The tables were bare wood, laid simply with utensils and no cloths, with a napkin in each place.

At the end opposite the door there sat at a table all alone a big, portly, kindly-faced man, of a startlingly fatherly appearance, clean-shaven, gray-haired, and with fine features.

This was the Abbot.
Above him hung a crucifix, with the single word "_Sitio_" beneath it on a small black label.
The meal began, however, with the ceremony of singing grace.

The rows of monks stood out, with one in the middle, facing the Abbot, each with his hood forward and his hands hidden in his scapular.

It was sung to a grave tone, with sudden intonations, by the united voices in unison--blessing, response, collect, psalm and the rest.