,made and ,printed in ,great ,britain at ,the ,mayflower ,press1 ,plymouth4 ,william ,brendan ,son1 ,ltd4 ,,preface ,,in a former book1 called ,lord of the ,world1 ,i attempted to sketch the kind of developments a hundred years hence which1 ,i thought1 might reasonably be expected if the present lines of what is called modern thought were only prolonged far enough2 and ,i was informed repeatedly that the effect of the book was exceedingly depressing and discouraging to optimistic ,christians4 ,in the present book ,i am attempting--also in parable form--not in the least to withdraw anything that ,i said in the former1 but to follow up the other lines instead1 and to sketch--again in parable--the kind of developments1 about sixty years hence which1 ,i think1 may reasonably be expected should the opposite process begin1 and ancient thought 7which has stood the test of centuries1 and is1 in a very remarkable manner1 being rediscovered by persons even more modern than modernists7 be prolonged instead4 ,we are told occasionally by moralists that we live in very critical times1 by which they mean that they are not sure whether their own side will win or not4 ,in that sense no times can ever be critical to ,catholics1 since ,catholics are never in any kind of doubt as to whether or no their side will win4 ,but from another point of view every period is a critical period1 since every period has within itself the conflict of two irreconcilable forces4 ,it has been for the sake of tracing out the kind of effects that1 it seemed to me1 each side would experience in turn1 should the other1 at any rate for a while1 become dominant1 that ,i have written these two books4 ,finally if ,i may be allowed1 ,i should wish to draw attention to my endeavours to treat of the subject of religious persecution1 since ,i strongly believe that in some such theory is to be found the explanation of such phenomena as those of ,mary ,tudor's reign in ,england1 and of the ,spanish ,inquisition4 ,in practically every such case1 ,i think1 it was the ,state and not the ,church which was responsible for so unhappy a policy2 and that the policy was directed not against unorthodoxy1 as such1 but against an unorthodoxy which1 under the circumstances of those days1 was thought to threaten the civil stability of society in general1 and which was punished as amounting to treasonable1 rather than to heretical1 opinions4 ,,robert ,,hugh ,,benson4 ,,rome ,lent #aiaa ,,the ,,dawn ,,of ,,all ,,prologue ,gradually memory and consciousness once more reasserted themselves1 and he became aware that he was lying in bed4 ,but this was a slow process of intense mental effort1 and was as laboriously and logically built up of premises and deductions as were his theological theses learned twenty years before in his seminary4 ,there was the sheet below his chin2 there was a red coverlet 7seen at first as a blood-coloured landscape of hills and valleys72 there was a ceiling1 overhead1 at first as remote as the vault of heaven4 ,then1 little by little1 the confused roaring in his ears sank to a murmur4 ,it had been just now as the sound of brazen hammers clanging in reverberating caves1 the rolling of wheels1 the tramp of countless myriads of men4 ,but it had become now a soothing murmur1 not unlike the coming in of a tide at the foot of high cliffs--just one gentle continuous note1 overlaid with light1 shrill sounds4 ,this too required long argument and reasoning before any conclusion could be reached2 but it was attained at last1 and he became certain that he lay somewhere within sound of busy streets4 ,then rashly he leapt to the belief that he must be in his own lodgings in ,bloomsbury2 but another long slow stare upwards showed him that the white ceiling was too far away4 ,the effort of thought seemed too much for him2 it gave him a sense of inexplicable discomfort4 ,he determined to think no more1 for fear that the noises should revert again to the crash of hammers in his hollow head4 4 4 4 ,he was next conscious of a pressure on his lip1 and a kind of shadow of a taste of something4 ,but it was no more than a shadow3 it was as if he were watching some one else drink and perceiving some one else to swallow4 4 4 4 ,then with a rush the ceiling came back into view3 he was aware that he was lying in bed under a red coverlet2 that the room was large and airy about him2 and that two persons1 a doctor in white and a nurse1 were watching him4 ,he rested in that knowledge for a long time1 watching memory reassert itself4 ,detail after detail sprang into view3 farther and farther back into his experience1 far down into the childhood he had forgotten4 ,he remembered now who he was1 his story1 his friends1 his life up to a certain blank day or set of days1 between him and which there was nothing4 ,then he saw the faces again1 and it occurred to him1 with a flash as of illumination1 to ask4 ,so he began to ask2 and he considered carefully each answer1 turning it over and reflecting upon it with what seemed to him an amazing degree of concentration4 4 4 4 ,so ,i am in ,westminster ,hospital1 he considered4 ,that is extraordinarily interesting and affecting4 ,i have often seen the outside of it4 ,it is of discoloured brick4 ,and ,i have been here 4 4 4 how long8 how long1 did they say8 4 4 4 ,oh6 that is a long time4 ,five days6 ,and what in the world can have happened to my work8 ,they will be looking out for me in the ,museum4 ,how can ,dr4 ,waterman's history get on without me8 ,i must see about that at once4 ,he'll understand that it's not my fault4 4 4 4 ,what's that8 ,i mustn't trouble myself about that8 ,but--,oh6 ,dr4 ,waterman has been here1 has he8 ,that's very kind--very kind and thoughtful indeed4 ,and ,i'm to take my time1 am ,i8 ,very well4 ,please thank ,dr4 ,waterman for his kindness and his thoughtfulness in enquiring4 4 4 4 ,and tell him ,i'll be with him again in a day or two at any rate4 4 4 4 ,oh6 tell him that he'll find the references to the thirteenth-century ,popes in the black notebook--the thick one--on the right of the fire-place4 ,they're all verified4 ,thank you1 thank you very much4 4 4 4 and 4 4 4 by the way 4 4 4 just tell him ,i'm not sure yet about the ,piccolomini matter4 4 4 4 ,what's that8 ,i'm not to trouble myself8 4 4 4 ,but 4 4 4 ,oh6 very well4 ,thank you4 4 4 4 ,thank you very much4 ,there followed a long pause4 ,he was thinking still very hard about the thirteenth-century ,popes4 ,it was really very tiresome that he could not explain to ,dr4 ,waterman himself4 ,he was certain that some of the pages in the thick black notebook were loose2 and how terrible it would be if the book were taken out carelessly1 and some of the pages fell into the fire4 ,they easily might6 ,and then there'd be all the work to do again4 4 4 4 ,and that would mean weeks and weeks4 4 4 4 ,then there came a grave1 quiet voice of a woman speaking in his ear2 but for a long time he could not understand4 ,he wished it would let him alone4 ,he wanted to think about the ,popes4 ,he tried nodding and murmuring a general sort of assent1 as if he wished to go to sleep2 but it was useless3 the voice went on and on4 ,and then suddenly he understood1 and a kind of fury seized him4 ,how did they know he had once been a priest8 ,spying and badgering1 as usual6 4 4 4 ,no3 he did not want a priest sent for4 ,he was not a priest any more2 not even a ,catholic4 ,it was all lies--lies from the beginning to the end--all that they had taught him in the seminary4 ,it was all lies6 ,there6 ,was that plain enough8 4 4 4 ,ah6 why would not the voice be quiet8 4 4 4 ,he was in great danger1 was he8 ,he would be unconscious again soon1 would he8 ,well1 he didn't know what they meant by that2 but what had it to do with him8 ,no3 he did not want a priest4 ,was that clear enough8 4 4 4 ,he was perfectly clear-headed2 he knew what he was saying4 4 4 4 ,yes2 even if he were in great danger 4 4 4 even if he were practically certain to die4 7,that1 by the way1 was impossible2 because he had to finish the notes for ,dr4 ,waterman's new ,history of the ,popes2 and it would take months47 ,anyhow1 he didn't want a priest4 ,he knew all about that3 he had faced it all1 and he wasn't afraid4 ,science had knocked all that religious nonsense on the head4 ,there wasn't any religion4 ,all religions were the same4 ,there wasn't any truth in any of them4 ,physical science had settled one half of the matter1 and psychology the other half4 ,it was all accounted for4 ,so he didn't want a priest anyhow4 ,damn priests6 ,there6 would they let him alone after that8 4 4 4 ,and now as to the ,piccolomini affair4 ,it was certain that when ,aeneas was first raised to the ,sacred ,college4 4 4 4 ,why 4 4 4 what was happening to the ceiling8 ,how could he attend to ,aeneas while the ceiling behaved like that8 ,he had no idea that ceilings in the ,westminster ,hospital could go up like lifts4 ,how very ingenious6 ,it must be to give him more air4 ,certainly he wanted more air4 4 4 4 ,the walls too4 4 4 4 ,ought not they also to revolve8 ,they could change the whole air in the room in a moment4 ,what an extraordinarily ingenious 4 4 4 ,ah6 and he wanted it4 4 4 4 ,he wanted more air4 4 4 4 ,why don't these doctors know their business better8 4 4 4 ,what was the good of catching hold of him like that8 4 4 4 ,he wanted air 4 4 4 more air 4 4 4 ,he must get to the window6 4 4 4 ,air 4 4 4 air6 4 4 4 ,,part ,i ,,chapter ,i 7,i7 ,the first objects of which he became aware were his own hands clasped on his lap before him1 and the cloth cuffs from which they emerged2 and it was these latter that puzzled him4 ,so engrossed was he that at first he could not pay attention to the strange sounds in the air about him2 for these cuffs1 though black1 were marked at their upper edges with a purpled line such as prelates wear4 ,he mechanically turned the backs of his hands upwards2 but there was no ring on his finger4 ,then he lifted his eyes and looked4 ,he was seated on some kind of raised chair beneath a canopy4 ,a carpet ran down over a couple of steps beneath his feet1 and beyond stood the backs of a company of ecclesiastics--secular priests in cotta1 cassock1 and biretta1 with three or four bare-footed ,franciscans and a couple of ,benedictines4 ,ten yards away there rose a temporary pulpit with a back and a sounding-board beneath the open sky2 and in it was the tall figure of a young friar1 preaching1 it seemed1 with extraordinary fervour4 ,around the pulpit1 beyond it1 and on all sides to an immense distance1 so far as he could see1 stretched the heads of an incalculable multitude1 dead silent1 and beyond them again trees1 green against a blue summer sky4 ,he looked on all this1 but it meant nothing to him4 ,it fitted on nowhere with his experience2 he knew neither where he was1 nor at what he was assisting1 nor who these people were1 nor who the friar was1 nor who he was himself4 ,he simply looked at his surroundings1 then back at his hands and down his figure4 ,he gained no knowledge there1 for he was dressed as he had never been dressed before4 ,his caped cassock was black1 with purple buttons and a purple cincture4 ,he noticed that his shoes shone with gold buckles2 he glanced at his breast1 but no cross hung there4 ,he took off his biretta1 nervously1 lest some one should notice1 and perceived that it was black with a purple tassel4 ,he was dressed then1 it seemed1 in the costume of a ,domestic ,prelate4 ,he put on his biretta again4 ,then he closed his eyes and tried to think2 but he could remember nothing4 ,there was1 it seemed1 no continuity anywhere4 ,but it suddenly struck him that if he knew that he was a ,domestic ,prelate1 and if he could recognize a ,franciscan1 he must have seen those phenomena before4 ,where8 ,when8 ,little pictures began to form before him as a result of his intense mental effort1 but they were far away and minute1 like figures seen through the wrong end of a telescope2 and they afforded no explanation4 ,but1 as he bent his whole mind upon it1 he remembered that he had been a priest--he had distinct memories of saying mass4 ,but he could not remember where or when2 he could not even remember his own name4 ,this last horror struck him alert again4 ,he did not know who he was4 ,he opened his eyes widely1 terrified1 and caught the eye of an old priest in cotta and cassock who was looking back at him over his shoulder4 ,something in the frightened face must have disturbed the old man1 for he detached himself from the group and came up the two steps to his side4 ,what is it1 ,monsignor8 he whispered4 ,i am ill 4 4 4 ,i am ill 4 4 4 father1 he stammered4 ,the priest looked at him doubtfully for an instant4 ,can you 4 4 4 can you hold out for a little8 ,the sermon must be nearly--- ,then the other recovered4 ,he understood that at whatever cost he must not attract attention4 ,he nodded sharply4 ,yes1 ,i can hold out1 father2 if he isn't too long4 ,but you must take me home afterwards4 ,the priest still looked at him doubtfully4 ,go back to your place1 father4 ,i'm all right4 ,don't attract attention4 ,only come to me afterwards4 ,the priest went back1 but he still glanced at him once or twice4 ,then the man who did not know himself set his teeth and resolved to remember4 ,the thing was too absurd4 ,he said to himself he would begin by identifying where he was4 ,if he knew so much as to his own position and the dresses of those priests1 his memory could not be wholly gone4 ,in front of him and to the right there were trees1 beyond the heads of the crowd4 ,there was something vaguely familiar to him about the arrangement of these1 but not enough to tell him anything4 ,he craned forward and stared as far to the right as he could4 ,there were more trees4 ,then to the left2 and here1 for the first time1 he caught sight of buildings4 ,but these seemed very odd buildings--neither houses nor arches--but something between the two4 ,they were of the nature of an elaborate gateway4 ,and then in a flash he recognized where he was4 ,he was sitting1 under this canopy1 just to the right as one enters through ,hyde ,park ,corner2 these trees were the trees of the ,park2 that open space in front was the beginning of ,rotten ,row2 and ,something ,lane--,park ,lane--7that was it67--was behind him4 ,impressions and questions crowded upon him quickly now--yet in none of them was there a hint as to how he got here1 nor who he was1 nor what in the world was going on4 ,this friar6 ,what was he doing1 preaching in ,hyde ,park8 ,it was ridiculous--ridiculous and very dangerous4 ,it would cause trouble4 4 4 4 ,he leaned forward to listen1 as the friar with a wide gesture swept his hand round the horizon4 ,brethren1 he cried1 ,look round you6 ,fifty years ago this was a ,protestant country1 and the ,church of ,god a sect among the sects4 ,and to-day--to-day ,god is vindicated and the truth is known4 ,fifty years ago we were but a handful among the thousands that knew not ,god1 and to-day we rule the world4 ',son of man1 can these dry bones live8' ,so cried the voice of ,god to the prophet4 ,and behold6 they stood up upon their feet1 an exceeding great army4 ,if then ,he has done such things for us1 what shall ,he not do for those for whom ,i speak8 ,yet ,he works through man4 ',how shall they hear without a preacher8' ,do you see to it then that there are not wanting labourers in that vineyard of which you have heard4 ,already the grapes hang ready to pluck1 and it is but we that are wanting4 4 4 4 ,send forth then labourers into ,my vineyard1 cries the ,lord of all4 ,the words were ill-chosen and commonplace enough1 and uttered in an accent indefinably strange to the bewildered listener1 but the force of the man was tremendous1 as he sent out his personality over the enormous crowd1 on that high vibrant voice that controlled1 it seemed1 even those on the outskirts far up the roads on either side4 ,then with a swift sign of the cross1 answered generally by those about the pulpit1 he ended his sermon and disappeared down the steps1 and a great murmur of talk began4 ,but what in the world was it all about1 wondered the man under the canopy4 ,what was this vineyard8 and why did he appeal to ,english people in such words as these8 ,every one knew that the ,catholic ,church was but a handful still in this country4 ,certainly1 progress had been made1 but4 4 4 4 ,he broke off his meditations as he saw the group of ecclesiastics coming towards him1 and noticed that on all sides the crowd was beginning to disperse4 ,he gripped the arms of the chair fiercely1 trying to gain self-command4 ,he must not make a fool of himself before all these people2 he must be discreet and say as little as possible4 ,but there was no great need for caution at present4 ,the old priest who had spoken to him before stepped a little in advance of the rest1 and turning1 said in a low sentence or two to the ,benedictines2 and the group stopped1 though one or two still eyed1 it seemed1 with sympathy1 the man who awaited him4 ,then the priest came up alone and put his hand on the arm of the chair4 ,come out this way1 he whispered4 ,there's a path behind1 ,monsignor1 and ,i've sent orders for the car to be there4 ,the man rose obediently 7he could do nothing else71 passed down the steps and behind the canopy4 ,a couple of police stood there in an unfamiliar1 but unmistakable uniform1 and these drew themselves up and saluted4 ,they went on down the little pathway and out through a side-gate4 ,here again the crowd was tremendous1 but barriers kept them away1 and the two passed on together across the pavement1 saluted by half a dozen men who were pressed against the barriers--7it was here1 for the first time1 that the bewildered man noticed that the dresses seemed altogether unfamiliar7--and up to a car of a peculiar and unknown shape1 that waited in the roadway1 with a bare-headed servant1 in some strange purple livery1 holding the door open4 ,after you1 ,monsignor1 said the old priest4 ,the other stepped in and sat down4 ,the priest hesitated for an instant1 and then leaned forward into the car4 ,you have an appointment in ,dean's ,yard1 ,monsignor1 you remember4 ,it's important1 you know4 ,are you too ill8 ,i can't4 4 4 4 ,i can't4 4 4 4 stammered the man4 ,well1 at least1 we can go round that way4 ,i think we ought1 you know4 ,i can go in and see him for you1 if you wish2 and we can at any rate leave the papers4 ,anything1 anything4 4 4 4 ,very well4 ,the priest got in instantly2 the door closed2 and the next moment1 through crowds1 held back by the police1 the great car1 with no driver visible in front through the clear-glass windows1 moved off southward4 7,,ii7 ,it was a moment before either spoke4 ,the old priest broke the silence4 ,he was a gentle-faced old man1 not unlike a very shrewd and wide-awake dormouse2 and his white hair stood out in a mass beneath his biretta4 ,but the words he used were unintelligible1 though not altogether unfamiliar4 ,i 4 4 4 ,i don't understand1 father1 stammered the man4 ,the priest looked at him sharply4 ,i was saying1 he said slowly and distinctly1 ,i was saying that you looked very well1 and ,i was asking you what was the matter4 ,the other was silent a moment4 ,how1 to explain the thing6 4 4 4 ,then he determined on making a clean breast of it4 ,this old man looked kindly and discreet4 ,i 4 4 4 ,i think it's a lapse of memory1 he said4 ,i've heard of such things4 ,i 4 4 4 ,i don't know where ,i am nor what ,i'm doing4 ,are you 4 4 4 are you sure you're not making a mistake8 ,have ,i got any right----8 ,the priest looked at him as if puzzled4 ,i don't quite understand1 ,monsignor4 ,what can't you remember8 ,i can't remember anything1 wailed the man1 suddenly broken down4 ,nothing at all4 ,not who ,i am1 nor where ,i'm going1 or where ,i come from4 4 4 4 ,what am ,i8 ,who am ,i8 ,father1 for ,god's sake tell me4 ,monsignor1 be quiet1 please4 ,you mustn't give way4 ,surely---- ,i tell you ,i can remember nothing4 4 4 4 ,it's all gone4 ,i don't know who you are4 ,i don't know what day it is1 or what year it is1 or anything---- ,he felt a hand on his arm1 and his eyes met a look of a very peculiar power and concentration4 ,he sank back into his seat strangely quieted and soothed4 ,now1 ,monsignor1 listen to me4 ,you know who ,i am--7he broke off74 ,i'm ,father ,jervis4 ,i know about these things4 ,i've been through the psychological schools4 ,you'll be all right presently1 ,i hope4 ,but you must be perfectly quiet---- ,tell me who ,i am1 stammered the man4 ,listen then4 ,you are ,monsignor ,masterman1 secretary to the ,cardinal4 ,you are going back to ,westminster now1 in your own car---- ,what's been going on8 ,what was all that crowd about8 ,still the eyes were on him1 compelling and penetrating4 ,you have been presiding at the usual midday ,saturday sermon in ,hyde ,park1 on behalf of the ,missions to the ,east4 ,do you remember now8 ,no6 ,well1 it doesn't matter in the least4 ,that was ,father ,anthony who was preaching4 ,he was a little nervous1 you noticed4 ,it was his first sermon in ,hyde ,park4 ,i saw he was a friar1 murmured the other4 ,oh6 you recognized his habit then8 ,there1 you see2 your memory's not really gone4 ,and 4 4 4 and what's the answer to ,dominus vobiscum8 ,et cum spiritu tuo4 ,the priest smiled1 and the pressure on the man's arm relaxed4 ,that's excellent4 ,it's only a partial obscurity4 ,why didn't you understand me when ,i spoke to you in ,latin then8 ,that was ,latin8 ,i thought so4 ,but you spoke too fast2 and ,i'm not accustomed to speak it4 ,the old man looked at him with grave humour4 ,not accustomed to speak it1 ,monsignor6 ,why---- 7,he broke off again47 ,look out of the window1 please4 ,where are we8 ,the other looked out4 7,he felt greatly elated and comforted4 ,it was quite true2 his memory was not altogether gone then4 ,surely he would soon be well again67 ,out of the windows in front1 but seeming to wheel swiftly to the left as the car whisked round to the right1 was the ,victoria ,tower4 ,he noticed that the hour pointed to five minutes before one4 ,those are the ,houses of ,parliament1 he said4 ,and what's that tall pillar in the middle of ,parliament ,square8 ,that's the image of the ,immaculate ,conception4 ,but what did you call those buildings just now8 ,houses of ,parliament1 aren't they8 faltered the man1 terrified that his brain was really going4 ,why do you call them that8 ,it is their name1 isn't it8 ,it used to be2 but it isn't the usual name now4 ,good ,god6 ,father1 am ,i mad8 ,tell me4 ,what year is it8 ,the eyes looked again into his4 ,monsignor1 think4 ,think hard4 ,i don't know4 4 4 4 ,i don't know4 4 4 4 ,oh1 for ,god's sake6 4 4 4 ,quietly then4 4 4 4 ,it's the year nineteen hundred and seventy-three4 ,it can't be2 it can't be1 gasped the other4 ,why1 ,i remember the beginning of the century4 ,monsignor1 attend to me1 please4 4 4 4 ,that's better4 ,it's the year nineteen hundred and seventy-three4 ,you were born in the year--in the year nineteen hundred and thirty-two4 ,you are just forty years old4 ,you are secretary and chaplain to the ,cardinal--,cardinal ,bellairs4 ,before that you were ,rector of ,st4 ,mary's in the ,west4 4 4 4 ,do you remember now8 ,i remember nothing4 ,you remember your ordination8 ,no4 ,once ,i remember saying ,mass somewhere4 ,i don't know where4 ,stay1 we're just there4 7,the car wheeled in swiftly under an archway1 whisked to the left1 and drew up before the cloister door47 ,now1 ,monsignor1 ,i'm going in to see the ,prior myself and give him the papers4 ,you have them8 ,i4 4 4 ,i don't know4 ,the priest dived forward and extracted a small despatch-box from some unseen receptacle4 ,your keys1 please1 ,monsignor4 ,the other felt wildly about his person4 ,he saw the steady eyes of the old priest upon him4 ,you keep them in your left-hand breast pocket1 said the priest slowly and distinctly4 ,the man felt there1 fetched out a bundle of thin1 flat keys1 and handed them over helplessly4 ,while the priest turned them over1 examining each1 the other stared hopelessly out of the window1 past the motionless servant in purple who waited with his hand on the car-door4 ,surely he knew this place4 4 4 4 ,yes2 it was ,dean's ,yard4 ,and this was the entrance to the cloister of the ,abbey4 ,but who was the ,prior1 and what was it all about8 ,he turned to the other1 who by now was bending over the box and extracting a few papers laid neatly at the top4 ,what are you doing1 father8 ,who are you going to see8 ,i am going to take these papers of yours to the ,prior--the ,prior of ,westminster4 ,the ,abbot isn't here yet4 ,only a few of the monks have come4 ,monks6 ,prior6 4 4 4 ,father6 ,the old man looked him in the eyes again4 ,yes1 he said quietly4 ,the ,abbey was made over again to the ,benedictines last year1 but they haven't yet formally taken possession4 ,and these papers concern business connected with the whole affair--the relations of seculars and regulars4 ,i'll tell you afterwards4 ,i must go in now1 and you must just remain here quietly4 ,tell me again4 ,what is your name8 ,who are you8 ,i4 4 4 ,i am ,monsignor ,masterman4 4 4 secretary to ,cardinal ,bellairs4 ,the priest smiled as he laid his hand on the door4 ,quite right1 he said4 ,now please sit here quietly1 ,monsignor1 till ,i come back4 7,,iii7 ,he sat in perfect silence1 waiting1 leaning back in his corner with closed eyes1 compelling himself to keep his composure4 ,it was1 at any rate1 good luck that he had fallen in with such a friend as this--,father ,jervis1 was it not8--who knew all about him1 and1 obviously1 could be trusted to be discreet4 ,he must just attend to his instructions quietly then1 and do what he was told4 ,no doubt things would come back soon4 ,but how very curious this all was about ,hyde ,park and ,westminster4 ,he could have sworn that ,england was a ,protestant country1 and the ,church just a tiny fragment of its population4 ,why1 it was only recently that ,westminster ,cathedral was built--was it not8 ,but then this was the year seventy-three 4 4 4 and 4 4 4 and he could not remember in what year the ,cathedral was built4 ,then again the horror and bewilderment seized him4 ,he gripped his knees with his hands in an agony of consternation4 ,he would go mad if he could not remember4 ,or at least----,ah6 here was ,father ,jervis coming back again4 ,the two sat quite silent again for a moment1 as the car moved off4 ,tell me1 said the priest suddenly1 don't you remember faces1 or people's names8 ,the other concentrated his mind fiercely for a moment or two4 ,i remember some faces--yes1 he said4 ,and ,i remember some names4 ,but ,i cannot remember which faces belong to which names4 4 4 4 ,i remember 4 4 4 ,i remember the name ,archbishop ,bourne2 and 4 4 4 and a priest called ,farquharson---- ,what have you been reading lately8 4 4 4 ,ah6 ,i forgot4 ,well2 but can't you remember the ,cardinal 4 4 4 ,cardinal ,bellairs8 ,i've never heard of him4 ,nor what he looks like8 ,i haven't a notion4 ,the priest again was silent4 ,look here1 ,monsignor1 he said suddenly1 ,i'd better take you straight up to your rooms as soon as we arrive2 and ,i'll have a notice put up on your confessional that you are unable to attend there to-day4 ,you'll have the whole afternoon--after four at least--to yourself1 and the rest of the evening4 ,we needn't tell a soul until we're certain that it can't be helped1 not even the ,cardinal4 ,but ,i'm afraid you'll have to preside at lunch to-day4 ,eh8 ,mr4 ,manners is coming1 you know1 to consult with the ,cardinal2 and ,i think if you weren't there to entertain him---- ,monsignor nodded sharply1 with compressed lips4 ,i understand4 ,but just tell me who ,mr4 ,manners is8 ,the priest answered without any sign of discomposure4 ,he's a member of the ,government4 ,he's the great ,political ,economist4 ,and he's coming to consult with the ,cardinal about certain measures that affect the ,church4 ,do you remember now8 ,the other shook his head4 ,no4 ,well1 just talk to him vaguely4 ,i'll sit opposite and take care that you don't make any mistakes4 ,just talk to him generally4 ,talk about the sermon in ,hyde ,park1 and the ,abbey4 ,he won't expect you to talk politics publicly4 ,i'll try4 ,the car drew up as the conversation ended2 and the man who had lost his memory glanced out4 ,to his intense relief1 he recognized where he was4 ,it was the door of ,archbishop's ,house1 in ,ambrosden ,avenue2 and beyond he perceived the long northern side of the ,cathedral4 ,i know this1 he said4 ,of course you do1 my dear ,monsignor1 said the priest reassuringly4 ,now follow me3 bow to any one who salutes you2 but don't speak a word4 ,they passed in together through the door1 past a couple of liveried servants who held it open1 up the staircase and beyond up the further flight4 ,the old priest drew out a key and unlocked the door before them2 and together they turned to the left up the corridor1 and passed into a large1 pleasant room looking out on to the street1 with a further door communicating1 it seemed1 with a bedroom beyond4 ,fortunately they had met no one on the way4 ,here we are1 said ,father ,jervis cheerfully4 ,now1 ,monsignor1 do you know where you are8 ,the other shook his head dolorously4 ,come1 come2 this is your own room4 ,look at your writing-table1 ,monsignor2 where you sit every day4 ,the other looked at it eagerly and yet vaguely4 ,a half-written letter1 certainly in his own handwriting1 lay there on the blotting-pad1 but the name of his correspondent meant nothing to him2 nor did the few words which he read4 ,he looked round the room--at the bookcases1 the curtains1 the prie-,dieu 4 4 4 ,and again terror seized him4 ,i know nothing1 father 4 4 4 nothing at all4 ,it's all new6 ,for ,god's sake6 4 4 4 ,quietly then1 ,monsignor4 ,it's all perfectly right4 4 4 4 ,now ,i'm going to leave you for ten minutes1 to arrange about the places at lunch4 ,you'd better lock your door and admit no one4 ,just look round the rooms when ,i'm gone----,ah6 ,father ,jervis broke off suddenly and darted at an arm-chair1 where a book lay face downwards on the seat4 ,he snatched up the book1 glanced at the pages1 looked at the title1 and laughed aloud4 ,i knew it1 he said2 ,i was certain of it4 ,you've got hold of ,manners' ,history1 ,look6 you're at the very page4 ,he held it up for the other to see4 ,monsignor looked at it1 still only half comprehending1 and just noticing that the paper had a peculiar look1 and saw that the running dates at the top of the pages contained the years #aijd-aiab4 ,the priest shook the book in gentle triumph4 ,a sheet of paper fell out of it1 which he picked up and glanced at4 ,then he laughed again4 ,see1 he said1 you've been making notes of the very period--no doubt in order to be able to talk to ,manners4 ,that's the time he knows more about than any living soul4 ,he calls it the 'crest of the wave1' you know4 ,everything dated from then1 in his opinion4 ,i don't understand a word---- ,see here1 ,monsignor1 interrupted the priest in mild glee1 here's a subject to talk about at lunch4 ,just get ,manners on to it1 and you'll have no trouble4 ,he loves lecturing2 and he talks just like a history-book4 ,tell him you've been reading his ,history and want a bird's-eye view4 ,monsignor started4 ,why1 yes1 he said1 and that'll tell me the facts1 too4 ,excellent4 ,now1 ,monsignor1 ,i must go4 ,just look round the rooms well1 and get to know where things are kept4 ,i'll be back in ten minutes1 and we'll have a good talk before lunch as to all who'll be there4 ,it'll all go perfectly smoothly1 ,i promise you4 7,,iv7 ,when the door closed ,monsignor ,masterman looked round him slowly and carefully4 ,he had an idea that the mist must break sooner or later and that all would become familiar once again4 ,it was perfectly plain1 by now1 to his mind1 what had happened to him2 and the fact that there were certain things which he recognized1 such as the ,cathedral1 and ,hyde ,park1 and a friar's habit1 and ,archbishop's ,house--all this helped him to keep his head4 ,if he remembered so much1 there seemed no intrinsic reason why he should not remember more4 ,but his inspection was disappointing4 ,not only was there not one article in the room which he knew1 but he did not even understand the use of some of the things which he saw4 ,there was a row of what looked like small black boxes fastened to the right-hand wall1 about the height of a man's head2 and there was some kind of a machine1 all wheels and handles1 in the corner by the nearer window1 which was completely mysterious to him4 ,he glanced through into the bedroom1 and this was not much better4 ,certainly there was a bed2 there was no mistake about that2 and there seemed to be wardrobes sunk to the level of the walls on all sides2 but although in this room he thought he recognized the use of everything which he saw1 there was no single thing that wore a familiar aspect4 ,he came back to his writing-table and sat down before it in despair4 ,but that did not reassure him4 ,he took out one or two of the books that stood there in a row--directories and address-books they appeared chiefly to be--and found his name written in each1 with here and there a note or a correction1 all in his own handwriting4 ,he took up the half-written letter again and glanced through it once more1 but it brought no relief4 ,he could not even conjecture how the interrupted sentence on the third page ought to end4 ,again and again he tried to tear up from his inner consciousness something which he could remember1 closing his eyes and sinking his head upon his hands1 but nothing except fragments and glimpses of vision rose before him4 ,it was now a face or a scene to which he could give no name2 now a sentence or a thought that owned no context4 ,there was no frame at all--no unified scheme in which these fragments found cohesion4 ,it was like regarding the pieces of a shattered jar whose shape even could not be conjectured4 4 4 4 ,then a sudden thought struck him2 he sprang up quickly and ran into his bedroom4 ,a tall mirror1 he remembered1 hung between the windows4 ,he ran straight up to this and stood staring at his own reflection4 ,it was himself that he saw there--there was no doubt of that--every line and feature of that keen1 pale1 professorial-looking face was familiar1 though it seemed to him that his hair was a little greyer than it ought to be4 ,,chapter ,,ii 7,i7 ,i shall be delighted1 ,monsignor1 said the thin1 clever-faced statesman1 in his high1 dry voice2 ,i shall be delighted to sketch out what seem to me the principal points in the century's development4 ,a profound silence fell upon all the table4 ,really1 ,monsignor ,masterman thought to himself1 as he settled down to listen1 he had done very well so far4 ,he had noticed the old priest opposite smiling more than once1 contentedly1 as their eyes met4 ,father ,jervis had come to him as he had promised1 for half an hour's good talk before lunch2 and they had spent a very earnest thirty minutes together4 ,first they had discussed with great care all the persons who would be present at lunch--not more than eight1 besides themselves2 the priest had given him a little plan of the table1 showing where each would sit1 and had described their personal appearance and recounted a salient fact or two about every one4 ,these were all priests except ,mr4 ,manners himself and his secretary4 ,the rest of the time had been occupied in information being given to the man who had lost his memory1 with regard to a few very ordinary subjects of conversation--the extraordinary fairness of the weather2 a new opera produced with unparalleled success by a well-known composer of whom ,monsignor had never heard2 a recent ,eucharistic congress in ,tokio1 from which the ,cardinal had just returned2 and the scheme for redecorating the interior of ,archbishop's ,house4 ,there had not been time for more2 but these subjects1 under the adroit handling of ,father ,jervis1 had proved sufficient2 and up to the preconcerted moment when ,monsignor had uttered the sentence about his study of ,mr4 ,manners' ,history of ,twentieth ,century ,development which had drawn from the author the words recorded above1 all had gone perfectly smoothly4 ,there had been a few minor hitches2 for example1 the food and the manner of serving it and the proper method of consuming it had furnished a bad moment or two2 and once ,monsignor had been obliged to feign sudden deafness on being asked a question on a subject of which he knew nothing by a priest whose name he had forgotten1 until ,father ,jervis slid in adroitly and saved him4 ,yet these were quite unnoticed1 it appeared1 and could easily be attributed to the habit of absent-mindedness for which1 ,monsignor ,masterman was relieved to learn1 he was almost notorious4 ,and now the crisis was past and ,mr4 ,manners was launched4 ,monsignor glanced almost happily round the tall dining-room1 from which the servants had already disappeared1 and1 with his glass in his hand1 settled himself down to listen and remember4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the crisis1 to my mind1 in the religious situation1 began the statesman1 looking more professional than ever1 with his closed eyes1 thin1 wrinkled face1 and high forehead--the real crisis is to be sought in the period from #aijj to #aibj4 ,this was the period1 you remember1 of tremendous social agitation4 ,there was the widespread revolution of the ,latin countries1 beginning with ,france and ,portugal1 chiefly against ,authority1 and most of all against ,monarchy 7since ,monarchy is the most vivid and the most concrete embodiment of authority72 and in ,teutonic and ,anglo-,saxon countries against ,capital and ,aristocracy4 ,it was in these years that ,socialism came most near to dominating the civilized world2 and1 indeed1 you will remember that for long after that date it did dominate civilization in certain places4 ,now the real trouble at the bottom of all this was the state in which ,religion found itself4 ,and you will find1 gentlemen1 said the quasi-lecturer in parenthesis1 glancing round the attentive faces1 that ,religion always is and always has been at the root of every world-movement4 ,in fact it must be so4 ,the deepest instinct in man is his religion1 that is1 his attitude to eternal issues2 and on that attitude must depend his relation to temporal things4 ,this is so1 largely1 even in the case of the individual2 it must therefore be infinitely more so in large bodies or nations2 since every crowd is moved by principles that are the least common multiple of the principles of the units which compose it4 ,of course this is universally recognized now2 but it was not always so4 ,there was a time1 particularly at this period of which ,i am now speaking1 when men attempted to treat ,religion as if it were one department of life1 instead of being the whole foundation of every and all life4 ,to treat it so is1 of course1 to proclaim oneself as fundamentally irreligious--and1 indeed1 very ignorant and uneducated4 ,to resume1 however3 ,religion at this period was at a very strange crisis4 ,that it could possibly be treated in the way ,i have mentioned shows how very deeply irreligion had spread4 ,there is no such thing1 of course1 really as ,irreligion--except by a purely conventional use of the word3 the 'irreligious' man is one who has made up his mind either that there is no future world1 or that it is so remote1 as regards effectivity1 as to have no bearing upon this4 ,and that is a religion--at least it is a dogmatic creed--as much as any other4 ,the causes of this state of affairs ,i take to have been as follows3 ,religion up to the ,reformation had been a matter of authority1 as it is again now2 but the enormous development of various sciences and the wide spread of popular 'knowledge' had1 in the first flush1 distracted attention from that which is now1 in all civilized countries1 simply an axiom of thought1 viz41 that a ,revelation of ,god must be embodied in a living authority safeguarded by ,god4 ,further1 at that time science and exact knowledge generally had not reached the point which they reached a little later--of corroborating in particular after particular1 so far as they are capable of doing so1 the ,revelation of ,god known as ,catholicism2 and of knowing their limitations where they cannot4 ,many sciences1 at this time1 had gone no further than to establish certain facts which appeared1 to the very imperfectly educated persons of that period1 to challenge and even to refute certain facts or deductions of ,revelation4 ,psychology1 for example1 strange as it now appears in our own day1 actually seemed to afford other explanations of the ,universe than that of ,revelation4 7,we will discuss details presently47 ,social ,science1 at that time1 too1 moved in the direction of ,democracy and even ,socialism4 ,i know it appears monstrous1 and indeed almost incredible1 that men who really had some claim to be called educated seriously maintained that the most stable and the most reasonable method of government lay in the extension of the franchise--that is1 in reversing the whole eternal and logical order of things1 and permitting the inexpert to rule the expert1 and the uneducated and the ill-informed to control by their votes--that is1 by sheer weight of numbers--the educated and the well-informed4 ,yet such was the case4 ,and the result was--since all these matters act and react--that the idea of authority from above in matters of religion was thought to be as 'undemocratic' as in matters of government and social life4 ,men had learnt1 that is to say1 something of the very real truth in the theory of the ,least ,common ,multiple1 and1 as in psychology and many other sciences1 had presumed that the little fragment of truth that they had perceived was the whole truth4 ,mr4 ,manners paused to draw breath4 ,obviously he was enjoying himself enormously4 ,he was a born lecturer1 and somehow the rather pompous sentences were strangely alive and strangely interesting4 ,above all1 they fascinated and amazed the prelate at the head of the table1 for they revealed to him an advance of thought1 and an assurance in the position they described1 that seemed wholly inexplicable4 ,such phrases as all educated men1 the well-informed1 and the rest--these were vaguely familiar to him1 yet surely in a very different connection4 ,he had at the back of his mind a kind of idea that these were the phrases that the irreligious or the agnostics applied to themselves2 yet here was a man1 obviously a student1 and a statesman as he knew1 calmly assuming 7scarcely even giving himself the trouble to state7 that all educated and well-informed persons were ,catholic ,christians6 ,he settled himself down to listen with renewed interest as ,mr4 ,manners began once more4 ,well1 he said1 to come more directly to our point2 let us next consider what were those steps and processes by which ,catholic truth once more became the religion of the civilized world1 as it had been five centuries earlier4 ,and first we must remark that1 even at the very beginning of this century1 popular thought--in ,england as elsewhere--had retraced its steps so far as to acknowledge that if ,christianity were true--true1 really and actually--the ,catholic ,church was the only possible embodiment of it4 ,not only did the shrewdest agnostic minds of the time acknowledge this--such men as ,huxley in the previous century1 ,sir ,leslie ,stephen1 ,mallock1 and scores of others--but even popular ,christianity itself began to turn in that direction4 ,of course there were survivals and reactions1 as we should expect4 ,there was a small body of ,christians in ,england called ,anglicans1 who attempted to hold another view2 there was that short-lived movement called ,modernism1 that held yet a third position4 ,but1 for the rest1 it was as ,i say4 ,it was the ,catholic ,church or nothing4 ,and just for a few years it seemed humanly possible that it might be nothing4 ,and now for the causes of the revival4 ,briefly1 ,i should say they were all included under one head--the correlation of sciences and their coincidence into one point4 ,let us take them one by one4 ,we have only time to glance very superficially at each4 ,first there was ,psychology4 ,even at the end of the nineteenth century it was beginning to be perceived that there was an inexplicable force working behind mere matter4 ,this force was given a number of names--the 'subliminal consciousness1' in man1 and ',nature' in the animal1 vegetable1 and even mineral creation2 and it gave birth to a series of absurd superstitions such as that now wholly extinct sect of the ',christian ,scientists1' or the ,mental ,healers2 and among the less educated of the ,materialists1 to ,pantheism4 ,but the force was acknowledged1 and it was perceived to move along definite lines of law4 ,further1 in the great outburst of ,spiritualism it began gradually to be evident to the world that this force occasionally manifested itself in a personal1 though always a malevolent manner4 ,now it must be remembered that even this marked an immense advance in the circles called scientific2 since in the middle of the nineteenth century1 even the phenomena so carefully recorded by the ,church were denied4 ,these were now no longer denied1 since phenomena1 at least closely resembling them1 were matters of common occurrence under the eyes of the most sceptical4 ,of course1 since the enquiries were made along purely 'scientific' lines--lines which in those days were nothing other than materialistic--an attempt was made to account for the phenomena by new anti-spiritual theories hastily put together to meet the emergency4 ,but1 little by little1 an uneasy sense began to manifest itself that the ,church had already been familiar with the phenomena for about two thousand years1 and that a body1 which had marked and recorded facts with greater accuracy than all the 'scientists' put together1 at least had some claim to consideration with regard to her hypothesis concerning them4 ,further1 it began to be seen 7what is perfectly familiar to us all now7 that ,religion contributed an element which nothing else could contribute--that1 for example1 ',religious ,suggestion1' as it was called in the jargon of the time1 could accomplish things that ordinary ',suggestion' could not4 ,finally1 the researches of psychologists into what was then called the phenomenon of ',alternating ,personality' prepared the way for a frank acceptance of the ,catholic teaching concerning ,possession and ,exorcism--teaching which half a century before would have been laughed out of court by all who claimed the name of ,scientist4 ,psychology then1 up to this point1 had rediscovered that a ,force was working behind physical phenomena1 itself not physical2 that this ,force occasionally exhibited characteristics of ,personality2 and finally that the despised ,catholic ,church had been more scientific than scientists in her observation of facts2 and that this ,force1 dealt with along ,christian lines1 could accomplish what it was unable to accomplish along any other4 ,the next advance lay along the lines of ,comparative ,religion4 ,the study of ,comparative ,religion was practically a new science at the end of the nineteenth century1 and like all new sciences1 claimed at once1 before it had constructed its own1 to destroy the schemes of others4 ,for instance1 there were actually educated persons who advanced as an argument against ,christianity the fact that many ,christian dogmas and ceremonies were to be found in other religions4 ,it is extremely difficult for us now1 even in imagination1 to sympathize with such a mentality as this2 but it must be remembered that the science was very youthful1 and had all the inexperience and the arrogance of youth4 ,as time went on1 however1 this argument began to disappear1 except in very elementary rationalistic manuals1 as the fact became evident that while this or that particular religion had one or more identities with ,christian doctrines1 ,christianity possessed them all2 that ,christianity1 in short1 had all the principal doctrines of all religions--or at least all doctrines that were of any strength to other religions1 as well as several others necessary to weld these detached dogmas into a coherent whole2 that1 to use a simple metaphor1 ,christianity stood in the world like a light upon a hill1 and that partial and imperfect reflections of this light were thrown back1 with more or less clearness1 from the various human systems of belief that surrounded it4 ,and at last it became evident1 even to the most unintelligent1 that the only scientific explanation of this phenomenon lay in the theory that ,christianity was indeed unique1 and1 at the very least1 was the most perfect human system of faith--perfectly human1 ,i mean1 in that it embodied and answered adequately all the religious aspirations of the human race--the most perfect system of faith the world had ever seen4 ,a third cause was to be found in the new philosophy of evidence that began to prevail soon after the dawn of the century4 ,up to that period1 so-called ,physical ,science had so far tyrannized over men's minds as to persuade them to accept her claim that evidence that could not be reduced to her terms was not1 properly speaking1 evidence at all4 ,men demanded that purely spiritual matters should be1 as they said1 'proved1' by which they meant should be reduced to physical terms4 ,little by little1 however1 the preposterous nature of this claim was understood4 ,people began to perceive that each order of life had evidence proper to itself--that there were such things1 for instance1 as moral proofs1 artistic proofs1 and philosophical proofs2 and that these proofs were not interchangeable4 ,to demand physical proof for every article of belief was as fantastic as to demand1 let us say1 a chemical proof of the beauty of a picture1 or evidence in terms of light or sound for the moral character of a friend1 or mathematical proof for the love of a mother for her child4 ,this very elementary idea seems to have come like a thunderclap upon many who claimed the name of 'thinkers'2 for it entirely destroyed a whole artillery of arguments previously employed against ,revealed ,religion4 ,for a time1 ,pragmatism came to the rescue from the philosophical camp2 but the assault was but a very short one2 since1 tested by ,pragmatic methods 7that is1 the testing of the truth of a religion by its appeal to human consciousness71 if one fact stood out luminous and undisputed1 it was that the ,catholic ,religion1 with its eternal appeal in every century and to every type of temperament1 was utterly supreme4 ,let us turn to another point---- 7,mr4 ,manners lifted the glass he had been twirling between his fingers1 and drank it off with an appearance of great enjoyment4 ,then he smacked his lips once or twice and continued47 ,let us turn to the realm of politics--even to the realm of trade4 ,socialism1 in its purely economic aspect1 was a well-meant attempt to abolish the law of competition--that is1 the natural law of the ,survival of the ,fittest4 ,it was an attempt1 ,i say2 and it ended1 as we know1 in disaster2 for it established instead1 so far as it was successful1 the law of the ,survival of the ,majority1 and tyrannized first over the minority and then over the individual4 ,but it was a well-meant attempt2 since its instinct was perfectly right1 that competition is not the highest law of the ,universe4 ,and there were several other ideals in ,socialism that were most commendable in theory3 for example1 the idea that the ,society sanctifies and safeguards the individual1 not the individual the ,society2 that obedience is a much-neglected virtue1 and so forth4 ,then1 suddenly almost1 it seems to have dawned upon the world that all the ideals of ,socialism 7apart from its methods and its dogmas7 had been the ideals of ,christianity2 and that the ,church had1 in her promulgation of the ,law of ,love1 anticipated the ,socialist's discovery by about two thousand years4 ,further1 that in the ,religious ,orders these ideals had been actually incarnate2 and that by the doctrine of ,vocation--that is by the freedom of the individual to submit himself to a superior--the rights of the individual were respected and the rights of the ,society simultaneously vindicated4 ,a very good example of all this is to be found in the ,poor-law system4 ,you remember that before the ,reformation1 and in ,catholic countries long after1 there was no ,poor-law system1 because the ,religious ,houses looked after the sick and needy4 ,well1 when the ,religious ,houses were destroyed in ,england the ,state had to do their work4 ,you could not simply flog beggars out of existence1 as ,elizabeth tried to do4 ,then the inevitable happened1 and it began to be a mark of disgrace to be helped by the ,state in a workhouse3 people often preferred to starve4 ,then at the beginning of the twentieth century a well-meant attempt was made1 in the ,old-,age ,pensions and ,george's ,state ,insurance ,act1 to remedy this and to help the poor in a manner that would not injure their self-respect4 ,of course that failed1 too4 ,it is incredible that statesmen did not see it must be so4 ,old-,age ,pensions1 too1 and ,state-,insurance 7so soon as it was socially digested71 began to be considered a mark of disgrace--for the simple cause that it is not the receiving of money that is resented1 but the motive for which the money is given and the position of the giver4 ,the ,state can only give for economic reasons1 however conscientious and individually charitable statesmen may be2 while the ,church gives for the ,love of ,god1 and the ,love of ,god never yet destroyed any man's self-respect4 ,well1 you know the end4 ,the ,church came forward once more and1 under certain conditions1 offered to relieve the ,state of the entire burden4 ,two results followed--first1 all grievances vanished2 and secondly1 the whole pauper population of ,england within ten years was ,catholic in sympathies4 ,and yet all this is only a reversion to medieval times--a reversion made absolutely necessary by the failure of every attempt to supplant ,divine methods by human4 ,now look at it all in another way--the general situation1 ,i mean4 ,the ,socialist saw plainly the rights of the ,society2 the ,anarchist saw the rights of the ,individual4 ,how therefore were these to be reconciled8 ,the ,church stepped in at that crucial point and answered1 ,by the ,family--whether domestic or ,religious4 ,for in the ,family you have both claims recognized3 there is authority and yet there is liberty4 ,for the union of the ,family lies in ,love2 and ,love is the only reconciliation of authority and liberty4 ,now1 as ,i have put it--and as we all now see it--the argument is simplicity itself4 ,but it took a long time to be recognized2 and it was not until after the appalling events of the first twenty years of the century1 and the discrediting of the absurd ,socialistic attempt to preach the ,law of ,love by methods of ,force1 that civilization as a whole saw the point4 ,yet for all that it was beginning to mould popular opinion even as early as #aiaj4 ,turn now to a completely different plane4 ,turn to ,art4 ,this1 too1 drove men back to the ,church4 7,mr4 ,manners' air was becoming now less professional and more vivid4 ,he glanced quickly from face to face with a kind of sharp triumph2 his long1 thin hands waved a slight gesture now and again47 ,art1 you remember1 in the end of the ,victorian era had attempted to become realistic--had attempted1 that is1 the absurdly impossible2 and photography exposed the absurdity1 ,for no man can be truly a realist1 since it is literally impossible to paint or to describe all that the eye sees4 ,when photography became general1 this began to be understood2 since it was soon seen that the only photographer who could lay any claim to artistic work was the man who selected and altered and posed--arranged his subject1 that is to say1 in more or less symbolic form4 ,then people began to see again that ,symbolism was the underlying spirit of ,art--as they had known perfectly well1 of course1 in medieval days3 that ,art consisted in going beneath the material surfaces that reflected light1 or the material events that happened1 in painting and literature respectively1 and1 by a process of selection1 of symbolizing 7not photographically representing7 the ,ideas beneath the ,things--the ,substance beneath the ,accidents--the ,thought beneath the ,expression--7you can call it what you like74 ,zola in literature1 ,strauss in music1 the ,french school of painting--these reduced ,realism ad absurdum4 ,thus once more the ,catholic ,church1 in this as in everything else1 was discovered to have possessed the secret all along4 ,the ,symbolic ,reaction therefore began1 and all our music1 all our painting1 and all our literature to-day are frankly and confessedly ,symbolic--that is1 ,catholic4 ,and this too1 you see1 pointed to the same lesson as ,psychology1 that beneath phenomena there was a ,force which transcended phenomena2 and that the ,church had dealt with this ,force1 knowing ,it to be ,personal1 through all her history4 ,finally--and this was the crowning argument of all1 that correlated all the rest--there was the growing scientific and popular perception of the ,recuperative ,power of the ,church--that which our ,divine ,lord ,himself called the ,sign of the ,prophet ,jonas1 or ,resurrection4 ,there were of course countless other lines of advance1 in practically every science1 and they all pointed in the same direction1 and met1 so to speak1 from every quarter of the compass the end of the tunnel which the ,church had been boring through all the heaped-up stupidities and ignorances of man4 ,psychology tunnelled1 and presently heard the voices of the exorcists and the echoes of ,lourdes through the darkness4 ,human religions tunnelled--,hinduism with its idea of a ,divine ,incarnation1 ,buddhism with its coarse apprehension of the ,eternal ,peace of a ,beatific ,vision1 ,north ,american ,religion with its guesses at ,sacramentalism1 ,savage ,religion with its caricature of a ,bloody ,sacrifice2 all from various points2 and presently heard through the tumult the historical dogma of the ,incarnation of ,christ1 the dogma of ,eternal ,life1 the ,sacramental ,system and the ,sacrifice of the ,cross--all proclaimed in one coherent and perfectly philosophical ,creed4 ,ideals of ,social ,reform met with the same experiences4 ,the ,socialist with his dream of a ,divine ,society1 the ,anarchist with his passionate nightmare of complete individual liberty1 both ran up together1 in the heart of the black darkness1 against the vast outline of a ,divine ,family that was a fact and not a far-off ambition--a ,family that fell in ,eden and became a competitive ,state2 a ,holy ,family that redeemed ,nazareth and all the world2 a ,catholic ,family in whom was neither ,jew nor ,greek1 nor masters against men--in whom the doctrine of ,vocation secured the rights and the dignities of the ,society on one side and the ,individual on the other4 ,finally ,art1 wandering hither and thither in the mazes of ,realism1 saw light ahead1 and found in ,catholic ,art and ,symbolism the secret of her life4 ,this1 then1 was the result--that the ,church was found to be eternally right in every plane4 ,in plane after plane she had been condemned4 ,pilate--the ,law of ,separate ,nations--had found her guilty of sedition2 ,herod--the miracle-monger at one instant and the sceptic at the next--the ,scientist1 in fact--had declared her guilty of fraud2 ,caiaphas had condemned her in the name of ,national ,religion4 ,or1 again1 she had been thought the enemy of ,art by the ,greek-spirited2 the enemy of ,law by the ,latins2 the enemy of ,religion by the ,hebraic ,pharisee4 ,she had borne her title written in ,greek and ,latin and ,hebrew4 ,she had been crucified1 and taunted as she hung there2 she had seemed to die2 and1 to and behold6 when the ,third ,day dawned she was alive again for evermore4 ,from every single point she had been justified and vindicated4 ,men had thought to invent a new religion1 a new art1 a new social order1 a new philosophy2 they had burrowed and explored and digged in every direction2 and1 at the end1 when they had worked out their theories and found1 as they thought1 the reward of their labours1 they found themselves looking once more into the serene1 smiling face of ,catholicism4 ,she was risen from the dead once more1 and was seen to be the ,daughter of ,god1 with ,power4 ,there was a moment's silence4 ,there1 gentlemen1 said ,mr4 ,manners1 dropping back again into the quiet professor1 that1 ,i think1 in a few words1 is the outline for which ,monsignor asked4 ,i hope ,i have not detained you too long4 7,,ii7 ,it is the most extraordinary story ,i have ever heard1 said ,monsignor ,masterman ten minutes later1 as he threw himself down in his chair upstairs1 with ,father ,jervis sitting opposite4 ,certainly he puts it very well1 said the old priest1 smiling4 ,i think every one was interested4 ,it's not often that we can hear such a clear analysis of events4 ,of course ,manners has it all at his fingers' ends4 ,it's his special subject1 and---- ,but the amazing thing to me1 interrupted the other1 is that this isn't just a dream or a prophecy1 but a relation of facts4 4 4 4 ,do you mean to tell me that the whole world is ,christian8 ,the priest looked at him doubtfully4 ,monsignor1 surely your memory isn't---- ,monsignor made an impatient gesture4 ,father1 he said1 it's exactly as ,i told you before lunch4 ,i'll promise to tell you if my memory comes back4 ,at present ,i remember practically nothing at all1 except instinctively4 ,all ,i know is that this story we have heard simply astounds me4 ,i had a sort of idea that ,christianity was ebbing from the world2 that most thinking men had given up all belief in it2 and now ,i find it's exactly the other way4 ,please treat me as if ,i had stepped straight out of the beginning of the century4 ,just tell me the facts as if for the first time4 ,is it really true that practically the whole world is ,christian8 ,the priest hesitated4 ,you mean that1 ,monsignor8 ,certainly4 ,very well1 then4 ,he paused again4 ,but it's extraordinarily hard to know where to begin4 ,begin anywhere4 ,it's all new to me4 ,very good4 ,well1 yes3 roughly we may say that the world is ,christian1 in the same sort of way1 at least1 in which ,europe was ,christian1 say in the twelfth century4 ,there are survivals1 of course1 particularly in the ,east1 where large districts still cling to their old superstitions2 and there are even eminent men here and there who are not explicitly ,catholics2 but1 as a whole1 the world is ,christian4 ,do you mean ,catholic8 ,the priest stared a moment4 ,why1 yes4 ,what else---8 ,all right2 go on4 ,well then1 to begin with ,england4 ,catholicism is not yet established as the ,state ,religion2 but it'll only be a question of time1 and it may be said that all the laws are ,christian4 ,divorce8 ,divorce was abolished thirty years ago1 and fornication was made a felony ten years later1 said the priest quietly4 ,benefit of clergy also was restored three years ago2 and we have our own courts for heresy1 with power to hand over convicted criminals to the secular arm4 ,what8 ,certainly4 ,it has been in force now for three years4 ,then what do you mean by saying that the ,church isn't established8 ,i mean that no religious test is demanded of officers of state1 and that bishops and abbots have no seat in ,parliament4 ,it was the enfranchisement of women that turned the tide once and for all4 ,do you mean that all women have the vote8 ,they are under the same conditions as men4 ,there's a severe educational test now1 of course4 ,not more than about one in seventy adults ever get the vote at all4 ,but the result is that we're governed by educated persons4 ,stop4 ,is it a ,monarchy8 ,certainly4 ,edward ,,ix--a young man--is on the throne4 ,go on4 ,christianity1 then1 holds the field4 ,of course there are infidels left1 who write letters to the newspapers sometimes1 and hold meetings1 and so on4 ,but they are practically negligible4 ,as regards ,church property1 practically everything has finally been given back to us2--,i mean in the way of buildings1 and1 very largely1 revenues too4 ,all the cathedrals are ours1 and all parish churches built before the ,reformation1 as well as all other churches in parishes where there was not organized ,protestant resistance4 ,i thought you said there were no ,protestants4 ,father ,jervis suddenly laughed aloud4 ,monsignor1 are you really serious8 ,do you really mean you wish me to go on8 ,good ,god1 man6 ,i'm not playing a game4 4 4 4 ,go on1 please4 ,tell me about the ,protestants4 ,well1 of course there are some ,protestants left4 ,i think they've got four or five churches in ,london1 and 4 4 4 and 4 4 4 yes1 ,i'm sure of it1 they've got some kind of bishop4 ,but really ,i scarcely know4 ,i shall have to look it up4 ,well1 go on4 ,well1 that's the state of ,england4 ,practically everybody is a ,catholic--from the ,king downwards4 ,the last remains of ,church property was only actually given back to us last year4 ,that's why the monks haven't come back to ,westminster yet4 ,what about the rest of the world8 ,well1 first ,rome4 ,austria drove out the ,house of ,savoy nearly twenty-five years ago2 and the ,holy ,father---- ,what's his name8 ,gregory the ,nineteenth4 ,he's a ,frenchman4 ,well1 the ,holy ,father is ,temporal ,ruler of the whole of ,italy2 but the ,emperor of ,austria administers it4 ,then ,france is1 of course1 a very small country4 ,why small8 ,well1 you know the ,european ,war of #aiad 4 4 48 ,monsignor interrupted by a large sigh4 ,good heavens6 he said4 ,how ,i shall have to read4 ,i'm sorry4 ,go on1 please4 ,well1 ,france is a very small country1 but intensely ,catholic4 ,the ,church is re-established there1---- ,is it a monarchy too8 ,certainly4 ,the ,orleans line came back after the war4 ,louis ,,xxii is king4 ,i was saying that the ,church is re-established there1 and is practically supreme4 ,that is traceable entirely to ,pius ,x's policy4 ,pius ,x6 ,why---- ,yes1 ,monsignor8 ,i know all about that4 ,but ,i thought ,pius ,x simply ruined everything4 ,so they said at the time4 ,his policy was to draw the lines tight and to make no concessions4 ,he drove out every half-hearted ,catholic by his regulations1 and the result was a small but extraordinarily pure body4 ,the result has been that the country was re-evangelized1 and has become almost a land of saints4 ,they say that our ,lady---- ,well1 go on with the other countries4 ,spain and ,portugal are1 of course1 entirely ,catholic1 like ,france4 ,the ,monarchy was re-established in both of them in about #aice4 ,but ,germany--,germany's the weak spot4 ,well8 ,you see the ,emperor isn't a ,christian yet2 and ,socialism lingers on there with extraordinary pertinacity4 ,practically ,berlin is the ,holy ,city of ,freemasonry4 ,it's all organized from there--such as it is4 ,and no one is quite comfortable about ,germany4 ,the ,emperor ,frederick is a perfectly sincere man1 but really rather uneducated2 he still holds on to some sort of materialism2 and the result is---- ,i see4 ,but there are hopes of his conversion4 ,he's to be at ,versailles next week2 and that's a good sign4 ,well1 what about ,america8 ,oh6 ,america's chiefly ,english2 and very like ,england4 ,you mean she isn't republican8 ,of course not4 ,my dear ,monsignor---- ,please go on1 as ,i asked you4 ,tell me when she ceased to be republican4 ,why1 ,i scarcely know1 murmured the priest4 ,it must have been about #aicj1 ,i suppose4 ,i know there was a lot of trouble before that--civil wars and so forth4 ,but at any rate that was the end4 ,japan got a good deal of the ,far ,west2 but the ,eastern ,states came in with ,canada and formed the ,american ,colonies2 and the ,south of course became ,latinized1 largely through ecclesiastical influence4 ,well1 then ,america asked ,england---- ,stop1 please4 ,i shall get bewildered4 ,what about the religion8 ,well1 the ,empire of ,mexico---- ,eh8 ,the ,empire of ,mexico4 ,who's ,emperor8 ,the ,king of ,spain1 ,monsignor1 said the priest patiently4 ,well1 that used to be called ,south ,america4 ,it's all the ,empire of ,mexico now1 and belongs to ,spain4 ,that's solidly ,catholic1 of course4 ,and the ,american ,colonies--old ,north ,america--that's like ,england4 ,it's practically ,catholic1 of course2 but there are a few infidels and ,socialists4 ,australia8 ,australia's entirely ,irish1 and ,catholic4 ,and ,ireland itself8 ,oh6 ,ireland developed enormously as soon as she had gained independence1 but emigration continued1 and the ,irish strength really lies abroad4 ,then an odd thing happened4 ,ireland continued to empty1 obeying some social law we don't even yet understand properly2 and the ,religious began to get possession of the country in an extraordinary way1 until they owned all the large estates1 and even most of the towns4 ,you may say that ,ireland is practically one ,religious ,enclosure now4 ,of course1 she's a part of the ,british ,empire2 but her real social life lies in her colonies4 ,australia succeeded in getting ,home ,rule from ,ireland about twenty-five years ago4 ,monsignor pressed his hands to his head4 ,it sounds like the wildest dream1 he said4 ,hadn't ,i better---8 ,no2 go on4 ,i only want an outline4 ,what about the ,east8 ,well1 old superstitions still linger on in the ,east1 especially in ,china4 ,but the end is quite certain4 ,it is simply a matter of time---- ,but 4 4 4 but ,i don't understand4 ,if the whole world is practically ,christian1 what is there left to do8 ,the priest smiled4 ,ah6 but you must remember ,germany4 ,there are great forces in ,germany4 ,it's there that the danger lies4 ,and you must remember too that there is no ,universal ,arbitrator yet4 ,nationalism is still pretty strong4 ,there might easily be another big ,european war4 ,then you hope---- ,yes4 ,we're all working for the recognition of the ,pope as ,universal ,arbitrator1 as he was practically in ,europe in the ,middle ,ages4 ,of course1 as soon as the sovereigns acknowledge officially that they hold all their rights at the will of ,rome1 the thing will be done4 ,but it's not done yet1 except---- ,good ,god6 ,look here1 ,monsignor1 you've had enough1 said the priest1 rising4 ,though ,i must say you have followed it closely enough4 ,are you certain that it is quite new to you8 ,don't you remember--- ,it's not only new2 it's inconceivable6 ,i understand it perfectly2 but---- ,well1 you've had enough4 ,now what about coming to see the ,cardinal8 ,i feel sure he'll insist upon your taking a rest instantly4 ,i feel rather guilty---- ,stop4 ,tell me about languages4 ,why did you talk to me in ,latin this morning8 ,ecclesiastics generally do4 ,and so do the laity a good deal4 ,europe is practically bi-lingual4 ,each country keeps up its own tongue1 and learns ,latin as well4 ,you must rub up your ,latin1 ,monsignor4 ,wait a moment4 ,what are you going to say to the ,cardinal8 ,well1 hadn't ,i better tell him the whole thing1 just as it happened8 ,then you needn't explain4 ,the other pondered a moment4 ,thanks very much1 father4 4 4 4 ,stop4 ,do ,i talk ,english all right8 ,perfectly4 ,but----,oh well4 4 4 4 ,and ,i 4 4 4 did ,i do all right at lunch8 ,did any one suspect anything8 ,you did perfectly4 ,you seemed a little absent-minded once or twice2 but that was quite in keeping4 ,the two smiled at one another pleasantly4 ,then ,i'll be going1 said the priest4 ,will you wait here till ,i come for you8 ,,chapter ,,iii 7,i7 ,just be natural1 whispered ,father ,jervis a quarter of an hour later1 as they passed through the big ante-room4 ,you needn't explain a word4 ,i've told him everything4 ,he tapped2 and a voice answered4 ,sitting in a big arm-chair drawn up to the writing-table1 the man who had lost his memory saw a tall1 thin figure1 in black with scarlet buttons1 and a small scarlet skull-cap crowning his iron-grey hair4 ,it was a little hard to make out the face at first1 as the window was immediately beyond it2 but he saw almost immediately that1 although the face smiled at him reassuringly and welcomingly1 it was entirely unfamiliar4 ,the ,cardinal stood up as the two approached1 pushing back his chair1 and held out both his hands4 ,my dear ,monsignor1 he said1 and grasped the other's hands firmly and kindly4 ,i 4 4 4 your ,eminence 4 4 4 stammered the man4 ,now1 now2 not one word till ,i've done4 ,i've heard everything4 ,come and sit down4 ,he led him to a chair on the hearth-rug1 placed him in it1 and himself sat down in his own1 facing him4 ,the priest remained standing4 ,now1 ,i'm going to begin with an order1 on holy obedience1 smiled the ,cardinal4 ,you and ,father ,jervis--if the doctor approves--are to start for a little ,european tour by the midnight volor4 ,the 4 4 4 8 ,the volor1 said the ,cardinal4 ,it'll do you good4 ,father ,jervis will undertake all responsibility1 and you needn't worry yourself at all4 ,i shall telegraph to ,versailles in my own name1 and make one or two arrangements1 and a couple of my servants will attend you4 ,you will have nothing to do but get better4 ,you can't be spared4 ,it'll all come perfectly right1 ,i have no manner of doubt4 ,father ,jervis1 just ask the doctor to step here4 ,the ,cardinal talked a minute or two longer1 still with that soothing1 peaceful air2 and ,monsignor1 as he listened1 watched the priest go up to a row of black boxes1 resembling those in his own room1 and take down a shutter from one of them4 ,he then said a rapid sentence or two in a whisper1 reclosed the shutter1 and came back4 ,if things don't clear themselves1 you will just have to learn your business over again1 ,monsignor1 went on the ,cardinal1 still smiling4 ,father ,jervis has told me how well you did at lunch2 and ,mr4 ,manners said nothing1 except that you were a very good host and a very graceful listener4 ,so you need not fear that any one will notice4 ,so please put out of your mind any thought that any one else will take your place here4 ,i shall expect you back in a month or two1 and not a soul will be any the wiser4 ,i shall just let it be known that you're gone for a holiday4 ,you have always worked hard enough1 anyhow1 to deserve one4 ,at that moment1 somewhere out of the air1 from the direction of the boxes on the wall1 a very deferential1 quiet voice uttered a few words in ,latin4 ,the ,cardinal nodded4 ,father ,jervis went to the door and opened it1 and there came through a man in a black cloak1 resembling a gown1 followed by a servant carrying a bag4 ,the bag was set down1 the servant went out1 and the doctor came forward to kiss the ,cardinal's ring4 ,i want you just to examine ,monsignor ,masterman1 said the ,cardinal4 ,and1 doctor1 please observe absolute silence afterwards4 ,just say that you have found him a little run down4 ,monsignor made a movement to stand up1 but the ,cardinal restrained him4 ,do you remember this gentleman8 he asked4 ,monsignor stared blankly at the doctor4 ,i have never seen him in my life1 he said4 ,the doctor smiled1 simply and frankly4 ,well1 well1 ,monsignor1 he said4 ,it seems just a loss of memory1 went on the ,cardinal4 ,just tell the doctor how it happened4 ,the invalid made an effort2 he shut his eyes for an instant to recover himself2 and then he related at length his first apparent consciousness in ,hyde ,park1 and all that had followed4 ,father ,jervis put a question from time to time1 which he answered quite rationally2 and at the close the doctor1 who was sitting opposite1 watching every movement of his face1 leaned back1 smiling4 ,well1 ,monsignor1 he said1 it seems to me that your memory is sufficiently good4 ,just put another question1 father--a really difficult one--about something that has happened since noon4 ,can you remember the points of ,mr4 ,manners' speech8 asked the priest doubtfully4 ,the other paused for a moment4 ,psychology1 ,comparative ,religion1 the ,philosophy of ,evidence1 ,pragmatism1 ,art1 ,politics1 and finally ,recuperation4 ,these were the---- ,now that's astonishing6 said the priest4 ,i could only remember four myself4 ,when did you see the ,cardinal last8 asked the doctor suddenly4 ,i have never seen him before1 to my knowledge1 faltered the sick man4 ,the ,cardinal leaned forward and patted him gently on the knee4 ,never mind1 he said4 ,then1 doctor---- ,would your ,eminence put a question to him on some very important matter8 ,something that would have made a deep impression4 ,the ,cardinal considered4 ,well1 he said1 yes4 ,do you remember the message brought by special messenger from ,windsor yesterday evening8 ,monsignor shook his head4 ,that'll do1 said the doctor4 ,don't attempt to force yourself4 ,he rose from his chair1 fetched his bag and opened it4 ,out of it he took an instrument rather resembling a small camera1 but with a bundle of minute wires of some very pliable material1 each ending in a tiny disc4 ,do you know what this is1 ,monsignor8 asked the doctor1 busying himself with the wires4 ,i have no idea4 ,well1 well4 4 4 4 ,now1 ,monsignor1 kindly loosen your waistcoat1 so that ,i can get at your breast and back4 ,is it a stethoscope8 ,something like it1 smiled the doctor4 ,but how did you know that name8 ,never mind4 ,now then1 please4 ,he placed the camera affair on the corner of the table near the arm-chair2 and then1 very rapidly1 began to affix the discs--it seemed by some process of air-exhaustion--all over the head1 breast1 and back of the amazed man4 ,no sensation followed this at all1 except the very faint feeling of skin-contraction at each point of contact4 ,may ,i have that blind down1 your ,eminence8 4 4 4 ,ah6 that's better4 ,now then4 ,he bent closely over the square box on the table1 and seemed to peer at something inside4 ,the others kept silence4 ,well8 asked the ,cardinal at last4 ,perfectly satisfactory1 your ,eminence4 ,there is a very faint discoloration1 but no more than is usual in a man of ,monsignor's temperament at any excitement4 ,there is absolutely nothing wrong1 and--,monsignor1 he continued1 looking straight at the wire-bedecked invalid1 not the very faintest indication of anything even approaching insanity or imbecility4 ,the man who had lost his memory drew a swift breath4 ,may ,i see1 doctor8 asked the ,cardinal suavely4 ,certainly1 your ,eminence2 and ,monsignor can look himself1 if he likes4 ,when the other two had looked1 the sick man himself was given the box4 7,carefully with that wire1 please47 ,there6 said the doctor4 ,look down there4 ,in the centre of the box1 shielded by a little plate of glass1 there appeared a small semi-luminous globe4 ,this globe seemed tinted with slightly wavering colours1 in which a greyish blue predominated2 but1 almost like a pulse1 there moved across it from time to time a very pale red tint1 suffusing it1 and then dying away again4 ,what is it8 asked the man in the chair hoarsely1 lifting his head4 ,that1 my dear ,monsignor1 explained the doctor carefully1 is a reflection of your physical condition4 ,it is an exceedingly simple1 though of course very delicate instrument4 ,the method was discovered--- ,is it anything to do with magnetism8 ,they used to call it that1 ,i think4 ,it's got several names now4 ,all mental disturbance has1 of course1 a physical side to it1 and that is how we are able to record it physically4 ,it was discovered by a monk1 of course4 ,but 4 4 4 but it's marvellous4 ,everything is marvellous1 ,monsignor4 ,certainly this1 however1 caused a revolution4 ,it became the symbol of the whole modern method of medicine4 ,what's that8 ,the doctor laughed4 ,that's a large question1 he said4 ,but 4 4 4 ,well1 in a word1 it's the old system turned upside down4 ,a century ago when a man was ill they began by doctoring his body4 ,now1 when a man's ill1 they begin by doctoring his mind4 ,you see the mind is much more the man than the body is1 as ,theology always taught us4 ,therefore by dealing with the mind---- ,but that's ,christian ,science6 ,the doctor looked bewildered4 ,it was an old heresy1 doctor1 put in the ,cardinal1 smiling1 that denied the reality of matter4 ,no1 ,monsignor1 we don't deny the reality of matter4 ,it's perfectly real4 ,only1 as the doctor says1 we prefer to attack the real root of the disease1 rather than its physical results4 ,we still use drugs2 but only to remove painful symptoms4 ,that 4 4 4 that sounds all right1 stammered the man1 bewildered by the simplicity of it4 ,then 4 4 4 then do you mean1 your ,eminence1 that physical diseases are treated---8 ,there are no physical diseases left1 put in the doctor4 ,of course there are accidents and external physical injuries2 but practically all the rest have disappeared4 ,very nearly all of them were carried by the blood1 and1 by dealing with this1 the tissues are made immune4 ,our discoveries also in the region of innervation---- ,but 4 4 4 but 4 4 4 are there no diseases then8 ,why1 yes1 ,monsignor1 interrupted the ,cardinal1 with the patient air of one talking to a child1 there are hundreds of those2 and they are very real indeed2 but they are almost entirely mental--or psychical1 as some call them4 ,and there are specialists on all of these4 ,bad habits of thought1 for example1 always set up some kind of disease2 and there are hospitals for these2 and even isolation homes4 ,forgive me1 your ,eminence1 put in the doctor1 with a certain imperiousness1 but ,i think we ought not to talk to ,monsignor too much on this subject4 ,may ,i put a question or two8 ,i beg your pardon1 doctor4 ,certainly4 ,put any question you wish4 ,the doctor sat down again4 ,have you been in the habit of saying ,mass every day1 ,monsignor8 ,i 4 4 4 ,i don't know1 said the invalid4 ,yes1 doctor1 put in ,father ,jervis4 ,and confession once a week8 ,twice a week1 said ,father ,jervis4 ,i am ,monsignor's confessor4 ,very good1 said the doctor4 ,for the present1 as far as ,i am concerned1 ,i should recommend confession only once a fortnight as a general rule4 ,mass can be as before4 ,then ,monsignor may say half of his office every day1 or the rosary2 but not both4 ,and no other devotions of any kind1 except the particular ,examen4 ,if ,monsignor and ,father ,jervis both consent1 ,i should like the ,examen to be forwarded to a priest-doctor for a few weeks4 ,an exclamation broke from the invalid4 ,well1 ,monsignor8 ,i don't understand4 ,what are you talking about8 ,the ,cardinal leaned forward4 ,monsignor1 listen to me4 ,in these cases the doctor always gives his advice4 ,you see even the sacraments have their mental side2 and on this mental side the doctor speaks4 ,but the whole decision rests entirely with the patient and his confessor2 or they can call in an expert priest-doctor4 ,only a priest can possibly decide finally the relations between the grace of the sacraments and their reactionary effect upon the mind4 ,a lay doctor only recommends4 ,are you satisfied8 ,the man nodded4 ,it seemed very simple1 so stated4 ,for the rest1 continued the doctor1 with a certain stateliness of manner1 ,i order a complete change of scene4 ,this must be for a fortnight at least1 if not longer4 ,if the priest-doctor's report--to whom the ,examen may be sent--is not satisfactory1 it will have to be for longer4 ,the patient must engage in no business that does not honestly interest him4 ,may he travel to-night8 asked the ,cardinal4 ,the sooner the better1 said the doctor1 rising4 ,what is the matter with me8 asked the invalid hoarsely4 ,it is a small mental explosion1 but it has not affected the mechanism of the brain4 ,there is not1 as ,i have said1 a trace of insanity or of loss of balance4 ,i cannot promise that the injury will be repaired2 but defects that may follow from this can easily be remedied by study4 ,it simply depends upon yourself1 ,monsignor1 as to in how long you can be at your post again here4 ,as soon as you have learned the threads of business1 you will be able to apply yourself as before4 ,i shall look for a report in a fortnight's time at the latest4 ,good day1 your ,eminence4 7,,ii7 ,the clocks of ,london were all striking the single stroke of midnight as the two priests stood on the wind-sheltered platform of the volor1 waiting for the start4 ,to ,monsignor ,masterman the scene was simply overwhelming4 ,there was hardly a detail that was not new and unfamiliar4 ,from where he stood on the upper deck1 grasping the rail before him1 his eyes looked out over a luminous city as lovely as fairyland4 ,there were no chimneys1 of course 7these1 he had just learnt1 had altogether disappeared more than fifty years ago71 but spires and towers and pinnacles rose before him like a dream1 glowing against the dark sky1 lit by the soft radiance of the streets beneath4 ,to the right1 not a hundred yards away1 rose ,saint ,edward's tower1 mellowed now to clear orange by the lapse of three-quarters of a century2 to the left a flight of buildings1 of an architectural design which he did not understand1 but which gave him a sense of extreme satisfaction2 in front towered the masses of ,buckingham ,palace as he seemed always to have known it4 ,the platform of the flying ship on which he stood hung in dock at least three hundred feet high above the roads beneath4 ,he had examined the whole vessel just now from stem to stern1 and had found it vaguely familiar2 he determined to examine it again presently4 ,there was no gas-bag to sustain it--so much he had noticed--though he could not say whence he had the idea that gas-bags were usual4 ,but it seemed to him as if the notion of airships did carry some faint association to his mind1 although far less distinct than that of motor-cars and even trains4 ,he had enquired of his companion an hour or two earlier as they had discussed their journey as to whether they would not go by train and steamer1 and had received the answer that these were never used except for very short journeys4 ,here1 then1 he stood and stared4 ,it was very quiet up here2 but he listened with considerable curiosity to the strange humming sound that filled the air1 rising and falling1 as of a beehive4 ,at first he thought it was the working of engines in the ship2 but he presently perceived it to be the noise of the streets rising from below2 and it was then that he saw for the first time that foot-passengers were almost entirely absent1 and that practically the whole roadway1 so far as he could make out from the high elevation at which he stood1 was occupied by cars of all descriptions going this way and that4 ,they sounded soft horns as they went1 but they bore no lights1 for the streets were as light as day with a radiance that seemed to fall from beneath the eaves of all the buildings that lined them4 ,this effect of lighting had a curious result of making the city look as if it were seen through glass or water--a beautifully finished1 clean picture1 moving within itself like some precise and elaborate mechanism4 ,he turned round at a touch on his arm4 ,you would like to see the start1 perhaps1 said the old priest4 ,we are a little late to-night4 ,the country mails have only just arrived4 ,but we shall be off directly now4 ,come this way4 ,the upper deck1 as the two turned inwards1 presented an extremely pleasant and reassuring picture4 ,from stem to stern it ran clear1 set out1 however1 with groups of tables and chairs clamped to the floor1 at which sat a dozen parties or so1 settling themselves down comfortably4 ,there were no funnels1 no bridge1 no break at all to the delightful vista4 ,the whole was lighted by the same device as were the streets1 for round the upper edges of the transparent walls that held out the wind shone a steady1 even glow from invisible lights4 ,in the very centre of the deck1 however1 was a low railing that protected the head of a staircase1 and down this well the two looked4 ,shall ,i explain8 asked the old priest1 smiling4 ,this is the latest model1 you know4 ,it has not been in use for more than a few months4 ,the other nodded4 ,tell me everything1 please4 ,well1 look right down there1 below the second flight4 ,the first flight leads to the second-class deck1 and the flight below to the working parts of the ship4 ,now do you see that man's head1 straight in the middle1 in the bright light8--yes1 immediately under4 ,well1 that's the first engineer4 ,he's in a glass compartment1 you see1 and can look down passages in every direction4 ,the gas arrangements are all in front of him1 and the---- ,stop1 please4 ,what power is it that drives the ship8 ,is it lighter than air1 or what8 ,well1 you see the entire framework of the ship is hollow4 ,every single thing you see--even the chairs and tables--they're all made of the metal aerolite 7as it's generally called74 ,it's almost as thin as paper1 and it's far stronger than any steel4 ,now it's the framework of the ship that takes the place of the old balloon4 ,it's infinitely safer1 too1 for it's divided by automatically closing stops into tens of thousands of compartments1 so a leak here and there makes practically no difference4 ,well1 when the ship's at rest1 as it is now1 there's simply air in all these tubes2 but when it's going to start1 there is forced into these tubes1 from the magazine below1 the most volatile gas that has been discovered---- ,what's it called8 ,i forget the real name4 ,it's generally called aeroline4 ,well1 this is forced in1 until the specific gravity of the whole affair1 passengers and all1 is as nearly as possible the same as the specific gravity of the air4 ,i see4 ,good ,lord1 how simple6 ,and the rest is done with planes and screws1 driven by electricity4 ,the tail of the boat is a recent development4 7,you'll see it when we're once started47 ,it's exactly like the tail of a bird1 and contracts and expands in every direction4 ,then besides that there are two wings1 one on each side1 and these can be used1 if necessary1 in case the screws go wrong1 as propellers4 ,but usually they are simply for balancing and gliding4 ,you see1 barring collisions1 there's hardly the possibility of an accident4 ,if one set of things fails1 there's always something else to take its place4 ,at the very worst1 we can but be blown about a bit4 ,but it's exactly like a bird1 then4 ,of course1 ,monsignor1 said the priest1 with twinkling eyes1 it isn't likely that we could improve upon ,almighty ,god's design4 ,we're very simple1 you know4 4 4 4 ,look1 he's signalling4 ,we're going to start4 ,come to the prow4 ,we shall see better from there4 ,the upper deck ended in a railing1 below which protruded1 from the level of the lower deck1 the prow proper of the boat4 ,upon this prow1 in a small compartment of which the roof1 as well as the walls1 was of hardened glass1 stood the steersman amid his wheels4 ,but the wheels were unlike anything that the bewildered man who looked down had ever dreamed of4 ,first1 they were not more than six inches in diameter2 and next1 they were arranged1 like notes on a keyboard1 with their edges towards him1 with the whole set curved round him in a semicircle4 ,those to right and left1 explained the priest1 control the planes on either side2 those in front1 on the left1 control the engines and the gas supply2 and on the right1 the tail of the boat4 ,watch him1 and you'll see4 ,we're just starting4 ,as he spoke three bells sounded from below1 followed1 after a pause1 by a fourth4 ,the steersman straightened himself as the first rang out and glanced round him2 and upon the fourth1 bent himself suddenly over the key board1 like a musician addressing himself to a piano4 ,for the first instant ,monsignor was conscious of a slight swaying motion1 which resolved itself presently into a faint sensation of constriction on his temples1 but no more4 ,then this passed1 and as he glanced away again from the steersman1 who was erect once more1 his look happened to fall over the edge of the boat4 ,he grasped his friend convulsively4 ,look1 he said1 what's happened8 ,yes1 we're off1 said the priest sedately4 ,beneath them1 on either side1 there now stretched itself an almost illimitable and amazingly beautiful bird's-eye view of a lighted city1 separated from them by what seemed an immeasurable gulf4 ,from the enormous height up to which they had soared the city looked like a complicated flat map1 of which the patches were dark and the dividing lines rivers of soft fire4 ,this stretched practically to the horizon on all sides2 the light toned down at the edges into a misty luminosity1 but as the bewildered watcher stared in front of him1 he saw how directly in their course there slid toward them two great patches of dark1 divided by a luminous stream in the middle4 ,what is it8 ,what is it8 he stammered4 ,the priest seemed not to notice his agitation2 he just passed his hand quietly into the trembling man's elbow4 ,yes1 he said1 there are houses all the way to ,brighton now1 of course1 and we go straight down the track4 ,we shall take in passengers at ,brighton1 ,i think4 ,there was a step behind them4 ,good evening1 ,monsignor1 said a voice4 ,it's a lovely night4 ,the prelate turned round1 covered with confusion1 and saw a man in uniform saluting him deferentially4 ,ah6 captain1 slipped in the priest4 ,so we're crossing with you1 are we8 ,that's it1 father4 ,the ,michael line's running this week4 ,it's a wonderful thing to me---- began ,monsignor1 but a sharp pressure on his arm checked him--how you keep the whole organization going1 he ended lamely4 ,the captain smiled4 ,it's pretty straightforward1 he said4 ,the ,michael line runs the first week of every month2 the ,gabriel the second1 and so on4 ,then---- ,yes1 put in ,father ,jervis4 ,whose idea was it to dedicate the lines to the archangels8 ,i forget4 ,ah6 that's ancient history to me1 father4 4 4 4 ,excuse me1 ,monsignor2 ,i think ,i hear my bell4 he wheeled1 saluting again1 and was off4 ,do you mean---8 began ,monsignor4 ,of course1 said ,father ,jervis1 everything runs on those lines now4 ,you see we're matter-of-fact1 and it's really rather obvious1 when you think of it1 to dedicate the volor lines to the angels4 ,we've been becoming more and more obvious for the last fifty years4 4 4 4 ,by the way1 ,monsignor1 you must take care not to give yourself away4 ,you'd better not ask many questions except of me4 ,monsignor changed the subject4 ,when shall we get to ,paris8 he asked4 ,we shall be a little late1 ,i think1 unless they make up time4 ,we're due at three4 ,i hope there won't be any delay at ,brighton4 ,sometimes on windy nights---- ,i suppose the descending and the starting again takes some time4 ,the priest laughed4 ,we don't descend at places en route1 he said4 ,the tender comes up to us4 ,it'll probably be in its place by now4 ,we aren't ten minutes away4 ,the other compressed his lips and was silent4 ,presently1 far away to the southward beneath the soft starlit sky1 the luminous road down which they travelled seemed to expand once more almost abruptly into another vast spread of lights4 ,but as they approached this did not extend any farther1 but lay cut off sharp by a long1 curving line of almost complete darkness4 ,brighton 4 4 4 the sea 4 4 4 ,and there's the tender waiting4 ,at first the prelate could not make it out against the radiance below1 but an instant later1 as they rushed on1 it loomed up1 sudden and enormous1 itself blazing with lights against the dark sea4 ,it looked to him something like a floating stage1 outlined with fire2 and there were glimmering1 perpendicular lines beneath it which he could not understand1 running down to lose themselves in the misty glow three hundred feet beneath4 ,how's it done8 he asked4 ,it's a platform1 charged of course with aeroline4 ,it runs on lines straight up from the stage beneath1 and keeps itself steady with screws4 ,you'll see it go down after we've left again4 ,come to the stern1 we shall see better from there4 ,by the time that they had reached the other end of the ship1 the pace had rapidly diminished almost to motionlessness2 and as soon as ,monsignor could attend again1 he perceived that there was sliding at a footpace past their starboard side the edge of the huge platform that he had seen just now half a mile away4 ,for a moment or two it swayed up and down2 there was a slight vibration2 and then he heard voices and the trampling of footsteps4 ,the bridges are fixed1 remarked the priest4 ,they're on the lower deck1 of course4 ,pretty prompt1 aren't they8 ,the prelate stood1 staring with all his eyes2 now at the motionless platform that hung alongside1 now at the gulf below with the fairy lights strewed like stars and nebulae at its bottom4 ,it seemed impossible to realize that this station in the air was not the normal level1 and the earth not a strange foreign body that attended on it4 ,there came up on deck presently a dozen figures or so1 carrying wraps1 and talking4 ,it was amazing to him that they could behave with such composure4 ,two were even quarrelling in subdued voices4 4 4 4 ,it was hardly five minutes before the three bells rang again2 and before the fourth sounded1 suddenly he saw drop beneath1 like a stone into a pit1 the huge immovable platform that just now he had conceived of as solid as the earth from which it had risen4 ,down and down it went1 swaying ever so slightly from side to side1 diminishing as it went2 but before the motion had ceased the fourth bell rang1 and he clutched the rail to steady himself as the ship he was on soared again with a strange intoxicating motion4 ,the next instant1 as he glanced over the edge1 he saw that they were far out over the blackness of the sea4 ,i think we might go below for a bit1 said the priest in his ear4 ,there was no kind of difficulty in descending the stairs2 there was practically no oscillation of any kind in this still and windless summer night1 and the two came down easily and looked round the lower deck4 ,this was far more crowded with figures3 there were padded seats fully occupied running round all the sides1 beneath the enormous continuous windows4 ,in the centre1 sternwards1 ran a narrow refreshment bar1 where a score of men were standing to refresh themselves4 ,forward of the farther stairs 7down the well of which they had seen the engineer's head71 by which they were standing1 the deck was closed in1 as with cabins4 ,like to see the oratory8 asked ,father ,jervis4 ,the what8 ,oratory4 ,the long-journey boats1 that have chaplains1 carry the ,blessed ,sacrament1 of course2 but there is only a little oratory on these continental lines4 ,monsignor followed him1 unable to speak1 up the central passage running forwards2 through a pair of heavy curtains2 and there1 to his amazed eyes1 appeared a small altar1 a hanging lamp1 and an image of ,st4 ,michael4 ,but it's astounding6 whispered the prelate1 watching a man and a woman at their prayers4 ,it's common sense1 isn't it8 smiled the priest4 ,why1 the custom began a hundred years ago4 ,no6 ,indeed it did6 ,i learnt it from one of the little guide-books they give one on these boats4 ,a company called the ,great ,western had mosaic pictures of the patron saint of each boat in the saloon4 ,and their locomotives1 too1 were called after saints' names4 ,it's only plain common sense1 if you come to think of it4 ,are lines like this--and railways1 and so on--owned by the ,state now8 ,i suppose so4 ,the other shook his head4 ,that was tried under ,socialism1 he said4 ,it was one of their smaller failures4 ,you see1 when competition ceases1 effort ceases4 ,human nature is human nature1 after all4 ,the ,socialists forgot that4 ,no2 we encourage private enterprise as much as possible1 under ,state restrictions4 ,they paused as they came out again4 ,care to lie down for a bit8 ,we shan't be in till three4 ,the ,cardinal engaged a room for us4 ,he indicated a small cabin that bore his own name on a card4 ,monsignor paused4 ,yes1 ,i will1 ,i think4 ,i've a lot to think about4 ,but he could not sleep4 ,the priest promised to awaken him in plenty of time1 and he slipped off his buckled shoes and tried to compose his mind4 ,but it was useless4 ,his mind whirled with wonder4 ,once he slipped to a sitting position1 drew back the little curtain over the porthole1 and stared out4 ,there was little to be seen2 but by the sight of a lake of soft light that slid past at some incalculable depth a dozen miles away1 he perceived that they had left the sea far behind and were spinning over the land of ,france4 ,he looked out long1 revolving thoughts and conjectures1 striving to find some glimmer of memory by which he might adjust these new experiences2 but there was none4 ,he was like a child1 with the brain of a man1 plunged into a new mode of existence1 where everything seemed reversed1 and yet astonishingly obvious2 it was the very simplicity that baffled him4 ,the ,christian religion was true down 7or up7 even to the ,archangels that stand before ,god and control the powers of the air4 ,the priesthood was the priesthood2 the ,blessed ,sacrament was the ,god-,man tabernacling with men4 ,then where was the cause for amazement that the world recognized these facts and acted upon them2 that men should salute the priest of ,god as ,his representative and agent on earth2 that air-ships 7themselves constructed on the model of the sea-gull--hollow feathers and all7 should carry the ,blessed ,sacrament on long journeys1 that communicants might not be deprived of their ,daily ,bread1 and even raise altars on board to the honour of those ,powers under whose protection they placed themselves4 ,it was curious1 too1 he reflected1 that those who insist most upon the claims of ,divinity insist also upon the claims of humanity4 ,it seemed suggestive that it was the ,catholics who were most aware of the competitive passions of men and reckoned with them1 while the ,socialists ignored them and failed4 ,so he sat--this poor man bewildered by simplicity and almost shocked by the obvious--listening with unheeding ears to the steady rush of air past the ship1 voices talking naturally and easily1 heard through the roof above his head1 an occasional footstep1 and once or twice a bell as the steersman communicated some message to one of his subordinates4 ,here he sat--,john ,masterman1 ,domestic ,prelate to ,his ,holiness ,gregory ,,xix1 ,secretary to ,his ,eminence ,gabriel ,cardinal ,bellairs1 and priest of the ,holy ,roman ,church1 trying to assimilate the fact that he was on an air-ship1 bound to the court of the ,catholic ,french ,king1 and that practically the whole civilized world believed and acted on the belief which he1 as a priest1 naturally also held and was accustomed to teach4 ,a tap on his door roused him at last4 ,it's time to be moving1 ,monsignor1 said ,father ,jervis through the half-open door4 ,we're in communication with ,st4 ,germains4 ,,chapter ,,iv 7,i7 ,tell me a little about the costumes1 said ,monsignor1 as the two set out on foot from their lodgings in ,versailles after breakfast next morning1 to present their letters of introduction4 ,they seem to me rather fantastic1 somehow4 ,their lodgings were situated in one of the great palaces on the vast road that runs straight from the gates of the royal palace itself into ,paris4 ,they had come straight on by car from ,st4 ,germains1 had been received with immense respect by the proprietor1 who1 it appeared1 had received very particular instructions from the ,english ,cardinal2 and had been conducted straight upstairs to a little suite of rooms1 decorated in eighteenth-century fashion1 and consisting of a couple of bedrooms for themselves1 opening to a central sitting-room and oratory2 the two men-servants they had brought with them were lodged immediately across the landing outside4 ,fantastic8 asked ,father ,jervis1 smiling4 ,don't you think they're attractive8 ,oh yes2 but---- ,remember human nature1 ,monsignor4 ,after all1 it was only intense self-importance that used to make men say that they were independent of exterior beauty4 ,it's far more natural and simple to like beauty4 ,every child does1 after all4 ,yes1 yes2 ,i see that1 ,i suppose4 ,but ,i didn't mean only that4 ,i was on the point of asking you yesterday1 again and again1 but something marvellous distracted me each time1 said the prelate1 smiling4 ,they're extraordinarily picturesque1 of course2 but ,i can't help thinking that they must all mean something4 ,of course they do4 ,and ,i never can imagine how people ever got on without the system4 ,why1 even less than a hundred years ago1 ,i understand that every one dressed1 or tried to dress alike4 ,how in the world could they tell who they were talking to8 ,i 4 4 4 ,i expect that was deliberate1 faltered the other4 ,you see1 ,i think people used to be ashamed of their trades sometimes1 and wanted to be thought gentlemen4 ,father ,jervis shrugged his shoulders4 ,well1 ,i don't understand it1 he said4 ,if a man was ashamed of his trade1 why did he follow it8 ,i've been thinking1 said ,monsignor animatedly1 that perhaps it's the new teaching on ,vocation that has made the difference4 ,once a man understands that his ,vocation is the most honourable thing he can do1 ,i suppose----,there6 who's that man1 he interrupted suddenly1 in blue with the badge8 ,a tremendous figure was crossing the road just in front of them4 ,he wore a short1 full blue cloak1 with a silver badge on the left breast1 a tight-fitting cap of the same colour repeating the same badge1 and from beneath his cloak in front hung a tunic1 with enormous legs in tight blue hose and shoes moving underneath4 ,ah6 that's a great man1 said the priest4 ,he's a ,butcher1 of course---- ,a butcher6 ,yes2 that's obvious--it's the blue1 for one thing1 and the cut1 for another4 ,wait an instant4 ,i shall see his badge directly4 ,as the great man came past them he saluted deferentially4 ,the priests bowed with equal deference1 lifting their hands to their broad-leaved hats4 ,yes3 he's very high up1 said the priest quietly4 ,a member of the ,council of the ,national ,guild1 at least4 ,do you mean that man kills oxen8 ,not now1 of course2 he's worked his way up4 ,he probably represents the ,guild in the ,assembly4 ,do all the trades have guilds1 and are they all represented in the ,assembly8 ,why1 of course6 ,how else could you be certain that the trade was treated fairly8 ,if all the citizens voted as citizens1 there'd simply be no fair representation at all4 ,look2 there's a goldsmith--he has probably been to the ,king2 that's a journeyman with him4 ,an open car sped past them4 ,two men were seated in it2 both in clothes of some really beautiful metallic colour2 but the cap of one was plain1 while the cap of the other blazed with some device4 ,and the women8 ,i can't see any system among them4 ,ah6 but there is1 though it's harder to detect4 ,they have much more liberty than the men2 but1 as a rule1 each woman has a predominating colour1 the colour of the head of her family1 and all1 of course1 wear badges4 ,there are sumptuary laws1 ,i needn't say4 ,i shouldn't have guessed it6 ,well1 not as regards price or material1 certainly--only size4 ,there are certain absolute limits on both sides2 and fashions have to manage between the two4 ,you see it's the same thing as in trades and professions1 as ,i told you yesterday4 ,we encourage the individual to be as individualistic as possible1 and draw the limits very widely1 beyond which he mustn't go4 ,but those limits are imperative4 ,we try to develop both extremes at once--liberty and law4 ,we had enough of the via media--the mediocrity of the average--under ,socialism4 ,but do you mean to say that people submit to all this8 ,submit6 ,why it's perfectly obvious to every one that it's simply human--besides being very convenient practically4 ,of course in ,germany they still go in for what they call ,liberty2 and the result is simple chaos4 ,do you mean to say there's no envy or jealousy between the trades8 ,not in the social sense1 in the very least1 though there's tremendous competition4 ,why1 every one under ,royalty has to be a member of some trade4 ,of course only those who practise the trade wear the full costume2 but even the dukes have to wear the badges4 ,it's perfectly simple1 you know4 ,tell me an ,english duke who's a butcher1 ,butcher8 4 4 4 ,i can't think of one this minute4 ,southminster's a baker1 though4 ,monsignor was silent4 ,but it certainly seemed simple4 ,they were passing up now between the sentry-guarded gates of the enormous and exquisite palace of ,versailles2 and1 beyond the great expanse of gravel on which they had just set foot1 rose up the myriad windows1 pinnacles1 and walls where the ,kings of ,france lived again as they had lived two hundred years before4 ,far up1 against the tender summer sky1 flapped the ,royal ,standard2 and the lilies of ,france1 once more on their blue ground1 indicated that the ,king was in residence4 ,even as they looked1 however1 the banner seemed to waver a little2 and simultaneously a sudden ringing sound from a shadowed portico a couple of hundred yards away brought ,father ,jervis to a sudden stop4 ,we'd better step aside1 he said4 ,we're right in the way4 ,what's the matter8 ,some one's coming out4 4 4 4 ,look4 ,from out of the shadow into the full sunlight with a flash of silver lightning whirled a body of cuirassiers1 wheeled into line1 and came on1 reforming as they came1 at a canter4 ,a couple of heralds rode in front2 and a long trumpet-cry pealed out1 was caught1 echoed1 and thrown back by the crowding walls of the palace4 ,behind1 as ,father ,jervis drew him to one side1 ,monsignor caught a glimpse of white horses and a gleam of gold4 ,he glanced hastily back at the gates through which they had just come1 and1 as if sprung out of the ground1 there was the crowd standing respectfully on either side of the avenue to see its ,sovereign4 7,it was up this avenue to ,paris1 ,monsignor reflected1 that the women had come on their appalling march to the ,queen who ruled them then47 ,as he glanced back again the heralds were upon them1 and the thunder of hoofs followed close behind4 ,but beyond the line of galloping guards1 in the midst1 drawn by white horses1 ran the great gilded coach with glass windows1 and the crown of ,france atop4 ,two men were seated in the coach1 bowing mechanically as they came--one a small1 young1 vivacious-looking man with a pointed dark beard2 the other a heavy1 fair-haired1 sanguine-featured1 clean-shaven man4 ,both alike were in robes in which red and gold predominated2 and both wore broad feathered hats1 shaped like a priest's4 ,then the coach was gone through the tall gilded gates1 and a cloud of dust1 beaten up by the galloping hoofs on all sides1 hid even the cuirassiers who closed the company4 ,and as the two turned the banner sank on the tall pole4 ,the ,king and the ,german ,emperor1 observed ,father ,jervis1 replacing his hat4 ,now there's the other side of the picture for you4 ,i don't understand4 ,why1 we treat our kings like kings1 smiled the other4 ,and1 at the same time1 we encourage our butchers to be really butchers and to glory in it4 ,law and liberty1 you see4 ,absolute discipline and the cultivation of individualism4 ,no republican stew-pot1 you see1 in which everything tastes alike4 7,,ii7 ,they had to wait a few minutes in an ante-room before presenting their letters1 as the official was engaged1 and ,father ,jervis occupied the time in running over again the names and histories of three or four important personages to whom they would perhaps have to speak4 ,he had given an outline of these at breakfast4 ,there were three in particular about whom ,monsignor must be informed4 ,first1 the ,king2 and ,monsignor learned again thoroughly of the sensational reaction which1 after the humiliation of ,france in the war of #aiad--the logical result of a conflict between a republicanism worked out to mediocrity and a real and vivid monarchy--had placed this man's father--the undoubted legitimate heir--upon the throne4 ,he had died only two years ago1 when the ,dauphin1 who had ascended the throne1 was just eighteen years old4 ,the present ,king was not yet married1 but there were rumours of a love-match with a ,spanish princess4 ,he was a boyish king1 it seemed1 but he played his royal part with intense enjoyment and dignity1 and had restored1 to the delight of this essentially romantic and imaginative people1 most of the glories of the eighteenth-century court1 without its scandals4 ,certainly ,france was returning to its old chivalry1 and thence to its old power4 ,next there was the ,cardinal ,archbishop of ,paris1 ,cardinal ,guinet1 a very old ecclesiastic1 very high in the counsels of the ,church1 who would almost certainly have been elected ,pope at the last vacancy if it had not been for his age4 ,he was an intellectual1 it seemed1 and1 among other things1 was one of the first physicists of ,europe4 ,he had been ordained comparatively late in life4 ,thirdly there was the ,archbishop's secretary--,monsignor ,allet--a rising man and an excellent diplomatist4 ,there were two or three more1 but ,father ,jervis was content with scarcely more than recounting their names4 ,the ,king's brother1 and the heir-presumptive1 was something of a recluse and seldom appeared at court4 ,of the ,german ,emperor1 ,monsignor had already learned1 it seemed1 sufficient4 ,in the middle of these instructions1 the door suddenly opened1 and an ecclesiastic hurried in with outstretched hands1 and apologies in a torrent of ,latin4 7,monsignor ,allet1 whispered ,father ,jervis1 as he appeared47 ,monsignor ,masterman stood bewildered4 ,the dilemma had not occurred to him2 but ,father ,jervis1 it seemed1 was prepared4 ,he said a rapid sentence to the secretary1 who turned1 bowing1 and immediately began in ,english without the trace of any accent4 ,i perfectly understand--perfectly indeed4 ,these doctors rule us with a rod of iron1 don't they8 ,it'll be arranged directly4 ,we all talk ,english here2 and ,i'll say a word to ,his ,eminence4 ,the very same thing happened to himself a year or two back4 ,he was forbidden to talk in ,french4 ,it is astonishing1 is it not8 the subtlety of these doctors6 ,and yet how natural4 ,no two languages have the same mental reaction1 after all4 ,they're perfectly right4 ,monsignor caught a glimmering of what he was at4 ,but he thought he had better be cautious4 ,i'm afraid ,i shall give a lot of trouble1 he murmured1 looking doubtfully at this sparkling-eyed1 blue-chinned young man1 who spoke with such rapidity4 ,not in the least1 ,i assure you4 ,he turned to the older priest4 ,the ,cardinal left here only half an hour ago4 ,how unfortunate6 ,he came over to arrange the final details of the disputation4 ,you've heard of that8 ,not a word4 ,the young prelate beamed4 ,well1 you'll hear the finest wit in ,france6 ,it's for this afternoon4 7,his face fell47 ,but it's ,latin4 ,perhaps ,monsignor ought not---- ,ah6 so long as he doesn't talk---6 7,father ,jervis turned to his friend47 ,i was telling ,monsignor here that the doctor ordered you to engage in no business that did not interest you2 and that ,latin was rather a strain to you just now---- ,this seemed adroit enough4 ,but ,monsignor was determined to miss no new experience4 ,it will simply delight me1 he said4 ,and what is the subject8 ,well1 said the ,frenchman1 it's for the benefit of the ,emperor4 ,two of the ,parisian theologians are disputing ,de ,ecclesia4 ,the thesis of the adversary1 who opens1 is that the ,church is merely the representative of ,god on earth--a ,society that must1 of course1 be obeyed2 but that ,infallibility is not necessary to her efficiency4 ,father ,jervis' eyes twinkled4 ,isn't that a little too pointed8 ,why1 that's the ,emperor's one difficulty6 ,i understand that he allows1 politically speaking1 the need for the ,church1 but denies her divinity4 ,i assure you1 said the ,french priest solemnly1 that the thesis is his own selection4 ,you see1 he's sick of these ,socialists4 ,he understands perfectly that the one sanction of human authority must come from ,god1 or from the people2 and he's entirely on ,god's side6 ,but he cannot see the infallibility1 and therefore1 as he's a sincere man---6 he ended with an eloquent shrug4 ,well1 said ,father ,jervis1 if the ,cardinal's not here---- ,alas6 ,he is back in ,paris by now4 ,but give me your letters6 ,i'll see that they are presented properly2 and you shall receive a royal command for the disputation in plenty of time4 ,they handed over their letters2 they exchanged compliments once more2 they were escorted as far as the door of the room by the prelate1 across the next ante-chamber by an imposing man in black velvet with a chain1 across the third by a cuirassier1 and across the hall to the bottom of the steps by two tremendous footmen in the ancient royal livery4 ,monsignor was silent for a few yards4 ,aren't you afraid of an anti-clerical reaction8 he asked suddenly4 ,how do you mean8 ,i don't understand4 ,then ,monsignor launched out4 ,he had accepted by now the theory that he had had a lapse of memory1 and that so far as his intellect was concerned1 he was practically a man of a century ago1 owing to the history he had happened to be reading shortly before his collapse2 and he talked therefore from that standpoint4 ,he produced1 that is to say1 with astonishing fluency all those arguments that were common in the mouths of the more serious anti-clericals of the beginning of the century--the increase of ,religious ,orders1 the domineering tendency of all ecclesiastics in the enjoyment of temporal power1 the impossibility of combating supernatural arguments1 the hostility of the ,church to education--down even to the celibacy of the clergy4 ,he paused for breath as they turned out of the great gateway4 ,father ,jervis laughed aloud and patted him on the arm4 ,my dear ,monsignor1 ,i can't compete with you4 ,you're too eloquent4 ,of course1 ,i remember from reading history that those things used to be said1 and ,i suppose ,socialists say them now4 ,but1 you know1 no educated man ever dreams of such arguments2 nor indeed do the uneducated6 ,it's the half-educated1 as usual1 who's the enemy4 ,he always is4 ,the ,wise ,men and the shepherds both knelt in ,bethlehem4 ,it was the bourgeois who stood apart4 ,that's no answer1 persisted the other4 ,well1 let's see1 said the priest good-humouredly4 ,we'll begin with celibacy4 ,now it's perfectly true that it's thought almost a disgrace for a man not to have a large family4 ,the average is certainly not less than ten in civilized nations4 ,but for all that a priest is looked upon without any contempt at all4 ,why8 ,because he's a spiritual father2 because he begets spiritual children to ,god1 and feeds and nourishes them4 ,of course to an atheist this is nonsense2 and even to an agnostic it's a very doubtful benefit4 ,but1 my dear ,monsignor1 you must remember that these hardly exist amongst us4 ,the entire civilized world of to-day is as absolutely convinced of ,heaven and ,grace and the ,church1 and the havoc that ,sin makes not only as regards the next world but in this--so absolutely convinced that he understands perfectly that a priest is far more productive of general good than a physical father possibly can be4 ,it's the priest who keeps the whole thing going4 ,don't you see8 ,and then1 in a ,catholic world1 the instinct that the man who serves the altar should be without physical ties--well1 that's simply natural4 ,go on4 ,what about education8 ,my dear friend1 said ,father ,jervis4 ,the ,church controls the whole of education1 as she did1 in fact1 up to the very time when the ,state first took it away from her and then abused her for neglecting it4 ,practically all the scientists2 all the specialists in medicine1 chemistry1 and mental health2 nine-tenths of the musicians2 three-quarters of the artists--practically all those are ,religious4 ,it's only the active trades1 which are incompatible with ,religion1 that are in the hands of the laity4 ,it's been found by experience that no really fine work can be done except by those who are familiar with divine things2 because it's only those who see things all round1 who have1 that is to say1 a really comprehensive intuition4 ,take history4 ,unless you have a really close grasp of what ,providence means--of not only the ,end1 but the ,means by which ,god works2 unless you can see right through things to their ,intention1 how in the world can you interpret the past8 ,don't you remember what ,manners said about ,realism8 ,we don't want misleading photographs of externals any more4 ,we want ,ideas4 ,and how can you correlate ,ideas1 unless you have a real grasp of the ,central ,idea8 ,it's nonsense4 ,go on with the other things4 ,there's a lot more about education4 ,there's the graduated education we have now 7entirely an ecclesiastical notion1 by the way74 ,we don't try to teach everybody everything4 ,we teach a certain foundation to every one--the ,catechism1 of course1 two languages perfectly1 the elements of physical science1 and a great deal of history4 7,you can't understand the ,catechism without history1 and vice-versa72 but after that we specialize4 ,well1 the world understands now---- ,that's enough1 thank you4 ,go on with the other things4 ,father ,jervis laughed again4 ,we're nearly home4 ,let's turn in here1 and get into the gardens for a bit4 4 4 4 ,well1 ,i think you'll find that the root of all your difficulties is that you seem not to be able to get into your head that the world is really and intelligently ,christian4 ,there are the ,religious ,orders you spoke of4 ,well1 aren't the active ,religious ,orders the very finest form of association ever invented8 ,aren't they exactly what ,socialists have always been crying for1 with the blunders left out and the gaps filled in8 ,as soon as the world understood finally that the active ,religious ,orders could beat all other forms of association at their own game--that they could teach and work more cheaply and effectively1 and so on--well1 the most foolish ,political ,economist had to confess that the ,religious ,orders made for the country's welfare4 ,and as for the ,contemplative ,orders---- ,father ,jervis' face grew grave and tender4 ,yes8 ,why1 they're the princes of the world6 ,they are models of the ,crucified4 ,so long as there is ,sin in the world1 so long must there be ,penance4 ,the instant ,christianity was accepted1 the ,cross stood up dominant once more4 4 4 4 ,and then 4 4 4 then people understood4 ,why1 they're the ,holy ,ones of the universe--higher than angels2 for they suffer4 4 4 4 ,there was a moment's silence4 ,yes8 said ,monsignor softly4 ,my dear ,monsignor1 just force upon your mind the fact that the world is really and intelligently ,christian4 ,i think it'll all be plain then4 ,you seem to me1 if ,i may say so1 to be falling into the old-fashioned way of looking at ',clericalism1' as it used to be called1 as a kind of department of life1 like ,art or ,law4 ,no wonder men resented its intrusion when they conceived of it like that4 ,well1 there is no ',clericalism' now1 and therefore there is no anti-,clericalism4 ,there's just religion--as a fact4 ,do you see8 444 ,shall we sit down for a few minutes8 ,aren't the gardens exquisite8 7,,iii7 ,monsignor ,masterman sat that night at his window1 looking out at the stars and the night and the blotted glimmering gardens beneath2 and it seemed to him as if the ,dream deepened every day4 ,things grew more1 not less marvellous1 with his appreciation of the simplicity of it all4 ,from three to seven he had sat in one of the seats on the right of the royal dais1 reserved for prelates1 almost immediately opposite the double-pulpited platform1 itself set in the midst of the long outer side of the great gallery of ,versailles1 through which access was to be had to the little old private rooms of ,marie ,antoinette1 and had listened spell-bound to two of the greatest wits of ,france1 respectively attacking and defending1 with extraordinary subtlety and fire1 the claim of the ,church to ,infallibility4 ,the disputation had been conducted on scholastic lines1 all verbal etiquette being carefully observed2 again and again he had heard1 first on one side a string of arguments adduced against the doctrine1 then on the other a torrent of answers1 with the old half-remembered words ,distinguo1 ,nego1 ,concedo2 and the reasoning on both sides had appeared to him astonishingly brilliant4 ,and all this before two sovereigns3 the one keen1 vivacious1 and appreciative2 the other heavy1 patient1 considerate--two sovereigns1 treated1 as the elaborate etiquette of the whole affair showed plainly enough1 as kings indeed--men who stood for authority1 and the grades and the differentiation of functions1 as emphatically as the old democratic hand-shaking statesmen1 dressed like their own servants1 stood for the other complementary principle of the equality of men4 ,for alongside of all this tremendous pomp there was a very practical recognition of the ,people2 since the whole disputation was conducted in the presence of a crowd drawn1 it seemed1 from almost every class1 who pressed behind the barriers1 murmured1 laughed gleefully1 and now and again broke out into low thunders of applause1 as the ,catholic champion drove logic home1 or turned aside the infidel shaft4 ,the very thesis amazed the man1 for the absolute necessity of an authoritative supra-national ,church1 with supernatural sanctions1 seemed assumed as an axiom of thought1 not merely by these ,catholics1 but by the entire world1 ,christian and un-,christian alike4 ,more than once the phrase ,it is conceded by all men flashed out1 and passed unrebuked1 in support of this claim4 ,the only point of dispute between reasoning beings seemed to be not as to whether or no the ,church must be treated practically as infallible1 but whether dogmatically and actually she were so6 ,as he sat here now at his window1 ,father ,jervis' words began to come back with new force4 ,was it indeed true that the only reason why he found these things strange was that he could not yet quite bring home to his imagination the fact that the world now was convincedly ,christian as a whole8 ,it began to appear so4 ,for somewhere in the back of his mind 7why1 he knew not7 there lurked a sort of only half-perceived assumption that the ,catholic religion was but one aspect of truth--one point of view from which1 with sufficient though not absolute truth1 facts could be discerned4 ,he could not understand this2 yet there it was4 ,and he understood1 at any rate intellectually1 that if he could once realize that the dogmas of the ,church were the dogmas of the universe2 and not only that1 but that the world convincedly realized it too2--why then1 the fact that the civilization of to-day was actually moulded upon it would no longer bewilder him4 7,,iv7 ,it was on the following morning that he spoke with the ,king4 ,the two priests had said ,mass in their oratory1 and an hour later were walking in the park beneath the palace windows4 ,it was one more of that string of golden days1 of which they had already enjoyed so many1 and the splendour of that amazing landscape was complete4 ,they had passed below the enclosure known as the ,king's ,garden1 and were going in the direction of the ,trianon1 which ,monsignor had expressed a desire to see1 and had just emerged into the immense central avenue which runs straight from the palace to the lake4 ,above them rose the forest trees1 enormous now1 yet tamed by ,lenotre's marvellous art1 resembling a regiment of giants perfectly drilled2 the grass was like carpets on all sides2 the sky blazed like a blue jewel overhead2 the noise of singing birds and falling water was in the air4 ,but above all there towered on their right1 beyond the almost endless terraces1 the splendid palace of the kings of ,france1 royal at last once more4 ,and there1 as symbol of the ,restoration1 there hung round the flagstaff as he had seen it yesterday the blue folds and the lilies of the monarchy4 ,it was no good trying to frame words as to what he felt4 ,he had said all he could1 and it was useless4 ,father ,jervis seemed unable to understand the fierce enthusiasm of a man who now experienced all this1 as it appeared1 for the first time4 ,he walked silently--exulting4 ,there seemed not many people abroad this morning4 ,the two had presented an order1 obtained through ,monsignor ,allet1 at the gates below the ,orange ,gardens1 and had learned from the sentry that until the afternoon this part of the park was closed to the public4 ,here and there1 however1 in the distance a single figure made its appearance1 walking in the shade or hurrying on some errand4 ,the priests had just come out from the line of trees and had set foot in the avenue itself1 when1 twenty yards farther up1 from the entrance to some other path parallel to their own1 a group came out1 and an instant later they heard themselves hailed and saw ,monsignor ,allet himself1 in all his purple1 hurrying towards them4 ,you are the very men1 he cried1 again stretching out his hands in a welcoming ,french gesture4 ,his ,majesty was speaking of you not five minutes ago4 ,he is here1 in the garden4 ,shall ,i present you now8 ,father ,jervis glanced at his friend4 ,his ,majesty is very kind---- he began4 ,not a word more6 ,if you will follow me and wait an instant at the entrance1 ,i will speak with ,his ,majesty and bring you in4 ,i have not my ferraiuola--- began ,monsignor4 ,the ,king will excuse travellers1 smiled the ,frenchman4 ,the entrance to the ,king's ,garden on this side passes beneath an arch of yew1 and here the two waited4 ,somewhere beyond the green walls they could hear talking1 and now and again a burst of laughter4 ,then the talking ceased1 and they heard a single voice4 ,in what language---- began ,monsignor ,masterman nervously4 ,oh6 ,english1 no doubt4 ,you can't talk ,french8 ,monsignor shook his head4 ,not a hundred words1 he said4 ,again came the quick footstep1 and the ,french priest appeared1 still gay1 but with a certain solemnity4 ,come this way1 gentlemen1 he said4 ,the ,king will see you4 7,he glanced at the prelate47 ,you won't forget to kneel1 ,monsignor4 ,to the ,english prelate the scene that he saw1 on emerging at last into the open space in the middle1 protected by the ancient yews--even though he should have been prepared for it by all that he had already seen--simply once more dazed and stupefied him4 ,the centre of the space was occupied by a round pond1 perhaps thirty yards across1 of absolutely still water1 and in this mirror1 shaded by the masses of foliage overhead1 was reflected a picture that might have been taken straight from some painting two hundred years old4 ,for1 on the semicircle of marble seats that stood beyond the water1 sat a company of figures dressed once more in all the bravery of real colour and splendour1 as from days when men were not ashamed to use publicly and commonly these glittering gifts of ,god4 ,monsignor hardly noticed the rest 7there were perhaps twelve or fifteen all told1 with half a dozen women amongst them72 he looked only1 as he came round the pond1 at the central figure that advanced to meet him4 ,twice he had seen him yesterday--yet those occasions had been public4 ,but to see the ,king now1 at ease amongst his friends1 yet still royally dressed in his brilliant blue suit and feathered hat1 with his tall cane--to see the whole company1 gay and brilliant1 talking and laughing1 taking their pleasure in the air before breakfast--the whole thing somehow brought home to him the reality of what appeared to him as a change1 more than had all the pomps and glories of the day before4 ,splendour no longer seemed ceremonial1 but natural4 ,monsignor ,allet was explaining something in rapid ,french in the ,king's ear1 and as the two came up1 the face that listened smiled suddenly with intelligence4 ,i give you welcome1 he said in excellent ,english4 ,come1 gentlemen 7he turned to the others1 who had risen to their feet as he rose71 we must be getting homewards4 ,monsignor6 7and he beckoned to the two ,english priests to walk with him47 ,that walk seemed like a dream4 ,they went leisurely upwards towards the palace1 through yew alley after yew alley1 ,french chattering sounding behind them as they went2 and the ,king1 still in fluent ,english1 though with an accent that increased as he talked1 questioned them courteously as to ,england1 spoke of the disputation of yesterday1 discussed frankly enough the situation in ,germany1 and listened with attention to the remarks of ,father ,jervis2 for ,monsignor ,masterman was discreetly silent for the most part4 ,it was not until the great doors of the palace flew open at last1 and the rows of liveried men showed within1 that the ,king dismissed them4 ,he turned on the steps and gave them his hand to kiss4 ,then he raised them from their knees with a courteous gesture4 ,and you go to ,rome1 you say8 ,almost immediately1 sire4 ,we shall be there for ,,ss4 ,peter and ,paul4 ,present my homage at the feet of the ,holy ,father1 smiled the ,king4 ,you are fortunate indeed4 ,i have not seen ,his ,holiness for three months4 ,good day--gentlemen4 ,the two passed again in silence down the terraces on their way to the ,trianon4 ,it is amazing1 burst out ,monsignor suddenly4 ,and the people4 ,what of them8 ,is there no resentment8 ,why should there be8 asked the other4 ,but they are excluded from the palace and the park4 ,it was not so a hundred years ago4 ,do you think they are any the less happy8 asked ,father ,jervis4 ,my dear ,monsignor1 surely you know human nature better than that6 ,they have lost the vulgarity of ,versailles1 and they have regained its royalty4 ,don't you see that8 ,well6--,monsignor paused4 ,it's simply medievalism back again1 it seems to me4 ,exactly6 said the other4 ,you have hit it at last4 ,it is medievalism--that is to say1 human nature with faith and reverence1 and without cant4 ,he paused again1 and his eyes twinkled4 ,you know honours and privileges are worth nothing if every one has them4 ,if we all wore crowns1 the kings would go bareheaded4 ,,chapter ,v 7,i7 ,he awoke suddenly1 at some movement1 and for an instant did not remember where he was4 ,for nearly a week they had stayed on at ,versailles2 and each day that had passed had done its share in making this fairyland seem more like a reality4 ,but that strange subconscious self of his1 for which even now there seemed no accounting1 was still obstinate2 it still assured him that the world ought not to be like this1 that religion ought not to be so concrete and effective--that he would awake soon and find himself in some desolate state of affairs where ,faith1 hemmed in by enemies1 still fought for very life against irresistible odds4 ,it was at night and at morning that the mood came on him most forcibly2 when instinct1 free from facts1 and ranging clear of the will's dominion1 asserted itself most strongly1 and as he awoke this night it was on him again4 ,he looked round the dark little room with bewildered eyes2 then he fumbled with a button1 and all was flooded with light4 ,he was lying in a little spring-bed1 set within two padded sides1 like a berth in a steamship4 ,and beside him was the closed bureau which he perceived to be washing arrangements in disguise2 overhead protruded a broad shelf2 on the wall1 above a little couch1 hung silk curtains over a window2 and1 as they swayed slightly with some movement he caught sight of glass beyond4 ,on the door1 at the foot of his bed1 hung his cassock1 and the purple cincture that lay across it recalled him to at least a part of the facts4 ,the cabin was upholstered and painted in clean white1 and an electric globe emerged from the ceiling4 ,he was next conscious of cold1 and instinctively leaned forward to draw the quilt farther over his knees4 ,then1 with a flash1 he remembered1 and1 in spite of the cold1 was out of bed in a moment1 kneeling on the couch and peering out through the curtains4 ,at first he could see nothing at all4 ,there was but an unfathomable gulf beyond the glass4 ,he stood up on the couch1 and drawing the curtains behind his head to shut out the light1 he once more stared out4 ,then he began to see4 ,at first he could see nothing at all4 ,there was but an unfathomable gulf beyond the glass4 ,he stood up on the couch1 and drawing the curtains behind his head to shut out the light1 he once more stared out4 ,then he began to see4 ,immediately opposite him glimmered a huge white outline--in the incalculable night it might be a hundred yards or a mile away4 ,it was of irregular outline1 for the star-strewn sky showed in patches and rifts above it4 ,and this white mass curved away beneath1 under the ship in which he travelled1 till it met1 at a point which he could but just discern1 a blackness that rose to meet it4 ,then1 as his eyes grew accustomed to the dark1 he began to see that the huge whiteness was flitting past1 steadily and leisurely1 from right to left2 that it was streaked with shadows or clefts2 and that following it1 as in a sliding procession1 came another1 like it1 yet 7it seemed7 more distant4 ,all this time1 too1 the silence was profound4 ,there was but a soft humming note somewhere in the air1 and the faintest sense of vibration in the metal-work on which his hands were pressed4 ,once too he heard a footstep pass softly and rhythmically overhead1 as if some watcher moved up and down the length of the upper deck4 ,the man dropped the curtains and sat back on his heels1 trying to force into his imagination the facts that he now perceived and remembered4 ,they had left ,st4 ,germains last night1 after dining at ,versailles4 ,they were now crossing the ,alps4 ,they would be in ,rome for ,mass and breakfast4 4 4 4 ,they were traversing at this moment1 no doubt1 only a thousand feet high1 one of those passes up which 7he thought he remembered from history7 the old railway-trains had been accustomed to climb1 yard by yard and spiral by spiral1 a hundred years before 4 4 4 ,in a minute or two he leaned forward and stared again1 once more closing the curtains behind his head4 ,the sky seemed a little brighter1 he thought1 than when he had looked just now4 ,perhaps the moon was hiding somewhere4 ,and certainly the sky was more in evidence4 ,far away to the left behind1 passing even as he looked1 moved those gigantic horns of white1 as if the ship stood still and the earth turned beneath2 and below now1 sloping to the right1 lay long lines of darkness1 jutting here and there with a sudden crag against the blaze of stars4 ,it was marvellous1 he thought1 how still all lay2 there was a steady hiss1 now heard for the first time1 as the air tore past the glassy sides of the bird-shaped ship1 as thin as the cry of a bat4 ,he shifted on his knees a little1 and staring forwards1 saw far ahead and at what seemed an incalculable distance something that baffled him entirely1 for it changed its aspect every instant that he watched4 ,at first it was no more than a patch of luminosity2 and he thought it to be1 perhaps1 a lighted town4 ,but the character of it was changed as he formulated his thought and three brilliant spots like blue stars broke out on a sudden1 and these three stars shifted their positions4 ,he kept his eyes on these1 marvelling2 and1 with something very like fear1 saw that they were approaching upwards and onwards with the swiftness of thought4 ,up and on they came4 ,he shrank back a little1 instinctively2 and then1 as he leaned forward once more1 determined to understand1 shrank back with a sharp indrawing of breath1 as there whirled past1 it appeared only a few yards away1 a flare of brilliant blue lines1 in the midst of which passed a phantom-like body in a mist and accompanied by a musical sound 7it seemed7 of extraordinary clarity and beauty1 that rose from a deep organ-note to the shrill of a flute1 and down again ,into a bass and a silence4 4 4 4 ,he smiled to himself as he climbed back into bed a minute or two later1 when he had reconstructed the phenomena and interpreted them4 ,it was but another volor1 bound northwards1 and it had probably passed at least half a mile away4 ,well1 he must sleep again if he could4 ,they would be in ,rome by morning4 99 99 99 99 99 ,they had delayed their departure from ,versailles to the last possible moment1 since ,france was1 after all1 under the circumstances1 one of the best places in the world for ,monsignor to pick up again the threads of life4 ,for one thing1 it was near to ,england--,english was spoken there amongst the educated almost as frequently as ,french2 yet it was not ,england1 and ,monsignor's plight would not cause him any great inconvenience4 ,further1 ,france was at present the theatre of the world's interest1 since the ,emperor was there1 and on the ,emperor's future depended largely the destinies of ,europe3 his conversion1 it was thought1 might be the final death-blow to ,socialism in his dominions4 ,monsignor had employed his time well4 ,not only had he learned accurately the general state of the world1 but morning by morning he had familiarized himself with his own work1 and felt1 by now1 very nearly competent to finish his lessons in ,england4 ,cardinal ,bellairs communicated with him almost every day1 and professed himself delighted with the progress made4 ,finally he had talked ,latin continually with ,father ,jervis in preparation for ,rome1 and would have passed muster1 at least1 in general conversation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the two motored into the city from the volor-station outside1 and everywhere as they went through the streets and crossed the ,tiber on their way to the ,leonine ,city1 where they were to lodge1 were evidences of the feast4 ,for the whole route from ,vatican to ,lateran1 which they crossed more than once1 was one continual triumphal way4 ,masts had been erected1 swathed in the ,papal colours and crowned with garlands2 barriers ran from mast to mast1 behind which already the crowds were beginning to gather1 though it was hardly past six o'clock in the morning2 and from every window hung carpets1 banners1 and tapestries4 ,the motor was stopped at least half a dozen times2 but the prelate's insignia passed them through quickly2 and it was just half-past six as they drew up before an old palace situated on the right in the road leading from the ,tiber to the ,vatican1 and scarcely a quarter of a mile away from ,st4 ,peter's4 ,monsignor glanced up at the carved and painted arms above the doorway and smiled4 ,i did not know you were bringing me here1 he said4 ,you know it8 ,why1 it's the old palace where the kings of ,england lodged1 isn't it8 ,father ,jervis smiled4 ,your memory's improving1 he said4 ,then a magnificent servant came out1 bowed profoundly1 and opened the door of the car4 ,by the way1 said ,father ,jervis as they went in1 ,i'd better go and enquire the details at the ,vatican4 ,you might give me your card4 ,i'll go at once1 and then come back and join you at breakfast4 ,it was a pleasant little suite of rooms1 not unlike in arrangements to those of ,versailles4 ,the windows looked out on the central court1 where a fountain played1 and the rooms themselves were furnished in the usual ,roman fashion--painted ceilings1 stone floors1 and a few damask hangings4 ,monsignor turned to the servant who was superintending the two ,englishmen they had brought4 ,i've not been in ,rome for some time1 he said in ,latin4 ,tell me what this house is now8 ,monsignor1 it is the ,english palace4 ,monsignor is in the apartment of ,his ,eminence ,cardinal ,bellairs4 ,the ,king himself stays here8 ,it is ,his ,majesty's palace1 said the man4 ,the ,prince ,george arrived two days ago4 ,his ,highness is in the apartment below4 ,monsignor smiled4 ,he understood now ,father ,jervis' evasions as to where they were to stay in ,rome4 ,plainly it was determined that he should have a front seat at all ceremonies4 ,ten minutes later1 as he came out of his bedroom1 ,father ,jervis himself came in4 ,you have your choice1 ,monsignor1 he said4 ,as a ,domestic ,prelate you have the right to walk in the procession 7here is the permit71 or as occupying rooms here we can1 if you prefer1 see the procession from the front windows4 ,tell me what the programme is4 ,at nine the procession leaves ,st4 ,peter's to go to the ,lateran--at least they call it nine4 ,there the ,holy ,father sings ,mass1 as bishop in his own cathedral4 ,on the return of the procession1 ,i suppose about midday1 the ,holy ,father visits the tomb of ,st4 ,peter4 ,then this afternoon he is present at ,vespers in ,st4 ,peter's2 and afterwards gives the blessing ,urbi et ,orbi from the window as usual4 ,what would you advise8 ,well1 ,i should advise your remaining here till mid-day4 ,there's no use in overdoing it4 ,we can see everything admirably4 ,then we can go into ,st4 ,peter's for the visit to the tomb1 and come back here to dejeuner4 ,after that we can arrange about the rest of the day4 ,very good4 ,then let us have something to eat at once4 ,who's ,prince ,george of ,england8 demanded ,monsignor presently as they sat over coffee4 ,father ,jervis laughed4 ,you've found that out1 have you8 ,yes1 he's here1 of course4 ,well1 he's the second son3 he's only a boy4 ,he's over here to represent the ,king4 ,every sovereign sends a prince of the blood-royal for to-day4 ,even the ,german ,emperor4 ,do you mean from ,europe8 ,i mean from the whole world4 ,you see the ,east is scarcely three days away by the fast volors2 so even the ,chinese---- ,do you mean that ,china and ,japan send representatives8 ,certainly4 ,japan is ,christian of course1 anyhow2 and ,china has at least one or two ,christian princes of the blood4 ,by the way1 what about ,russia8 ,well1 what about it8 ,is it ,catholic8 ,my dear ,monsignor1 it's been ,catholic for thirty years4 ,oh dear me6 ,you must lend me some more histories4 4 4 4 ,what made it ,catholic8 ,common sense1 ,i suppose4 ,how they could have stood out for so long is the only thing that puzzles me4 ,but the ,petrine claims---- ,why1 the ,petrine claims were the very point4 ,facts were too strong4 ,if you look back over history you can't help seeing that the only ,christian body that was ever able to resist ,erastianism on the one side and endless division on the other has been the ,church built on ,peter4 ,they began to see it nearly a hundred years ago in ,russia and ,greece4 ,then the ,emperor of ,russia was secretly reconciled in #aicj2 and ten or twelve years later his people followed him4 ,then there's no more dispute8 ,what about the ,filioque clause8 ,why1 when ,peter is accepted1 the rest follows4 ,then you may say that the entire civilized world is represented in ,rome to-day8 ,certainly4 ,you'll see the princes in the procession4 7,,ii7 ,an hour later they took their places at the central window of the long sala on the third floor1 looking out immediately upon the narrow street1 which1 opposite1 fell back into a tiny square1 and further up to the right1 upon the enormous piazza of ,st4 ,peter's and the basilica itself behind4 ,it was a real ,roman day--not yet at its full heat1 but intensely clear and bright2 and ,monsignor congratulated himself on having elected to remain as a spectator4 ,the return journey from the ,lateran about noon would be something of an ordeal4 ,the street and the piazza presented an astonishingly brilliant appearance4 ,beneath1 the roadway was now one sheet of greenery--box1 myrtle1 and bay4 ,the houses opposite1 as well as within the little square1 of which every window was packed with heads1 were almost completely hidden under the tapestries1 the carpets1 the banners4 ,behind the barriers on either side of the garlanded masts was one mass of heads resembling a cobbled pavement4 ,so much for sight4 ,for sound1 the air was filled with one steady low roar of voices2 for down to where the street opened far away to the left into the space above the river1 the same vista presented itself4 ,the ,campagna since twenty-four hours before had been emptying every living inhabitant into ,rome2 and there was not a town in ,italy1 and scarcely in ,europe1 whence special volors and trains had not carried the fervent to the ,feast of the ,apostles in ,holy ,rome4 ,and1 for scent1 the air was sweet and fragrant with the aromatic herbs of the roadway1 already bruised a little by the feet of the galloping horses of those that went up and down to guard the route or to carry messages4 ,it was a little hard to make out the arrangements of the vast circular piazza in front of ,st4 ,peter's4 ,the front of the basilica was hung1 in usual ,roman fashion1 with gigantic garlands and red cloth2 and the carpet of greenery lined with troops ran straight up the centre of the space1 rippled over the steps1 and ceased only beneath the towering portico of the church4 ,but on either side of this1 with spaces between1 stood enormous groups of men and horses1 marshalled1 no doubt1 in order to take their places at the proper moment in the procession4 ,at the right1 immovable and tremendous1 rose up the great palace of the ,vatican itself1 unadorned except where a glint of some colour showed itself at the ,bronze ,doors2 and above all1 like a benediction in stone1 against the vivid blue of the sky1 hung the dome of the basilica4 ,monsignor ,masterman made a long1 keen survey of all this4 ,then he leaned back and sighed4 ,what was the first year that the ,pope came out of the ,vatican like this8 ,the year after the conquest of ,united ,italy4 ,it was ,austria that---- ,i know all that4 ,and you mean he never came out so long as the old state of affairs continued8 ,how could he8 ,don't you see that the one thing1 humanly speaking1 absolutely necessary if the world was to have confidence in the ,church1 was that the ,pope should be really supra-national8 ,of course1 for many years he had to be an ,italian--that's obvious1 since he was at the mercy of ,italy1 and the ,romans would never have stood a foreigner2 and that made it all the more essential that he should be cut clean off1 in everything else1 from ,italian sympathies4 ,he had to be two things simultaneously1 so to speak--emphatically an ,italian for the sake of ,italy and indeed his own existence in ,rome2 and emphatically not an ,italian for the sake of the rest of ,christendom4 ,and can you suggest any other way of accomplishing this paradox8 ,i can't4 ,monsignor sighed again and began to meditate4 ,for somewhere at the back of his mind there ran an undercurrent of thought1 or as of some one talking1 to the effect that the ,pope's old method of remaining as a prisoner in the ,vatican was a foolish and unhumble pose4 7,he supposed he must have read it all somewhere in history47 ,surely even ,catholics used to talk like that6 ,they used to say how much more spiritual and ,christian it would have been1 had the ,vicar of ,christ acquiesced and been content to live as a simple ,italian subject1 neither claiming nor desiring a position such as ,peter had never enjoyed4 ,why all this fuss1 it used to be asked1 about a ,temporal ,power on behalf of a ,kingdom that was not of this world8 ,yet1 somehow1 now as he looked back on it all1 with his friend's comment in his mind1 he began to see1 not how clever or diplomatic had been the old attitude1 but how absolutely and obviously essential4 ,it was possible indeed for ,peter to be a subject of ,nero in things pertaining to ,caesar2 but how could that be possible to ,peter's successor when the ,kingdom of ,christ which he ruled on earth had become a ,supra-national ,society to which the nations of the earth looked for guidance8 ,the phrase he had just heard ran in his mind4 ,an ,italian for the sake of ,italy and his own existence in ,rome4 ,not an ,italian for the sake of the rest of ,christendom4 ,it seemed simple1 somehow1 just like that4 ,he was roused by a touch on his knee1 and simultaneously was aware of a new sound from the piazza4 ,look1 said the old priest sharply4 ,they're beginning to move4 7,,iii7 ,a curious seething movement had broken out in the piazza1 resembling the stir of a troubled ant-hill1 on either side of the broad green way down which the ,pope would come2 and already into the head of the street up which the priests looked figures were emerging4 ,simultaneously a crash of brazen music had filled the air4 ,a movement of attention1 exactly like the lift of a swell along the foot of a cliff1 passed down the crowded street to the left and lost itself round the corner towards ,s4 ,angelo4 ,then they began to come1 swinging over from the piazza to the street as if from a pool into a narrow channel4 ,troops came first--company after company--each with a band leading4 ,first the ,austrian guard in white and gold on white chargers--passing from the flash and dazzle their uniforms threw back in the sunlight into the glow of the shadowed street4 ,and then1 by the time that the ,austrians were passing below the window1 came troop after troop down from the piazza in all the uniforms of the civilized world4 ,at first ,father ,jervis murmured a name or two2 he even laid his hand upon his friend's arm as the ,life-guards of ,england came clashing by with their imperturbable faces above their silver splendour2 but presently the amazing spectacle forming in the piazza1 and1 above all1 on the steps of ,st4 ,peter's1 silenced them both4 ,monsignor ,masterman gave scarcely a glance even to the monstrous figures of the ,chinese imperial guard1 who went by presently in black armour and vizarded helmets1 like old ,oriental gods4 ,for in the piazza itself the procession of princes was forming2 and the steps of the basilica already began to burn with purple and scarlet where the ,cardinals and the ,papal ,court were making ready for the coming of the ,lord of them all4 ,and then1 at last1 he came4 4 4 4 ,monsignor ,masterman had begun to stare1 almost with unintelligent eyes1 at the thronged street1 beneath1 watching the great carriages come past1 each surmounted by a crown with its proper supporters1 each surrounded by a small guard drawn from the troops that had ridden by just now4 ,he identified a few here and there2 and his heart gave a strange leap as the ,imperial ,crown of ,england came in sight1 held up by the ,lion and the ,unicorn1 and beneath it1 within the gilded coach1 the face of a boy capped and robed in scarlet4 ,and then he looked up again1 startled by a silence broken only by the footsteps of the horses and the wheels over the matted roadway1 and the murmur of talking4 ,the piazza was now one sea of white and purple1 with emblems1 gold and silver and jewelled1 shining here and there2 the green strip was gone2 for the ,papal procession was begun2 and then1 on the instant1 as he looked1 there was a new group standing beneath the giant columns of the portico1 and the cry of the silver trumpets told to the thousands that waited that the ,vicar of ,christ had come out into this city that was again the ,city of ,god4 ,very slowly he came down the steps1 a tiny white and gemmed figure1 yet perfectly visible on the high throne on which he was borne1 his hand swaying as he came1 and the huge fans moving behind him like protecting deities4 ,down and down he came1 while the trumpets cried1 and the waves of colour followed him1 and then vanished for a time among the crowd beneath1 as he reached the level ground4 ,monsignor ,masterman leaned back and closed his eyes4 4 4 4 ,he was disturbed by another touch on his arm2 and1 looking up1 perceived that his friend was attracting his attention almost mechanically1 and without looking at him4 ,look1 murmured ,father ,jervis--it's the white jennet4 ,beneath1 the street was now as wholly ecclesiastical as it had been military just before1 except that the ,papal zouaves marched in single file on either side of the procession4 ,but within there was just one packed army1 going eight abreast1 of seminarians and clerics4 ,these were just passing as the priest looked again1 and close on their heels came the ,court and the ,cardinals2 the latter an indescribable glory of scarlet1 riding four abreast in broad hats and ample cloaks4 ,but he gave scarcely more than a glance at these2 for1 full in sight for at least half a minute1 advancing straight towards him down the roaring street1 moved a canopy held by figures he could not clearly make out1 and beneath it1 detached and perfectly visible1 on a white horse1 a white figure1 its shoulders just draped in scarlet and its head shadowed by a great scarlet hat1 came slowly towards him4 7,,iv7 ,and so the day went by like a dream2 and the man who still seemed to himself as one risen from the dead into a new and wholly bewildering world1 watched and gathered impressions and assimilated them4 ,once or twice during the day he found himself at meals with ,father ,jervis2 he asked questions now and then and scarcely heard the answers2 he talked with ecclesiastics a little who came and went2 but1 for the most part almost unknown to himself1 he worked interiorly1 busy as a bee1 building up1 not so much facts as realizations1 into the new and strange world-edifice that was gradually forming about him4 ,he was present at the visit of the ,pope to the tomb of the ,apostle1 and watched from a tribune1 even then so concentrated on observation that he was hardly conscious of connected thought1 as the vast doors rolled back and a vision as of such a celestial troop as was dreamed of by the old ,italian painters came up out of the vivid sunlight into the cool darkness of the basilica1 as the roofs gave back the roaring of the fervent thousands and the clear cry of the silver trumpets2 watched as the army of ecclesiastics deployed this way and that1 and the ,father of ,princes and ,kings came on between his royal children to the gates of the ,confession ringed by the golden lamps1 and went down to kneel by the body of the first ,fisherman-,king4 ,and again at ,vespers1 from the same tribune1 he heard the peal of the new great organs in the dome1 and the psalm-melodies rocking from side to side between the massed choirs2 he glanced now and again at the royal tribune opposite1 where1 each beneath a canopy1 the rulers of the earth sat together to do honour to the ,lord and ,his ,anointed4 ,and1 above all1 he watched1 still with that steady set face that made ,father ,jervis look at him once or twice1 the central figure of all1 now on his throne1 with his assistants beside him1 now passing up to the altar to incense it1 and finally passing out again on the sedia gestatoria to the palace where at last he ruled indeed4 ,last of all1 as the sun began to sink behind the monstrous dome1 and ,rome stood out like an ,oriental city of dreams1 and the purple lights came out on the low-lying hills1 and the illuminations glowed from every window1 and blazed beneath the feet and round the heads of the gigantic apostolic figures gathered round their ,lord--there1 watching again from his window1 he saw1 in a sudden hush over the heads of the countless crowds the tiny white figure standing above the tapestries with the ,papal triple cross glinting beside him like a thread1 and heard the thin voice1 gnat-like and clear1 declare the help of the ,lord who1 as the thunder of the square answered him1 hath made heaven and earth1 and then invoke upon the city and the world1 before the tremendous ,amen1 the blessing of ,god ,almighty1 ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost4 ,,chapter ,,vi 7,i7 ,it was a few minutes after they had finished their almost silent meal that evening1 that ,monsignor suddenly leaned forward from his chair in the great cool loggia and passed his hands over his eyes like a sleepy man4 ,from the streets outside still came the murmur of innumerable footsteps and voices and snatches of music4 ,tired8 asked the other gently4 7,he had not spoken for some minutes1 and remembering the long silence1 had wondered if1 after all1 it had been wise to bring a man with such an experience behind him to such a rush and excitement as that through which they had passed to-day47 ,monsignor said nothing for an instant4 ,he looked round the room1 opened and closed his lips1 and then1 leaning back again1 suddenly smiled4 ,then he took up the pipe he had laid aside just now and blew through it4 ,no1 he said4 ,exactly the opposite4 ,i feel awake at last4 ,eh8 ,it seems to have got into me at last4 ,all this 4 4 4 all this very odd world4 ,i have begun to see4 ,please explain4 ,monsignor began to fill his pipe slowly4 ,well1 ,versailles1 even1 didn't quite do it1 he said4 ,it seemed to me a kind of game--certainly a very pleasant one2 but---- 7,he broke off47 ,but what we've seen to-day seems somehow the real thing4 ,i don't quite understand4 ,well1 ,i can see for myself now that all that you've told me is real--that the world's really ,christian1 and so on4 ,it was those ,chinese guards1 ,i think1 which as much as anything---- ,chinese8 4 4 4 ,i don't remember them4 ,the prelate smiled again4 ,well1 ,i scarcely noticed them at the time1 either4 ,but ,i've been thinking about them4 ,and then all the rest of it 4 4 4 and the ,pope4 4 4 4 ,by the way1 ,i couldn't make out his face very well4 ,is that a picture of him8 ,he stood up suddenly and stepped across to where the portrait hung4 ,there was nothing very startling about the picture4 ,it showed just a very ordinary face with straight closed lips1 of a man seated in an embossed chair1 with the familiar white cap1 cassock1 and embroidered stole with spade-ends4 ,he looks quite ordinary1 mused ,monsignor aloud4 ,it's 4 4 4 it's like the face of a business man4 ,oh yes1 he's ordinary4 ,he's an extremely good man and quite intelligent4 ,he's never had any very great crisis to face1 you know4 ,they say he's a good financier4 4 4 4 ,you look disappointed4 ,i hadn't expected him to look like that1 said the prelate1 musing4 ,why not8 ,well1 he seems to have an extraordinary position in the world4 ,i should have expected more of a---- ,more of a great man8 ,monsignor1 don't you think that the ,average ,man makes the best ruler8 ,but that's rank ,democracy6 ,not at all4 ,democracy doesn't give the ,average ,man any real power at all4 ,it swamps him among his fellows--that is to say1 it kills his individuality2 and his individuality is the one thing he has which is worth anything4 ,monsignor sat down again1 sighing4 ,well1 ,i think it's got into me at last1 he repeated4 ,i mean1 ,i think ,i really realize what the world's like now4 ,but ,i want to see a great deal more1 you know4 ,what sort of things8 ,well1 ,i don't quite know4 4 4 4 ,you might call it the waterline between ,faith and ,science4 ,i see the ,faith side4 ,i understand that the life of the world moves on ,catholicism now2 but ,i don't quite realize yet how all that joins on to ,science4 ,in my day---- 7he broke off7 ,i mean ,i had a kind of idea that there was a gap between ,faith and ,science--if not actual contradictions4 ,how do they join on to one another8 ,what's the average scientific attitude towards religion8 ,do people on both sides just say that each must pursue its own line1 even if they never meet8 ,father ,jervis looked puzzled4 ,i don't quite understand4 ,there's no conflict between ,faith and ,science4 ,a large proportion of the scientists are ecclesiastics4 ,but what's the meeting-point8 ,that's what ,i don't see4 ,the priest shook his head1 smiling4 ,i simply don't know what you mean1 ,monsignor4 ,give me an example4 ,well 4 4 4 er 4 4 4 what about ,faith-healing8 ,the dispute used to be1 ,i think1 as to the explanation of certain cures4 7,mr4 ,manners spoke of it1 you know47 ,psychologists used to say that the cures happened by suggestion2 and ,catholics used to say that they were supernatural4 ,how have they become reconciled8 ,father ,jervis considered a moment4 ,i don't think ,i've ever thought of it like that1 he said4 ,i think ,i should say-- 7he hesitated7 ,i think ,i should say that everybody believes now that the power of ,god does everything2 and that in some cases ,he works through suggestion1 and in some through supernatural forces about which we don't know very much4 ,but ,i don't think it matters much 7does it871 if you believe in ,god4 ,that doesn't explain what ,i mean4 ,the door opened abruptly and a servant came in4 ,he bowed4 ,the ,bishop of ,sebaste enquires whether you are at home1 ,monsignor8 ,monsignor glanced at ,father ,jervis4 ,he's come out as chaplain to ,prince ,george1 explained the priest in rapid ,latin4 ,we'd better see him4 ,very good4 4 4 4 ,yes1 said ,monsignor4 ,he turned to the priest again4 ,hadn't you better tell him about me8 ,you don't mind8 ,of course not4 ,father ,jervis got up and slipped quickly out of the room4 ,i'm delighted to see you again1 ,monsignor1 began the ,bishop1 coming in1 followed by ,father ,jervis three minutes later4 ,monsignor straightened himself after the kissing of the ring4 ,you're very kind1 my lord1 he said4 ,as the ,bishop sat down1 he examined him carefully1 noticing that there was nothing noticeable about him4 ,he seemed a characteristic prelate--large1 genial1 ruddy and smiling1 with bright eyes and well-cut mouth4 ,he was in his purple and ferraiuola1 and carried himself briskly and cheerfully4 ,i came to see if you were going to the reception to-night4 ,if so1 we might go together4 ,but it's rather late6 ,we haven't heard about that4 ,oh6 it's purely informal4 ,the ,holy ,father probably won't appear himself1 except perhaps for a moment4 ,oh6 ,at the ,vatican8 ,yes4 ,there will be an enormous crowd1 of course4 4 4 4 ,the ,prince has gone to bed1 poor little chap6 ,he's done up altogether2 and ,i thought of slipping over for a half-hour or so4 ,monsignor glanced at his friend4 ,i think it would be an excellent thing1 observed the old priest4 ,well1 there's a carriage waiting1 said the ,bishop1 rising4 ,i think we'd better go1 if we're going4 ,we shall be back within the hour4 7,,ii7 ,it was within ten minutes of the time that the three had arranged to meet again at the foot of the ,scala ,regia that ,monsignor suddenly realized that he had lost himself4 ,he had wandered for half an hour1 after making his salutations to the ,master of the ,apostolic ,palace1 who1 in the ,pope's absence1 was receiving the visitors2 and1 at first with ,father ,jervis and the ,bishop1 who had pointed out to him the notabilities1 and presently drifting from them in the crowds1 by himself1 had gone up and down and in and out through endless corridors1 courts1 loggie1 and great reception-rooms of the enormous place1 watching the amazing crowds1 and exchanging bows and nods with persons who bowed and nodded to him4 ,the whole system of the thing seemed new to him4 ,he had imagined 7he scarcely knew why7 the ,vatican to be a place of silence and solemn dignity and darkness1 with a few sentries here and there1 a few prelates1 a cardinal or two--with occasionally a group of very particular visitors1 or1 on still rarer occasions1 a troop of pilgrims being escorted to some sight or some audience4 ,certainly it was not at all like this to-night4 ,first1 the whole place was illuminated in nearly every window4 ,huge electric lights blazed behind screens in all the courts2 bands of music were stationed at discreet intervals one from another2 and through every section that he went1 through corridors1 reception-rooms1 up and down stairways1 seething in every court1 streaming through every passage and thoroughfare1 moved a multitude of persons--largely ecclesiastics1 but also very largely otherwise 7though there were no ladies present7--talking1 questioning1 laughing1 wholly1 it seemed1 at their ease1 and appearing to find nothing unusual in the entire affair4 ,here and there in some of the great rooms small courts seemed to be in process--a company of perhaps thirty or forty would be standing round two or three notabilities who sat4 ,there was usually a cardinal here1 sometimes two or three2 and on three or four occasions he saw what he imagined must be royalty of some kind1 seated with a cardinal1 while the rest stood4 ,it was to him a very extraordinary spectacle1 in spite of his further initiation that day into this new world1 so utterly unfamiliar to him2 and it seemed once more to drive home to his consciousness this strange state of affairs of which his friend had tried to persuade him1 but which he yet found difficult wholly to take in4 ,certainly the world and the ,church seemed on very cordial terms4 4 4 4 ,but now he had lost himself altogether4 ,he had wandered up a long corridor1 thinking that it would lead him back to the ,court of ,st4 ,damasus1 whence he knew his way well enough2 and he now paused1 hesitating4 ,for it seemed to him that every step he was taking led him farther from the lights and the din of voices and music4 ,he could see behind him1 framed in a huge open doorway1 as on an illuminated disc1 a kaleidoscope of figures moving2 and in front1 as he stood1 the corridor1 although here the lights burned as brilliantly as elsewhere1 seemed to lead away into comparative darkness4 ,yet he felt certain of his direction4 ,then1 as he stood1 a door opened somewhere in front1 and he thought he heard voices talking again4 ,it reassured him1 and he went on4 ,it was not until he found himself in a small lobby 7comparatively small that is1 for it was not less than forty feet square1 and the painted coffered ceiling was twenty feet above his head71 that he stopped again1 completely bewildered4 ,there was no longer any sound to guide him1 for he had closed a couple of passage-doors behind him as he came2 and he noticed that practically complete silence was on all sides2 a single illuminated half-globe shone gently from the ceiling overhead4 ,he stood some time considering and listening to the silence1 till he became aware that it was not silence4 ,there was a very faint murmur of a voice behind one of the four doors that opened on this lobby2 and beside the door there rested 7he now noticed for the first time7 the halberd of a ,swiss1 as if the soldier had just been called within4 ,this decided him2 he went to the door1 laid his hand upon the handle1 and immediately the murmur ceased4 ,he pushed down the handle and opened the door4 ,for a moment as he stared within he could not understand3 he had expected a passage--a guard-room--at least something secular4 ,yet it was some kind of a chapel or sacristy into which he was looking3 he observed the outline of an altar with its crucifix2 and two figures4 ,then one of the figures--in the habit of a ,franciscan1 barefooted1 with a purple stole across its shoulders--had sprung towards him1 and half pushed1 half waved him backwards again4 ,what are you doing here8 ,how dare you----,i beg pardon1 ,monsignor1 but---- ,i beg pardon1 father2 ,i had lost my way4 4 4 4 ,i am a stranger4 ,back--back that way1 ,monsignor1 stammered the friar4 ,the guard should have told you4 ,the truth was dawning on the prelate little by little1 helped by the flash of the other kneeling white figure he had seen within4 ,yes1 stammered the friar again4 ,the ,holy ,father4 ,back that way1 ,monsignor4 ,yes1 yes--that door straight opposite4 ,it was over2 the two doors had closed almost simultaneously1 behind the friar as he had gone back to his duty1 and behind the priest who now stood again at the end of the long corridor down which he had come4 ,he stood here now1 strangely moved and affected4 ,he had seen nothing remarkable in itself--the ,pope at confession4 ,and yet in some manner1 beyond the startling fact that he had groped his way1 all unknowing1 to the ,pope's private apartments1 and at such a moment1 the dramatic contrast between the glare and noise of the reception outside--itself the climax of a series of brilliant external splendours--and the silent half-lighted chapel where the ,lord of ,all kneeled to confess his sins1 caused a surprising disturbance in his soul4 ,up to now he had been introduced step by step into a new set of experiences1 ,christian indeed1 yet amazingly worldly in their aspect2 he had begun to learn that religion could transform the outer world1 and affect and use for its own purposes all the pomps and glories of outward existence2 he had begun to realize that there was nothing alien to ,god--no line of division between the ,creator and the creature2 and now1 in one instant1 he had been brought face to face again with inner realities1 and had seen1 as it were1 a glimpse of the secret core of all the splendour4 ,the ,pope attended by princes--the ,pope on his knees before a barefooted friar4 ,these were the two magnetic points between which blazed ,religion4 ,he stood there1 trembling a little1 trying to steady his bewildered brain--even now1 in spite of his years1 not unlike the brain of a child4 ,he passed his tongue over his suddenly dry lips4 ,then he began to move down the passage again1 to find his friends4 ,,chapter ,,vii 7,i7 ,what ,i can't yet quite understand1 said ,monsignor1 is that point ,i mentioned the other day about ,faith and ,science4 ,i don't see where one ends and the other begins4 ,it seems to me that the controversy must be unending4 ,the materialist says that since ,nature does all things1 even the most amazing things must be done by her--that we shall be able to explain them all some day1 when ,science has got a little farther4 ,and the theologian says that some things are so evidently out of the reach of ,nature that they must be done by a supernatural power4 ,well1 where's the point of reconciliation8 ,father ,jervis was silent for a while4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the two were sitting on the upper deck of an air-ship towards evening1 travelling straight towards the setting sun4 ,he had grown almost accustomed to such views by now2 and yet the sight that had been unrolling itself gradually during the last half-hour had held him fascinated for minute after minute4 ,they had taken ship in ,rome after a day or two more of sight-seeing1 and had moved up the peninsula by stages1 changing boats soon after crossing the frontier1 for one of the high-flying1 more leisurely and more luxurious vessels on which the more wealthy classes travelled4 ,they were due in ,lourdes that evening2 and1 ever since the higher peaks of the ,pyrenees had come into sight1 had moved over a vision of bewildering beauty4 ,to their left rose the mountains1 forming1 it seemed to them at the height at which they travelled1 an enormous jagged and gigantic pile1 hard-lined as steel1 yet irradiated with long rays1 patches1 and pools of golden sunset-light alternated by amazing depths of the shadow whose tones ran from peacock to indigo4 ,then from the feet of the tumbled pile there ran out what appeared a loosely flung carpet vivid and yet a soft green1 patched here and there with white towns1 embroideries of woodland1 lines of silver water4 ,yet this too was changing as they watched the shadows grow longer with almost visible movement4 ,new and strange colours1 varying about a fixed note of blue according to the nature of that with which the earth was covered1 slowly came into being4 ,here1 in front1 now and again a patch of water glowed suddenly1 three thousand feet beneath1 as it met the shifting angle between the eye and the sun2 and beyond1 far out across the darkening plain1 shone the remote line of the sea1 itself ablaze with gold1 and above and about in every quarter burned the enormous luminous dome of sky4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i can't put it all accurately1 said ,father ,jervis at last4 ,i mean ,i can't tell you off-hand all the tests that are exactly applied to every case4 ,but it's something like this4 4 4 4 ,he paused4 ,yes1 tell me1 said the other1 still staring out at the softly rolling landscape4 ,well1 first1 began the old priest slowly1 in the last fifty years we've classified almost exhaustively everything that nature can do4 ,we know1 for instance1 for certain1 that in certain kinds of temperaments body and mind are in far greater sympathy than in others2 and that if1 in such a temperament as this1 the mind can be fully persuaded that such and such a thing is going to happen--a thing within the range of natural possibility1 of course--it will happen1 merely through the action of the mind upon the body4 ,give me an instance4 ,well 7he hesitated again7 4 4 4 well1 ,i'm not a physician1 and cannot define accurately2 but there are certain nervous diseases--hysterical simulation1 nervous affections such as ,st4 ,vitus' dance--as well1 of course1 as purely mental diseases1 such as certain kinds of insanity--- ,oh1 those1 said the other contemptuously4 ,wait a minute4 ,these1 ,i say1 given the right temperament and receptiveness to suggestion1 can be cured instantaneously4 ,instantaneously8 ,certainly--given those conditions4 ,then there are certain other diseases1 very closely related to the nervous system1 in which there have been changes of tissue1 not only in the brain1 but in the organs or the limbs4 ,and these1 too1 can be cured by mere natural suggestion2 but--and this is the point--not instantaneously4 ,in cases of this kind1 cured in this way1 there is always needed a period1 ,i won't say as long as1 but proportionate to1 the period during which the disease had been developing and advancing4 ,i forget the exact proportions now1 but ,i think1 so far as ,i remember1 that at least two-thirds of the time is required for recovery by suggestion as was occupied by the growth of the disease4 ,take lupus4 ,that certainly belongs to the class ,i'm speaking of4 ,well1 lupus has been cured in mental laboratories1 but never instantaneously or anything like instantaneously4 ,go on1 father4 ,finally1 there are those physical states that have practically nothing to do directly with the nervous system at all4 ,take a broken leg4 ,of course the cure of a broken leg is affected by the state of the nervous system1 since it depends upon the amount of vital energy1 the state of the blood1 and so on4 ,but there are distinct processes of change of tissue that are bound to take a certain fixed period4 ,you may--as has been proved over and over again in the mental laboratories--hasten and direct the action of the nervous energy1 so that a man under hypnotic suggestion will improve more rapidly than a man who is not4 ,but no amount of suggestion can possibly effect a cure instantaneously4 ,tuberculosis is another such thing2 certain diseases of the heart--- ,i see4 ,go on4 ,well1 then1 science has fixed certain periods in all these various matters which simply cannot be lessened beyond a certain point4 ,and miracle does not begin--authorized miracle1 ,i mean--unless these periods are markedly shortened4 ,mere mental cures1 therefore1 do not come under the range of authorized miracle at all--though1 of course1 in many cases where there has been little or no suggestion1 or where the temperament is not receptive1 practically speaking1 the miraculous element is most probably present4 ,in the second class--organic nervous diseases--no miracle is proclaimed unless the cure is instantaneous1 or very nearly so4 ,in the third class1 again1 no miracle is proclaimed unless the cure is either instantaneous1 or the period of it very considerably shortened beyond all known examples of natural cure by suggestion4 ,and you mean to say that such cures are frequent8 ,the old priest smiled4 ,why1 of course4 ,there is an accumulation of evidence from the past hundred years which---- ,broken limbs8 ,oh yes2 there's the case of ,pierre de ,rudder1 at ,oostacker1 in the nineteenth century4 ,that's the first of the series--the first1 ,i mean1 that has been scientifically examined4 ,it's in all the old books4 ,what was the matter with him8 ,leg broken below the knee for eight years4 ,and how long did the cure take8 ,instantaneous4 ,there was silence again4 ,monsignor was staring out and downwards at the flitting meadow-land far below4 ,a flock of white birds moved across the darkening grey1 like flying specks seen in the eye1 yet it seemed with extraordinary slowness and deliberation1 so great was the distance at which they flew4 ,he sighed4 ,you can examine the records1 said the priest presently2 and1 better than that1 you can examine some of the cases for yourself1 and the certificates4 ,they follow still the old system which ,dr4 ,boissarie began nearly a century ago4 ,what about ,zola8 demanded ,monsignor abruptly4 ,i beg your pardon8 ,zola1 the great ,french writer4 ,i thought he had 4 4 4 had advanced some very sharp criticisms of ,lourdes4 ,er--when did he live8 ,why1 not long ago2 nineteenth century1 at the end4 ,father ,jervis shook his head1 smiling4 ,i've never heard of him1 he said1 and ,i thought ,i knew ,lourdes literature pretty well4 ,i'll enquire4 ,look1 said the prelate suddenly2 what's that place we're coming to8 ,he nodded forward with his head to where vast white lines and patches began to be visible on the lower slopes and at the foot of long spurs that had suddenly come into sight against the sunset4 ,why1 that's ,lourdes4 7,,ii7 ,as the two priests came out next morning from the west doors of the tall church where they had said their masses1 ,monsignor stopped4 ,let me try to take it in a moment1 he said4 99 99 99 99 99 ,they were standing on the highest platform of the pile of three churches that had been raised over a hundred years ago1 now in the very centre of the enormous city that had grown little by little around the sacred place4 ,beneath them1 straight in front1 approached from where they stood by two vast sweeps of balustraded steps1 lay the ,place1 perhaps sixty feet beneath1 of the shape of an elongated oval1 bounded on this side and that by the old buildings where the doctors used to have their examination rooms1 now used for a hundred minor purposes connected with the churches and the grotto4 ,at the farther end of the ,place1 behind the old bronze statue of ,mary1 rose up the comparatively new ,bureau de ,constatations--a great hall 7as the two had seen last night71 communicating with countless consulting- and examination-rooms1 where the army of ,state-paid doctors carried on their work4 ,the whole of the open ,place between these buildings crawled with humanity--not yet packed as it would be by evening--yet already sufficiently filled by the two ever-flowing streams--the one passing downwards to where the grotto lay out of sight on the left1 the other passing up towards the lower entrance of the great hall4 ,it resembled an amphitheatre1 and the more so1 since the roofs of the buildings on every side1 as well as the slope up which the steps rose to the churches1 adapted now as they were to accommodate at least three hundred thousand spectators1 were already beginning to show groups and strings of onlookers who came up here to survey the city4 ,on the right1 beyond the ,place1 lay the old town1 sloping up now1 up even to the medieval castle1 which fifty years ago had stood in lonely detachment1 but now was faced on hill-top after hill-top1 at its own level1 by the enormous nursing homes and hostels1 which under the direction of the ,religious ,orders had gradually grown up about this shrine of healing1 until now1 up to a height of at least five hundred feet1 the city of ,mary stood on bastion after bastion of the lower slopes of the hills1 like some huge auditorium of white stone1 facing down towards the river and the ,holy ,place4 ,finally1 on the left1 immediately to the left of the two priests who stood silently looking1 fifty feet below1 ran the sweep of the ,gave1 crossed by innumerable bridges which gave access to the crowding town beyond the water1 where once had been nothing but meadowland and the beginning of the great southern plain of ,france4 ,there was an air of extraordinary peace and purity about this place1 thought ,monsignor4 ,whiteness was the predominating colour--whiteness beneath1 and whiteness running up high on the right on to the hills--and above the amazing blue of the southern sky4 ,it was high and glorious summer about them1 with a breeze as intoxicating as wine and as fresh as water4 ,from across the ,place they could hear the quick flapping of the huge ,mary banner that flew above the hall1 for there were no wheels or motors here to crush out the acuteness of the ear4 ,the transference of the sick from the hostels above the town was carried out by aeroplanes--great winged decks1 with awnings above and at the sides1 that slid down as if on invisible lines1 to the entrance of the other side of the hall1 whence after a daily examination by the doctors they were taken on by hand-litters to the grotto or the bathing-pools4 99 99 99 99 99 ,monsignor heard a step behind him as he stood and looked1 still pathetically bewildered by all that he saw1 and still struggling1 in spite of himself1 with a new upbreak of scepticism2 and turning1 saw ,father ,jervis in the act of greeting a young monk in the ,benedictine habit4 ,i knew we should meet4 ,i heard you were here1 the old man was exclaiming4 ,you remember ,monsignor ,masterman8 ,they shook hands1 and ,monsignor was not disappointed in his friend's tact4 ,father ,adrian absolutely haunts ,lourdes nowadays1 went on ,father ,jervis4 ,i wonder his superiors allow him4 ,and how's the book getting on8 ,the monk smiled4 ,he was an exceedingly pleasant person to look upon1 with a thin1 refined face and large1 startlingly blue eyes4 ,he shook his head as he smiled4 ,i'm getting frightened1 he said4 ,i cannot see with the theologians in all points4 ,well1 the least said1 the soonest mended4 ,father ,jervis' face had fallen a little4 ,there was distinct anxiety in his eyes4 ,when will the book be out8 he asked quickly4 ,i'm revising for the last time1 said the other shortly4 ,and you1 ,monsignor8 4 4 4 ,i had heard of your illness4 ,oh1 ,monsignor's nearly himself again4 ,and will you take us into the ,bureau8 asked the old priest4 ,the young monk nodded4 ,i shall be there all day1 he said4 ,ask for me at any time4 ,monsignor wants to see for himself4 ,he wants to see a case straight through4 ,is there anything---- ,why1 there's the very thing1 interrupted the monk4 7,he fumbled in his pocket a moment47 ,yes1 here's the leaflet that was issued last night4 7,he held out a printed piece of paper to ,monsignor47 ,read that through4 ,the prelate took it4 ,what's the case8 he asked4 ,the leaflet will give you the details4 ,it's decay of the optic nerve--a ,russian from ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,both eyes completely blind1 the nerves destroyed1 and he saw light yesterday for the first time4 ,he'll be down from the ,russian hospice about eleven4 ,we expect a cure to-day or to-morrow4 ,well1 said ,father ,jervis1 we mustn't detain you4 ,then1 if we look in about eleven8 ,the monk nodded and smiled as he moved off4 ,certainly1 he said4 ,at eleven then4 ,monsignor turned to his friend4 ,well8 ,father ,jervis shook his head4 ,it's a sad business1 he said4 ,that's ,dom ,adrian ,bennett4 ,he's very daring4 ,he's had one warning from ,rome2 but he's so extraordinarily clever that it's very hard to silence him4 ,he's not exactly heretical2 but he will work along lines that have already been decided4 ,dear me6 ,he seems very charming4 ,certainly4 ,he is most charming1 and utterly sincere4 ,he's got the entree everywhere here4 ,he is a first-rate scientist1 by the way4 ,but1 ,monsignor1 ,i'd sooner not talk about him4 ,do you mind8 ,but what's his subject8 ,tell me that4 ,it's the miraculous element in religion1 said the priest shortly4 ,come1 we must go to our coffee4 7,,iii7 ,the hall was already crowded in every part as the two priests looked in at the lower end a few minutes before eleven o'clock4 ,it was arranged more or less like a theatre1 with a broad gangway running straight up from the doors at one end to the foot of the stage at the other4 ,the stage itself1 with a statue of ,mary towering at the back1 communicated with the examination-rooms behind the two doors1 one on either side of the image4 ,what's going on8 whispered ,monsignor1 as he glanced up first on this side and that1 at the array of heads that listened1 and then at the two figures that occupied the stage4 ,it's a doctor lecturing on a cure4 ,this goes on nearly all day4 ,we must get round to the back somehow4 ,as they passed in at last from the outside through the private door through which the doctors and privileged persons had access behind the stage1 they heard a storm of clapping and voices from the direction of the public hall on their right4 ,that's finished then4 ,follow me1 ,monsignor4 ,they went through a passage or two1 after their guide--a young man in uniform--seeing as they went1 through half-open doors here and there1 quite white rooms1 glimpses of men in white1 and once at least a litter being set down2 and came at last into what looked like some kind of committee-room1 lighted by tall windows on the left1 with a wide horseshoe table behind which sat perhaps a dozen men1 each wearing on his left breast the red and white cross which marked them as experts4 ,opposite the examiners1 but half hidden from the two priests by the back of his tall chair1 sat the figure of a man4 ,their guide went up to the end of the table1 and almost immediately they saw ,father ,adrian stand up and beckon to them4 ,i've kept you two chairs1 he whispered when they came up4 ,and you'd better wear these crosses4 ,they'll admit you anywhere4 7,he pointed to the two red and white badges that hung over the backs of their chairs47 ,are we in time8 ,you're a little late1 whispered the monk4 ,then he turned again towards the patient1 a typical fair-haired1 bearded ,russian with closed eyes1 who at that moment was answering some question put to him by the presiding doctor in the centre4 ,the monk turned again4 ,can you understand ,russian8 ,monsignor shook his head4 ,well1 ,i'll tell you afterwards1 said the other4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it seemed very strange to be sitting here1 in this quiet room1 after the rush and push of the enormous crowds through which they had made their way this morning4 ,the air of the room was exceedingly business-like1 and not in the least even suggestive of religion1 except in the matter of a single statue of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes on a bracket on the wall above the ,president's head4 ,and these dozen men who sat here seemed quietly business-like too4 ,they sat here1 men of various ages and nationalities1 all in the thin white doctor's dress1 with papers spread before them1 and a few strange instruments scattered here and there1 leaning forward or leaning back1 but all intently listening to and watching the ,russian1 who1 still with closed eyes1 answered the short questions put to him continuously by the ,president4 ,there seemed no religious excitement even in the air2 the atmosphere was one1 rather1 of simple science4 ,there seemed something faintly familiar in all this to the man who had lost his memory4 4 4 4 ,certainly he had known of ,lourdes as soon as it was mentioned to him1 and he seemed now to remember that some such claim to be perfectly scientific had always been made by the authorities of the place4 ,but he had supposed1 somehow1 that the claim was a false one4 4 4 4 ,the ,russian suddenly rose4 ,well6 whispered ,monsignor sharply as the doctors began to talk4 ,the monk smiled4 ,he's just said an interesting thing4 ,the ,president asked him just now whether he had seen anything of the crowds as he came down this morning4 ,yes8 ,he said that people looked like trees moving about4 4 4 4 ,oh no6 he didn't know he was making a quotation4 ,look6 he's going down to the grotto4 ,he'll be back in half an hour to report4 ,monsignor leaned back in his chair4 ,and you tell me that the optic nerves were destroyed8 ,the monk looked at him in wide-eyed wonder4 ,certainly4 ,he was examined on ,tuesday1 when he came4 ,to-day's ,friday4 ,and you believe he'll be cured8 ,i shall be very much surprised if he's not4 ,there was a stir by the door as the ,russian disappeared4 ,a young1 bright-eyed doctor looked in and nodded1 and the next instant a brancardier appeared1 followed by a litter4 ,but how have you time to examine all these thousands of cases8 asked the prelate1 watching the litter advance4 ,oh1 not one in a hundred comes through to us here4 ,besides1 this is only one of a dozen committee-rooms4 ,it's only the most sensational cases--where there's real organic injury of a really serious kind--that ever come at all before the highest courts4 ,cases1 ,i mean1 where1 if there's a cure1 the publication of the miracle follows as a matter of course4 4 4 4 ,what's this case1 ,i wonder8 he ended sharply1 glancing down at the printed paper before him1 and then up again at the litter that was being arranged4 ,monsignor looked too at the paper that lay before him4 ,some thirty paragraphs1 carefully numbered1 dated1 and signed1 gave1 as it seemed1 a list of the cases to be examined4 ,number fourteen1 murmured the monk4 ,number fourteen1 it appeared1 was a case of fractured spine--a young girl1 aged sixteen2 a ,german4 ,the accident had happened four months before4 ,the notes1 signed by half a dozen names1 described the complete paralysis below the waist1 with a few other medical details4 ,monsignor looked again at the girl on the other side of the table1 guarded by the brancardiers and a couple of doctors1 while the monk talked to him rapidly in ,latin4 ,he saw her closed eyes and colourless lips4 ,this case has attracted a good deal of attention1 whispered the monk4 ,the ,emperor's said to be interested in it1 through one of the ladies of the ,court1 whose servant the girl was4 ,it's interesting for two or three reasons4 ,first1 the fracture is complete1 and it's marvellous she hasn't died4 ,then it's been taken up as a kind of test case by a group of materialists in ,berlin4 ,they've taken it up1 because the girl has declared again and again that she is perfectly certain she will be cured at ,lourdes4 ,she claims to have had a vision of ,our ,lady1 who told her so4 ,her father's a freethinker1 by the way1 and has only finally allowed her to come so that he can use her as an argument afterwards4 ,who has examined her8 asked ,monsignor sharply4 ,she was examined last night on her arrival1 and again this morning4 ,dr4 ,meurot1 the ,president here 7he indicated with his head the doctor who sat three places off1 who was putting his questions rapidly to the two attending physicians7--,dr4 ,meurot examined her himself early this morning4 ,this is just the formal process before she goes to the grotto4 ,the fracture is complete4 ,it's between the eleventh and twelfth dorsal vertebrae4 ,and you think she'll be cured8 ,the monk smiled4 ,who can tell8 he said4 ,we've only had one case before1 and the papers on that are not quite in order1 though it's commonly believed to be genuine4 ,but it's possible8 ,oh1 certainly4 ,and her own conviction is absolute4 ,it'll be interesting4 ,you seem to take it pretty easily1 murmured the prelate4 ,oh1 the facts are established a hundred times over--the facts1 ,i mean1 that cures take place here which are not even approached in mental laboratories4 ,but--- ,he was interrupted by a sudden movement of the brancardiers4 ,see1 they're removing her1 he said4 ,now1 what'll you do1 ,monsignor8 ,will you go down to the grotto1 or would you sooner watch a few more cases8 ,i think ,i'd sooner stay here1 said the other1 at least for an hour or two4 7,,iv7 ,it was the hour of the evening procession and of the ,benediction of the ,sick4 ,all day long the man who had lost his memory had gone to and fro with his companions1 each wearing the little badge that gave them entrance everywhere2 they had lunched with ,dr4 ,meurot himself4 ,if ,monsignor ,masterman had been impressed by the social power of ,catholicism at ,versailles1 and by its religious reality in ,rome1 he was ten thousand times more impressed by its scientific courage here in ,lourdes4 ,for here religion seemed to have stepped down into an arena hitherto 7as he fancied7 restricted to the play of physical forces4 ,she had laid aside her oracular claims1 her comparatively unsupported assertions of her own divinity2 had flung off her robes of state and authority and was competing here on equal terms with the masters of natural law--more1 she was accepted by them as their mistress4 ,for there seemed nothing from which she shrank4 ,she accepted all who came to her desiring her help2 she made no arbitrary distinctions to cover her own incapacities4 ,her one practical desire was to heal the sick2 her one theoretical interest to fix more and more precisely1 little by little1 the exact line at which nature ended and supernature began4 ,and1 if human evidence went for anything--if the volumes of radiophotography and sworn testimony went for anything1 she had established a thousand times over during the preceding1 half-century that under her aegis1 and hers alone1 healing and reconstituting forces were at work to which no merely natural mental science could furnish any parallels4 ,all the old quarrels of a century ago seemed at an end4 ,there was no longer any dispute as to the larger facts4 ,all that now remained to be done by this huge organization of international experts was to define more and more closely and precisely where the line lay between the two worlds4 ,all cures that could be even remotely paralleled in the mental laboratories were dismissed as not evidently supernatural2 all those which could not be so paralleled were recorded1 with the most minute detail1 under the sworn testimonies of doctors who had examined the patients immediately before and immediately after the cure itself4 ,in a series of libraries that abutted on to the ,place1 ,monsignor ,masterman1 under the guidance of ,dom ,adrian ,bennett1 had spent a couple of hours this afternoon in examining the most striking of the records and photographs preserved there4 ,he was amazed to find that even by the end of the nineteenth century cures had taken place for which the most modern scientists could find no natural explanation4 ,ten minutes ago he had taken his place in the procession of the ,blessed ,sacrament1 with the monk's last word still in his head4 ,it is during the procession itself1 he had said1 that the work is done4 ,we lay aside all deliberate knowledge as the ,angelus rings1 and give ourselves up to faith4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and now the procession had started1 and already1 it seemed to him1 he had begun to understand4 ,it was as he himself emerged1 a few paces in front of the ,blessed ,sacrament ,itself1 walking with the prelates1 that that understanding reached its climax4 ,he paused at the head of the steps1 to wait for the canopy to come through1 and his heart rose within him so mightily that it was all he could do not to cry out4 ,beneath him1 seen now from the opposite end from which he had looked this morning1 lay the ,place1 under a wholly different appearance4 ,the centre of the great oval was cleared1 with the exception of a huge pulpit1 surmounted by a circular sounding-board1 that stood in the middle4 ,but round this empty space rose1 in tier after tier1 masses of humanity beyond all reckoning1 up and up1 as on the sides of an enormous amphitheatre1 as far as the highest roofs of the highest buildings that looked on to the space4 ,before him rose the pile of churches1 and here too1 on every platform roof and stair1 swarmed the spectators4 ,the doors of the three churches were flung wide1 and far within1 in the lighted interiors1 lay the heads of countless crowds1 as cobble-stones1 seen in perspective4 ,the whole ,place was in shadow now1 as the sun had just gone down1 but the sky was still alight overhead1 a vast tender-coloured vault1 as sweet as a benediction4 ,here and there1 in the illimitable blue1 like crumbs of diamond dust1 gleamed the first stars of evening4 ,and from this vast multitude1 swayed by a white figure within the pulpit1 articulate now as the listener emerged1 rose up a song to ,mary1 as from one soft and gigantic voice1 appealing to ,her ,presence who for over a century and a half1 it seemed1 had chosen to dwell here by virtue and influence1 the ,great ,mother of the redeemed and the ,consoler of the afflicted1 whose ,divine ,son was even now on ,his way1 as at ,cana itself1 to turn the water of sorrow into the wine of joy4 4 4 4 ,then1 as the canopy came out1 at an imperious gesture from the tiny swaying figure in the pulpit1 the music ceased2 great trumpets sounded a phrase2 there was a rustle and a movement as of a breaking wave as the crowds knelt2 and the ,pange ,lingua rose up in solemn adoration4 4 4 4 ,as he came down the steps1 his eyes quick with tears1 he saw for the first time the lines of the sick in the place to which he had been told to look4 ,there they lay1 some four thousand in number1 placed side by side in two great circling rows round the whole arena1 a fringe of pain to the exultant crowds1 in litters laid so close together that they seemed but two great continuous beds1 and between them the high flower-strewn platform along which ,jesus of ,nazareth should pass by4 ,there they lay1 all of them bathed to-day in the strange water that had sprung up a hundred and fifty years ago under the fingers of a peasant child1 waiting for the sacramental advent of ,him who had made both that water and those for whose healing it was designed4 ,and yet not all were cured--not perhaps one in ten of all who came in confidence4 ,that surely was wonderful4 4 4 4 ,was it then that that same ,sovereign ,power who had permitted the pain elected to retain ,his own sovereignty1 and to show that the ,lawgiver was fettered by no law8 ,one thing at least was certain1 if those records which the priest had examined this morning were to be believed1 that no receptiveness of temperament1 no subjective expectancy of cure1 guaranteed that the cure would take place4 ,natures that had responded marvellously in the mental laboratories seemed ineffective here2 natures that were inert and immovable under the influence of sympathetic science leapt up here to meet the call of some ,voice whose very existence a hundred years ago had been in doubt4 ,the front of the long procession1 ,monsignor saw1 had reached now the doors of the basilica1 and would presently1 after making the complete round1 pour down into the arena to allow the ,blessed ,sacrament to move more quickly4 ,it was an exquisite sight1 even from here1 as the prelate set foot on the platform and began to move to the left4 ,the long lines of tapers1 four deep1 went like some great serpent1 rippling with light1 above the heads of the sick2 and here and there in the slopes of the crowded spectators shone out other lights1 steady as stars in the motionless half-lit evening air4 ,then1 as he went1 slowly1 pace by pace1 he remembered the sick and glanced down1 as the music on a sudden ceased4 ,ah6 there they lay1 those living crucifixes 4 4 4 4 shrouded in white1 their faces on either side turned inwards that they might see their ,lord4 4 4 4 ,there lay a woman1 her face shrivelled with some internal horror--some appalling disease which even the science of these days dared not handle1 or at least had not2 her large eyes staring with an almost terrible intensity1 fixed1 it seemed1 in her head1 yet waiting for the ,vision that even now might make her whole4 ,there a child tossed and moaned and turned away his head4 ,there an old man crouched forward upon his litter1 held up on either side by two men in the uniform of the brancardiers4 4 4 4 ,and so1 in endless lines1 they lay2 from every nation under heaven3 ,chinese were there1 he saw1 and negroes2 and the very air in which he walked seemed alight with pain and longing4 ,a great voice broke in suddenly on his musings2 and1 before he could fix his attention as to what it said1 the words were taken up by the hundreds of thousands of throats--a short1 fervent sentence that rent the air like a thunder-peal4 ,ah6 he remembered now4 ,these were the old ,french prayers1 consecrated by a century of use2 and as he passed on1 slowly1 step by step1 watching now with a backward glance the blessing of the sick that had just begun--the sign of the cross made with the light golden monstrance by the bishop who carried it--now the agonized eyes of expectation that waited for their turn1 he too began to hear1 and to take up with his own voice those piteous cries for help4 ,jesu6 heal our sick4 4 4 4 ,jesu6 grant that we may see--may hear--may walk4 4 4 4 ,thou art the ,resurrection and the ,life4 4 4 4 ,lord6 ,i believe2 help ,thou mine unbelief4 ,then with an overwhelming triumph3 ,hosanna to the ,son of ,david6 ,hosanna1 ,hosanna6 ,then again1 soft and rumbling3 ,o ,mary1 conceived without sin1 hear us who have recourse to thee4 ,the sense of a great circumambient ,power grew upon him at each instant1 sacramentalized1 it seemed1 by the solemn evening light1 and evoked by this tense ardour of half a million souls1 and focused behind him in one burning point4 4 4 4 ,ah6 there was the first miracle6 4 4 4 ,a cry behind him1 an eddy in the circle of the sick and the waiting attendants1 a figure with shrouding linen fallen from breast and outstretched arms1 and then a roar1 mighty beyond reckoning1 as the whole amphitheatre swayed and cried out in exultation4 ,he saw as in a vision the rush of doctors to the place1 and the gesticulating figures that held back the crowd behind the barrier4 ,then a great moan of relief2 and a profound silence as the miracule kneeled again beside the litter which had borne him4 ,then again the canopy moved on2 and the passionate voice cried1 followed in an instant by the roar of response3 ,hosanna to the son of ,david4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,it was half-way round1 at the foot of the church steps1 that the ,german girl was laid2 and as the prelates drew near ,monsignor looked rapidly to this side and that to identify her4 ,ah6 there she lay1 still with closed patient eyes and colourless face1 in the outer circle facing inwards towards the pulpit4 ,a doctor knelt on either side of her--one of them the young man who had announced her coming into the hall this morning1 with a rosary between his fingers4 ,it was known to the crowd generally1 ,monsignor had learnt1 that her case was exceptional2 but it had been kept from them as to where she would lie1 for fear that the excitement might be too much concentrated4 ,he looked at her again1 intently and carefully--at that waxen1 fallen face1 her helpless hands clasped across her breast with a string of beads interwoven within them2 and even as he looked distrust once more surged within him1 ,it was impossible1 he told himself--in spite of what he had seen that day in spite of that score of leaping figures and the infectious roar that more than twenty times in that short journey had set his pulses a-beat4 4 4 4 ,he passed her1 quickening his steps a little2 then faced about and watched4 ,slowly came the canopy4 ,its four bearers sweated visibly with the effort2 and the face of the bishop who bore the monstrance was pale and streaked with moisture from the countless movements he had made4 ,behind him came row after row of downcast faces1 men and women of every ,religious ,order on earth1 and the tapers seen in perspective appeared as four almost continuous waving lines of soft light4 ,there had been a longer pause than usual since the last exulting cry of a sick man healed2 and the silence between the cries from the pulpit grew continually more acute4 ,and yet nothing happened4 ,the bishop was signing now outwards over a man who lay next the ,german1 with his face altogether hidden in a white and loathsomely suggestive mask2 but there was no stir in answer4 ,the bishop turned inwards and signed over a woman1 and again there was no movement4 ,thou art the ,resurrection and the ,life1 cried the voice from the pulpit4 ,thou art the ,resurrection and the ,life1 answered the amphitheatre1 as the bishop turned again outwards4 ,monsignor heard him sigh with the effort1 and with the consciousness too1 perhaps1 of who it was that lay here2 he lifted the monstrance2 the eyes of the girl opened4 ,as he signed to left and right she smiled4 ,as he brought the monstrance back she unclasped her hands and sat up4 7,v7 ,the three priests stood together that evening on the high roof of a ,carmelite priory1 on the other side of the river1 half a mile away1 yet opposite the grotto1 as the ,german girl came down to make her thanksgiving4 ,from where they stood it was impossible to make out a single detail of that at which they looked4 ,the priory stood on high ground1 itself towering above the crowded roofs that lay between them and the river2 and opposite rose up the masses of the hill at the foot of which was the sacred place itself4 ,it resembled to-night a picture all of fire4 ,the churches on the left were outlined in light1 up to the last high line of roof against the dark starlit sky2 and upon the spaces in between lay the soft glow from the tens of thousands of torches that the crowds carried beneath4 ,above the grotto the precipitous face of the cliff showed black and sombre1 except where the zigzag paths shone out in liquid wandering lines1 where the folks stood packed together1 unseeing1 yet content to be present4 ,in front1 at the foot1 over the lake of fire where the main body of worshippers stood1 glowed softly the cavern where ,mary's feet had once rested1 and where her power had lived now far beyond the memory of the oldest man present4 ,from this distance few sounds could be heard except the steady murmur of voices of those countless thousands4 ,it was as the steady roll of far-off wheels or of the tide coming in over a rocky beach2 and even the sudden roar of welcome and triumph that announced that the little procession had left the ,place was soft and harmonious4 ,there followed a long pause4 ,then1 on a sudden1 trumpets rang out1 clear as silver1 sharpened and reverberated by the rocks from which they sounded1 and like the voice of a dreaming giant1 came the great words1 articulate and distinct3-- ,magnificat anima mea ,dominum4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,and you1 ,monsignor1 asked ,dom ,adrian1 as they stood half an hour later1 still watching the lines of light writhe this way and that as the crowds went home1 you have asked ,our ,lady to give you back your memory8 ,i was at the grotto this afternoon1 he said4 ,it is not for me4 ,then there will be something better instead1 smiled the young monk4 ,,chapter ,,viii 7,i7 ,so you go back to ,england to-morrow8 said ,father ,adrian1 as they sat a night or two later in the guest-room of the ,french ,benedictines1 where the monk was staying4 ,we start to-morrow night1 said the old priest4 ,monsignor is infinitely better1 and we must both get back to work4 ,and you8 ,i stay here to finish the revising of my book1 said the monk quietly4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the man who had lost his memory had piled impression on impression during the last forty-eight hours4 ,there was first the case of the ,german girl4 ,she had been examined by the same doctors as those who had certified to her state half an hour before the cure1 and the result had been telegraphed over the entire civilized world4 ,the fracture was completely repaired2 and although she was still weak from her long illness1 she gained strength every hour4 ,then there was the case of the ,russian4 ,he too had received back his sight1 although not instantaneously2 it had come to him step by step4 ,an hour ago he had been pronounced healed1 and had passed the usual tests in the examination-rooms4 ,but these cases1 and others like them which the priests had investigated1 were only a part of the total weight of impressions which ,monsignor ,masterman had received4 ,he had seen here for himself a relation between ,science and ,faith--a co-operation between them1 with the exigencies of each duly weighed and observed by them both--which set ,nature and ,supernature before him in a completely new light4 ,as ,mr4 ,manners had said at ,westminster a week or two before1 the two seemed to have met at last1 each working from different quarters1 on a platform on which they could work side by side4 ,the facts were no longer denied by either party4 ,science allowed for the mysteries of ,faith2 ,faith recognized the achievements of ,science4 ,each granted that the other possessed a perfectly legitimate sphere of action in which the methods proper to that sphere were imperative and final4 ,the scientist accepted the fact that ,religion had a right to speak in matters that lay beyond scientific data2 the theologian no longer denounced as fraudulent or disingenuous the claims of the scientist to exercise powers that were at last found to be natural4 ,neither needed to establish his own position by attacking that of his partner1 and the two accordingly1 without prejudice or passion1 worked together to define yet further that ever-narrowing range of ground between the two worlds which up to the present remained unmapped4 ,suggestion1 for example1 acting upon the mutual relations of body and mind1 was recognized by the theologian as a force sufficient to produce phenomena which in earlier days he had claimed as evidently supernatural4 ,and1 on the other side1 the scientist no longer made wild acts of faith in nature1 in attributing to her achievements which he could not for an instant parallel by any deliberate experiment4 ,in a word1 the scientist repeated1 ,i believe in ,god 2 and the theologian1 ,i recognize ,nature4 ,monsignor sat apart in silence1 while the others talked4 ,he had thought in ,rome that he had reached interior conviction2 he understood now in ,lourdes that his conviction had not gone so deep as he had fancied4 ,he had learned in ,versailles that the ,church could reorganize society1 in ,rome that she could reconcile nations2 he had seen finally in ,lourdes that she could resolve philosophies4 ,and this very discovery made him the more timid4 ,for he began to wonder whether there were not yet further discoveries which he would have to make--workings out and illustrations of the principles he had begun to perceive4 ,how1 for example1 he began to ask himself1 would the ,church deal with those who did not recognize her claims--those solitary individuals or groups here and there who1 he knew1 still clung pathetically to the old dreams of the beginning of the century--to the phantom of independent thought and the intoxicating nightmare of democratic government8 ,it was certain now that these things were dreams--that it was ludicrously absurd to imagine that a man could profitably detach himself from ,revelation and the stream of tradition and development that flowed from it2 that it was ridiculous to turn creation upside-down and to attempt to govern the educated few by the uneducated many4 ,yet people did occasionally hold impossible and absurd theories4 4 4 4 ,how1 then1 would these be treated by the ,church when once her power had been finally consolidated8 ,how was she to reconcile the gentleness of the ,christian spirit with the dogmatism of the ,christian claim8 4 4 4 ,he recalled one or two hints that ,father ,jervis had let drop1 and he was conscious of a touch of fear4 ,he woke up to externals again at the sound of a sentence or two from the monk4 ,i beg your pardon1 he said4 ,what was that8 ,i was saying that the news from ,germany is disquieting4 ,why8 ,oh6 nothing definite4 ,they expect trouble4 ,they say that the ,emperor is extraordinarily interested in this girl's case1 and that the ,socialists of ,berlin are watching him4 ,berlin is their last stronghold1 you know4 ,by the way1 interrupted ,father ,jervis suddenly1 ,i've enquired about that man with the curious name--,zola4 ,i find he had quite a vogue at one time4 ,and now ,i come to think of it1 ,i believe ,manners mentioned him4 ,zola8 mused the monk4 ,yes1 ,i'm nearly sure ,i've heard of him4 ,wasn't he an ,elizabethan8 ,no1 no4 ,he died at the end of the last century4 ,i find he did write a little romance about ,lourdes4 ,there was even a copy in the library here4 ,i hadn't time to look at it2 but ,m4 ,meurot told me it was one of those odd little attacks on religion that were popular once4 ,that's all ,i could find out4 ,monsignor compressed his lips4 ,somewhere out of his abysmal memory there lurked a consciousness that ,zola had once been of some importance2 but he could add nothing to the discussion4 ,dom ,adrian stood up and stretched himself4 ,it's time for bed1 he said4 ,look 7he nodded towards the window71 the devotions are just ending4 ,from out of the luminous gulf beneath1 beyond the tiers of roofs that lay1 step-like1 between this hostel and the river1 rose up that undying song of ,lourdes--that strange1 haunting old melody of the story of ,bernadette1 that for a hundred and fifty years had been sung in this place--a ballad-like song1 without grace of music or art1 which yet has so wonderful an affinity with the old carols of ,christendom1 which yet is so unforgettable and so affecting4 ,as the three stood side by side looking out of the window they saw the serpent of fire1 that rope-coil of tapers that1 stretching round the entire ,place1 humped over the flights of steps and the platforms set amongst the churches1 writhes incessantly on itself4 ,but1 even as they watched1 the serpent grew dim and patchy1 and the lights began to go out1 as group after group broke away homewards4 ,they had wished their ,mother good night1 there in that great ,french town which has so wonderful an aroma of little ,nazareth2 they had sung their thanksgivings2 they had offered their prayers4 ,now it was time to sleep under ,her protection1 who was the ,mother both of ,god and man4 4 4 4 ,well1 good night1 said ,monsignor4 ,we shall meet in ,london4 ,i hope so1 said the young monk gravely4 ,i am afraid that young man will be in trouble1 said ,father ,jervis softly1 as they came down the steps4 ,his book1 you know4 ,eh8 ,well1 it's best not to talk of it4 ,we shall soon know4 ,he's as brave as a lion4 ,,part ,,ii ,,chapter ,i 7,i7 ,monsignor ,masterman sat in his room at ,westminster1 busy at his correspondence4 ,a week had passed since his return1 and he had made extraordinary progress4 ,even his face showed it4 ,the piteous1 bewildered look that he had worn1 as he first realized little by little how completely out of touch he was with the world in which he had found himself after his lapse of memory1 had wholly disappeared2 and in its place was the keen1 bright-eyed intelligence of a typical ecclesiastic4 ,it was not that his memory had returned4 ,still1 behind his sudden awakening in ,hyde ,park1 all was a misty blank1 from which faces and places and even phrases started out1 for the most part unverifiable4 ,yet it seemed both to him and to those about him that he had an amazing facility in gathering up the broken threads4 ,he had spent three or four days1 after his return from ,lourdes1 closeted in private with ,father ,jervis or the ,cardinal1 and had found himself at last capable of readmitting his secretaries and of taking up his work again4 ,the world in general had been informed of his nervous breakdown1 so that on the few occasions when he seemed to suffer small lapses of memory no great surprise was felt4 ,he found1 of course1 a state of affairs that astonished him enormously4 ,for example1 he discovered that as the ,cardinal's secretary he was an extremely important person in the country4 ,he had not yet ventured much on private interviews--these were for the present chiefly conducted by the ,cardinal1 with himself present2 but his correspondence showed him that his good word was worth having1 even by men who were foremost in the government of the day4 ,there was1 for instance1 an immense amount of work to be done on the subject of the relations of ,church and ,state2 for the ,church1 it must be remembered1 while not actually established1 stood for the whole religious sentiment of the country1 and must be consulted on every measure of importance4 ,there was1 further1 the matter of the restoration of ,church property not yet finally concluded in all its details1 with endless adjustments and compensations still under discussion4 ,this morning it was on the ,university question that he was chiefly engaged1 and particularly the question as to the relative numbers of the lay and clerical ,fellows on the old ,catholic foundations4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a bell struck a single note2 and one of his secretaries1 sitting at the broad table near the window1 lifted the receiver to his ear4 ,then he turned4 ,his ,eminence wishes to have a word with you1 ,monsignor1 on two matters4 ,monsignor stood up4 ,i'll come now1 if it's convenient1 he said4 ,i have to be at ,westminster at twelve4 ,the secretary spoke again through the telephone4 ,his ,eminence is ready1 he said4 ,the ,cardinal looked up as the priest came in a minute later4 ,ah6 good morning1 ,monsignor4 ,yes1 sit down there4 ,there are just two matters ,i want to have a word with you on4 ,the first is as regards a heresy-trial of a priest4 ,monsignor bowed4 ,it was his first experience of the kind1 so far as he could remember2 and he did not yet fully understand all that it meant4 ,i wish you to select the judges4 ,you'll look up the procedure1 if you forget8 ,a ,dominican must be on it1 of course2 so you must communicate with the ,provincial4 ,the other two must be seculars1 as the accused is a ,religious4 ,he has elected to be tried in ,england4 ,yes1 your ,eminence4 ,he has behaved very reasonably1 and refuses to take advantage of the ,ne invitus clause4 ,i forget at this moment1 began ,monsignor1 vaguely conscious that he had heard of this before4 ,oh6 that gives him the right to suppress the book before publication4 ,it's part of the new legislation4 ,he has sent the thesis of his book1 privately printed1 to ,rome1 and it has been condemned4 ,he refuses to withdraw1 as he is perfectly confident of his orthodoxy4 ,i understand that the book is not yet completely finished1 but he has his thesis clear enough4 ,it is on the subject of the miraculous element in religion4 ,i beg your ,eminence's pardon1 but is the author a ,benedictine by any chance8 ,the ,cardinal smiled4 ,yes3 ,i was coming to that4 ,his name is ,dom ,adrian ,bennett4 ,he is--or rather ought to be--a ,westminster monk1 but his return has been deferred for the present4 ,i met him at ,lourdes1 your ,eminence4 ,ah6 ,he is a very clever young man1 and at the name time perfectly courageous4 4 4 4 ,well1 you'll look up the procedure1 if you're not perfectly clear8 ,and ,i should wish to have the names of the judges by tomorrow night4 ,the ,canon ,theologian of the diocese may not be well enough to act4 ,but you will make arrangements4 ,yes1 your ,eminence4 ,the second matter is exceedingly important4 7,the ,cardinal began to play with the pen that lay on his desk47 ,and no rumour of it must get out from this house4 ,it may be made public at any moment1 and ,i wish you to know beforehand in order that you may not be taken by surprise4 ,well1 it is this4 ,i have had information that the ,emperor of ,germany will be received into the ,catholic ,church to-night4 ,i needn't tell you what that means4 ,he is quite fearless and quite conscientious2 and there is not the slightest doubt that he will1 sooner or later1 make it impossible for the ,socialists to congregate any longer in ,berlin4 ,that will mean either civil war in ,germany--7,i hear the ,socialists have been in readiness for this for some time past7--or it will mean their dispersal everywhere4 ,europe1 at any rate1 will have to deal with them4 ,however1 that's in the future4 ,the important thing at the present is that we should be able to show our full strength when the time comes4 ,there will be thanksgivings throughout ,england1 of course1 as soon as the news is published1 and ,i wish you to be in readiness to make what arrangements are necessary4 ,it was the ,lourdes miracle1 which you witnessed1 that has finished the affair4 ,as you know1 the ,emperor has been on the edge of this for months past4 ,the ,cardinal spoke quietly and diplomatically enough2 but the other could see how deeply moved he was by this tremendous development4 ,the ,emperor's position had been the one flaw in the ,catholic organization of ,europe--and indeed of the world4 ,now the last stone was laid1 and the arch was complete4 ,the single drawback was that no statesman or prophet could conjecture with certainty what the effect on the ,socialists would be4 ,and how are you1 ,monsignor8 asked the ,cardinal suddenly1 smiling at him4 ,i am getting on very well1 your ,eminence6 ,i should like to say that1 for myself1 ,i am more than satisfied1 went on the other4 ,you seem to me to have regained all your old grip on things--and in some points to have more than regained it4 ,i have written to ,rome---- 7he broke off74 ,it's the details that still trouble me1 your ,eminence4 ,for instance1 in this heresy-trial1 ,i cannot remember the procedure1 or the penalties1 or anything else4 ,that'll all come back1 smiled the ,cardinal4 ,after all1 the principles are the point4 ,well1 ,i mustn't detain you4 ,you're to be at ,westminster at twelve4 ,yes1 your ,eminence4 ,we've nearly finished now4 ,the monks are very well satisfied4 ,but the main body of them do not come to ,westminster until they formally re-enter4 ,cardinal ,campello has written to say that he will be with us on the #bjth for certain4 ,that is very good4 4 4 4 ,then good morning1 ,monsignor4 7,,ii7 ,it was nearly midnight before ,monsignor ,masterman pushed away the book that lay before him and leaned back in his chair4 ,he felt sick and dazed at what he had read4 ,first1 he had studied with extreme care the constitution of the ,heresy-,court1 and had sent off a couple of hours ago the formal letters to the ,dominican ,provincial and two other priests whom he had selected4 ,then he had studied the procedure of the court1 and the penalties assigned4 ,at first he could not believe what he read4 ,he had turned more than once to the title-page of the great quarto1 thinking that he must find it to be a reprint of some medieval work4 ,but the title was unmistakable4 ,the book was printed in ,rome in the spring of the present year1 and contained an ,english supplement1 dealing with the actual relations of the ,church laws with those of the country4 ,there were minor penalties for minor offences2 there was at every turn an escape for the accused4 ,he might1 even in the last event1 escape all penalties by a formal renouncement of ,christianity2 but if not1 if he persisted simultaneously in claiming a place in the ,church of ,christ and in holding to a theological opinion declared erroneous by the ,court of ,appeal ratified by the ,pope1 he was to be handed over to the secular arm2 and by the laws of ,england--as well as of every other ,european country except ,germany--the penalty inflicted by the secular arm was1 in the instance of a tonsured clerk1 death4 ,it was this that staggered the priest4 ,somewhere within him there rose up a protest so overwhelmingly strong as to evade even an attempt at deliberate analysis--a protest that rested on the axiom that spiritual crimes deserved only spiritual punishment4 ,this he could understand4 ,he perceived clearly enough that no society can preserve its identity without limitations2 that no association can cohere without definite rules that must be obeyed4 ,he was sufficiently educated then to understand that a man who chooses to disregard the demands of a spiritual society1 however arbitrary these demands may seem to be1 can no longer claim the privileges of the body to which he has hitherto adhered4 ,but that death--brutal physical death--could by any civilized society--still less any modern ,christian society--be even an alternative penalty for heresy1 shocked him beyond description4 ,a ray of hope had shone on him when he first read the facts4 ,it might be1 perhaps1 that this was merely a formal sentence1 as were the old penalties for high treason abandoned long before they were repealed4 ,he turned to the index2 and after a search leaned back again in despair4 ,he had seen half a dozen cases quoted1 within the last ten years1 in ,england alone1 in which the penalty had been inflicted4 ,it was half an hour before he stood up1 with one determination at least formed in his mind--that he would consult no one4 ,he had learnt in the last few weeks sufficient distrust of himself to refrain from formulating conclusions too soon1 and he learnt enough of the world in which he found himself to understand that positions accepted as self-evident by society in general1 which yet seemed impossible to himself1 after all occasionally turned out to be at least not ridiculous4 ,but to think that it was the young monk with whom he had talked at ,lourdes who was to be the centre of the process he himself had to prepare6 4 4 4 ,he understood now some of the hints that ,dom ,adrian ,bennett had let fall4 7,,iii7 ,a card was brought up to him a couple of evenings later as he sat at his desk2 and as he turned it over ,father ,jervis himself hurried in4 ,may ,i speak to you alone an instant8 he said2 and glanced at the secretaries1 who rose and went out without a word4 ,you look unwell1 said the old priest keenly1 as he sat down4 ,monsignor waved a deprecatory hand4 ,well--,i'm glad ,i caught you in time1 went on the other4 ,i saw the man come in2 and wondered whether you knew about him4 ,mr4 ,hardy8 ,yes--,james ,hardy4 ,well--,i just know he's not a ,catholic2 and something of a politician4 ,well1 he's quite the shrewdest man the secularists have got4 ,he's a complete materialist4 ,and ,i've not the slightest doubt he's heard of your illness and has come to see whether he can fish anything out of you4 ,he's exceedingly plausible2 and very dangerous4 ,i don't know what he's come about1 but you may be certain it's something important4 ,it may be to do with the ,religious ,houses2 or the ,bill for the re-establishment of the ,church4 ,but you may depend upon it1 it's something vital4 ,i thought ,i'd better remind you who he is4 ,the priest stood up4 ,thank you very much1 father4 ,is there anything else8 ,have you any news for me8 ,father ,jervis smiled4 ,no1 ,monsignor4 ,you know more than ,i do1 now4 4 4 4 ,well1 ,i'll tell ,mr4 ,hardy you'll see him4 ,number one parlour8 ,that'll do very well4 ,thanks4 ,it was growing towards dusk as ,monsignor ,masterman passed down the corridor a few minutes later2 and he paused a moment to glance out upon the ,london street through the tall window at the end4 ,not that there was anything particular to be seen there2 indeed the street1 at the moment he looked1 was entirely empty4 ,but he looked up for an instant at the great electric news-sheet where the headlines were displayed1 above the corner shop on the way to ,victoria ,street where the papers were sold4 ,but there was no news4 ,there was the usual announcement of the weather conditions1 a reference to one or two land-cases1 and a political statement4 ,then he went on4 ,the parlour with the glass doors was lighted1 and a man in a black lawyer's dress stood up to greet him as he came in4 ,he was rosy-faced and genial1 clean shaven1 above the middle-height1 and his manner was very deferential and attractive4 ,the first minute or two was taken up by ,mr4 ,hardy's congratulations on the other's appearance1 and on his complete recovery4 ,there was not a trace of anxiety or nervousness in his manner2 and the priest almost insensibly found himself beginning to discount his friend's warning4 ,then1 quite suddenly1 the other turned to business4 ,well1 ,i suppose ,i must come to the point4 ,what ,i want to ask is this1 ,monsignor4 ,can you tell me in confidence 7,i assure you ,i will be discreet7 whether the ecclesiastical authorities here realize the rush of ,socialists that is bound to come1 so soon as the ,emperor's conversion is publicly announced4 ,i---- began the priest4 ,one moment1 please1 ,monsignor4 ,i do not in the least want to force any confidences4 ,but you know we infidels--7he smiled charmingly and modestly7--we infidels regard you as our best friends4 ,the ,state seems to know nothing of mercy4 ,but the ,church is always reasonable4 ,and we poor ,socialists must live somewhere4 ,so ,i wished---- ,but my dear sir1 began ,monsignor4 ,i think you're assuming too much4 ,has the ,emperor shown any signs---8 ,across the other's face he suddenly saw pass a look of complete vacancy1 as if he were no longer attending2 and1 simultaneously1 he heard a sudden sound which he could not at first identify1 through the open windows looking on to ,ambrosden ,avenue4 ,what is that8 exclaimed the lawyer sharply2 and stood up4 ,again from the street there rose the roar of voices1 cheering1 followed by a sharp punctuating cry4 ,come this way1 said the priest4 ,we can see from the corridor4 ,when they reached the window the whole aspect of the street had changed4 ,half-way from where they stood1 to the end where the sheet placard was erected1 was a gathering1 surging mob1 increasing as they looked4 ,from the left1 from behind the west end of the cathedral clock a continual stream poured in1 met by two others1 the one1 down the avenue1 of figures that ran and gesticulated1 the other from the direction of ,victoria ,street4 ,and from the whole arose gusts of cheering1 marking the pauses in the speech of some tiny figure which1 mounted beside the news-sheet1 appeared to be delivering a speech4 ,monsignor glanced at the news-sheet1 and there1 in gigantic letters1 over the space where the weather had been discussed just now1 was the announcement made public at the very instant when the leader of the ,english ,socialists was attempting to discover the truth of the rumour that had reached him3-- ,,the ,,emperor ,,of ,,germany ,,was ,,received ,,into ,,the ,,catholic ,,church ,,on ,,thursday ,,evening4 ,and beneath it3 ,,proclamation ,,to ,,the ,,socialists ,,expected ,,to-,,night4 ,monsignor read it1 unconscious of all else except the astounding fact4 ,then he turned to speak1 but found himself alone4 7,,iv7 ,london went soberly mad with enthusiasm that night1 and ,monsignor ,masterman1 standing on the cathedral roofs with half a dozen priests1 watched what could be seen of the excitement for half an hour1 before going downstairs for the ,te ,deum in the great church4 ,the cathedral was1 indeed1 largely1 the centre round which the-enthusiasm concentrated itself4 ,two other whirlpools eddied in ,parliament ,square1 and round ,st4 ,paul's1 where the ,archbishop of ,london preached a sermon from the steps4 ,even these facts1 although in a sense he knew they must be so1 drove home into the priest's mind the realization of how the ,church was1 once again1 as five hundred years ago1 the centre and not merely a department of the national life4 ,in every direction1 as he leaned over ,ambrosden ,avenue1 as he looked down ,francis ,street to right and left1 everywhere nothing of the streets was visible under the steadily moving pavement of heads4 ,every space between the tall houses resembled the flow of an intricate stream1 with its currents1 its eddies1 its back-waters1 beneath the clear radiance of the artificial light4 ,here and there actors were seen gesticulating in dumb show1 for all sounds were drowned in the steady subdued roar of voices4 ,there was no delirium1 no horse-play2 the citizens were too well disciplined4 ,occasionally from this point or that a storm of cheering broke out as some great man was recognized4 ,about half-past nine mounted policemen began to make their appearance from ,victoria ,street1 and an open way was gradually formed leading to a cleared space in front of the ,cathedral4 ,ten minutes later cars began to follow1 as the great folks began to arrive for the ,te ,deum1 and almost simultaneously the bells broke out1 led by the solemn crash of the great ,st4 ,edward from the campanile4 7,v7 ,they read in the morning the full text of the proclamation to the ,socialists4 ,as ,monsignor ,masterman carne up from breakfast1 he felt his arm taken1 and there was ,father ,jervis1 his clever old face lit up by excitement4 ,he too carried a morning paper under his arm4 ,i want to have a talk with you about this1 he said1 ,have you seen the ,cardinal yet8 ,i'm to see him at ten4 ,i feel perfectly helpless4 ,i don't understand in the least4 ,have you read it through yet8 ,no1 ,i glanced at it only4 ,i wish you'd help me through1 father4 ,the old priest nodded4 ,well1 we'll read every word of it first1 ,as they passed into the sitting-room1 the prelate slipped forward the little door-plate that announced that he was within1 but engaged4 ,then1 without a word1 they sat down1 and there was dead silence for twenty minutes1 broken only by the rustle of turning pages1 and an occasional murmur of raised voices from the groups that still wandered round the ,cathedral--pools of that vast river that had filled every channel last night4 ,father ,jervis uttered a small exclamation once or twice4 ,monsignor laid down the sheets at last and sighed4 ,finished1 father8 ,oh1 yes6 ,i've been re-reading4 ,now let us talk4 ,father ,jervis turned back to the front page1 settled the paper on his knee1 and leaned back4 ,the main point is this1 he said4 ,repressive measures will be passed in ,germany1 as soon as the act can be got through4 ,that will mean that ,germany will be brought up into line with the rest of ,europe1 ,america1 ,australia1 and half ,asia1 throughout her whole empire4 ,that will mean again that our own repressive measures will really and truly be put into force4 ,at present they are largely inoperative4 ,how do you mean8 ,well1 we've got laws against things like blasphemy and heresy1 and particularly the dissemination of heresy1 and all the rest2 but they're practically never put into force except in very flagrant cases4 ,for instance1 ,socialist and infidel speeches can be delivered freely in what are called private houses1 which are really clubs4 ,well1 that sort of thing cannot possibly go on4 ,the infidels have complained of tyranny1 of course--that's part of the game4 ,as a matter of fact they've been perfectly free1 unless they gave actually public offence4 ,they've distributed their pamphlets and done what they liked4 ,well1 of course it was impossible to be really strict so long as ,germany was lax4 ,they could always meet in ,berlin1 and have their pamphlets printed there2 and we could do nothing4 ,but1 you see1 the whole situation's changed with the ,emperor's conversion4 ,he's one of those heavy1 consistent men--quite stupid1 of course--who act their principles right out to the farthest detail4 ,so long as he was agnostic he allowed almost anything to go on4 ,and now he's a ,christian he'll understand that that must stop4 ,he's responsible before ,god1 you see1 as the ruler---- ,but the people4 ,what of the people8 ,father ,jervis stared4 ,the people8 ,why1 they're the ruled1 aren't they8 ,but--er--democracy---- ,democracy8 ,why1 no one believes in that1 of course4 ,how could they8 ,go on1 father4 ,but1 ,monsignor1 you must get that clear4 ,you must remember we're really educated people1 not half-educated4 ,monsignor twitched with irritation4 ,he could not understand even yet4 ,father1 do you mean that the people won't resent this sudden change of front on the part of the ,emperor8 ,certainly1 if they're really liberally-minded they'll tolerate his following his own conscience4 ,but how can they justify his suddenly dictating to them8 ,the priest leaned forward a little4 ,his old manner came back1 and once more he spoke to ,monsignor as to a child4 ,monsignor1 listen carefully1 please4 ,i assure you you're completely out of date4 ,what the ,german people will say now is this3 ',up to now the ,emperor has been agnostic1 and therefore he has not allowed any laws against heresy4 ,now he is a ,catholic1 and therefore he will cause laws to be passed against heresy4' ,and they won't resent that8 snapped the prelate1 now thoroughly irritated4 ,father ,jervis lifted a pacific hand4 ,my dear friend1 the ,germans--like all other educated nations--believe that their ruler is meant by ,god to rule them4 ,and they also believe that ,catholicism is the true religion4 ,very well1 then4 ,when a ruler is ,catholic they obey him implicitly1 because they know that he will be kept straight in all matters of right and wrong by the ,pope1 who is the ,representative of ,god4 ,in non-vital matters they will obey him because he is their ruler1 and therefore they are bound in conscience to do so4 ,and when the ruler is not ,catholic8 ,again1 in non-vital matters they will obey him4 ,and in vital matters--supposing1 that is1 he passed a law against ,christianity 7which1 of course1 nowadays no man could certainly do7--then they would appeal to the ,pope1 and1 if the law was enforced1 disobey it and take the penalties4 ,then the ,pope is the real ruler--the final court of appeal8 ,certainly4 ,who else should be8 ,isn't he the ,vicar of ,christ8 ,there was a pause4 ,there1 said the priest more easily4 ,and now we really must get back to the point4 ,i said just now that the conversion of the ,emperor will mean a tightening up of repressive measures against the infidels everywhere4 ,they won't be allowed to congregate1 or disseminate their views any longer4 ,yes8 ,well1 the point is1 what will happen8 ,there must be an explosion or a safety-valve4 ,and even if there is an explosion there must be a safety-valve afterwards1 or there will be another explosion4 ,what you told me about ,america---- ,that was on the tip of my tongue1 said ,father ,jervis4 ,and ,i expect that'll be the solution4 ,let's see1 said ,monsignor reflectively1 you told me there were certain cities in ,america where infidels were tacitly allowed to have things their own way--,i think you mentioned ,boston8 ,i did4 ,and you think that that will be officially authorized now--,i mean that there will be definite colonies where the infidels will be allowed complete liberty8 ,under restrictions--yes4 ,what sort of restrictions8 ,well1 they won't be allowed to have an army or an aery---- ,eh8 ,an aery1 repeated ,father ,jervis--an air-fleet1 ,i mean4 ,that wouldn't do3 they might make war4 ,i see4 ,i don't see what better safety-valve could be suggested4 ,they could work out their own ideas there as much as they liked4 ,of course1 details would come later4 ,and the rest of the ,proclamation8 asked the other1 lifting the sheet4 ,i think we've got at the essentials1 said the priest1 glancing again at his own copy1 and at the immediate results4 ,of course1 all his other measures don't come into force till the ,houses pass them4 ,in fact1 nothing of the ,proclamation has force until that happens4 ,i expect the ,bill for the ,establishment of ,catholicism will take some time4 ,we shall get ours through before that4 ,they'll pass a few small measures immediately1 no doubt--as to the ,court chaplains and so on4 ,there was a pause4 ,i really think we've got at the principles1 said the priest again1 meditatively4 ,are they clear to you8 ,monsignor rose4 ,i think so1 he said4 ,i'm very much obliged1 ,father4 ,i'm sorry ,i was stupid just now2 but you know it's extraordinarily bewildering to me4 ,i still don't seem to be able to grasp all you said about ,democracy4 ,the old priest smiled reassuringly4 ,well1 you see1 the universal franchise reduced ,democracy ad absurdum fifty years ago4 ,even the uneducated saw that4 ,and then there came the reaction to the old king-idea again4 ,monsignor shook his head4 ,i don't see how the people ever consented to give up the power when once they'd got it4 ,why1 in the same way that kings used to lose it in the old days--by revolution4 ,revolution8 ,who revolted8 ,the many who were tyrannised over by the few4 ,for that's what democracy really means4 ,monsignor smiled at what he conceived to be a paradox4 ,well1 ,i must go to the ,cardinal1 he said4 ,it's just on ten o'clock4 ,,chapter ,,ii 7,i7 ,it was three weeks later that the ,benedictines took formal possession of ,westminster ,abbey1 and simultaneously that ,pontifical ,high ,mass was sung in the ,university churches of ,oxford1 ,cambridge1 and ,durham1 to mark the inauguration of their new life4 ,monsignor ,masterman was appointed to attend upon the ,cardinals in the ,abbey2 and as he awoke that morning1 it seemed to him once more as if he were living in a dream of strange and intoxicating unreality4 ,everywhere in the house1 as he passed along the corridors1 as he gave and received last instructions before starting1 there seemed the same tension of expectancy4 ,finally1 as he went up to the ,cardinals' rooms to announce the start1 he found the two prelates1 both in their scarlet1 sitting in silence1 looking out over the crowded silent streets4 ,he bowed at the door without speaking1 and then1 turning1 led the way4 ,as they came down to the door where the horsed ,state carriages were waiting1 for a moment the wall and the avenue of faces1 in front and to right and left1 struck him almost with a sense of hostility4 ,a murmur that was almost a roar greeted the gleam of scarlet as the ,cardinals came out2 then silence again1 and a surge of down-bent heads as the two raised their hands in blessing4 ,monsignor himself sat facing the ,cardinals in the glass coach1 as at a foot-pace the six white horses1 with grooms and postillions1 drew them slowly past the long length of the ,cathedral1 round to the right1 and into ,victoria ,street4 ,there he drew a long breath1 for he had never seen or dreamed of such a sight as that which met him4 ,from end to end of the side street1 and in the direction of ,old ,victoria ,station1 across the roadway as well1 from every window and from every roof1 looked a silent sea of faces1 that broke into sound and rippling motion as the last carriage came in sight4 ,he had not realized till this moment the tremendous appeal to the imagination which this formal restoration of the old ,abbey to the sons of its original founders and occupants made to the popular mind4 ,here again there had been working in his mind an undefined sense that the ,church had her interests1 and the nation hers4 ,he had not understood that the two were identified once more2 and identified1 too1 to a degree which had perhaps never before been reached4 ,even in medieval days there had been crises and even periods during which the secular power stood on one side and the sacred on another2 as when ,henry had faced ,st4 ,thomas1 with the nation torn in factions behind the two champions4 ,but the lesson1 it seemed1 had been learned at last2 ,caesar had learned that ,god was his ultimate sanction3 and ,church and nation1 now perhaps for the first time1 stood together as soul and body united in one personality4 ,if ,victoria ,street suggested such a thought as this1 ,parliament ,square drove it home4 ,as the coach drew up at the west door of the ,abbey1 and ,monsignor stepped out with his robes about him1 he heard1 like a ground-bass to the ecstatic pealing of the bells overhead1 the great roar of welcome roll out over the wide space1 reverberate back from ,westminster ,hall and the ,government ,buildings opposite1 and die down into heart-shaking silence again1 as the vermilion flash was seen at the ,abbey doors4 ,the great space was filled in every foot with a crowd that was of one heart and soul in its welcome of this formal act of restitution4 ,within1 the monks waited1 headed by their abbot1 in a wide circle of some hundred persons1 in the extreme end of the nave about the door4 ,the proper formalities were carried out2 and the seculars1 led by the ,cardinals1 passed up the enormous church1 between the tapestries that hung from every pillar1 to the music of the ,ecce ,sacerdos magnus4 ,the old monuments were gone1 of course--removed to ,st4 ,paul's--and for the first time for nearly three hundred years it was possible to see the monastic character of the church as its builders had designed it4 ,over the screen hung now again the ,great ,rood with ,mary and ,john2 and the altars of the ,holy ,cross and ,st4 ,benedict stood on either side of the choir-gates4 ,and so they waited1 the ,cardinals in their thrones beside the high-altar1 and the man who had lost his memory beside them2 while the organ pealed out continuously overhead and endless footsteps went to and fro over the carpeted ways and the open stone spaces of the transepts4 ,once more upon this man1 so bewildered by this new world in which he found himself1 descended a flood of memories and half-perceived images4 ,he looked up to the far-off vaulted roof and the lantern beneath the central tower2 he looked down the long row of untenanted stalls2 across the transepts1 clean and white again now as at the beginning1 filled from end to end across the floor with the white of surplices and the dusky colours of half the religious habits of the world2 he caught here and there the gleam of candle-flames and gold and carving from the new altars1 set back again1 so far as might be1 in their old stations2 and again it seemed to him that he had lived in some world of the imagination1 as if he saw things which kings and prophets had desired to see and had not seen unless in visions of faith and hope that never found fulfilment4 ,he whispered softly to himself sometimes2 old forgotten names and scenes and fragments came back4 ,it seemed to him as if in some other life he had once stood here--surely there in that transept--a stranger and an outcast--watching a liturgy which was strange to him1 listening to music1 lovely indeed to the ear1 yet wholly foreign in this home of monks and prayer4 ,surely great statues had stood before them--statesmen in perukes who silently declaimed secular rhetoric in the house of ,god1 swooning women1 impossible pagan personifications of grief1 medallions1 heathen wreaths1 and broken columns4 ,yet here as he looked there was nothing but the decent furniture of a monastic church--tall stalls1 altars1 images of the great ones of heaven1 wide eloquent spaces that gave room to the soul to breathe4 4 4 4 ,he had dreamed the other perhaps2 he had read histories2 he had seen pictures4 4 4 4 ,the organ broke off in full blast2 and under the high roofs came pealing the cry of a trumpet4 ,he awoke with a start2 the ,cardinals were already on their feet at a gesture from a master of ceremonies4 ,then he stepped into his place and went down with them to the choir-gates to meet the ,king4 4 4 4 7,,ii7 ,it was in the ,jerusalem chamber when the ,king was gone1 a couple of hours later1 that the new abbot of ,westminster came up to him4 ,he was a small1 rosy man with very clear1 beautiful eyes4 ,can you speak to me for five minutes1 ,monsignor8 he said4 ,the other glanced across at the ,cardinals4 ,certainly1 father abbot4 ,the two went out1 down a little passage1 and into a parlour4 ,they sat down4 ,it's about ,dom ,adrian1 said the abbot abruptly4 ,monsignor checked the sudden shock that ran through him4 ,he knew he must show no emotion4 ,it's terribly on my conscience1 went on the other1 with distress visibly growing as he spoke4 ,i feel ,i ought to have seen which way he was going4 ,he was one of my novices1 you know1 before we were transferred4 4 4 4 ,he would have been here to-day if all had been well4 ,he was to have been one of my monks4 ,i suggested his name4 ,monsignor ,masterman began to deprecate the self-accusation of the other4 ,yes1 yes1 said the abbot sharply4 ,but the point is whether anything can be done4 ,the trial begins on ,monday1 you see4 ,will he submit8 ,the abbot shook his head4 ,i don't think so4 ,he's extraordinarily determined4 ,but ,i wanted to know if you could give me any hope on the other side4 ,could you do anything for him with the ,cardinal1 or at ,rome8 ,i 4 4 4 ,i will speak to the ,cardinal1 certainly1 if you wish4 ,but---- ,yes1 ,i know4 ,but you know a great deal depends on the temper of the court4 ,facts depend for their interpretation upon the point of view4 ,but ,i understand that it's definite heresy--that he denies that there is any distinction between the miracles of the ,church and---- ,the abbot interrupted4 ,yes1 yes1 ,monsignor4 ,but for all that there's a great deal in the way these things are approached4 ,you see there's so much neutral ground on which the ,church has defined nothing4 ,i am afraid1 from what ,i've seen of the papers1 that ,dom ,adrian will insist on a clear issue4 ,i'm afraid so3 ,i'm afraid so4 ,we'll do our best here to persuade him to be reasonable4 ,and ,i thought that if you would perhaps do your best on the other side--would tell the ,cardinal1 as from yourself1 what you think of ,dom ,adrian4 ,monsignor nodded4 ,if we could but postpone the trial for a while1 went on the abbot almost distractedly4 ,that poor boy6 ,his face has been with me all to-day4 ,for an instant ,monsignor almost gave way4 ,he felt himself on the point of breaking out into a burst of protest against the whole affair--of denouncing the horror and loathing that during these last days had steadily grown within him--a horror that so far he had succeeded in keeping to himself4 ,then once more he crushed it down1 and stood up for fear his resolution should give way4 ,i will do what ,i can1 my lord1 he said coldly4 7,,iii7 ,a great restlessness seized upon the man who had lost his memory that night4 ,he had thought after his return from abroad that things were well with him again--that he had learned the principles of this world that was so strange to him2 and his busy days--all that had to be done and recovered1 and his success in doing it--these things at once distracted and soothed him4 ,and now once more he was back in his bewilderment4 ,one great principle it was which confused his whole outlook--the employment of force upon the side of ,christianity4 ,here1 on the large scale1 was the forcible repression of the ,socialists2 on a small scale1 the punishment of a heretic4 ,what kind of religion was this that preached gentleness and practised violence8 4 4 4 ,between eleven and twelve o'clock he could bear it no longer4 ,the house was quiet1 and the lights for the most part gone out4 ,he took his hat and thin cloak1 throwing this round him so as to hide the purple at his throat1 went softly down the corridors and stairs1 and let himself out noiselessly into ,ambrosden ,avenue4 ,he felt he must have air and space3 he was beginning almost to hate this silent1 well-ordered ecclesiastical house1 where wheels ran so smoothly1 so inexorably1 and so effectively4 ,he came out presently into ,victoria ,street and turned westwards4 ,he did not notice much as he went4 ,only his most superficial faculties paid attention to the great quiet lighted thoroughfare1 to the few figures that moved along1 to the scattered sentinels of the ,city of ,westminster police in their blue and silver1 who here and there stood at the corners of the cross-streets1 who saluted him as he went by2 to the little lighted shrines that here and there hung at the angles4 ,certainly it was a ,catholic city1 he perceived in his bitterness1 drilled and disciplined by its religion2 there was no noise1 no glare1 no apparent evil4 ,and the marvel was that the people seemed to love to have it so6 ,he remembered questioning a friend or two soon after his return to ,england as to the revival of these ,curfew laws1 and the xtraordinary vigilance over morals2 and the answer he had received to the effect that those things were taken now as a matter of course4 ,one priest had told him that civilization in the modern sense would be inconceivable without them4 ,how else could the few rule the many8 4 4 4 ,he came down1 across ,parliament ,square1 to the river at last1 walking swiftly and purposelessly4 ,a high gateway1 with a guard-room on either side1 spanned the entrance to the wide bridge that sprang across to ,southwark1 and an officer stepped out as he approached1 saluted1 and waited4 ,he drove down his impatience with an effort1 remembering the espionage 7as he called it7 practised after nightfall4 ,i want to breathe and look at the river1 he said sharply4 ,the officer paused an instant4 ,very good1 father1 he said4 ,ah1 this was better6 4 4 4 ,the bridge1 empty from end to end1 so far as he could see1 ran straight over to the south side1 where1 once again1 there rose up the guard-house4 ,he turned sharply when he saw it1 and leaned on the parapet looking eastwards4 ,the eternal river flowed beneath him1 clean and steady and strong1 between the high embankments4 7,he knew by now all about the lock-system that counteracted the ebb and flow of the tides47 ,scarcely a hundred yards away curved out another bridge1 and behind that another and another1 down into the distance1 all outlined in half-lights that shone like stars and flashed back like heaven itself from the smooth-running water beneath4 ,an extraordinary silence lay over all--the silence of a sleeping city--though it was scarcely yet midnight1 and though the city itself on either side of the river lay white and glowing in the lights that burned everywhere till dawn4 ,at first it quieted him--this vision of earthly peace1 this perfection to which order and civilization had come2 and then1 as he regarded it1 it enraged him4 4 4 4 ,for was not this very vision an embodiment of the force that he hated8 ,it was this very thing that oppressed and confined his spirit--this inexorable application of eternal principles to temporal affairs4 ,here was a city of living men1 each an individual personality1 of individual tastes1 thoughts1 and passions1 each a world to himself and monarch of that world4 ,yet by some abominable trick1 it seemed1 these individuals were not merely in external matters forced to conform to the ,society which they helped to compose1 but interiorly too2 they actually had been tyrannized over in their consciences and judgments1 and loved their chains4 ,if he had known that the fires of revolt lay there sleeping beneath this smooth exterior he would have hated it far less2 but he had seen with his own eyes that it was not so4 ,the crowds that had swarmed a while ago round the ,cathedral1 pouring in and filling it for the ,te ,deum of thanksgiving that one more country had been brought under the yoke2 the sea of faces that had softly applauded and bowed beneath the blessing of those two ,cardinals in scarlet2 the enthusiasm1 the more amazing in its silent orderliness1 which had greeted the restoration of the old national ,abbey to its ,benedictine founders--even the very interviews he had had with quiet1 deferential men1 who1 he understood1 stood at the very head of the secular powers2 the memory of the young ,king kissing the ring of the abbot at the steps into the choir--all these things proved plainly enough that by some supernatural alchemy the very minds of men had been transformed1 that they were no longer free to rebel and resent and assert inalienable rights--in short1 that a revolution had passed over the world such as history had never before known1 that men no longer lived free and independent lives of their own1 but had been persuaded to contribute all that made them men to the ,society which they composed4 ,he perceived now clearly that it was this forced contribution that he hated---this merging of the individual in the body1 and the body one of principles that were at once precise and immutable4 ,it was the extinction of ,self4 ,then1 almost without perceiving the connection1 he turned in his mind to ,christianity as he conceived it to be--to his ideal figure of ,christ2 and in an instant he saw the contrast1 and why it was that the moral instinct within him loathed and resented this modern ,christian ,state4 ,for it was a gentle ,figure that stood to him for ,christ--,god8 yes1 in some profound and mysterious way1 but1 for all earthly purposes of love and imitation1 a meek and persuasive ,man whose kingdom was not of this world1 who repudiated violence and inculcated love2 ,one who went through the world with simple tasks and soft words1 who suffered without striking1 who obeyed with no desire to rule4 ,and what had this tranquil1 tolerant ,figure in common with the strong discipline of this ,church that bore ,his name--a ,church that had waited so long1 preaching ,his precepts1 until she grew mighty and could afford to let them drop3 this ,church which1 after centuries of blood and tears1 at last had laid her hands upon the sceptre1 and ruled the world with whom she had pleaded in vain so long2 this ,church who1 after two thousand years of pain1 had at last put her enemies under her feet--repressed the infidel and killed the heretic8 ,and so the interior conflict went on within this man1 who found within him a ,christianity with which the ,christian world in which he lived had no share or part4 ,he still stared out in the soft autumn night at the huge quiet city1 his chin on his hands and his elbows on the parapet1 half perceiving the parable at which he looked4 ,once it was this river beneath him that had made the city2 now the city set the river within bars and ordered its goings4 ,once it was ,christianity--the meek and gentle spirit of ,christ--that had made civilization2 now civilization had fettered ,christianity in unbreakable chains4 4 4 4 ,yet even as he resented and rebelled1 he felt he dared not speak4 ,there were great forces about him1 forces he had experienced for himself--,science tamed at last1 self-control1 organization1 and a ,peace which he could not understand4 ,every man with whom he had to do seemed kind and tender2 there was the patient old priest who taught him and bore with him as with a child1 the fatherly cardinal1 the quiet1 serene ecclesiastics of the house in which he lived1 the controlled crowds1 the deferential great men with whom he talked4 ,but it was their very strength1 he saw1 that made them tender2 the appalling power of the machine1 which even now he felt that he but half understood1 was the very thing that made it run so smoothly4 ,it had the horror of a perfectly controlled steel piston that moves as delicately as a feather fan4 ,for he saw how inexorable was that strength which controlled the world2 how ruthless1 in spite of smooth and compassionate words1 towards those who resisted it4 ,the ,socialists were to be repressed2 the heretic was to be tried for his life2 and in all that wide world in which he lived it seemed that there was not one ,christian who recoiled1 not one breath of public opinion that could express itself4 ,and he--he who hated it--must take his part4 ,a ,fate utterly beyond his understanding had set him there as a wheel in that mighty machine2 and he must revolve in his place motionlessly and unresistingly in whatever task was set before him4 4 4 4 ,once only1 as he stared out at the great prosperous view1 did his heart sicken and fail him4 ,he dropped his face upon his hands1 and cried to the only ,christ whom he knew in silence4 4 4 4 ,,chapter ,,iii 7,i7 ,it was not until the afternoon of the third day1 as the trial of ,dom ,adrian ,bennett drew to its close1 that the man who had lost his memory could no longer resist the horrible fascination of the affair1 and presented himself at the door of the court-room4 ,he had learned that morning that the end of the trial was in sight4 ,it was outside a block of buildings somewhere to the north of ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral that the car set him down4 ,he learned at the porter's lodge the number of the court1 and then passed in1 following his directions1 through a quadrangle that was all alight with scarlet creepers1 where three or four ecclesiastics saluted him1 up a staircase or two1 and found himself at last at a tall door bearing the number he wanted4 ,as he hesitated to knock1 the door opened1 and a janitor came out4 ,can ,i go in8 asked the priest4 ,i am from ,archbishop's ,house4 ,i can take you into the gallery at the back1 ,monsignor1 said the man4 ,the body of the court is full4 ,that will do4 ,they went round a corner together and came to a door up three or four stairs4 ,the janitor unlocked this and threw it back4 ,farther steps rose within the doorway1 and ,monsignor as he set foot on the first had a vivid impression that the court he was approaching was crowded with people4 ,there was no sound at first1 but an atmosphere of intense and expectant force4 ,it was a little curtained gallery in which the priest found himself1 not unlike a box at a theatre1 looking out upon the court from the corner immediately adjacent to the wall against which the raised seats of the judges were placed4 ,he looked round the court1 himself sitting a little back in a kind of shame1 first identifying the actors in this dreadful drama4 ,he was glad that the gallery had no other occupant than himself4 ,first there were the judges--three men sitting beneath a canopied roof1 beneath which1 over their heads1 hung a large black and white crucifix4 ,he knew them1 all three4 ,there was the ,dominican in the centre--one of that ,order which has had charge of heresy-courts since the beginning--a large-faced1 kindly featured1 rosy man1 with a crown of white hair1 leaning back now with closed eyes1 listening1 and obviously alert2 on his right1 farther from the spectator1 sat the ,canon-,theologian of ,westminster1 a small1 brown-faced man with black eyes1 looking considerably younger than his years2 and on this side the third judge1 pale and bald and colourless--a priest who held the degree of ,doctor in ,physical ,science as well as in ,theology--he at this instant was drumming gently with a large white hand on the edge of his desk4 ,beneath the judges' dais was the well of the court1 very much1 somehow1 as ,monsignor had expected 7for this was his first experience in a ,church court71 with the clerks' table immediately beneath the desks1 and half a dozen ecclesiastics ranged at it4 ,some strange-looking instruments stood within reach of the presiding clerk1 but he recognized these as the mechanical recorders1 of which he had had some experience himself4 ,they were of the nature of phonographs1 and by an exceedingly ingenious and yet very simple system could be made to repeat aloud any part of the speeches or answers that had been uttered in the course of the trial4 ,at either end of the clerks' table rose up a structure like a witness-box1 slightly below the level of the judges' desks4 ,opposite the desks was the lightly railed dock for the prisoner4 ,the rest of the court was seated for the public1 and as the spectator saw1 was completely filled1 chiefly with ecclesiastics4 ,even the gangways were thronged with standing figures4 ,and over all hung that air of intense expectancy and attention4 ,he glanced once more round the court1 once more at the judges4 ,then he allowed himself to look full at the prisoner1 whom he had not seen since his departure from ,lourdes4 ,dom ,adrian was just as he remembered him1 perhaps a shade paler from the fierce attention of the last three days1 but he had the same serene1 confident air2 his eyes were bright and luminous1 and his voice 7for he was speaking at this moment7 perfectly natural and controlled4 ,it was hard at first to pick up the thread of what he was saying4 ,he had a sheet or two of paper before him1 to which he referred as he spoke1 and he seemed to be summing up1 in a very allusive manner1 some earlier speeches of his4 ,technical terms made their appearance from time to time1 and decrees were quoted by their initial ,latin words--decrees which conveyed nothing to the listener in the gallery4 ,it was difficult too1 at this distance1 to understand the very swift ,latin which he spoke in a conversational voice that was almost casual4 ,his whole air was of one who is interested1 but not overwhelmingly concerned1 in the subject under debate4 ,he ended at last1 and bowed4 ,obviously they were not at a very critical part of the trial1 thought ,monsignor4 ,he felt extraordinarily reassured4 ,he had expected more of a scene4 ,the ,dominican opened his eyes and took up a pen4 ,he glanced at his companions1 but they made no sign or movement4 ,you have made it perfectly clear1 he said4 ,nothing could be clearer4 ,i see 7he turned slightly to right and left1 and his fellow-judges nodded gently in acquiescence7--,i see no reason to modify what ,i said just now1 and the judgment of the court must stand4 ,nothing can be clearer to my mind--and ,i must say that my assessors wholly concur1 as you heard just now--nothing can be clearer than that you have contradicted in the most express terms the decrees in question1 and that you have refused to modify or to withdraw any of the theses under dispute4 ,further1 you have refused to avail yourself of any of the releases which are perfectly open to you by law4 ,you declined all those openings which ,i indicated to you1 and you appear determined to push the matter to extremes4 ,i must tell you then plainly that ,i see nothing for it but the forwarding of our opinions to ,rome1 and ,i cannot hold out to you the smallest prospect that you will meet with a different judgment from the highest court4 ,he paused a moment4 ,there was a profound silence in the court4 ,as ,monsignor ,masterman glanced round1 unable to understand what it was that caused this sense of tremendous tension1 he noticed a head or two in that array of faces drop suddenly as if in overwhelming emotion4 ,he looked at the prisoner2 but there was no movement there4 ,the young monk had put his papers neatly together1 and was standing1 upright and motionless1 with his hands clasped upon them4 ,the ,dominican's voice went on abruptly3 ,have you anything further to say before the court dissolves8 ,i should like to express my sense of the extreme fairness and considerateness of my judges1 said the monk1 and to say again1 as at the beginning1 that ,i commit my cause unreservedly into the hands of ,god4 ,the three judges rose together2 a door opened behind and they disappeared4 ,instantly a buzz of tongues began and the sound of shifting feet4 ,as ,monsignor glanced back again at the dock1 amazed at the sudden change of scene1 he saw the monk's head disappearing down the staircase that led below from the dock4 ,he still did not understand what had happened4 ,he still thought that it was some minor stage of the process that was finished1 probably on some technical point4 7,,ii7 ,he still sat there wondering1 thinking that he would let the corridors clear a little before he went out again1 and asking himself what it was that had caused that obvious sensation during the judge's last words4 ,to all outward appearance1 nothing could be less critical than what he had seen and heard4 ,plainly the trial was going against the prisoner1 but there had been no decision1 no sentence4 ,the inquisitors and the prisoner had talked together almost like friends discussing a not very vital matter4 ,and yet the sensation had been overwhelming4 4 4 4 ,as he rose at last1 still watching the emptying court1 he heard a tap on the door1 and before he could speak1 the ,abbot of ,westminster rustled up the steps1 in his habit and cross and gold chain4 ,his face looked ominously strained and pale4 ,i 4 4 4 ,i saw you from the court1 ,monsignor4 ,for ,god's sake 4 4 4 sit down again an instant4 ,let me speak with you4 ,monsignor said nothing4 ,he could not even now understand4 ,i must thank you for your kind offices1 ,monsignor4 ,i know you did what you could4 ,his ,eminence sent for me after he had seen you4 ,and 4 4 4 and ,i must ask you to help us again 4 4 4 at ,rome4 ,certainly--anything 4 4 4 4 ,but---- ,i fear it's hopeless1 went on the abbot1 staring out into the empty court1 where an usher was moving quickly about from table to table setting papers straight4 ,but any chance that there is must be taken4 4 4 4 ,will you write for us1 ,monsignor8 or better still1 urge the ,cardinal8 ,there is no time to lose4 ,i don't understand1 my lord1 said the prelate abruptly1 suddenly convinced that more had happened than he knew4 ,i was only here just at the end1 and 4 4 4 4 what is it ,i can do8 ,the abbot looked at him4 ,that was the end1 he said quietly4 ,did you not hear the sentence8 ,monsignor shook his head4 ,a kind of sickness seemed to rise from his heart and envelop him4 ,i heard nothing1 he said4 ,i came in during ,dom ,adrian's last speech4 ,the abbot licked his dry lips2 there was a wondering sort of apprehensiveness in his eyes4 ,that was the last formality1 he said4 ,sentence was given twenty minutes ago4 ,and---- ,the abbot bowed his head1 plucking nervously at his cross4 ,it has to go to ,rome to be ratified1 he said hurriedly4 ,there will be a week or two of delay4 ,dom ,adrian refused any release4 ,but 4 4 4 but he knows there is no hope4 ,monsignor ,masterman leaned back and drew a long breath4 ,he understood now4 ,but he perceived he must give no sign4 ,the abbot talked on rapidly2 the other caught sentences and names here and there3 he grasped that there was no real possibility of a reversal of the judgment1 but that yet every effort must be made4 ,but it was only with one part of his mind1 and that the most superficial1 that he attended to all this4 ,interiorly he was occupied wholly with facing the appalling horror that1 with the last veil dropped at last1 now looked him in the eyes4 ,he stood up at last1 promising he would see the ,cardinal that night2 and then his resolve leapt to the birth4 ,i should like to see ,dom ,adrian alone1 he said quietly2 and ,i had better see him at once4 ,can you arrange that8 ,the abbot stopped at the door of the gallery4 ,yes1 he said1 ,i think so4 ,will you wait here1 ,monsignor8 7,,iii7 ,monsignor ,masterman lifted his eyes as the door closed1 and saw the young monk standing before him1 beside the little table4 ,he had sat down again in the gallery while the abbot was gone1 watching mechanically the ushers come into the court and remove the recording-boxes one by one2 and meantime in his soul he watched also1 rather than tried to arrange1 the thoughts that fled past in ceaseless repetition4 ,he could plan nothing1 formulate nothing4 ,he just perceived1 as a man himself sentenced to death might perceive1 that the ,supreme ,horror was a reality at last4 ,the very ordinariness of the scene he had witnessed1 the familiarity of some of the faces 7he had sat next at dinner1 not a week ago1 the brown-faced ,canon-,theologian71 the conversational manner of the speakers1 the complete absence of any dramatic solemnity--these things increased the terror and repugnance he felt4 ,were the preliminaries of ,death for ,heresy so simple as all that8 ,was the point of view that made it possible so utterly accepted by everyone as to allow the actual consummation to come about so quietly8 4 4 4 ,the thing seemed impossible and dreamlike4 ,he strove to hold himself quiet till he could understand4 4 4 4 ,but at the sight of the young monk1 paled and tired-looking1 yet perfectly serene1 his self-control broke down4 ,a spasm shook his face2 he stretched out his hands blindly and helplessly1 and some sound broke from his mouth4 ,he felt himself taken by the arm and led forward4 ,then he slipped into a chair1 and dropped his face in his hands upon the table4 ,it was a few moments before he recovered and looked up4 ,there1 there1 ,monsignor1 said the monk4 4 4 4 ,i didn't expect this4 ,there's nothing to---- ,but 4 4 4 but---- ,it's a shock to you1 ,i see4 4 4 4 ,it's very kind4 4 4 4 ,but ,i knew it all along4 ,surely you must have known---- ,i never dreamt of it4 ,i never thought it conceivable4 ,it's abominable2 it's---- ,monsignor1 this isn't kind to me1 rang out the young voice sternly2 and the elder man recovered himself sharply4 ,please talk to me quietly4 ,father ,abbot tells me you will see the ,cardinal4 ,i'll do anything--anything in my power4 ,tell me what ,i can do4 ,he had recovered himself1 as under a douche of water1 at the sharpness of the monk's tone just now4 ,he felt but one thing at this instant1 that he would strain every force he had to hinder this crime4 ,he remained motionless1 conscious of that sensation of intense tightness of nerve and sinew in which an overpressed mind expresses itself4 ,the monk sat down1 on the farther side of the table4 ,that's better1 ,monsignor1 he said1 smiling4 4 4 4 ,well1 there's really not much to do4 ,insanity seems the only possible plea4 ,he smiled again1 brilliantly4 ,tell me the whole thing1 said the prelate suddenly and hoarsely4 ,just the outline4 ,i don't understand2 and ,i can do nothing unless ,i do4 ,you haven't followed the case8 ,monsignor shook his head4 ,the monk considered again4 ,well1 he said4 ,this is the outline2 ,i'll leave out technical details4 ,i have written a book 7which will never see the light now7 and ,i sent an abstract of it to ,rome1 giving my main thesis4 ,it's on the miraculous element in ,religion4 ,i'm a ,doctor in ,physical ,science1 you know1 as well as in ,theology4 ,now there's a certain class of cure 7,i won't bother you with details1 but a certain class of cure7 that has always been claimed by theologians as evidently supernatural4 ,and ,i'll acknowledge at once that one or two of the decrees of the ,council of #aifj certainly seem to support them4 ,but my thesis is1 first1 that these cures are perfectly explicable by natural means1 and secondly1 that therefore these decrees must be interpreted in a sense not usually received by theologians1 and that they do not cover the cases in dispute4 ,i'm not a wilful heretic1 and ,i accept absolutely therefore that these decrees1 as emanating from an ecumenical council1 are infallibly true4 ,but ,i repudiate entirely--since ,i am forced to do so by scientific fact 7or1 we will say1 by what ,i am persuaded is scientific fact7--the usual theological interpretation of the wording of the decrees4 ,well1 my judges take the other view4 ,they tell me that ,i am wrong in my second point1 and therefore wrong also in my first4 ,they tell me that the decrees do categorically cover the class of cure ,i have dealt with2 that such cures have been pronounced by the ,church therefore to be evidently supernatural2 and that therefore ,i am heretical in both my points4 ,on my side1 ,i refuse to submit1 maintaining that ,i am differing1 not from the ,catholic ,church as she really is1 7which would be heretical71 but from the ,catholic ,church as interpreted by these theologians4 ,i know it's rash of me to set myself against a practically universal and received interpretation2 but ,i feel myself bound in conscience to do so4 ,very well2 that is the point we have now reached4 ,i could not dream of separating myself from ,catholic ,unity1 and therefore that way of escape is barred4 ,there was nothing for it1 then1 but for my judges to pronounce sentence2 and that they did1 ten minutes before you came in4 7,i saw you come in1 ,monsignor47 ,i am sentenced1 that is to say1 as an obstinate heretic--as refusing to submit to the plain meaning of an ecumenical decree4 ,there remains ,rome4 ,the whole trial must go there verbatim4 ,three things may happen4 ,either ,i am summoned to explain any statements that may seem obscure4 7,that certainly will not happen4 ,i have been absolutely open and clear47 ,or the sentence may be quashed or modified4 ,and that ,i do not think will happen1 since ,i have1 as ,i know1 all the theologians against me4 ,there was a pause4 ,the prelate heard the words1 and indeed followed their sense with his intellect2 but it appeared to him as if this concise analysis had no more vital connection with the real facts than a doctor's diagnosis with the misery of a mourner4 ,he did not want analysis2 he wanted reassurance4 ,then he braced himself up to meet the unfinished sentence4 ,or---- he murmured4 ,or the sentence will be ratified1 said the monk quietly4 ,and again there was silence4 ,it was the monk again who broke it4 ,where ,father ,abbot seems to think you can help me perhaps1 ,monsignor1 is in persuading the ,cardinal to write to ,rome4 ,i do not quite know what he can do for me2 but ,i suppose the idea is that he may succeed in urging that the point is a disputed one1 and that the case had better wait for further scientific as well as theological investigation4 ,monsignor flung out his hands suddenly4 ,the strain had reached breaking-point4 ,what's the good6 he cried4 ,it's the system--the whole system that's so hateful 4 4 4 hateful and impossible4 ,what8 ,it's the system1 he cried again4 ,from beginning to end it's the system that's wrong4 ,i hate it more every day4 ,it's brutal1 utterly brutal and unchristian4 ,he stared miserably at the young monk1 astonished at the cold look in his eyes4 ,the monk looked at him questioningly--without a touch of answering sympathy1 it seemed--merely with an academic interest4 ,i don't understand1 ,monsignor4 ,what is it that you---- ,you don't understand6 ,you tell me you don't understand6 ,you who are suffering under it6 ,why---- ,you think ,i'm being unjustly treated8 ,is that it8 ,of course ,i too don't think that---- ,no1 no1 no1 cried the elder man4 ,it's not you in particular4 ,i don't know about that--,i don't understand4 ,but it's that any living being can live under such tyranny--such oppression of free thought and judgment6 ,what becomes of science and discovery under a system like this8 ,what becomes of freedom--of the right to think for oneself8 ,why---- ,the young monk leaned a little over the table4 ,monsignor1 you don't know what you are saying4 ,tell me quietly what it is that's troubling you4 ,quietly1 if you please4 ,i can't bear much more strain4 ,the man who had lost his memory mastered himself with an effort4 ,his horror had surged up just now and overwhelmed him altogether1 but the extraordinary quiet of the other man and his apparently frank inability to understand what was the matter brought him down again to reality4 ,subconsciously1 too1 he perceived that it would be a relief to himself to put his developing feeling into words to another4 ,you wish me to say8 ,very well--- ,he hesitated again for words4 ,you are sure you'd better8 ,i know you've been ill4 ,i don't want to--- ,monsignor waved it away with a little gesture4 ,that's all right1 he said4 ,i'm not ill now4 ,i wish to ,god ,i were6 ,quietly1 please1 said the young man4 ,he swallowed in his throat and rearranged himself in his chair4 ,he felt himself alone and abandoned1 even where he had been certain of an emotional sympathy4 ,i know ,i'm clean against public opinion in what ,i think4 ,i've learnt that at last4 ,i thought at first that it was the other way1 as 4 4 4 as ,i think it must have been a hundred years ago4 ,but ,i see now that all the world is against me--all except perhaps the people who are called infidels4 ,you mean the ,socialists8 ,yes1 ,i suppose so4 ,well1 it seems to me that the ,church is 4 4 4 7he hesitated1 to pick his words7 is assuming an impossible attitude4 ,take your own case2 though that's only one3 it's the same everywhere4 ,there are the sumptuary and domestic laws2 there's the 'repression1' as they call it1 of the ,socialists4 ,but take your own case4 ,you are perfectly satisfied that your conclusions are scientific1 aren't you8 ,yes4 ,you're a ,christian and a ,catholic4 ,and yet1 because these conclusions of yours are condemned--not answered1 mind you1 or refuted by other scientists--but just condemned--condemned by ecclesiastics as contrary to what they assume to be true--you 4 4 4 you care---- ,he broke off1 struggling again with fierce emotion4 ,he felt a hand on his arm4 ,monsignor1 you're too excited4 ,may ,i ask you some questions instead8 ,monsignor nodded4 ,well1 don't take my case only4 ,take the system1 as you said just now4 ,i really want to know4444 ,you think that the ,socialists ought not to be repressed--that every man ought to be free to utter his opinions1 whatever they may be4 ,is that it8 ,yes4 ,however revolutionary they may be8 ,monsignor hesitated4 ,he had considered this point before4 ,he felt his answer was not wholly satisfactory4 ,but the monk went on4 ,suppose these opinions were subversive of all law and order4 ,suppose there were men who preached murder and adultery--doctrines that meant the destruction of society4 ,would you allow these1 too1 to publish their opinions broadcast8 ,of course1 you must draw the line somewhere1 began ,monsignor4 ,of course---- ,where8 ,i beg your pardon8 ,you said that we must draw the line somewhere4 ,i ask you where8 ,well1 that1 of course1 must be a matter of degree4 ,surely it must be one of principle4 4 4 4 ,can't you give me any principle you would allow8 ,the passion of just now seemed wholly gone4 ,monsignor had an uncomfortable sense that he had behaved like a child and that this young monk was on firmer ground than himself4 ,but again he hesitated4 ,well1 would you accept this principle8 asked ,dom ,adrian4 ,would you say that every society has a right to suppress opinions which are directly subversive of the actual foundations on which itself stands8 ,let me give an instance4 ,suppose you had a country that was a republic1 but that allowed that other forms of government might be equally good4 7,suppose1 for instance1 that while all acquiesced more or less in the republic1 yet that many of the citizens personally preferred a monarchy47 ,well1 ,i suppose you would say it was tyranny for the republic to punish the monarchists with death8 ,certainly4 ,so should ,i4 ,but if a few of the citizens repudiated all forms of government and preached ,anarchy1 well1 ,i suppose you would allow that the government would have a perfect right to silence them8 ,i suppose so4 ,of course1 said ,dom ,adrian quietly4 ,it was what you allowed just now4 ,society may1 and must1 protect itself4 ,what's that got to do with it8 ,these ,socialists are not ,anarchists4 ,you're not an atheist4 ,and even if you were1 what right would the ,church have to put you to death8 ,oh6 that's what you're thinking1 is it1 ,monsignor8 ,but really1 you know1 ,society must protect itself4 ,the ,church can't interfere there4 ,for it isn't for a moment the ,church that punishes with death4 ,on the contrary1 the ,catholic authorities are practically unanimous against it4 ,monsignor made an impatient movement4 ,i don't understand in the least1 he said4 ,it seems to me---- ,well1 shall ,i give you my answer8 ,monsignor nodded4 ,the monk drew a breath and leaned back once more4 ,to the elder man the situation seemed even more unreal and impossible than at the beginning4 ,he had come1 full of fierce and emotional sympathy1 to tell a condemned man how wholly his heart was on his side1 to repudiate with all his power the abominable system that had made such things possible4 ,and now1 in five minutes1 the scene had become one of almost scholastic disputation2 and the heretic1 it seemed--the condemned heretic--was defending the system that condemned him to a man who represented it as an official6 ,he waited1 almost resentfully4 ,monsignor1 said the young man1 forgive me for saying so2 but it seems to me you haven't thought this thing out--that you're simply carried away by feeling4 ,no doubt it's your illness4 4 4 4 ,well1 let me put it as well as ,i can4 4 4 4 ,he paused again1 compressing his lips4 ,he was pale1 and evidently holding himself hard in hand2 but his eyes were bright and intelligent4 ,then he abruptly began again4 ,what's wrong with you1 ,monsignor1 he said1 is that you don't realize--again1 no doubt1 owing to your loss of memory--that you don't realize that the only foundation of society at the present day is ,catholicism4 ,you see we know now that ,catholicism is true4 ,it has reasserted itself finally4 ,every other scheme has been tried and has failed2 and ,catholicism1 though it has never died1 has once more been universally accepted4 ,even heathen countries accept it de facto as the scheme on which the life of the human race is built4 ,very well1 then1 the man who strikes at ,catholicism strikes at society4 ,if he had his way society would crumble down again4 ,then what can ,catholic society do except defend itself1 even by the death penalty8 ,remember1 the ,church does not kill4 ,it never has2 it never will4 ,it is society that puts to death4 ,and it is certainly true to say that theologians1 as a whole1 would undoubtedly abolish the death penalty to-morrow if they could4 ,it's an open secret that the ,holy ,father would do away with it to-morrow if he could4 ,then why doesn't he8 ,isn't he supreme8 snapped the other bitterly4 ,indeed not4 ,countries rule themselves4 ,he only has a veto if an actually unchristian law is passed4 ,and this is not actually unchristian4 ,it's based on universal principles4 ,but---- ,wait an instant4 4 4 4 ,yes1 the ,church sanctions it in one sense4 ,so did the ,church approve of the death penalty in the case of murder--another sin against society4 ,well1 ,christian society a hundred years ago inflicted death for the murder of the body2 ,christian society to-day inflicts death for a far greater crime against herself--that is1 murderous attacks against her own life-principle4 ,then the old ,protestants were right after all1 burst in ,monsignor indignantly2 they said that ,rome would persecute again if she could4 ,if she could8 said the monk questioningly4 ,if she was strong enough4 ,no1 no1 no6 cried the other1 beating his hand on the table in gentle impatience2 it would be hopelessly immoral for the ,church to persecute simply because she was strong enough--simply because she had a majority4 ,she never persecutes for mere opinions4 ,she has never claimed her right to use force4 ,but1 as soon as a country is convincedly ,catholic--as soon1 that is to say1 as her civilization rests upon ,catholicism and nothing else1 that country has a perfect right to protect herself by the death penalty against those who menace her very existence as a civilized community4 ,and that is what heretics do2 and that is what ,socialists do4 ,whether the authorities are right or wrong in any given instance is quite another question4 ,innocent men have been hanged4 ,orthodox ,catholics have suffered unjustly4 ,personally ,i believe that ,i myself am innocent2 but ,i am quite clear that if ,i am a heretic 7he leaned forward again and spoke slowly71 if ,i am a heretic1 ,i must be put to death by society4 ,monsignor was dumb with sheer amazement1 and a consciousness that he had been baffled4 ,he felt he had been intellectually tricked2 and he felt it an additional outrage that he had been tricked by this young monk with whom he had come to sympathize4 ,but the death penalty6 he cried4 ,death6 that is the horror4 ,i understand a spiritual penalty for a spiritual crime--but a physical one4 4 4 4 ,dom ,adrian smiled a little wearily4 ,my dear ,monsignor1 he said1 ,i thought ,i had explained that it was for a crime against society4 ,i am not put to death for my opinions2 but because1 holding those opinions1 which are declared heretical1 and refusing to submit to an authoritative decision1 ,i am an enemy of the civil state which is upheld solely by the sanctions of ,catholicism4 ,remember it is not the ,church that puts me to death4 ,that is not her affair4 ,she is a spiritual society4 ,but death6 death1 anyhow6 ,the man's face grew grave and tender4 ,is that so dreadful1 he said1 to a convinced ,catholic8 ,monsignor rose to his feet4 ,it seemed to him that his whole moral sense was in danger4 ,he made his last appeal4 ,but ,christ6 he cried2 ,jesus ,christ6 ,can you conceive that gentle ,lord of ours tolerating all this for one instant6 ,i cannot answer you now2 though ,i am convinced there is an answer4 ,but is it conceivable that ,he who said1 ',resist not evil1' that ,he who ,himself was dumb before his murderers---- ,dom ,adrian rose too4 ,an extraordinary intensity came into his eyes1 and his face grew paler still4 ,he began in a low voice1 but as he ended his voice rang aloud in the little room4 ,it is you who are dishonouring our ,lord1 he said4 ,certainly ,he suffered1 as we ,catholics too can suffer1 as you shall see one day--as you have seen a thousand times already1 if you know anything of the past4 ,but is that all that ,he is8 4 4 4 ,is ,he just the ,prince of ,martyrs1 the supreme ,pain-bearer1 the silent ,lamb of ,god8 ,have you never heard of the wrath of the ,lamb8 of the eyes that are as a flame of fire8 of the rod of iron with which ,he breaks in pieces the kings of the earth8 4 4 4 ,the ,christ you appeal to is nothing4 ,it is but the failure of a ,man with the ,divinity left out 4 4 4 the ,prince of sentimentalists1 and of that evil old religion that once dared to call itself ,christianity4 ,but the ,christ we worship is more than that--the ,eternal ,word of ,god1 the ,rider on the ,white ,horse1 conquering and to conquer4444 ,monsignor1 you forget of what ,church you are a priest6 ,it is the ,church of ,him who refused the kingdoms of this world from ,satan1 that ,he might win them for ,him self4 ,he has done so6 ,christ reigns6 4 4 4 ,monsignor1 that is what you have forgotten6 ,christ is no longer an opinion or a theory4 ,he is a ,fact4 ,christ reigns6 ,he actually rules this world4 ,and the world knows it4 ,he paused for one second1 shaking with his own passion4 ,then he flung out his hands4 ,wake up1 ,monsignor6 ,wake up6 ,you are dreaming4 ,christ is the ,king of men again1 now--not of just religiously minded devots4 ,he rules1 because ,he has a right to rule4 4 4 4 ,and the civil power stands for ,him in secular matters1 and the ,church in spiritual4 ,i am to be put to death6 ,well1 ,i protest that ,i am innocent1 but not that the crime charged against me does not deserve death4 ,i protest1 but ,i do not resent it4 ,do you think ,i fear death8 4 4 ,is that not in ,his hands too8 4 4 4 ,christ reigns1 and we all know it4 ,and you must know it too6 ,all sensation seemed to have ebbed from the man who listened4 4 4 4 ,he was conscious of a white ecstatic face with burning eyes looking at him4 ,he could no longer actively resist or rebel4 ,it was only by the utmost effort that he could still keep from yielding altogether4 ,some great pressure seemed to enfold and encircle him1 threatening his very existence as an individual4 ,so tremendous was the force with which the words were spoken1 that for an instant it seemed as if he saw in mental vision that which they described--a ,supreme ,dominant ,figure1 wounded indeed1 yet overmastering and compelling in ,his strength--no longer the ,christ of gentleness and meekness1 but a ,christ who had taken ,his power at last and reigned1 a ,lamb that was a ,lion1 a ,servant that was ,lord of all2 ,one that pleaded no longer1 but commanded4 4 4 4 ,and yet he clung still desperately and blindly to his old ideal4 ,he pushed off from him this dominating ,presence2 his whole self and individuality would not yield to ,him who demanded the sacrifice of both4 ,he saw this ,christ at last1 and by a flash of intuition perceived that this was the key to this changed world he found so incomprehensible2 and yet he would not have it--he would not have this ,man to rule over him4 4 4 4 ,he made one last effort2 the vision passed and he stood up1 feeling once more sensation come back1 understanding that he had saved himself from an extinction more utter than that of death4 ,well1 he said quietly--so quietly that he almost deceived himself too1--well1 ,i will remember what you say1 ,dom ,adrian1 and ,i will do what ,i can with the ,cardinal4 ,,chapter ,,iv 7,i7 ,i'm afraid it's been a great shock1 said ,father ,jervis soothingly4 ,and ,i'm not surprised1 after your illness4 4 4 4 ,yes ,i quite see your point4 ,of course it must seem very strange4 4 4 4 ,now what about coming over to ,ireland for a week8 ,the ,cardinal will be delighted1 ,i'm sure4 ,the blow had fallen this morning--a fortnight after the trial had ended4 ,first1 the answer had come back from ,rome that the sentence was ratified--a sentence simply to the effect that the ,church could no longer protect this tonsured and consecrated son of hers from the secular laws4 ,but1 as ,monsignor knew privately1 an urgent appeal had been made by ,rome to remit the penalty in this instance1 as in others4 ,then the formalities of handing over the monk to the secular authorities had taken place1 in accordance with the ,clergy ,discipline ,amendment ,act of #aifd--;an ,act by which the secular houses of ,representatives had passed a code of penalties for clerks condemned by the ecclesiastical courts--clerks1 that is to say1 who had availed themselves of ,benefit of ,clergy and had submitted themselves to ecclesiastical jurisdiction4 ,under that ,act ,dom ,adrian had been removed to a secular prison1 his case had been re-examined and1 in spite of the ,pope's appeal1 the secular sentence passed4 ,and this morning ,monsignor had read that the sentence had been carried out4 4 4 4 ,he neither knew nor dared to ask in what form4 ,it was enough that it was death4 ,there had been a scene with the startled secretaries4 ,fortunately ,monsignor had been incoherent4 ,one of them had remained with him while the other ran for ,father ,jervis4 ,then the two laymen had left the room1 and the priests alone together4 ,things were quieter now4 ,monsignor had recovered himself1 and was sitting white and breathless with his friend beside him4 ,come to ,ireland for a week1 said the old man again1 watching him with those large1 steady1 bright eyes of his4 ,it is perfectly natural1 under the circumstances1 that the thing should be a shock4 ,to us1 of course---- ,he broke off as ,monsignor looked up with a strange white glare in his eyes4 ,well1 well1 said the old man4 ,you must give yourself a chance4 ,you've been working magnificently2 ,i think perhaps a little too hard4 ,and we don't want another breakdown4 4 4 4 ,then ,i take you'll come to ,ireland8 ,we'll spend a perfectly quiet week1 and be back in time for the meeting of ,parliament4 ,monsignor made a small movement of assent with his head4 7,he had had ,ireland explained to him before47 ,then ,i'll leave you quietly here for a little4 ,call me up if you want me4 ,i'll tell the secretaries to work in the next room4 ,i'll see the ,cardinal at once1 and we'll go by the five o'clock boat4 ,i'll arrange everything4 ,you needn't give it a thought4 ,a curious process seemed to have been at work upon the mind of the man who had lost his memory1 since his interview with the monk immediately after the trial4 ,at first a kind of numbness had descended upon him4 ,he had gone back to his business1 his correspondence1 his interviews1 his daily consultation with the ,cardinal1 and had conducted all these things efficiently enough4 ,yet1 underneath1 the situation arranged itself steadily and irresistibly4 ,it had become impressed upon him that1 whether for good or evil1 the world was as it was2 that ,christian civilization had taken the form which he perceived round him1 and that to struggle against it was as futile1 from a mental point of view1 as to resent the physical laws of the universe4 ,nothing followed upon such resistance except intense discomfort to oneself4 ,it might be insupportably unjust that one could not fly without wings1 yet the fact remained4 ,it might be intolerably unchristian that a tonsured clerk should be put to death for heresy1 yet he was put to death1 and not a soul1 it seemed 7not even the victim himself7 resented it4 ,dom ,adrian's protest had been not against the execution of heretics1 but against the statement that he was a heretic4 ,but he had refused to submit to a decision which he acknowledged as authoritative1 and found no fault therefore with the consequence of such refusal4 ,the condemnation1 he granted1 was perfectly legal and therefore extrinsically lust2 and it was the penalty he had to pay for an individualism which the responsible authorities of the ,state regarded as dangerous to the conditions on which society rested4 ,and the rest was the business of the ,state1 not of the ,church4 ,the scheme then was beginning to grow clear to this man's indignant eyes4 ,even the repression of the ,socialists fitted in1 logically and inexorably4 ,and he began to understand a little more what ,dom ,adrian had meant4 ,there stood indeed1 imminent over the world 7whether ideally or actually was another question7 a tremendous ,figure that was already even more ,judge than ,saviour--a ,personality that already had the ,power and reigned2 one to whose feet all the world crept in silence1 who spoke ordinarily and normally through ,his ,vicar on earth1 who was represented on this or that plane by that court or the other2 one who was literally a ,king of kings2 to whose model all must be conformed2 to whose final judgment every creature might appeal if he would but face that death through which alone that appeal might be conveyed4 ,such was the scheme which this priest began to discern2 and he saw how the explanation of all that bewildered him lay within it4 ,yet none the less he resented it2 none the less he failed to recognize in it that ,christianity he seemed once to have known1 long ago4 ,outwardly he conformed and submitted4 ,inwardly he was a rebel4 ,he sat on silent for a few minutes when his friend had left him1 gradually recovering balance4 ,he knew his own peril well enough1 but he was not yet certain enough of his own standpoint--and perhaps not courageous enough--to risk all by declaring it4 ,he felt helpless and powerless--like a child in a new school--before the tremendous forces in whose presence he found himself4 ,for the present1 at least1 he knew that he must obey4 4 4 4 7,,ii7 ,you will be astonished at ,ireland1 said ,father ,jervis a few hours later1 as they sat together in the little lighted cabin on their way across ,england4 ,you know1 of course1 the general outlines8 ,monsignor roused himself4 ,i know it's the ,contemplative ,monastery of ,europe1 he said4 ,just so4 ,it's also the mental hospital of ,europe4 ,you see it's very favourably placed4 ,none of the great lines of volors pass over it now4 ,it's entirely secluded from the world4 ,of course there are the secular business centres of the country1 as they always were1 in north and south--,dublin and ,belfast2 they're like any other town1 only rather quieter4 ,but outside these you might say that the whole island is one monastic enclosure4 ,i've brought a little book on it ,i thought you might like to look at4 ,he handed a little volume out of his bag4 7,it was printed on the usual nickel-sheets1 invented by ,edison fifty years before47 ,and to-night8 asked ,monsignor heavily4 ,to-night we're staying at ,thurles4 ,i made all arrangements this afternoon4 ,and our programme8 ,father ,jervis smiled4 ,that'll depend on the guest-master1 he said1 ,we put ourselves entirely under his orders1 as ,i told you4 ,he'll see us to-night or to-morrow morning2 and the rest is in his hands4 ,what's the system8 asked ,monsignor suddenly and abruptly looking at him4 ,the system8 ,yes4 ,father ,jervis considered4 ,it's hard to put it into words1 he said4 ,i suppose you might say that they used atmosphere and personality4 ,they're the strongest forces we know of--far stronger1 of course1 than argument4 ,it's very odd how they used to be neglected--- ,eh8 ,yes2 until quite recently there was hardly any deliberate use of them at all4 ,well1 now we know that they effect more than any persuasion 4 4 4 or 4 4 4 or 4 4 4 diet4 ,and of course enclosed ,religious naturally become experts in interior self-command1 and therefore can apply these things better than anyone else4 ,he waved his hands vaguely and explanatorily4 ,it's impossible to put it into words1 he said4 ,the very essence of it is that it can't be4 ,monsignor sighed and looked drearily out of the window4 99 99 99 99 99 ,as the hours of the day had gone by it had been this dreariness that had deepened on him1 after the violent emotions of the morning4 ,it was as if he already saw himself beaten down and crushed by those forces he had begun to recognize4 ,and even this reminder that he was passing for a few days under a tyranny that was yet more severe failed to requicken any resentment4 ,inwardly the fire smouldered still red and angry2 outwardly he was passive and obedient1 and scarcely wished to be otherwise4 ,there was nothing of interest to be seen out of the window4 ,the autumn evening was drawing in1 and the far-off horizon of hills1 with the rim of the sea already visible beyond it1 was dark and lead-coloured under the darkening sky4 ,he thought vaguely of ,dom ,adrian1 in that melancholy and ineffective mood which evening suggests 4 4 4 he had been alive at this hour last night and now 4 4 4 ,well1 he had passed to the ,secret which this world interpreted now so confidently4 4 4 4 ,they halted above ,dublin1 and he watched1 as weeks ago at ,brighton1 the lighted stage swing outside the windows4 ,he noted a couple of white-frocked monks or friars1 hooded in black1 standing among the rest4 ,then he watched the stage drop out of sight1 and the lights of ,dublin spin eastwards and vanish4 ,then he turned listlessly to the book his friend had given him1 and began to read4 ,as he stood himself on the platform at ,thurles1 bag in hand 7they brought no servants to ,ireland71 it seemed to him that already there was a certain sense of quietness about him4 ,he told himself it was probably the result of self-suggestion4 ,but1 for all that1 it seemed curiously still4 ,beneath he saw great buildings1 flattened under the height at which he stood--court after court1 it appeared1 each lighted invisibly and as clear as day4 ,yet no figures moved across them2 and in the roadways that ran here and there was no crawling stream of ant-like beings such as he had seen elsewhere4 ,even the officials seemed to speak in undertones2 and ,father ,jervis said no word at all4 ,then1 as he felt the swift dropping movement beneath his feet1 he saw the great lighted ship he had just left whirl off westwards1 resembling a gigantic luminous moth1 yet without bell or horn to announce its journey4 ,he followed his friend out through the doorway of the ground-platform to which the stage descended1 and into the interior of a great white car that waited--still with a strange sense of irresponsibility and heaviness4 ,he supposed that all was well--as well as could be in a world such as this4 ,then he leaned back and closed his eyes4 ,there were three or four others in the great car1 he noticed2 but all were silent4 ,he opened them again as the car stopped4 ,but the priest beside him made no movement4 ,he looked out and saw that the car was halted between two high walls and in front of a great arched gateway4 ,even as he looked the gates rolled back noiselessly and the car moved through4 7,the others had got out1 he noticed47 ,it seemed1 as they sped on1 as if they were going through the streets of some strange dead city4 ,all through which they passed was perfectly visible in the white artificial light4 ,now they ran between high walls2 now along the side of a vast courtyard2 now a structure resembling the side of a cloister slid by them swiftly and steadily--gone again in an instant4 ,it was not until afterwards that he realized that there had hardly been one window to be seen2 and not one living being4 ,and then at last the car stopped1 and a monk in brown opened the door of the car4 7,,iii7 ,monsignor woke next morning1 already conscious of a certain sense of well-being1 and looked round the little white room in which he lay1 agreeably expectant4 99 99 99 99 99 ,last night had helped to soothe him a little4 ,he had supped with his friend in a small parlour downstairs1 after having been warned not to speak1 except in case of absolute necessity1 to the lay-brother who waited on them2 and after supper had had explained to him more at length what the object of the expedition really was4 ,it was the custom1 he heard1 for persons suffering from overstrain or depression1 whether physical1 mental1 or spiritual1 to come across to ,ireland to one of those ,religious ,houses with which the whole country was covered4 ,the only thing demanded of these retreatants was that they should obey1 absolutely and implicitly1 the directions given to them during their stay1 and that their stay should not be less than for three full days4 ,we shall not meet after to-night1 said ,father ,jervis1 smiling1 ,i shall be under as strict orders as you4 ,after they had parted for the night1 the man who had lost his memory had studied the little book given to him1 and had learned more or less the system under which ,ireland lay4 ,the whole island1 he learned1 was the absolute and inalienable possession1 held under ,european guarantees1 of the enclosed ,religious ,orders1 with whose dominion no interference was allowed4 ,all the business offices of the country and the ports of the enormous agricultural industries were concentrated in ,dublin and ,belfast2 the rest of the island was cultivated1 ruled1 and cared for by the monks themselves4 7,he read drearily through the pages of statistics showing how once again1 as in medieval days1 under the labour of monks the land had blossomed out into material prosperity2 and how this prosperity still increased1 year by year1 beyond all reckoning47 ,of men1 there were the ,carthusians1 the ,carmelites1 the ,trappists1 and certain sections of ,benedictines2 of women1 there were the ,carmelites1 the ,poor ,clares1 the ,augustinian canonesses1 and certain other ,benedictines4 ,special arrangements between these regulated the division of the land and of the responsibilities2 and the ,central ,council consisted of the ,procurators and other representatives of the various bodies4 ,in return for the possession of the land1 and for the protection guaranteed by the ,european governments1 one1 and one only demand was made--namely1 that a certain accommodation should be offered--the amount determined by agreement year by year--both for these ,retreat-houses in general1 and for what were called ,hospitals-of-,god in particular4 ,these hospitals were nothing else in reality than enormous establishments for the treatment of the mentally unbalanced2 for it had been found by recent experience that the atmosphere supremely successful in such cases--especially those of certain well-marked types--was the atmosphere of the strongest and most intense religion4 ,statistics had shown without a doubt that1 even apart from cases of actual possession 7a phenomenon perfectly recognized now by all scientists71 minds that were merely weak or subject to mental delusions recovered incalculably more quickly and surely in the atmosphere of a ,religious ,house than in any other4 ,these cases too were isolated with the greatest care1 owing to the extraordinary discoveries recently made1 and verified over and over again in the realm of mental infection4 ,so ,monsignor had learned last night2 and as he lay in his little white room this morning1 waiting for the instructions that1 he had been informed1 would arrive before he need get up1 it seemed that even to his own tortured brain some breath of relief had already come4 ,the world seemed perfectly still4 ,once from far away he heard the note of a single deep-toned bell2 but1 for the rest1 there was silence4 ,there was no footstep in the house1 no footstep outside4 ,from where he lay he could see out through his low window into a tiny high-walled court1 white like his own room1 except where the level lawn ran to the foot of the wall and a row of tawny autumn flowers rose against it4 ,above the white carved parapet opposite ran skeins of delicate cloud against the soft blue sky4 ,it was strange1 he thought1 to be conscious in this utter solitude and silence of an incomparable peace4 4 4 4 ,when he opened his eyes again1 he saw that the hooded lay brother had come in while he dozed1 and had begun to set the room to rights4 ,a door1 white like the wall1 which he had not noticed last night1 stood open opposite his bed1 and he caught sight of a tiny bathroom beyond4 ,a little fire of wood was leaping in the white-tiled chimney2 and before it stood a table4 ,the window too was set open1 and the pleasant autumn air streamed in4 ,then the brother came up to the bedside1 his face invisible under the peaked hood that hung over it4 ,he uttered a sentence or two in ,latin1 bidding him get up and dress4 ,he was not to say ,mass this morning4 ,father would come in as soon as he had breakfasted and give him his instructions for the day4 ,that was all4 ,monsignor got out of bed and went into the bathroom1 where his clothes were already arranged4 ,when he came back a quarter of an hour later1 he found a tray set out with simple food and milk on the table beside the fire4 ,as he finished and said grace the door opened noiselessly1 and a priest in the ,carthusian habit came in1 closing the door behind him4 7,,iv7 ,as the two faced one another for an instant1 the ,englishman perceived in a glance that this monk was one of the most impressive-looking men he had ever set eyes on4 ,he was well over six feet in height1 and1 in his rough1 clumsy white dress1 he seemed enormously muscular and powerful4 ,he carried himself loosely1 with an air of strength1 almost swinging in his gait4 ,but it was his face that above all was remarkable4 ,his hood lay back on his shoulders1 and from its folds rose his strong throat and head1 all as hairless as a statue's2 and as the priest glanced at him he saw that strange suggestion as of a bird's head which some types convey4 ,his nose was long1 thin1 and curved2 his lips colourless and compressed2 his cheeks modelled in folds and hollows over the bones beneath2 and his eyes1 of an extraordinary light grey1 looked out under straight upper lids1 as of an eagle4 ,so much for the physical side4 ,but1 stranger than all this1 was the unmistakable atmosphere that seemed to enter with him--an atmosphere that from one side produced a sense of great fear and helplessness1 and on the other of a kind of security4 ,in an instant ,monsignor felt as a wounded child might feel in the presence of a surgeon4 ,and1 throughout the interview that followed1 this sensation deepened incalculably4 ,the man said nothing--not even a word of greeting--as he came across the room4 ,he just inclined his head a little1 with a grave and business-like courtesy1 and waved the other back into his chair4 ,then1 still standing himself1 he began to speak in a deep but quite quiet voice1 and very slowly and distinctly4 ,you understand1 ,monsignor1 the terms on which you are here8 ,yes4 ,very well4 ,i do not wish you to say ,mass until your last morning4 ,i have spoken to ,father ,jervis about you4 4 4 4 ,meanwhile1 for to-day you are at liberty to walk in the court outside as much as you wish1 to read as you wish--in fact1 to occupy yourself as you like in this room1 the ambulatory downstairs1 the roof overhead1 and the garden4 ,you are to write no letters1 and to speak to no one4 ,you will have your meals in the next room alone1 where you will also find a few books4 ,i wish you to get as quiet and controlled as you can4 ,tomorrow morning ,i will come in again at the same time and give you further directions4 ,you will find a tribune opening out at the end of this corridor1 looking into a chapel where the ,blessed ,sacrament is reserved4 ,but ,i do not wish you to spend there more than one hour in the course of the day4 ,the monk was silent again1 and did not even raise his eyes4 ,monsignor said nothing4 ,there was really nothing to say4 ,he felt entirely powerless1 and not even desirous to speak4 ,he understood that to obey was simply inevitable1 and that silence was what was wished4 ,i do not wish you to rehearse at all what you intend to say to me to-morrow1 went on the monk suddenly4 ,you are here to show me yourself and your wounds1 and there must be no false shame4 ,you will say what you feel to-morrow2 and ,i shall say what ,i think4 ,i wish you a happy retreat4 ,then1 again without a word1 but with that same inclination of his head1 he went swiftly across the room and was gone4 ,it was all completely unexpected1 and ,monsignor sat a few minutes1 astonished1 without moving4 ,he had not uttered a syllable2 and yet1 in a sense1 that seemed quite natural4 ,he had seen the monk look at him keenly as he came in1 and was aware that this had been an inspection by some new kind of expert4 ,probably the monk had heard the outlines of the case from ,father ,jervis1 and had just looked in this morning1 not only to give his instructions1 but to ratify by some peculiar kind of intuition the account he had heard4 ,yet the ignominy of it all did not touch him in the least4 ,he felt more than ever like a child in the hands of an expert1 and1 like a child1 content to be so4 ,conventions and the mutual little flatteries of the world outside appeared meaningless here4 4 4 4 ,he said some ,office presently1 and then set out to explore his ground4 ,the room he was in communicated with a lobby outside1 from which a staircase descended to a little cloistered and glazed ambulatory opening on to the garden4 ,another staircase rose to a door obviously leading to the roof4 ,besides the bedroom door there were two others3 the one which he entered first took him into a little sitting-room also looking on to the garden1 and furnished simply with a table1 an easy chair1 and a few books2 the other opened directly on to a tiny gallery looking out sideways upon a perfectly plain sanctuary1 with a stone altar1 a lamp1 and a curtained tabernacle1 which seemed to be a chapel of some church whose roof only was visible beyond a high closed screen4 ,he knelt here a minute or two1 then he passed back again to the lobby and ascended the staircase leading to the roof4 ,he thought that from here he might form some idea as to the place in which he was4 ,the flat roof1 tiled across1 and guttered so as to allow the rainwater to escape1 at first seemed closed in on all sides with walls over six feet high4 ,then he perceived that each wall was pierced with a tiny double window1 so contrived that it was possible to see out easily and comfortably without being seen4 ,he went straight to one of these and looked through4 ,as far as he could see stretched what looked like the roofs of a great town1 for the most part flattish1 but broken here and there1 and especially towards the horizon1 by tall buildings pierced with windows1 and in three or four cases by church towers4 ,immediately beneath him lay a vast courtyard like that of a college1 with a cluster of elms1 ruddy with autumn colours1 in the midst of the central lawn4 ,there was no human being in sight on this side2 the roofs1 many of them parapeted like his own1 stretched out into the distance1 their ranks here and there broken by lines which appeared to indicate roadways running beneath4 ,he saw a couple of cats on the grass below4 ,on all sides1 as he went from window to window of the little roofless space1 there was the same kind of prospect4 ,in one direction he thought he recognized the way he must have come last night2 and1 looking more carefully1 noticed that the town seemed to be less extended in that direction4 ,half a mile away the roofs ceased1 standing up against a mass of foliage that blotted out all beyond4 ,it was here that he caught sight of a man--a white figure that crossed a patch of road that curved into sight and out again4 ,it was extraordinarily still in this ,religious town4 ,certainly there were a few sounds2 a noise of far-off hammering came from somewhere and presently ceased4 ,once he heard a door close and footsteps on stone that faded into silence2 once he heard the cry of a cat1 three or four times repeated2 and once1 all together1 from every direction at once1 sounded bells1 each striking one stroke4 ,he began to walk up and down after a while1 marvelling1 trying to reconstruct his ideas once more1 and to take in the astonishing system and organization whose signs were so evident about him4 ,certainly it was thorough and efficient4 ,there must be countless institutions--hospitals1 retreat-houses1 cloisters1 besides all the offices and business centres necessary for carrying on this tremendous work2 and yet practically no indication of any movement or bustle made itself apparent4 ,so far as solitude was concerned1 he might be imprisoned in a dead city4 ,and all this deepened his impressions of peace and recuperation4 ,the silence1 through his knowledge1 was alive to him4 ,there must be1 almost within sound of a shout1 hundreds of living persons like himself1 yet all intent1 in some form or another1 upon that same overwhelming silence in which facts could be received and relations readjusted4 ,yet even this1 as he reflected upon it1 had certain elements of terror4 ,here again1 under another disguise1 was the force that he had feared in ,london--the force that had sent ,dom ,adrian noiselessly out of life1 that proposed to deal with refractory instincts in human nature--such as manifested themselves in ,socialism--as a householder might deal with a plague of mice1 drastically and irresistibly2 the force that moved the wheels and drove the soundless engines of that tremendous social-religious machine of which he too was a part4 ,it was here too then2 it was this that had closed him in here for three days in his tiny domicile in this great dumb city2 it was this that held the whole under an invisible discipline2 it was this that had looked at him out of the hawk's-eyes1 and spoken to him through the colourless lips of the monk who had given him his instructions this morning4 4 4 4 ,once more then his individuality began to reassert itself1 and to attempt to cast off the spell even of this peace that promised relief4 ,he became aware of an extraordinary loneliness of soul1 an isolation in the deepest regions of his soul from all others4 ,the rest of the world1 it seemed1 had an understanding about these matters4 ,father ,jervis and the ,carthusian no doubt had talked him over2 they accepted as an established and self-evident philosophy this universal unity and authority2 they regarded himself1 who could not yet so accept it1 as a spiritual1 if not an actual mental invalid4 4 4 4 ,he had been brought here to be treated4 4 4 4 ,well1 he would hold his own4 ,and then another mood came on him--a temptation1 as it seemed to him then1 to fling personal responsibility overboard2 to accept this tremendous claim of authority to control even the thoughts of the heart4 ,surely peace lay this way4 ,to submit to this crowned and sceptred ,christ2 to reject for ever the other--this meant relief and sanity4 4 4 4 ,he walked more and more quickly and abruptly up and down the little tiled space4 ,he was conscious of a conflict all confused with dust and smoke4 ,he began to hesitate as to which was the higher1 even which was the tolerable course--to sink his individuality1 to throw up his hands and drown1 or to assert that individuality openly and defiantly1 and to take the consequences4 7,v7 ,he awoke the next morning after a troubled night1 conscious instantly of a sense of crisis4 ,in one way or another1 it seemed1 he would have to come to a decision4 ,the monk would be with him in less than an hour4 ,he dressed as before and breakfasted4 ,then1 as the monk did not come1 he went out to the tribune to pray and to prepare himself4 ,ten minutes later the door opened quietly1 and the lay-brother who had attended on him bowed to him as he turned1 in sign that he was to come4 ,the monk was standing by the fireplace as he came in2 he bowed very slightly4 ,then the two sat down4 99 99 99 99 99 ,tell me why you have come here1 ,monsignor4 ,the prelate moistened his lips4 ,he was aware again of an emotion that was partly terror and partly confidence4 ,and there was mixed with it1 too1 an extraordinary sense of simplicity4 ,conventionalities were useless here1 he saw2 he was expected to say what was in his heart1 but at first he dared not4 ,i 4 4 4 ,i was recommended to come1 he said4 ,my friends thought ,i needed a little rest4 ,the other nodded gently4 ,he was no longer looking straight at him1 the secular priest was relieved to see4 ,yes8 ,and what form does it take8 ,still the patient hesitated4 ,he began a sentence or two1 and stopped again4 ,then the monk lifted his great head and looked straight at him4 ,be quite simple1 ,monsignor1 he said1 you need fear nothing4 ,you are here to be helped1 are you not8 ,then tell me plainly4 ,monsignor got up suddenly4 ,it seemed to him that he must move about4 ,he felt restless1 as a man who has lived in twilight might feel upon coming out into sudden brilliant and healthful sunlight4 ,he began to walk to and fro4 ,the other said nothing1 but the restless man felt that the eyes were watching and following every movement4 ,he reflected that it was unfair to be stared at by eyes that were grey1 outlined in black1 and crossed by straight lids4 ,then he summoned his resolution4 ,father1 he said1 ,i am unhappy altogether4 ,yes8 7,sit down1 please1 ,monsignor47 ,he sat down1 and leaned his forehead on his hands4 ,you are unhappy altogether1 repeated the monk4 ,and what form does that unhappiness take8 ,monsignor lifted his face4 ,father1 he said1 you know about me8 ,you know about my history8 4 4 4 ,my memory8 ,yes1 ,i know all that4 ,but it is not that which makes you unhappy8 ,no1 cried the priest suddenly and impulsively1 it is not that4 ,i wish to ,god it were6 ,i wish to ,god my memory would leave me again6 ,quietly1 please4 ,but the other paid no attention4 ,it is 4 4 4 it is the world ,i am living in--this brutal world4444 ,father1 help me4 ,the monk drew a breath and leaned back1 and his movement had the effect of a call for silence4 ,neither spoke for a moment4 ,then---- ,just tell me quite simply1 from the beginning1 said the monk4 7,,vi7 ,it was nearly half an hour later that ,monsignor ended1 and leaned back1 at once exhausted and excited4 ,he had said it all--he had said even more than he had previously formulated to himself4 ,now and then1 as he paused1 the monk with a word or two1 or a strangely compelling look1 had soothed or encouraged him4 ,and he had told the whole thing--the sense that there was no longer any escape from ,christianity1 that it had dominated the world1 and that it was hateful and tyrannical in its very essence4 ,he confessed that logic was against him1 that a wholly ,christian society must protect itself1 that he saw no way of evading the consequences that he had witnessed2 and yet that his entire moral sense revolted against the arguments of his head4 ,it seemed to him1 he said in effect1 as if he were held in a grip which outraged his whole sentiment2 as if the universe itself were in a conspiracy against him4 ,for there was wanting1 he said1 exactly that which was most characteristic of ,christianity1 exactly that which made it divine--a heavenly patience and readiness to suffer4 ,the cross had been dropped by the ,church1 he said1 and shouldered by the world4 ,the monk sat silent a moment or two1 as motionless as he had been at the beginning4 ,monsignor perceived by now1 even through his fierce agitation1 that this man never moved except for a purpose2 he made no gestures when he spoke2 he turned his head or lifted his eyes only when it was necessary4 ,then the monk's voice began again1 level and unemotional3 99 99 99 99 99 ,a great deal of what you say1 ,monsignor1 is merely the effect of a nervous strain4 ,a nervous strain means that the emotional or the receptive faculties gain an undue influence over the reasonable intelligence4 ,you admit that the logic is flawless1 yet that fact does not reassure you1 as it would if you were in a normal condition4 ,but---- ,wait1 please1 till ,i have done4 ,i know what you wish to say4 ,it is that your sense of protest is not merely sentimental1 but rather moral2 is it not so8 ,monsignor nodded4 ,it was precisely what he had wished to say4 ,that is not true1 however4 ,it is true that your moral sense seems outraged1 but the reason is that you have not yet all the data 7the moral sense is a department of the reason1 remember74 ,well1 you admit the logic of society's defending itself2 but it seems to you that that which is1 as you very properly said1 the divine characteristic of ,christianity--,i mean1 readiness to suffer rather than to inflict suffering--is absent from the world2 that the cross1 as you said again1 has been dropped by the ,church4 ,now1 if you will reflect a moment1 you will see that it is very natural that that should appear so1 in a world that is overwhelmingly ,christian4 ,it is very natural that there should not be persecution of ,christians1 for example1 since there is no one to persecute them2 and therefore that you should see only the rights of the ,church to rule1 and not its divine prerogative of pain4 ,but ,i suppose that if you saw the opposite1 if you were to watch the other process1 and see that the ,church is still able to suffer1 and to accept suffering1 in a manner in which the world is never capable of suffering1 ,i imagine you would be reassured4 ,monsignor drew a long breath4 ,i thought so4 4 4 4 ,well1 does not the ,contemplative ,life reassure you8 ,and are you aware that in ,ireland alone there are four millions of persons wholly devoted to the ,contemplative ,life8 ,and that1 so great is the rush of vocations1 the continent of ,europe---- ,no1 cried the priest harshly4 ,voluntary suffering is not the same thing4 4 4 4 ,i 4 4 4 ,i long to see ,christians suffering at the hands of the world4 ,you mean that you are doubtful as to how they would bear it8 ,yes4 ,the monk smiled1 slowly and brilliantly1 and there was a look of such serene confidence in his face that the other was amazed4 ,well 4 4 4 he paused again4 ,well1 ,i take it that we have laid our finger upon what it is that troubles you4 ,you admit that the ,christian ,states have a right to punish all who attack the very foundations of their stability---- ,no-,i---- ,by your reason1 ,i mean1 ,monsignor4 ,yes1 said ,monsignor slowly4 ,by my reason4 ,but that you are not satisfied that the ,church can still suffer2 that it seems to you she has lost that which is of her very essence4 ,if you saw that1 you would be content4 ,i suppose so1 said the other hesitatingly4 ,the monk rose abruptly4 ,we have talked enough for to-day1 he said4 ,you will kindly spend the rest of the day as yesterday4 ,do not say ,mass in the morning4 ,i will be with you at the same time4 7,,vii7 ,it was on the last morning of their stay at ,thurles that ,monsignor had an opportunity of seeing something of the real character of the place4 ,the lay monk came to him again1 as he was finishing breakfast1 and abruptly suggested it4 ,i shall be very happy1 said ,monsignor4 99 99 99 99 99 ,certainly his stay had done him good in some indefinable manner which he could not altogether understand4 ,each morning he had talked2 but there was no particular argument which he could recall that had convinced him4 ,indeed1 the monk had told him more than once that bare intellectual argument could do nothing except clear the ground of actual fallacies4 ,certainly the points had been put to him clearly and logically4 ,he perceived now that1 so far as reason was concerned1 ,christian society could not do otherwise than silence those who attacked the very foundations of its existence2 and he also understood that this was completely another matter from the charge that men had been accustomed to bring against the ,church1 that she would persecute if she had the power4 ,for it was not the ,church in any sense that used repression2 it was the ,state that did so2 and as ,dom ,adrian had pointed out1 this was of the very essence of all civil government4 ,but this was not new to him4 ,rather his stay in ,thurles had1 by quieting his nervous system1 made it possible for him to elect to follow his reason rather than his feelings4 ,his feelings were as before4 ,still in the bottom of his consciousness he felt that the ,christ which he had known was other than the ,christ who now reigned on earth4 ,but now he had been enabled to make the decision over which he had previously hesitated2 he had sufficiently recovered at least so far as to go back to his work and to do what seemed to be the duty to which his reason pointed1 and in action at least to ignore his feelings4 ,this much had been done4 ,he did not yet understand by what means4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a car waited in the little court to which the two came down4 ,the monk beckoned him to enter1 and they moved off4 ,this quarter of the monastery1 began the monk abruptly1 is entirely of the nature you have seen4 ,it is composed of flats and apartments throughout1 for the simple retreats1 such as your own4 ,each ,father who is employed in this kind of work has his round of visits to make each day4 ,how many monks are there altogether1 ,father1 in ,thurles8 ,about nine thousand4 4 4 ,i beg your pardon8 ,about nine thousand4 ,of these about six thousand live a purely ,contemplative ,life4 ,no monk undertakes any work of this kind until he has been professed at least fifteen years4 ,but the regulations are too intricate to explain just now4 ,where are we going first---- ,stay1 ,monsignor 7the monk interrupted him by a hand on his arm74 ,we are just entering the northern quarter4 ,it is the serious cases that are dealt with here4 ,serious8 ,yes2 where there is a complete breakdown of mental powers4 ,that building there is the first of the block of the gravest cases of all--real mania4 ,monsignor leaned forward to look4 ,they were passing noiselessly along the side of a great square2 but there was nothing to distinguish the building indicated from the rest4 ,it just stood there1 a tall pile of white stone2 and the top of a campanile rose above it4 ,you have worked there1 ,father8 ,i worked there for two years1 said the monk tranquilly4 ,it is distressing work at first4 ,would you care to look in8 ,monsignor shook his head4 ,yes1 it is distressing work1 but there are great consolations4 ,two out of every three cases at least are cured1 and we have a certain number of vocations from the patients4 ,vocations6 ,certainly4 ,mania in the majority of cases is nothing else than possession4 ,in fact some authorities are inclined to say that it is exceptional to find it otherwise4 ,and in the other cases it is generally the force of an exceptionally strong will that has lost its balance1 and is powerful enough to disregard all ordinary checks of reason and common sense and human emotion4 ,well1 a character like that is capable of a good deal4 ,each case is1 of course1 completely isolated in this department as in all others4 ,it is incredible to think that less than a hundred years ago such patients were herded together4 ,the system now1 of course1 is to surround them with completely healthy conditions and completely self-restrained attendants4 ,that gradually rebuilds the physical and nervous conditions1 and exorcism is not administered until there is sufficient reserve force for the patient partly1 at any rate1 to cooperate4 ,monsignor was silent4 ,again he felt bewilderment at the amazing simplicity and common sense of it all4 ,i am taking you1 said the monk presently1 to the central quarter--to the monastery proper4 ,it is there that the main body of the monks live4 ,the church is remarkable4 ,it is the third largest monastic church in the world4 4 4 4 ,we are just entering the quarter now1 he added4 ,monsignor leaned forward as the air darkened1 and was in time to see the great gates swinging slowly together again as if to meet after the car had passed4 ,it was still twilight as they sped on1 and he perceived that they were passing1 with that extreme and noiseless swiftness with which they had come1 up some kind of tunnel lit by artificial light4 ,then again there was a rush of daylight and the car stopped4 ,we must go on foot here1 said the monk1 and opened the door4 ,the priest1 still marvelling1 stepped out after him1 and followed through a postern door2 and then1 as he emerged1 understood more or less the arrangement of the buildings4 ,he stood on the edge of an enormous courtyard1 perhaps five hundred yards across4 ,this was laid down with a lawn1 crossed in every direction with paved paths4 ,but that at which he chiefly stared was a church whose like he had never set eyes on before4 ,it was the sanctuary end1 obviously1 that faced him2 the farther end ran back into the high walls1 pierced here and there by low doors1 with which the court was surrounded4 ,the church itself rose perhaps two hundred feet from floor to roof4 ,it was straight from end to end1 the line broken only by a tall1 severe tower at the point where it joined the wall of the court2 and running round it1 jutting out in a continuous block1 like a platform1 was a low building1 plainly containing chapels4 ,the whole was of white stone1 unrelieved by carving of any kind4 ,enormous narrow lancet windows showed above the line of chapels1 springing perhaps forty feet from the ground1 and rising to a line immediately below the roof4 ,the whole gave an impression of astounding severity and equally astounding beauty4 ,it had the kind of beauty of a perfectly bare mountain or of an iceberg4 ,it was graceful and yet as strong as iron2 it was cold1 and yet obviously alive4 ,yes1 said the monk1 as they went across the court1 ,it is impressive1 is it not8 ,it is the monastic church proper4 ,it can hold1 if necessary1 ten thousand monks4 ,but you will see when we look in4 ,the court we are now in is surrounded by cloisters4 ,there are just nine thousand cells2 there are1 perhaps1 fifty unoccupied now4 ,each cell1 as you know1 is a little house in itself1 with three or four rooms and a garden2 so we need space4 ,the cemeteries are beyond the cloisters4 ,we bury1 as you know1 in the bare earth without a coffin4 ,it was like the creation of a dream1 thought the priest as he walked with his guide1 listening to the quiet talk4 ,he had seen some of these facts in the book that ,father ,jervis had lent him2 but they had meant little to him4 ,now he began to understand1 and once more a kind of inexplicable terror began to affect him4 ,but as1 five minutes later1 he stood in the high western gallery of the church1 and saw that enormous place stretching beyond calculation to where thin clear glass sanctuary windows rose in a group1 like sword-blades1 above the white pavement before the altar2 as he saw the ranks of stalls running up1 tier above tier1 and understood that1 all told1 they numbered ten thousand1 one third of them on this side of the screen1 in the lay brothers' choir1 and two thirds beyond2 as he imagined what it must be to watch this congregation of elect souls stream in1 each with his lantern in his hand1 through the countless doors that ended each little narrow gangway that disappeared among the stalls2 as he pictured the thunder of the unemotional ,carthusian plain-song--as he saw all this with his bodily eyes standing silent beside the silent monk1 and began little by little to take in what it all meant1 and what this world must be in which such a condition of things was accepted--a world where ,contemplatives at last were honoured as the kings of the earth1 and themselves controlled and soothed the lives of whom the world had despaired2 as his imagination ran out still farther1 and he remembered that this was but one of innumerable houses of the kind--as he began to be aware of all this1 and of what it signified as regards the civilization in which he found himself--his terror began to pass1 and to give place to an awe1 and to a kind of exaltation1 such as neither ,rome nor ,lourdes nor ,london had been able even to suggest4 4 4 4 7,,viii7 ,well8 said ,father ,jervis1 smiling1 as the two met on the platform that evening1 to wait for the ,english-bound air-ship4 ,monsignor looked at him4 ,i am glad ,i came1 he said4 ,no2 it is not all well with me1 even yet4 ,but ,i will try again4 ,the other nodded1 still smiling4 ,who was the ,father who looked after me8 added the prelate4 ,he said he had talked with you4 ,he is considered one of the best they have1 said the other ,i asked for him specially4 ,he hardly ever fails4 ,you are impressed by him8 ,oh yes 4 4 4 but he did nothing particular4 ,that is just it1 smiled the old priest4 ,he added after a pause1 as the bell rang-- ,you feel ready for work again8 ,you know what lies before you8 ,monsignor nodded slowly4 ,you mean the ,establishment of the ,church8 4 4 4 ,yes2 ,i am ready4 ,,chapter ,v 7,i7 ,the scheme had been in the air for nearly two years1 as ,monsignor learned from his papers2 and for the last month or two had come more to the front than ever4 ,but he had not realized how close it was4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it was at the end of ,october that the ,cardinal sent for him and revealed two more facts4 ,the first was that it was the intention of ,his ,majesty's ,government to appoint a ,commission to consider once more the ,establishment of ,catholicism as the ,state religion of ,england2 and the second was that secret negotiations had been proceeding now for the last eight months between ,china1 ,japan1 the ,persian ,empire1 and ,russia1 as to the formal recognition of the ,pope as ,arbitrator of the ,east4 ,both points1 said the ,cardinal1 are absolutely sub sigillo until you hear of them from other sources4 ,and ,i need not tell you1 ,monsignor1 that they have the very strongest mutual effects4 ,i beg your pardon8 ,think it over1 said the ,cardinal1 and waved him pleasantly away4 99 99 99 99 99 ,from that time forward1 as week followed week1 the work became enormous4 ,he was present at interviews of which he understood not more than one half of the allusions2 yet with that extraordinary skill of which he was made aware by the compliments of the ,cardinal and of his own friends1 he showed never a sign of his ignorance4 ,papers constantly passed under his hands1 disclosing to him the elaborate preparations that had already been made on the part of the ,state authorities2 and questions on various points of discipline were continually submitted to him1 at the bearing of which he could only guess4 ,it seemed to him remarkable that so much fuss should be made upon what was by now almost entirely a matter of form1 since by the restoration of ,catholic property1 recognition of ,church courts1 and a hundred other details1 as well as by the affection of the people1 the ,church already enjoyed supreme power4 ,he put this once1 lightly1 to ,father ,jervis4 ,the public is affected by forms much more than by principles1 said that priest1 smiling4 ,they have already accepted the principles2 but even at the eleventh hour they might take fright at the forms4 ,do you mean it is possible that a ,bill1 if it was brought forward1 might not pass8 ,certainly it's possible4 ,otherwise1 why haven't we had a ,commission appointed8 ,the ,socialists aren't beaten yet4 ,but it's not likely2 or the ,bill wouldn't be brought forward at all4 ,the prelate said nothing4 7,,ii7 ,it was not until a few days before ,christmas that the ,cardinal was sent for4 ,at the beginning of the month the ,commission had been appointed by an overwhelming majority in the ,house4 ,the proposal had been brought forward suddenly by the ,government1 and with a speed and an employment of business-like methods that seemed very strange to the man who had lost his memory1 and who still had hanging about him a curious atmosphere of earlier days1 the ,commission had despatched an immense amount of work within three weeks4 ,it was impossible to know how far negotiations had got2 but even the ,cardinal himself was taken by surprise when he received an invitation to attend the sitting of the ,commission4 ,he sent for ,monsignor ,masterman at once4 ,you will attend me1 ,monsignor1 please4 ,i shall have to appear alone1 but ,i should like you to be at hand4 ,it was with very much confused emotions that ,monsignor found himself1 a day or two later1 walking up and down a corridor in the ,house of ,representatives4 ,he had arrived with the ,cardinal1 had gone up the broad staircase behind him1 and had followed him even into the committee-room4 ,a long table faced him as he entered1 and he noticed with an odd little thrill how every man sitting there1 from the white-faced1 white-haired man at the head1 down to the clean-shaven1 clever-looking young man nearest the door1 had risen as the two ecclesiastics came in4 ,the table1 he noticed1 was strewed with papers4 ,an empty chair stood at the lower end of the table--a red chair1 he saw1 with gilded wood4 ,the ,cardinal sat down4 ,the rest sat down1 all in silence4 ,monsignor placed the despatch-box in front of his chief1 opened it1 laid a few books in order1 and went out4 4 4 4 ,even now1 in spite of all the knowledge that he had1 and the constant contemplation of the cold facts of the case1 it seemed to him1 as on a dozen occasions before since his lapse of memory1 as if life were not so real as it seemed4 ,somewhere1 down in the very fibre of him1 was an assumption that ,england and ,catholicism were irreconcilable things--that the domination of the one meant the suppression of the other4 ,certainly history was against him4 ,for more than a thousand years ,church and ,state in ,england had been partners4 ,it was but for four hundred years--and those years of confusion and of the gradual elimination of the supernatural--that the two had been at cross-purposes4 ,was it not historically certain therefore that1 should the ,supernatural ever be reaccepted in all its force1 a partnership should again spring up between a ,state that needed a ,divine authority behind its own1 and the sole ,institution which was not afraid to stand out for the ,supernatural with all its consequences8 ,theology was against him2 for if there was anything that theology taught explicitly1 it was that the soul was naturally ,christian1 and therefore imperfect without the full ,christian ,revelation4 ,and yet1 as he walked1 he was disturbed4 ,the proposed ,establishment of the ,church by the ,state appeared to him uncharacteristic of both--of the ,church1 since he still tended to think that she must in her essence be at war with the world2 of the ,state1 since he still tended to think that that too1 in its essence1 must be at war with religion4 ,in spite of what he had seen1 he had not yet grasped with his imagination that which both experience and intellect justified as true--namely1 that it is the function of the ,church to guide the world1 and the highest wisdom of the world to organize itself on a supernatural basis4 ,he walked up and down1 saying nothing4 ,at one end of the long corridor a couple of secretaries whispered together on a settee2 at the other he saw passing and repassing hurrying figures that went about their business4 ,doors opened occasionally1 and a man came out2 once or twice he saluted an acquaintance4 ,but all the while his attention remained fixed upon the door numbered ,,xi1 behind which this quietly significant affair proceeded4 ,the whole place seemed a very temple of stillness4 ,the thick carpet underfoot1 the noiseless doors1 the admirable system of the place--all contributed to create a great solemnity4 ,he tried to remind himself that he was present at the making of history1 but it was useless4 ,again and again1 as1 with an effort1 he forced the principles before his mind1 his attention whirled off to a detail--to a contemplation of his chief taking his seat in the ,house of ,lords1 and to the fabric of the carpet on which he walked2 to the silent whisper of one of the two conversational secretaries2 to a wonder as to the form of prayer with which the first professedly ,catholic ,parliament in ,england for more than four hundred years would open4 ,then he checked himself1 reminded himself of certain old proverbs about cups and hares1 reflected that ,socialism was not beaten yet 7in ,father ,jervis's phrase71 as recent events in ,germany had shown4 4 4 4 ,once as he turned at the end of the corridor farthest from the secretaries1 an interesting little incident happened4 ,a door opened abruptly1 and a man coming out quickly almost ran against him4 ,then the man took off his hat and smiled4 ,i beg your pardon1 ,monsignor 4 4 4 ,i 4 4 4 ,i can guess your business here4 ,monsignor smiled too1 a little guiltily4 ,he recognized the ,socialist leader who had called on him a few months before4 ,yes3 and ,i'm afraid you don't approve1 he said4 ,mr4 ,hardy made a little deprecatory gesture1 still holding his hat in his hand4 ,oh6 ,i'm a believer in majorities1 he said4 ,and there's no doubt you have the majority4 ,but---- ,yes8 ,i hope you will be merciful4 ,that is your ,gospel1 you know4 ,you think we have the majority8 ,oh1 certainly4 ,the enfranchisement of women settled all that4 ,they are always clerical1 you know4 ,monsignor felt the point prick him4 ,he riposted gently4 ,well1 you will have to take refuge in ,germany1 he said4 ,the face of the other changed a little2 his eyelids came down just a fraction4 ,that's exactly what ,i'm going to do1 ,monsignor--,i--but ,i think there's somebody wanting you4 ,monsignor turned4 ,there was a hand beckoning him from behind a face1 as if in agitation1 from the entrance to door ,no4 ,,xi4 ,if you'll excuse me1 he said1 and hurried off4 ,i thought you'd like to be present at the end1 ,monsignor1 whispered the member who had beckoned him4 ,the ,cardinal is just speaking4 ,committee room number ,,xi seemed strangely quiet1 as the prelate slipped in behind his friend and stood motionless4 ,one voice was speaking2 and1 as he tried to catch the sense1 he looked round the faces1 that were all turned in his direction4 ,he saw ,mr4 ,manners on the extreme left4 ,every man sat without moving1 simply listening1 it seemed1 with an extraordinary attention2 some leaning forward1 some back1 with the papers disregarded on the table4 ,a couple of recording machines stood now in the centre4 ,then he began to catch the words4 4 4 4 ,i think1 gentlemen1 said the voice from behind the high-backed chair1 that ,i need say no more4 ,we have discussed at length1 and ,i hope to your satisfaction1 the particular points on which you desired information3 and my answers have brought out1 ,i think1 the essence of all the conditions on which alone the ,church can accept the terms proposed4 ,i wish it to be brought before the ,house1 perfectly clearly1 that in her own province the ,church must be supreme4 ,she must have an entire and undisputed right over her own doctrine and discipline2 for that is at the root of her only claim to be heard4 ,in respect to any legislation which1 in her opinion1 touches the eternal principles of morality--in all such things1 for example1 as the marriage law--her supreme authority must be respected2 as well as in all those other matters of the same nature upon which you have questioned me4 ,but on the other side the ,church recognizes1 and always will recognize1 the right of a free people to govern themselves2 and1 not only recognizes that right1 but will support it with all the power at her command4 ,i have acknowledged that in a few instances in history ecclesiastics have interfered unduly with what did not concern them--interfered1 that is1 not as citizens 7for that is their right1 in common with all other citizens7--but in the ,name of ,religion4 ,now that1 gentlemen1 is simply a thing of the past4 ,if secular rulers have learned by experience1 so have ecclesiastical rulers4 4 4 4 ,i have invited investigation into the history of the last hundred years2 and ,i have answered those few charges that have been brought--,i hope to your satisfaction4 7,there was a murmur of applause47 ,in secular matters1 therefore1 the ,church will be wholly on the side of liberty4 ,ecclesiastical authorities1 for example1 would be the first to welcome a repeal of legislation as regards heresy2 but1 on the other hand1 we fully recognize the right of a secular ,state to protect itself1 even by the death penalty1 against those who threaten the existence of the sanctions on which a secular ,state takes its stand4 ,we recognize her right1 ,i say2 but ,i do not mean by that that you will not find a majority of ecclesiastics who hold that it is1 to put it mildly1 a deplorable policy and very imperfectly ,christian4 ,however1 ,i have said all this before1 both in public and now again in answer to your questions2 and ,i think that1 at any rate so far as ,i am concerned1 ,i shall not be to blame if the nation accepts the proposed change under a misapprehension4 ,you see1 gentlemen1 the attempt that ended fifty years ago--the attempt that was called in its day ,protestantism--to establish a religion which was to be secondary in any sense to the ,state1 failed and failed lamentably1 in spite of the noble lives that were spent in labouring for such a compromise4 ,for it is the whole essence of a ,supernatural ,religion to be supreme in it own province--the very adjective asserts it2 and any endeavour to compromise on this entirely vital point is in itself a denial of the principle1 ,for a while this was not perceived4 ,men regarded the ,christian ,church--or rather1 that which they took to be the ,christian ,church--merely1 on its earthly side1 as an organization comparable to a ,state4 ,they did not seem to see that ,religion must always have a wider basis than any secular body1 since it deals with eternity as well as with time1 while the ,state1 professedly1 treats only of temporal things4 ,the consequence was either conflict1 whenever supernatural elements clashed with natural2 or else the subservience of ,religion1 and its consequent loss of prestige1 as well as of its supernatural character4 ,a ,national ,church1 therefore1 is a contradiction in terms1 since it asserts that that which is in its very nature larger than this world must yet be confined within the limits not only of this world1 but even of a part of it4 4 4 4 ,well1 ,i need not labour that point4 ,you grasped it1 gentlemen1 even before you were good enough to ask me to give evidence before this ,commission4 ,i felt it1 however1 only right that such conditions should be reiterated and recorded before matters went any farther4 ,the ,church1 therefore1 is perfectly content to remain as she has always remained in this country for the last four centuries--a free society governing the consciences of her children4 ,or she is content to take outwardly and officially that position which she has always1 at least tacitly1 claimed1 and to reassume her civil dignity and her civil responsibilities4 ,but she is not content to waive any of those ,divine ,rights with which her ,founder endowed her1 even in return for the greatest privileges2 still less is she content to receive those privileges under false pretences4 4 4 4 ,again the low murmur of applause broke out1 and three or four men shifted their positions slightly4 99 99 99 99 99 ,monsignor was conscious again1 suddenly and vividly1 of that double sense of unreality and of intense drama which he had felt so often before at critical moments4 ,it seemed to him amazing1 and yet more amazingly simple1 that such claims should be put in such words under such circumstances4 ,it was astounding that such things should be said1 and yet more astounding that they needed to be said1 for were they not1 after all1 the very elements of civil and religious relations8 4 4 4 ,there was something too in the voice of the invisible speaker that thrilled his very heart4 ,the tones were completely tranquil1 there were no gestures1 and the very face that spoke was unseen4 ,yet in the quiet fluency1 the note of absolute assurance1 there was a dominating appeal that was almost hypnotic in its effect4 ,he had perceived this characteristic of the ,cardinal often before2 he had noticed it first on that occasion on which1 for the first time in his knowledge1 he had come into his presence1 still staggered by the shock of his mental failure and recovery4 ,but he had never appreciated the strength of the personality so clearly4 ,the ,cardinal was no orator in the ordinary sense2 there was no thunder or pathos or drama in his manner4 ,but his complete assurance and the long1 gentle1 incisive sentences1 moving like rollers in a calm sea1 were more affecting than any passion could be4 4 4 4 ,it seemed to him now the very incarnation of that spirit of the ,church that at once attracted and repelled him--in its serenity1 its gentleness1 its reasonableness1 and its irresistible force4 99 99 99 99 99 ,then1 on a slightly higher note1 and with a perceptible increase of deliberation1 the voice went on4 ,i must add one word1 gentlemen4 ,i said just now that the ,church was content to be as she has recently been in this country--content1 that is1 so long as she continues to enjoy the liberty with which ,england endows her4 ,and perhaps1 as her chief minister in this country1 ,i ought to say no more4 ,but1 gentlemen1 ,i am an ,englishman as well as a ,catholic1 and ,i love ,england only less than ,i love the ,church4 ,i say frankly that ,i do love her less4 ,no man who has any principles that can be called religious can say otherwise4 ,i tell you plainly that should it come to be a choice between ,caesar and ,god--between the ,king and the ,pope--,i should throw myself at once on the side of ,christ and his ,vicar4 4 4 4 7,monsignor drew a breath4 ,it seemed to him that this was appallingly plain speaking4 ,he expected a murmur of remonstrance4 ,he glanced at the faces1 but there was no movement or change1 except that a young member suddenly smiled1 as with pleasure47 ,but ,i love ,england1 went on the voice1 passionately and devotedly4 ,and in spite of what ,i said just now ,i must add that1 as an ,englishman1 there is but one more thing that ,i desire for my country1 and that is that she may carry out that project on whose account you1 gentlemen1 have met to-day4 7,again a murmur of applause rose1 and sank again instantly47 ,you have kindly asked me to make this little speech1 and ,i do not wish to turn it into a sermon1 but ,i must conclude by saying that1 splendid as is the history of ,england in many points1 there is one black blot upon the page1 and that1 the act of hers by which she renounced ,christ's ,vicar1 by whom kings reign4 ,you have done justice at last in returning to us those possessions which our forefathers dedicated to ,god's service4 ,but there remains one more thing to do1 formally and deliberately1 as one kingdom1 to return to ,him who is ,king of kings4 ,i know it will come some day4 ,as individuals1 ,englishmen have already returned to ,him4 ,but a corporate crime must be expiated by corporate reparation1 and it is that reparation which has already waited too long4 ,i am an old man1 gentlemen4 ,that1 no doubt1 is why ,i have been so verbose1 but my one prayer for the last thirty years has been that that corporate reparation may be made within my own lifetime4 4 4 4 ,the voice suddenly trembled4 ,then the watcher saw the chair pushed back1 and the little scarlet cap1 covering the white hair1 rise above it4 ,simultaneously every man rose to his feet4 ,that is all1 gentlemen4 ,there was a moment's silence4 ,then the applause broke out4 ,it was not loud or noisy1 as there were scarcely two dozen men in the room1 yet it was astonishingly affecting1 just the tapping of hands on the table and a murmur of voices4 ,the ,cardinal silenced it by a gesture4 ,one word1 gentlemen4 4 4 4 ,i have said nothing of any opposition4 ,perhaps it would have been better if ,i had4 ,but ,i will only say this1 and it is something of a warning too4 ,i do not believe that this ,bill that is spoken of will necessarily mean peace4 ,i am aware of the dangers that are threatening2 perhaps ,i am even more aware of them than any other person present4 ,and yet1 for all that1 ,i am not in favour of delay4 ,he turned suddenly1 and with his long smooth step was at the door almost before ,monsignor had time to open it and step aside4 ,there was no time for any other man to speak4 ,the car had hardly moved off from the door before ,monsignor turned to his chief4 99 99 99 99 99 ,your ,eminence1 he said1 what was that about danger8 ,i did not understand4 ,the thin face was a little pale with the exertions of the speech1 as it turned to him in answer4 ,i will tell you that1 he said1 as soon as the ,bill becomes law4 ,,chapter ,,vi 7,i7 ,it was an astounding scene in which ,monsignor found himself1 six weeks later--extraordinary from the extreme quietness of it1 and the enormous importance of the issue for which they waited4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,cardinal and he had gone down to ,lord ,southminster's house on the coast of ,kent for three or four days to wait for the final news1 as it was wished to avoid the possibility of any dangerous excitement on the night of the division2 and it was thought that the ,cardinal's absence might be of service in preventing any formidable demonstration at ,westminster4 ,he was to return to ,london1 in the event of the ,bill passing1 on the following morning4 ,the situation was as follows3 ,a completely unexpected opposition had showed itself as soon as the ,bill was announced4 ,it was perfectly well known that this opposition was almost entirely artificial2 but it was so well engineered that there was grave doubt whether it might not affect the voting in the ,lower ,house4 ,the ,upper ,house1 it was notorious1 was practically unanimous in favour of the ,bill2 and there had been one or two unpleasant demonstrations outside the entrance to the ,second ,chamber4 ,the opposition was artificial--that is to say1 its activities were managed after the manner of a stage-army1 and the protesters were largely ,german2 but the crowds were so great1 and the genuineness of their opposition1 such as it was1 so obvious1 that very clear signs of wavering had become apparent1 even on the part of some of the more prominent ,ministers of the ,crown4 ,twice1 also1 during public appearances of the ,king1 who was well known as a strong advocate of the ,bill1 there had been considerable disturbances amongst the crowds4 ,all this had come1 of course1 to the ears of the ecclesiastical authorities far more forcibly than the world outside suspected4 ,there had been threatening letters2 twice the ,cardinal's carriage had been mobbed2 a dozen well-known priests had been molested in the public streets4 ,there had been meetings and consultations of all kinds2 there had even been a moment when it seemed as if the ,cardinal and the ,prime ,minister stood almost alone in their complete resolution4 4 4 4 ,it was not that any really responsible persons contemplated the abandonment of the ,bill2 but a party had almost been formed for its postponement1 in the hope that when once the opposition had been dissolved it would be difficult to reorganize it again4 ,on the other hand1 the resolutes stood for the assertion that just because things were really critical in ,germany--7in the state of affairs that followed the ,emperor's conversion7--it was now the time for ,england to advance2 that any hesitation shown now would be taken as a sign of weakness1 and that the ,socialists' cause would be thereby enormously advanced4 ,three or four results therefore were possible1 from the determination of the ,government to push the ,bill forward and to present it for its second reading this evening4 ,first1 it might pass triumphantly1 if the leaders could succeed in inspiring their followers with confidence4 ,secondly1 it might be rejected1 if the panic spread2 for1 under the new parliamentary system that had succeeded fifty years ago to the old ,party ,government1 it was impossible to reckon accurately on how members would ultimately vote4 ,thirdly1 it might pass with a narrow majority2 and in this event1 it was certain that a very long delay would follow before the ,upper ,house would have an opportunity of handing it on for the ,royal assent4 ,fourthly--well1 almost anything else might happen1 if the crowd1 assembled in ,parliament ,square1 and swelled every hour by new arrivals1 showed itself predominantly hostile4 4 4 4 ,lord ,southminster's house needs no description4 ,it is probably1 even to-day1 as well known as any place in ,england3 there is no guide book which does not give at least three or four pages to the castle1 as well as a few lines to the tiny historical seaside village beneath from which the marquisate derives its name4 ,and it was in the little dining-room that adjoined the hall that the man who had lost his memory found himself on this evening with half a dozen other men and a couple of ladies4 ,it was a small octagonal room1 designed in one of the towers that looked out over the sea2 panelled in painted wood and furnished with extreme plainness4 ,on one side a door opened upon the three little parlours that were used when the party was small2 at the back a lobby led into the old hall itself2 on the third side was the door used by the servants4 ,lord ,southminster himself was still a young man1 who had not yet married4 ,his grandfather had become a ,catholic in the reign of ,edward ,,vii2 and the whole house had reverted to the old religion under which it had been originally built1 with the greatest ease and grace4 ,the present owner was one of the rising politicians who were most determined to carry the ,bill through2 and he had already made for himself something of a reputation by his speeches in the ,upper ,house4 ,monsignor had met him half a dozen times already1 and thoroughly liked this fair-haired1 clean-shaven young man who was such a devoted adherent of the ,catholic cause4 ,a little silence had fallen after old ,lady ,southminster and her sister had gone out1 and it had been curious to notice how little had been said during dinner of the event that was proceeding in ,london4 ,half a dozen times already since they had sat down a silent man in the black gown of a secretary had slipped in with a printed slip of paper and laid it before the ,marquis and then disappeared again1 and it was astonishing how the conversation had ceased on the instant1 as the paper was read and passed round4 ,these messages had not been altogether reassuring4 ,the first was timed at #h4ac1 ,london1 and had been read before the clock chimed the quarter-past4 ,it ran3 ,,members ,,are ,,arriving ,,after ,,dinner4 ,,hazelton ,,mobbed ,,in ,,the ,,square4 ,the second1 ten minutes later1 ran3 ,,four ,,titanic-,,line ,,boats ,,from ,,germany ,,reported ,,in ,,sight4 ,,cordon ,,of ,,police-,,volors ,,completed4 ,the third3 ,,mob ,,reported ,,direction ,,of ,,hampstead4 ,,the ,,prime ,,minister ,,has ,,begun ,,his ,,speech4 ,,house ,,full4 ,the fourth1 fifth1 and sixth contained abstracts from the speech1 and added that it was becoming increasingly difficult to hear1 owing to the noise from outside4 ,twenty minutes had now elapsed and no further message had been received4 99 99 99 99 99 ,monsignor looked up at the ,victorian clock over the carved mantelpiece and glanced at his host4 ,the young man's eyes met his own4 ,it's twenty-five past nine1 said ,lord ,southminster4 ,the ,cardinal looked up4 ,he had not spoken for three or four minutes1 but otherwise had shown no signs of discomposure4 ,and the last message was just after nine8 he said4 ,the other nodded4 ,what time is the division expected8 ,not before midnight4 ,three guns will be fired1 as ,i said1 your ,eminence1 as soon as the division has taken place4 ,we shall know before my secretary will have time to cross the hall4 ,again there was silence4 99 99 99 99 99 ,outside the night was quiet4 ,the village itself lay1 spread out above the beach1 a hundred feet below the windows1 and the only sound was the steady lap and splash of the rollers upon the shingle4 ,the place was completely protected by the ,southminster estate from any encroachment of houses1 and even the station itself lay half a mile away inland4 ,monsignor looked again at the faces of those who sat with him4 ,opposite was ,lord ,southminster himself in the ordinary quiet evening dress of his class1 his guild-badge worn1 as the custom was1 like a star on his left breast4 ,his face showed nothing except an air of attention2 there was no excitement in it1 nor even suspense4 ,on his right sat the ,cardinal in his scarlet4 ,he was smiling gravely to himself1 and his lips moved slightly now and then4 ,at this moment he was playing gently with a walnut-shell that lay on his plate4 ,the three others showed more signs of excitement4 ,old ,general ,hartington1 who could remember being taken to ,london to see the festivities at the coronation of ,george ,v1 was leaning back in his chair frowning4 7,he had been reminiscent this evening in a rather voluble manner1 but had not uttered a word now for five minutes47 ,the chaplain had shifted round in his chair1 watching the door1 and the sixth man1 a cousin of the host1 who1 ,monsignor understood1 held some responsible post in the ,government volor service1 was sitting just now with his head in his hands4 ,still no one spoke4 ,the cousin pushed back his chair suddenly and went to the window4 ,well1 ,jack8 said the host4 ,nothing--just going to have a look at the weather4 ,he stood there1 having pulled back the curtain a little and unlatched the shutter1 looking out through the glass4 ,then ,lord ,southminster's reserve broke down4 ,if it's not done to-night1 he said abruptly1 ,god only knows----,well1 well4 ,it will be done to-night1 said the ,cardinal1 still without lifting his eyes4 ,certainly1 your ,eminence1 if nothing interferes2 but how can we be sure of that8 ,i know the ,government means business4 ,it's half an hour since the last message1 observed the ,general4 ,lord ,southminster got up suddenly and went to the lobby-door4 ,as he went the door into the parlours opened and his mother looked in4 ,any more news1 my son8 ,no1 mother4 ,i was just going to ask4 ,the old lady came forward as her son went out--a splendid old creature in her lace and jewels--active still and upright in spite of her years4 ,she made a little gesture as the men offered to move1 and went and leaned by the old-fashioned open fire-place1 such as her husband had put in at the restoration throughout the house4 ,your ,eminence1 can you reassure us8 she said1 smiling4 ,the ,cardinal1 too1 smiled as he turned in his chair4 ,i am confident the ,bill will pass1 he said4 ,but ,i do not know yet what the price will be4 ,your ,eminence means in ,england8 ,or elsewhere8 asked the chaplain abruptly4 ,in ,england and elsewhere1 father4 ,old ,lady ,jane ,morpeth appeared at this moment1 and the two ladies sat down on the high oak settle that screened the fire from the window4 ,they showed no signs of anxiety2 but ,monsignor perceived that their return at all to this room just now was significant4 ,simultaneously the young man came in again1 closing the door behind him4 ,our enquiries are not answered1 he said sharply4 ,we are trying to get into touch with another office4 ,no one spoke for a minute4 ,even to ,monsignor1 who still found it hard always to understand the communication-system of the time1 it was obvious that something must have happened4 ,he knew that ,southminster ,castle had been put into wireless touch with the great ,marconi office in ,parliament ,square1 and that a failure to be answered meant that something unexpected had happened4 ,but it was entirely impossible to conjecture for certain what this something might be4 ,that is serious8 remarked ,lady ,southminster1 without moving a muscle4 ,i suppose so1 said her son1 and sat down again4 ,then the man who was looking out of the window turned and came back into the room1 latching the shutters and putting the curtains into place4 ,well1 ,jack8 asked the ,general4 ,i have counted eight or nine volors1 he said2 usually there are only two at this time4 ,i went to look for them4 ,which way8 ,three this way and five the other4 ,monsignor did not dare to ask for an interpretation4 ,but he was aware that the air of tenseness in the room tightened up still further4 ,the ,general got up4 ,southminster1 he said1 ,i think ,i'll take a stroll outside if ,i may4 ,one might see something1 you know4 ,go up to the keep1 if you like4 ,there's a covered path most of the way up4 ,there's a look-out there1 you know4 ,i had one set in case the wireless failed4 ,at any rate1 they may see the rockets farther along the coast4 ,monsignor too stood up4 ,his restlessness increased every moment1 although he scarcely knew why4 ,may ,i come with you too8 he said4 ,will your ,eminence excuse me8 7,,ii7 ,the two said nothing as they went out through the dimly lighted hall4 ,overhead hung the old banners in the high wooden roof2 a great fire blazed on the hearth2 and under the musician's gallery at the farther end they saw the bright little window behind which sat the secretary4 ,they stopped here and peered in4 ,he was seated with his back to them before an instrument not altogether unlike an old-fashioned organ4 ,a long row of black keys was in front of him2 and half a dozen stops protruded on either side4 ,before him1 in the front1 a glass panel protected some kind of white sheet2 and as the priest looked in he could see a movement as of small bluish sparks playing upon this4 ,he had long ago made up his mind not to attempt to understand modern machinery2 and he had no kind of idea what all this meant1 beyond a guess that the keys were for sending messages1 and the white sheet for receiving them4 ,any news8 said the ,general suddenly4 ,the secretary did not move or answer4 ,his hands were before him1 hidden1 and he appeared entirely absorbed4 ,it must have been a minute before he turned round1 drawing out as he did so from before him a slip of paper like those he had already brought in4 ,this is from ,rye1 sir1 he said shortly4 ,they too have lost communication with ,parliament ,square4 ,that is all1 sir4 ,i must take this in at once4 ,the two passed on1 still without speaking2 and it was not until they were going slowly up the long covered staircase that ran inside the skirting wall that connected the keep with the more modern part of the castle that ,monsignor began---- ,i'm very ignorant1 he said4 ,can you tell me the possibilities8 ,the ,general paused before answering4 ,well1 he said1 the worst possibility is a riot1 engineered by the ,socialists4 ,if that is successful1 it means a certain delay of at least several years2 and1 at the worst1 it means that the ,socialists will increase enormously throughout ,europe4 ,and then anything may happen4 ,but ,i thought that all real danger was past1 and that the ,socialists were discredited4 ,certainly1 in one sense4 ,in every country1 that is to say1 they are in a negligible minority4 ,but if all these minorities are added together1 they are not negligible at all4 ,the ,cabinet has produced this ,bill suddenly1 as of course you know1 in order to prevent any large ,continental demonstration1 as this would certainly have a tremendous effect upon ,england4 ,but it seems that they've been organizing for months4 ,they must have known this was coming 4 4 4 ,and if the ,socialists fail8 ,well1 then they'll make their last stand in ,germany4 ,but you know this better than ,i do1 ,monsignor8 ,i know a good deal here and there1 confessed the other2 but ,i find it hard sometimes to combine it all4 ,i had an illness1 you know---- ,ah1 yes2 yes4 ,they paused for breath in an embrasure in the wall1 where a section of a half-tower supported the wall1 itself running down on to the cliff side4 ,a couple of windows gave a view of the sea1 now a dark gulf under the cloudy sky1 sprinkled with a few moving lights1 here and there1 of vessels going up or down the ,channel4 ,and suppose the ,bill passes8 began the priest4 ,if the ,bill passes1 we need fear nothing in ,england if it passes with a good majority4 ,you know ,government is an extraordinarily delicate machine nowadays2 and if the ,bill goes through really well1 it'll be an infallible sign that the country refuses to take alarm4 ,and if it fails1 or only narrowly passes--well1 it'll be the other way4 ,the whole work will have to be done again1 or at least begun---- ,he faced round suddenly4 ,monsignor1 he said1 ,i wouldn't say this to everyone4 ,but ,i tell you we're at a very critical moment4 ,these ,socialists are stronger than any one dreamed4 ,their organization is simply perfect4 ,do you know any of them8 ,i have met ,hardy4 ,that's a brilliant man1 you know4 ,they talked no more during the rest of the ascent1 until they emerged at last on to the top of the round keep1 where the old bonfires used to burn1 and where the old iron cradle1 used even now at coronations and great national events1 still thrust up its skeleton silhouette against the pale sky4 ,to the priest's surprise the silhouette was largely filled in4 ,a figure came towards them1 saluted1 and stood waiting4 ,eh8 ,who's this8 snapped the ,general4 ,the look out1 sir4 ,we've orders to watch ,rye4 ,why8 ,the wireless is out of communication1 sir4 ,his lordship arranged a week ago that there should be supplementary rockets4 ,where are the guns8 asked ,monsignor1 who was looking about him1 at the empty leads1 the battlemented parapet against the sky1 and then back at the servant's figure4 ,down below1 father4 ,they're to be fired from here if three white rockets go up4 ,while the two others still talked1 the priest went to the side and looked over1 again suddenly overwhelmed by the strangeness of the whole position4 ,once again there came on him the sense of irresponsible unreality4 4 4 4 ,he stared out1 hardly seeing that on which he looked3 the grey mass of the lower castle beneath with lighted windows1 at the blankness beyond1 again with the scattered lights--the nearer ones1 within what seemed a stone's throw1 along the village street--the farther ones1 infinitely remote1 out upon the invisible sea4 ,there again too1 far off across the land1 shone another cluster of lights1 seen rather as a luminous patch1 that marked ,rye4 ,there too1 eyes were watching2 there too it was felt that interests were at stake1 so vast and so unknown1 that heaven or hell might be within their limits4 ,he looked inland1 and there too was darkness1 but darkness unrelieved4 ,near at hand1 immediately below the bounding walls1 rose up the dark swelling outlines that he knew to be the woods of the park1 crowding up against the very castle walls themselves2 and beyond1 dimness after dimness1 to meet the sky4 4 4 4 ,it seemed to him incredible1 as he looked1 that things of such moment should be under way1 somewhere beyond that sleeping country2 and yet1 as his eyes grew accustomed to the night1 he could make out at last a faint glow in the sky to the north that marked the outskirts of that enormous city of which he was a citizen1 where such matters even now were approaching a decision4 ,for it was only little by little that he had become aware that a real crisis was at hand4 ,the ,cardinal had told him the facts1 indeed1 in the dispassionate1 tolerant manner that was characteristic of him2 but the point of view necessary to take them in as a coherent whole1 to see them1 not as isolated events1 but with the effect of the past upon them and their hidden implications and probabilities for the future--this needed that the observer should be of the temper and atmosphere of the time4 ,for prophecy just now was little better than feeling at outlines in the dark4 ,facts could be discerned and apprehended by all--and the priest was well aware of his own capacities in this--but their interpretation was another matter altogether4 4 4 4 ,he felt helpless and puzzled4 4 4 4 ,the ,general came towards him4 ,well1 he said1 anything to be seen8 ,nothing4 ,we may as well make our way down again4 ,there's nothing to be gained by stopping here4 ,as they made their way down again through the covered passage1 the ,general once more began to talk about the crisis4 ,monsignor had heard it all before2 but he listened for all that4 ,it seemed to him worth while to collect opinions2 and this soldier's very outspoken remarks cast a sort of sharp clarity upon the situation that the priest found useful4 ,the establishment of the ,church in ,england was being regarded on the ,continent as a kind of test case2 and even more by the ,anglo-,saxon countries throughout the world4 ,in itself it was not so vast a step forward as might be thought4 ,it would make no very radical changes in actual affairs1 since the ,church already enjoyed enormous influence and complete liberty4 ,but the point was that it was being taken as a kind of symbol by both sides2 and this explained on the one hand the tactics of the ,government in bringing it suddenly forward1 and the extraordinary zeal with which the ,socialists were demonstrating against it4 ,the more ,i think of it1 said the ,general1 the more---- ,monsignor stepped suddenly aside into the embrasure at which they had halted on the way up4 ,what's the matter8 ,i thought ,i saw---- ,the ,general uttered a sharp exclamation1 pressing his head over the priest's shoulder4 ,that's the second1 whispered the priest harshly4 ,together they waited1 staring out together through the tall1 narrow window that looked towards ,rye4 ,then for the third time there rose against the far-off horizon1 above that faint peak of luminosity that marked where ,rye watched over her marshes1 a thin line of white fire1 slackening its pace as it rose4 ,before it had burst in sparks1 there roared out overhead a deafening voice of fire and thunder1 shaking the air about them1 bewildering the brain4 ,then another4 ,then another4 ,beneath the two as they stood1 shaking with the shock1 silent and open-mouthed1 staring at one another1 in the courtyard a door banged2 then another2 and then a torrent of voices and footsteps as the servants and grooms poured out of the lower doors4 7,,iii7 ,two hours later the two ecclesiastics sat together1 on either side of the large table in the ,cardinal's room4 ,the ,cardinal passed over the sheets one by one as he finished them4 ,one set was being brought straight up here from the little office at the end of the hall4 ,another set1 they knew1 was simultaneously being read aloud by ,lord ,southminster in the hall below4 ,the guns had aroused even the most drowsy2 and the whole population1 village as well as castle1 had poured into the courtyard to hear the news4 ,monsignor sat and read sheet after sheet after his chief1 hopelessly trying to notice and remember the principal points of the report4 ,everything was recorded there--the assembling of the crowds1 the difficulty that the later members found in getting through into the ,house at all2 the breakdown of the police arrangements2 and the storming of the wireless station by an organized mob1 many of whom had been later put under arrest4 ,then there was the ,prime ,minister's speech1 recorded word by word in the machines1 and translated later1 by machinery instead of by human labour1 into terms of dots and dashes1 themselves transmitted again over miles of country1 and retranslated again by mechanical devices into these actual printed sheets that the two were reading4 ,the speech was given in full1 down to that tremendous scene when half the ,house1 distracted at last by the cries that grew nearer and nearer1 and the messengers that appeared and reappeared from outside1 had risen to its feet4 ,and then---- ,the ,cardinal leaned back suddenly1 with a swift indrawing of his breath that was almost the first sign of emotion that he had shown4 ,monsignor looked up4 ,the last two sheets were still under the ringed hand that lay upon the table4 ,well1 it's done1 said the ,cardinal softly1 almost as if talking to himself4 ,but it needed his last card4 ,your ,eminence8 ,the announcement as to the ,east1 went on the other1 with the same air4 ,i thank ,god it came in time4 ,your ,eminence1 ,i don't understand4 ,the ,cardinal looked at him full4 ,why1 he said1 the ,holy ,father was accepted as ,arbitrator of the ,east by the united ,powers this morning4 ,the news was in the ,prime ,ministers hands at six o'clock4 ,but ,i'm sorry he had to use it2 it would have been stronger without4 4 4 4 ,don't you understand1 ,monsignor8 ,the ,house would have refused to vote otherwise4 ,but it's finished--it's finished1 isn't it1 your ,eminence8 ,yes1 yes1 it's finished4 ,or had we better say it's begun4 ,now the last conflict begins4 4 4 4 ,now1 ,monsignor1 ,i'm afraid ,i must begin to dictate4 ,would you mind setting the phonographs8 99 99 99 99 99 ,from the hall beneath rose a sudden confusion of cheering and stamping of feet4 ,,part ,,iii ,,chapter ,i 7,i7 ,monsignor1 said the ,cardinal1 ,i am afraid ,i shall have to ask you to go1 after all4 ,it is extremely important that the ,catholic authorities in ,england should be represented in this scheme4 ,and ,i think1 you will have to travel with the first batch4 ,they leave ,queenstown on the first of ,april4 ,certainly4 ,and when shall ,i be back1 your ,eminence8 ,you must judge for yourself4 ,it will not be more than a month or six weeks at the outside1 and ,i dare say a good deal less4 ,it will depend on the temper of the settlers4 ,the ,american civil authorities will have the final arrangements4 ,but it is exceedingly important that the emigrants should have some one to speak for them2 and as1 of course1 the ,church will be believed to be really responsible1 it will be as well that an ecclesiastic should be their friend4 ,identify yourself with them as far as possible4 ,the civil authorities are sure to be inclined to be hard4 ,very good1 your ,eminence4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the scheme had come to birth very rapidly4 ,after the second reading of the ,establishment ,bill1 it had been taken for granted1 and rightly1 that the rest was but a matter of time1 and it was calculated that1 considering the ,government's attitude1 the ,bill would receive the royal assent before the end of the summer4 ,immediately1 therefore1 the more peaceable ,socialists had taken fright1 and in every ,european country had made representations that now that their last refuges in ,germany and ,england had been closed to them1 some arrangement ought to be made by which they could enjoy complete civil and religious liberty elsewhere4 ,the idea had been in the air1 of course1 for a considerable time4 ,there had been complaints on all sides that public opinion was too strong1 that ,socialists1 in spite of the protection given to them1 suffered a good deal in informal ways owing to their opinions1 and that some expedient would have to be found for their relief4 ,then ,america had come to the rescue1 openly and formally1 and had offered ,massachusetts1 which already had a large proportion of ,socialists in its population1 as a colony which would be tolerated as definitely socialistic4 ,christians would be warned that the new system would1 if the ,powers agreed1 be on definitely non-,catholic lines1 and that the immigration laws would be in future suspended with regard to ,massachusetts4 ,there were1 of course1 innumerable details still to be worked out1 but by the end of ,february the understanding was established1 and from every ,european country emigrant parties were arranged4 ,there was something almost attractive about the scheme to the popular mind4 ,it had been talked of for years before--this arrangement by which the ,socialists should have an opportunity of working out once more those old exploded democratic ideas to which they still clung so pathetically4 ,every child knew1 of course1 how fifty years before the experiment had been made in various places1 and how appalling tyranny had been the result--tyranny1 that is1 over those who1 in the ,socialist communities1 still held to ,individualism4 ,but what would happen1 the world indulgently wondered1 in a community where there were no ,individualists8 ,one of two things certainly would happen4 ,either the scheme would work and every democrat be satisfied1 or the theory would be reduced to a practical absurdity1 and the poison would be expelled for ever from the world's system4 ,besides1 if this asylum were once definitely secured and guaranteed by the assent of the ,powers1 the new heresy laws that were already coming to birth in ,germany1 that were already enforced with considerable vigour in the ,latin countries1 and were 7it was known7 being prepared and adapted for ,england--these could now go forward and be applied universally1 without any fear of undue severity4 ,it would1 once and for all1 get rid of those endless complaints as to ,christian injustice in silencing the free expression of infidel and socialistic ideas1 and offer them a refuge where such things could not only be discussed1 but put to the test of practice4 ,monsignor ,masterman himself was still in a state of personal indecision1 but he certainly welcomed this solution of some of his interior troubles1 and he had warmly supported the scheme at every opportunity he had4 ,but it was strange how he could not yet1 in spite of his efforts1 get rid of that deep discomfort which had been1 for a time1 lulled by his visit to ,ireland4 ,there was still1 deep down in his mind1 a sense that the ,christianity he saw round him1 and which he himself helped to administer1 was not the religion of its ,founder4 ,there was still an instinct which he could not eradicate1 telling that the essence of the ,christian attitude lay in readiness to suffer4 ,and he only saw round him1 so far as the public action of the ,church was concerned1 a triumphant ,government4 ,he could not conceal from himself a fear that the world and the ,church had1 somehow or other1 changed places4 4 4 4 ,however1 this new scheme was1 at any rate1 an act both of justice and mercy1 and he was very willing indeed--in fact he had actually proposed it more than once--to go himself with the first emigrants from ,england to ,massachusetts4 7,,ii7 ,in spite of all that he had seen in his journeys1 he still found an extraordinary fascination in watching the scene at ,queenstown1 as the great ,olympic-line volors1 each carrying three hundred passengers1 one by one made ready and left4 ,he himself was to leave in the last of the four4 ,from the stage erected at the end of the long headland to the south of the town1 he could see the harbour on his right1 closed in by the city itself1 rising up from the water's edge to the huge cathedral1 finished fifty years before2 and on his left the open sea4 ,it was a brilliant spring morning2 the air1 just charged with moisture and soaked by sunlight1 was a radiant medium through which the city sparkled on one side and the long1 low rollers shone on the other1 discharging themselves against the foot of the rocks four hundred feet below where he stood4 ,sea-birds wheeled and screamed about him1 tilting and sliding up the slopes of the fresh west wind2 but he noticed that as the first volor detached itself and slid out over the sea1 pausing for an instant to head round to the compass1 as if by magic every bird was gone3 he could see them far away1 white dots skimming inland as if for protection4 ,these ,transatlantic volors were incalculably in advance of any he had seen before4 ,he turned1 as the first moved out1 its long upper and lower decks lined with watching1 silent faces--of whom the great majority were those of men--and asked for a little information from the genial ,irish canon who had come from the cathedral with him1 to see him start4 ,they are eight hundred feet long1 he said1 and limited to three hundred passengers4 ,of course there's the crew and stewards besides4 ,the crossing varies from thirty-six to forty-eight hours4 4 4 4 ,yes1 transhipments are sometimes made during the voyage2 but it's not usual4 ,it involves a good deal of delay4 ,monsignor listened as the talk went on1 gathering a few facts here and there--the topographical reasons why ,queenstown was still retained1 as in the days of the old steamships1 for a principal port1 in spite of the transformation of ,ireland2 the total weight of the boats when the gas was out of them2 above all1 the incredible speed that could be attained and kept up1 with a good following wind4 ,he learned also how1 by the very rigid laws of air-way1 enforced now by all nations under very heavy penalties1 the danger of collisions was practically abolished2 and so forth4 ,the canon talked fluently and well2 but the mass of new information was so great1 and the interest of watching so intense1 that the enquirer's attention wandered a good deal4 ,he was watching the crowd of emigrants1 two hundred feet below on the ground1 seen through the spidery framework of the stage1 railed off into a circle1 surrounded by barriers that kept out the onlookers1 and diminishing visibly as he watched1 as the full platform flew up to the embarking stage just below where he stood and the empty platforms descended again4 ,the murmur of talking came up to him like the buzz of a hive4 ,he understood that he was assisting at an historical event4 ,for to-day practically marked1 in ,england at any rate1 the practical recognition of the two principles which up to now had been found1 from their mutual irreconcilability1 the cause of practically all the wars1 all the revolutions1 all the incessant human quarrels and conflicts1 of which history was chiefly composed--their recognition and their adjustment4 ,these two principles were the liberty of the individual and the demands of society4 ,on one side1 every man had a certain inherent right to demand freedom2 on the other1 the freedom of one individual was usually found to mean the servitude of another4 ,the solution1 he began to think1 had arrived at last from the recognition that there were1 after all1 only two logical theories of government3 the one1 that power came from below1 the other1 that power came from above4 ,the infidel1 the ,socialist1 the materialist1 the democrat1 these maintained the one2 the ,catholic1 the ,monarchist1 the ,imperialist maintained the other4 ,for the two1 he perceived1 rose ultimately from two final theories of the universe3 the one was that of ,monism--that all life was one1 gradually realizing itself through growth and civilization2 the other that of ,creation--that a ,transcendent ,god had made the world1 and delegated ,his sovereign authority downwards through grade after grade4 ,so he meditated1 remembering also that the former theory was rapidly disappearing from the world4 ,these ,socialist colonies were not to be eternal1 after all3 they were but temporary refuges for minds that were behind the age4 ,probably another century or two would see their disappearance4 ,the second and third boats started almost simultaneously1 each suddenly sliding free from either side of the stage4 ,there was a ringing of bells2 one boat1 he saw1 shot ahead in a straight line1 the other curved out southwards4 ,he watched the second4 ,it resembled to his eyes a gigantic dragon-fly--a long gleaming body1 ribbed and lined1 blazing and winking in the spring sunlight1 moving in a mist of whirling wings4 ,from the angle at which he watched its curve1 it seemed now to hang suspended1 diminishing to the eye1 now shooting suddenly ahead4 4 4 4 ,there it hung again1 already a mile away1 as if poised and considering1 then with increasing speed it moved on and on1 like a line of brilliant light2 little metallic taps sounded across the water2 it met the horizon1 rose above it1 darkened1 again flashed suddenly4 4 4 4 ,he turned to look for the other2 but1 so far as he could see1 the huge blue arc was empty4 ,he turned again2 and the third too was gone4 ,a great ringing of bells sounded suddenly beneath him4 ,you've got your luggage on board1 ,monsignor8 4 4 4 ,well1 you'd better be going on board yourself4 ,she'll start in five minutes4 7,,iii7 ,the arrival at ,boston harbour was one more strange experience1 and the more strange because the man who had lost his memory knew that he was coming into a civilization which1 although utterly unknown to him by experience1 yet had in his anticipation a curious sense of familiarity4 ,they had met with westerly gales1 and although the movement of the ship seemed wholly unaffected 7so perfect was the balancing system71 yet the speed was comparatively low1 and it was not until shortly before dawn on the second day that they came in sight of the ,american coast4 ,monsignor woke early that morning1 and after lying and listening for half an hour or so to the strange little sounds with which the air was full--the steady rush of wind like a long hush2 the shivering of some tiny loose scale in one of the planes outside his window2 a minute inexplicable tapping beneath the floor of his cabin--all those sounds so unidentifiable by the amateur1 and yet so suggestive--he got up1 dressed1 and went across to the oratory1 where he had said ,mass on the previous morning1 to say his prayers4 ,when he had finished he came out again1 went upstairs1 and along to the end of the ship1 whence from a protected angle he could look straight ahead4 ,the lights were all on1 as the sun was not yet up1 and the upper deck1 except for a patrolling officer1 was entirely empty4 ,for a while he could make out little or nothing beyond the jutting prow beneath him1 itself also illuminated1 and various outlines and silhouettes of devices and rigging which even now he did not properly understand4 ,then1 as his eyes grew accustomed to the dark1 he began to see4 ,beneath him flitted a corrugated leaden surface1 flecked occasionally with white1 which he knew to be water1 eight hundred feet at least below1 and once he caught a glimpse of a flattened-looking1 fish-shaped object1 which went again in an instant1 lighted interiorly1 which he guessed to be a coasting steamer4 ,before him nothing at first was visible except an enormous gulf of gloom1 but presently1 as the dawn came on behind1 this gulf became tinged with a very faint rosy colour in its upper half1 enabling him to distinguish sea from sky1 and almost immediately afterwards the sea itself turned to a livid pale tinge under the glowing light4 ,the next thing that he noticed was that the edge of the sea against the sky began to look irregular and blotted1 a little lumpy here and there1 and as he looked this lumpiness grew and rose higher4 ,he turned as the step of the officer sounded close to him4 ,that's land1 ,i suppose8 he said4 ,yes1 father2 we shall be in by half-past five4 4 4 4 ,beg your pardon1 father1 are you staying long8 ,monsignor shook his head4 ,that depends on a hundred things1 he said4 ,curious idea this colony2 but ,i dare say it's best4 ,monsignor smiled and said nothing4 99 99 99 99 99 ,interiorly his heart had been sinking steadily during the journey4 ,he had mixed freely with the emigrants1 and had done his best to make friends2 yet there was something not only in their attitude to him--for though they were respectful enough1 they were absolutely impervious to any advances1 seeming to regard him as independent but rather timid children might look upon a strange schoolmaster--but in their whole atmosphere and outlook that was a very depressing change from the curious1 impassive1 but alert and confident air to which he had grown accustomed among the priests and people with whom he mixed4 ,the one thing that seemed to interest them was to discuss methods of government and the internal politics of their future life in ,massachusetts4 ,they asked a few questions about crops and soil2 he even heard one group in animated conversation on the subject of schools1 but the talk dropped as soon as he attempted to join in it4 ,they all talked ,english too1 he noticed4 ,yet though the atmosphere seemed to him very ungenial1 it appeared to him not altogether new2 there appeared1 somewhere in the back of his mind1 to be even an element of sympathy4 ,he felt almost like one who1 having climbed out of a pit to the fresh air1 looks back at others who not only live in the pit1 but are content to live there4 ,for the world in which he had now consciously lived for the last twelve months was1 in spite of the sharp rigidity and certitude and inexorable logic from which he shrank1 undoubtedly a place of large horizons4 ,in fact it seemed as if there were no horizons4 ,on all sides there stretched out illimitable space1 for eternity 7with its corollaries7 was fully as effective in it as was time4 ,those with whom he mixed1 however little he might share their emotions1 at any rate talked as if death was no more than an incident in life4 ,secretly he distrusted the reality of this confidence2 but at least it appeared to be there4 ,but with these folks all was different4 ,these frankly made their plans for this world1 and this world only4 ,good government1 stability1 good bodily health1 the propagation and education of children1 equality in possessions and opportunities--these were their ideas of good2 and better government1 greater stability1 more perfect health1 grandchildren and great-grandchildren1 and more uniform equality1 their ideals4 ,so he pondered1 over and over again1 trying to understand why it was that he was at home with neither party4 ,with his old friends he felt himself incapable of their certitudes and aspirations2 with these new people1 viewed for the first time en masse1 he felt life resting on him like a stifling blanket4 ,he told himself bitterly that he resembled the child's ,amphibian1 which could not live on the land and died in the water4 ,he watched mechanically the vault of heaven broaden and brighten with the sunrise behind1 and the waste beneath presently to show lines and patches and enclosures as they approached ,boston harbour4 ,and his heart sank as each mile was passed1 and as presently against the clear sky there stood up the roofs and domes and chimneys of the socialistic ,canaan4 7,,iv7 ,it was three or four days before he could again form any coherent picture to himself of what this new life would mean when once it was really under way4 ,he was lodged in the ,government buildings1 adapted a few years before from the old temple of the ,christian ,scientists2 and each day in the rotunda he sat hour after hour with keen-faced ,americans1 and the few ,europeans who had accompanied the emigration boats that now streamed in continually4 ,he flung himself into the dreary work1 such as it was1 with all his power2 for though he had little responsibility1 he was there as the accredited agent of the ,english ecclesiastical authorities1 and his business was to show as much alacrity and sympathy as possible4 ,the city was1 indeed1 a scene of incredible confusion2 and a very strong force of police was needed to prevent open friction between the belated and aggrieved ,catholics for whom ,boston would in future be impossible as a home1 and who had not yet faced the need of migrating1 and the new1 very dogmatic inhabitants who already regarded the city as their own4 ,all legal arrangements had1 of course1 been made before the first emigrants set foot on the continent2 but the redistribution of the city1 the sale of farms1 the settling of interminable disputes between various nationalities--all these things1 sifted although they were through agents and officials1 yet came up to the central board in sufficient numbers to occupy the members for a full nine hours a day4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it was at the end of the fourth day that ,monsignor went round the city in a car1 partly to get some air1 and partly to see for himself how things were settling down4 ,of course1 as he told himself afterwards1 he scarcely had a fair opportunity of judging how a ,socialist ,state would be when the machinery was in running order4 ,yet it seemed to him that1 making all allowances for confusion and noise and choked streets and the rest1 underneath it all was a spirit strangely and drearily unlike that to which he was becoming accustomed in ,europe4 ,the very faces of the people seemed different4 ,he stopped for a while in the quarter to which the ,english had been assigned--that which in old ,boston had been1 he learned1 the ,italian quarter4 ,here1 in the little square where he halted1 everything was surprisingly in order4 ,the open space1 paved with concrete1 was unoccupied by any signs of moving in2 the houses were trim and neat1 new painted for the most part2 and people seemed to be going about their business with an air of quiet orderliness4 ,certainly ,american arrangements1 he thought1 were marvellously efficient1 enabling as they did some fifteen hundred persons to settle down into new houses within the space of four days4 7,he had learned something1 while he sat on the central board1 of the elaborate system of tickets and officials and enquiry offices by which such miraculous swiftness had been made possible47 ,here at least they were an orderly population1 going in and out of the houses1 visiting in one corner of the square the vast general store that had been provided beforehand1 presenting their pledges1 which1 at any rate for the present1 were to take the place of the ,european money that the emigrants had brought with them4 ,he halted the car here1 and leaning forward1 began to look round him carefully4 ,the first thing that struck him was a negative emotion--a sense that something external was lacking4 ,he presently perceived what this was4 ,in ,european towns1 one of the details to which he had become by now altogether accustomed was the presence1 in every street or square at which he looked1 of some emblem or statue or picture of a religious nature4 ,here there was nothing4 ,the straight pavements ran round the square2 the straight houses rose from them1 straight-windowed and straight-doored4 ,all was admirably sanitary and clean and wholesome4 ,he could see through the windows of the house opposite which his car was drawn up the clean walls within1 the decent furniture1 and the rest4 ,but there was absolutely nothing to give a hint of anything beyond bodily health and sanitation and decency4 ,in ,london1 or ,lourdes1 or ,rome there would at least have been a reminder--to put it very mildly--of other possibilities than these3 of a ,heavenly ,mother1 a ,suffering ,man2 a hint that solid animal health was not the only conceivable ideal4 ,it was a tiny detail2 he blamed himself for noticing it4 ,he reminded himself that here1 at any rate1 was real liberty as he had conceived it4 ,he began to scrutinize the faces of the passers-by1 sheltering himself behind his elbow that he might not be noticed--appearing as if he were waiting for some one4 ,women passed by1 strong-faced and business-like2 men came up and passed1 talking in twos or threes4 ,he even watched for some while a couple of children who sat gravely together on a doorstep4 7,that reminded him of the meeting of to-morrow1 when certain educational matters had to be finally decided2 he remembered the proposed curriculum1 sketched out in some papers that he had to study this evening--an exceedingly sound and useful curriculum1 calculated to make the pupils satisfactorily informed persons47 ,again and again he told himself that it was fancy that made him see in the faces of these people--people1 it must be remembered1 who were not commonplace1 but rather enthusiasts for their cause1 since they preferred exile to a life under the ,christian system--that made him see a kind of blankness and heaviness corresponding to that which the aspect of their street presented4 ,many of the faces were intellectual1 especially of the men--there was no doubt of that2 and all were wholesome-looking and healthy1 just as this little square was sensibly built and planned1 and the houses soundly constructed4 ,yet1 as he looked at them en masse1 and compared them with his general memories of the type of face that he saw in ,london streets1 there was certainly a difference4 ,he could conceive these people making speeches1 recording votes1 discussing matters of public interest with great gravity and consideration2 he could conceive them distributing alms to the needy after careful and scientific enquiry1 administering justice2 he could imagine them even1 with an effort1 inflamed with political passion1 denouncing1 appealing4 4 4 4 ,but it appeared to him 7to his imagination rather1 as he angrily told himself7 that he could not believe them capable of any absolutely reckless crime or reckless act of virtue4 ,they could calculate1 they could plan1 they had almost mechanically perfect ideas of justice2 they could even love and hate after their kind4 ,but it was inconceivable that their passion1 either for good or evil1 could wholly carry them away4 ,in one word1 there was no light behind these faces1 no indication of an incomprehensible ,power greater than themselves1 no ideal higher than that generated by the common sense of the multitude4 ,in short1 they seemed to him to have all the impassivity of the ,christian atmosphere1 with none of its hidden fire4 ,he gave the signal presently for the driver to move on1 and himself leaned back in his seat with closed eyes4 ,he felt terribly alone in a terrible world4 ,was the whole human race1 then1 utterly without heart8 ,had civilization reached such a pitch of perfection--one part through supernatural forces1 and the other through human evolution--that there was no longer any room for a man with feelings and emotions and an individuality of his own8 ,yet he could no longer conceal from himself that the other was better than this--that it was better to be heartless through too vivid a grasp of eternal realities1 than through an equally vivid grasp of earthly facts4 99 99 99 99 99 ,as he reached the door of the great buildings where he lodged1 and climbed wearily out1 the porter ran out1 hat in hand1 holding a little green paper4 ,monsignor1 he said1 this arrived an hour ago4 ,we did not know where you were4 ,he opened it there and then4 ,it contained half a dozen words in code4 ,he took it upstairs with him1 strangely agitated1 and there deciphered it4 ,it bade him leave everything1 come instantly to ,rome1 and join the ,cardinal4 ,,chapter ,,ii 7,i7 ,there was dead silence on the long staircase of the ,vatican1 leading up to the ,cardinal ,secretary's rooms1 as ,monsignor toiled up within half an hour of his arrival at the stage outside the city4 ,a car was in waiting for him there1 had whirled him first to the old palace where he had stayed nine months ago with ,father ,jervis2 and then1 on finding that ,cardinal ,bellairs had been unexpectedly sent for to the ,vatican1 he had gone on there immediately1 according to the instructions that had been left with the majordomo4 ,he knew all now2 wireless messages had streamed in hour after hour during the flight across the ,atlantic4 ,at ,naples1 where the volor had first touched land1 the papers already mentioned full and exhaustive accounts of the outbreak1 with the latest reports2 and by the time that he reached ,rome he was as well informed of the real facts of the case as were any who were not in the inner circle of those who knew4 ,the ,swiss guard presented his fantastic halberd1 as he passed in panting after his climb2 a man in scarlet livery took his hat and cloak2 another preceded him through the first anteroom1 where an ecclesiastic received him2 and with this priest he passed on through the second and third rooms up to the door of the inner chamber4 ,the priest pushed the door open for him and he went in alone2 the door closed noiselessly behind him4 ,the room was the same as that which he remembered1 all gold and red damask1 lighted from the roof1 with the great brass-inlaid writing table at the farther end1 and the broad settee against the right-hand wall1 but it seemed to him in his apprehensiveness that the solemnity was greater and the hushed silence even deeper4 ,two figures sat side by side on the settee1 each in the scarlet ferraiuola of ceremony4 ,one1 ,cardinal ,bellairs1 looked up at him and nodded1 even smiling a little2 the other stood up and bowed slightly1 before extending his hand to be kissed4 ,this second figure was a great personality--,italian by birth1 an extraordinary linguist1 a very largely made man1 both stout and tall1 with a head of thick and perfectly white hair4 ,he had been a ,papabile at the last election2 and1 it was thought1 was certain of the papacy some day1 even though it was unusual that a ,secretary of ,state should succeed4 ,he had a large1 well-cut face1 rather yellowish in colour1 with very bright1 half-veiled black eyes4 ,monsignor kissed the ring without genuflecting1 as the custom was in the ,vatican1 and sat down on the chair indicated4 ,no one spoke for a moment4 ,how much have you heard1 ,monsignor8 asked ,cardinal ,bellairs abruptly4 ,i have heard that the ,socialists have seized ,berlin and the ,emperor2 that the city is fortified2 that there have been two massacres2 and that the ,emperor's life is threatened unless the ,powers grant all the terms asked within 4 4 4 within four days from now4 ,have you heard of the death of ,prince ,otteone8 ,no1 your ,eminence4 ,prince ,otteone was executed last night1 said the ,cardinal simply4 ,he begged to go as the representative of the ,holy ,father to treat for terms4 ,they said they were not there to treat1 but to grant terms4 ,and they say that they will do the same for every envoy who does not bring a message of complete submission4 ,that will be known everywhere by midday4 ,again there was silence4 ,the ,cardinal ,secretary glanced from one face to the other1 as if hesitating4 ,monsignor made no attempt to speak4 ,he knew that was not his business4 ,can you guess why ,i have sent for you1 ,monsignor8 ,no1 your ,eminence4 ,i am leaving for ,berlin myself to-night4 ,the ,holy ,father kindly allows me to do so4 ,i wish to leave some instructions about ,english affairs before ,i go4 ,for a moment the priest's mind was unable to take in all the significance of this4 ,the ,cardinal's air was of one who announces that he is going into the country for a few days4 ,there was not the faintest sign even of excitement in his manner or voice4 ,before the priest could speak the ,cardinal went on4 ,your ,eminence1 ,i have told you what confidence ,i rest in ,monsignor ,masterman4 ,he has all the affairs of the ,english ,church in his hands4 ,and ,i desire that1 if possible1 he should be appointed ,vicar-,capitular in the event of my death4 ,the ,secretary of ,state bowed4 ,i am sure---- he began4 ,your ,eminence1 cried the priest suddenly1 it's impossible 4 4 4 it's impossible4 ,the ,englishman looked at him sharply4 ,it is what ,i wish1 he said4 ,monsignor collected himself with a violent effort4 ,he could not1 even afterwards1 trace the exact process by which he had arrived so swiftly at his determination4 ,he supposed it was partly the drama of the situation--the sense that big demands were in the air2 partly nervous excitement2 partly a certain distaste with life that was growing on him2 but chiefly and foremost a passionate and devoted affection for his chief1 which he had never till this instant suspected in himself4 ,he only perceived1 as clearly as in a vision1 that this gallant old man must not be allowed to go alone1 and that he--he who had criticized and rebelled against the brutality of the world--must go with him4 ,your ,eminence1 he said1 it is impossible1 because ,i must come with you to ,berlin4 ,the ,cardinal smiled and lifted his hand1 as if to an impetuous child4 ,my dear fellow---- ,monsignor turned to the other4 ,he felt cool and positive1 as if a breeze had fanned away his excitement4 ,you understand1 your ,eminence1 do you not8 ,it is impossible that the ,cardinal should go alone4 ,i am his secretary4 ,i can arrange everything with 4 4 4 with the ,rector of the ,english ,college here1 if there is no one else4 ,that is right1 is it not1 your ,eminence8 ,the ,italian hesitated4 ,prince ,otteone went alone---- he began4 ,exactly4 ,and there were no witnesses4 ,that must not happen again4 ,there was an obvious answer1 but no one made it4 ,cardinal ,bellairs stood up1 lifting himself with his stick4 ,it is very good of you1 he said quietly4 ,i understand why you make the offer4 ,but it is impossible4 ,monsignor1 will you talk with ,his ,eminence a little8 ,there are one or two things he wishes to tell you4 ,i have to see the ,holy ,father1 but ,i will be with you again soon4 ,the priest stood up too4 ,i must come with you to ,his ,holiness1 he said4 ,i will abide by his decision4 ,the other shook his head1 again smiling almost indulgently4 ,monsignor turned swiftly to the ,italian4 ,your ,eminence1 he said1 will you get this favour for me8 ,i must see the ,holy ,father after ,cardinal ,bellairs has seen him1 since ,i may not go with him4 ,the ,english ,cardinal turned with a little abrupt movement and stood looking at him4 ,there was a silence4 ,well--come1 he said4 7,,ii7 ,the contrast between these two great ,princes of the ,church and their ,lord and ,master struck ,monsignor very strongly1 in spite of his excitement1 as he followed his chief into the ,pope's room1 and saw an almost startlingly commonplace man1 of middle size1 rise up from the table at which he was writing4 ,he was a ,frenchman1 ,monsignor knew1 and not an exceptional ,frenchman4 ,there was nothing sensational or even impressive about his appearance1 except his white dress and insignia2 and even these1 upon him1 seemed somehow rather tame and ordinary4 ,his voice1 when he spoke presently1 was of an ordinary kind of pitch and his speaking rather rapid2 his eyes were a commonplace grey1 his nose a little fleshy1 and his mouth completely undistinguished4 ,he was1 in short1 completely unlike the ,pope of fiction and imagination2 there was nothing of the ,pontiff about him in his manner4 ,he might have been a clean-shaven business man of average ability1 who had chosen to dress himself up in a white cassock and to sit in an enormous room furnished in crimson damask and gold1 with chandeliers1 at a rather inconvenient writing-desk4 ,even at this dramatic moment ,monsignor found himself wondering how in the world this man had risen to the highest office on earth4 7,he had been the son of a postmaster in ,tours1 the priest remembered47 ,the ,pope murmured an unintelligible greeting as the two1 after kissing his ring1 sat down beside the writing-table4 ,so you have come to take your leave1 your ,eminence8 he began4 ,we should all be very grateful for your willingness to go4 ,god will reward you4 ,plainly it must be a ,cardinal this time1 ,holy ,father1 said the ,englishman1 smiling4 ,we have still four days4 ,and one of my nationality has affinity with the ,germans1 and yet is not one of them1 as ,i remarked to your ,holiness last night4 ,besides1 ,i am getting an old man4 ,there was nothing whatever of the gallant poseur in his manner1 whatever were the words4 ,monsignor perceived that somehow or another these persons stood in an attitude towards death that was beyond his comprehension altogether4 ,they spoke of it lightly and genially4 ,eh well1 said the ,pope1 it is decided so4 ,you go to-night8 ,yes1 ,holy ,father1 it is absolutely necessary for me to arrange my affairs first4 ,i have chartered a private volor4 ,one of my own servants has volunteered to drive it4 ,but there is one more matter before ,i receive your ,holiness' instructions4 ,this priest here1 my secretary1 ,monsignor ,masterman1 wishes to come with me4 ,i ask your ,holiness to forbid that4 ,i wish him to be ,vicar-,capitular of my diocese1 if possible1 in the event of my death4 ,the ,pope glanced across at the priest4 ,why do you wish to go1 ,monsignor8 ,do you understand to what you are going8 ,holy ,father1 ,i understand everything4 ,i wish to go because it is not right that the ,cardinal should go alone4 ,let there be a witness this time4 ,the ,rector of the ,english ,college here can receive all necessary instructions from ,his ,eminence and myself4 ,and you1 ,eminence8 ,i do not wish him to go because there is no need why two should go1 ,holiness4 ,one can carry the message as well as two4 ,there was silence for a moment4 ,the ,pope began to play with a pen that lay before him4 ,then ,monsignor burst out again4 ,holy ,father1 ,i beg of you to let me go4 ,i am afraid of death2 4 4 4 that is one reason why ,i should go4 ,i am crippled mentally2 my memory left me a few months ago2 it may leave me again1 and this time helpless and useless4 ,and it is possible that ,i may be of some service4 ,two are better than one4 ,for a moment the ,pope said nothing4 ,he had glanced up curiously as the priest had said that he was afraid of death4 ,then he had looked down again1 his lips twitching slightly4 ,eh well1 he said4 ,you shall go if you wish it4 7,,iii7 ,there was only a very small group of people collected to see the second envoy leave for ,berlin4 ,the hour and place of starting had been kept secret1 on purpose to avoid a crowd2 and beyond three or four from the ,english ,college1 with half a dozen private friends of the ,cardinal1 a few servants1 and perhaps a dozen passers-by who had collected below in curiosity at seeing a racing-volor attached to one of the disused flying stages on the hill behind the ,vatican--no one else1 in the crowds that swarmed now in the streets and squares of ,rome1 was even certain that an envoy was going1 still less of his identity4 ,monsignor found himself1 ten minutes before the start1 standing alone on the alighting-stage1 while the ,cardinal still talked below4 ,as he stood there1 now looking out over the city1 where beneath the still luminous sky the lights were already beginning to kindle1 and where in one or two of the larger squares he could make out the great crowds moving to and fro--now staring at the long and polished sides of the racing boat that swayed light as a flower with the buoyancy of the inrushing gas--as he saw all these things with his outward eyes1 he was trying to understand something of the new impulses and thoughts that surged through him4 ,he could have given little or no account of the reasons why he was here2 of his hopes or fears or expectations4 ,he was as one who watches on a sheet shadow-figures whirl past confusedly1 catching a glimpse here of a face or body1 now of a fragmentary movement1 that appeared to have some meaning--yet grasping nothing of the intention or plan of the whole4 ,or1 even better1 he was as one caught in a mill-race1 tossed along and battered1 yet feeling nothing acutely1 curious indeed as to what the end would be1 and why it had had a beginning1 yet fundamentally unconcerned4 ,the thing was so3 there was no more to be said4 ,he knew that it was necessary that he should be here1 about to start for almost certain death1 as that his soul should be inhabiting his body4 ,but even all these recent happenings had not as yet illuminated him in the slightest as to the real character of the world that he found so bewildering4 ,he felt1 vaguely1 that he ought to have by now all the pieces of the puzzle1 but he was still as far as ever from being able to fit them into a coherent whole4 ,he just perceived this--and no more--that the extraordinary tranquillity of these ,catholics in the presence of death was a real contribution to the problem--as much as the dull earthliness of the ,socialist colony in ,america4 ,it was not merely ,dom ,adrian in particular who had been willing to die without perturbation or protest2 his judges and accusers seemed just as ready when their turn came4 ,and he--he who had cried out at ,christian brutality1 who had judged the world's system by his own and found it wanting--he feared death2 although1 so far his fear had not deterred him from facing it4 ,he took his place in the narrow cabin in the same mood1 following the ,cardinal in after the last good-byes had been said4 ,it was a tiny place1 fitted with a single padded seat on either side covered with linen and provided with pillows2 a narrow table ran up the centre2 and strong narrow windows looked directly from the sides of the boat4 ,a stern platform1 railed in and provided with sliding glass shutters1 gave room to take a few steps of exercise2 but the front of the boat was entirely occupied with the driver's arrangements4 ,it was a comparatively new type of boat1 he learned from some one with whom he had talked just now1 used solely for racing purposes2 and its speed was such that they would find themselves in ,berlin before morning4 ,the stern door was swung to by one who leaned from the stage4 ,still through the glass the ,cardinal smiled out at his friends and waved his hand4 ,then a bell struck1 a vibration ran through the boat1 the stage outside lined with faces suddenly swayed and then fell into space4 ,the ,cardinal laid his hand on the priest's knee4 ,now let us have a talk1 he said4 7,,iv7 ,the air that breathed down from the ,alps was beginning to cloud the windows of the cabin before they had finished talking4 ,the man who had lost his memory1 under the tremendous stress of an emotion of which he was hardly directly conscious at all--the emotion generated by the knowledge that every whistling mile that fled past brought him nearer an almost certain death--had experienced a kind of sudden collapse of his defences such as he had never contemplated4 ,he had told everything straight out to this quiet1 fatherly man--his terrors1 his shrinking from the unfamiliar atmosphere of thought to which he had awakened1 it seemed1 a few months before1 his sense that ,christianity had lost its spirit1 and1 above all1 the strange absence of any definite religious emotion in himself4 ,he found this difficult to put into words2 he had hardly realized it even to himself4 ,the ,cardinal put one question4 ,and yet you are facing death on the understanding that it is all true8 ,i suppose so4 ,very well1 then4 ,that is faith4 ,you need say no more4 ,you have been to confession8 ,this afternoon4 ,the old man was silent for a moment4 ,as to the unreality1 the feeling that the ,church is heartless1 ,i think that is natural4 ,you had a violent mental shock in your illness4 ,that means that your emotions are very sensitive1 almost to the point of morbidness4 ,well1 the heart of the ,church is very deep1 and you have not found it yet4 ,that does not greatly matter4 ,you must keep your will fixed4 ,that is all that ,god asks4 4 4 4 ,i think it is true that the ,church is hard1 in a certain sense2 or shall we call it a ,divine strength8 ,it is largely a matter of words4 ,she has had that strength always4 ,once it nerved her to suffer2 now it nerves her to rule4 ,but ,i think you would find that she could suffer again4 ,your ,eminence6 cried the priest lamentably1 ,i am beginning to see that4 4 4 4 ,yourself4 4 4 4 ,prince ,otteone4 4 4 4 ,the ,cardinal lifted his hand4 ,of myself we need not speak4 ,i am an old man1 and ,i do not expect to suffer4 ,prince ,otteone was another matter4 ,he was a young man1 full of life2 and he knew to what he was going4 ,well1 does not his case impress you8 ,he went quite cheerfully1 you know4 ,the priest was silent4 ,what are you thinking of1 my son8 ,the priest shivered a little4 ,tell me1 said the ,cardinal again4 ,it is the ,holy ,father1 burst out the other impulsively4 ,he was terrible3 so unconcerned1 so careless as to who lived or died4 4 4 4 ,he looked up in an agony1 and saw a look almost of amusement in the old man's eyes fixed on him4 ,yes1 do not be afraid1 murmured the old man4 ,you think he was unconcerned8 ,well1 ought he not to be8 ,is not that what we should expect of the ,vicar of ,christ8 ,christ wept4 ,yes1 yes1 and his ,vicar too has wept4 ,i have seen it4 ,but ,christ went to death without tears4 ,but 4 4 4 but this man is not going1 cried the priest4 ,he is sending others4 ,if he went himself---- ,he stopped suddenly2 not at a sound1 but at a kind of mental vibration from the other4 ,up here in these heights1 under the pressure of these thoughts1 every nerve and fibre seemed stretched to an amazing pitch of sensitiveness4 ,it seemed to him as if he had never before lived at such a pitch4 ,but the other said nothing4 ,once his lips opened1 but they closed again4 ,the priest said nothing4 ,he waited4 ,i think no one would expect the ,holy ,father to go himself under such circumstances1 said the ,cardinal gently and blandly4 ,do you not think that it might be harder for him to remain8 ,monsignor felt a wave of disappointment4 ,he had expected a revelation of some kind1 or a vivid sentence that would make all plain4 ,the old man leaned forward again smiling4 ,do not be impatient and critical1 he said4 ,it is enough that you and ,i are going4 ,that should occupy us4 ,come1 let us look through these papers again4 ,it was an hour later that they swept down into the ,french plains4 ,the glass cleared again as they reached the warmer levels1 and ,monsignor became conscious of an overpowering weariness4 ,he yawned uncontrollably once or twice4 ,his companion laughed4 ,lie down a little1 ,monsignor4 ,you have had a hard day of it4 ,i must have some sleep too4 ,we must be as fresh as we can for our interview4 ,monsignor said nothing4 ,he stepped across to the other couch1 and slipped off his shoes1 took off his cincture1 and lay down without a word4 ,almost before he had finished wondering at the marvellous steadiness of this flying arrow of a ship1 he had sunk down into complete unconsciousness4 7,v7 ,he awoke with a start1 coming up1 as is common after the deep sleep of exhaustion1 into a state in which1 although the senses are awake1 the intellect is still in a kind of paralysis of slumber4 ,he threw his feet off the couch and sat up1 staring about him4 ,the first thing which he noticed was that the cabin was full of a pale morning light1 cold and cheerless1 although the shaded lights still burned in the roof4 ,then he saw that the ,cardinal was sitting at the farther end of the opposite couch1 looking intently out2 that one of the glass shutters was slid back1 and that a cold1 foggy air was visibly pouring in past the old man's head4 ,then he saw the head of the driver through the glass panes in the door2 his hand rested on the grip of some apparatus connected with the steering1 he believed4 ,but beyond this there was nothing to be seen through the windows opposite1 of which the curtains had been drawn back2 he saw nothing but white driving mist4 ,he tore back the curtains behind him1 and there also was the mist4 ,it was plain then that they were not at rest at any stage2 and yet the slight humming vibration1 of which he had been conscious before he fell asleep1 and even during one or two moments of semi-wakefulness during the night1 this had ceased4 ,the car hung here1 like a floating balloon1 motionless1 purposeless--far up out of sight of land1 and an absolute silence hung round it4 ,he moved a little as these things began to arrange themselves in his mind1 and at the movement the ,cardinal turned round4 ,he looked old and worn in this chilly light1 and his unshaven chin sparkled like frost4 ,but he spoke in his ordinary voice1 without any sign of discomposure4 ,so you are awake1 ,monsignor8 ,i thought ,i would let you have your sleep out4 ,what has happened8 ,where are we8 ,we arrived half an hour ago4 ,they signalled to us to remain where we were until they came up4 ,we have arrived6 ,certainly4 ,we passed the first ,berlin signalling light nearly three-quarters of an hour ago4 ,we slowed down after that1 of course4 ,the priest turned his head suddenly and made a movement with it downwards4 ,the ,cardinal leaned forward again and peered through the open shutter4 ,i think they are coming up at last1 he said1 drawing his head back4 ,hush6 ,listen1 ,monsignor4 ,the priest listened with all his might4 ,at first he heard nothing except the faint whistle of the wind somewhere in the roof4 ,then he heard three or four metallic noises1 as if from the depths of a bottomless hit1 faint and minute2 and then1 quite distinctly1 three strokes of a bell4 ,the ,cardinal nodded4 ,they are starting1 he said4 ,they have kept us long enough4 ,he slipped along the seat to where his scarlet cincture and cap lay1 and began to put these on4 ,monsignor sprang across and lifted down the great ,roman cloak from its peg4 ,you had better get ready yourself1 said the ,cardinal4 ,they will be here in a moment4 ,as the priest slipped on his second shoe1 a sound suddenly stopped him dead for an instant4 ,it was the sound of voices talking somewhere beneath in the fog4 ,then he finished1 and stood up1 just as there slid cautiously upwards1 like a whale coming up to breathe1 past the window by which the ,cardinal was now standing cloaked and hatted1 first a shining roof1 then a row of little ventilators1 and finally a line of windows against which a dozen faces were pressed4 ,he saw them begin to stir as the scarlet of the ,cardinal met their eyes4 ,we can sit down again1 said the old man1 smiling4 ,the rest is a matter for the engineers4 ,it seemed strange afterwards to the priest how little real or active terror he felt4 ,he was conscious of a certain sickly sensation1 and of a sourish taste on his lips1 as he licked them from time to time2 but scarcely more than this1 except perhaps of a sudden shivering spasm that shook him once or twice as the fog-laden breeze poured in upon him4 ,he sat there watching through the windows in a kind of impassivity1 as much as he could see of the method by which the racing-boat was attached by long1 rigid rods to the steady floating raft that had risen from beneath4 7,he was even interested to observe that these rigid rods were of telescopic design1 and were elongated from their own interiors4 ,one of them pushed forward once to within a foot of the windows2 then the tapering end seemed to fall apart into two hooked ends1 singularly like a lean finger and thumb with roughened surfaces4 ,this1 in its turn1 rose out of sight1 and he heard it slide along the roof overhead1 till it caught some projection and there clenched47 ,so the process went on1 slowly and deliberately4 ,the driver still remained at his post1 answering once or twice questions put to him from some invisible person outside4 ,the ,cardinal still sat1 motionless and silent1 on the opposite seat4 ,then1 after perhaps ten minutes' delay1 a sensation of descending became perceptible4 ,his fear1 such as it was1 took a new form1 as presently through the thinning fog he became aware that the earth was approaching4 ,the first clear indication of this was the sound of a clock striking4 ,he counted the strokes carefully1 and immediately forgot what it was that he had counted4 ,then1 as he watched with straining eyes for buildings or towers to make their appearance1 the movement stopped2 there was a faint jarring sensation1 then the sound of trampling feet1 then a heavy shock4 ,he had forgotten that stages were used4 ,the ,cardinal stood up4 ,come1 ,monsignor1 he said1 and gave his hand to him4 ,so the two stood a moment longer4 ,then the footsteps sounded on the boat2 a shadow fell across the glass of the stern-door4 ,the door opened1 letting in a rush of foggy air1 and two men in uniform came swiftly inside4 ,your name and your business1 gentlemen8 said the foremost shortly1 in excellent ,english4 ,i am come on behalf of the ,holy ,father1 said the ,cardinal steadily4 ,my name is ,cardinal ,bellairs4 ,this is my secretary1 ,monsignor ,masterman4 ,he is not an envoy4 ,exactly1 said the man4 ,that is all in order4 ,you were seen by our guard-boats4 ,will you step this way8 ,a bridge had been thrown across from the raft to the racing-boat1 and the latter was now attached to an immense stage whose sides ran down into the fog4 ,the stage-platform was crowded with men1 some in official uniform1 some in blouses2 but a way was kept clear for the visitors1 and they passed across without any actual show of hostility or resentment4 ,monsignor noticed but one detail--that no salutation of any kind was given2 and as they took their seats in the lift1 with the two officials close beside them1 he heard guttural conversation break out1 and1 he thought1 one loud laugh4 ,the doors were latched1 and the lift dropped4 ,the speed was so great that it would have been impossible to see anything of the town into which they descended1 even had the fog been absent4 ,as it was1 ,monsignor saw nothing except the sudden darkening of the air round them4 ,then as the speed slackened he saw the side of some great building not twenty yards away4 ,then the lift stopped and the doors were opened4 ,a group of men stood there1 with something of an expectant air in their stolid faces4 ,all these were in uniform of some description2 one stood a little in advance of the rest and held a paper in his hand4 ,cardinal ,bellairs8 he said1 also in ,english4 ,and ,monsignor ,masterman8 ,the ,cardinal bowed4 ,we had information from ,rome last night4 ,i understand you have a communication from the ,powers8 ,from the ,holy ,father1 whom the ,european ,powers have appointed to represent them4 ,it is the same thing1 said the man brusquely4 ,the ,council are waiting to receive you4 ,kindly follow me4 ,the official who had brought them down stepped forward4 ,i understand1 sir1 that this gentleman 7he indicated the priest7 is not an envoy4 ,is that so8 asked the other4 ,it is4 ,very good4 ,i only have authority to introduce the envoy4 ,monsignor ,masterman will be good enough to follow the other gentleman4 ,your ,eminence1 will you come with me8 7,,vi7 ,on looking back afterwards on the whole experience1 that which stood out as most shocking in it all1 to the priest's mind1 was the abominable speed with which the tragedy was accomplished4 ,it was merciful1 perhaps1 that it was so1 for even the half-hour or so which elapsed before the priest had any more news dragged itself to an intolerable length4 ,he walked up and down the little furnished room--some kind of parlour1 he understood1 attached to a government building seized by the revolutionaries1 guarded1 he knew1 by a couple of men in the passage1 whose voices he occasionally heard--in a sort of dull agony1 far more torturing than positive objective fear4 ,he tried to comfort himself by retelling to himself the story of the last few days2 reminding himself how1 after the first outburst1 when the police had been shot down by these new weapons of which he understood nothing1 and the palace had been taken1 and the city reduced to a state of defenceless terror--the revolutionaries had sternly repressed the second attempted massacre in a manner not unworthy of real civilization4 ,a great deal of the whole story was unintelligible to him4 ,he just knew the outlines4 ,first1 it was obvious that the revolution had been planned in all its details months before4 ,there had been1 soon after the ,emperor's conversion1 a great access of other converts1 accompanied by a dispersal to other countries1 notably ,america1 of innumerable people of the lower classes who were known as ,socialists4 ,all this was looked upon by the authorities as natural1 and as actually reassuring4 ,there had been a few protests against the new proposals with regard to legislation2 but not enough to rouse any suspicion that violence would be attempted4 ,finally1 when the organized emigration was beginning1 and even the most pessimistic politicians were beginning to regard the situation as saved1 without the slightest warning the blow had been struck1 obviously by the directions of an international council whose very existence had not been suspected4 ,as to the details of the revolution itself he was even more vague1 for the understanding of it depended on an acquaintance with the internal arrangements of ,berlin1 by which a kind of interior citadel1 not outwardly fortified in any way1 yet held in its compass all those immense power-stations by which1 in the present day1 every town was defended4 7,he did not know exactly what these power-stations were1 beyond the fact that they were the lineal successors of the old gun-forts1 and controlled an immense number of mines both within the city and without it1 as well as some kind of electric ray1 which was the modern substitute for cannon47 ,well1 it was this citadel1 including the ,emperor's palace1 that had been suddenly seized by the revolutionaries1 obviously by the aid of treachery4 ,and the thing was done4 ,it was impossible for the other ,powers1 or even for the ,german air-navy itself1 to wipe the whole place out of existence1 since it was known that the ,emperor himself was in the hands of the rebels4 7,it was a bald story1 as he had heard it2 yet he reflected that great coups usually were extremely and unexpectedly simple47 ,finally1 there were the terms demanded--terms which the ,powers were unanimous in rejecting1 since they included the formal disestablishment of the ,church throughout ,europe and the complete liberty of the ,press1 with guarantees that these should continue4 ,the alternative to the acceptance of these terms was the execution of the ,emperor and formal war declared upon ,europe--a war which1 of course1 could have but one ending1 but which1 until that end came1 would mean1 under the new conditions of warfare1 an almost unimaginable destruction of life and property1 especially since 7as was known7 the ,socialists repudiated all the international laws of warfare4 ,the defiance was1 of course1 a ridiculous and a desperate one1 but it was the defiance of a savage child who held all modern resources in his hands and knew how to use them4 ,there was also possible1 as some said1 a rising all over the civilized world1 should the movement meet with success4 ,so much1 in brief1 was what ,monsignor ,masterman knew4 ,so much1 indeed1 was now public property all the world over1 and it was not reassuring4 ,certainly he feared death for himself2 yet1 as he paced up and down1 he could honestly and sincerely tell himself that this was not foremost in his mind4 ,rather it was a sense of bewildered shock and horror that such things could have broken in upon that orderly1 disciplined world with which he had become familiar4 ,it was this horror that hung over him--its impression deepened by the bleak ,april morning1 the nervous strain under which he suffered1 the brusque discourtesy of the men who had received him1 and the knowledge that scarcely thirty-six hours before an envoy who had come alone and peaceably had been done to death in this silent city4 ,and the horror also centred for him now1 as in a symbol1 in the old ,cardinal whom he was learning to love4 ,he framed1 as men do when the imagination is stimulated to the highest pitch1 a dozen possible events--each seen by him mentally1 clear1 in a picture4 ,he constructed for himself the ,cardinal's return with news of a compromise1 with an announcement at least of delay4 7,he knew a few of the proposals that were to be made by sanction of the ,pope47 ,or he saw him coming back1 anxious and perturbed1 with nothing decided4 ,or he imagined himself being sent for in haste4 4 4 4 ,and there were other pictures1 more terrible2 and against these he strove with all his will1 telling himself that it was inconceivable that such things should be4 ,yet not one of his imaginings was as terrible as the event itself4 4 4 4 ,it came swift and sudden1 without the faintest sign or premonition4 ,as he turned in his endless pacings1 down at the farther end of the room1 his ears for the instant filled with the clatter of some cart outside the open1 barred windows1 a figure came swiftly into the room1 without the sound of a footstep to warn him4 ,behind he could make out two faces waiting4 4 4 4 ,it was the ,cardinal who stood there1 upright and serene as ever1 with a look in his eyes that silenced the priest4 ,he lifted his hand on which shone his great amethyst1 and at the motion1 scarcely knowing what he did1 the priest was on his knees4 ,benedictio ,dei omnipotentis ,patris et ,filii et ,spiritus ,sancti1 descendat super te1 et maneat semper4 ,that was all2 not a word more4 ,and as the priest sprang up with a choking cry1 the slender figure was gone1 and the door shut and locked4 ,,chapter ,,iii 7,i7 ,all day long there had hung a strange silence over the city1 unlike in its quality that ordinary comparative quiet of modern towns to which the man who had lost his memory had become by now accustomed4 ,he knew well by now the gentle1 almost soothing1 hum of busy streets1 as the traffic and the footsteps went over the noiseless pavements1 and the air murmured with the clear subdued notes of the bells and the melodious horns of the swifter vehicles2 all this had something of a reassuring quality1 reminding the listener that he lived in a world of men1 active and occupied indeed1 but also civilized and self-controlled4 ,but the silence of this inner quarter of ,berlin was completely different4 ,its profoundness was sinister and suggestive4 ,now and again came a rapid hooting note1 growing louder and more insistent1 as some car1 bound on revolutionary work1 tore up some street out of sight at forty miles an hour and away again into silence4 ,several times he heard voices in sharp talk pass beneath his window4 ,occasionally somewhere overhead in the great buildings sounded the whir of a lift1 a footstep1 the throwing up of a window4 ,and to each sound he listened eagerly and intently1 ignorant as to whether it might not mark the news of some fresh catastrophe1 the tidings of some decision that would precipitate his world about him4 ,as to the progress of events he knew nothing at all4 ,since that horrible instant when the door had closed in his face and the ,cardinal had gone again as mysteriously as he had come--now three days ago--he had heard no hint that could tell him how things developed4 ,he had not even dared to ask the taciturn servant in uniform who brought him food as to the fate of the old man4 ,for he knew with a certainty as clear as if he had seen the dreadful thing done1 that his friend and master was dead--dead1 as the ,revolutionary ,committee had said he would be1 if he came with any message other than that of submission4 ,as to the manner of his death he dared not even conjecture4 ,it would be swift1 at least4 4 4 4 ,ten thousand thoughts1 recurring and recurring1 like pictures thrown on a wall1 ran past his attention as the hours went by4 ,he saw the gathering of armaments--the horizon tinged by the gathering war-vessels of the air--the advance1 the sudden storm of battle1 the gigantic destruction from these vast engines of power of which he had learned nothing but their ghastly potentialities4 ,or he saw the advance of this desperate garrison1 dispersing this way and that for their war upon the world--silent vessels1 moving in the clouds1 to ,rome1 to ,london1 to ,paris and ,versailles1 each capable of obliterating a city4 ,or he saw1 again1 the submission of the world to the caprice of these desperate children who feared nothing--not even death itself--who crouched like an ape in a powder-magazine1 lighted match in hand1 careless as to whether or no themselves died so long as the world died with them4 ,he formulated nothing2 concluded nothing2 he rejected every conjecture which temporarily constructed itself in his almost passive mind4 ,he did not even yet fully understand that the question he had asked of himself months before--the question that had tortured him so keenly--as to whether these ,christians who ruled had not forgotten how to suffer--had been answered with dreadful distinctness4 ,he just perceived that the young ,roman prince had been gallant2 that the old man had been more gallant still1 since those to whom he came had already proved that they would keep their word4 ,and now the third day was drawing to an end1 and by midnight suspense would be over4 ,the fog still hung over the city2 but towards sunset it lifted a little1 and he raised his heavy head from his breast as he lay1 half sitting1 half lying1 on the tumbled sofa and blankets on which he had slept1 to see the red sunlight on the wall above him4 ,it was a curious room to a man who had grown accustomed to modern ways2 there was a faded carpet on the floor1 paper on the walls1 and the old-fashioned electric globes hung1 each on its wire1 from the whitewashed ceiling4 ,he saw that it must be a survival1 or perhaps a deliberate archaicism4 4 4 4 ,the sunlight crept slowly up the wall4 4 4 4 ,then the door was unlocked from the outside1 and he turned his head1 to see ,james ,hardy come smiling towards him4 7,,ii7 ,good evening1 ,monsignor4 ,i am ashamed that ,i have not paid you a visit before4 ,but we have been very busy these days4 ,he sat down without offering to shake hands4 ,the priest saw1 with one of those sudden inexplicable intuitions more certain than any acquired knowledge1 two things3 first1 that his having been left alone for three days had been by deliberation and not carelessness2 and second1 that this visit to him only a few hours before the time of truce expired was equally deliberate4 ,his brain was too confused for him to draw any definite conclusion from these facts2 but he made at least one provisional decision1 as swift as lightning1 that he must hold his tongue4 ,you have had an anxious time1 ,i am afraid1 went on the other4 ,but so have we all4 ,you must bear no malice1 ,monsignor4 ,the priest said nothing4 ,he looked between his half-closed eyelids at the heavy1 clean-shaven1 clever face of the man who sat opposite him1 the strong1 capable and rather humorous mouth1 his close-cut hair turning a little grey by the ears1 watching for any sign of discomposure4 ,but there was none at all4 ,the man glanced up1 caught his eye1 and smiled a little4 ,well1 ,i am afraid you're not altogether pleased with us4 ,but you must bear in mind1 ,monsignor1 that you've driven-- 7he corrected his phrase7--you drove us into a corner4 ,i regret the deaths of the two envoys as much as you yourself4 ,but we were forced to keep our word4 ,obviously your party did not believe us1 or they would have communicated by other means4 ,well1 we had to prove our sincerity4 7,he paused74 ,and we shall have to prove it again to-night1 it seems4 ,again there was silence4 ,i think you're foolish to take this line1 ,monsignor1 went on the other briskly--this not speaking to me1 ,i mean4 ,i'm quite willing to tell you all ,i know1 if you care to ask me4 ,i've not come to bully you or to triumph over you4 ,and after all1 you know1 we might easily have treated you as an envoy1 too4 ,to be quite frank1 it was ,i who pleaded for you4 4 4 4 ,oh6 not out of any tenderness2 we have got past that4 ,you ,christians have taught us that4 ,but ,i thought that so long as we kept our word we need not go beyond it4 ,and it's proved that ,i'm right4 4 4 4 ,aren't you curious to know why8 ,the priest looked at him again4 ,well1 we are going to send you back after midnight4 ,you will have to witness the last scene1 ,i am afraid1 so that you can give a true account of it--the ,emperor's death1 ,i mean4 ,he paused again1 waiting for an answer4 ,then he stood up1 at last1 it seemed1 pricked into impatience4 ,kindly come with me1 ,monsignor1 he said abruptly4 ,i have to take you before the ,council4 7,,iii7 ,it was a large hall1 resembling a concert-room1 into which the priest came at last1 an hour later1 under the escort of ,james ,hardy and a couple of police1 and he had plenty of time to observe it1 as he stood waiting by the little door through which he stepped on to the back of the platform4 ,this platform stood at the upper end of the hall1 and was set with a long semicircle of chairs and desks1 as if for judges1 and these were occupied by perhaps thirty persons1 dressed1 he saw1 in dull colours1 all alike4 ,the dresses seemed curiously familiar2 he supposed he must have seen them in pictures4 ,then he remembered a long while ago ,father ,jervis telling him that the ,socialists resented the modern developments in matters of costume4 ,the ,president's desk and seat were raised a little above the others1 but from behind the priest could see nothing of him but his black gown and his rather long iron-grey hair2 he seemed to be answering in rapid ,german some question that one of his colleagues had just put to him4 ,the rest of the hall was almost empty4 ,a table stood at the foot of the platform1 and here were three or four of the usual recording machines2 a dozen men sat here too1 some writing1 some listening1 leaning back in their chairs4 ,in the middle1 on the opposite side of the table1 stood a structure resembling a witness-box1 ascended by two steps1 railed in on the three other sides4 ,a man with a pointed grey beard was leaving the box as the priest came in4 ,standing about the hall also were perhaps twenty other persons apparently listening to the ,president or waiting their turn4 ,there were tall doors at the end of the hall1 closed and guarded by police1 and in the middle of each of the long sides two other doors1 also closed1 communicating with other rooms and passages1 in one of which the priest had waited just now until the ,council could see him4 ,except for the rapid1 heavy voice of the ,president the hall was very quiet1 and from the very silence and motionlessness of those present there exhaled a certain air of tenseness4 ,it would have been impossible for any intelligent person not to notice it1 and for the priest1 with his nerves strung1 as they now were1 to an extreme pitch of sensitiveness and attention1 the atmosphere was overwhelmingly significant4 ,of what it signified he had no idea1 beyond the knowledge he already possessed--that the hours were running out1 and that midnight would see a decisive event which1 though it must mean ultimately the ruin of every person present1 might1 for all that1 change the line of the world's development4 ,a protest so desperate as this could not but have a tremendous effect upon human sentiment4 ,he had caught a glimpse an hour before1 as he whirled through the streets1 far up against the luminous slay westwards1 of a string of floating specks1 which he knew to be the guard-boats1 strung out now1 night and day1 in a vast circle round the city4 ,at midnight they would surely move4 4 4 4 ,dark had already fallen outside1 but the hall was as light as day with the hidden electric burners above the cornices1 and he could see not only the faces1 but the very expressions that characterized them4 ,one thing at least was common to them all--a silent1 fierce excitement4 4 4 4 ,it would be about ten minutes before the priest's turn came to face the ,council4 ,it seemed that the member to whom the ,president was speaking was not satisfied1 and question and answer1 all in rapid1 unintelligible ,german1 went on without intermission4 ,once or twice there was a murmur of applause1 and more than once the ,president beat his hand heavily and emphatically upon the desk before him to enforce his point4 ,the priest guessed that the unanimity was not perhaps as perfect as the world had been given to believe4 ,however1 guessing was useless4 ,the ,president leaned back at last1 and ,hardy stepped forward to his chair and whispered4 ,the ,president nodded1 and the next moment1 at a sign from ,hardy1 the two police urged the priest forward by the arms across the platform1 down the steps1 and so round to the right up into the witness-box4 ,then the ,president1 who had still been whispering behind his hand1 turned abruptly in his chair and faced him4 ,monsignor related afterwards what an extraordinary moment that had been4 ,his nerves were already tight-stretched and his expectation was at the highest2 but the face of this man who now looked at him 7tremendous though he knew such a personality must be1 which could conceive and drive through such a revolt as this71--the face of him was beyond all imagining4 ,in the fashion of the day it was clean-shaven1 and the absence of hair1 except where that of his head framed the face1 increased the impressions of those lines and shadow4 ,it was a priestly face1 saw ,monsignor1 with all the power and searchingness of one who can deal with living souls2 but the face of a fallen priest4 ,in complexion it was sallow1 but the sallowness of health1 not of weakness2 full-shaped1 but without being fat2 the lips were straight and thin1 the nose sharp and jutting and well curved1 and the black eyes blazed at him with immense power from beneath heavy brows4 ,his hair was brushed straight back from the forehead1 and fell rather long behind4 ,the face resembled a carefully modelled mask1 through the eyes of which alone the tremendous life was visible4 ,the priest met those eyes straight for an instant1 then he lowered his own1 knowing that he could not be wholly himself if he looked that man in the face4 ,he was surprised to hear words of ,english uttered4 ,he looked up again1 and there was ,hardy speaking1 from beside the ,president's chair4 ,monsignor1 you would not answer me just now4 ,now that ,i am speaking in the ,council's name1 will you consent to do so8 ,i will answer what ,i think right to answer4 ,there was a touch of amusement in ,hardy's voice as he went on4 ,you need not be afraid1 ,monsignor4 ,we do not extort answers by the rack4 ,i only wished to know if you would be reasonable4 ,the priest said nothing4 ,very good1 then4 4 4 4 ,first we will tell you our intentions4 ,at midnight1 as you know1 we keep our word1 and the ,emperor will have to go the way of the others4 ,it is regrettable1 but the ,christians do not seem to understand even yet that we are in earnest4 ,you will have to be present at that scene1 ,i am sorry to say2 but you can comfort yourself by ministering to your co-religionist4 ,he has not had a priest admitted to him since his arrest4 ,immediately afterwards you will be set at liberty1 and put on board the air-boat on which you travelled from ,rome1 with the same driver who brought you here1 on one single condition4 ,that condition is that you go straight to the ,holy ,father1 tell him all that you have seen1 and take with you one or two little objects4 ,he paused and beckoned to some one behind4 ,a man came forward with a little box which he laid on the table4 ,hardy opened it4 ,this is the box you are to take4 ,yes2 ,i see that you recognize them4 ,they are the biretta1 the skullcap1 the cross1 and the ring of the late ,cardinal ,bellairs4 ,there are also in this box the ring and a medal belonging to the late ,prince ,otteone4 4 4 4 ,you will take these with you as pledges of what you say4 4 4 4 ,will you consent to do this8 ,the priest bowed4 ,for the moment he was unable to speak4 ,you will also tell the ,holy ,father1 went on the other1 replacing1 as he spoke1 the things in the box1 what you have seen of our dispositions4 ,you will say that you saw us entirely resolute and unafraid4 ,we do not fear anybody1 ,monsignor--not anything at all2 ,i think you understand that by now4 ,you will have a letter1 of course1 to take with you4 ,it will contain our final terms4 ,because--7and ,i assure you that you are the first of the outside world to hear this news7--because we have decided to extend our patience for one more week4 ,we shall1 during that week1 in order to prove the genuineness of our intentions1 make a raid upon a certain city and1 we hope1 destroy it4 7,naturally1 ,i shall not inform you where that city stands47 ,and if1 at the end of that week1 our former terms are not accepted1 we shall carry out our promises to the full4 ,you may also add1 he went on more deliberately1 that our party is represented in every capital of ,europe1 and that these may be expected to act in the same way as that in which we have acted1 as soon as the week expires4 ,we have no objection to telling you this3 our plans are completely made1 and no precautions on your side can hinder them4 ,is that clear1 ,monsignor8 ,yes1 said the priest4 ,you are satisfied that we mean what we say8 ,i suppose so4 ,hardy's manner changed a little4 ,up to now he had been speaking coldly and sharply1 except where once or twice a slightly ironical tone had come into his voice4 ,now he bent forward a little with his hands upon the table1 and his tone became a trifle friendly4 ,now there are just one or two questions that the ,council wish me to put to you4 ,monsignor glanced up at the circle of watching faces1 and as he looked at the ,president1 he could have sworn that a look of displeasure came over the man's face4 ,well1 our first question is this 7,i dare say you will not answer it2 but if you will oblige us1 we shall be grateful73 ,can you tell us whether1 when you left ,rome1 the ,holy ,father1 or the ,european ,powers1 showed any signs of yielding8 ,the priest drew a breath4 ,i am absolutely sure1 he said quietly1 that they had no idea of yielding1 and that they never will4 ,why did they send envoys then8 ,they were willing to make other concessions4 ,what were these concessions8 ,monsignor hesitated4 ,i am not an envoy2 ,i have no power to say4 ,do you know what they were8 ,yes4 ,why will you not say8 ,is it not the wish of the ,powers to come to terms8 ,it was their wish4 ,do you mean that it is so no longer8 ,i cannot imagine it being their wish any longer4 ,why8 ,because you murdered the two envoys they sent1 said the priest1 beginning suddenly to shake all over with uncontrollable nervous excitement4 ,have you any reason for saying that8 ,i know what ,i would do myself under such circumstances4 ,and that is---- ,the priest straightened himself1 and seized the rail before him to steady himself4 ,i would wipe out of existence every soul that was concerned in those murders4 ,i would have no more civilized dealings with savages4 ,there was a sudden movement and murmur in the circle on the platform4 ,from the intentness with which they had followed the questions and answers1 ,monsignor saw that they understood ,english well enough4 ,one man sprang to his feet4 ,but simultaneously the ,president was on his own1 and with a gesture and a sharp word or two restored order4 ,that is very deplorable violence1 said ,hardy4 ,but it is most ,christian4 ,i am beginning to think so myself1 said the priest4 ,well1 well1 said the other1 tapping the table irritably4 ,we must get on---- ,a door behind him1 communicating with the offices behind the hall1 opened suddenly as he spoke these words1 and he broke off4 ,monsignor followed the direction of his eyes1 and saw a man enter who was plainly in a state of extreme excitement4 ,he was across the platform in three or four quick steps1 and laid a paper before the ,president1 pushing by ,hardy to do so4 ,then he stood back abruptly and waited4 ,the ,president took up the paper deliberately and read it4 ,then he laid it down again1 and a question too was asked smartly in the same rapid ,german1 and answered as smartly4 ,then he turned1 and creasing the paper between his fingers as he spoke1 uttered a sentence that brought every man to his feet4 7,,iv7 ,in the confusion that followed ,monsignor stood for a while disregarded4 ,the man who had brought the message1 had1 after one more sentence snapped at him over the ,president's shoulder1 vanished once more4 ,for the rest--they were up now1 forming into groups1 talking excitedly1 dissolving again1 and re-forming4 ,only two remained quiet--,hardy and the ,president2 the latter still in his chair1 staring out moodily1 with the ,englishman whispering into his ear4 ,then ,hardy too stood back and stared about him4 ,one or two men came up1 but he waved them aside4 ,then his eyes fell upon the priest1 still waiting3 he slipped away from the chair1 came down the steps1 and beckoned to him4 ,monsignor was in a whirl2 but he turned and came obediently out of his place into the corner by the steps4 ,he noticed as he came that even those who guarded the lower doors were talking4 ,there's news1 whispered ,hardy sharply4 ,another envoy is coming4 ,who is it8 ,the priest shook his head4 ,i have no idea4 ,he'll be here in ten minutes1 said ,hardy4 ,he passed the line of guard-boats five minutes ago4 ,monsignor---- ,yes8 ,just come behind here a moment4 ,i want to have a word with you4 ,as they crossed the platform he slipped off again to the ,president's chair1 whispered a word to him1 and returned4 ,come through here1 he whispered4 ,together they passed through the door at the back1 and so into one of the little rooms through which they had come together half an hour before4 ,there he closed both doors carefully and came up to the priest4 ,monsignor1 he said1 and hesitated4 ,the priest looked at him curiously4 ,he began to see that a disclosure was coming4 ,monsignor1 ,i have not been hard on you4 4 4 4 ,i came as soon as ,i could4 4 4 4 ,well8 ,i 4 4 4 ,i don't know what's going to happen4 ,the envoy's coming at the last hour4 ,the ,council is in a very divided state of mind4 ,you saw that8 ,well8 ,they're wavering4 ,it's no use denying it4 ,they'd accept almost anything4 ,it's perfectly desperate4 ,they see that now4 ,he was fingering the priest's sleeve by now1 and his eyes were full of a pitiable anxiety4 ,what do you wish me to do8 ,well1 they'll say ,i was responsible--if the negotiations come to anything1 ,i mean4 ,they'll say ,i urged them on4 ,they'll sacrifice me--me and the ,president4 ,they'll say they never would have gone to such lengths----,what's that noise8 ,monsignor jerked his head impatiently4 ,he began to see light4 ,well1 went on the other nervously1 ,i want you to speak for me1 if necessary--if necessary1 you understand8 ,you're a ,christian1 ,monsignor4 4 4 ,you'll stand by me4 ,the priest waited before answering2 as the situation took shape before his eyes1 he began to understand more and more clearly2 and yet---- ,a voice called out sharply beyond the door1 and ,hardy leapt to the handle1 beckoning with his head2 and as the priest obediently followed1 he gave him one more look of entreaty and opened the door4 ,the ,president stood there4 ,the great man1 more impressive than ever now1 as his great height showed itself1 ran his eyes slowly over the two4 ,come back to the hall1 he said1 so slowly that even the priest understood it1 and turned4 ,the envoy's coming1 whispered ,hardy breathlessly1 as he paused before following4 ,you'll remember1 ,monsignor8 4 4 4 ,it was hardly a minute since they had left1 and yet all confusion had vanished4 ,every man was back in his seat1 with that same impassive and yet attentive air that they had worn when ,monsignor first saw them4 ,yet1 with his new knowledge1 it seemed to him as if he could detect1 beneath all that1 something of the indecisiveness of which he had just learned4 ,certainly they were under admirable discipline2 yet he began to see that even socialistic discipline had its limitations4 ,the ,president was already in the act of sitting down1 ,hardy was stepping up behind him1 and the priest was still hesitating by the door1 when down at the lower end of the hall there was a movement among those who guarded it1 the great doors opened1 and a figure walked straight in1 without looking to right or left4 ,he came on and up2 and as he came the hush fell deeper4 ,it was impossible even to see his face2 he was in a long travelling cloak that fell to his feet2 a travelling cap covered his head2 and about his throat and face was thrown a great white scarf1 such as the air-travellers often use4 ,he came on1 still without looking to right or left1 walking as if he had some kind of right to be there1 straight up to the witness-box1 ascended the steps1 and stood there for an instant motionless4 ,then he unwound his scarf1 lifted his cap and dropped it beside him1 threw back his cloak with a single movement1 and stood there--a white figure from head to foot1 white capped4 4 4 4 ,there was a great sigh from the men on the platform2 two or three sprang to their feet1 and sat down again as suddenly4 ,only the ,president did not move4 ,then there fell an absolute silence4 7,v7 ,eh well1 said the ,pope in delicate ,french2 ,i am arrived in time then4 ,he looked round from side to side1 smiling and peering--this little commonplace-looking ,frenchman1 who had in his hand at this period of the world's history an incalculably greater power than any living being on earth had ever before wielded--,father of ,princes and ,kings1 ,arbiter of the ,east1 ,father as well as ,sovereign ,lord of considerably more than a thousand million souls4 ,he stood there1 utterly alone with a single servant waiting out there1 half a mile away1 at the flying-stage1 in the presence of the ,council who in the name of the malcontents of the human race had declared war on the world of which he was now all but absolute master4 ,no ,european nation could pass a law which he had not the right to veto2 not one monarch claimed to hold his crown except at the hands of this man4 ,and the ,east--even the pagan ,east--had learned at last that the ,vicar of ,christ was the ,friend of ,peace and ,progress4 ,and he stood here1 smiling and peering at the faces4 ,i come as my own envoy1 said the ,pope presently1 adjusting his collar4 ',the ,king said1 ,they will reverence ,my ,son1' so ,i am come as the ,vicar of that ,son4 ,you have killed my two messengers1 ,i hear4 ,why have you done that8 ,there was no answer4 ,from where the priest stood he could hear laboured breathing on all sides1 but not a man moved or spoke4 ,eh well then1 ,i have come to offer you a last opportunity of submitting peacefully4 ,in less than an hour from now the armed truce expires4 ,after that we shall be compelled to use force4 ,we do not wish to use force2 but society must now protect itself4 ,i do not speak to you in the name of ,christ2 that name means nothing to you4 ,so ,i speak in the name of society1 which you profess to love4 ,submit1 gentlemen1 and let me be the bearer of the good news4 ,he spoke still in that absolutely quiet and conversational tone in which he had begun4 ,one hand rested lightly on the rail before him2 the other gently fingered the great cross on his breast1 naturally and easily1 as the priest had seen him finger it once before in his own palace4 ,it was unthinkable that such a weight in the world's history rested on so slight a foundation4 ,yet for a few frozen moments no one else moved or spoke4 ,it is probable that the scene they witnessed seemed to them unsubstantial and untrue4 ,then1 as the priest still stood1 fascinated and overwhelmed1 he noticed a movement in the great chair before him4 ,very slowly the ,president shifted his position1 clasping his hands loosely before him and bending forward a little4 ,then a dialogue began1 of which every word remained in the priest's mind as if written there4 ,it was in ,french throughout1 the smooth delicacy of the ,pope's intonation contrasting strangely with the heavy ,german accent of the other4 ,you come as an envoy1 sir4 ,do you then accept our terms8 ,i accept no terms4 ,i offer them4 ,and those8 ,absolute and unconditional submission to myself4 ,you received our notice as to the treatment of such envoys8 7,there was a rustle in the hall1 but the other paid no attention47 ,but certainly4 ,you come armed then--protected in some manner8 ,the ,pope smiled4 ,he made a little opening gesture with his hands4 ,i come as you see me2 no more4 ,your armies are behind you8 ,the ,european air-fleets start from every quarter at midnight4 ,with your consent8 ,but certainly4 ,you understand that this means immeasurable bloodshed8 ,but certainly4 ,you defend that8 ,my ,master came bringing not peace1 but a sword4 ,but ,i am not here to teach theology4 ,but until midnight---- ,until midnight ,i am in your hands4 ,again the silence fell1 deeper than ever4 ,monsignor took his eyes off the ,pope's face for an instant to glance round what he could see of the circle4 ,all were staring steadily1 some half sunk down in their seats1 others stretched forward1 clasping the outer edges of the desks with strained hands1 all staring at this quiet white figure who faced them4 ,he looked again at that face4 ,if there had been in it1 not merely agitation or fear1 but even unusual paleness1 if there had been in those hands1 one of which bore the great ,papal ring1 not merely trembling1 but even a sign of constriction or tenseness1 it might well have been1 thought the priest afterwards1 that the scene would have ended very differently4 ,but the naturalness and ease of the pose were absolute4 ,he stood there1 the hands lightly laid one upon the other1 his face palish certainly1 but not colourless4 ,there was even a slight flush in his cheeks from his quick walk up the long hall4 ,it was a situation in which the weight of a hair would turn the scale4 4 4 4 ,then the ,president lifted his head slightly1 and a tremor ran round the circle4 ,i see no reason for delay1 he said heavily4 ,our terms were clear4 ,this man came with the full knowledge of them and the consequences of disregarding them---- ,the ,pope lifted his hand4 ,one instant1 ,mr4 ,president---- ,i see no reason---- ,gentlemen----- ,a murmur of consent rolled round the thirty persons sitting there1 so unmistakable that the man who up to now had ruled them all with a hint or gesture dropped his head again4 ,then the ,pope went on4 ,gentlemen1 ,i have really no more to say than that which ,i have said4 ,but ,i beg of you to reconsider4 ,you propose to kill me as you have killed my messengers4 ,well1 ,i am at your disposal4 ,i did not expect to live so long when ,i set out from ,rome this morning4 ,but1 then1 what will you gain8 ,at midnight every civilized nation is in arms4 ,and ,i will tell you what perhaps you do not know--that the ,east is supporting ,europe4 ,the ,eastern fleets are actually on their way at this moment that ,i speak4 ,you propose to reform ,society4 ,i will not argue as to those reforms2 ,i say only that they are too late4 ,i will not argue as to the truth of the ,christian religion4 ,i say only that the ,christian religion is already ruling this world4 ,you kill me8 ,my successor will reign to-morrow4 4 4 4 ,you kill the ,emperor2 his son1 now in ,rome1 at that moment begins to reign4 ,gentlemen1 what do you gain8 ,merely this--that in days to come your names will be foul in all men's mouths4 4 4 4 ,at this moment you have an opportunity to submit2 in a few minutes it will be too late4 ,he paused a moment4 ,then1 to the priest's eyes1 it seemed as if some subtle change passed over his face and figure4 ,up to now he had spoken1 conversationally and quietly1 as a man might speak to a company of friends4 ,but1 though he had not noticed it at the time1 he remembered later how there had been gathering during his little speech a certain secret intensity and force like the kindling of a fire4 ,in this pause it swept on and up1 flushing his face with sudden colour1 lifting his hands as on a rising tide1 breaking out suddenly in his eyes like fire1 and in his voice in passion4 ,the rest saw it too2 and in that tense atmosphere it laid hold of them as with a giant's hand2 it struck their tight-strung nerves2 it broke down the last barriers on which their own fears had been at work4 ,my children1 cried the ,white ,father1 no longer a ,frenchman now1 but a very ,son of ,man4 ,my children1 do not break my heart6 ,so long and hard the labour--two thousand years long--two thousand years since ,christ died2 and you to wreck and break the peace that comes at last2 that peace into which through so great tribulations the people of ,god are entering at last4 ,you say you know no ,god1 and cannot love ,him2 but you know man---poor wilful man--and would you fling him back once more into wrath and passion and lust for blood8--those lusts from which even now he might pass to peace if it were not for you4 ,you say that ,christ is hard--that ,his ,church is cruel1 and that man must have liberty8 ,i too say that man must have liberty--he was made for it2 but what liberty would that be which he has not learned to use8 ,my children6 have pity on men1 and on me who strive to be their father4 ,never yet has ,christ reigned on earth till now--,christ who ,himself died1 as ,i1 ,his poor servant1 am ready to die a thousand times1 if men may but themselves learn to die to self and to live to ,him4 ,have pity1 then1 on the world you love and hope to serve4 ,serve it indeed as best you can4 ,let us serve it together6 99 99 99 99 99 ,there was an instant's silence4 ,he stood there1 his hands clasped in agony upon his cross4 ,then he flung his hands wide in sudden1 silent appeal4 ,there was a crash of an overturned desk2 the crying out of desperate voices all together1 and as from the great tower overhead there beat out the first stroke of midnight1 the priest1 on his knees now1 saw through eyes blind with tears1 figures moving and falling and kneeling towards that central form that stood there1 a white pillar of ,royalty and sorrow1 calling for the last time all the world unto him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,but the ,president sat still at his desk1 motionless4 ,,chapter ,,iv 7,i7 ,the sight on which the watcher's eyes rested1 as he sat1 hung here in motionlessness above ,westminster1 a hundred feet higher than the great ,st4 ,edward's ,tower itself1 was one not only undreamed of1 but even inconceivable to men of earlier days4 ,for it seemed as if some vast invisible air-way had been flung straight from the midst of ,london1 down away to the south-west horizon1 where it ran into the faint summer haze thirty miles away4 ,so level was the line held by the waiting volors on either side--vast barges shining like silver1 hung with the great state-cloths of modern days--that it appeared as if the eye itself were deceived1 as if there were indeed a pavement of crystal1 a river of glass1 so clear as itself to be unseen1 on whose surface floated this navy of a dream such as the world itself had never imagined4 ,now and again1 like a fly on water1 there darted from one side to the other a tiny boat1 in the blue and silver of the city guards1 or dropped1 ducked and vanished2 now and again it wheeled1 and came whirling up the line1 vanishing at last in the long perspective4 ,but1 for the rest1 the monsters waited motionless in the sunlight1 their state-cloths1 hung as from the old barges1 from stem to stern1 as motionless as themselves1 except when now and again the summer breeze stirred from the south-west1 lifting the lazy streamers1 wafting softly the heavy embroideries1 and stirring1 even as the wind stirs the wheat1 the glittering giants that waited to do their ,lord honour4 ,opposite the air-barge where the watcher sat1 perhaps a hundred yards away1 floated the royal boat1 between a pair of warships1 one blaze of scarlet1 blue1 and gold1 flapping out the ,royal ,standard of ,england1 and flashing the glass of the stern-cabin as the great creature rocked gently now and again in the breeze2 and upon its deck rose up the canopy where the king and his consort sat together1 and the line of scarlet guards visible behind4 ,on the warships on either side the crew waited1 the ship itself dressed as for a review1 every man motionless at his post1 with the crash of brass sounding from the lower decks4 ,and so down the line the eye of the watcher went again and again1 fascinated by the beauty and the glory1 down past where the great ducal barges hung1 each in order1 past the officers of state1 past the ,parliament barges1 down to where the boats1 in numbers beyond all reckoning1 faded away into the haze4 ,to those who looked across to where the man himself sat the sight must have been no less amazing4 ,for he sat there1 in his new dress of ,cardinal's scarlet1 on the throne of ceremony beneath his canopy with his attendants about him1 on a wide deck laid down with scarlet1 its prow crowned by the silver cross--a silent watching figure1 with a splendour of romance about him more suggestive even than the material glory that showed his newly won dignity4 ,there was not a soul there in those astounding crowds1 whether among those who1 hanging here between heaven and earth1 awaited for the ceremonial reception1 the coming of him who was ,vicar of one and ,lord of the other1 or even among those incalculable multitudes beneath1 who packed the streets1 crowded the flat roofs and looked from every window4 ,it was this man1 they knew1 this tiny red figure1 sitting solitary and motionless1 who scarcely three months before had stood before the revolutionary ,council of ,berlin1 of his own will and choice--who had gone there and faced what seemed a certain death1 for love of the old man whose body now lay beneath the high-altar of the tremendous cathedral beneath1 and to whose office and honours he had succeeded1 and for the sake of the message he had carried4 ,it was this man1 alone of the whole ,christian world1 who after looking into the face of death1 not for himself only1 but for one who was dearer to him and to that ,christian world than life itself1 had seen in one moment the last storm roll away from human history for ever2 who had seen with his own eyes1 ,christ in ,his ,vicar--,princeps gloriosus come at last--take the power and reign4 ,he too was conscious of all this1 at least subconsciously1 as he sat motionless1 a figure carved in ivory1 a man who had found peace at last4 ,here1 in the contemplating brain1 as with his eyes he looked over the vast city of ,london1 enormous and exquisite beyond the dreams of either the reformers or the artists of a century ago1 seen as through the crystal of the summer air1 as he lifted his eyes now and again to the solemn barges opposite with all that that dignity meant2 above all as he looked down that immeasurable line1 that roadway of a god1 along which presently at least the ,vicar of a ,god should come--all this and a thousand memories more--memories of events such as few experience in a lifetime1 crowded into twelve months--passed in endless defile1 coherent and consistent at last under the pointing finger of ,him who had directed and evolved them all4 99 99 99 99 99 ,first1 then1 he saw himself1 a child in knowledge1 beginning life at a point where many leave it off1 plunged into a world that was wholly strange and bewildering1 a world which1 though ,christian in name1 seemed brutal in nature--brutal as the pagan empires were brutal1 yet without the excuse of their ignorance and passion4 ,yet his intellect had seemed unable to refute the conclusion of that march of events1 that coherence of all ideals in a reasoned whole1 that fulfilment of instincts1 that play of forces1 upon which1 as upon a tide1 ,catholicism had floated to final victory in the history of mankind4 ,not one element had seemed wanting2 and1 as if to convince by sensible visions that brain which shrank from merely argued logic1 one by one he had seen for himself as in a picture lesson1 how at ,versailles the social tangle of an individual kingdom had once more submitted to monarchy--that faulty mirror of the ,divine government of the world2 how at ,rome the stability of rival kingdoms1 had found itself once more in an arbiter whose kingdom was not of this world2 how finally1 at ,lourdes1 in the widest circle of all1 the very science of the world itself had found itself not confronted or opposed1 but welcomed and transcended1 by a school of thinkers whose limitations lay only in the ,infinite4 ,once more then he had returned4 ,yet he had found that the head and the imagination are not all2 that man has a heart as well2 and that this has its demands no less inexorable that those of intellect4 ,and it was this heart of his that had seemed outraged and silenced4 ,for he had found in ,christianity a synthesis of ideas--a coincidence of knowledge--which1 while satisfying that head1 emerged in a system to which his heart could be no party4 ,he had learned that ,christian society must protect itself2 and he had seemed in this to find a denial of the essential ,christian doctrine that success comes only by defeat1 and triumph by the ,cross4 ,it had seemed to him that ,christ had accepted the taunts at last1 had come down from the ,cross and won the homage only of those who did not understand ,him4 ,he had been quieted indeed for a time1 under the power of men who1 whatever the rest of the world might do1 still thought that suffering was the better part4 ,yet he had been quieted2 not convinced4 ,then he had sought a glimpse of the reverse of the picture--of that which now seemed the sole alternative to that faith which he feared--a glimpse only2 yet full of significance4 ,for he had seen men to whom the better part of themselves seemed nothing2 men who walked with downcast eyes1 piling mud and stones together1 and fancying the heap to be a very ,city of ,god4 ,then1 swift as grace itself1 had come his answer4 ,he had seen men who had already all that the world could give1 men who1 he had thought1 lusted only for power1 go to an unknown and yet a certain death for the sake of a world over which he had thought they cared only to reign--and go with smiles and cheerfulness4 ,and while he still hung in indecision1 still hesitated as to whether this or that were the ,kingdom of ,god--this shrinking dream of a world sufficient to itself1 or this brightening vision--then the last light had come1 and he had seen one to be victor by sheer self-abnegation1 by contempt of his own life1 by the all but divine power of an ordinary man walking in grace4 ,there had been no rhetoric in that triumph1 no promises1 no intoxication of phrases1 no overwhelming personality such as that which had faced him4 ,there had been nothing but a little quiet personage with a father's heart1 who by his very fidelity to his human type1 by the absolute simplicity of his presence had first climbed to the highest point that man could reach1 and then by that same fidelity and simplicity1 had cast himself down1 and in the very hour that followed the unconditional surrender which his enemies had made1 had granted them a measure of liberty such as they had never dreamed of4 ,in the name of the ,powers1 whose super-lord and representative he was1 he had abolished the death-penalty for opinions subversive of society or faith1 substituting in its place deportation to the new ,american colonies2 he had flung open certain positions in ,catholic states hitherto tenable only on a profession of the ,christian religion to all men alike2 and he had guaranteed to the new colonies in ,america a freedom from external control and a place among civilized powers such as they had never expected or asked4 ,this then was the new type of man who had at last conquered the world4 ,it was not a superman that had been waited for so long1 not a demigod armed with powers of light2 not man raising himself above his stature1 building towers on earthly foundations that should reach to heaven2 but just man1 utterly true to himself and his instincts1 walking humbly before his ,god2 looking for a city that has no foundations1 coming down to him out of heaven4 ,it was supernature1 not superman2 grace and truth transfiguring nature2 not nature wrenching itself vainly towards the stature of grace4 ,it was man who could suffer1 who could reign2 since he only who knows his weakness1 dares to be strong4 4 4 4 ,vicisti ,galilaee6 7,,ii7 ,slowly then he had come to see that1 as had been told him long before1 the kingdoms of this world were already passing into the hands of a higher dominion--and this was the significance of this microcosm of those kingdoms that now lay before his bodily eyes4 ,there1 opposite to him1 in the blaze of sunlight1 stood the throne that for a thousand years had faced the throne of the ,fisherman1 now as a dependant1 now as a rebel--stable and fixed at last in its allegiance4 ,here beneath him lay ,london1 the finest city in the world1 where1 if ever anywhere1 had been tried the experiment of a religion resting on the strength of a national isolation instead of an universal supernationalism2--it had been tried1 and found wanting4 ,beneath him lay his own cathedral1 already blazing within like a treasure-cave1 ready for its consummation1 without1 tranquil and strong2 behind him the ancient ,abbey once again in the hands of its children2 far away to the right1 seeming strangely near in this lucid atmosphere1 hung1 like a bubble1 the great dome below which1 as he knew1 stood the first basilican altar in ,london1 newly consecrated as a sign of its papal dignities and privileges4 ,and beyond that again ,london2 and yet again ,london1 a wonderful white city1 gleaming at a thousand points with cross and spire and dome and pinnacle1 patched with green in square and park and open space--,london come back again at last to her ancient faith and her old prosperity4 ,but this was not all4 ,for he knew and his imagination circled out wider and wider that he might take it in--he knew that ,europe itself at last dwelt again with one mind in her house4 ,there beyond the channel--across which ten minutes ago1 as the thunder of guns had told him1 the ,arbiter of the ,world had come at last with his train of kings behind him--there lay the huge continent1 the great plains of ,france1 the forests of ,germany1 the giant tumbled debris of ,switzerland1 the warm and radiant coasts1 the ancient world-stage of ,italy1 passionate ,spain which never yet had wholly lost her love4 ,there all lay1 at one at last1 each her own1 with her own liberties and customs and traditions1 yet each in the service of her neighbour1 since each and all alike lay beneath the ,peace of ,god4 ,still wider fled his thought4 4 4 4 ,he saw to the southwards and far away westwards across the seas1 how now this country1 now that1 flew its flag and administered its laws1 yet how those flags all together saluted the ,crossed ,keys2 how those laws1 however diverse1 bowed all together before the ,law of ,liberty2 and how there1 farther yet1 already the gates of the ,east had rolled back1 and how there peered out across half the world the patient seeking faces of those old children of earth1 awakened at last to destinies greater than their own--awakened1 not as men had once feared1 by the thunder of ,christian guns1 but by the call of the ,shepherd to sheep that were not of ,his ,fold4 4 4 4 ,so there the vision lay before him--this man who had lost his memory and had found a greater gift instead4 99 99 99 99 99 ,an old priest in the white fur of a canon came gently up the deck from behind4 4 4 4 ,your ,eminence 4 4 4 he said1 they have signalled up the line4 4 4 4 ,i thought1 perhaps---- ,the new ,cardinal started as one from a dream4 ,what is it1 ,father ,jervis8 4 4 4 ,the old man looked at him closely2 then he laid his hand on his arm4 ,your ,eminence1 the ,king is waiting4 ,do you not remember8 ,your ,eminence was to give the signal4 ,beneath1 like huge voices speaking a single word all at once1 roared the old guns from the ,tower and ,greenwich and the palaces4 ,the ,cardinal shook his head4 ,i 4 4 4 ,i forget1 he said2 ,i was thinking4 4 4 4 ,what am ,i to do8 ,the old priest looked at him again earnestly1 without speaking4 ,then he leaned forward closer still4 ,will your ,eminence authorize me to give the signals8 ,yes1 yes1 ,father 4 4 4 anything4 ,what am ,i to do8 ,have ,i to say anything8 ,his eyes had a look of dawning terror in them as he glanced from side to side4 ,the priest once again laid his hand on the lace-covered wrist and held it there steadily4 ,nothing at all1 your ,eminence4 ,you have simply to sit still4 ,i will arrange everything4 ,still standing there1 he turned slightly and made a sharp gesture behind the throne with his left hand4 ,a bell sounded instantly4 ,there was a moment's silence4 ,then once again a bell2 and a chorus answered it4 ,very slowly the ,cardinal lifted his head1 and saw before him the ,royal barge sway ever so slightly1 conscious himself that through his own vessel a vibration was beginning to run as the huge engines beneath moved into action4 ,again roared the guns far down the river1 and1 as the bellow ceased1 from a thousand steeples broke out the clamour of brazen tongues4 4 4 4 ,he sat still2 he knew at least that this he must do4 4 4 4 ,surely this obscurity of brain would pass again in a moment4 ,he was going to meet the ,holy ,father1 was he not8 4 4 4 down there1 down that road of light and air1 along which now his great barge floated side by side with the ,king's4 ,that was it4 ,he remembered again now as his memory flickered in glimpses4 ,this was the great ,progress round the world of the new ,arbiter of the ,world1 the ,vicar of the ,prince of ,peace1 come into his ,kingdom at last4 ,he kept his eyes steadily before him1 scarcely seeing the flash of the river as it swept beneath him and away1 or on all sides the dipping flags1 the monstrous gilded prows1 the bravery of colour1 down this broad road on which he went1 scarcely conscious that1 as he passed1 the great barges wheeled behind him to follow to the meeting2 scarcely hearing the tremendous music that1 sweeping up from the crowded streets below1 wafted up to him the adoration of a free people who had learned at last that the ,law of ,liberty was the ,law of ,love4 4 4 4 ,ah6 there at last they came4 4 4 4 ,far down1 rising every instant higher above the summer haze1 outlined against a heaven of intensest blue1 approached a cloud that sparkled as it came1 that broke into a thousand points of colour--a long1 flat cloud1 seen at first as a steamer stretched across the sky1 curving down behind1 as it seemed1 into the haze from which it came4 ,on and up it came1 growing every instant1 widening and deepening1 ever more and more clear in colour and form and depth4 ,it could be seen now of what elements it was made--a throng of tiny specks1 moving like stately birds1 which1 even as the eye watched1 seemed to spread their wings upon the breeze that followed2 to expand their bulk1 and to glow1 as the distance lessened1 into the separate colours of each4 4 4 4 ,then once again bellowed the guns1 heard now like the voice of articulate thunder five miles behind1 rolling up the river as if to welcome this fleet upon its way2 and still he kept his eyes upon those who came so swiftly4 ,there in front moved the great guard-ships1 monsters of polished steel1 decked at prow and stern with the huge banners that stood out straight behind in the swiftness of their coming1 but which1 even as he looked1 flapped and bellied to this side and that as the speed decreased4 ,then1 wheeling outwards1 disclosing as they wheeled the insignia that each bore1 the eagles of ,germany1 the lilies of ,france and the rest1 the guard of thirty giants fell once more into line1 half a mile apart1 as those that followed came on1 and waited2 beating the air with the shimmer of their netted wings4 ,then ship after ship came up1 each wheeling in its turn and waiting1 building now up with the speed of thought a vast semicircle1 expanding ever more and more swiftly1 as the watcher looked--himself halted now1 with the royal barge on his right and his train of boats behind4 ,there each in its turn passed the air-navies of the ,great ,powers1 come to bring their ,lord with honour on his progress through the world--vast armaments of inconceivable war1 enrolled at last in the service of the ,prince of ,peace4 ,then when the movement was complete1 and there lay there across the burning blue of the sky1 five hundred feet in air1 this vast curve of glittering splendour1 ten miles from horn to horn1 on came the great fleet that they had escorted4 ,there1 then1 the watcher saw two by two1 first the barges of the ,papal ,orders1 the ,order of the ,holy ,sepulchre with its five-fold cross1 and the ,golden ,spur1 leading--huge medieval galleons1 carved at prow and stern1 each bearing its insignia2 then came couple after couple bearing the ,papal ,court1 followed closely by great barges1 each with its canopy and throne1 and the coat of the ,cardinal whom each bore flying overhead4 ,and then a glorious sight4 ,for1 moving alone in a solid phalanx1 each vessel separated only by the space necessary for close manoeuvring1 came the royal barges of ,europe1 ranked on either side by a line of guard-boats--,france1 ,austria1 and ,germany1 then ,belgium and ,holland1 then the ,scandinavian kingdoms1 then a crowd of lesser ,states from the ,balkan1 ,greece1 and the ,black ,sea2 then the black-eagled barge of ,russia1 and finally the great galleons of ,spain and ,italy3 and on each sat a royal figure beneath a canopy of state4 ,and last of all moved a huge vessel1 in scarlet and white1 with a banner of white and gold and cross-keys at the prow2 scarcely seen at first through the crowding craft1 with a squadron of guard-ships coming after4 ,there1 then1 the man who had lost his memory sat motionless1 and watched it all--this astounding display of inner grace transformed into glory at last1 that ,royalty which since first the ,fisherman took his seat in ,holy ,rome1 had little by little1 through reverse and success1 forced its way outwards on the world--the leaven hid in the meal till all was leavened4 4 4 4 ,and it seemed to him as he looked1 as if1 through the splendour of the midday sun1 the glitter of that sea of air-craft--through the pealing of the bells beneath and the shock of the guns and the shrill crying that filled the air--there moved other ,presences1 too1 in yet a third medium than those of air and earth2 as if diffused throughout this material plane was a world of more than matter and mind1 more than of sense and perception--a world where all was reconciled and made at one--this clash of flesh and spirit--and that at last each answered to each1 and spirit inspired flesh1 and flesh expressed spirit4 ,it seemed to him1 for one blinding instant1 as if at last he saw how distance was contained in a single point1 colour in whiteness1 and sound in silence1 as at the very ,word of ,him who now at last had taken ,his power and reigned1 whose ,kingdom at last had come indeed1 to whom in very truth ,all ,power was given in heaven and earth4 4 4 4 ,,epilogue ,the white-skirted1 clean-looking doctor came briskly and noiselessly into the little room that opened off ,ward ,no4 ,,iv in the ,westminster ,hospital as the clock pointed to nine o'clock in the morning1 and the nursing-sister stood up to receive him4 ,good morning1 sister1 he said4 ,any change8 ,he seemed a little disturbed about an hour ago by the bells1 she said4 ,but he hasn't spoken at all4 ,together they stood and looked down on the unconscious man4 ,he lay there motionless with closed eyes1 his unshaven cheek resting on his hand1 his face fallen into folds and hollows1 colourless and sallow4 ,the red coverlet drawn up over his shoulder helped to emphasize his deadly pallor4 ,it's a curious case1 said the doctor4 ,i've never seen coma in such a case last so long4 ,he still stared at him a moment or two2 then he laid the back of his hand gently against the dying man's cheek1 then again he consulted through his glasses the chart that hung over the head of the bed4 ,will he recover consciousness before the end1 doctor8 ,it's very likely2 it's impossible to say4 ,send for me if there's any change4 ,i mayn't send for a priest1 doctor8 she said hesitatingly4 ,you know--- ,he shook his head sharply4 ,no1 no4 ,he distinctly refused1 you remember4 ,it's impossible1 sister4 4 4 4 ,i'm very sorry4 ,when he had gone1 she sat down again1 and drew out her beads furtively upon her lap4 ,it was a horrible position for her4 ,she1 a ,catholic1 knew now pretty well the history of this man--that he himself was a priest who had lost the faith1 who had associated himself with an historian who was writing a history of the ,popes from what he called an impartial standpoint1 who had1 as the doctor said1 distinctly and resentfully refused the suggestion that another priest should be sent to help him to make his peace before he died4 ,and1 for her1 as a convinced ,catholic1 the position had a terror that is simply inconceivable to those of a less positive faith4 ,she could do nothing more4 4 4 4 ,she said her beads4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there was a curious mixture of silence and sound here on this ,easter ,sunday in this bare1 airy little ward1 with the door closed1 and the windows open only at the top4 ,the room had a remote kind of atmosphere about it1 obtained perhaps partly by the solidity of the walls1 partly by the fact that it looked out on to a comparatively unfrequented lane1 partly by the suggestiveness of a professional sick-room4 ,the world was all about it2 yet it seemed rather to this nurse1 sitting alone at her prayers and duties1 as if she had a window into the common world of life rather than that she actually was a part of it4 ,even the sounds that entered here had this remote tone about them2 the footsteps and talking of strayed holiday-makers1 occasional fragmentary peals of bells1 the striking of the clock in the high ,victoria ,tower--all these noises came into the room delicately and suggestively rather than as interruptions1 yet distinct and noticeable because of the absence of the usual rush of traffic across the great square outside4 ,the nurse dozed a little over her beads4 7,she had been on duty since the evening before1 and would not be relieved for another hour yet47 ,and it seemed to her1 as so often in that half-sleep1 half-wakefulness1 when the drowsy brain knows all necessary things and awakes alert again in an instant at any unusual movement or sound1 as if these sounds began to take on them tones of other causes than those of themselves4 ,it seemed1 for example1 as if the steady murmur were the shouting of phantom crowds at an immeasurable distance1 punctuated now again by the noise of distant guns1 as1 somewhere round a corner a vehicle passed over a crossing of cobble-stones2 as if the bells of the churches rang with a deliberate purpose1 to welcome or rejoice over some event 4 4 4 some entry of a king1 she fancied1 in a far-off city4 ,once even1 so deep grew her drowsiness1 she fancied herself looking down on some such city1 herself up in the sunlight and air1 floating on the cloudy vessel of her own sleep4 4 4 4 ,pray for us sinners1 she murmured1 now and in the hour of our death4 ,then she awoke in earnest1 and saw the eyes of the patient fixed intelligently upon her4 ,fetch a priest1 he said4 99 99 99 99 99 ,father1 said the dying man an hour later1 is that all8 ,have you finished8 ,yes1 my dear father--thank ,god6 4 4 4 ,well2 sit down a minute or two4 ,i want to talk to you4 ,the young priest1 sent for nearly an hour ago in haste from the ,cathedral1 finished putting up again into his little leather case the tiny stocks of holy oil with which he had just anointed the dying man4 ,he had heard his confession 4 4 4 he had returned again to fetch the ,viaticum and the oils2 and now all was done2 and the old priest was reconciled and at peace4 ,the young man was still a little tremulous2 it was his first reconciliation of a dying apostate1 and it seemed to him a marvellous thing that a man could come back after so long1 and so simply--and an apostate priest at that6 ,he had heard this man's name before1 and heard his story4 4 4 4 ,but he was intensely anxious to know what it was that had wrought the miracle4 ,the sister had told him that until this moment the patient had steadily refused even the suggestion to send for a priest4 ,and then1 when he had come1 there had been no preliminaries4 ,he had simply slipped on his stole as the sister went to the door1 sat down by the bedside1 heard the confession1 and undertaken one or two little acts of restitution on his penitent's behalf4 ,he sat down again now and waited4 ,the man in the bed lay with closed eyes1 and an extraordinary peace rested over him4 ,it was almost impossible to believe1 so white were the reflections of these clean walls1 so white the linen1 that there was not a certain interior luminosity that shone over his features4 ,his chin and lips and jaws were covered with a week's stubble1 his eyelids were sunk in the sockets1 and the temples looked shrunken and hollow2 yet there was a clearness of skin1 not yet dusky with the shadow of death1 that appeared almost supernatural to this young man who looked at him4 ,the sign of the ,prophet ,jonas1 said the dying priest suddenly4 4 4 4 ,resurrection4 ,yes8 ,that is what ,i have seen1 he said4 4 4 ,no2 ,i know it was a dream4 4 4 ,but it is possible2 the ,church has the power within her4 ,it may happen some day2 or it may not4 ,but there is no reason why it should not4 ,the other leant over him4 ,my dear father---- he began4 ,the older priest smiled4 ,it is a long time since ,i heard that1 he said4 4 4 4 ,what's your name1 father8 ,jervis 4 4 4 ,father ,jervis4 ,i come from the ,cathedral4 ,the eyes opened and looked at him curiously4 ,eh8 ,father ,jervis1 said the young priest again4 ,any relations8 ,some nephews--children4 ,that's all of my name4 ,ah well6 ,perhaps- 7,he broke off74 ,did they tell me your name1 before ,i became unconscious8 ,it's very likely4 ,i'm the visiting chaplain here4 ,ah well6 ,who knows---8 ,but that doesn't matter4 4 4 4 ,father1 how long have ,i to live8 ,the young priest leaned forward and laid his hand on the other's arm4 ,a few hours only1 father1 he said gently4 4 4 4 ,you are not afraid8 ,afraid8 ,his eyes closed1 and he smiled naturally and easily4 ,well2 listen4 ,lean closer4 4 4 4 ,no 4 4 4 call the sister in4 ,i want her to hear too4 ,sister---- ,she came forward1 her eyes heavy with sleep1 but they were bright too with an immense joy4 ,can you wait up a little longer1 sister8 said ,father ,jervis4 ,he wants us both to hear what he has to say4 ,why1 of course4 ,she sat down on the other side of the bed4 ,still the sounds from outside went on--the footsteps and the voices and the bells4 ,they were beginning to ring for the ,easter morning service in the ,abbey2 and still1 within this room1 was this air of silence and remoteness4 ,now1 listen carefully1 said the dying man4 4 4 4