,,padre ,,ignacio ,or ,the ,song of ,temptation ,by ,owen ,wister ,i ,at ,santa ,ysabel del ,mar the season was at one of those moments when the air rests quiet over land and sea4 ,the old breezes were gone2 the new ones were not yet risen4 ,the flowers in the mission garden opened wide2 no wind came by day or night to shake the loose petals from their stems4 ,along the basking1 silent1 many-colored shore gathered and lingered the crisp odors of the mountains4 ,the dust hung golden and motionless long after the rider was behind the hill1 and the ,pacific lay like a floor of sapphire1 whereon to walk beyond the setting sun into the ,east4 ,one white sail shone there4 ,instead of an hour1 it had been from dawn till afternoon in sight between the short headlands2 and the ,padre had hoped that it might be the ship his homesick heart awaited4 ,but it had slowly passed4 ,from an arch in his garden cloisters he was now watching the last of it4 ,presently it was gone1 and the great ocean lay empty4 ,the ,padre put his glasses in his lap4 ,for a short while he read in his breviary1 but soon forgot it again4 ,he looked at the flowers and sunny ridges1 then at the huge blue triangle of sea which the opening of the hills let into sight4 ,paradise1 he murmured1 need not hold more beauty and peace4 ,but ,i think ,i would exchange all my remaining years of this for one sight again of ,paris or ,seville4 ,may ,god forgive me such a thought6 ,across the unstirred fragrance of oleanders the bell for vespers began to ring4 ,its tones passed over the ,padre as he watched the sea in his garden4 ,they reached his parishioners in their adobe dwellings near by4 ,the gentle circles of sound floated outward upon the smooth1 immense silence--over the vines and pear-trees2 down the avenues of the olives2 into the planted fields1 whence women and children began to return2 then out of the lap of the valley along the yellow uplands1 where the men that rode among the cattle paused1 looking down like birds at the map of their home4 ,then the sound widened1 faint1 unbroken1 until it met ,temptation in the guise of a youth1 riding toward the ,padre from the ,south1 and cheered the steps of ,temptation's jaded horse4 ,for a day1 one single day of ,paris6 repeated the ,padre1 gazing through his cloisters at the empty sea4 ,once in the year the mother-world remembered him4 ,once in the year1 from ,spain1 tokens and home-tidings came to him1 sent by certain beloved friends of his youth4 ,a barkentine brought him these messages4 ,whenever thus the mother-world remembered him1 it was like the touch of a warm hand1 a dear and tender caress2 a distant life1 by him long left behind1 seemed to be drawing the exile homeward from these alien shores4 ,as the time for his letters and packets drew near1 the eyes of ,padre ,ignacio would be often fixed wistfully upon the harbor1 watching for the barkentine4 ,sometimes1 as to-day1 he mistook other sails for hers1 but hers he mistook never4 ,that ,pacific ,ocean1 which1 for all its hues and jeweled mists1 he could not learn to love1 had1 since long before his day1 been furrowed by the keels of ,spain4 ,traders1 and adventurers1 and men of ,god had passed along this coast1 planting their colonies and cloisters2 but it was not his ocean4 ,in the year that we1 a thin strip of patriots away over on the ,atlantic edge of the continent1 declared ourselves an independent nation1 a ,spanish ship1 in the name of ,saint ,francis1 was unloading the centuries of her own civilization at the ,golden ,gate4 ,san ,diego had come earlier4 ,then1 slowly1 as mission after mission was built along the soft coast wilderness1 new ports were established--at ,santa ,barbara1 and by ,point ,san ,luis for ,san ,luis ,obispo1 which lay inland a little way up the gorge where it opened among the hills4 ,thus the world reached these missions by water2 while on land1 through the mountains1 a road led to them1 and also to many more that were too distant behind the hills for ships to serve--a rough road1 long and lonely1 punctuated with church towers and gardens4 ,for the ,fathers gradually so stationed their settlements that the traveler might each morning ride out from one mission and by evening of a day's fair journey ride into the next4 ,a lonely1 rough1 dangerous road1 but lovely1 too1 with a name like music--,el ,camino ,real4 ,like music also were the names of the missions--,san ,juan ,capistrano1 ,san ,luis ,rey de ,francia1 ,san ,miguel1 ,santa ,ynes--their very list is a song4 ,so there1 by-and-by1 was our continent1 with the locomotive whistling from ,savannah to ,boston along its eastern edge1 and on the western the scattered chimes of ,spain ringing among the unpeopled mountains4 ,thus grew the two sorts of civilization--not equally4 ,we know what has happened since4 ,to-day the locomotive is whistling also from ,the ,golden ,gate to ,san ,diego2 but still the old mission-road goes through the mountains1 and along it the footsteps of vanished ,spain are marked with roses1 and broken cloisters1 and the crucifix4 ,but this was #ahee4 ,only the barkentine brought to ,padre ,ignacio the signs from the world that he once had known and loved so dearly4 ,as for the new world making a rude noise to the northward1 he trusted that it might keep away from ,santa ,ysabel1 and he waited for the vessel that was overdue with its package containing his single worldly luxury4 ,as the little1 ancient bronze bell continued swinging in the tower1 its plaintive call reached something in the ,padre's memory4 ,softly1 absently1 he began to sing4 ,he took up the slow strain not quite correctly1 and dropped it1 and took it up again1 always in cadence with the bell4 musical score appears here ,at length he heard himself1 and1 glancing at the belfry1 smiled a little4 ,it is a pretty tune1 he said1 and it always made me sorry for poor ,fra ,diavolo4 ,auber himself confessed to me that he had made it sad and put the hermitage bell to go with it1 because he too was grieved at having to kill his villain1 and wanted him1 if possible1 to die in a religious frame of mind4 ,and ,auber touched glasses with me and said--how well ,i remember it6--',is it the good ,lord1 or is it merely the devil1 that makes me always have a weakness for rascals8' ,i told him it was the devil4 ,i was not a priest then4 ,i could not be so sure with my answer now4 ,and then ,padre ,ignacio repeated ,auber's remark in ,french3 ',est-ce le bon ,dieu1 oui est-ce bien le diable1 qui veut tonjours que j'aime les coquins8' ,i don't know6 ,i don't know6 ,i wonder if ,auber has composed anything lately8 ,i wonder who is singing ',zerlina' now8 ,he cast a farewell look at the ocean1 and took his steps between the monastic herbs1 the jasmines and the oleanders to the sacristy4 ,at least1 he said1 if we cannot carry with us into exile the friends and the places we have loved1 music will go whither we go1 even to an end of the world such as this4--,felipe6 he called to his organist4 ,can they sing the music ,i taught them for the ,dixit ,dominus to-night8 ,yes1 father1 surely4 ,then we will have that4 ,and1 ,felipe-- ,the ,padre crossed the chancel to the small1 shabby organ4 ,rise1 my child1 and listen4 ,here is something you can learn4 ,why1 see now if you cannot learn it from a single hearing4 ,the swarthy boy of sixteen stood watching his master's fingers1 delicate and white1 as they played4 ,thus1 of his own accord1 he had begun to watch them when a child of six2 and the ,padre had taken the wild1 half-scared1 spellbound creature and made a musician of him4 ,there1 ,felipe6 he said now4 ,can you do it8 ,slower1 and more softly1 muchacho mio4 ,it is about the death of a man1 and it should go with our bell4 ,the boy listened4 ,then the father has played it a tone too low1 said he1 for our bell rings the note of sol1 or something very near it1 as the father must surely know4 ,he placed the melody in the right key--an easy thing for him2 and the ,padre was delighted4 ,ah1 my ,felipe1 he exclaimed1 what could you and ,i not do if we had a better organ6 ,only a little better6 ,see6 above this row of keys would be a second row1 and many more stops4 ,then we would make such music as has never yet been heard in ,california4 ,but my people are so poor and so few6 ,and some day ,i shall have passed from them1 and it will be too late4 ,perhaps1 ventured ,felipe1 the ,americanos-- ,they care nothing for us1 ,felipe4 ,they are not of our religion--or of any religion1 from what ,i can hear4 ,don't forget my ,dixit ,dominus4 ,the ,padre retired once more to the sacristy1 while the horse that brought ,temptation came over the hill4 ,the hour of service drew near2 and as the ,padre waited he once again stepped out for a look at the ocean2 but the blue triangle of water lay like a picture in its frame of land1 bare as the sky4 ,i think1 from the color1 though1 said he1 that a little more wind must have begun out there4 ,the bell rang a last short summons to prayer4 ,along the road from the south a young rider1 leading a pack-animal1 ambled into the mission and dismounted4 ,church was not so much in his thoughts as food and1 after due digestion1 a bed2 but the doors stood open1 and1 as everybody was passing within them1 more variety was to be gained by joining this company than by waiting outside alone until they should return from their devotions4 ,so he seated himself in a corner near the entrance1 and after a brief1 jaunty glance at the sunburned1 shaggy congregation1 made himself as comfortable as might be4 ,he had not seen a face worth keeping his eyes open for4 ,the simple choir and simple fold1 gathered for even-song1 paid him no attention--a rough ,american bound for the mines was but an object of aversion to them4 ,the ,padre1 of course1 had been instantly aware of the stranger's presence4 ,to be aware of unaccustomed presences is the sixth sense with vicars of every creed and heresy2 and if the parish is lonely and the worshipers few and seldom varying1 a newcomer will gleam out like a new book to be read4 ,and a trained priest learns to read keenly the faces of those who assemble to worship under his guidance4 ,but ,american vagrants1 with no thoughts save of gold-digging1 and an overweening illiterate jargon for speech1 had long ceased to interest this priest1 even in his starvation for company and talk from the outside world2 and therefore after the intoning he sat with his homesick thoughts unchanged1 to draw both pain and enjoyment from the music that he had set to the ,dixit ,dominus4 ,he listened to the tender chorus that opens ,william ,tell2 and1 as the ,latin psalm proceeded1 pictures of the past rose between him and the altar4 ,one after another came these strains he had taken from operas famous in their day1 until at length the ,padre was murmuring to some music seldom long out of his heart--not the ,latin verse which the choir sang1 but the original ,french words3 ,ah1 voile man envie1 ,voila mon seul desir3 ,rendez moi ma patrie1 ,ou laissez moi mourir4 ,which may be rendered3 ,but one wish ,i implore1 ,one wish is all my cry3 ,give back my native land once more1 ,give back1 or let me die4 ,then it happened that his eye fell again upon the stranger near the door1 and he straightway forgot his ,dixit ,dominus4 ,the face of the young man was no longer hidden by the slouching position he had at first taken4 ,i only noticed his clothes at first1 thought the ,padre4 ,restlessness was plain upon the handsome brow1 and violence was in the mouth2 but ,padre ,ignacio liked the eyes4 ,he is not saying any prayers1 he surmised1 presently4 ,i doubt if he has said any for a long while4 ,and he knows my music4 ,he is of educated people4 ,he cannot be ,american4 ,and now--yes1 he has taken--,i think it must be a flower1 from his pocket4 ,i shall have him to dine with me4 ,and vespers ended with rosy clouds of eagerness drifting across the ,padre's brain4 ,,ii ,but the stranger made his own beginning4 ,as the priest came from the church1 the rebellious young figure was waiting4 ,your organist tells me1 he said1 impetuously1 that it is you who-- ,may ,i ask with whom ,i have the great pleasure of speaking8 said the ,padre1 putting formality to the front and his pleasure out of sight4 ,the stranger's face reddened beneath its sun-beaten bronze1 and he became aware of the ,padre's pale features1 molded by refinement and the world4 ,i beg your lenience1 said he1 with a graceful and confident utterance1 as of equal to equal4 ,my name is ,gaston ,villere1 and it was time ,i should be reminded of my manners4 ,the ,padre's hand waved a polite negative4 ,indeed1 yes1 ,padre4 ,but your music has amazed me4 ,if you carried such associations as--,ah6 the days and the nights6--he broke off4 ,to come down a ,california mountain and find ,paris at the bottom6 ,the ,huguenots1 ,rossini1 ,herold--,i was waiting for ,il ,trovatore4 ,is that something new8 inquired the ,padre1 eagerly4 ,the young man gave an exclamation4 ,the whole world is ringing with it6 he cried4 ,but ,santa ,ysabel del ,mar is a long way from the whole world1 murmured ,padre ,ignacio4 ,indeed1 it would not appear to be so1 returned young ,gaston4 ,i think the ,comedie ,francaise must be round the corner4 ,a thrill went through the priest at the theater's name4 ,and have you been long in ,america8 he asked4 ,why1 always--except two years of foreign travel after college4 ,an ,american6 exclaimed the surprised ,padre1 with perhaps a tone of disappointment in his voice4 ,but no ,americans who are yet come this way have been--have been--he veiled the too-blunt expression of his thought--have been familiar with ,the ,huguenots1 he finished1 making a slight bow4 ,villere took his under-meaning4 ,i come from ,new ,orleans1 he returned1 and in ,new ,orleans there live many of us who can recognize a--who can recognize good music wherever we hear it4 ,and he made a slight bow in his turn4 ,the ,padre laughed outright with pleasure and laid his hand upon the young man's arm4 ,you have no intention of going away to-morrow1 ,i trust8 ,with your leave1 answered ,gaston1 ,i will have such an intention no longer4 ,it was with the air and gait of mutual understanding that the two now walked on together toward the ,padre's door4 ,the guest was twenty-five1 the host sixty4 ,and have you been in ,america long8 inquired ,gaston4 ,twenty years4 ,and at ,santa ,ysabel how long8 ,twenty years4 ,i should have thought1 said ,gaston1 looking lightly at the desert and unpeopled mountains1 that now and again you might have wished to travel4 ,were ,i your age1 murmured ,padre ,ignacio1 it might be so4 ,the evening had now ripened to the long after-glow of sunset4 ,the sea was the purple of grapes1 and wine-colored hues flowed among the high shoulders of the mountains4 ,i have seen a sight like this1 said ,gaston1 between ,granada and ,malaga4 ,so you know ,spain6 said the ,padre4 ,often he had thought of this resemblance1 but never till now met any one to share his thought4 ,the courtly proprietor of ,san ,fernando and the other patriarchal rancheros with whom he occasionally exchanged visits across the wilderness knew hospitality and inherited gentle manners1 sending to ,europe for silks and laces to give their daughters2 but their eyes had not looked upon ,granada1 and their ears had never listened to ,william ,tell4 ,it is quite singular1 pursued ,gaston1 how one nook in the world will suddenly remind you of another nook that may be thousands of miles away4 ,one morning1 behind the ,quai ,voltaire1 an old1 yellow house with rusty balconies made me almost homesick for ,new ,orleans4 ,the ,quai ,voltaire6 said the ,padre4 ,i heard ,rachel in ,valerie that night1 the young man went on4 ,did you know that she could sing1 too4 ,she sang several verses by an astonishing little ,jew violin-cellist that is come up over there4 ,the ,padre gazed down at his blithe guest4 ,to see somebody1 somebody1 once again1 is very pleasant to a hermit6 ,it cannot be more pleasant than arriving at an oasis1 returned ,gaston4 ,they had delayed on the threshold to look at the beauty of the evening1 and now the priest watched his parishioners come and go4 ,how can one make companions-- he began2 then1 checking himself1 he said3 ,their souls are as sacred and immortal as mine1 and ,god helps me to help them4 ,but in this world it is not immortal souls that we choose for companions2 it is kindred tastes1 intelligences1 and--and so ,i and my books are growing old together1 you see1 he added1 more lightly4 ,you will find my volumes as behind the times as myself4 ,he had fallen into talk more intimate than he wished2 and while the guest was uttering something polite about the nobility of missionary work1 he placed him in an easy-chair and sought aguardiente for his immediate refreshment4 ,since the year's beginning there had been no guest for him to bring into his rooms1 or to sit beside him in the high seats at table1 set apart for the gente fina4 ,such another library was not then in ,california2 and though ,gaston ,villere1 in leaving ,harvard ,college1 had shut ,horace and ,sophocles for ever at the earliest instant possible under academic requirements1 he knew the ,greek and ,latin names that he now saw as well as he knew those of ,shakspere1 ,dante1 ,moliere1 and ,cervantes4 ,these were here also2 but it could not be precisely said of them1 either1 that they made a part of the young man's daily reading4 ,as he surveyed the ,padre's august shelves1 it was with a touch of the histrionic ,southern gravity which his ,northern education had not wholly schooled out of him that he said3 ,i fear ,i am no scholar1 sir4 ,but ,i know what writers every gentleman ought to respect4 ,the polished ,padre bowed gravely to this compliment4 ,it was when his eyes caught sight of the music that the young man felt again at ease1 and his vivacity returned to him4 ,leaving his chair1 he began enthusiastically to examine the tall piles that filled one side of the room4 ,the volumes lay piled and scattered everywhere1 making a pleasant disorder2 and1 as perfume comes from a flower1 memories of singers and chandeliers rose bright from the printed names4 ,norma1 ,tancredi1 ,don ,pasquale1 ,la ,vestale1 dim lights in the fashions of to-day1 sparkled upon the exploring ,gaston1 conjuring the radiant halls of ,europe before him4 ,the ,barber of ,seville6 he presently exclaimed4 ,and ,i happened to hear it in ,seville4 ,but ,seville's name brought over the ,padre a new rush of home thoughts4 ,is not ,andalusia beautiful8 he said4 ,did you see it in ,april1 when the flowers come8 ,yes1 said ,gaston1 among the music4 ,i was at ,cordova then4 ,ah1 ,cordova6 murmured the ,padre4 ,semiramide6 cried ,gaston1 lighting upon that opera4 ,that was a week6 ,i should like to live it over1 every day and night of it6 ,did you reach ,malaga from ,marseilles or ,gibraltar8 asked the ,padre1 wistfully4 ,from ,marseilles4 ,down from ,paris through the ,rhone ,valley1 you know4 ,then you saw ,provence6 ,and did you go1 perhaps1 from ,avignon to ,nismes by the ,pont du ,gard8 ,there is a place ,i have made here--a little1 little place--with olive-trees4 ,and now they have grown1 and it looks something like that country1 if you stand in a particular position4 ,i will take you there to-morrow4 ,i think you will understand what ,i mean4 ,another resemblance6 said the volatile and happy ,gaston4 ,we both seem to have an eye for them4 ,but1 believe me1 ,padre1 ,i could never stay here planting olives4 ,i should go back and see the original ones--and then ,i'd hasten on to ,paris4 ,and1 with a volume of ,meyerbeer open in his hand1 ,gaston hummed3 ',robert1 ,robert1 toi que j'aime4' ,why1 ,padre1 ,i think that your library contains none of the masses and all of the operas in the world6 ,i will make you a little confession1 said ,padre ,ignacio1 and then you shall give me a little absolution4 ,for a penance1 said ,gaston1 you must play over some of these things to me4 ,i suppose ,i could not permit myself this luxury1 began the ,padre1 pointing to his operas1 and teach these to my choir1 if the people had any worldly associations with the music4 ,but ,i have reasoned that the music cannot do them harm-- ,the ringing of a bell here interrupted him4 ,in fifteen minutes1 he said1 our poor meal will be ready for you4 ,the good ,padre was not quite sincere when he spoke of a poor meal4 ,while getting the aguardiente for his guest he had given orders1 and he knew how well such orders would be carried out4 ,he lived alone1 and generally supped simply enough1 but not even the ample table at ,san ,fernando could surpass his own on occasions4 ,and this was for him indeed an occasion6 ,your half-breeds will think ,i am one of themselves1 said ,gaston1 showing his dusty clothes4 ,i am not fit to be seated with you4 ,but he did not mean this any more than his host had meant his remark about the food4 ,in his pack1 which an ,indian had brought from his horse1 he carried some garments of civilization4 ,and presently1 after fresh water and not a little painstaking with brush and scarf1 there came back to the ,padre a young guest whose elegance and bearing and ease of the great world were to the exiled priest as sweet as was his traveled conversation4 ,they repaired to the hall and took their seats at the head of the long table4 ,for the ,spanish centuries of stately custom lived at ,santa ,ysabel del ,mar1 inviolate1 feudal1 remote4 ,they were the only persons of quality present2 and between themselves and the gente de razon a space intervened4 ,behind the ,padre's chair stood an ,indian to waft upon him1 and another stood behind the chair of ,gaston ,villere4 ,each of these servants wore one single white garment1 and offered the many dishes to the gente fina and refilled their glasses4 ,at the lower end of the table a general attendant wafted upon mesclados--the half-breeds4 ,there was meat with spices1 and roasted quail1 with various cakes and other preparations of grain2 also the brown fresh olives and grapes1 with several sorts of figs and plums1 and preserved fruits1 and white and red wine--the white fifty years old4 ,beneath the quiet shining of candles1 fresh-cut flowers leaned from vessels of old ,mexican and ,spanish make4 ,there at one end of this feast sat the wild1 pastoral1 gaudy company1 speaking little over their food2 and there at the other the pale ,padre1 questioning his visitor about ,rachel4 ,the mere name of a street would bring memories crowding to his lips2 and when his guest told him of a new play he was ready with old quotations from the same author4 ,alfred de ,vigny they spoke of1 and ,victor ,hugo1 whom the ,padre disliked4 ,long after the dulce1 or sweet dish1 when it was the custom for the vaqueros and the rest of the retainers to rise and leave the gente fina to themselves1 the host sat on in the empty hail1 fondly talking to his guest of his bygone ,paris and fondly learning of the later ,paris that the guest had seen4 ,and thus the two lingered1 exchanging their enthusiasms1 while the candles waned1 and the long-haired ,indians stood silent behind the chairs4 ,but we must go to my piano1 the host exclaimed4 ,for at length they had come to a lusty difference of opinion4 ,the ,padre1 with ears critically deaf1 and with smiling1 unconvinced eyes1 was shaking his head1 while young ,gaston sang ,trovatore at him1 and beat upon the table with a fork4 ,come and convert me1 then1 said ,padre ,ignacio1 and he led the way4 ,donizetti ,i have always admitted4 ,there1 at least1 is refinement4 ,if the world has taken to this ,verdi1 with his street-band music--,but there1 now6 ,sit down and convert me4 ,only don't crush my poor little ,erard with ,verdi's hoofs4 ,i brought it when ,i came4 ,it is behind the times1 too4 ,and1 oh1 my dear boy1 our organ is still worse4 ,so old1 so old6 ,to get a proper one ,i would sacrifice even this piano of mine in a moment--only the tinkling thing is not worth a sou to anybody except its master4 ,but there6 ,are you quite comfortable8 ,and having seen to his guest's needs1 and placed spirits and cigars and an ash-tray within his reach1 the ,padre sat himself comfortably in his chair to hear and expose the false doctrine of ,il ,trovatore4 ,by midnight all of the opera that ,gaston could recall had been played and sung twice4 ,the convert sat in his chair no longer1 but stood singing by the piano4 ,the potent swing and flow of rhythms1 the torrid1 copious inspiration of the ,south1 mastered him4 ,verdi has grown1 he cried4 ,verdi is become a giant4 ,and he swayed to the beat of the melodies1 and waved an enthusiastic arm4 ,he demanded every note4 ,why did not ,gaston remember it all8 ,but if the barkentine would arrive and bring the whole music1 then they would have it right6 ,and he made ,gaston teach him what words he knew4 ',non ti scorder1' he sang--'non ti scordar di me4' ,that is genius4 ,but one sees how the world moves when one is out of it4 ',a nostri monti ritorneremo'2 home to our mountains4 ,ah1 yes1 there is genius again4 ,and the exile sighed and his spirit voyaged to distant places1 while ,gaston continued brilliantly with the music of the final scene4 ,then the host remembered his guest4 ,i am ashamed of my selfishness1 he said4 ,it is already to-morrow4 ,i have sat later in less good company1 answered the pleasant ,gaston4 ,and ,i shall sleep all the sounder for making a convert4 ,you have dispensed roadside alms1 said the ,padre1 smiling1 and that should win excellent dreams4 ,thus1 with courtesies more elaborate than the world has time for at the present day1 they bade each other good-night and parted1 bearing their late candles along the quiet halls of the mission4 ,to young ,gaston in his bed easy sleep came without waiting1 and no dreams at all4 ,outside his open window was the quiet1 serene darkness1 where the stars shone clear1 and tranquil perfumes hung in the cloisters4 ,but while the guest lay sleeping all night in unchanged position like a child1 up and down between the oleanders went ,padre ,ignacio1 walking until dawn4 ,temptation indeed had come over the hill and entered the cloisters4 ,,iii ,day showed the ocean's surface no longer glassy1 but lying like a mirror breathed upon2 and there between the short headlands came a sail1 gray and plain against the flat water4 ,the priest watched through his glasses1 and saw the gradual sun grow strong upon the canvas of the barkentine4 ,the message from his world was at hand1 yet to-day he scarcely cared so much4 ,sitting in his garden yesterday1 he could never have imagined such a change4 ,but his heart did not hail the barkentine as usual4 ,books1 music1 pale paper1 and print--this was all that was coming to him1 some of its savor had gone2 for the siren voice of ,life had been speaking with him face to face1 and in his spirit1 deep down1 the love of the world was restlessly answering it4 ,young ,gaston showed more eagerness than the ,padre over this arrival of the vessel that might be bringing ,trovatore in the nick of time4 ,now he would have the chance1 before he took his leave1 to help rehearse the new music with the choir4 ,he would be a missionary1 too3 a perfectly new experience4 ,and you still forgive ,verdi the sins of his youth8 he said to his host4 ,i wonder if you could forgive mine8 ,verdi has left his behind him1 retorted the ,padre4 ,but ,i am only twenty-five6 exclaimed ,gaston1 pathetically4 ,ah1 don't go away soon6 pleaded the exile4 ,it was the first unconcealed complaint that had escaped him1 and he felt instant shame4 ,but ,gaston was too much elated with the enjoyment of each new day to comprehend the ,padre's soul4 ,the shafts of another's pain might hardly pierce the bright armor of his gaiety4 ,he mistook the priest's entreaty1 for anxiety about his own happy spirit4 ,stay here under your care8 he asked4 ,it would do me no good1 ,padre4 ,temptation sticks closer to me than a brother6 and he gave that laugh of his which had disarmed severer judges than his host4 ,by next week ,i should have introduced some sin or other into your beautiful ,garden of ,ignorance here4 ,it will be much safer for your flock if ,i go and join the other serpents at ,san ,francisco4 ,soon after breakfast the ,padre had his two mules saddled1 and he and his guest set forth down the hills together to the shore4 ,and1 beneath the spell and confidence of pleasant1 slow riding and the loveliness of everything1 the young man talked freely of himself4 ,and1 seriously1 said he1 if ,i missed nothing else at ,santa ,ysabel1 ,i should long for--how shall ,i say it8--for insecurity1 for danger1 and of all kinds--not merely danger to the body4 ,within these walls1 beneath these sacred bells1 you live too safe for a man like me4 ,too safe6 ,these echoed words upon the lips of the pale ,padre were a whisper too light1 too deep1 for ,gaston's heedless ear4 ,why1 the young man pursued in a spirit that was but half levity1 though ,i yield often to temptation1 at times ,i have resisted it1 and here ,i should miss the very chance to resist4 ,your garden could never be ,eden for me1 because temptation is absent from it4 ,absent6 ,still lighter1 still deeper1 was this whisper that the ,padre breathed4 ,i must find life1 exclaimed ,gaston1 and my fortune at the mines1 ,i hope4 ,i am not a bad fellow1 ,father4 ,you can easily guess all the things ,i do4 ,i have never1 to my knowledge1 harmed any one4 ,i didn't even try to kill my adversary in an affair of honor4 ,i gave him a mere flesh-wound1 and by this time he must be quite recovered4 ,he was my friend4 ,but as he came between me-- ,gaston stopped1 and the ,padre1 looking keenly at him1 saw the violence that he had noticed in church pass like a flame over the young man's handsome face4 ,that's nothing dishonorable1 said ,gaston1 answering the priest's look4 ,and then1 because this look made him not quite at his ease3 ,perhaps a priest might feel obliged to say it was dishonorable4 ,she and her father were--a man owes no fidelity before he is--but you might say that had been dishonorable4 ,i have not said so1 my son4 ,i did what every gentleman would do4 insisted ,gaston4 ,and that is often wrong6 said the ,padre1 gently and gravely4 ,but ,i'm not your confessor4 ,no1 said ,gaston1 looking down4 ,and it is all over4 ,it will not begin again4 ,since leaving ,new ,orleans ,i have traveled an innocent journey straight to you4 ,and when ,i make my fortune ,i shall be in a position to return and-- ,claim the pressed flower8 suggested the ,padre4 ,he did not smile4 ,ah1 you remember how those things are6 said ,gaston3 and he laughed and blushed4 ,yes1 said the ,padre1 looking at the anchored barkentine1 ,i remember how those things are4 ,for a while the vessel and its cargo and the landed men and various business and conversations occupied them4 ,but the freight for the mission once seen to1 there was not much else to detain them4 ,the barkentine was only a coaster like many others which had begun to fill the sea a little more of late years1 and presently host and guest were riding homeward4 ,side by side they rode1 companions to the eye1 but wide apart in mood2 within the turbulent young figure of ,gaston dwelt a spirit that could not be more at ease1 while revolt was steadily kindling beneath the schooled and placid mask of the ,padre4 ,yet still the strangeness of his situation in such a remote1 resourceless place came back as a marvel into the young man's lively mind4 ,twenty years in prison1 he thought1 and hardly aware of it6 ,and he glanced at the silent priest4 ,a man so evidently fond of music1 of theaters1 of the world1 to whom pressed flowers had meant something once--and now contented to bleach upon these wastes6 ,not even desirous of a brief holiday1 but finding an old organ and some old operas enough recreation6 ,it is his age1 ,i suppose1 thought ,gaston4 ,and then the notion of himself when he should be sixty occurred to him1 and he spoke4 ,do you know1 ,i do not believe1 said he1 that ,i should ever reach such contentment as yours4 ,perhaps you will1 said ,padre ,ignacio1 in a low voice4 ,never6 declared the youth4 ,it comes only to the few1 ,i am sure4 ,yes4 ,only to the few1 murmured the ,padre4 ,i am certain that it must be a great possession1 ,gaston continued2 and yet--and yet--dear me6 life is a splendid thing6 ,there are several ways to live it1 said the ,padre4 ,only one for me6 cried ,gaston4 ,action1 men1 women1 things--to be there1 to be known1 to play a part1 to sit in the front seats2 to have people tell one another1 ',there goes ,gaston ,villere6' and to deserve one's prominence4 ,why1 if ,i was ,padre of ,santa ,ysabel del ,mar for twenty years--no6 for one year--do you know what ,i should have done8 ,some day it would have been too much for me4 ,i should have left these savages to a pastor nearer their own level1 and ,i should have ridden down this canyon upon my mule1 and stepped on board the barkentine1 and gone back to my proper sphere4 ,you will understand1 sir1 that ,i am far from venturing to make any personal comment4 ,i am only thinking what a world of difference lies between natures that can feel as alike as we do upon so many subjects4 ,why1 not since leaving ,new ,orleans have ,i met any one with whom ,i could talk1 except of the weather and the brute interests common to us all4 ,that such a one as you should be here is like a dream4 ,but it is not a dream1 said the ,padre4 ,and1 sir--pardon me if ,i do say this--are you not wasted at ,santa ,ysabel del ,mar8 ,i have seen the priests at the other missions4 ,they are--the sort of good men that ,i expected4 ,but are you needed to save such souls as these8 ,there is no aristocracy of souls1 said the ,padre1 again whispering4 ,but the body and the mind6 cried ,gaston4 ,my ,god1 are they nothing8 ,do you think that they are given to us for nothing but a trap8 ,you cannot teach such a doctrine with your library there4 ,and how about all the cultivated men and women away from whose quickening society the brightest of us grow numb8 ,you have held out4 ,but will it be for long8 ,are you never to save any souls of your own kind8 ,are not twenty years of mesclados enough8 ,no1 no6 finished young ,gaston1 hot with his unforeseen eloquence2 ,i should ride down some morning and take the barkentine4 ,padre ,ignacio was silent for a space4 ,i have not offended you8 asked the young man4 ,no4 ,anything but that4 ,you are surprised that ,i should--choose--to stay here4 ,perhaps you may have wondered how ,i came to be here at all8 ,i had not intended any impertinent-- ,oh no4 ,put such an idea out of your head1 my son4 ,you may remember that ,i was going to make you a confession about my operas4 ,let us sit down in this shade4 ,so they picketed the mules near the stream and sat down4 ,,iv ,you have seen1 began ,padre ,ignacio1 what sort of a man ,i--was once4 ,indeed1 it seems very strange to myself that you should have been here not twenty-four hours yet1 and know so much of me4 ,for there has come no one else at all--the ,padre paused a moment and mastered the unsteadiness that he had felt approaching in his voice--there has been no one else to whom ,i have talked so freely4 ,in my early days ,i had no thought of being a priest4 ,by parents destined me for a diplomatic career4 ,there was plenty of money and--and all the rest of it2 for by inheritance came to me the acquaintance of many people whose names you would be likely to have heard of4 ,cities1 people of fashion1 artists--the whole of it was my element and my choice2 and by-and-by ,i married1 not only where it was desirable1 but where ,i loved4 ,then for the first time ,death laid his staff upon my enchantment1 and ,i understood many things that had been only words to me hitherto4 ,to have been a husband for a year1 and a father for a moment1 and in that moment to lose all--this unblinded me4 ,looking back1 it seemed to me that ,i had never done anything except for myself all my days4 ,i left the world4 ,in due time ,i became a priest and lived in my own country4 ,but my worldly experience and my secular education had given to my opinions a turn too liberal for the place where my work was laid4 ,i was soon advised concerning this by those in authority over me4 ,and since they could not change me and ,i could them1 yet wished to work and to teach1 the ,new ,world was suggested1 and ,i volunteered to give the rest of my life to missions4 ,it was soon found that some one was needed here1 and for this little place ,i sailed1 and to these humble people ,i have dedicated my service4 ,they are pastoral creatures of the soil4 ,their vineyard and cattle days are apt to be like the sun and storm around them--strong alike in their evil and in their good4 ,all their years they live as children--children with men's passions given to them like deadly weapons1 unable to measure the harm their impulses may bring4 ,hence1 even in their crimes1 their hearts will generally open soon to the one great key of love1 while civilization makes locks which that key cannot always fit at the first turn4 ,and coming to know this1 said ,padre ,ignacio1 fixing his eyes steadily upon ,gaston1 you will understand how great a privilege it is to help such people1 and how the sense of something accomplished--under ,god--should bring ,contentment with ,renunciation4 ,yes1 said ,gaston ,villere4 ,then1 thinking of himself1 ,i can understand it in a man like you4 ,do not speak of me at all6 exclaimed the ,padre1 almost passionately4 ,but pray ,heaven that you may find the thing yourself some day--,contentment with ,renunciation--and never let it go4 ,amen6 said ,gaston1 strangely moved4 ,that is the whole of my story1 the priest continued1 with no more of the recent stress in his voice4 ,and now ,i have talked to you about myself quite enough4 ,but you must have my confession4 ,he had now resumed entirely his half-playful tone4 ,i was just a little mistaken1 you see--too self-reliant1 perhaps--when ,i supposed1 in my first missionary ardor1 that ,i could get on without any remembrance of the world at all4 ,i found that ,i could not4 ,and so ,i have taught the old operas to my choir--such parts of them as are within our compass and suitable for worship4 ,and certain of my friends still alive at home are good enough to remember this taste of mine and to send me each year some of the new music that ,i should never hear of otherwise4 ,then we study these things also4 ,and although our organ is a miserable affair1 ,felipe manages very cleverly to make it do4 ,and while the voices are singing these operas1 especially the old ones1 what harm is there if sometimes the priest is thinking of something else8 ,so there's my confession6 ,and now1 whether ,trovatore is come or not1 ,i shall not allow you to leave us until you have taught all you know of it to ,felipe4 ,the new opera1 however1 had duly arrived4 ,and as he turned its pages ,padre ,ignacio was quick to seize at once upon the music that could be taken into his church4 ,some of it was ready fitted4 ,by that afternoon ,felipe and his choir could have rendered ,ah6 se l' error t' ingombra without slip or falter4 ,those were strange rehearsals of ,il ,trovatore upon this ,california shore4 ,for the ,padre looked to ,gaston to say when they went too fast or too slow1 and to correct their emphasis4 ,and since it was hot1 the little ,erard piano was carried each day out into the mission garden4 ,there1 in the cloisters among the jessamine1 the orange blossoms1 the oleanders1 in the presence of the round yellow hills and the blue triangle of sea1 the ,miserere was slowly learned4 ,the ,mexicans and ,indians gathered1 swarthy and black-haired1 around the tinkling instrument that ,felipe played2 and presiding over them were young ,gaston and the pale ,padre1 walking up and down the paths1 beating time or singing now one part and now another4 ,and so it was that the wild cattle on the uplands would hear ,trovatore hummed by a passing vaquero1 while the same melody was filling the streets of the far-off world4 ,for three days ,gaston ,villere remained at ,santa ,ysabel del ,mar2 and though not a word of restlessness came from him1 his host could read ,san ,francisco and the gold-mines in his countenance4 ,no1 the young man could not have stayed here for twenty years6 ,and the ,padre forbore urging his guest to extend his visit4 ,but the world is small1 the guest declared at parting4 ,some day it will not be able to spare you any longer4 ,and then we are sure to meet4 ,but you shall hear from me soon1 at any rate4 ,again1 as upon the first evening1 the two exchanged a few courtesies1 more graceful and particular than we1 who have not time1 and fight no duels1 find worth a man's while at the present day4 ,for duels are gone1 which is a very good thing1 and with them a certain careful politeness1 which is a pity2 but that is the way in the eternal profit and loss4 ,so young ,gaston rode northward out of the mission1 back to the world and his fortune2 and the ,padre stood watching the dust after the rider had passed from sight4 ,then he went into his room with a drawn face4 ,but appearances at least had been kept up to the end2 the youth would never know of the elder man's unrest4 ,v ,temptation had arrived with ,gaston1 but was destined to make a longer stay at ,santa ,ysabel del ,mar4 ,yet it was perhaps a week before the priest knew this guest was come to abide with him4 ,the guest could be discreet1 could withdraw1 was not at first importunate4 ,sail away on the barkentine8 ,a wild notion1 to be sure6 although fit enough to enter the brain of such a young scape-grace4 ,the ,padre shook his head and smiled affectionately when he thought of ,gaston ,villere4 ,the youth's handsome1 reckless countenance would shine out1 smiling1 in his memory1 and he repeated ,auber's old remark1 ,is it the good ,lord1 or is it merely the devil1 that always makes me have a weakness for rascals8 ,sail away on the barkentine6 ,imagine taking leave of the people here--of ,felipe6 ,in what words should he tell the boy to go on industriously with his music8 ,no1 this was not imaginable6 ,the mere parting alone would make it for ever impossible to think of such a thing4 ,and then1 he said to himself each new morning1 when he looked out at the ocean1 ,i have given to them my life4 ,one does not take back a gift4 ,pictures of his departure began to shine and melt in his drifting fancy4 ,he saw himself explaining to ,felipe that now his presence was wanted elsewhere2 that than would come a successor to take care of ,santa ,ysabel--a younger man1 more useful1 and able to visit sick people at a distance4 ,for ,i am old now4 ,i should not be long has in any case4 ,he stopped and pressed his hands together2 he had caught his ,temptation in the very act4 ,now he sat staring at his ,temptation's face1 close to him1 while then in the triangle two ships went sailing by4 ,one morning ,felipe told him that the barkentine was here on its return voyage south4 ,indeed4 said the ,padre1 coldly4 ,the things are ready to go1 ,i think4 ,for the vessel called for mail and certain boxes that the mission sent away4 ,felipe left the room in wonder at the ,padre's manner4 ,but the priest was laughing secretly to see how little it was to him where the barkentine was1 or whether it should be coming or going4 ,but in the afternoon1 at his piano1 he found himself saying1 ,other ships call here1 at any rate4 ,and then for the first time he prayed to be delivered from his thoughts4 ,yet presently he left his seat and looked out of the window for a sight of the barkentine2 but it was gone4 ,the season of the wine-making passed1 and the preserving of all the fruits that the mission fields grew4 ,lotions and medicines was distilled from garden herbs4 ,perfume was manufactured from the petals of flowers and certain spices1 and presents of it despatched to ,san ,fernando and ,ventura1 and to friends at other places2 for the ,padre had a special receipt4 ,as the time ran on1 two or three visitors passed a night with him2 and presently there was a word at various missions that ,padre ,ignacio had begun to show his years4 ,at ,santa ,ysabel del ,mar they whispered1 ,the ,padre is not well4 ,yet he rode a great deal over the hills by himself1 and down the canyon very often1 stopping where he had sat with ,gaston1 to sit alone and look up and down1 now at the hills above1 and now at the ocean below4 ,among his parishioners he had certain troubles to soothe1 certain wounds to heal2 a home from which he was able to drive jealousy2 a girl whom he bade her lover set right4 ,but all said1 ,the ,padre is unwell4 ,and ,felipe told them that the music seemed nothing to him any more2 he never asked for his ,dixit ,dominus nowadays4 ,then for a short time he was really in bed1 feverish with the two voices that spoke to him without ceasing4 ,you have given your life1 said one voice4 ,and1 therefore1 said the other1 have earned the right to go home and die4 ,you are winning better rewards in the service of ,god1 said the first voice4 ,god can be better served in other places1 answered the second4 ,as he lay listening he saw ,seville again1 and the trees of ,aranhal1 where he had been born4 ,the wind was blowing through them1 and in their branches he could hear the nightingales4 ,empty6 ,empty6 he said1 aloud4 ,and he lay for two days and nights hearing the wind and the nightingales in the far trees of ,aranhal4 ,but ,felipe1 watching1 only heard the ,padre crying through the hours1 ,empty6 ,empty6 ,then the wind in the trees died down1 and the ,padre could get out of bed1 and soon be in the garden4 ,but the voices within him still talked all the while as he sat watching the sails when they passed between the headlands4 ,their words1 falling for ever the same way1 beat his spirit sore1 like blows upon flesh already bruised4 ,if he could only change what they said1 he would rest4 ,has the ,padre any mall for ,santa ,barbara8 asked ,felipe4 ,the ship bound southward should be here to-morrow4 ,i will attend to it1 said the priest1 not moving4 ,and ,felipe stole away4 ,at ,felipe's words the voices had stopped1 as a clock finishes striking4 ,silence1 strained like expectation1 filled the ,padre's soul4 ,but in place of the voices came old sights of home again1 the waving trees at ,aranhal2 then it would be ,rachel for a moment1 declaiming tragedy while a houseful of faces that he knew by name watched her2 and through all the panorama rang the pleasant laugh of ,gaston4 ,for a while in the evening the ,padre sat at his ,erard playing ,trovatore4 ,later1 in his sleepless bed he lay1 saying now and then3 ,to die at home6 ,surely ,i may be granted at least this4 ,and he listened for the inner voices4 ,but they were not speaking any more1 and the black hole of silence grew more dreadful to him than their arguments4 ,then the dawn came in at his window1 and he lay watching its gray grow warm into color1 until suddenly he sprang from his bed and looked at the sea4 ,blue it lay1 sapphire-hued and dancing with points of gold1 lovely and luring as a charm2 and over its triangle the south-bound ship was approaching4 ,people were on board who in a few weeks would be sailing the ,atlantic1 while he would stand here looking out of this same window4 ,merciful ,god6 he cried1 sinking on his knees4 ,heavenly ,father1 ,thou seest this evil in my heart6 ,thou knowest that my weak hand cannot pluck it out6 ,my strength is breaking1 and still ,thou makest my burden heavier than ,i can bear4 ,he stopped1 breathless and trembling4 ,the same visions was flitting across his closed eyes2 the same silence gaped like a dry crater in his soul4 ,there is no help in earth or heaven1 he said1 very quietly2 and he dressed himself4 ,,vi ,it was still so early that few of the ,indians were stirring1 and one of these saddled the ,padre's mule4 ,felipe was not yet awake1 and for a moment it came in the priest's mind to open the boy's door softly1 look at him once more1 and come away4 ,but this he did not1 nor even take a farewell glance at the church and organ4 ,he bade nothing farewell1 but1 turning his back upon his room and his garden1 rode down the canyon4 ,the vessel lay at anchor1 and some one had landed from ha and was talking with other men on the shore4 ,seeing the priest slowly coming1 this stranger approached to meet him4 ,you are connected with the mission here8 he inquired4 ,i--am4 ,perhaps it is with you that ,gaston ,villere stopped8 ,the young man from ,new ,orleans8 ,yes4 ,i am ,padre ,ignacio4 ,then you'll save me a journey4 ,i promised him to deliver these into your own hands4 ,the stranger gave them to him4 ,a bag of gold-dust1 he explained1 and a letter4 ,i wrote it at his dictation while he was dying4 ,he lived hardly an hour afterward4 ,the stranger bowed his head at the stricken cry which his news elicited from the priest1 who1 after a few moments' vain effort to speak1 opened the letter and read3 ,my dear ,friend1--,it is through no man's fault but mine that ,i have come to this4 ,i have had plenty of luck1 and lately have been counting the days until ,i should return home4 ,but last night heavy news from ,new ,orleans reached me1 and ,i tore the pressed flower to pieces4 ,under the first smart and humiliation of broken faith ,i was rendered desperate1 and picked a needless quarrel4 ,thank ,god1 it is ,i who have the punishment4 ,by dear friend1 as ,i lie here1 leaving a world that no man ever loved more1 ,i have come to understand you4 ,for you and your mission have been much in my thoughts4 ,it is strange how good can be done1 not at the time when it is intended1 but afterward2 and you have done this good to me4 ,i say over your words1 ,contentment with ,renunciation1 and believe that at this last hour ,i have gained something like what you would wish me to feel4 ,for ,i do not think that ,i desire it otherwise now4 ,my life would never have been of service1 ,i am afraid4 ,you am the last person in this world who has spoken serious words to me1 and ,i want you to know that now at length ,i value the peace of ,santa ,ysabel as ,i could never have done but for seeing your wisdom and goodness4 ,you spoke of a new organ for your church4 ,take the gold-dust that will reach you with this1 and do what you will with it4 ,let me at least in dying have helped some one4 ,and since them is no aristocracy in souls--you said that to me2 do you remember8--perhaps you will say a mass for this departing soul of mine4 ,i only wish1 must my body must go under ground in a strange country1 that it might have been at ,santa ,ysabel did ,mar1 where your feet would often pass4 ',at ,santa ,ysabel del ,mar1 where your feet would often pass4' ,the priest repeated this final sentence aloud1 without being aware of it4 ,those are the last words he ever spoke1 said the stranger1 except bidding me good-by4 ,you knew him well1 then8 ,no2 not until after he was hurt4 ,i'm the man he quarreled with4 ,the priest looked at the ship that would sail onward this afternoon4 ,then a smile of great beauty passed over his face1 and he addressed the strange4 ,i thank you4 ,you will never know what you have done for me4 ,it is nothing1 answered the stranger1 awkwardly4 ,he told me you set great store on a new organ4 ,padre ,ignacio turned away from the ship and rode back through the gorge4 ,when he had reached the shady place where once he had sat with ,gaston ,villere1 he dismounted and again sat there1 alone by the stream1 for many hours4 ,long rides and outings had been lately so much his custom that no one thought twice of his absence2 and when he resumed to the mission in the afternoon1 the ,indian took his mule1 and he went to his seat in the garden4 ,but it was with another look that he watched the sea2 and presently the sail moved across the blue triangle1 and soon it had rounded the headland4 ,with it departed ,temptation for ever4 ,gaston's first coming was in the ,padre's mind2 and1 as the vespers bell began to ring in the cloistered silence1 a fragment of ,auber's plaintive tune passed like a sigh across his memory4 ,musical score appears here ,for the repose of ,gaston's young1 world-loving spirit1 they sang all that he had taught them of ,il ,trovatore4 ,after this day1 ,felipe and all those who knew and loved the ,padre best1 saw serenity had returned to his features2 but for some reason they began to watch those features with more care4 ,still1 they said1 he is not old4 ,and as the months went by they would repeat3 ,we shall have him yet for many years4 ,thus the season rolled round1 bringing the time for the expected messages from the world4 ,padre ,ignacio was wont to sit in his garden1 waiting for the ship1 as of old4 ,as of old1 they said1 cheerfully1 who saw him4 ,but ,renunciation with ,contentment they could not see2 it was deep down in his silent and thanked heart4 ,one day ,felipe went to call him from his garden seat1 wondering why the ringing of the bell had not brought him to vespers4 ,breviary in lap1 and hands folded upon it1 the ,padre sat among his flowers1 looking at the sea4 ,out there amid the sapphire-blue1 tranquil and white1 gleamed the sails of the barkentine4 ,it had brought him a new message1 not from this world2 and ,padre ,ignacio was slowly borne in from the garden1 while the mission-bell tolled for the passing of a human soul4