Chapter the Second
Visitors

Visitors and Abbot Napp


"The snow is getting worse," Grunewald interjected, annoyed once again at Brother Matthew taking over the topic of conversation. He had been standing by the window and had observed the increasing severity of the storm. "I have work to do at the mill tomorrow, so we must get back to Namest tonight." Both his English friends reacted at once.
"We are in your hands, Otto," said Brown, collecting his coat, which he had discarded during their talk. "But I would just like to thank Brother Gregory once more for a most enlightening discussion."
Sam Giddings joined him in his thanks and added, "If you are ever in Huddersfield, come and see me. I'll show you a good time."
Mendel shuddered at the thought, but was polite enough to thank Giddings for his offer.

With more handshaking and back slapping, to which the Englishmen seemed addicted, the Mill owners prepared to leave. As they exited, Brother Timothy came hurrying along the corridor. "Ahh, Herr Grunewald, the Abbot would be delighted to pay his respects, please come with me." He totally ignored the three monks, but spoke to the two Englishmen, "I hope you are enjoying your visit?"
Brown told him that they were, "And we shall tell the Abbot how impressed we are by the work of Brother Gregory."
This was not what Brother Timothy wanted to hear, but he grimaced and twisted his hands, "You are too kind. Brother Gregory is one of our best scientists. The Abbot will be pleased that you find his work interesting. But, please, come with me. I will show you to the Abbot's quarters."
Thanking the Brothers yet again for their hospitality, the Englishmen left with Grunewald and Brother Timothy.

It only took minutes for the group of four men to walk along the connecting corridor and into the smaller part of the Monastery that housed the Abbot's rooms. On sunny days Abbot Napp could look out of his window onto a tiny rectangular garden enclosed on three sides by the Monastery buildings. Today, however, had he the inclination, all he would have seen was a curtain of white. The storm was gathering in intensity.
"Herr Grunewald, what a day!" he greeted his guests. "A small glass of schnapps?" Once they were comfortably seated, the conversation drifted politely over a range of topics, somewhat restrained by the need to translate everything for Sam Giddings. Brother Timothy added little to the exchange, which, in any case, centered mainly around their mutual interest in wool, weaving and the sale of textiles. Ever eager to advance the cause of science and the financial independence of the Monastery, Napp was pressing his cause for more research into the effects of leguminous fodder crops to feed the sheep, maintaining, as he had done since introducing the practice in 1829, that a component in legumes was beneficial to the sheep and was thus reflected in the quality of the wool.

At a suitable pause in the discussion Brother Timothy spoke up, "Excuse me Herr Grunewald, but our Prior expressed an interest in meeting your English guests. While you finish talking with the Abbot, I wonder if you would mind if I took them to his office for a few moments. We could meet you by the Anenska entrance?"
Having no objections, Grunewald continued his conversation with Napp and allowed Brother Timothy to lead the two Englishmen to Prior Sembera's rooms, where the pious Prior greeted them warmly and entertained them for a while showing them some of the Monastery's valuable manuscripts. He was particularly proud of the many Brno Augustinians who had studied at universities abroad, and showed them the reports of Simon of Brno who had been sent to Cambridge in 1419, and Andreas Bisman, the later bishop-suffragan, who had studied in Toulouse in 1458.