred, they're opened for everyone." "There is something that I've found." "This cross." "When the vat was emptied and the flesh pulled from the bones, this was found tangled among the ribs." "And yet when the body was placed in the vat, it was completely unadorned." "How do you account for that, Brother?" "I'm afraid I can't, Father." "SERGEANT:" "Keep moving on the stairway." "Keep moving." "(Coughing and muttering)" "Go that way, please." "SERGEANT:" "That's right." "Straight to the top." "PILGRIM:" "But we can't see up here." "WOMAN:" "We can't sleep up here." "WALTER:" "Out of the way, that's my space." "Can't you see my leg?" "Walter, stop it!" " I'm sorry." "PILGRIM:" "You think you can push me around!" " You'll have to excuse my brother." " That's all right." "Thank you." "WALTER:" "Sleep well." "MELANGELL:" "Sit down!" "That man with the beard is a thief." " If I could only prove it." "CADFAEL:" "What, Simeon Bagot?" "Is that his chosen name?" "It was John Poer when I last saw him." "Oh, where was that?" "At a fair on the other side of the county." "Purses went missing, and so did he." "So?" "He's a thief." "Does that make him a murderer?" "# Dies irae, dies illa" "# Solvet saeclum in favilla" "# Teste David cum Sybilla" "# Quantus tremor est futurus" "# Quando Judex est venturus" "# Cuncta stricte discussurus" "# Tuba, mirum spargens sonum" "# Per sepulchra regionum" "# Coget omnes ante thronum" "# Mors stupebit, et natura" "# Cum resurget creatura" "# Judicanti responsura" "# Liber scriptus proferetur" "# In quo totum continetur" "# Unde mundus judicetur" "# Nil inultum remanebit" "# Nil inultum remanebit" "Well, we know that he was lame." "You see how the bones have grown crooked after being broken?" "And the right leg is shorter then the...the left." "This is a very old break." "Look how it's healed after twisting when he was alive." "A lame man here for Cripples' Day." "No..." "You might have a suggestion there." "He was brought to the Abbey, despite being dead." "Why?" "A final pilgrimage, perhaps, forced upon him by those that were carrying him." "He might, of course, have been alive when he started out and then killed on the way." "There are so many possibilities." "And then someone managed to drop this into the vat." "It's possible they might wish to have it back." "But they don't know where to find it." "If only I had as many facts to piece together as I have bones." " And how many facts do you have, Brother?" " Two." "He's been dead not more than a week, and he was put into the satchel within a day of his death, when his limbs were still stiff." "Brother?" "Father Abbot wants you." "Erm...he's allowing Ciaran to leave." "Boy...you stay here." "And don't leave those bones." "No-one in the Abbey is above suspicion!" "Ciaran should be allowed to leave if he chooses." " His innocence is as plain as his penitence." " He is no different from any other pilgrim." "He sets an example that we would all - all - do well to copy." "There can be no question that such a humble and self-deprecating soul" " could ever be accused of a crime." " Certainly not one as horrific as murder." "He's a God-fearing young man, Brother Cadfael." "Do you doubt that?" "Brother Cadfael's opinion has been affected by his investigation." "I believe Ciaran to be innocent, and I intend to let him leave when he wishes." "Furthermore..." "I've decided to offer my own assistance." "I shall give him one of my rings." "It bears the device of the Bishop of Winchester and should afford safe conduct through Wales." "Thank you, Father Abbot." "It offers you more protection than even your brother could hope to do." "And does this mean I can leave the Abbey?" "Yes." "Your brother, too, of course." "Your brother can easily walk away." "But if you insist on leaving now, you must have me care for your feet." "Come to my workshop." "My brother Walter cannot rest." "It's the pain from his legs." "Will you give me a sleeping draught?" "Why don't you let me look at them?" "I might be able to do something for you." "Just..." "leave that to St Winifred." "Give me some poppy juice." "Please, Walter." "For me." "Let him look at you." "Come and sit down." "You've been lame from birth?" "From birth?" "No." "Well, tell him, Melangell." "Tell him how you nearly killed me." "I tripped him as we played by a river." "The current took him and... and his legs were dragged over rocks." "I nearly drowned." "(Groans)" "My legs were shredded." "And the bones were showing white through the blood." "I nursed him as well as I could." "Spent weeks feeding him, cleaning him." "But you couldn't mend my legs." "They're as useless now as when I dragged myself out of the river." "I did what I could." "Not enough." "I can't look after myself." "Or ever hope to." "It's my fault my brother was hurt." "I took away the life he should have had." "So he has mine instead." "You took a vow, with your hand on the True Cross at Hereford, you promised to take care of me." "That's what I do." "Every day, every hour, I'm with you." "What more do you want from me?" "(Door slams)" "I thought your problem might have stemmed from your sinews but they don't appear to be knotted." "Just let me have some poppy juice." "CADFAEL:" "I told you to come to me." "Perhaps your poor feet couldn't cover even that short distance." " I haven't tried to walk tonight." " Hm." "Will you try tomorrow?" " That's when you're leaving us, isn't it?" " Ask Luc." "You said you were going back home to your birthplace." "Hm?" "In Wales." "Is that where your parents still live?" "They died many years ago." "Both of them." "And you're going home to join them in death." "Well, I'm afraid that holds no attractions for me, if it could be avoided." "I have no desire to become a pile of bones like that body we found in the satchel." "Oh, I'm sorry, did I sting you?" "The body...is bones now?" "Oh, yes." "Just bones... on a slab..." "..waiting to be buried." "Oh, forgive me." "You mustn't let my...morbid thoughts dissuade you from your purpose." "Yes, I..." "Erm..." "I fear my... own bones will soon rot in the earth." " Where is the ring the Abbot gave you?" " What?" "The Abbot's ring." "Where is it?" "I don't know." "It was taken." "Taken?" "By whom?" " I didn't see who." " You didn't see?" "This was a personal gift from the Abbot himself." "And you didn't notice who took it?" "I was asleep." "When I woke, the ring had gone." "But it couldn't have gone easily." "I can see how it must have hurt you." "How could you sleep through that?" "I don't know." "But I did." "ADAM:" "Brother?" " Brother, come quickly." " What?" "(Chokes)" " The infirmary is not a place for pilgrims." " Has he said what he's doing here?" " Not...yet!" " I was lost." " The truth now!" "That is the truth." "No, the truth is what I'll get from you if we're alone." "I was trying to find a way out of the Abbey." " I'm afraid for my life." " What, you afraid?" "There is a murderer inside these walls, and you keep us imprisoned here with this lunatic sent from hell to slit our throats." "There are young children here." "Women, too." "They do not deserve to feel their lifeblood spurting from their necks." "Please, Brother, release us before someone else is butchered." "(Sighs)" "(Pilgrim groans)" "(Crutches tap rapidly)" "(Abbey bell tolls)" "CADFAEL:" "You must have seen something." "Or at least heard something." "I was listening to God." "You were struck on the head." "You were robbed." "Your...your purse has been cut from your belt, look." "You've lost your purse?" "No, I've lost nothing." "Then why were you attacked?" "(Chatter)" "Well, the merchant Simeon said nothing." "His memory was lost the moment he left the infirmary." "Well, from last night's events, I'd say the most likely suspect is that young man on crutches." "Well, you're forgetting what the merchant sells." "He sells relics." "And silver crosses..." "like the one in the vat." "Yes, but none of the pilgrims went near the vat." "The only people in the infirmary were Benedictines." "But no-one in the Abbey is above suspicion." "What else does a man like Simeon Bagot sell?" "Bones." "Well, his sort always claim to have the finger of one saint, the rib of another." " So, then?" " So, then?" "Well, Simeon Bagot gets his bones from the people he kills." "People like the old man in the satchel." "Oh, perhaps, but... why carry a whole body round with you?" "I mean, he could have boiled it down before he got here." "I suppose he could." "Right, double the guard on the gate." "Two over there." "Have you been on your knees with that God-loving fool?" "Luc's a good man." "Different to the rest." "But no better than the dozens you've had before." "Don't be taken in by his good looks, his firm, fit body." "Inside...he is a madman." " Have you seen him this morning?" " No." " Why?" "What's happened?" " Have you not got anything for me today?" "Don't you ever think of anything but stealing?" "I can't afford to." "We can't afford to." "Stay away from Luc." "He's sent from the devil." "He'll have you seeing visions and speaking in tongues." "Never..." "Never imagine because God already knows your sin, you shouldn't confess it." "You learn about yourself through the act of confession." "Only through true repentance can you find the way." "Do you understand?" "CADFAEL:" "Adam!" "Come on, boy!" "There's work to be done." "You will find no peace through work." "Peace...peace...is found only through the confession of sin." "We'll talk again soon." "Yes." "Yes, please." "Adam, are you unhappy with the rule of St Benedict?" "No, Brother." "Do we teach you badly?" "Would you prefer Luc was your tutor?" "No." "WALTER:" "Put your money down." "Now, I'm good at this." "(Laughs) All right, all right." "The dice... are mine." " Not just a cripple..." "(Pilgrims scream)" "..but a cheating cripple." "MONK:" "Brother Prior, quickly, this way." "This way!" "What is happening here?" "Gambling?" "Gambling in this holy place!" "Out!" "Out, all of you." "Go, be gone." "Be gone!" "Out of here." " You vermin!" "MONK:" "Go on, go on." "Go!" "Go!" "On your feet." "(Coins clatter)" "Now... when you were brought in here and laid on this bed, this ring was found in your purse." "This is Father Abbot's gift to a penitential pilgrim." " And you stole it, didn't you?" " Stole it?" "Me?" " Yes." " No, Brother." "You plied Ciaran with the poppy juice I gave you, then you pulled it off his finger." "I wouldn't go near that evil lunatic." "Well, how did you come by it, then?" "Simeon Bagot, he must have put it on me, to get me into trouble." "You must think I'm a fool." "The monk knows we steal." "We have to go before he tells the Sheriff." "Now, don't tell me you want to stay and pray?" "Melangell, you know how much I need you." "I can't carry the bag alone." "Do you want me to starve and die?" "Melangell, please." "It's all right, Walter." "I won't leave you." "Try and see what's behind those screens." "There's always somebody sitting there." "What's so valuable it has to be guarded?" "Melangell." " Brother Cadfael." " Yes." "Now, listen... last night I saw your brother follow Luc as he left the bell tower." "I followed them both to the Abbey." "And as the bell rang for lauds, I found Luc unconscious and your brother gone." "Walter was already asleep." " When the bell rang for lauds?" " Yes." "All of us in that hellhole woke up, just as we have done every night." "Walter included." "Do you think he ran back from the Abbey?" "Yes, I do." "I think his legs are as strong as yours or mine." "I think he attacked Luc... because he's afraid that Luc is going to take you away from him." "You're wrong." "My brother's a cripple." "Is he?" "Brother!" "Father Abbot has summoned us." " Why?" " Come with me." " But..." " Come with me now." "Melangell, you come, too." "See... he needs his crutches even when he's alone." "Now, wait." "(Shouts) I left it in the infirmary." "I'll fetch it now." "Melangell, I..." "You..." "Melangell..." "I'm free to go." "Yes, you are." "Father Abbot has made his wishes very plain." "So, do you wish to leave now, or will you wait for first light?" "I'll wait a little longer than that, I think." "Yes." "I'll go when the time is right." "Does Luc know you found this?" "No, not yet." "You won't have to tell him." "The ring is mine." "To help me on my journey." "Whose idea was this pilgrimage?" "I know you're the pilgrim... ..but it seems your brother's the one who believes in the power of penitence." "We both believe in that." "(Low chatter)" "PILGRIM:" "Yes, my friend." "Right, right." "Yes, you're right, my friend." "(Low chatter continues)" "Melangell, listen to me." "I've prayed long and hard." " I know what I must do." " What?" "Just listen." "I'm going to die soon." "Luc is not." "He should stay with someone who can still learn from him." "He should stay with you." "He won't." "I know it." "He's taken a vow." "Just as I did." "That vow must be broken." "Tomorrow, on the holy day, stay close to Luc." "As soon as the gates are opened, I'll be off to Wales." "On your own?" "I have the Abbot's ring to protect me." "It was lost, but found again now." "A sign that I should go." "But not a word to Luc about that." "Not till I've gone." "Will you stay with Luc tomorrow?" "Yes, I'll stay with him." "PILGRIM:" "St Winifred!" "PILGRIM:" "Hallelujah!" "2ND PILGRIM:" "Save us!" " Hallelujah!" " Hallelujah!" "Time to open the gates." "PILGRIM:" "Save me!" "PRIOR ROBERT:" "And us to rest easy in our beds again, knowing the murderer has gone." "The murderer you failed to catch, Brother Cadfael." "# Kyrie, eleison" "# Kyrie, eleison" "# Christe, eleison" "# Christe, eleison" "# Kyrie, eleison" "# Kyrie, eleison" "# Christe, audi nos" "# Christe, audi nos" "# Christe, ex audi nos" "# Christe, ex audi nos" "# Pater de caelis, Deus" "# Miserere nobis" "# Fili, redemptor mundi, Deus" "# Miserere nobis" "# Spiritus Sancte Deus" "# Miserere nobis..." " All these years I've wasted on you." " Just listen to me." "No!" "I've heard enough of your lies." "I'm going with a man who speaks the truth." "I walked only three steps." "It must have been the presence of St Winifred." "Melangell!" "I can't go on alone!" "Melangell, please." "# Omnes sancti angeli et archangeli" "# Ora pro nobis" "# Omnes sancti beatorum Spirituum ordines..." "(Pilgrims call out prayers)" "Luc!" "Come to the front." " Let's keep close to St Winifred." " Where's Ciaran?" "I...saw him by the Abbey steps." "Don't worry about him." "Stay with me." "We can be together now." "Luc." "(Chanting continues outside)" "(Crowd roars)" "# Miserere nobis" "# Spiritus Sancte, Deus" "# Miserere nobis" "# Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus" "# Miserere nobis" "# Sancta Maria" "# Ora pro nobis" "# Sancta Dei Genetrix... (Pilgrims call out to relics)" "# Sancta virgo virginum" "# Ora pro nobis... (Handbell rings)" "Oh!" "Adam, who's guarding the bones?" "Everyone's out here." "I left you there for a purpose, boy." "(Gust of air)" "(Chains rattle)" "I'm sorry, Brother." "I'm so sorry." "Be quiet!" "Let me think." "Go and find Hugh Beringar." "Tell him what's happened." "Let's hope there's still time to catch the merchant." "The merchant?" "Yes." "Hugh was right after all Simeon Bagot's the murderer." "But you said it was Walter." "I thought so until I saw him outside just now." "Well, he couldn't have taken the bones." "Now, go, quickly!" "(Monk whispers blessing)" "Come on!" "Luc!" " Come back inside." " Not without Ciaran." "Where is he?" "He's gone." "You can forget him now." "Gone?" "Gone where?" "The road to Wales." "He won't go without me." "He has the Abbot's ring so he'll be safe." "And I can be your pupil." "Don't go after him." "He wants you to stay with me." "He said your vow must be broken." "PILGRIM:" "Master Luc!" "Pax vobiscum." "(Pilgrims gasp)" "I'm cured." " I can walk!" "PILGRIM:" "Blessed St Winifred!" "PILGRIM:" "It's a miracle!" "(Pilgrims gasp)" "PILGRIM:" "He's cured, he's cured." "Touch me." "Touch him." "It's a miracle, Brother." "What a miraculous holy day, Brother Cadfael." "What a miraculous holy day, Brother Cadfael." "Will it always be so?" "Will it always be so?" "Somehow, Adam, I...very much doubt it." "WALTER:" "Thank you." "Thank you, friend." "Thank you." "No amount too small or large." "Your money is blessed." "Here, feel." "I'm a living mira..." "Your performance may have fooled these poor souls, but I know the truth." "Unless you hand their money back, I'II let them know just what an impostor you are!" "They will tear you limb from limb!" "PILGRIM:" "He's an impostor!" "2ND PILGRIM:" "An impostor!" "He tricked us!" "I am..." "I am cured." " Thief!" " Give me my money back!" "WOMAN:" "Give me back my money!" "MAN:" "I'll break your legs for real!" "I want my money back!" "Impostor!" "All right, all right." "Just...just..." "MELANGELL:" "I've been so stupid." "We all have times when we fail." "And that's when we must confess our sins... and seek to purify our soul." "Luc would know what to say." "Luc?" "Who do you think did this?" "He hit me." "But Luc's a good man." "Oh, so he'd make you think." "A kind man, wise and gentle." "I saw him helping your brother to walk." "When he was still a cripple?" "Yes, he put his strong arms round Walter and helped him walk round the courtyard, just as he helped his own father to walk." "CADFAEL:" "But his father died years ago." "No." "He's been dead little more than a week." "Did Luc tell you that?" "And he was lame?" "So he said." "A crippled father who died a week ago?" "Where is Luc now?" "Gone after his brother...to Wales." "Did he have a satchel with him?" "No, he went with nothing." "Then Ciaran has the bones." "Adam, fetch Hugh Beringar." "Tell him to ride to the Long Forest where it crosses the road to Wales." "I think Ciaran has those bones, and the cross." "Well, come on, hurry up, boy." "No, Brother, you're wrong." "Ciaran does not have the cross." "I do." "SERGEANT:" "Sheriff's orders." "All pilgrims' bags to be searched." "Come on, empty it out." "PILGRIM:" "What are you looking for?" "We've done nothing." "We've taken nothing, we've stolen nothing." "Whoa." "SERGEANT:" "I haven't got all day." "Empty it." "SIMEON:" "Back." "Come on." "Step down before my sergeant pulls you down." "SERGEANT:" "All right, you two can go." "What are you looking for?" "What?" "Where are they?" "At the bottom?" "Yes." "I see them." "The bones of the man you murdered." "Did you really think you could escape from God?" "Luc, please!" "Forgive me." "You have been called towards evil and must be punished." "Forgive me." "Please!" "It's not for me to forgive!" "(Thud)" "I haven't broken my vow." "Why kill me?" "(Screams) Why?" "Why don't you answer your brother?" "I found this... ..outside." "I see you have the rest." "Did you kill him?" "Well, everything I know suggests you did." "These bones show that this man had one leg deformed." "That means he was lame." "And I heard Melangell describing how Luc used to support his lame father." "Your father, Ciaran." "Did you kill him?" "SERGEANT:" "You two as well." "Empty your bags." "Where is the cross?" "(Chuckles) You've seen all the jewellery I have." "Strip him." "Look everywhere." "Your guilt suggests a mortal sin." "And why take the bones... ..unless you want to hide them?" "I want to bury them." "I want to bury my father in Wales... ..where he was born." "It's what I vowed to do." "I was going to do it." "This was your idea, this penitential pilgrimage." "Even this heavy cross about his neck." "My brother took a vow." "We agreed." "If he should break any part of it, I would take his life." "It is not for you to take anyone's life!" "How dare you play God!" "Is that what you were doing when you removed the Abbot's ring from your brother's finger?" "The ring Walter stole from you." "I..." "I am doing God's work!" "God's work?" "You're not fit even to mention his name, let alone presume to act on his behalf." "Whatever Ciaran has done, you cannot decide his punishment." "But I deserve to die, Cadfael." "I killed our father." "This is not a man." "No, it's an ass... ..as you are." "ADAM:" "Lord Beringar!" "Lord Beringar, come quickly." "Brother Cadfael needs you with him." "Come on." "Come on!" "I pushed him." "He fell downstairs." "He hit his head." "You pushed your father downstairs?" "We were fighting." "He said I was getting as mad as my brother." "But this was not madness." "This was the truth." "At last..." "I could see God's truth." "You finally came to me, but Father would not." "And now he burns in hell." "Your father hit his head, you say." "Did he die straightaway?" "He was alive... but he wouldn't wake up." "Luc stopped the bleeding." "I went for help... ..and when I came back..." "..he was dead." "I killed him." "I killed him." "I cannot... (Cross clatters)" "..this journey." "Finish me now." "You won't touch your brother while I'm here." "Vengeance must be mine!" "Vengeance belongs to God." "And justice is for Lord Beringar to administer." "Would you kill your brother... while he wears your father's cross?" "This is not Father's." "This is Luc's." "This is yours?" "But this was found in the vat... with your father's bones." "Did you put it there, Luc?" "CADFAEL:" "Luc!" "He needed protection on his journey." "What journey?" "Not the journey to Wales?" "This wasn't found in the satchel with the body." "This was found..." "Unless... ..this... was inside...the body itself." "Have I been very stupid?" "The blood in his mouth didn't come from his nose, did it?" "It came from his throat." "Am I right, Luc?" " Answer me!" " Yes, there was blood from his throat." "Better blood than..." "than the putrid bile of his blasphemy." "And you silenced him with this?" "You thrust it into his mouth?" "I gave him a token of God's love." "You choked him to death by forcing this cross down his throat." " His time had come." " It had not come." "He was still alive." "With this cross...you killed him." "You!" "This pilgrimage...was for nothing." "This pilgrimage was to teach him true remorse." "His whole life has been full of sin till now." "The sinner who wants to repent must be afraid." "And I made him afraid." "But you're the one who sinned." "You're the one who murdered." "What suffering has God reserved for you?" "I will suffer... when I have helped more wretched souls like you to find the way." "(Thud)" "Your time..." " ..has come." " (Groans)" "CADFAEL:" "Luc!" "Don't!" "Leave him!" "LUC:" "Stay back, Cadfael!" "(Ciaran cries out)" "How will you suffer?" "(Screams) Tell me!" "I have the killer." "No." "I have him here." "You don't have to go on now." "I think I do." "If I'd listened to my father instead of my..." "..instead of him... ..my father would still be alive." "The guilt for what has happened... ..is not yours." "I have it, though." "I always will." "Oh, Adam..." "Have you learned nothing?" "Luc said suffering and remorse..." "I'm not interested in what Luc said." "And you should forget everything he told you." "But I've sinned." "Then pray for forgiveness." "There are so many people in this world born to pain they've not chosen." "Your prayers are enough." "Nothing more is wanted." "(Abbey bell tolls)" "# Mentes tuorum visita" "# Amen"