7:11
_ Habit _ , he thought , _ can be destructive to the contemplative faculty _ . He glanced around the sacristy . His server , the young son of the Count of Saint Brieuc , sent here to complete his education as a gentleman who would some day be the King 's Governor of one of the most important counties in Brittany , was pulling his surplice down over his head . The clock said 7:11 . Father Bright forced his mind Heavenward and repeated silently the vesting prayers that his lips had formed meaninglessly , this time putting his full intentions behind them . Then he added a short mental prayer asking God to forgive him for allowing his thoughts to stray in such a manner . He opened his eyes and reached for his chasuble just as the sacristy door opened and Sir Pierre , the Count 's Privy Secretary , stepped in .