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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Glories of Spain, by Charles W. Wood
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Glories of Spain
+
+Author: Charles W. Wood
+
+Release Date: October 3, 2010 [EBook #33833]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GLORIES OF SPAIN ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Chuck Greif, the Online Distributed Proofreading
+Team at http://www.pgdp.net, the Internet Archive & Google
+Books.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+GLORIES OF SPAIN
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF ZARAGOZA CATHEDRAL.]
+
+
+
+
+GLORIES OF SPAIN
+
+BY
+
+CHARLES W. WOOD, F.R.G.S.,
+
+AUTHOR OF
+
+"LETTERS FROM MAJORCA," "IN THE VALLEY OF THE RHONE,"
+ETC., ETC.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+WITH EIGHTY-FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+London
+
+MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED
+
+NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
+
+1901
+
+LONDON:
+
+PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED.
+
+STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+AT THE GARE D'ORLÉANS.
+
+On Calais quay--At the Custom-house--A lady of the past--Ungallant
+examiner--Better to reign than serve--Paris--Vanity Fair--Sowing and
+reaping--Laughing through life--At the Hôtel Chatham--A pleasant
+picture--In maiden meditation--M. Pascal is wise in his generation--The
+secrets of the Seine--Notre Dame--Ile St. Louis--A mediæval
+atmosphere--Victor Hugo--Ghosts of the Hôtel Lambert--H. C. again--His
+little comedy--M. the Inspector--Outraged ladies--"En voiture,
+messieurs!"--Mystery not cleared--The Orléanais--La Vendée--Garden of
+France--A dilemma--Polite Chef de Gare--Crossing the Garonne--Land of
+corn and wine                                                          1
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+A NARBONNE HOSTESS.
+
+Carcassonne--In feudal times--Simon de Montfort--Canal du Midi--L'âge
+d'or et le Grand Monarque--A modern Golden Fleece--One of earth's fair
+scenes--Choice of evils--M. le Chef yields--Narbonne--A woman of
+parts--The course of true love runs smooth--_Diner de contrat_--Honey
+_versus the lune de miel_--Madame's philosophy--_L'Allée des
+Soupirs_--An unfinished cathedral--At the gloaming hour--Mystery and
+devotion--The Hôtel de Ville--A domestic drama--High festival and
+champagne--The next morning--H. C. repentant--Madame at her
+post--Ambrosial breakfast--"Il faut payer pour ses plaisirs"--Dramatic
+exit--Perpignan--Home of the kings of Majorca--Elne--"Adieu, ma chère
+France!"--Over the frontier--Gerona--Crowded platform--What H. C.
+thought--Unpoetical incident--From the sublime to the ridiculous      12
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+BLACK COFFEE--AND A CONFESSION.
+
+Continued uproar--H. C. disillusioned--A dark night--Not like another
+Cæsar--More crowds--A demon scene--Fair time--Glorious days of the
+past--In marble halls and labyrinthine passages--Our excellent host--His
+substantial partner--Contented minds--Picturesque court--Songless
+nightingales--Conscription--H. C.'s modesty--Our host appreciative but
+personal--Bears the torch of genius--A mistake--Below the salt--Host's
+fair daughters--Catalonian women--The Silent Enigma--Remarkable
+priest--Good intentions--Lecture on black
+coffee--Confessions--Benjamin's portions--A gifted nature             27
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+A NIGHT VISION.
+
+Wrong turnings--H. C.'s gifts and graces--Out at night--The arcades of
+Gerona--At the fair--Ancient outlines--Demons at work--In the dry bed of
+the river--Roasting chestnuts--Mediæval outlines--In the
+vortex--Clairvoyantes and lion-tamers--Clown's despair--Deserted
+streets--Vision of the night--Haunted staircase--Dark and dangerous--A
+small grievance--The reeds by the river--Cry of the watchmen--Hare and
+hounds--Fair Rosamund--Jacob's ladder--New rendering to old
+proverbs--Cathedral by night--H. C. oblivious--Scent fails--Return to
+earth--Romantic story--Last of a long line--_El Sereno!_--The witching
+hour--H. C. unserenaded--Next morning--Grey skies--A false
+prophet--Magic picture--Cathedral by day--Mediæval dreams             41
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+GERONA THE BEAUTIFUL.
+
+A Gerona señora--Grace and charm--Lord of creation--Morning
+greeting--Arcades and ancient houses--Conscription--Gerona a
+discovery--Streets of steps--Ancient eaves and rare ironwork--Old-world
+corner--Desecrated church--Gothic cloisters--Ghosts of the past--Visions
+of to-day--Soldiers interested--"Happy as kings"--Lingerings--Colonel
+seeks explanation--No lover of antiquity--More conscription--Dramatic
+scene--Pedro to the rescue--Mother and son--Sad story--Strong and
+merciful--Pedro grateful--Restricted interests--Colonel becomes
+impenetrable again                                                    58
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+ANSELMO THE PRIEST.
+
+Beauties of age--Apostles' Doorway--How the old bishops kept out of
+temptation--Interior of cathedral--Its vast nave--Days of
+Charlemagne--And of the Moors--A giant dwarfed--Rare choir--Surly
+priest--And a more kindly--Our showman--Dazzling treasures--Father
+Anselmo--Romantic story--Heaven or the world?--Doubts--The gentle
+Rosalie decides--Sister Anastasia--Told in the sacristy--A
+heart-confession--Anselmo's mysticism--Heresy--Charms of
+antiquity--Scene of his triumph--Celestial vision--Church of San
+Pedro--Pagan interior--Rare cloisters--Desecrated church--Singular
+scene--Chiaroscuro--Miguel the carpenter--His opinions--Daily life a
+religion--Anselmo improves his opportunity--"A reflected light"--Ruined
+citadel--War of succession--Alvarez and Marshall--Gerona in decadence--A
+revelation--Dreamland--Midday vision                                  72
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+A DAY OF ENCOUNTERS.
+
+"Can a prophet come out of Galilee?"--The unexpected happens--Under the
+probe--Wise reservation--Born to command--Contrasts--Nothing new under
+the sun--The señora prepares for the fair--Grievance not very deep
+seated--Bewitching appearance--Señora dramatic--Ernesto--Marriage a
+lottery--Every cloud its silver lining--Gerona _en fête_--Delormais'
+mission--Deceptive appearances--Evils of conscription--Ernesto's
+ambition--Les beaux jours de la vie--Rosalie--A fair picture--Strange
+similarity--Heavenwards--Anastasia or Rosalie--Her dreams and
+visions--Modern Paul and Virginia--Eternal possession--A Gerona
+saint--The better part--More heresy--Fénélon--One creed, one
+worship--Not peace but a sword--Not dead to the world--Angel of
+mercy--H. C. mistaken--Earthly idyll                                  99
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+MOTHER AND SON.
+
+Demons at work--In the crowd--Ernesto and his mother--Roasted
+chestnuts--Instrument of torture--New school of anatomy--Rhine-stones or
+diamonds?--Happy mother--Honest confession--Danger of edged
+tools--Cayenne lozenges for the monkeys--Joseph--Early
+compliments--Ernesto pleads in vain--Down by the river--Music of the
+reeds--Rich prospect--Faust--Singers of the world--Joseph takes
+tickets--Gerona keeps late hours--Its little great world--Between the
+acts--Successful evening--In the dark night--On the bridge--Silence and
+solitude--Astral bodies--Joseph turns Job's
+comforter--Magnetism--Delormais psychological--Alone in the
+streets--Saluting the Church militant--Haunted staircase again--Sighs
+and rustlings--H. C. retires--"Drink to me only with thine
+eyes"--Delormais' challenge--Leads the way--Illumination--Coffee
+equipage--"Only the truth is painful"--Lost in reverie               114
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+DELORMAIS.
+
+Magnetism--Past life--Impulsive nature--First impressions--Perfumed
+airs--A gentle spirit--Haunted groves--Blue waters of the Levant--Great
+devotion--A rose-blossom--Back to the angels--Special Providence--Fair
+Provence--Charmed days--Excursions--Isles of Greece--Ossa and
+Pelion--City of the violet crown--Spinning-jennies have something to
+answer for--Olympus--Ægina--Groves of the Sacred Plain--Narrow
+escapes--Pleasures of home-coming--Rainbow atmosphere--Orange and lemon
+groves--The nightingales--Impressionable childhood--Fresh plans--The
+Abbé Rivière--Rare faculty--Domestic chaplain--Debt of
+gratitude--Treasure-house of strength Given to hospitality--First great
+sorrow--Passing away--Resolve to travel--"I can no more"--The old Adam
+dies hard--Chance decides                                            130
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+DELORMAIS' ROMANCE.
+
+Rome--Count Albert--Happy months--Sweets of
+companionship--Egypt--Strange things--Quiet weeks--Sinai--Freedom of the
+desert--Crossing the Red Sea--Mount Serbal--Convent of St. Catherine--In
+the Valley of the Saint--Tomb of Sheikh Saleh--Pools of
+Solomon--Jerusalem the Golden--Bethel--Lebanon--Home again--Fresh
+scenes--Algeria--Hanging gardens of the Sahel--Mount Bubor and its
+glories--Rash act--At the twilight hour--Earthly paradise--Fair
+Eve--Fervent love--Arouya--Nature's revenge--Not to last--Eternal
+requiem of the sea--In the backwoods--Hunting wolves--Prairies of
+California--Honolulu--Active volcanoes--Lake of fire--Rare birds and
+wild-flowers--Worship of Peleus--An eruption--Mighty upheaval--Coast of
+Labrador--Shooting bears                                             143
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+MONSEIGNEUR.
+
+Great conflict--Returning to Paris--Count Albert married--Marriages
+declined--Love buried in the grave of Arouya--Frivolities--Napoleon at
+the Tuileries--Illness--Doctors' errors--Days of horror--Vow
+registered--Between life and death--Victory--Home again--Abbé's
+objections--Resolve strengthened--Death of the Abbé--Taking vows--Life
+of energy and action--Rapid sketch--Sympathies--All
+ordained--"Monseigneur"--"Mon ami"--Cry of the watchmen--Candles wax dim
+and blue--Wandering in dreams--False prophet--H. C. rises with the
+lark--Beauty of Gerona--Pathetic scene--Colonel administers
+consolation--Widow's heart sings for joy--In the cloisters
+again--Good-bye--In the cathedral--Anselmo--Sunshine over
+all--Miguel--On the ruined citadel--Anselmo's signal--A glory departs  154
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+A MINISTERING SPIRIT.
+
+Sweet illusions--Everything seen and done--True devotion--In the
+vortex--Sunshine and blue skies--Less demon-like pit--Lights and
+shadows--Arcades lose their gloom--Rosalie--Charm of Anselmo--Romance
+not dead--H. C. in ecstasy--Escorting an angel--Cathedral steps--San
+Filiu--A lovely spot--Ancient house--Mullions and latticed
+windows--Passing away--Rosalie's ministrations--Resignation--Rosalie's
+farewell--"Consuelo"--Taken from the evil to come--The door
+closed--Ernesto's world topsy-turvy--Ernesto turns business-like--The
+catapult again--Up the broad staircase--Not the ghostly hour--Madame in
+her bureau--Posting ledger--Balance on right side--Madame
+philosophises--Shrieks to the rescue--"My dear daughter"--Our host and
+the nightingales--Waiting for next year's leaves--The Señorita
+Costello--Delormais on the wing--Another vigil--Promise
+given--Departure--Inspector quails--H. C. collapses--The susceptible
+age--Lady Maria alters her will--Possession nine-tenths of the law   168
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+A WORLD'S WONDER.
+
+Barcelona--H. C.'s anxiety--Mutual salutes--Old
+impressions--Disappointment--Familiar cries and
+scenes--Flower-sellers--Perpetual summer--Commercial element--Manchester
+of Spain--Surrounding country--Where care comes not--Barcelonita--The
+quays--A land of corn and wine--Relaxing air--Lovely ladies--Ancient
+element conspicuous by its absence--Historical past--Great in the Middle
+Ages--Wise and powerful--Commerce of the world--Wealth and
+learning--Waxes voluptuous--Ferdinand and Isabella--Diplomatic but not
+grateful--Brave and courageous--Fell before Peterborough--Napoleon's
+treachery--Republican people--Prosperous once more--Ecclesiastical
+treasures--Matchless cathedral--Inspiration--Influence of the
+Moors--Work of Majorcan architect--Dream-world--Imposing scene       184
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+IN THE CLOISTERS OF SAN PABLO.
+
+In the cloisters--Sacred geese--Bishop's palace--House of the
+Inquisition--Striking quadrangles--_Ajimez_ windows--A rare
+cloister--Desecration--Library--Rare MSS.--Polite librarian--Romantic
+atmosphere--Santa Maria del Mar--Cloisters of Santa Anna--Sister of
+Mercy--San Pablo del Campo--More dream cloisters--Communing with ghosts
+and shadows--Spring and winter--Constant visitor--Centenarian--Chief
+architect--Cathedrals of Catalonia--Barbarous town-council--Hard fight
+and victory--Failing vision--Emblems of death--Laid aside--Wholesome
+lessons--Placing the keystone--_Finis_--_Resurgam_--Charmed
+hour--Possessing the soul in patience--City of Refuge                203
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+MONTSERRAT.
+
+Early rising--Imp of darkness--Death warrant--The men who fail--Ranges
+of Montserrat--Sabadell--Labour and romance--The
+Llobregat--Monistrol--Summer resort--Sleeping village--Empty
+letter-bags--Ascending--Splendid view--Romantic element--Charms of
+antiquity--Human interests--Mons Serratus--A man of letters--_Solitude à
+deux_--Fellow-travellers--Substantial
+lady-merchant--Resignation--Military policeman--"Nameless here for
+evermore"--Round man in square hole--Romantic history--_Cherchez la
+femme_--Woman a divinity--Good name the best inheritance--No fighting
+against the stars--Fascinations of astrology--Love and fortune--Too good
+to last--Taste for pleasure--Ruin--Sad end--Truth reasserts
+itself--Fortune smiles again--Ceylon--Philosophical in misfortune--A
+windfall--Approaching Montserrat--Paradise of the monks--Romance and
+beauty--New order of things--Gipsy encampment                        214
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+A HIDDEN GENIUS.
+
+Monk's face--Superfluous virtue--"Welcome to Montserrat"--Mean
+advantage--Exacting but not mercenary--Another Miguel--Missing
+keys--Singular monk--Hospederia--Uncertainty--Monk's idea of
+luxury--Rare prospect--Haunted by silence--Father Salvador
+privileged--Monk sees ghosts--Under Miguel's escort--In the
+church--Departed glory--The black image--Gothic and Norman
+outlines--Franciscan monk or ghost?--Vision of the past--Days of
+persecution--Sensible image--Great community--Harmony of the
+spheres--Sad cypresses--Life of a hermit--Monk's story--Loving the
+world--Penitence--Plucked from the burning--Talent developed--A world
+apart--False interest--Salvador--Temptation and a compromise--Salvador
+extemporises--"All the magic of the hour"--Salvador's belief--Waiting
+for manifestations.                                                  227
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+SALVADOR THE MONK.
+
+Gipsies--Picturesque scene--Love passages--H. C. invited to festive
+board--Saved by Lady Maria's astral visitation--The fortune-teller--H.
+C. yields to persuasion--Fate foretold--Warnings--Photograph
+solicited--Darkness and mystery--Night scene--Gipsies depart--Weird
+experiences--Troubled dreams--Mysterious sounds--Ghost appears--H. C.
+sleeps the sleep of the just--Egyptian darkness--In the cold
+morning--Salvador keeps his word--Breakfast by candle-light--Romantic
+scene--Salvador turns to the world--Agreeable companion--Musician's
+nature--Miguel and the mule--Leaving the world behind--Darkness
+flies--St. Michael's chapel--Sunrise and glory--Marvellous scene--Magic
+atmosphere--Salvador's ecstasy--Consents to take luncheon--Heavenly
+strains--"Not farewell"--Departs in solitary sadness--Last of the funny
+monk                                                                 249
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+A STUDY IN GREY.
+
+Manresa--Tropical deluge--Rash judgment--Catalan hills and
+valleys--Striking approach--Taking time by the forelock--Primitive
+inn--Strange assembly--Unpleasant alternative--Sebastien--Manresa under
+a cloud--Wonderful outlines--Disappointing church--Sebastien leads the
+way--Old-world streets--Picturesque and pathetic--Popular
+character--"What would you, señor?"--Sebastien's Biblical knowledge at
+fault--Lesson deferred--A revelation--La Seo--Church cold and
+lifeless--Cave of Ignatius Loyola--Hermitage of St. Dismas--Juan
+Chanones--Fasting and penance--Visions and revelations--Spiritual
+warfare--Eve of the Annunciation--Exchanging dresses--Knight turns
+monk--Juan Pascual--Loyola comes to Manresa--Fanaticism--Vale of
+Paradise--"Spiritual Exercises"--Founding the Jesuit Order--Dying to
+self--The fair Anita--In the convent chapel--Two novices--Vision of
+angels--The White Ladies--Agonising moment--Another Romeo and
+Juliet--Back to the hotel--Sebastien disconsolate--"To-morrow the sun
+will shine"--Building castles in the air--A prophecy fulfilled       263
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+LERIDA.
+
+Picturesque country--Approaching Lerida--Rambling inn--Remarkable
+duenna--Toothless and voiceless--Smiles upon H. C.--Nearly
+expires--Civilised chef--A procession--Lerida Dragon--City of the
+dead--Night study--Charging dead walls--A night encounter--Armed
+demon--Wise people--Watchman proves an old friend--No promotion--Locked
+out--Rousing the echoes--Night porter appears on the scene--Also El
+Sereno--Apologetic and repentant--The charming Rose--Porter
+congratulates himself--Cloudless morning--H. C. confronted by the
+Dragon--In the hands of the Philistines--A Lerida fine art--Boot-cleaner
+in Ordinary--Remarkable character--H. C. hilarious--Steals a march   285
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE STORY OF A LIFE.
+
+Lerida by daylight--Second city in Catalonia--Past history--Days of the
+Goths--And Moors--Becomes a bishopric--Troublous times--Brave
+people--Striking cathedral--Splendid outlines--Desecration--The new
+cathedral--Senseless tyranny--One of the most interesting of
+towns--Crowded market-place--Picturesque arcades and ancient
+gateways--Wine-pressers--Good offer refused--Another
+revelation--Wonderful streets--Amongst the immortals--Our Boot-cleaner
+in Ordinary again--Thereby hangs a tale--His story--Blind wife--Modest
+request--Nerissa--Charming room--Little queen in the
+arm-chair--Faultless picture--Renouncements but no regrets--"All a new
+world"--Time to pass out of life--Back to the quiet streets--H. C.
+contemplative--Proposes emigration to Salt Lake City--Lerida glorified
+by its idyll                                                         296
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE END OF AN IDYLL.
+
+Days of chivalry not over--In the evening light--Night porter
+grateful--Dragon in full force--Combative and revengeful--Equal to the
+occasion--Gall turns to sweetness when H. C. appears--Last night in
+Lerida--Bane of our host's life--Mysterious disappearance--Monastery of
+Sigena--Devout ladies--Returning at night--Place empty and
+deserted--Birds flown with keys--Quite a commotion--"The señor is
+pleased to joke"--Was murder committed?--Mysteries explained--Probably
+down the well--Drag for skeletons--Host's horror--"We drink the
+water"--A tragedy--Out in the quiet night--Discords--Lerida café--Create
+a sensation--Polite captain--Offer declined--Regrets--Final
+crash--Paradise or Lerida--Deserted market-place--Trees whisper their
+secrets--El Sereno at the witching hour--Hard upon the angels--Not a bed
+of roses--Alphonse--End of a long life--Until the dawn--Acolyte and
+priest--"We must all come to it, señor"--El Sereno disappears for the
+last time--Daybreak--In presence of death--Alone, but
+resigned--Surpassing loveliness--Sacred atmosphere                   313
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+A SAD HISTORY.
+
+Broad plains of Aragon--Wonderful tones--Approaching Zaragoza--Celestial
+vision--Distance lends enchantment--Commonplace people--The ancient
+modernised--Disillusion followed by delight--Almost a small Paris--Cafés
+and their merits--Not socially attractive--Friendly equality--Mixture of
+classes--Inheritance of the past--Interesting streets--Arcades and
+gables--Lively scenes--People in costume--Picture of Old Spain--Ancient
+palaces--One especially romantic--The world well lost--Fair Lucia--Where
+love might reign for ever--Paradise not for this world--Doomed--The last
+dawn--Inconsolable--Seeking death--Found on the battlefield--A day
+vision--Few rivals--In the new cathedral--Startling episode--Asking
+alms--Young and fair--Uncomfortable moment--Terrible story--Fatal
+chains--"And after?"--How minister to a mind diseased?--Sunshine
+clouded--Burden of life--Any way of escape?--Suggestions of past
+centuries--The mighty fallen                                         329
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+IN ZARAGOZA.
+
+Bygone days--Sumptuous roosting--Old exchange--Traders of taste--Glory
+of Aragon--Cathedral of La Seo--Modernised exterior--Interior charms and
+mesmerises--Next to Barcelona--Magnifice effect--Parish church--Moorish
+ceiling--Tomb of Bernardo de Aragon--The old priest--Waxes
+enthusiastic--Supernatural effect--Statuette of Benedict
+XIII.--Mysterious chiaroscuro--One exception--Alonza the
+Warrior--Moorish tiles--Bishop's palace--Frugal meal--Trace of old
+Zaragoza--Fifteenth century house--Juanita--Streets of the city--Cæsarea
+Augusta--Worship of the Virgin--Alonzo the Moor--Determined
+resistance--Days of struggle--Falling--Return to prosperity--Fair maid
+of Zaragoza--The Aljaferia--Ancient palace of the Moorish kings--Injured
+by Suchet--Salon of Santa Isabel--Spanish café--Four generations--Lovely
+voice--Lamartine's _Le Lac_--Recognised--Reading between the lines--Out
+in the night air--An inspiration--Night vision of El Pilar--In the far
+future                                                               343
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE CANON'S HOSPITALITY.
+
+El Pilar by day--In the old cathedral--The canon reproachful--Equal to
+the occasion--No pressure needed--_Un diner maigre_--Dream of forty
+years--True to time--Juanita--Fruits of long service--Exploring
+Juanita's domains--House of magic--"Surely not a fast-day"--Artistic
+dreams--Who can legislate after death?--Canon's abstinence--Juanita
+withdraws--Our opportunity--Canon earnest and sympathetic--Eugenie de
+Colmar--Canon's surprise--An old friend--Truth stranger than
+fiction--"You will forget the old priest"--Ingratitude not one of our
+sins--Arivederci--Canon's letter--End of Eugenie's story--En route for
+Tarragona--Landlord turns up at Lerida--Missing keys--Skeletons floated
+out to Panama--Domestic drama--Dragon again to the
+front--Tarragona--Matchless coast scene--Civilised inn--Military
+element--Haunted house--Mystery unsolved--Distinct elements--Roman and
+other remains--Dream of the past--Green pastures and sunny vineyards  357
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+QUASIMODO.
+
+Tarragona by night--Cathedral--Moonlight vision--Dream-fabric--Deserted
+streets--Ghostly form approaches--Quilp or Quasimodo?--Redeeming
+qualities--Pale spiritual face--Open sesame--Approaching the
+apparition--Question and answer--Invitation accepted--Prisoners--The
+Shadow--Under the cold moonlight--Enter cathedral--Vast interior--Gloom
+and silence--Fantastic effects--Enigma solved--Strange proceeding--No
+inspiration--Why Quasimodo turned night into day--Weird moonlight
+scene--Soft sweet sounds--Schumann's Träumerei--Spellbound--The
+magician--Witching hour--Cathedral ghosts--An eternity of music--Varying
+moods--Returning to earth--Quasimodo's rapture--Travelling
+moonbeams--Night grows old--Sky full of music--Lost to sight--Dreams
+haunted by Quasimodo--New day                                        372
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+IN THE DAYS OF THE ROMANS.
+
+Charms of Tarragona--Roman traces--Cyclopean remains--Augustus closes
+Temple of Janus--Great past--House of Pontius Pilate--View from
+ramparts--Feluccas with white sails set--Life a paradise--City
+walls--Cathedral outlines--Lively market-place--Remarkable
+exterior--Dream-world--West doorways--Internal effect--In the
+cloisters--Proud sacristan--Man of taste and learning--Delighted with
+our enthusiasm--Great concession--Appealing to the soul--Señor
+Ancora--Human or angelic?--In the cloister garden--Sacristan's domestic
+troubles--Silent ecclesiastic--Sad history--Church of San
+Pablo--Challenge invited--Future genius--Rare picture--Roman aqueduct--A
+modern Cæsar--Reminiscences--Rich country--Where the best wines are
+made--Aqueduct--El puente del diablo--Giddy heights--Lonely valley--H.
+C. sentimental--Rosalie and Fair Costello--Romantic
+situation--Quarrelsome Reus--Masters of the world--Our driver turns
+umpire--Battle averted--Men of Reus--Whatever is, is wrong--Driver's
+philosophy--Dream of the centuries                                   389
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+LORETTA.
+
+Our ubiquitous host--Curious mixture of nations--Francisco--His
+enthusiasm carries the point--French lessons--English
+prejudice--Landlord's lament--Days of fair Provence--Francisco
+determines to be in time--Presidio--Tomb of the Scipios--Fishing for
+sardines--Early visit to cathedral--Still earlier sacristan--Francisco's
+delight--Freshness of early morning--Reus--Bark worse than bite--Where
+headaches come from--An evil deed--Valley of the Francoli--Moorish
+remains--Montblanch--The graceful hills of Spain--Espluga--Francisco
+equal to occasion--Beseiged--Donkeys versus carriage--Interesting old
+town--Decadence--Singular woman--Loretta's escort--Strange
+story--Unconscious charm--What happened one Sunday evening--Caro--"The
+right man never came"--Comes now--How she was betrothed--Primitive
+conveyance--Making the best of it--Wine-pressers--Loving cup--Nectar of
+the gods--Fair exchange--Rough drive--Scene of Loretta's adventures  405
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+THE RUINS OF POBLET.
+
+A dream-world--Ruins--Chapel of St. George--Archways and Gothic
+windows--Atmosphere of the Middle Ages--Convent doorway--Summons but no
+response--Door opens at last--Comfortable looking woman--Ready
+invention--Confusion worse confounded--True version--Francisco painfully
+direct--Guardian gets worst of it--Picturesque decay--Gothic
+cloisters--Visions of beauty--Rare wilderness--King Martin the
+Humble--Bacchanalian days--When the monks quaffed Malvoisie--Simple
+grandeur of the church--Philip Duke of Wharton--Cistercian
+monastery--History of Poblet the monk--Monastery becomes
+celebrated--Tombs of the kings of Aragon--Guardian sceptical--Paradise
+or wilderness--Monks all-powerful--Escorial of Aragon--The great
+traveller--Changing for the worst--Upholding the kingly power--Time
+rolls on--Downfall--Attacked and destroyed--Infuriated mob--Fictitious
+treasures--Fiendish act--Massacre--Ruined monastery--Blood-red
+sunset--Superstition--End of 1835                                    418
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+LORENZO.
+
+Day visions--All passes away--End of the feast--Francisco gathers up the
+fragments--Ghosts of the past--Outside the monastery--Oasis in a
+desert--After the vintage--Francisco gleans--Guilty conscience--Custom
+of country--Dessert--Primitive watering-place--Off to the fair--Groans
+and lamentations--Sagacious animal--Cause of sorrows--Rage and
+anger--Donkey listens and understands--A hard life--Washing a
+luxury--Charity bestowed--Deserted settlement--Quaint interior--Back to
+the monastery--Invidious comparisons--A promise--Good-bye to
+Poblet--Troubled sea again--Suffering driver--Atonement for sins--Earns
+paradise--Wine-pressers again--Rich stores--Good Samaritans--Quaint old
+town--Bygone prosperity--Lorenzo--Marriage made in heaven--House
+inspected--On the bridge--At the station--Kindly offer--Glorious
+sunset--Loretta's good-bye--"What shall it be?"--Flying moments--As the
+train rolls off.                                                     430
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+THE GARDEN OF SPAIN.
+
+Charms of Tarragona--Dream of the past--Quasimodo comes not--Of another
+world--Host's offer--Francisco inconsolable--A mixed sorrow--No more
+holidays--List of grievances--Fair scene--Luxuriance of the
+South--Hospitalet--Pilgrims of the Middle Ages--Amposta--Centre of lost
+centuries--Historical past--Here worked St. Paul--Our
+fellow-travellers--Undertones--Enter old priest--Draws
+conclusions--Love's young dream--Impressions and appearances--Not always
+a priest--Fool's paradise--Youth and age--Awaking to realities--Driven
+out of paradise--Was it a judgment?--Calmness returns--Judging in
+mercy--Nameless grave--"Writ in water"--Withdrawing from the
+world--Entering the Church--Busy life--Romances of the Confessional--"To
+Eve in Paradise"--Tortosa--Garden of Spain--Vinaroz--Wise mermen--Cradle
+of history and romance--Gibraltar of the West--a race
+apart--Benicarlo--Flourishing vineyards--"If the English only knew"--Eve
+recognises priest--"I am that charming daughter"--Lovely cousin
+engaged--Count Pedro de la Torre--Mutual
+recognitions--Congratulations--Breaking news to H. C.--Despair--"To Adam
+in Hades"--Gallant priest--Saved from temptation                     447
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+LOVE'S YOUNG DREAM.
+
+First impressions--Devoted to pleasure--Peace-loving--Climate makes gay
+and lively--New element--Few traces of the past--Old palaces--Steals
+into the affections--City of the Cid--Ecclesiastical
+attractions--Archbishopric--University--Homer must nod
+sometimes--Comparative repose--De Nevada carries us off--Admirable
+host--Conversational--Grave and gay--Mercy, not sacrifice--Library--At
+Puzol--Exacting a promise--The hour sounds--Count Pedro
+appears--Fragrant coffee--Served by magic--Specially prepared
+temptation--Perverting facts--Land flowing with milk and
+honey--Inquiring mind--Mighty man of valour--Cid likened to
+Cromwell--Retribution--Ibn Jehaf the murderer--Reign of terror--The
+faithful Ximena--Cid's death-blow--Priest turns
+schoolmaster--"Beware!"--Earthly paradise--Land of consolation--System
+of irrigation--Famous council--Poetical Granada--No appeal--Apostles'
+Gate-way--Earth's fascinations--Picturesque peasants--Pretty
+women--Countess Pedro shakes her head--Leave-taking--Next morning--Quiet
+activity--Market-day--Splendours of flower-market--Lonja de
+Seda--Vanishing dream--Audiencia--San Salvador--Antiquity yields to
+comfort--Convent of San Domingo--Miserere--Impressive ceremony--City of
+Flowers--Without the walls--Famous river--Change of scene            458
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+OLD ACQUAINTANCES.
+
+Port and harbour--Sunday and fresh air--In the market-place--De Nevada
+protests--A curse of the country--In the days gone by--On the
+breakwater--Invaded tramcar--De Nevada confirmed--Another crusade
+needed--Plaza de Toros--In Sunday dress--Domestic interiors--When the
+play was o'er--Bull-ring at night--Fitful dreams--Fever--Maître d'hôtel
+prescribes--Magic effect--Depart for Saguntum--Before the days of
+Rome--Primitive town--Days of the Greeks--Attacked by Hannibal--Rebuilt
+by the Romans--Absent guardian--The hunchback--Reappears with
+custodian--Doors open--Moorish fortress--Fathomless cisterns--Sad
+procession--Weeping mourners--Key of Valencia--Miguella--Time heals all
+wounds--Proposes coffee--Proud and pleased--Scenes that remain--In
+Barcelona--Drawing to a close--Sorrow and regret--Many experiences--Our
+Espluga friends--Loretta's gratitude--In the Calle de Fernando--A last
+favour--Glories of Spain--Eastern benediction                        481
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+PAGE
+
+INTERIOR OF ZARAGOZA CATHEDRAL            _Frontispiece_
+
+PEDRO                                                23
+
+THE BOULEVARD: GERONA                                31
+
+ARCADES: GERONA                                      42
+
+VIEW OF GERONA FROM THE STONE BRIDGE                 43
+
+BANKS OF THE OÑAR: GERONA                            47
+
+APOSTLES' DOORWAY, CATHEDRAL: GERONA                 51
+
+A FRAGMENT OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF GERONA               59
+
+STREETS IN GERONA                     61, 101, 103, 123
+
+ENTRANCE TO MILITARY CLOISTERS: GERONA               65
+
+MILITARY CLOISTERS: GERONA                           67
+
+WAITING FOR THE VERDICT                              69
+
+CATHEDRAL CLOISTERS: GERONA                     75, 109
+
+INTERIOR OF CATHEDRAL: GERONA                        79
+
+CLOISTERS OF SAN PEDRO: GERONA                   81, 97
+
+APOSTLES' DOORWAY AND BISHOP'S PALACE: GERONA        83
+
+CHURCH OF SAN PEDRO: GERONA                          85
+
+DOORWAY OF SAN PEDRO: GERONA                         89
+
+DESECRATED CHURCH: GERONA                            93
+
+OUTSIDE THE WALLS: GERONA                            95
+
+OLD HOUSES ON THE RIVER: GERONA                119, 173
+
+SAN FILIU, FROM WITHOUT THE WALLS: GERONA           163
+
+A GERONA PATIO                                      169
+
+MARKET PLACE: GERONA                                177
+
+THE RAMBLA: BARCELONA                               187
+
+INTERIOR OF CORO, GERONA CATHEDRAL                  191
+
+PULPIT AND STALLS, BARCELONA CATHEDRAL              195
+
+TWILIGHT IN BARCELONA CATHEDRAL                     199
+
+SMALL CLOISTER OR PATIO: BARCELONA                  205
+
+CLOISTERS OF SANTA ANNA: BARCELONA                  207
+
+CLOISTERS OF SAN PABLO: BARCELONA                   209
+
+MONISTROL                                           217
+
+CHURCH OF MONTSERRAT                           231, 239
+
+CLOISTERS OF MONTSERRAT                             235
+
+SALVADOR THE MONK                                   241
+
+VALLEY OF MONTSERRAT                                251
+
+A FEW OF THE GIPSIES AT MONTSERRAT                  255
+
+MONS SERRATUS IN CLOUDLAND                          259
+
+MANRESA                                             267
+
+MANRESA FROM THE RIVER: MORNING                     269
+
+MANRESA FROM THE HILL-SIDE: EVENING                 273
+
+ARCADES: LERIDA                                     291
+
+LERIDA MULES                                        299
+
+LERIDA                                              301
+
+WINE-PRESSERS: LERIDA                               303
+
+OLD GATEWAYS: LERIDA                                309
+
+ENTRANCE TO POBLET                                  319
+
+OLD CATHEDRAL: LERIDA                               323
+
+FAIR LUCIA'S HOUSE: ZARAGOZA                   333, 337
+
+BRIDGE AND CATHEDRAL OF EL PILAR: ZARAGOZA          339
+
+AN OLD NOOK IN ZARAGOZA                             345
+
+NORTH WALL OF CATHEDRAL: ZARAGOZA                   347
+
+TOWER OF LA SEO: ZARAGOZA                           351
+
+INTERIOR OF CATHEDRAL, SHOWING CORO AND ORGAN:
+ZARAGOZA                                            359
+
+SOUTH-WEST EXTERIOR OF CATHEDRAL: TARRAGONA         373
+
+EAST END OF CATHEDRAL, SHOWING NORMAN APSE:
+TARRAGONA                                           377
+
+INTERIOR OF CATHEDRAL: TARRAGONA                    381
+
+CLOISTERS: TARRAGONA                           385, 393
+
+SAN PABLO: TARRAGONA                                397
+
+AN OLD NOOK IN TARRAGONA                            399
+
+ROMAN AQUEDUCT, NEAR TARRAGONA                      401
+
+ON OUR WAY TO POBLET                                415
+
+ENTRANCE TO CLOISTERS: POBLET                       421
+
+MONKS' BURIAL GROUND: POBLET                        425
+
+RUINS OF POBLET                                427, 441
+
+CLOISTERS OF POBLET                                 431
+
+POBLET, FROM THE VINEYARD                           435
+
+ANCIENT GATEWAY: VALENCIA                           459
+
+A STREET IN VALENCIA                                461
+
+RENAISSANCE TOWER: VALENCIA                         469
+
+MARKET PLACE, VALENCIA                              473
+
+LONJA DE SEDA: VALENCIA                             475
+
+SALON DE CORTES: AUDIENCIA                          477
+
+RUINS OF SAGUNTUM                                   487
+
+BARCELONA                                           491
+
+COURTYARD OF AUDIENCIA: BARCELONA                   495
+
+
+
+
+    Know ye the land of the cedar and vine,
+    Where the flowers ever blossom, the beams ever shine;
+    Where the light wings of Zephyr, oppress'd with perfume,
+    Wax faint o'er the gardens of Gúl[A] in her bloom;
+    Where the citron and olive are fairest of fruit,
+    And the voice of the nightingale never is mute;
+    Where the tints of the earth, and the hues of the sky,
+    In colour though varied, in beauty may vie,
+    And the purple of ocean is deepest in dye;
+    Where the virgins are soft as the roses they twine,
+    And all, save the spirit of man, is divine?
+
+    BYRON.
+
+
+
+
+
+GLORIES OF SPAIN.
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+AT THE GARE D'ORLÉANS.
+
+     On Calais quay--At the Custom-house--A lady of the past--Ungallant
+     examiner--Better to reign than serve--Paris--Vanity Fair--Sowing
+     and reaping--Laughing through life--At the Hôtel Chatham--A
+     pleasant picture--In maiden meditation--M. Pascal is wise in his
+     generation--The secrets of the Seine--Notre Dame--Ile St. Louis--A
+     mediæval atmosphere--Victor Hugo--Ghosts of the Hôtel Lambert--H.
+     C. again--His little comedy--M. the Inspector--Outraged ladies--"En
+     voiture, messieurs!"--Mystery not cleared--The Orléanais--La
+     Vendée--Garden of France--A dilemma--Polite Chef de Gare--Crossing
+     the Garonne--Land of corn and wine.
+
+
+The Channel waters were calm and placid as the blue sky above them.
+Though late autumn the temperature was that of mid-summer. At Calais
+every one landed as jauntily as though they had just gone through the
+pleasure of a short yachting trip. As usual there were all sorts and
+conditions of men and women, and again the curious, the grotesque, the
+impossible predominated. They streamed across the new quay in a
+disordered procession, struggling with all that amount of hand-baggage
+which gets into everyone's way but their own, as they hurry forward to
+secure for themselves the best seats and most comfortable corners.
+
+The Custom-house was over. One ancient lady who stood near us was
+politely demanded by the examiner if she had cigars, tobacco or brandy
+to declare. Her flaxen wig seemed to stand on end as she asked if they
+mistook her for a New Woman: Quaker-like answering one question with
+another. The examiner received her query _au pied de la lettre_, and
+earnestly looked at the lady, who, in spite of flaxen wig, rouge,
+pencilled brows, was of the Past. All his intelligence in his eyes, he
+replied: "About the same age as the century, I should say, madame;" then
+marked her packages and turned to the next in waiting. Had those two
+found themselves alone together, judging from the lady's expression
+there would have been terrible paragraphs in the next day's papers. As
+it was she entered one of the waiting trains and we saw her no more.
+Evidently she had been a beauty in her day, and it is hard to serve
+where one has reigned.
+
+So we steamed on to the gay capital, in her day almost to the modern
+world what Rome was to the ancient. And if not altogether that now, who
+has she to thank but herself? Nations like people must reap as they sow.
+Yet, whirling through the broad thoroughfares, we felt she still holds
+her own. Nowhere such floods of light, turning night into day, making
+one blink like owls in the sunshine. Nowhere shops so resplendent that a
+Jew's ransom would not purchase them. Nowhere such a Vanity Fair crowded
+with a light-hearted people, who dance through the world to the tune of
+_Away with Melancholy!_ Passing from the Gare du Nord, the brilliant
+boulevards were full of life and movement.
+
+Our coachman turned into the Rue Daunou and brought up at the Hôtel
+Chatham: quiet, comfortable, but like all Parisian hotels terribly in
+want of air. The manager received us with as much attention as though we
+had arrived for six months instead of a couple of hours, in order to
+fortify ourselves for the night journey southwards.
+
+The salle-à-manger opened its hospitable doors, disclosing a number of
+small tables, snow-white cloths, sparkling glass and silver; a pleasant
+vision. Richly dressed ladies, blazing with jewels, fanned themselves
+with lazy grace. In a quiet corner sat two quiet people, evidently
+mother and daughter, since the one must have been twenty years ago what
+the other was now. They were English, as one saw and heard, for we were
+at the next table. No other country could produce that fair specimen of
+girlhood; no other country own that lovely face, gentle voice, refined
+tones: charms of inheritance, destined one day to translate some happy
+swain to fields Elysian, where the sands of life are golden and run
+swiftly.
+
+Then came up our cunning _maître-d'hôtel_, portly and commanding,
+deigned to glance at the wine card we held, and went in for a little
+diplomacy.
+
+"A bottle of your excellent '87 St. Julien, M. Pascal;" knowing the wine
+of old.
+
+"Ah, if monsieur only knew, the Château d'Irrac is superior."
+
+"Is it possible?" incredulous but yielding. "Then let it be Château
+d'Irrac."
+
+And presently we realised that the '87 St. Julien was growing low in the
+cellar, whilst many bins of Château d'Irrac cried out to be consumed. We
+sent for the great man and confided our suspicions, adding, "You cannot
+compare the two wines." "Monsieur donc knows the St. Julien? Ah," with a
+keener glance, "I had not remarked. I ask a thousand pardons of
+monsieur. After all, it is a matter of taste. The Château d'Irrac is
+much appreciated--especially by the English. Monsieur will allow me to
+change the wine?"
+
+_Amende honorable_, but not accepted; and the Château d'Irrac remained.
+
+Presently we entered upon our longer drive to the Gare d'Orléans. Paris
+had put up her shutters and toned down her illuminations. Shops were
+closed, lights were out, Vanity Fair had disappeared.
+
+The streets grew more and more empty. Our driver found his way to the
+river and went down the quays, where on summer evenings lovers of old
+books spend hours examining long rows of stalls, on which sooner or
+later every known and unknown literary treasure makes its appearance.
+Perhaps he was a man who liked the tragic side of life--and where is it
+more suggested than on the banks of the Seine? Night after night its
+turbid waters close over the heads of the rashly despairing. The ghastly
+Morgue is weighted with secrets. Every bridge is surrounded by an
+atmosphere of sighs. One last look upon the world, the sky, the quiet
+stars, then the fatal plunge into the silent waters, and another soul
+has risked the unknown.
+
+Once more in the darkness uprose the outlines of Notre Dame in all the
+beauty of Gothic refinement; all the delicate lacework and flying
+buttresses subdued and dreamlike under the night sky.
+
+Who can look upon this architectural wonder without thinking of those
+historical, twelfth-century days when the first stone was laid, and it
+slowly rose to perfection? All the centuries that have since rolled on,
+changing and destroying much of its charm? The perils it went through
+and did not altogether escape in those terrible days of '93 when,
+condemned, it was saved by a miracle? That Age of Reason, which drove
+half the excitable Frenchmen of Paris stark staring mad.
+
+How can we haunt these precincts without thinking of their high priest
+Victor Hugo, who loved them as Scott and Burns loved their wholesomer
+banks and braes? Everywhere uprises a vision of the old grey-headed man
+as we remember him, with pale heavy face, grave earnest manner, deep
+thoughtful eyes, and on the surface, so little that was light, excitable
+and French; for ever pondering upon the mysteries of life, human
+suffering and endurance, broken destinies. His face looks at you from
+every dark and vacant window in the neighbouring Ile St. Louis. The
+shadows of Notre Dame fall upon its mediæval roofs; the dark waters of
+the river wash their foundations, and sometimes flood them also. If they
+could only whisper their secrets of human sin and suffering, that great
+army of martyrs who have died, not in defence of the good but in
+consequence of the evil, the world would surely dissolve and disappear.
+Many a time has he stood contemplating these problems, planning the
+destinies of his characters, from the windows of the Hôtel Lambert. Its
+painted ceilings recall the days of Lebrun, and up and down the old
+staircases and deserted corridors one hears the cynical laugh of
+Voltaire and the tripping footsteps of Madame de Châtet.
+
+We left this delightful and romantic atmosphere behind us as our driver
+pursued his way down the right bank of the Seine.
+
+Another world, inhabited by another people. Darkness reigned; lamps were
+few and far between; the roar of the great city sounded afar off, and
+amidst that roar dwelt all the rank and fashion, wealth and intrigue,
+that turn the heaven-sent manna to ashes of the Dead Sea fruit.
+Presently he crossed a bridge and there was a flash of lamps upon the
+dark waters below. The Seine was pursuing her relentless course,
+carrying her burden of sorrows to the far-off sea, burying them in the
+ocean of eternity, recording them in the books of heaven.
+
+A few moments more, and at the Gare d'Orléans we dismissed our man with
+his _pourboire_. We were in good time, and had the place almost to
+ourselves. "Le train n'est pas encore fait, monsieur," said a polite
+official. "Ah! there it comes. You will not be over-crowded to-night, I
+imagine."
+
+Good hearing, for a night journey in a full train without a reserved
+carriage means martyrdom. We marked our seats, then walked up and down
+the lighted platform. It was nearly ten o'clock and passengers were
+arriving.
+
+Presently, missing H. C., we turned and saw him at the lower end of the
+train examining the last carriage. What did it mean? Evidently mischief
+of some sort. The hundred-and-one occasions rose up before us in which
+we had saved him from ladies with matrimony on the brain, from
+intrigues, from his susceptible self. Only a year ago there had been
+that narrow escape in the Madrid hotel with the siren who had married
+the Russian count. He saw us coming, turned and met us with laughter.
+What now?
+
+"Come and see," placing his arm in ours. "But don't interfere with the
+liberty of the subject. I will not be controlled. You shall no longer
+find me weak and yielding as in other years."
+
+All this went in at one ear and out at the other, as the saying runs.
+Silence is the best reply to incipient rebellion.
+
+At the last carriage the mystery was solved. In one compartment sat two
+lovely ladies, waiting the departure of the train to draw down the
+blinds and settle themselves for the night. H. C. silently pointed to
+the label, which said: _Pour Fumeurs._ Fortune seemed to favour his
+humour for we had seldom seen the announcement on a French carriage.
+Then he went on to the next compartment. Three young men had entered and
+were laughing, talking, blowing clouds of smoke. This was labelled _Pour
+Dames Seules_. H. C. had quietly changed the iron labels and turned the
+world upside down. The inmates were in blissful ignorance of the
+frightful thing that had happened.
+
+"We had no time for the theatre to-night, yet I had a mind for a little
+comedy," said H. C. "Now we have it on the spot, and without paying. I
+had such trouble to ram the plaques into the grooves that they will
+never come out again. Here comes the inspector--evidently not to be
+trifled with; exactly the man for the occasion. Now for it."
+
+We trembled as the great man approached, each particular hair standing
+on end, the pallor of death on our cheek. Appearances would have
+condemned us. H. C., on the other hand, looked innocence itself.
+
+Suddenly the inspector gave a start, exactly reproduced in us; on his
+part, astonishment and indignation; on ours, nervous terror. Then the
+door of the compartment was thrown open and the scene began. The
+inspector's powerful bass voice made itself felt and heard.
+
+"Gentlemen," in his deepest diapason, "what is the meaning of this? How
+dare you enter a compartment reserved _For Ladies Only_, fill it with
+vile smoke, and treat with contempt the rules of our organisation
+department? For this, gentlemen," waxing wrath and perhaps overstating
+his case, "I could fine and summons you--and believe I should be
+justified in handing you over to the _Police Correctionnelle_. Your act
+is infamous--and no doubt designed."
+
+Instead of pouring oil upon troubled waters, the young men were
+combative and defiant.
+
+"Qu'est-ce que vous nous chantez là?" said one. "Surely, my dear
+inspector, your sight is failing--time rolls on, you know; or you cannot
+read; or you have dined too well. But if you have your senses about you
+and examine the plaque closely, you will see that it states: _For
+Smokers._ And we are smokers. My compliments to you, Monsieur the famous
+Inspector. Like Dumas, we are here and we remain."
+
+"Very good," said H. C. innocently looking on. "As a scene at the
+Vaudeville it would bring down the house and make the fortune of the
+piece. You ought to be grateful for this little distraction, but you
+don't look it. All was done so easily and develops so naturally."
+
+The inspector listened whilst this fuel was being added to the fire of
+his wrath. "We will see about that," he said. "Come out this instant and
+read for yourself." He grasped the arm of the young man. As he was
+strong and the youth weak, the result was that Dumas' famous saying fell
+to the ground and he with it. In a moment he stood upon the platform and
+read the fatal notice.
+
+"But it is conjuring, it is a miracle!" he cried. "I can assure you,
+Monsieur the Inspector, that before entering I read the label with my
+own eyes--we all did. Anatole--de Verriers--I appeal to you for
+confirmation. It positively stated _For Smokers_. No, oh no, I am
+certain of it--and I have _not_ dined too well," laughing in spite of
+himself. "For Ladies only! It is too good a joke. I assure you we want a
+quiet night's rest; we don't want to be disturbed by the gentle snoring
+of the fair sex. An enemy hath done this. Tenez, Monsieur the
+Inspector," going to the next carriage and reading the label: "look at
+that. There are the innocent conspirators calmly seated in the
+compartment. The ladies themselves have done this. I was wrong in saying
+it was an enemy, for are we not all friends of the lovelier sex? But
+take my word for it, they are the culprits. Remark how unconscious they
+look; one sees it is too natural to be real--it is assumed. Poor ladies!
+They are nervous, perhaps, and want a safeguard about them during the
+perilous night journey. Or it may be that they even like smoking. After
+all, it is an innocent little ruse on their part to attain a very
+harmless end."
+
+"Innocent, sir! harmless!" cried the outraged and perplexed inspector.
+"We will see!"
+
+He approached the compartment, threw wide the door, addressed the ladies
+severely, as became his office, but tempered with respect and
+admiration, as became a man.
+
+"How is this, ladies?" to the startled women. "Allow me to inform you
+that it is not _convenable_ for members of your sex to deliberately
+compose themselves for the night in a compartment labelled _For
+Smokers_."
+
+"What!" cried the ladies in a breath. "_For Smokers?_ _Quel horreur!_
+Monsieur the Inspector, you must be mad, or you have dined too
+well--_l'un ou l'autre_. _For Smokers!_ Why, we are horrified at smoke.
+It makes me cough, it makes my companion sneeze, it gets into our hair,
+it ruins our complexion. Monsieur the Inspector," shaking out their
+ruffled plumage, "this is an infamous accusation. We feel ourselves
+insulted. We shall appeal to the Chef de Gare. You had better at once
+say that we have done this thing ourselves, whilst the culprits are no
+doubt those three young men who are laughing behind your back. You have
+attacked our reputation and we will pursue the matter. When we entered
+this compartment it was labelled _For Ladies Only_, and if you will
+examine the plaque with sober senses you will find it still reads _For
+Ladies Only_."
+
+"Mesdames," returned the bewildered inspector, "I will trouble you to
+alight and read for yourselves. No one shall accuse me of dining too
+well with impunity; and no one, not even such charming women as
+yourselves, shall exact an apology for an offence never committed."
+
+Apparently there was nothing else for it. The ladies gracefully
+alighted, assisted by the gallant but uncompromising inspector, and the
+fatal words stared them in the face.
+
+"But it is conjuring, it is a miracle!" they cried breathlessly, just as
+the young men had cried. "An enemy hath done this, Monsieur the
+Inspector, and the enemy is represented by those three young men who
+doubtless look upon it as a _petite plaisanterie_. But if there is law
+in the land they shall suffer for it. It is nothing more or less than an
+outrage to our feelings. In the meantime, Monsieur the Inspector, not to
+delay the train, have the kindness to change back the labels to their
+right positions, and put those three young men under the surveillance of
+the guard."
+
+"If it is the last word we ever speak we are guiltless in this matter,"
+protested the young men. "Mephistopheles is no doubt on the platform in
+disguise"--here we felt a nudge from H. C. and a whispered
+"Complimentary!"--"but we beg to say that we are not Fausts, and we have
+no reason to suppose these ladies are Marguerites."
+
+The outraged ladies were absolutely speechless with anger; twice they
+opened their mouths but no sound would come. And as the train was now
+about to start, there was nothing for it but to re-enter their
+compartment. The young men did likewise. The doors were closed. The
+inspector tried to remove the offending labels. They would not budge. He
+brought all his strength to bear upon them, but they were fixed as the
+stars in their course. If Mephistopheles had been at work, he had done
+his work well. The plaques might have been soldered in their sockets.
+The inspector was guilty of language not quite parliamentary. He felt
+mystified, baffled; the whole thing was inexplicable.
+
+There came a cry down the platform: "En voiture, messieurs!" Our own
+carriage was some way off; we went up and entered, hiring pillows for
+the night. Final doors were slammed; the train moved off. And the ladies
+were in a compartment labelled _For Smokers_, and the three young men
+had to themselves the carriage _Pour Dames Seules_. They must have been
+laughing immoderately, for the inspector shook his fist as they slowly
+rolled away; and the shake said as plainly as though we had heard the
+words: "There go the culprits! Ah, _scélérats!_ If I only had you now in
+my grasp!" The young men must have interpreted the action in like
+manner, for the window was suddenly put down and three hands waved him a
+derisive farewell.
+
+We rolled away in the darkness. The lights of Paris grew faint and
+dreamy, then went out. All the old familiar landmarks were invisible,
+and when we crossed the Seine not a star was reflected in its deep dark
+waters.
+
+As the night went on we passed through the glorious country of the
+Orléanais, washed by the waters of the historical and romantic Loire.
+Who that has gone down its broad winding course can forget the charms of
+its ancient towns? The halo surrounding Orléans, the pure accents of
+Tours, the architectural wonders of Loches--home of the
+Plantagenets--its towers and churches visible even under the stars; and
+beyond Nantes, the gentle splendours of La Vendée. Porters in the
+darkness of night shouted "Orléans!" and we felt in the very garden of
+France, where nature is so bountiful that the labour of man is hardly
+needed to bring forth the fruits of the earth. In these sunny provinces
+dwell the happiest, most light-hearted of her sons. The earth abundantly
+furnishes their daily bread and wine. It comes without trouble and is
+eaten without care.
+
+Night and darkness rolled away. We approached Bordeaux. Last year, at
+this same hour, about this same time, we had found it enveloped in mist,
+had made the acquaintance of Monsieur le Comte San Salvador de la
+Veronnière, and wondered how his small body bore the weight of its
+majestic name. But the wind is tempered to the shorn lamb and the back
+is fitted to the burden. This time there was no comte and no mist. We
+had watched the dawn break and a glorious sunrise turn fleecy clouds
+into flaming swords. The earth awoke and the lovely woods and forests,
+with their wealth of fern and bracken, were touched with rosy glowing
+light as the sun shot above the horizon.
+
+Just before reaching Bordeaux we made a discovery. A secret impulse
+urged us to examine our luggage-ticket, and we were electrified at
+finding it registered to Irun instead of Portbou. Steaming into the
+crazy old station, we found out the station-master, and explained the
+difficulty. He was politeness itself, and once more we could not help
+contrasting the courtesy of the French officials with the less agreeable
+manners of the Spanish.
+
+"This would have been serious," said M. le Chef. "I am glad you found it
+out in time. After Bordeaux it would have been too late. You and your
+luggage would have gone your separate ways."
+
+Then calling a porter, he handed him the ticket, bade him search the
+luggage-vans and bring away the numbers indicated.
+
+"A little against the rules," said the Chef smiling; "but life is full
+of inevitable exceptions, and because we stick to too much red tape, and
+will not recognise the need of exceptions, half life's worries occur."
+
+Evidently our Chef was a philosopher, and fortunately a man of
+common-sense.
+
+Presently up came the porter. His search had been successful. The
+luggage was re-registered for Portbou, and we had the satisfaction of
+thanking M. le Chef for sparing us an awkward dilemma. "Monsieur," he
+replied, with a finished French bow, "it is a pleasure to be of use,
+and I am always at your disposition."
+
+The train left the station and crossed the lordly Garonne. Nothing in
+the way of river could look more majestic, with all the light of the sky
+and all the blue of the heavens reflected on its broad surface. Once
+more we were dazzled by the rich splendour of the autumn tints, glories
+of colour. In the vineyards the deep purple leaves still lingered upon
+the branches. White farmhouses, with their green shutters, red-tiled
+roofs, strings of yellow Indian maize, heaps of pumpkins and cantaloupe
+melons, stood out in striking contrast with the landscape. Many a
+vine-laden porch threw its lights and shades upon walls and pavement.
+Many a field was picturesque with ploughing-oxen. A hardy son of the
+South guided the furrow, and a woman with red or blue handkerchief tied
+round the head, followed, sowing the seed. One only wanted twilight and
+the angelus bell to complete the scene's devotion.
+
+All this we had found a year ago. Nothing was altered--it seemed as
+yesterday. But now we were changing our direction, and going east
+instead of westward. Last year Irun and St. Sebastian; now Gerona and
+Barcelona the bright and pleasant, for ever associated with Majorca the
+beautiful and beloved.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+A NARBONNE HOSTESS.
+
+     Carcassonne--In feudal times--Simon de Montfort--Canal du
+     Midi--L'Âge d'or et le Grand Monarque--A modern Golden Fleece--One
+     of earth's fair scenes--Choice of evils--M. le Chef
+     yields--Narbonne--A woman of parts--The course of true love runs
+     smooth--_Diner de contrat_--Honey _versus_ the _lune de
+     miel_--Madame's philosophy--_L'Allée des Soupirs_--An unfinished
+     cathedral--At the gloaming hour--Mystery and devotion--The Hôtel de
+     Ville--A domestic drama--High festival and champagne--The next
+     morning--H. C. repentant--Madame at her post--Ambrosial
+     breakfast--"Il faut payer pour ses plaisirs"--Dramatic
+     exit--Perpignan--Home of the kings of Majorca--Elne--"Adieu, ma
+     chère France!"--Over the frontier--Gerona--Crowded platform--What
+     H. C. thought--Unpoetical incident--From the sublime to the
+     ridiculous.
+
+
+The hours went on and the sun declined, and we looked upon the wonderful
+old city of Carcassonne.
+
+Rising out of the plain the great limestone rock was crowned by this
+fortress of the Middle Ages, its walls and round towers clearly outlined
+against the blue sky. These enclose a dead world given up to the poor
+and struggling. Its steep, narrow streets have no longer the faintest
+echo of military glories. The inner walls date back to the Visigothic
+kings; the foundations of some of the towers are Roman, but nothing of
+the outer walls seems later than the twelfth century. Here in 1210 the
+army of crusaders under Simon de Montfort laid siege, the cruel Abbot of
+Citeaux most determined of the enemy. The massacre at Béziers had just
+taken place, de Montfort foremost in eagerness to shed blood. Some had
+escaped to this little City of Refuge, amongst them the brave Vicomte de
+Béziers: one of those men of whom the world has seen not a few, saving
+lives at the cost of their own. The little fortress unable to hold out
+was taken, and again the massacre was terrible, Béziers himself dying in
+prison after great suffering.
+
+A hundred and fifty years later it more successfully resisted the Black
+Prince, who, after scattering terror right and left in the plains of
+Languedoc, found that he had to retire from these walls baffled and
+mortified. To-day they still stand, the most perfect mediæval monument
+in France.
+
+The new town lies in the plain, quietly industrious as the old is silent
+and dead, modern and commonplace as the other is ancient and romantic.
+Trees overshadow the boulevards, costly fountains plash through the hot
+days and nights of summer, running streams make the air musical and
+reflect the sapphire skies.
+
+On one side runs the great Canal du Midi, Canal des deux Mers, as it is
+called, uniting the Mediterranean with the Atlantic. Two hundred and
+fifty years ago it was one of the finest engineering works in the world,
+and perhaps would never have been finished but for the encouragement of
+le Grand Monarque, prime mover in that _âge d'or_ when the literary
+firmament was studded with such stars of the first order as Molière,
+Corneille, Lafontaine, Bossuet, Fénélon, Pascal, and last, not least,
+Madame de Sevigné. There came a crowd of splendours, a succession of
+startling events, into that lengthened reign, our own Marlborough taking
+his part in such decisive battles as Blenheim and Malplaquet.
+
+This Canal du Midi, reflecting the outlines of Carcassonne, added much
+to the trade of Southern France. If that has declined amidst the world's
+chances and changes, its numerous barges plying to and fro with sails
+set to the evening breeze and the setting sun, still form one of earth's
+most rare and beautiful scenes, full of calm repose. Corn and wine and
+oil are their freights; rich Argosies commanded by many a modern Jason,
+carrying many a Golden Fleece to the fair and flourishing towns that lie
+in its path between the tideless shores of the Levant and the restless
+waters of Biscay.
+
+On the other side of the town runs the River Aude, also reflecting the
+ancient outlines of Carcassonne in waters less placid than those of the
+great Canal. This takes its way through a fertile valley given up to
+vines and olives, fig-trees and pomegranates; and here flock crowds of
+invalids to the mineral baths and waters, penances due to indiscretions
+of the table or sins of their forefathers.
+
+Our train rolled over both these waterways on its journey towards
+Narbonne.
+
+By this time we had realised that we had been misinformed as to the hour
+we should reach Gerona, our first resting-place, adding one more record
+to the chapter of small accidents. At Narbonne we had the good fortune
+to find a Chef de Gare civil and obliging as he of Bordeaux, who
+declared it impossible to reach Gerona that day as there was no railway
+communication. We should have to spend the night at Portbou, the Spanish
+frontier, where our quarters would be wretched, and all our sweet turn
+to bitter against those who had misled us.
+
+We decided at once. "Better remain where there is a good inn, than go on
+to the miseries of Portbou, Monsieur le Chef."
+
+"That is clear," he replied. "Here you will be comfortable--and on
+French ground," laughing: "a virtue in my eyes, and I hope in yours
+also."
+
+We willingly agreed. "But our luggage? It is registered to Portbou."
+
+He looked grave. "That is unfortunate; it must go on to Portbou. I
+cannot give it to you. It is against all rules, and I greatly regret
+it."
+
+"Yet we cannot do without it. If you send it on to Portbou, we cannot
+remain behind. Have you the heart to consign us to that _chambre de
+tortures?_"
+
+He paused a moment, revolving the momentous situation. "No," he laughed
+at length, "I cannot do that, and for once will make an exception in
+your favour. Advienne que pourra, you shall have your luggage."
+
+Then in the kindest way he personally superintended the matter, delayed
+the train until the luggage was found, and carried out sundry forms
+necessary for the next day's journey.
+
+We discovered very little in Narbonne to repay our change of plans, but
+the hotel was comfortable and the energetic landlady a character worth
+studying. Grass never grew under her feet. She seemed gifted with
+ubiquity, and startled one by her rapid movements. A capable woman, who
+made her little world work with a will, wound them up and set them
+going. If the machinery flagged, she at once applied the master-key of
+her energy, and the wheels went on again.
+
+To-day she was on her mettle, as she informed us, having a large wedding
+dinner on hand. "To-night was the _diner de contrat_, to-morrow the
+_diner de noce_. A hundred and fifty people would sit down to it, and
+she expected great conviviality."
+
+Nor was she disappointed, if the noise we heard later on was any sign of
+festive enjoyment. Loud laughter, applause, healths pledged, good wishes
+bestowed--all indicated the state of the assembled guests.
+
+Madame had taken us into the banquet-room to prove that she was capable
+of decorating her table very effectively. Glass and silver glittered
+under the rays of light; flowers perfumed the air; orange-trees stood in
+corners, fruit and flowers mingled their delights. We asked for whom all
+this extensive preparation.
+
+"The daughter of an innkeeper, with a magnificent dowry, was marrying
+one of the most popular doctors of the place. But it was really a
+mariage d'amour, not merely de convenance. Les mariés were both
+delightful. One hardly knew which to congratulate the most. In short, it
+was one of those rare events in life when the social sky is without a
+cloud."
+
+Madame was almost poetical in her enthusiasm. But she was no less
+practical, and it was wonderful how everything went smoothly under her
+guidance.
+
+"Narbonne, famous for its honey." We seemed to remember this as one of
+our geography lines in days gone by. "But where was the honey?" we asked
+during the course of our own dinner, which madame was quite equal to in
+spite of the greater ceremony on hand.
+
+"You may well ask," placing upon the table a choice bottle of the
+vin-du-pays, which she saw unsealed and uncorked by one of her officials
+who had just been wound up again and was flying about the room like a
+firework. "You may well ask, monsieur. No house so badly supplied with
+coals as the charbonnier, and in Narbonne we see little of our own
+honey. Like the fish in a seaport, it is all sent away, and you will
+find more of it in Paris than here. But I will try to unearth a jar
+from my stores."
+
+Apparently the quest was unsuccessful, for no honey appeared. Or it may
+be that in contemplating the _lune de miel_ in the garlanded
+banqueting-room the more material article was lost sight of. With one
+hundred and fifty people on her brain, no wonder if small matters were
+forgotten. And yet madame seemed of those who forget nothing, her
+faculties embracing both wide organisation and minute detail. A thin,
+wiry woman, with a quick walk and a light step, dark eyes that nothing
+escaped, yet without tyranny or sharpness of manner. Only once did we
+hear her rebuking one of her waiters for the sin of procrastination.
+
+"Leave nothing till to-morrow that can be done to-day," she wound up
+with, "or you will soon find the world ahead and you left behind in the
+race. Those are the people that come to poverty and have only themselves
+to thank for it. That, monsieur," turning to us who waited a direction,
+"is the reason we cannot very much help what are called the poor. Some
+great failing brings them to that condition--laziness, stupidity or
+vice, and your aid will never give them energy, wisdom or virtue."
+
+Then the direction we asked for was bestowed, and the erring waiter
+ordered to show us the way to the cathedral.
+
+In the town we found very little that was not ordinary and common-place.
+It is ancient, its streets are badly paved and tortuous, and it
+possesses scarcely anything in the way of picturesque outlines, nothing
+in the way of Roman remains. Yet it flourished as far back as the fifth
+century B.C., and in the first century was in the hands of the Romans,
+great in theatres, baths, temples, and triumphal arches. Of these not a
+vestige has survived.
+
+It was one of the great ports of the Mediterranean, which flowed up to
+its foundations, but has gradually receded some eight miles. From one of
+the great towers of the Hôtel de Ville you may trace the outlines of the
+Cevennes and Pyrenees on the one side, on the other watch the broad blue
+waters shimmering in the sunshine, more beautiful than a dream in their
+deep sapphire; you may count the white-winged boats sailing lazily to
+and fro upon its flashing surface; and on still, dark nights, when the
+stars are large and brilliant, watch the lights of fishing fleets
+clustered together, and hear upon the shore the gentle plash of this
+tideless sea.
+
+On such summer nights the _Allée des Soupirs_ is the favourite walk of
+the people. Whence its sad, romantic name? Has it seen many sorrows? Do
+ghosts of the past haunt it with long-drawn sighs? Has it had more than
+its share of Abelards and Héloïses, Romeos and Juliets? Has some
+sorrowful Atala been borne under its branches to a desert grave, some
+Dante mourned here his lost Beatrice, some Petrarch his Laura?
+
+We knew not, and turning from it climbed the ill-paved streets towards
+the Cathedral--a Cathedral no longer, for Narbonne, once an
+Archbishopric, has been shorn of ecclesiastical dignity.
+
+As far as it went, we found it a fine, interesting, but unfinished
+Gothic building of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Little
+beyond the choir exists--a splendid fragment, but a fragment only. It
+might have been one of the world's wonders.
+
+We entered for the second time in the gloaming, when its great height
+was lost in shadows. A few lights about the church and on the altar
+deepened the mystery. A few kneeling figures motionless at their
+devotions added their quiet pathos to the scene. From the end of the
+choir it had the effect of a vast church infinitely impressive. An
+immense nave with aisles and pillars and vaulted roofs might stretch
+behind us. Such was the intention of the architect, but his plans were
+not carried out. In reality there was nothing. Within a few feet came
+the narrow outer passage and the dead wall of the west front; but in the
+darkness all this was not realised. We only saw the splendid choir, vast
+height, graceful outlines, groined roof, pointed arches, and slender
+pillars, steeped in the mystery and shadow of a dim religious light by
+the few candles gleaming here and there like faint stars in the night.
+Some of the painted glass was beautiful, as we had seen earlier in the
+day, and much of the sixteenth century flamboyant tracery was very good.
+There were many fine tombs and statues.
+
+The Gothic Hôtel de Ville close by is partly modern. A portion of it
+formed the ancient Archbishop's Palace, and some of this remains, more
+especially the old towers. The courtyard has a few interesting outlines,
+and the staircase leading to the museum is of broad, massive marble. Up
+and down these stairs and corridors was once wont to pass the proud
+footstep of a primate, with head erect under the cardinal's red hat,
+whilst the rustle of silken robes, white and scarlet, whispered of
+greatness and vanity. It now shines by the light of other days. All its
+pomp and pride has vanished; dead, silent and deserted, its glory has
+been transferred to Toulouse, now the Archbishop's See.
+
+We discovered the ancient dame who keeps the keys of the Museum. She
+dwells in almost an underground room of the building, a distant wing in
+the garden, where in days gone by the Archbishop paced and meditated in
+the seclusion of impenetrable walls. Looking upwards nothing would
+arrest the eye but the far-off serene sky and unfinished fragment of the
+Cathedral. It is still a grey, venerable pile, this wing, silent and
+empty.
+
+But in the quiet little lodge of the custodian hearts still beat to the
+tune of life's small dramas. A slight altercation was going on. The dame
+was laying down the law to a young man, evidently her son. What the
+transgression we could not tell. Possibly debt, and he had come to draw
+upon the hard-earned savings in the chimney-corner: a sort of mental and
+moral earthquake to the frugal mother-mind. Perhaps he was announcing
+his marriage with one who would make him a bad wife. Or he had grown
+tired of his narrow world, and pleaded to cross the seas and begin life
+on a new soil. Whatever it might be, he departed looking very much as if
+he too had his burden to bear. In passing he saluted, and said,
+"Bonjour, messieurs," and his looks were comely and his voice was
+pleasant. He had the air of a sailor, and possibly was a fisherman from
+the little port eight miles off. When he had disappeared beyond the
+trees, the old mother, who must also have been comely in her day, took
+the keys and led the way up the broad marble staircase to the Museum.
+The shades of evening were gathering, and our visit would almost have
+been lost labour had there been anything else to do. It was too dark to
+judge fairly, but amidst a great amount of rubbish we thought we
+discovered a few good old pictures.
+
+Long after the sun had set and the afterglow had faded, we went back to
+the hotel and madame's hospitable attentions.
+
+She was determined we should not suffer from the demands of the banquet.
+The whole corridor was now lined with orange trees, whose sheeny green
+leaves stood out in strong contrast with some strings of red peppers she
+had artistically festooned against the walls; so that from the entrance
+to the dining-room the procession would walk through an avenue of peace
+and plenty. The effect was charming. Nothing could be more beautiful
+than the luscious perfumed blossoms, richer than the deep foliage, more
+picturesque than the scented golden fruit hanging gracefully from the
+branches. As night went on, the sounds of merriment grew louder.
+Champagne could not run like water without leading to noisy if not
+brilliant wit. A hundred and fifty sons and daughters of sunny Southern
+France might be trusted to make the most of their opportunity.
+
+We left them to their rites when by-and-by the clock struck ten, lights
+began to burn dim, and we realised that a sleepless night in the train
+is more or less trying. Bidding madame _le bonsoir_, who flashed to and
+fro like lightning, yet was neither hurried nor flurried, she politely
+returned us _la bonne nuit_; adding, with a certain dry humour, that
+after all she was glad marriages were not an everyday occurrence--at any
+rate from her hotel. If profitable, they were fatiguing.
+
+Next morning we rose before dawn. The man came in, lighted our candles,
+and said it was time to rise. We thought we had slept five minutes; the
+unconscious hours had passed too quickly. Overnight we had settled to
+take an early train, and devote a few hours to Perpignan; hours of
+enforced waiting on our way to Gerona. After an amount of rapping and
+calling that might have roused the dead, H. C. had risen, lighted his
+own candles, and protested by going back to bed and to slumber.
+Fortunately the man went up to his room half an hour after, and seeing
+the state of affairs upset the fire-irons, knocked down a couple of
+chairs, and opened the window with a rattle.
+
+"Are those wedding people still at it?" murmured H. C., in his dreams.
+"It must be past midnight." Then consciousness dawned upon him and the
+full measure of his iniquity; and presently he came down to a late
+breakfast, subdued and repentant.
+
+Early as it was, madame was at her post, brisk and wide-awake as though
+yesterday had been nothing but a very ordinary fête-day. It was that
+uncomfortable hour when the early morning light creeps in, and candles
+and gas-lamps show pale and unearthly. The room looked chilly and
+forsaken; that last-night aspect that is always so ghostlike and
+unfamiliar. A white mist hung over the outer world.
+
+Then the most comforting thing on earth made its triumphant entry--a
+brimming teapot; and with the addition of tea tabloids a fine brew of
+the cup which cheers sent our mental barometer to fair weather. We were
+even admitted to the internal economy of the establishment. In came the
+baker with a basket of steaming rolls giving out a delicious odour of
+bread fresh from the oven; and with new-churned butter--the last we
+tasted for many a long day--we made an ambrosial breakfast. In a few
+minutes, madame cloaked and bonneted, came up to wish us bon voyage,
+with a hope that we should again visit Narbonne. Nothing is certain in
+this world or we should have told her it was a very forlorn hope.
+
+"I have to go to market," she said, "and the sooner I am there the
+better my choice of provisions. To-day, too, I have my _diner de noce_,
+and must be back early. _Vraiment, c'est une charge!_ Ah! they amused
+themselves last night! What headaches to-day, je parie, in spite of the
+excellence of the wines. _Enfin! Il faut payer pour ses plaisirs._"
+
+"But, madame, you are perpetual motion. You go to bed late--if you go to
+bed at all, which we begin to doubt--and rise up early. This morning you
+look as fresh as a rose. Have you the gift of eternal youth?"
+
+Madame was not above a compliment, and smiled her pleasure. "Quant il y
+a de la bonne volonté--" she laughed. "There is the whole secret. And
+now, au revoir, messieurs. Bon voyage. Portez vous bien. My best wishes
+go with you."
+
+"Au revoir, on one condition, madame. That the next time we come you
+present us without fail with a pot of Narbonne honey."
+
+Madame uttered a cry, fell back a pace or two, struck her forehead
+reproachfully, and disappeared like a flash into the street. Up rattled
+the omnibus, absorbing ourselves and our traps. Narbonne was of the
+past.
+
+A short journey landed us at an early hour at Perpignan. We had passed
+nothing very interesting on the road, for just here the sunny South
+seems to have stayed her bountiful hand. The low bare outlines of the
+rocky Corbières were traced, and great stretches of heath where bees
+gathered the famous honey we were not permitted to enjoy. Here and there
+were immense salt lakes, giving the country a flooded appearance,
+bringing fever to the neighbourhood. Once, years ago, passing these
+endless lake districts in the night, weird, solemn, mysterious, we
+wondered what they could be. One saw nothing but a world under water,
+reflecting the stars; occasionally the black outline of some small boat
+with the flash of a low-lying lamp streaming over its surface. And
+presently, this morning, there was the blue Mediterranean to make up for
+all other shortcomings.
+
+Then Perpignan. This time we separated from our old-man-of-the-sea; the
+baggage went on to Portbou to await our afternoon arrival.
+
+We felt we ought to know Perpignan, and with affection, for it was once
+the residence of the kings of Majorca. But that was seven hundred years
+ago, and it has gone through many changes at the hands of many masters.
+For centuries it belonged to Spain, and still looks more Spanish than
+French. Only in the middle of the seventeenth century was it finally
+annexed to France by Richelieu. In summer its narrow streets are covered
+with awnings, many of its buildings are moresque, and its houses have
+the iron and wooden courts and balconies so common to Spain. Some of its
+thoroughfares are picturesque and arcaded, and every now and then you
+come upon an assemblage of wonderful roofs with their red tiles,
+gorgeous creepers, and enormous vines; but they are the exception. It is
+strongly fortified, and some of the old gateways are interesting. In
+days gone by these fortifications were needed, for Perpignan was the
+great point of defence in the Eastern Pyrenees between Spain and France.
+The Cathedral is chiefly famous for the immense span of its vault. In
+this it resembles Majorca, but is infinitely less beautiful. Though
+larger, Perpignan seemed still more quiet and dead than Narbonne. We
+soon exhausted its merits, and the hour for departure found us ready. At
+the moment we were in the great courtyard of the inn watching the chef
+in white cap and apron at a small table on the opposite side, enjoying
+his dessert and hour of repose, to which coffee and cognac formed the
+conclusion. For that hour he was a gentleman of leisure and had earned
+his ease.
+
+There was no time to visit Elne with its old Romanesque Cathedral and
+cloisters worth a king's ransom; and keen was the regret as we passed it
+in the train, and noticed its decayed aspect and wonderful outlines
+rising above the town like a rare twelfth-century vision. Here Hannibal
+encamped on his way to Rome. Here came Constantine and named it Elena in
+memory of his mother. Here the Emperor Constantine was assassinated by
+order of Maxentius. Here came the Moors in the eighth century, the
+Normans in the eleventh, the kings of France in the thirteenth,
+fifteenth, and seventeenth centuries; all more or less destructive in
+their changes.
+
+And now it remains a small dead town; grass grows in its streets, where
+eternal silence reigns. Passing away, we noted how its clear outlines
+stood out against the blue sky of the South, whilst beyond it stretched
+the sapphire waters of the Levant.
+
+The train hurried on, and at Cerbère we bade farewell to pleasant
+France: a language that rings music in our ears; a people for whom we
+have a sincere affection. In the space of a few yards we seemed to pass
+from one country and people and tongue to another. At Cerbère nothing
+but French was heard. A few minutes afterwards, at Portbou, we spoke in
+French to one of the officials, who listened to the end, shook his head,
+and gruffly said "No entendo." We had entered Spain--land of slow
+trains, abrupt officials, many discomforts, but of romance and
+beauty. Once more we thought fate was to be against us. As inevitably as
+the slippers turned up in the Eastern story, so it seemed that our
+luggage was destined to be the _bête noire_ of our wanderings.
+
+[Illustration: PEDRO.]
+
+"You wish to go to Gerona," said the station-master; "but your ticket
+only states Barcelona. If you break your journey at Gerona, your luggage
+must go on to the farther town."
+
+Again we protested--and again conquered. "For once I yield and make you
+an exception," said the chef; "but you will have trouble at Gerona." All
+this had taken time, and the train moved off as we entered.
+
+At eight o'clock we reached Gerona, and even in the darkness could see
+its wonderful outlines; its countless reflections in the river that
+rolled below. The station was in an uproar. Crowds of people, young men
+and old, surged to and fro. Deafening shouts arose. What was the matter,
+and what could it mean? We gave a shrewd guess. Conscripts were going
+off, and all this crowd and noise was a farewell ovation, in which the
+conscripts joined uproariously. On the platform we almost fell against
+two stalwart old men, who stood conspicuously above the multitude. Each
+had evidently come to see a son off. One was especially a typical
+Catalonian, with strongly marked features, broad-brimmed hat, and
+picturesque costume. His friend called him Pedro. They had probably
+grown up and grown old together, and life, youth and the heritage of the
+world were being handed on to the boys--who no doubt troubled themselves
+very little about the matter.
+
+We made way into the luggage-room. "Ah!" cried the porter, looking at
+our tickets. "This is incorrect and cannot be passed." And he turned to
+the superintendent.
+
+"Diablo!" cried the latter impatiently. "Do you think I can be troubled
+with luggage on such a night as this? Take it where the gentlemen desire
+you! Maldicion!"
+
+Saved once more. As we walked outside through the crowd, a deafening
+cheer went up.
+
+"What can it mean?" said H. C. "Have they discovered that I am a poet,
+and all this is a little delicate attention on their part? If so, I
+must say they are appreciative. Perhaps my volume of Lyrics, dedicated
+to my aunt, Lady Maria, has been translated into Spanish, and
+has--ahem!--found more popularity here than at home. Ah!--Oh!"
+
+The exclamation was caused by a sudden tearing away of the omnibus we
+had entered, whereby H. C. found himself sprawling in a most unpoetical
+attitude. Picking himself up as carefully as if he had been made of
+delicate china suffering from a few compound fractures, he rubbed his
+bruised knees sympathetically, and quietly asked if we had brought a
+supply of Elliman's embrocation.
+
+So quickly one passes from poetry to prose, from the sublime to the
+ridiculous.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+BLACK COFFEE--AND A CONFESSION.
+
+     Continued uproar--H. C. disillusioned--A dark night--Not like
+     another Cæsar--More crowds--A demon scene--Fair time--Glorious days
+     of the past--In marble halls and labyrinthine passages--Our
+     excellent host--His substantial partner--Contented
+     minds--Picturesque court--Songless nightingales--Conscription--H.
+     C.'s modesty--Our host appreciative but personal--Bears the torch
+     of genius--A mistake--Below the salt--Host's fair
+     daughters--Catalonian women--The Silent Enigma--Remarkable
+     priest--Good intentions--Lecture on black
+     coffee--Confessions--Benjamin's portions--A gifted nature.
+
+
+Our omnibus rattled off, with the result described. The crowd still
+cheered; a prolonged and mighty strain. As we went on this grew fainter
+by degrees, yet did not cease. H. C. collected his thoughts and looked
+about him. In the dim glimmer of the omnibus lamp we saw shades of doubt
+and disappointment in his face.
+
+"I begin to think this ovation was not for me after all," he said. "They
+would hardly go on shouting insanely when we are out of sight and
+hearing. The people would have accompanied us; taken the horses out of
+the omnibus; drawn us up to the inn, where I should have arrived like
+another Cæsar. My volume of Lyrics is worth this recognition if they
+have rendered all the fire and spirit of its theme, beauty of language,
+charm of rhythm and rhyme. Above all, my dedication to Lady Maria, a
+masterpiece of English composition and delicate flattery. I begin to
+think there must be some other cause for this demonstration. And if it
+is not a poetical reception, I should call it a disgraceful riot."
+
+He paused for breath. We were now going up-hill, and even the horses
+found it a tug-of-war. "The people would have had some trouble in
+dragging you up here," we remarked, as the animals toiled slowly
+onwards.
+
+"Enthusiasm will carry you through anything," said H. C. "If I assisted
+at a demonstration I would help to drag a coach up the Matterhorn, and
+succeed or perish in the attempt. But these people evidently have some
+other object in view--organising a raid on the train, proclaiming a
+republic, or something equally barbarous. What a very dark night!"
+
+We looked out. The stars had disappeared. The sky was overcast and
+threatening. Our horses struggled on and soon entered the town. Crossing
+the bridge over the river we noticed everywhere an unusual crowd of
+people, flaring lamps and torches, a sea of upturned faces thrown into
+lights and shadows that looked weird and demon-like, an undercurrent of
+voices, a perpetual movement.
+
+What could it all mean? We expected to find Gerona, in spite of its
+20,000 inhabitants, almost a dead city, full of traces of the past,
+oblivious of the present; a city of outlines, echoes and visions of the
+Middle Ages. We looked down the tree-lined boulevard and felt the very
+word a desecration of the buried centuries. The broad thoroughfare ran
+beside the river, and the trees followed each other in quick succession.
+Without and within their shadows a long double row of booths held sway,
+whose flaming torches turned night into day, paradise into pandemonium.
+
+A great fair possessed the town, thronged with sightseers of all ages
+and every stage of emotion. We lamented our fate in visiting Gerona at
+such a time, but in the end it interfered very little either with our
+comfort or impressions. It had its own quarters and kept to them.
+
+The omnibus passed into narrower thoroughfares, without any trace of
+fair, sign or sound of excitement or flaming torches. All was
+delightfully dead as the most advanced antiquarian could desire when we
+drew up at the _Fondu de los Italianos_.
+
+Most of the hotels in the smaller towns of Spain have little to do with
+the ground floor of the building, often nothing but a cold, unlighted,
+deserted passage, sometimes leading to a stable yard. No one receives
+you, and you have to find your own way upstairs. When there is a choice
+of staircases you probably take the wrong one. On this occasion we had
+only one course before us--broad white marble stairs that bore witness
+to a very different destiny in days gone by, the pomp and splendour of
+life, the glory of the world. At the head of this sumptuous staircase
+our host met us with a polite bow and welcome; and throughout Spain we
+never met landlord more intelligent and well-informed, more agreeable
+and anxiously civil. We were puzzled as to his nationality. He did not
+look Catalonian, or Spanish of any sort, spoke excellent French, yet was
+decidedly not a Frenchman. When the mystery was solved we found him an
+Italian. A man ruling very differently from our energetic hostess at
+Narbonne, who, full of electricity herself, seemed to have the power of
+galvanising every one else into perpetual motion.
+
+Our Gerona host was quiet and passive, as though all day long he had
+nothing to do but rest on his oars and take life easily. He never
+hastened his walk beyond a certain measure or raised his voice above a
+gentle tone. Yet, like well-oiled works, he kept the complicated
+machinery in order. There was no friction and no noise, but everything
+came up to time. He was last in bed at night, first up in the morning. A
+tall, thin, dark man, with an expression of face in which there was no
+trace of impatient fretting at life. If wealth had not come to him (we
+knew not how that was), evil days had passed him by. He had learned the
+secret of contentment, and was a man of peace. Yet he had brought up a
+large family of sons and daughters, and could not have escaped care and
+responsibility. They now took their part in the _ménage_, but it was
+evident that without the father nothing would hold together for an hour.
+
+The youngest son, a tall, presentable young fellow, had been partly
+educated at Tours and spoke very good French. His ambition now was to
+spend two years in England to perfect himself in the language, which he
+was good enough to consider difficult and barbarous. "French," he
+plaintively observed, "is pronounced very much as it is spelt; so are
+Spanish and Italian; I have them all at my finger-ends. But English has
+done its best to confound all foreigners. It is worse than Russian or
+Chinese."
+
+This he related the next day as we went about the town, for we had
+accepted his polite offer to guide us; and very intelligent and
+painstaking he proved himself.
+
+Our host's wife was fat, broad and buxom as the husband was the
+opposite. When her homely face beamed upon her guests from behind the
+counter of her little bureau, she looked the picture of an amiable Dutch
+vrouw. Nothing less than a Frank Hals could have done her justice. Her
+lines seemed to have been cast in pleasant places, and her days also had
+been without shadow of evil.
+
+It was also evident that our host was cheerfully disposed. His walls
+were all painted with landscapes, and if rainbow-colours predominated,
+he reasoned that they were more enlivening than grey skies and dark
+shadows. Even the walls of his garden-court had not escaped: a court put
+to many uses, level with the first floor, bounded on one side by the
+kitchen, on the other by the dining-room, at right angles with each
+other. A picturesque court with a slightly Italian atmosphere about it,
+due perhaps to the sunny landscapes. Orange and small eucalyptus trees
+stood about in large tubs. The far end was roofed, and the fine red
+tiles slanted downwards. Over these grew a large abundant vine bearing
+rich clusters of grapes in due season. Under the eaves were hung cages
+with captive nightingales and thrushes that looked anything but unhappy
+prisoners.
+
+"In the spring they sing gloriously," said our host, who, evidently full
+of tender mercies as of cheerfulness, gazed affectionately at his birds.
+"I hang them outside our front windows sometimes, and night and day the
+street echoes with the nightingales' song. You may close your eyes and
+fancy yourself in the heart of a wood. I have often done so, and dreamed
+I was in my Italian home, listening to the birds on the one hand, the
+murmur of the Mediterranean on the other. That is one reason why I love
+and keep them. They bring back lost echoes, and make me feel young
+again."
+
+Pigeons and doves strutted about the yard, and were evidently considered
+very nearly as sacred as those of St. Mark's, for they were as fearless
+as if the days of the millennium had come at last.
+
+[Illustration: THE BOULEVARD: GERONA.]
+
+But on the first evening of our arrival we had yet to learn the many
+virtues of our host. We only saw in broad outlines that we were in good
+hands.
+
+"Not having telegraphed, you are fortunate to find accommodation, sirs,"
+he said, as he lighted candles and marshalled us to his best rooms.
+"Last year at the fair we were full to overflowing--not an available
+hole or corner to spare. This year we are comparatively empty, simply
+because the town corporation have not organised the usual fêtes, which
+bring us visitors from all parts of the country. Nevertheless we may be
+full to-morrow."
+
+"It is an annual fair, then?"
+
+"Very much so, and one of the most celebrated in Spain. This is the
+first night, to-morrow the first day. That and the next day are
+comparatively quiet; the day after comes the horse and cattle fair, and
+the whole town is crowded with a rough, noisy set of people. You would
+hardly think them agreeable."
+
+"In that case our visit to Gerona must terminate within forty-eight
+hours. The train which brought us to-night shall take us on to
+Barcelona."
+
+"Where you have it more civilised but will not be more welcome," said
+our polite host, still leading the way.
+
+The corridors were paved with stone, the ceilings were lofty. Turning
+into a narrower passage to the right, we looked into the yard, where our
+famous omnibus reposed; the horses had been taken out and were marching
+up to their stable. This passage led to a salon, out of which one of our
+bedrooms opened; our host had given us of his best. Placing one of the
+candles down and lighting others, he turned to see that everything was
+in order. We opened the window and looked out to the main street--long,
+narrow, almost in darkness. Electric lamps here and there gave little
+light. "Why so?" we asked the landlord.
+
+"Because we get our motive force from the river; and just now the river
+is almost dry," he replied. "So they have to work with a machine, and
+the machine is not strong enough to light the whole town. That is why I
+don't have it in the hotel. One day we should have illumination, the
+next total darkness. Better go on in the old way."
+
+"There was quite a riot at the station," we remarked; "we were told it
+had to do with conscription. At one time we thought they were going to
+storm the omnibus."
+
+"You were well-informed," said the landlord; "it is the conscription.
+Fathers, brothers and cousins have assembled to see the poor fellows
+depart. Generally speaking they all turn up again after a time, like bad
+money; but on this occasion who knows? Raw recruits as they are, many
+may get drafted off to Cuba, with small chance of ever seeing their
+native land again. Luckily they are more full of excitement at the
+change of life and scene than of regret at leaving home. The noise, as
+you say, might be that of a riot; without exception, the Spanish are the
+noisiest people in the world, but it means nothing. It is the froth of
+champagne, and when it subsides there is good wine beneath."
+
+"Are the people of Gerona poetical?" asked H. C., rather anxiously.
+
+"Poetical, sir?" with a puzzled expression. "Do you mean to ask if they
+write poetry, like Dante and Shakespeare? You do them too much honour."
+
+"No, one could hardly expect that of them. But do they read and
+appreciate the poetry of others? There was a moment when I thought that
+crowd at the station was an ovation in honour of----"
+
+H. C. paused and lowered his eyes modestly. Our intelligent landlord at
+once divined his meaning. We invariably found that he guessed things by
+intuition; two words of explanation with him went as far as twenty with
+others.
+
+"Ah, I understand. You, sir, are a poet, and at first thought this
+riotous assemblage an ovation in your honour. I fear I must undeceive
+you--though you probably have already undeceived yourself. I hope it was
+not a bitter awakening. Still, I am enchanted to make the acquaintance
+of an English poet. I once saw and spoke to Mr. Browning in Italy. He
+did not look to me at all poetical. One pictures a poet with pale face,
+dreamy eyes, flowing locks, and abstracted manner. Mr. Browning was the
+opposite of all this. Now you, sir, with that beautiful regard and
+far-away expression looking into nothingness----"
+
+H. C. bowed his acknowledgments; our host though flattering was growing
+a little personal.
+
+"You have lost your poet-laureate," he continued; "and another has not
+been appointed. I read the newspapers and know the leading events of
+every country; for though I live out of the world, I must know
+everything that is going on there. Perhaps, sir, you are to be the new
+poet-laureate?"
+
+"Not at present," said H. C., flushing deeply as a vision of future
+greatness rose up before him. "I hope to be so in time. At present I am
+rather young to bear the weight of the laurel wreath, which seldom
+adorns the unwrinkled brow."
+
+"There is rhythm in your prose," said the landlord in quiet
+appreciation. "Truth will out. But, sir, though a poet, you are mortal;
+at least I conclude so, in spite of your diaphanous form and spiritual
+regard; and I bethink me that time flies in talking, and we shall have
+dinner ready before we can turn round. In England, being a poet, you
+probably feast upon butterflies' wings and the bloom of peaches;
+but----"
+
+"On the contrary," cried H. C. hastily; "I have an excellent appetite
+and love substantial dishes. Crystallised violets and the bloom of
+peaches I leave to my aunt, Lady Maria. Like George III. my favourite
+repast is boiled mutton and apple dumplings; and like the king I have
+never been able to understand how the apples get inside the pastry. That
+does not affect their flavour. So we will, if you please, make ready for
+dinner. Do you patronise the French or Spanish cuisine? Oh, I am
+indifferent. It is a mere matter of butter versus oil, and both are
+good."
+
+Then they went off in a procession of two, the landlord carrying the
+flambeau. "We will look upon it as the torch of genius," said the
+latter, "and I am proud to bear it. But methinks, sir, it should be in
+your hands." After this we heard only receding footsteps.
+
+The scene presently changed to the dining-room. At first we had made for
+the wrong room devoted to the humbler folk indoors and out. Here, too,
+the landlord and his own people took their meals; and once or twice,
+casting a glance in passing, it was a pleasure to see how madame's broad
+buxom face and capacious form was doing justice to the good things on
+the festive board. Her husband and children did not take after her; they
+were all very much after Pharaoh's lean kine: she could have sheltered
+them all under her ample wing.
+
+We were rather horrified on entering. A few curious looking people, very
+much _sans gêne_, sat at a table in a state of disorder. Even H. C.'s
+capacious appetite would have fled at the aspect of things. From a door
+beyond opening to the kitchen came sounds of fizzing and frying and
+savoury fumes. The chef and his imps were flitting about excitedly.
+
+We were beginning to think that after all our lines had fallen in
+strange places, when the landlord appeared at the door, pounced upon us,
+and marshalled us off the premises.
+
+"That is not for you, sir," he said. "We are obliged to have two rooms.
+A certain number will neither pay fair prices nor heed good manners, and
+these we place below the salt, as I have read in some of your English
+books. I put up with them because it would not answer me to have three
+rooms. And then we have our meals when nobody else has theirs, and
+waiting and running to and fro is over for the moment. To keep an hotel
+is indeed no sinecure."
+
+Saying this, he led the way to a large and unobjectionable room, its
+walls adorned with the sunny landscapes already described. If
+perspective and colouring were eccentric, why, we had only to think that
+variety was charming, as H. C. observed, and defects became virtues. The
+room was well illuminated with gas, whatever might be going on in the
+streets; to no tenebrous repast were we invited. The linen was
+snow-white. Our host's daughters waited quietly and silently, with a
+certain grace of manner: dark-eyed, good-looking young women, with
+something both Italian and Spanish about them, whereby we imagined the
+buxom lady-mother was probably Catalonian.
+
+Throughout Catalonia we observed that the women after a certain age--by
+no means old age--grow inordinately stout. Time after time a little
+whipper-snapper, lean, shrivelled and short would enter a dining-room
+followed by an enormous spouse, who came crushing down upon him like a
+Himalaya mountain upon a sand-hill. They would take their seat at a
+table, the lady with a great deal of difficult arranging, and the little
+husband would gaze up at the huge wife with adoration in his eyes, as
+proudly as if she had been the Venus de Milo come to life with all her
+arms and legs about her and a fair proportion of garments. The back is
+fitted to the burden, but here the order of things was reversed--the
+wife's broad shoulders must needs bear the weight of life.
+
+There were no stout ladies in the dining-room to-night. At different
+parts of the long table sat some eight or ten people of various nations.
+Opposite us were two Englishmen separated by a Spaniard. They were of
+one party, yet never spoke a word from the time they entered to the time
+they left. Occasionally they glared at each other on passing a dish or
+the wine of the country, which was supplied _ad libitum_. What the
+entente cordiale or bone of contention we never discovered; every meal
+they kept to their silent programme, until it became almost oppressive.
+Once or twice we thought they were perhaps monks of La Trappe in
+disguise, but gave up the idea as far-fetched. The Englishmen, at any
+rate, judging by expression, were certainly not devoted to fasting and
+penance. They were young, and the world held attractions not at all in
+harmony with solitary cells and the midnight mass. We never solved the
+Silent Enigma, as H. C. called them.
+
+Not far off sat a priest, who no doubt had himself helped to celebrate
+many a midnight mass, perhaps both in and out of a monastery. He was the
+most interesting character at table, tall, distinguished looking, with
+flowing white hair, a singularly handsome face and magnificent head. The
+system of serving was different from most hotels. Dishes were not handed
+round, but every person or party had placed before them their own dish,
+of which each took as much or as little as they pleased. Whether the
+priest was father confessor to the ladies of the inn, or whether they
+merely had a very proper respect for his cloth, we knew not, but he
+invariably came in for a Benjamin's portion, and sent most of it away
+untasted.
+
+Also it was evident that he could sit in judgment on others. The next
+day at luncheon he took his seat next to us. We were suffering from
+headache, which has made life more or less a burden. Severe diseases
+require strong remedies. We ate dry bread, and drank sundry cups of
+black coffee mixed with brandy; the latter half a century old and almost
+as mild as milk, its healing properties sovereign. The priest, we say,
+sat next, and we almost resented his not leaving the breathing interval
+of a chair between us, where empty chairs were abundant. The Silent
+Enigma at the lower end of the table were quite a long way off. At our
+second cup, the priest looked anxious; at our third, reproachful; at our
+fourth and last, contained himself no longer. Yet the four cups were
+only equal to two ordinary black-coffee cups.
+
+Possibly the priest thought age conferred privilege. He was also
+probably impulsive, and like all similar people often said and did the
+wrong thing. But he was evidently actuated by a pure spirit of
+philanthropy, which would set the world to rights if it could accomplish
+the impossible. Looking earnestly at us, he spoke, and then we found he
+was a Frenchman.
+
+"Monsieur," he said in his own tongue, "that is a most insidious
+beverage, fatal to digestion, destructive to the nerves. If I see any
+one repeating the dose, at the risk of being thought indiscreet, I
+cannot avoid speaking. When I count up to the fourth cup, I feel they
+are in jeopardy. And shall I tell you why?--I speak from experience. I
+once myself was nearly overcome by the fatal basilisk, only that in my
+case it was strong waters without coffee more often than with it. For a
+time it was a question which should conquer, the tempter or the better
+nature. Then came a period in which I was wretched and miserable,
+yielding and fighting alternately. Finally, I made a greater effort, and
+vowed that if strength were given me to overcome, I would dedicate my
+life to the Church. Soon after that I fell ill; sick almost unto death.
+Weeks and months passed and I recovered to find the temptation vanished;
+hating the very sight of brandy, with coffee or without. Mindful of my
+vow--I was a young man at the time--I took steps to enter the Church;
+and here I am. And now, sir, forgive me for saying so much about myself,
+and for preaching a little sermon taken from real life, though time and
+place are perhaps not quite fitted to the occasion."
+
+We forgave him on the spot. His intentions were excellent, his
+sympathies keen; two admirable qualities. We assured him that strong
+waters were no temptation, held no charm; yet twice four cups had been
+taken if needed.
+
+The good priest shook his head doubtfully.
+
+"A dangerous remedy, monsieur. But, now, I am interested in you. I like
+the amiable manner in which you have received my little homily. Many
+would take fire and proudly tell me to mind my own business. You arouse
+my sympathies and invite my confidence. Let me confess that I placed
+myself here to enter into conversation. Mine has been a singular life,
+both since I entered the Church and before it: full of lessons. If
+before retiring to-night you should have an hour to spare and will give
+it me, I will relate to you passages in a very eventful career. You will
+say it contains many marvels. However late, it will not be too late for
+me. I never retire to bed before three in the morning, and am always
+broad awake at seven. Four hours' sleep in the twenty-four is all nature
+ever accords me. I have reason to believe that I shall be offered the
+next vacant See in the Church: I could place my finger upon the very
+spot: and my wakeful nights will enable me to do much work. Let me hope
+that wisdom and judgment may be accorded. But what am I doing?" drawing
+himself up. "Talking as though I had known you for a lifetime; giving
+you my confidence, betraying my secrets! What power are you exercising?
+What does it mean? Sir, you must be a hypnotist, and I have fallen into
+your meshes. Yet, no; I feel I am not mesmerised, and you are to be
+trusted. Yes, I repeat that if you will give me an hour this evening,
+though it be the dead of night, I will confide strange experiences to
+your ear that until now have been locked within my own bosom. And why
+not? My life is my own; I have a right to withhold or disclose what
+pleases me."
+
+The words of the priest made us almost uncomfortable. We aspired to no
+undue influence over any one, much less a stranger. Confidences are not
+always desirable; but then we reflected that confidences need not be
+confessions. The experiences even of a simple life must always be of
+use, how much more those of an active man of the world--thoughtful,
+observing, retentive and philosophical.
+
+There was something unusually attractive about our priest. He possessed
+great refinement of face; a profile that reminded us of the fine
+outlines of Père Hyacinthe as we had many a time watched him in a Paris
+pulpit preaching with so much earnestness, fire and conviction, raising
+a crusade against the errors and shams both within and without the
+Church. When our present neighbour was a bishop, would he too uphold the
+good and condemn the evil?
+
+We looked closely and thought Nature had not been unmindful of her
+power. As already stated, his long flowing hair was white; the head was
+splendidly developed; there was a ring and richness in the subdued voice
+that would reach the farthest corners of Notre Dame. We asked ourselves
+the question but could not answer it. The future holds her own secrets
+and makes no confidences. But strangely interested in Père Delormais--to
+make a slight but sufficient change in his name--we promised him an
+hour, two hours if he would, and even found ourselves awaiting the
+interview with curiosity and impatience. And this was the result of
+black coffee and brandy.
+
+But all this took place on the second day. On the first night of our
+arrival we had needed neither one nor the other. The priest sat on the
+opposite side of the table, and we noticed nothing about him but his
+distinguished appearance and Benjamin's portions. Yet he evidently had
+been closely studying us. The Silent Enigma had occupied a little of our
+attention and wonder, but this soon passed away. The remainder of the
+scattered guests called for no remark whatever.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+A NIGHT VISION.
+
+     Wrong turnings--H. C.'s gifts and graces--Out at night--The arcades
+     of Gerona--At the fair--Ancient outlines--Demons at work--In the
+     dry bed of the river--Roasting chestnuts--Medieval outlines--In the
+     vortex--Clairvoyantes and lion-tamers--Clown's despair--Deserted
+     streets--Vision of the night--Haunted staircase--Dark and
+     dangerous--A small grievance--The reeds by the river--Cry of the
+     watchmen--Hare and hounds--Fair Rosamund--Jacob's ladder--New
+     rendering to old proverbs--Cathedral by night--H. C.
+     oblivious--Scent fails--Return to earth--Romantic story--Last of a
+     long line--_El Sereno!_--The witching hour--H. C. unserenaded--Next
+     morning--Grey skies--A false prophet--Magic picture--Cathedral by
+     day--Mediæval dreams.
+
+
+Dinner ended we went to our rooms preparatory to investigating the town.
+These rooms were only reached through a labyrinth of passages, and to
+the last hour we were always taking wrong turnings. H. C. had the organ
+of locality as well as the gift of rhyme, and we often had to summon him
+from some distant chamber to the rescue; vainly remarking that it was a
+little hard all the talents should have fallen to his share. He would
+condescendingly reply that we must be thankful for small mercies; adding
+with great modesty that all his talents and graces, far beyond our ken,
+were counterbalanced by a feeling of tremendous responsibility.
+
+We left the hotel with all our curiosity awakened. It was very dark. No
+stars were shining; a small aneroid indicated rain. Where we came to
+openings in the streets, the sky above was lighted with a lurid glare,
+reflection of the countless torches in the fair. Our own street was in
+comparative darkness.
+
+Sauntering down whither fate would lead us, we came to some splendid
+arcades, deep, massive and solemn. Few towns in Spain possess such
+arcades as Gerona; so exceedingly picturesque and substantially built
+that time may mellow but hardly destroy them. To-night they were not
+quite impenetrable; a little of the glare from the sky or the fair--the
+latter unseen but near at hand--seemed to faintly light their obscurity
+and add mystery to the finely-arched outlines. They were deserted, not a
+creature was visible, the shops were closed. There is no time like night
+and darkness for solemn outlines and impressions.
+
+[Illustration: ARCADES: GERONA.]
+
+A few steps farther on and we suddenly burst upon the full glory of the
+fair. Not the glory of the sun or moon, but of smoking torchlights and
+lurid flames carried hither and thither by the wind. We traced them far
+as the eye could reach. The houses, with their quaint outlines and iron
+balconies shadowed by the waving trees, stood out vividly. A double
+stream of people sauntered to and fro, treading upon each other's heels.
+At one booth a Dutch auction was going on--great attraction of the
+evening.
+
+[Illustration: VIEW OF GERONA FROM THE STONE BRIDGE.]
+
+We stood on the bridge and looked quite far down upon the bed of the
+river. As our host had said, the water was very low. The stream had
+narrowed and half the bed was dry. Here and there huge fires were
+burning and flaming, and men danced round them, looking like demons as
+the flames now and then burst forth and lighted up their grim faces.
+They were roasting chestnuts, and as each batch was finished it was
+carried up to the fair to be quickly devoured by the boys and girls
+to-night supreme. Every dog has its day, and it was their turn to reign.
+They must make the most of it. To-morrow the garlands would fade. When
+the clock struck twelve Cinderella went back to her rags and
+chimney-corner. Black Monday always comes. Every stall displayed nothing
+but toys, from juvenile knives to slice off finger-ends to
+seductive-looking purses that were a mortifying reflection upon empty
+pockets.
+
+As we stood on the bridge all this light and glare outlined the
+wonderful houses that rise up straight from the river so that its waters
+wash their foundations--and at very high tides come in at the
+ground-floor windows, a visitor more free than welcome. The occurrence
+is rare, but has been known. We could just trace the marvellous
+outlines; their strangely picturesque, old-world look: and we waited
+with patience for the morning and the splendours it should reveal.
+
+Plunging boldly into the crowd, we were swallowed up in the vortex. It
+was rather bewildering. All the people seemed to do was to walk up and
+down in an endless stream, eat chestnuts and blow penny trumpets.
+To-night, at any rate, the stalls were almost neglected. Possibly they
+had not had time to digest the glamour, and to-morrow the harvest would
+come.
+
+At the end of the long thoroughfare lights and stalls and crowd were
+left behind. We reached a quaint corner which cunningly led to another
+bridge. This we crossed and soon found ourselves in the wide market
+square and a different scene. Here the shows had taken up their abode,
+and every effort was being made to excite an unresponsive crowd. It was
+the usual thing. The learned pig, the two-headed lady, the gentleman who
+drew portraits with his feet, the clairvoyante who told fortunes and
+promised wealth and marriage, the lion-tamer who put his head into the
+lion's mouth, the enchanting ballet, where ladies and gentlemen
+pirouetted and made love in dumb motions: these attractions were
+faithfully described and freely offered to the dazzled multitude. In
+vain a clown tried to be facetious, shouted himself hoarse, and blew a
+trumpet until his face grew dark. Bells rang and drums beat--the crowd
+did not respond.
+
+We left them to it, not tempted by the unseen. Our day for shows and
+illusions was over. This was not what we had expected of Gerona the
+beautiful and ancient. If we felt a slight grievance, who could wonder?
+
+Presently we found ourselves in the darkness of night at the edge of the
+river. There was more water here, no dry bed visible. Away to the left,
+as far as one could gather, stretched the open country. Tall trees,
+sombre and mysterious, waved and rustled behind us. Evidently this was
+one of the public parks or promenades that exist just outside so many
+Spanish towns, refuges from the mid-day sun and evening glare; Elysian
+fields for those disembodied souls who pace to and fro to the music of
+love's young dream; vows of eternal fidelity more or less writ in sand.
+
+The water looked cold and calm and tranquil. Rushes grew by the side and
+the wind whispered through them. Pan was playing his pipes. Lights
+twinkled from the windows of many a house down by the river. A lurid
+glow still hung in the sky, and beneath it, in front of us to the right,
+we traced the marvellous outlines of the town. Above all, crowning the
+heights, stretching heavenwards like mighty monsters, uprose the towers
+of the cathedral and other churches. Almost unearthly was the scene in
+its gloom and grandeur of mystery. Far down on the dry bed of the river
+the chestnut-roasters danced like demons about their holocausts. No
+clown need cry the virtues of their wares; the demand was equal to the
+supply, and both were unlimited.
+
+We hardly knew how we found our way here or found it back again.
+Instinct guides one on these occasions and seldom fails as it failed in
+the midnight streets of Toledo. But a conjuror would be lost in those
+narrow wynds, which all resemble each other and are without plan or
+sequence.
+
+[Illustration: BANKS OF THE OÑAR: GERONA.]
+
+To-night it was plainer sailing. Afar off we heard the clown bidding
+people to his feast of good things. Like the siren in stormy weather it
+told us which way to steer, what to avoid. We passed well on the
+outskirts of the gaping crowd and found ourselves on the bridge: the
+dark bridge, with the river flowing beneath, the houses rising in a
+great impenetrable mass, and the distant chestnut-roasters at their
+demon work.
+
+The evening was growing old; a neighbouring church clock struck ten.
+This served to change the current of one's thoughts, which had simply
+drifted with the scene before us.
+
+"Let us go to the cathedral," said H. C. "We shall then have two
+impressions instead of one. I always like to see an important building
+first at night. Next morning's view is so different that it becomes a
+revelation."
+
+This was true enough; but how find our way to the cathedral and back
+again to the hotel? We had no desire to repeat that Toledo adventure.
+The story of the Babes in the Wood is only amusing to those who listen.
+
+"Evidently a very different town from Toledo," replied H. C. "We have
+only to climb the height to reach the cathedral. Let us play Hare and
+Hounds. I will drop pieces of paper by way of scent. Or like Hop o' my
+Thumb scatter stones on the road."
+
+"Wouldn't a silken thread be more poetical?"
+
+"True; but," with a profound sigh, "there is no Fair Rosamund at the end
+of it. Here we can only worship the antique. Rosamund was not antique."
+
+"But this has one great virtue; it can never disappoint or play you
+false. And, rare merit, its charms increase with age."
+
+Again he sighed deeply. He had had many disappointments, but then he
+deserved them. Butterflies flit from flower to flower, until by-and-by
+they alight on a nettle and it stings: a little allegory always lost
+upon H. C. The gift of knowing themselves is still denied to mortals.
+
+We left the bridge and found ourselves once more in the quaint octagonal
+corner; in front of us a narrow turning; a long flight of steps
+apparently without end; a Jacob's Ladder.
+
+"Leading to Paradise," said H. C. "Let us take it."
+
+"Would you be admitted with all those broken vows upon your conscience?"
+
+The Oracle was silent. With a bold plunge we commenced the ascent: a
+rugged climb with dead walls about us; twistings and turnings and
+crooked ways and rough uneven steps; a veritable pilgrimage.
+
+"Patience," said H. C. "Everything comes to him who climbs. I like to
+vary our proverbs; the old forms grow hackneyed."
+
+As he spoke, we came upon a hidden turning to the left; short, straight,
+and evidently full of purpose. We took it without doubting and soon
+found ourselves in the open square, bound on one side by the cathedral
+with the Bishop's palace at right angles.
+
+On this occasion no majestic outlines rewarded us. Only for its interior
+is the cathedral famous. All doors were locked and barred. We knocked
+for admission. These wonderful buildings should be open at night as well
+as by day, and some of their finest effects are lost by this tyrannical
+custom. But we knocked in vain; ghostly echoes answered us. Ghosts pass
+through doors; we never heard that the most accommodating ghost ever
+opened them to mortals. It was the great south doorway at which we
+appealed--the Apostles' Doorway--and in the darkness we could just trace
+its fine deeply-recessed arch. Above the cathedral rose its one solitary
+pagan tower, shadowy and unreal against the night sky.
+
+A broad, magnificent, apparently endless flight of steps such as few
+cathedrals possess faced the west front. To-night we could see nothing
+beyond of the town and river, the great stretch of country and far-off
+Pyrenees we knew must be there. All this must wait for the morning. Nor
+should we have to wait long, for night and the moments were flying. The
+glare had died out of the sky; shows and booths had put out their
+lights; the crowd had gone home. Gerona might now truly be likened to a
+dead city.
+
+No sound disturbed the stillness but the cry of the watchmen in
+different parts of the town. One proclaimed the time and weather and
+another took up the tale; sometimes a discordant duet rose upon the
+air. We heard it all distinctly from our citadel above the world.
+
+[Illustration: APOSTLES' DOORWAY, CATHEDRAL: GERONA.]
+
+As we looked, one of them passed in slow contemplation at the foot of
+the long flight of steps--steps nearly as broad as the cathedral itself.
+His staff struck the ground, his light flashed shadows upon the houses.
+The effect was weird. Heavy footsteps echoed right and left through the
+narrow streets, in fitting accompaniment to his monotonous chant. We had
+long grown familiar with these old watchmen, who come laden with an
+atmosphere of the past. They are in harmony with these towns of ancient
+outlines, suggesting days when perhaps the faintest glimmer of an oil
+lamp only made darkness more hideous; days when their office was no
+sinecure as now, but one of danger and responsibility.
+
+The cathedral clock struck eleven, and when the last faint vibration had
+died upon the air we turned to go. It seemed a great many hours since we
+had risen in the darkness of the Narbonne misty morning, H. C. had been
+reawakened with a sort of volcanic eruption, and madame, wishing us bon
+voyage over our tea and hot rolls, had disappeared like a flash into the
+mist to put the final touches to her _diner de noce_.
+
+"Now for Hare and Hounds, H. C. Lead the way."
+
+"By the beard of Mahomet! I forgot all about it and have put none down."
+
+"So the scent has failed?"
+
+Remorse made him silent for a moment. Then he tried to turn the tables.
+
+"After all, it was your fault. Your saying what you did about the silken
+thread and Fair Rosamund, set me thinking what a romantic adventure it
+would be if it could only come true. Naturally everything else went out
+of my mind."
+
+"We must make the best of it, H. C., and get back to the hotel as we
+can. Suppose we vary the route. These steps look inviting; we will take
+them. All roads lead to Rome."
+
+We went down the interminable flight, turned and looked back. A vision
+of a church in the clouds and a pagan tower that went out of sight. We
+had returned to earth, and not far off the old watchman was still
+awaking shadows and echoes in the narrow street. We could not do better
+than follow, and presently found ourselves in our quaint little
+octagonal corner. All was well.
+
+The long thoroughfare, so crowded lately, was now forsaken. Stalls were
+shut down, lights were out. It was like a deserted banqueting-hall. The
+chestnut sellers had left their pans and baskets, but left them empty.
+From the bed of the river the dancing demons had departed, and the smoke
+of their incense still ascended from dying embers. Next came the old
+arcades, darker, lonelier, more mysterious than ever. These we knew
+faced our street, and turning our backs upon them we found ourselves in
+a few moments at the hotel.
+
+Only a couple of old watchmen broke the solitude, meeting at their
+boundaries. They stood on the pavement in close converse and we wondered
+if they were hatching mischief; then they threw their light upon us and
+no doubt returned the compliment. We disappeared within the great
+doorway and left them to their reflections.
+
+Up the broad staircase, the white marble glistening in the rays of the
+one electric lamp that still lighted up the courtyard. We thought of the
+sumptuous crowd that had passed up and down in the centuries gone by;
+fair dames in rustling silks and gay cavaliers with clanking swords; all
+the grandeur and gorgeousness of that once ducal palace. The staircase
+seemed haunted with ghosts and shadows, the murmur of voices, echo of
+laughter, weeping of tears.
+
+And now, dim and vapoury, a brilliant pair appeared in tender proximity
+to each other. His arm encircled her waist, her fair white hand rested
+with fond appropriation upon his doublet. The love-look in her eyes was
+only equalled by the fervour and constancy of his. Yet sadness
+predominated, for it was a farewell interview. She was the last daughter
+of the ducal house, last of her race. They were betrothed and the course
+of true love had run smooth. But now he was bidden fight for his country
+and would depart at daybreak.
+
+He never lived to return, but died on the battlefield. Within his gloved
+hand was found a golden tress tightly clasped, and next his heart a
+small miniature of his beautiful betrothed. Both were buried with him.
+She soon faded and declined, and found him again in a Land where wars
+and partings are unknown. House and name became extinct. As we thought
+of this, suddenly the staircase seemed full of sighs, lights grew dim.
+
+We passed on and found the hotel empty and deserted. Every one had gone
+to bed and left the long gloomy corridors to silence and the ghosts. We
+lighted candles and H. C. led the way through the labyrinth to our
+rooms. Windows were open and the two old watchmen below were just where
+we had left them, apparently still gazing at the doorway through which
+we had disappeared.
+
+_"El sereno!"_ cried he. "Call your hours and guard the city. Enemies
+lurk in secret corners."
+
+They looked up and wished us good night. We were not marauders after
+all. So they separated with easy conscience, and from opposite ends of
+the street we heard them announce the time and weather.
+
+It was hardly necessary, for another watchman rang out with iron tongue.
+Midnight slowly tolled over the town from all the churches. Impossible
+to believe an hour had passed since we stood at the top of that vast
+flight of steps overlooking the darkness. How had we sauntered back?
+Where had the moments flown? One grows absorbed in these night visions,
+dark shadows and outlines, and time passes unconsciously. We counted the
+strokes, listened to the vibrations, and then H. C. went off to his own
+regions. The watchmen were all very well in their way, but for his part
+an open window and a love serenade--such as we had been favoured with in
+Toledo--had greater charms. To-night passionate appeals and the melody
+of the lute were sought in vain. Every window was closed and dark. We
+also said good-night to the sleeping world.
+
+The next morning rose in due course, but not with promise. Heavy rain
+had fallen during the night, lowering clouds foretold more. Just now,
+however, they had proclaimed a truce.
+
+We went out and felt that the grey sky was in harmony with the grey
+tones of the town. Nevertheless Spain essentially needs sunshine to
+bring out all its colouring and brilliancy. Under dark clouds it falls
+for the most part flat and dead, its finest effects lost.
+
+"The rainy season has begun," said H. C. "We are in for a spell of wet
+weather. Generally it comes in September. This year it has obligingly
+put it off until November. My usual ill-luck."
+
+"I fear it is so," said José our host's son, who, as we have said,
+volunteered to pilot us about the town and show forth its hidden
+wonders--delighted to air his French and give us Spanish lessons. "We
+have a weather-wise prophet who never was known to go wrong; a great
+meteorologist. He has just written to the papers to say we are to have a
+month's deluge."
+
+A cheerful beginning. As it proved, they were all mistaken, but at the
+moment the skies seemed to confirm the tale. All the same we would not
+lose hope, which has brought many a sinking ship into harbour. So we put
+on a cheerful countenance, bid them take heart of grace and their
+umbrellas.
+
+It would be invidious to enter, at the end of a chapter, upon the
+wonders of the town which met us at every step and turning; but we must
+record one experience before concluding. Let us close our eyes, take
+flight upwards and alight at the head of that vast stone staircase with
+our backs to the cathedral.
+
+We see this morning what last night was veiled in darkness. The town
+lies chiefly to our left. We overlook a sea of red and grey roofs. To
+our right are the old walls with their gateways, round bastions and
+irregular outlines. Near to us is a church-tower, graceful, octagonal,
+excellent in design; but the upper part of its spire is gone and we can
+only imagine its once perfect beauty.
+
+Low down beyond the town lies the river, winding through a picturesque
+country. We can even see the reeds and rushes that border its banks, but
+cannot hear their murmur as we did last night. If Pan still pipes it is
+to the pixies.
+
+In the distance the Pyrenees are sleeping in graceful, long-drawn
+undulations. Nothing can be lovelier than their outlines. Some are
+snow-capped and stand out pure and white against the grey skies. A magic
+picture and we long to see it under sunshine. No wonder if Pan is
+silent.
+
+We turn to the cathedral. No need to knock this morning. The great west
+doors are unlocked and we enter.
+
+The first thing to strike us is an intense obscurity; a dim religious
+light deeper than we remember to have seen in any other sacred building.
+But to-day the grey skies have something to answer for in this matter.
+As the sight grows accustomed to the gloom, the next thing we notice is
+the vastness and splendour of the nave in which we stand: a single span
+seventy-three feet broad. No other church in Christendom can boast of
+such a nave. Light comes in from windows high up, filled in with rich
+stained glass. The tone of the walls and pillars is perfect, never
+having been touched with brush or knife; a rich subdued claret
+delighting the senses. Those great men of the Middle Ages made no
+mistakes. Nothing was admitted to disturb their love of harmony and
+proportion. They built wonders for the glory of their country and for
+all time: knew and recognised one thing only--the charm of perfection.
+Where they failed, their efforts were crippled; they were told to make
+bricks without straw.
+
+Without waiting at this moment to examine the church more closely, we
+pass through a great doorway on the left and find ourselves in the
+cloisters.
+
+Here too is a marvellous vision. Few cloisters in the world compare with
+them. The four sides are unequal, but this almost heightens their
+attraction. They have been little interfered with and are almost in
+their original state. The simple round arches rest on coupled pillars of
+marble, slender and graceful. The capitals are extremely rich, elaborate
+and delicate in their carving. Here Romanesque art seems to have been
+introduced into Spain through France. The cathedrals of Catalonia are of
+exceeding beauty and appear to have laid the foundation of mediæval
+Spanish art. This also, though they would deny it, is due to French
+influence--happily at that time at its best and purest.
+
+In this wonderful cloister we lost ourselves in dreams of the Middle
+Ages, days which have glorified the earth, and appear almost as
+necessary to us as light and air. In the centre was an ancient well,
+without which no cloister seems perfect. Shrubs and trees embowered it,
+and the fresh green stood out in contrast with creamy walls and
+Romanesque arches.
+
+At the end of the north passage we passed through an open porch to a
+view extensive and magnificent. A steep rugged descent led to the town.
+Below us was the ancient Benedictine church of San Pedro, with its
+Norman doorway and cloisters scarcely less wonderful than those we had
+just visited. Near it was a smaller, equally ancient church, now
+desecrated and turned into a carpenter's shop. We will pay it a visit
+by-and-by and make acquaintance with its sturdy owner, who passes his
+days and does his work under the very shadow of sanctity. Beyond all, on
+the brow of the hill outside the walls, we trace the ruins of the great
+castle and citadel that so nobly stood the siege of Gerona, until the
+twin spectres famine and disease stalked in hand in hand and conquered
+the brave defenders.
+
+We gazed long upon all these historical landmarks, pointed out and
+explained by our guide-companion. Then turning back through the
+cloisters again found ourselves lost in visions of the past as we fell
+once more under the magic influence of the vast space and dim religious
+light of Gerona's splendid cathedral.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+GERONA THE BEAUTIFUL.
+
+     A Gerona señora--Grace and charm--Lord of creation--Morning
+     greeting--Arcades and ancient houses--Conscription--Gerona a
+     discovery--Streets of steps--Ancient eaves and rare
+     ironwork--Old-world corner--Desecrated church--Gothic
+     cloisters--Ghosts of the past--Visions of to-day--Soldiers
+     interested--"Happy as kings"--Lingerings--Colonel seeks
+     explanation--No lover of antiquity--More conscription--Dramatic
+     scene--Pedro to the rescue--Mother and son--Sad story--Strong and
+     merciful--Pedro grateful--Restricted interests--Colonel becomes
+     impenetrable again.
+
+
+Last night we had found much to admire, though in the darkness the
+charms were only half seen. This morning on opening our window clouds
+hung low and threatening; yet the grey tone over all was in such
+singular harmony with the ancient city that we hardly regretted the
+gloomy skies.
+
+Immediately opposite our casement was a small draper's shop presided
+over by an industrious feminine genius. She was up betimes and worked as
+though she had taken to heart all the proverbs of Solomon. A short, dark
+woman of the true Spanish type, bright, active, and not above all manner
+of work, for she swept her pavement diligently and arranged her wares;
+doing all with a certain natural grace that was not without its charm.
+
+We thought her a young widow struggling for existence, but when all the
+work was done and everything was comfortably arranged, a husband
+appeared upon the scene; evidently a lord of creation who looked upon
+women, and especially wives, as born to labour. It was their portion
+under the sun. She had no doubt grown used to this state of things and
+accepted it as part of life's penances.
+
+"I hope you have slept well," we heard her say with the slightest tinge
+of sarcasm--the street was so narrow as to bring them almost within
+half-a-dozen yards of us. "I have been up these two hours, whilst you
+were serenely unconscious," veiling her head in a graceful mantilla.
+"Yet you hardly seem refreshed," as he yawned lazily.
+
+"_Cara mia_, you are an admirable woman and the best of wives. I admit
+that without your aid life would go hardly with me. But to you work is a
+pleasure, and I would not deprive you of it for the world."
+
+[Illustration: A FRAGMENT OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF GERONA.]
+
+By this time the mantilla was adjusted and the dark little woman swept
+good-temperedly out of the shop. The prettiest of small feet tripped on
+to the pavement. She looked up, saw us gazing in her direction, and her
+smile disclosed the whitest of teeth.
+
+"Ah, señor, you have heard our conjugal Good-morning. It is always the
+same. Fate has been hard upon us women. The weaker vessel, we get
+terribly imposed upon by our masters. Now I go to church to pray for a
+blessing upon my work and reformation to my lord. Not that he is bad or
+unkind or tyrannical, as husbands go--only incorrigibly lazy. Oh, you
+know it is true, Stefano."
+
+Upon which the little lady--she was quite lady-like in spite of swept
+pavement and hard work--made us a court-curtsey, flourished a farewell
+to her _caro sposo_, and passed swiftly and gracefully down the street.
+It is said that only Spanish women know how to walk, and there is some
+truth in the proverb.
+
+Rain had fallen heavily during the night, as the watchmen reported
+through the small hours. It had ceased--with a promise of more to come.
+Remembering the proverb we took umbrellas. H. C. shouldered his and put
+on his military manner. The town indeed, quiet as it was, seemed full of
+a military atmosphere, for conscription was still going on and we
+presently came upon the official scene.
+
+We had gone out without our amiable guide to wander at will and let
+chance take us whither it would. In the light of day the arcades seemed
+deeper, more massive, more picturesque even than last night. Standing on
+the bridge we looked down upon the dry bed of the river far below. The
+altars of the chestnut-roasters were cold and dead; the demons absent.
+But even at that moment there came down a small band of them to rake out
+fires and prepare for action.
+
+The ancient houses on either side make this view from the bridge one of
+the most remarkable in the world. These rose straight from the
+river-bed, and where water still ran their outlines were reflected:
+houses looking old enough to date from the days of the deluge: a huge
+mass once white, now yellow, brown and black with weather and age. All
+the windows seemed to have been taken out, resulting in that curious air
+of unglazed wreck and ruin so often seen in warm latitudes. Countless
+balconies adorned with flowers and coloured draperies hung over the
+water. Above all rose the outlines of the cathedral and other churches
+in the background with striking effect. The distant view was closed in
+by the winding river, where the houses on both sides appeared to join
+hands. Just beyond this we had stood last night listening to the
+rustling of the reeds, lost in the scene so vividly reflected by the
+lurid glare of the torches.
+
+[Illustration: STREET IN GERONA.]
+
+People were gradually waking up and opening their stalls. All down the
+long thoroughfare were more ancient and massive arcades, hardly noticed
+last night in the restless crowd. In this country _par excellence_ of
+arcades we had never seen such as these.
+
+"Gerona is a discovery," said H. C. for the twentieth time. "The view
+from this bridge is something to dream about. Yet one longs for sunshine
+and lights and shadows. Remarkable as the scene is, it is a study in
+grey. We want contrast."
+
+But the town had more wonders in reserve, when presently our host's son
+joined us and pointed out the hidden treasures of the narrow tortuous
+streets. Houses with gabled ends, tiled roofs and windows ornamented
+with magnificent wrought ironwork; the true tone of antiquity over
+all--as yet unspoilt. Gerona, in its dying prosperity, has, like
+Segovia, escaped the ravages of the restorer. Its substantial mansions
+are firm and steadfast as in the far gone Middle Ages.
+
+The irregularities of the place add to its charm. Built on rising
+ground, the streets are a pilgrimage of rough, uneven, picturesque
+steps. From these, narrow openings lead into many a _cul-de-sac_ crowded
+with ancient outlines that are nothing less than artistic dreams.
+
+We soon came to one of these ascending streets with its endless flight.
+Far up, it was crowned by a church with a solitary square tower and a
+Renaissance west front. Houses on either side had wonderful ironwork
+windows; we cannot help reverting to this special feature; and many a
+gothic casement was rich in the remains of refined tracery and
+ornamented balconies; whilst from the deep overhanging eaves quaint
+waterspouts here and there craned their long necks like gargoyles of
+some ancient cathedral. Reaching the church and turning to the right
+down a narrow passage between high dead walls we found ourselves in an
+excited scene: no less than the building given up to the rites of
+conscription. The spot and its surroundings was one of the most
+picturesque in Gerona. A long, broad flight of steps led up to an
+ancient church now desecrated and turned into barracks. Groups of young
+soldiers were clustered together and sentinels paced to and fro. To the
+left, facing the long flight, low ancient houses wonderful in tone and
+construction were decorated with wrought ironwork windows, some of them
+almost Moorish in design, the upper floors terminating in round open
+arcades and tiled roofs with projecting eaves; one of those old-world
+bits only to be seen in these mediæval towns of Spain.
+
+We climbed the steps and braved the sentinel, feeling there must or
+ought to be hidden cloisters attached to this old church of which
+nothing remained but the west front. But we were not to pass
+unchallenged. An inner sentry came up and asked our business. Hearing
+that we wished to see the cloisters, he beckoned to a further sentry who
+evidently belonged to the colonel or commandant of the regiment.
+Permission was soon brought, and pointing out the way, we were left to
+our own devices.
+
+Instinct had not failed us. In a few moments we were standing in the
+midst of large lovely old cloisters with Gothic arcades resting on
+slender coupled marble columns. Above these rose a gallery of round
+arcades supported by single pillars with carved capitals, the arches,
+wider and more open than the pointed arches beneath them, presenting a
+fine contrast. A deep archway reached by some half-dozen steps led
+through the palace to the east end of the cathedral and the town walls
+beyond. In the square in front of palace and cathedral was an ancient
+and beautiful well. Above these again a slanting tiled roof fitly
+crowned the scene.
+
+Here in days gone by monks and priests had paced the silent corridors. A
+sacred atmosphere in which the world had no part hung over all.
+Father-confessors listened to the secret struggles of young novices who
+hoped to leave the vanities and temptations of life outside the walls of
+their cells, only to find that in this state of probation conflict can
+never cease. So confessions were made and penances exacted, and soft
+footsteps and pale faces haunted those quiet cloisters. Large dark
+eyes--larger and darker for the sunk cheeks--gazed upwards at the sky
+that canopied the quadrangle with such divine peace, vainly seeking a
+clue to the mysteries of existence.
+
+To-day all was changed. The cloisters were still militant, but in quite
+another way. All the ancient serenity and repose had departed and the
+beauty of outline alone remained. Soldiers and recruits in every stage
+of undress went about in restless activity.
+
+[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO MILITARY CLOISTERS: GERONA.]
+
+In the upper gallery some were making or mending clothes, others drawing
+from the well in what was once the cloister garden. It was still
+ornamented with its fine old ironwork. Monks and priests once looked
+down and saw pale, cowled faces reflected in the calm water; and perhaps
+as they drew it to the surface there came a vision of another well in a
+far-off land and a certain woman of Samaria. No such vision troubled the
+five or six closely-cropped soldiers, whose reflected images below had
+nothing saintly, troubled or questioning about them. These rough
+specimens of an undersized, undisciplined army were out of all harmony
+with the ancient outlines that nothing could deprive of their beauty and
+refinement.
+
+We felt the charm and incongruity of it all. The men crowded within a
+few yards of us, delighted at being taken by the small camera,
+interested at finding themselves reflected on the object glass, unhappy
+that we could not there and then present each with a photograph duly
+printed and mounted. Such a machine surely performed miracles.
+
+"You all look very happy," H. C. remarked, for more carelessly contented
+faces were never seen--a mixture of types good and bad.
+
+"As happy as kings," they answered. "We eat, drink and sleep well.
+Clothes and lodging are found us and we never have any fighting to do.
+We should like a little more money for tobacco--but one can't have
+everything."
+
+Finally, we stayed so long answering questions, satisfying curiosity,
+lingering over the beauty of the cloisters, that the colonel himself
+appeared upon the scene in full uniform, sword and all. No lover of
+architecture, he could not understand how any one bestowed a second
+glance on these old outlines. Were we trying to worm military secrets
+out of the men with the intention of starting another Peninsular war?
+The worthy colonel who had so freely given us permission to enter was
+now anxious for an explanation. Pointing out the charm and merit of the
+cloisters--the pity they should have transposed the order of things and
+turned pruning-hooks into swords--he declared he could not agree with
+us.
+
+"I discover no great beauty in these old corridors," he said, "and would
+infinitely rather see them filled with brave soldiers than with a parcel
+of effeminate monks and priests."
+
+We argued the fitness of things--a time and place for everything.
+
+"If there were once more a siege of Gerona I would turn our very
+churches into barracks," laughed our colonel, clanking his sword and
+looking fierce as a fire-eater. "And who knows? As far as I am a prophet
+we are not anywhere near the days of the millennium. There are more
+signs of universal war than of eternal peace."
+
+We had left the cloisters and were standing almost within touch of the
+west front of what had been the church. The colonel caught our "mild
+regretful gaze," laughed and clanked his sword again.
+
+[Illustration: MILITARY CLOISTERS: GERONA.]
+
+"What will you?" he said. "After all, I would not have been the one to
+do it myself; but finding it done, I use it without prickings of
+conscience. See," pointing to the crowd below, "we must have room for
+our recruits. Poor Spain is not England. Our resources are limited. Yet
+you, sirs, monarchs of the world notwithstanding, had your days of
+desecration under Cromwell. Opportunity given, and all evil is possible
+as well as all good."
+
+The crowd alluded to was full of dramatic interest. The very walls of
+the great grey building seemed pregnant with the chances of fate; the
+wide doorway greedy to swallow up the youth of the country. Young men
+disappeared within to the human lottery with anxious faces or reckless
+humour. Free agents this morning, to-night perhaps bound down to
+servitude: a willing bondage to some, to others worse than a death-blow.
+
+Perhaps the chief interest centred in the crowd of elders--parents and
+friends waiting for the verdict--many a face full of that patient
+endurance so terrible to look upon. Mothers with the sickness of hope
+deferred, to whom the very shadow of war was a nightmare; fathers
+wondering if the boy who had now become companion and part bread-winner,
+was about to be thrown into the whirl of barrack life with its manifold
+temptations. They had passed that way in their own youth and knew that
+only the strong are firm. Stalwart amongst the crowd we recognised
+Pedro, our last night's platform acquaintance.
+
+"Why, Pedro," said the colonel--we were standing just a little above the
+people--"what brings you here to-day? Surely you have made your offering
+to the country and your boy is now at Tarragona?"
+
+"True, colonel," returned this veteran, firm as an oak tree. "My boy has
+left me; I saw him off last night and you might have heard the noise
+going on up here; half the town was at the station. I have no fears for
+him. He knows good from evil and has strong principles. I gave him my
+blessing and please Heaven he will return when the years are over. But
+my heart aches for these poor women who are weak when their emotions are
+in question. So I thought I would come and console them a bit, and tell
+them that military discipline after all is a very fine thing--the best
+thing that could happen to them if they only do their duty. You agree,
+colonel?"
+
+"Of course I do," returned the colonel sharply. "There is no training
+like it. It makes men of boys if they have only an inch of wood in them
+that will bear carving."
+
+[Illustration: WAITING FOR THE VERDICT.]
+
+We had noticed one pale woman close to the doorway, drooping and
+woe-begone. She seemed superior to those about her, and over her head,
+half draping her face, was the graceful mantilla. At that moment a youth
+appeared, a handsome, manly image of his mother--the resemblance was at
+once evident; his thread-bare clothes proving him scantily endowed with
+worldly goods. As he advanced a serious expression and hesitating
+manner betrayed his fate. No need to ask the question, and with a cry
+that was half sob, wholly despair, the mother threw her arms about her
+boy's neck as though life could hold no further ill for her. At such a
+moment reticence was thrown to the winds. What to her the lookers-on?
+Were they not all fellow-sufferers?
+
+"A sad story," said our colonel, whose eyes glistened. "They were
+amongst the most prosperous people in Gerona, when the husband died and
+left them almost in poverty. Her eldest son turned scapegrace and this
+boy was her last hope. No doubt she feels that fate is hard upon her.
+Pedro," to the old man who looked on compassionately, "tell her it will
+all come right in the end. Stay; quietly whisper to her to come to my
+office to-morrow morning at ten and ask for me. I will promise to keep a
+special eye upon that boy of hers. He is of finer mould and deserves a
+better fate than many. I will see that he has it."
+
+Pedro looked his gratitude, thought there was only one colonel in the
+world, and he stood before him. To be strong and merciful is to win
+hearts.
+
+"There is more interest for me in this little crowd than in all your
+ecclesiastical outlines," said the colonel. "I never saw a building that
+I did not tire of in a week, but my work and my men interest me more
+year by year. I feel I have something to live for."
+
+He was small and wiry, this colonel, with piercing dark eyes and a mouth
+of which a fierce moustache could not conceal the kindliness. One wished
+him a finer body of men than these recruits, too many of whom were of
+the lowest type and had not, to use his own metaphor, even the inch of
+wood that would bear carving.
+
+"That need not greatly trouble you," he said. "It is surprising how many
+are the exceptions. After all, it is a survival of the fittest. But I
+see you are interested in humanity just as much as I am," noting how we
+followed every movement and expression of this pathetic little crowd.
+"So far your resources are wider than mine, for when on the subject of
+old buildings you are as absorbed as in front of this little drama. My
+interests are more restricted. Well then, if you like to come to my
+office to-morrow morning at ten you shall have more food for your
+sympathies. We will interview that poor woman together and see how far
+we can minister consolation to the widow and fatherless."
+
+This was not one's idea of severe military discipline, but we could not
+help admiring a nature that after years of experience and repeated
+discouragements--in spite of what he had said--still possessed so warm a
+heart, so much of human faith. No doubt he had shown a little of his
+true self on the spur of the moment, influenced by the above incidents.
+All his kindliness of feeling was kept well out of sight of others. The
+next instant he had passed beyond the sentry and was holding forth in
+tones hard as the Pyramids, cold as the Sphinx.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+ANSELMO THE PRIEST.
+
+     Beauties of age--Apostles' Doorway--How the old bishops kept out of
+     temptation--Interior of cathedral--Its vast nave--Days of
+     Charlemagne--And of the Moors--A giant dwarfed--Rare choir--Surly
+     priest--And a more kindly--Our showman--Dazzling treasures--Father
+     Anselmo--Romantic story--Heaven or the world?--Doubts--The gentle
+     Rosalie decides--Sister Anastasia--Told in the sacristy--A
+     heart-confession--Anselmo's mysticism--Heresy--Charms of
+     antiquity--Scene of his triumph--Celestial vision--Church of San
+     Pedro--Pagan interior--Rare cloisters--Desecrated church--Singular
+     scene--Chiaroscuro--Miguel the carpenter--His opinions--Daily life
+     a religion--Anselmo improves his opportunity--"A reflected
+     light"--Ruined citadel--War of Succession--Alvarez and
+     Marshall--Gerona in decadence--A revelation--Dreamland--Midday
+     vision.
+
+
+The colonel disappeared, and we went our way through narrow, tortuous,
+deserted wynds until we found ourselves in the quaint cathedral square.
+
+Here again we were surrounded by the beauties of antiquity. Before us
+was the south front of the cathedral with its deeply-arched Apostles'
+Doorway at which we had knocked in vain last night. At right angles, its
+grey walls of exactly the same tone as the cathedral, was the Bishop's
+Palace, its picturesque windows guarded by ancient ironwork. Why so
+carefully secured? Had the mediæval bishops feared a reversal of
+things--serenades from fair dames yielding to the charm of forbidden
+fruit? Or mistrusting their own strength had wisely put temptation out
+of reach? Ancient walls are discreet and disclose nothing.
+
+The outer gloom was intensified when we passed within the cathedral.
+After a time pillars and arches and outlines grew more or less visible,
+a shadowy distinctness full of mystery, appealing to the senses.
+
+The vast nave is the widest Gothic vault in existence and on entering
+strikes one with astonishment. So bold was the architect's design
+considered that it created consternation in the minds of Bishop, Dean
+and Chapter then ruling. Council after council was summoned and opinions
+were taken from the great architects of foreign countries. Finally a
+jury of twelve men was appointed who gave their verdict in favour of
+Boffy, and the nave was erected.
+
+This was in the year 1416. There had existed a cathedral on this very
+spot since the eighth century and the days of Charlemagne. Like so many
+of those early cathedrals it was pulled down and rebuilt; and sometimes
+it happened that the new was no improvement on the old. This was not the
+case with Gerona. The cathedral was rebuilt in 1016, but the nave was
+reserved for Boffy and his genius four hundred years later. That early
+cathedral was turned into a mosque when the Moors took Gerona, but they
+allowed Catholic services to be held in the Church of San Filiu, close
+at hand, now shorn of part of its spire. In 1015 the Moors were expelled
+and the old cathedral was reinstated.
+
+The nave has the fault of being too short, and Boffy could not fail to
+see that it wants in proportion. Either space or funds failed him, and
+the giant had to be dwarfed. Still it remains gigantic with a clear
+width of seventy-three feet. Toulouse, next in width, has sixty-three
+feet; Westminster Abbey only thirty-eight feet. For the effect of
+contrast the smaller choir and aisles throw up the proportions of the
+vast vault. Over all is its wonderful tone; whilst the obscure light
+brings out the pointed arches of choir and chapels and the slender
+fluted pillars in softened outlines.
+
+The choir has a magnificent retablo and baldachino of wood and silver: a
+rare work of art dating back to the year 1320: so promising that we
+wished to see the treasures of the sacristy. It was the duty of a
+certain priest to show them. The priests take the office in turn. To-day
+he whose turn it was proved unamiable. "He would not show them; had
+other things to do; we must come another day," hurriedly buttoning his
+heavy black cloak as he spoke; an ill-favoured example of his race,
+short, swarthy, unshaven. We explained that our hours were limited.
+Without further parley he marched rapidly down the aisle, cloak flying,
+hobnailed shoes waking desecrating echoes.
+
+Then another and kindlier priest came up; altogether a different and
+more refined specimen of humanity. He would gladly show us the treasures
+if we would wait whilst he sought the keys. With these he soon returned
+and thought he had been long. "I am sorry to keep you," he said, "but
+they were not in their place. Now let me turn showman and do the
+honours."
+
+Leading the way into the large sacristy he unlocked a cupboard and took
+out a key. With this he opened a drawer and took out another key. The
+treasure was well guarded. Finally he swung back great doors and our
+eyes were dazzled as he lighted a beautiful old lamp whose rays flashed
+upon gemmed and jewelled crooks and crosses, enamelled plates and
+chalice, a wealth of gold and silver ornaments, many dating back to the
+twelfth century. Some of the crosses were magnificent in design and
+execution, some had strange and interesting histories. Then he showed us
+rare and wonderful needlework rich in gold thread and coloured silks,
+also dating back seven or eight hundred years. He explained everything
+in a quaint fashion of his own, then took us through a series of rooms
+each having its special attraction. Amongst the pictures were one or two
+of rare merit and a very early period.
+
+These rooms and their treasures were well worth the little trouble it
+had cost to see them. Moreover we were brought into contact with an
+amiable ecclesiastic full of refinement and romance.
+
+[Illustration: CATHEDRAL CLOISTERS: GERONA.]
+
+"It is a pleasure to show them to you," he said, when we thanked him. "I
+love all these things amongst which my life has been spent, for I hardly
+recall the time when I was not attached to the cathedral. As a child I
+was an acolyte, and remember the delight with which I used to turn the
+wheel at the altar and listen to its silver chiming. I was never happy
+but in church, attending on the priests, filling every office permitted
+to a boy. From the age of ten I determined to be a priest myself and
+never lost sight of that hope--though I once hesitated. But I was poor,
+and don't know whether it would have come to pass unaided by one of our
+canons who was rich and good; educated and half adopted me, and dying
+four years ago left me a sufficient portion of his wealth. I almost
+think of myself as one of those romances which only occasionally happen
+in life. But there was a moment"--he smiled almost sadly--"when I was
+sorely tempted to abandon religion for the world."
+
+"For what reason?" we asked, for he paused. Evidently he wished the
+question, and there was something so interesting about him that we were
+willing to linger and listen.
+
+"A very ordinary reason. I daresay you can guess, for it was the old,
+old story: nothing less than love. I had not yet taken religious vows
+and was free to choose. Should it be earth or heaven? Few perhaps have
+been more completely enthralled than I. Walking and sleeping my thoughts
+were filled with the gentle Rosalie. She was beautiful and I thought her
+perfect. Outward grace witnessed to her inward purity of soul.
+
+"To make my conflict harder, she returned all my affection. It was
+perhaps singular that her life too had been destined to the cloister, as
+mine to the Church. For one whole year we both struggled, miserable and
+unsettled. Every fresh meeting only seemed to strengthen our attachment.
+An excellent opening in the world presented itself--might we take this
+as an indication that Heaven favoured our desires? It was a sore strait
+and perhaps we should not have done wrong to yield. During the daylight
+hours it seemed so. But night after night I awoke with one verse ringing
+in my ears: 'He that having put his hand to the plough looketh back, is
+not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven.' In my excited, almost diseased
+imagination, the text seemed to stand out in the darkness in letters of
+fire. I tossed and turned upon my troubled bed. Drops of anguish would
+break upon my brow. On the one hand bliss that seemed infinite;
+surrounded by all the false colouring and attraction of forbidden fruit.
+On the other the sure service of Heaven--a higher, nobler destiny
+without doubt.
+
+"I grew pale and emaciated under my heart-fever. If left to my own
+decision I know not how it would have ended: perhaps in yielding. My
+gentle Rosalie proved the stronger vessel.
+
+"One morning--shall I ever forget it?--the sun was shining, the skies
+were blue, birds and flowers were at their best and brightest, song and
+perfume filled the air, I received a letter in the beloved handwriting.
+Before opening it I felt that it held our fate and knew its contents.
+The soul is never mistaken in such crises.
+
+"'Anselmo, my beloved,' it said, 'my choice is made and I trust you not
+to render my difficult task impossible. Last night in a dream my mother
+visited me; so real her presence that I feel we have held communion
+together. Her face was full of a divine love and pity, and O so sad and
+sympathising. Suddenly she pointed and I saw two roads before me. On
+each I recognised myself. On the one broad road you walked with me hand
+in hand. We were both bowed and broken and foot-sore. We seemed unhappy,
+full of care and sorrow. Romance and sunshine? They had fled with the
+long past years. Nothing was left but to lay down our burden and die.
+
+"'On the other road I walked alone, but I was strong, upheld by unseen
+support. The way was long, yet my footsteps never wearied. I wore the
+dress of a Sister of Mercy. At the far, far end, bathed in divine light,
+a glorified being yet yourself, you beckoned and seemed to await me.
+Beyond you there was a faint vision of Paradise--I knew you had passed
+to the higher life. Then my mother turned and spoke. Her voice still
+rings in my ears. "My child, in the world you should have tribulation
+such as you are not fitted to bear. Your path lies heavenward." Then she
+pointed upwards, seemed gradually to fade away, and I awoke. I felt it
+an indication accorded me, and rising, on my knees dedicated afresh my
+life to Heaven if it would deign to receive me. Beloved, you will help
+me; you will lighten my task. Though never united on earth, none the
+less do we belong to each other; none the less shall spend eternity
+together.'
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF CATHEDRAL: GERONA.]
+
+"Even now," continued the priest, returning to his own narrative, his
+voice somewhat agitated: "even now I cannot always think quite calmly of
+that morning. I sat amidst the birds and flowers, spell-bound,
+heart-broken. The serene skies and laughing sunshine seemed to mock at
+my calamity. Earthly dreams were over. Never for a moment did I
+question Rosalie's decision or seek to turn it aside. I prayed for
+strength, and it was sent me. She became a Sister of Mercy, I a priest.
+So our lives are passing, dedicated to Heaven. Not for us the feverish
+joys of earth, but quiet streams undisturbed by worldly cares."
+
+"And Rosalie? She still lives?"
+
+[Illustration: CLOISTER OF SAN PEDRO: GERONA.]
+
+"Yes, and in Gerona. Her new name is Sister Anastasia. We meet sometimes
+in the silent streets; sometimes at the bedside of the sick and dying;
+occasionally at the house of a friend. I believe that we are as devoted
+to each other as in the days of our youth, but it is love purified and
+refined, containing a thousand-fold more of real happiness than our
+first passionate ecstasy. If we are to believe her vision, I shall be
+the first to enter the dark passage and cross to the light beyond. It
+may yet be half a lifetime--who knows? I am only thirty-seven, Rosalie
+thirty-five--but whenever the summons comes for her, I feel that I shall
+be awaiting her on the divine shores."
+
+We were seated in a room beyond the sacristy where silence and solitude
+reigned amidst the evidences of the past centuries on walls and crucifix
+and ancient Bibles--a delightful room in which to receive such a
+confession. A halo of romance surrounded our priestly guide; his pale,
+refined face glowed with a light from which, as he said, all earthly
+dross was purified. And yet he was evidently very human; sympathies and
+affections were not straitened; his interests in Gerona and its people
+were keenly alive. It was the kindliness of his nature had caused him to
+take compassion upon us when his more surly fellow-labourer in the
+vineyard had turned a deaf ear to our request.
+
+But our golden moments were passing; we could not linger for ever in
+old-world sacristies listening to heart-confessions. Treasures were
+locked up, keys placed in their hiding-places; we went back into the
+church and the closing of the great sacristy door echoed through the
+silent aisles. More beautiful and impressive seemed the wonderful
+interior each time we entered; a vision of arches and rare columns and
+exquisite windows wonderfully solemn and sacred. In darkened corners and
+gloomy recesses, in shadows lost in the high and vaulted roof, we
+fancied guardian angels lurked unseen, bringing rest for the
+heavy-laden, pardon for the sinner, strength for those who faint by the
+way.
+
+"I have often felt it," said our companion, reading our thoughts by some
+secret influence; "and have stood here many and many an hour, utterly
+alone, lost in meditation. At times mysticism seems to take me captive.
+Visions come to me, unsought, not desired; the church is full of a
+shining celestial choir; I hear music inaudible to earthly ears; the
+rustle of angels' wings surrounds me. These visions or experiences--call
+them what you will--have generally occurred after long fastings, when
+the spirit probably is less restrained by mortal bonds. But underlying
+all my days and action, an intangible incentive for good, I feel the
+influence of Rosalie. You see I am still mortal and the earthly must mix
+with the heavenly. Nor would I wish it otherwise as long as I have to
+minister to mortals, or how could I sympathise with the sin and sorrow
+and suffering around me? Even our Lord had to become human, that being
+in all things tempted like as we are, He is able to succour them that
+are tempted."
+
+[Illustration: APOSTLES' DOORWAY AND BISHOP'S PALACE: GERONA.]
+
+We were walking down the broad nave. Anselmo had thrown on his long
+cloak, which added grace and dignity to his tall slender figure. His
+pale face shone out in the surrounding gloom like a saintly influence.
+What strange charm was about this man? In the course of a few moments we
+felt we had known him for years. He was singularly lovable and
+attractive. Underlying all his gentleness was an undercurrent of
+strength; an evident self-reliance, yet the reliance of one who leans on
+a higher support than his own. Here was one worthy of enduring
+friendship had our lines not been thrown far apart. As it was he too
+would disappear out of our life and we should see his face no more. But
+his memory would remain.
+
+At the west doorway we turned and looked upon the splendid vision: the
+magnificent nave with its slender pillars and lofty roof, the distant
+choir with aisles and arches visible and invisible in the dim religious
+light that threw upon all its sense of mystery. Above all the wonderful
+tone.
+
+"For five and twenty years I have looked upon this scene, and its
+influence upon me is as strong as ever," said the priest. "Here I have
+found that peace which passeth all understanding. How many a time have I
+let myself in with my key, and in these solitary aisles withdrawn from
+the world to hold communion with the unseen. Here strength has come to
+fight life's battles. Here I have composed many a sermon, here silently
+confessed my sins to the Almighty and obtained pardon. Breathe not the
+heresy, but confession to man brings me no rest. I have to go to the
+great Fountain Head, trusting in the one Atonement and one Mediator.
+Nothing else gives me consolation."
+
+We crossed to the doorway of the cloisters. Anselmo, unwilling to leave
+us, crossed also. We were too glad of his companionship to wish it
+otherwise. He added much to the spell of our surroundings; a central
+figure from which all interest radiated. It was passing from the gloom
+of the interior to the broad light of day subdued by the grey clouds
+that hid the sunshine.
+
+The cloisters reposed in all the charm of antiquity. For eight hundred
+years Time had rolled over them with all its subtle influence. There
+they stood, an irregular quadrangle, the simple, beautiful round arches
+resting on coupled shafts, whose carved capitals were so singularly
+elaborate and delicate. Seldom had the attraction of Romanesque
+architecture been more evident.
+
+[Illustration: CHURCH OF SAN PEDRO: GERONA.]
+
+"I love them," said the priest. "How often have I paced these silent
+corridors until the very stones seem worn with my footsteps. And they
+witnessed the most painful scene, the last great struggle of my
+life--but my triumph also. For here I bade my earthly farewell to
+Rosalie; on this very spot on which we stand renounced all human hopes
+and claims upon her and gave her into Heaven's keeping. Here I placed
+her treasured letter next my heart, where it still reposes; where it
+will lie when that heart has ceased to beat and this frame has returned
+to the dust from which it was taken."
+
+We passed through the little north doorway to the outer world. Far away
+the snow-capped Pyrenees rose heavenwards like a celestial vision. In
+the plain the silvery river ran its winding course listening to the
+love-songs of the reeds and rushes. Near us was the lovely octagon
+tower, shorn of its spire. Without the ancient walls we traced the
+remains of the citadel; and within them the yet more ancient churches of
+San Pedro and its desecrated companion.
+
+"Let us go down to them," said Anselmo: "examine the wonderful little
+cloisters and make the acquaintance of Miguel the carpenter. He seems to
+care little that where now is heard the fret of saw and swish of plane,
+once rose voices of priests at worship and faint whispers of the
+confessional."
+
+It was a rough descent, but a singularly interesting scene. We found
+ourselves in narrow streets with ancient houses whose windows were
+guarded by splendid ironwork. Last night the watchmen had paced and
+cried the hour, awakening the echoes, summoning the silent shadows with
+their lanterns. To-day there was no sense of mystery about streets and
+houses; daylight loves to disillusion. We had to content ourselves with
+quaint gables and old-world outlines. Behind us was one of the ancient
+gateways strong and massive, leading directly into the precincts of the
+cathedral. Framed through its archway we saw a portion of the vast
+flight of steps crowned by the uninteresting west front. It was one of
+the very best, most old-world bits of Gerona, and within a small circle
+were antiquities and outlines that would have furnished an artist with
+work for half his days.
+
+Upon all this we turned our backs as we went towards San Pedro. Here
+everything is in opposition to the cathedral; the exterior of this
+Benedictine church is its glory. Rounding a corner we are in full view
+of the beautiful west Norman doorway with its delicately wrought carving
+and fern-leaf capitals. Above the doorway is a very effective cornice
+and above that an admirable rose window: altogether a rare example of
+the Italian Romanesque. The whole church is very striking, with its fine
+octagonal tower and Norman apses built into the old town walls. Just
+beyond the tower a gateway leads to the citadel and open country beyond.
+A church existed here as early as the tenth century--possibly earlier;
+the present church dates from the beginning of the twelfth, when it was
+given to the Benedictine Convent of Santa Maria by the Bishop of
+Carcassonne.
+
+We passed through the lovely old doorway to the uninteresting interior:
+a nave and isles with rude arches and piers plain and square. There was
+something cold and pagan about the general effect, exaggerated no doubt
+by contrast with the cathedral we had just left. Anselmo was not
+insensible to the influence.
+
+"If I were Vicar of San Pedro, half the delight of my days would
+vanish," he said. "Instead of living in a refined, almost celestial
+atmosphere, existence would be a daily protest against paganism. Let us
+pass to the cloisters."
+
+Here indeed the scene changed. Smaller than those of the cathedral, they
+were almost as beautiful and effective though more ruined and more
+restored.
+
+"Not time but wanton mischief has been at work here," said Anselmo. "The
+work of destruction was due to the French in the Peninsular War. Which
+of Spain's treasures did they leave untouched?"
+
+Nevertheless a great part of their beauty remained. The passages were
+full of collected fragments; old tombs, broken pillars, carved capitals
+and ancient crosses: a museum of antiquities: and the Norman arches
+resting upon their marble shafts were a wonderful setting to the whole.
+Above them, all round the cloisters, a series of small blind Norman
+arcades rested upon delicately carved corbels--charming and unusual
+detail.
+
+[Illustration: DOORWAY OF SAN PEDRO: GERONA.]
+
+Within a few yards of San Pedro was a still more ancient and interesting
+church with a most picturesque interior; yet a church no longer, for it
+has been turned into workshops. A low octagonal tower crowns a red-tiled
+roof with slightly overhanging eaves. Beneath the eaves repose small
+blind arcades, and here and there in the lower hall other arcades are
+gradually crumbling away. The wonderful roof is rounded and broken into
+sections to suit the plan of the building. Ancient eyelets admit faint
+rays of light, and a fine rounded arch points to what was once the
+principal doorway.
+
+The interior is domed, vaulted and massive, black with age. Small, it
+seems to carry one back to the days when Christians were few and
+worshipped in secret. Now fitted as a carpenter's shop, it is full of
+the sound of hammer and plane. In one corner, men are melting glue and
+heating irons at a huge fireplace. The floor is uneven and below the
+level of the road. Light enters with difficulty. An obscure, suggestive
+scene worthy of Rembrandt, who would have revelled in this combination
+of mysterious gloom and human occupation.
+
+The master, a stalwart Spaniard, bade us enter and gave us welcome. He
+was probably a man who did not trouble himself about religion, but his
+reverence and admiration, even affection for Father Anselmo were
+evident.
+
+"You honour me with your presence and bring back a sacred atmosphere to
+this desecrated building," he said to the priest. "Not every day will
+you come upon such a scene. Yet there is a certain fitness in it after
+all. Was not Joseph a carpenter? and did not our Saviour work in the
+carpenter's shop? So that, as it seems to me, it has become noble above
+all other callings. And so, if this church must be turned to secular
+use, we have chosen for the best. To me there is no sense of
+desecration. You have San Pedro and the cathedral for worship, and there
+is room and to spare in both."
+
+"I fear you seldom add to the number of worshippers," said Anselmo, with
+the mildest of rebukes. "Yet, Miguel, how often have I said there is
+good in you--an apprehension of the beauty of a religious life--if only
+you would not allow it to run to seed."
+
+"Father," returned Miguel good-humouredly--it was curious to hear an
+older man thus address a younger--"all in good time. I conceive that I
+am living a fair life, working hard, treating my wife well, looking
+after my children. But somehow I can't go to confession--what have I to
+confess, in the name of wonder?--and I never feel a bit the better for
+Mass, high or low. So I just make a religion of daily life, and
+by-and-by, when I am old, I will try to find benefit in your set forms
+and ceremonies."
+
+Anselmo shook his head. We knew how closely he sympathised with at least
+one part of Miguel's objections, though he could not tell him so. He
+only looked a vain remonstrance, which Miguel received with the
+good-natured smile that seemed a part of himself.
+
+"Last Sunday," said Anselmo, placing his hand on Miguel's shoulder, "I
+took for my text those words which are some of the most solemn, most
+hopeless, most full of warning in the whole Bible: _'And the door was
+shut.'_ There, Miguel, is a sermon in a nutshell. Bear it in mind and
+ponder over it. Your door is still open; so is mine; but who can be sure
+of the morrow? Forgive me," turning to us; "I did not come here for
+this, but Miguel and I are old friends and understand each other. As
+continual dropping will wear away a stone, so I seldom neglect to put in
+a word when we meet, though to-day I might for your sake have refrained.
+It will tell in the end," nodding to Miguel, "for he has a conscience
+and I will not let it rest. And what a building in which to preach a
+sermon!" looking upwards and around. "These blackened vaults, those
+massive time-defying walls, this earthy, uneven floor--everything
+suggests a pagan rather than Christian past. If anything could heighten
+the effect it is those weird workers at the fire with faces lighted up
+by tongues of flame. All seems a remnant of barbarism. But it is a
+wonderful spot, and I come again and again and every time it reads a
+fresh lesson to the soul. The whole place seems full of ghostly shadows.
+And it is perfect, as you see; transepts, a chancel and apses; nothing
+wanting. And so, Miguel, you who so to say dwell in the odour of
+sanctity, on ground once consecrated, within walls once devoted to the
+service of Heaven, should be influenced by your surroundings and become
+a shining light."
+
+"Then I fear it will never be anything but a reflected light," laughed
+Miguel, "and that proceeding from your revered and beloved person. I
+shall be content if only the shadow of Elijah's mantle touches me in
+falling."
+
+We left the wonderful little building so crowded with interest past and
+present. Miguel professed to feel honoured by our visit, and placing
+himself in attitude outside his door intimated that he should like to be
+taken with our instantaneous camera. This was done and the result
+promised in due time. We left him standing there--a tall, strong,
+magnificent specimen of his race, with hair turning grey and rugged
+features full of a certain power.
+
+[Illustration: DESECRATED CHURCH: GERONA.]
+
+"That man has in him the making of a hero," said Anselmo, as we passed
+through the gateway in the old wall. "In a different station of life he
+would have been a master of the world. But I always feel that the lives
+and destinies of such men, missed here, will be carried on to perfection
+in another state of existence. Great powers were never meant to be lost.
+Here he is the acorn, there he will become the full-grown tree bearing
+fruit."
+
+We were climbing towards the ruined citadel and at last found ourselves
+within the once formidable fortress. Much remained to show the strength
+of what had been, but its immense area was now given up to silence and
+weeds.
+
+"It is full of a sad atmosphere and melancholy recollections," said
+Anselmo. "One goes back in spirit to the terrible days of the past.
+First that War of Succession, when Gerona with two thousand men manfully
+but hopelessly resisted Philip V. with an army five times as great.
+Again in 1808, with three hundred men, chiefly English, she repulsed
+Duhesme with his six thousand warriors. In 1809 the French besieged her
+with thirty-five thousand men. Alvarez, who was then Governor--you will
+have observed his house in the cathedral square--was terribly
+handicapped. He had little food and scarcely any ammunition, but was one
+of the bravest and wisest men of Spain. The siege was long and fierce,
+the suffering great. We were much helped by the English, but your
+gallant Colonel Marshall was killed in the breaches. It is said that
+Alvarez wept at his death, declaring he had lost his right hand. In such
+straits was the town that even the women enrolled themselves into a
+company dedicated to Santa Barbara. The enemy failed to take the city;
+never was resistance more manful and determined. Many of the besieging
+generals gave up in angry impatience and went off.
+
+"But at last two new enemies arose--famine and disease--inseparable
+spectres. Before these Gerona could not stand. Everything depended on
+Alvarez, and he fell a prey to fever. A successor was appointed whose
+first and last act was to capitulate. The siege had lasted nearly eight
+months, and the French lost fifteen thousand men. So," looking around,
+"we are on classic ground, sacred to courage, consecrated by human
+suffering, watered with streams of human blood. Gerona has never
+recovered. She has steadily declined and still declines.
+
+[Illustration: OUTSIDE THE WALLS: GERONA.]
+
+Nevertheless, she is and ever will be Gerona the brave and beautiful."
+
+Anselmo had not exaggerated. Gerona was indeed a revelation. It is not a
+Segovia, for there is only one Segovia in the world; but, little known
+or visited, it is yet one of Spain's most picturesque and interesting
+towns. Nature and art have combined to make it so--the art of the Middle
+Ages, not of to-day. A modern element exists, but the new and the old,
+the hideous and the beautiful are so well divided by the river, that you
+may wander through the ancient streets undisturbed by the nineteenth
+century and fancy yourself in dreamland.
+
+[Illustration: CLOISTERS OF SAN PEDRO.]
+
+We had mounted to the highest point of the ruins and seated ourselves on
+the embankment. Fragments of the old citadel lay about in all
+directions; crumbling walls, desolated chambers, dark entrances leading
+to underground vaults. Over all grew tall sad weeds, so suggestive of
+vanished hands and departed glory. It was a romantic scene, and as we
+sat and pondered, citadel and plains seemed suddenly filled with a vast
+army; the ground trembled with the tramp of horsemen, march of troops.
+In imagination we saw the dead and dying, the bold resistance to human
+foes, the falling away before a foe that was not human. The air was full
+of the shout of warriors, flash of swords, roar of cannon. Then the
+vision passed away, leaving nothing but the empty deserted scene before
+us. The grass on which we sat was covered with flowers, and wild thyme
+scented the air with its pungent fragrance. A little below, stretching
+far round, were the old town walls, grey and massive.
+
+The ground in front broke into a ravine, disclosing fresh outlines of
+towers, walls and ancient houses. San Pedro was conspicuous, and just
+beyond it the short octagon of the desecrated church. In its rich
+sheltered slope grew a luxuriant garden, with hanging shrubs and weeping
+trees and many fruits of the earth. To-day, it was a scene of peace and
+plenty; wars and rumours of wars might never have been or be again.
+Above all, within the ancient walls rose the outlines of the cathedral
+overlooking the whole town and vast surrounding country as though in
+perpetual benediction. Beside us sat Father Anselmo, his pale refined
+face and clear-cut features full of the beauty of holiness.
+
+Suddenly the great cathedral bell struck out the twelve strokes of
+mid-day, and we listened in silence as the last faint vibrations seemed
+to die away amidst the distant Pyrenees.
+
+"It is my summons," said the priest. "I would fain linger with you, but
+duty calls me elsewhere. I cannot say farewell. Let us again meet
+to-morrow."
+
+We promised; then looking steadily at him saw a wave of emotion pass
+over his expressive face. Following his intent gaze, our eyes rested
+upon a slight, graceful figure in the dress of a _Religieuse_, flitting
+silently through the small square beside the desecrated church. Miguel,
+who stood at his door, bowed as to a saint.
+
+"Sister Anastasia," said Anselmo, his eyes having already betrayed the
+fact. "She is bound on some errand of mercy. May Heaven have her in its
+holy keeping!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+A DAY OF ENCOUNTERS.
+
+     "Can a prophet come out of Galilee?"--The unexpected happens--under
+     the probe--Wise reservation--Born to command--Contrasts--Nothing
+     new under the sun--The señora prepares for the fair--Grievance not
+     very deep seated--Bewitching appearance--Señora
+     dramatic--Ernesto--Marriage a lottery--Every cloud its silver
+     lining--Gerona _en fête_--Delormais' mission--Deceptive
+     appearances--Evils of conscription--Ernesto's ambition--Les beaux
+     jours de la vie--Rosalie--A fair picture--Strange
+     similarity--Heavenwards--Anastasia or Rosalie--Her dreams and
+     visions--Modern Paul and Virginia--Eternal possession--A Gerona
+     saint--The better part--More heresy--Fénélon--One creed, one
+     worship--Not peace but a sword--Not dead to the world--Angel of
+     mercy--H. C. mistaken--Earthly idyll.
+
+
+That same afternoon the people had recovered from their glamour. The
+fair was in full swing, Gerona festive. It was a general holiday and
+work was suspended. The shops were open, but no one attempted to make
+purchases. Even our industrious little lady with the idle husband gave
+up hoping for customers and turned to pleasure. And she took her
+pleasure as she did her work, with a great amount of earnestness.
+
+Luncheon had long been over. Black coffee and headache were of the past.
+The Silent Enigma had gone their way. Mutely they had risen, taken their
+hats, and marched out in a procession of three. Delormais had duly
+administered his homily; and after so strangely opening his heart had
+gone into the town to prosecute his mission. Whether an inspection of
+the numerous convents, a private embassy from the Pope, or some other
+weighty matter only to be entrusted to a man of tact and judgment, he
+did not say.
+
+Before separating we had asked him if his object in visiting Gerona were
+ecclesiastical or domestic, concerned himself or his office.
+
+"Your question is very natural, but on that point I must be silent," he
+returned. "My mission--I may tell you so much--is delicate and
+momentous. It is secret, but the secret is not mine, and can no more be
+disclosed than a secret of the confessional. Just now when I promised to
+relate to you a part of my life I was offering you of my own. No one has
+a right to stay me. My experiences injure none. I might publish them
+to-morrow and disturb no one's slumbers. But at the present moment I may
+call myself an ambassador--though not in bondage like St. Paul--and
+every act I do and every word I utter need be consecrated by prayer and
+reflection."
+
+"Who would have supposed anything so weighty within this little town?"
+we remarked. "Before arriving we looked upon it as a deserted village,
+the ends of the earth. From the train Gerona appears in the last stage
+of misery and destitution."
+
+"Can a prophet come out of Galilee?" quoth the priest. "The unexpected
+happens. I have long learned not to judge beforehand; above all not to
+be prejudiced by appearances. Rags may conceal the noblest heart, and a
+silken doublet cover the bosom of a Judas. Confess," laughing, "that
+when I took my seat next to you just now you voted me intrusive; said to
+yourself: 'Why does this old man usurp my elbow room, with ten vacant
+chairs lower down? He is troublesome. I will chill him with a proud
+disdain.' And now all is changed and you ask me to sit next you at
+dinner. Is it not so?"
+
+So near the truth, indeed, that one felt as though under the searching
+X-rays. "Suffering is misanthropical," we replied. "Not physical but
+heart pain brings out the sympathies. So it is dangerous to ask a favour
+of a man tortured by gout--or headache."
+
+"All which really means that I knew you better than you know yourself,"
+returned Père Delormais, in his rich, round tones. "That is only a
+general experience. And now I go my way. If all be well, we meet again
+at dinner. Ah! I never speak without that reservation. How many times
+have I seen the evening appointment cancelled by death at noon."
+
+[Illustration: STREET IN GERONA.]
+
+He left the room; a tall, stately figure with hair white as snow; a man
+full of life and energy, evidently born to command and fill the high
+places of earth: a power for good or evil as he should be well or
+ill-directed. A very different nature from Anselmo, whom we had left at
+mid-day. The one ruling the destinies of men; the other content to
+follow in the Divine footsteps of humility and love; satisfied with a
+limited horizon; doing good by precept and example but asking no wider
+sphere than his little world. Yet in his way capable of influencing
+human hearts; of stirring up enthusiasm in a great crusade if only the
+torch of ambition inflamed his zeal. Very different the method and
+influence of the two men, though each had the same end in view. But in
+the many phases of human nature some must be led, others driven. One
+will hear the still, small voice, another needs the burning bush; James
+was the Son of Thunder, Barnabas of Consolation. As in the days of old,
+so now.
+
+We too went our way down the broad marble staircase of the ancient
+palace, but with no secret or delicate mission to perform like
+Delormais. We had followed rather closely, but up and down the street
+not a vestige of him remained. Whether he had gone right or left we knew
+not. The place was deserted. Looking upwards nothing was visible but
+outlines of the rare old houses. Here and there a gabled roof and dormer
+window; many a wrought-iron balcony; many a Gothic casement rich in
+tracery and decoration; many a lower window protected by a strong iron
+grille, despair of serenaders, consolation of parents, paradise of
+artists.
+
+It was now that we saw our industrious and amiable señora preparing for
+the fair. Again the mantilla was being gracefully arranged. The
+lady--very properly--had evidently no idea of neglecting the good looks
+nature had bestowed upon her.
+
+"Ah, señor," as we stopped with a polite greeting, "for a whole week
+this fair is the upsetting and devastation of the town. It comes with
+all its shows and shoutings; distracts our attention; we may as well
+close the shutters for all the business that is done; finally it walks
+off with all our spare money. And who is a bit the better for it?"
+
+But madame's grievance was evidently not very deep-seated, for she
+laughed as she adjusted the folds of her mantilla more becomingly, and
+looking across at a mirror could only confess herself satisfied with her
+bewitching appearance.
+
+Near her stood a good-looking boy of some fourteen years, who evidently
+just then thought the attractions of the fair far more important than
+his mother's adorning. He was impatient to be gone.
+
+"Calm yourself, my treasure," she remonstrated. "The day is yet young.
+Chestnuts will not all be roasted, nor brazen trumpets all sold. These
+are eternal and inexhaustible, like the snows of the Sierra. Oh! youth,
+youth, with all its capacities!" she dramatically added. "Ah, señor,
+you will think me very old, when you see me the mother of this great
+boy!"
+
+We gallantly protested she was under a delusion: he must be her brother.
+
+"My son, señor, my son. I married at sixteen, when I was almost such a
+child as he, and I really do feel more like his sister than his mother.
+_Ahimé!_ If I had only waited a few years longer I might have chosen
+more wisely; perhaps have found a husband to keep me instead of my
+keeping him. Marriage is a lottery."
+
+We suggested that every cloud has its silver lining.
+
+"True, señor. And after all if I did not draw the highest number,
+neither did I fall upon the lowest. This dear youth too is a
+consolation. He is fond of swords and trumpets, but never shall be a
+soldier. I have long had the money put by for a substitute in case he
+should be unlucky. For that matter, Heaven has prospered my industry and
+in a humble way we are at ease."
+
+This recalled the scene witnessed in the earlier hours of the morning
+and the appointment half made with the colonel for the morrow.
+
+"Evidently you do not approve of conscription, madame, which to-day
+seems to be running hand-in-hand with the revels of the fair."
+
+"I see that conscription is a necessary evil," returned madame, "for
+without it we should not get soldiers; but you will never persuade me
+any good can come of it. That my son here, who has been carefully
+brought up, should suddenly be thrown under the influence of the worst
+and vilest of mankind--no, it is impossible to avoid disaster. So,
+Ernesto, never fix your affections on a military life, for it can never
+be, never shall be. I would sooner make you a priest, though I haven't
+the least ambition that way either."
+
+To do the boy justice, he seemed quite ready to yield, laughed at the
+idea of priesthood, and if fond of swords and trumpets, his military
+ardour went no further. If one might judge, a civil life would be his
+choice, and possibly a successful one, for he seemed to inherit his
+mother's energy with her dark eyes and brilliant colouring. But for the
+moment the fair and the fair only was the object of his desires. This
+was in accordance with the fitness of things. He was at the age which
+comes once only, with swift wings, when life has no alloy and happiness
+lies in gratifying the moods and fancies of the moment.
+
+"Now I am ready," said the mother, evidently very happy herself. "Ah,
+señor, you are too good," as we slipped a substantial coin into the
+boy's hand and bade him buy his mother a fairing and himself chestnuts
+and ambitions. "But after all, the pleasure of conferring happiness is
+the most exquisite in the world. There is nothing like it. So perhaps I
+should envy, not chide you."
+
+They went off together, the boy taking his mother's arm with that
+confidential affection and good understanding so often seen abroad. To
+him the world was still a paradise, and his mother at the head of all
+good angels. _Les beaux jours de la vie_--short-lived, but eternally
+remembered. So, parents, indulge your children but do not spoil them.
+The one is quite possible without the other.
+
+It was to be a day of encounters. We followed our happy pair down the
+deserted street, admiring the graceful walk of the mother, the boy's
+tall, straight, well-knit form and light footstep. As they disappeared
+round the corner leading to the noisy scene of action, a quiet figure
+issued from beneath the wonderful arcades and approached in our
+direction. She was dressed as a Sister of Mercy and seemed to glide
+along with noiseless movements.
+
+"Rosalie," we breathed, turning to H. C. for confirmation.
+
+"Without doubt," he replied. "There could not be two Rosalies in one
+town."
+
+"Or in one world."
+
+On the impulse of the moment we went up and, bareheaded, spoke to her;
+felt we knew her--had known her long. Anselmo's vivid confession had
+taken the place of time and custom.
+
+Yes, it was Rosalie. A more beautiful face was seldom seen, never a more
+holy; all the refinement and repose of Anselmo's added to an infinite
+feminine grace and softness. They were even strangely alike, as though
+the same impulse in their lives, a constant dwelling upon each other,
+their fervent, though purified, affection had created a similarity of
+feature and expression. Hers was the face of one whose life is turned
+steadily heavenwards, to whom occasionally, whether waking or sleeping,
+a momentary glimpse of unseen glories is vouchsafed, one whose daily
+work on earth is that of a ministering spirit. As far as it is possible
+or permitted here, Rosalie bore the evidence of a perfect and unalloyed
+life that had never looked back or attempted to serve two masters.
+Perhaps she might have become a mystic, but the serious and practical
+nature of her work kept her mind in a healthy groove, free from
+introspection. She was walking her lonely pilgrimage along the narrow
+road of her dream with firm, unflinching steps. The end, far off though
+it might yet be for Anselmo and for her, could not be doubted.
+
+"_Ma soeur_, you are Anastasia, devoted to good works; and once were
+Rosalie devoted to Anselmo," we said, without waiting to choose our
+words. "There could not be another Rosalie in Gerona, as there could not
+be another Anastasia."
+
+"Nay," she returned, "I am Rosalie still, and still devoted to Anselmo.
+There is no past tense for our affection, señor, which sweetens my days
+and makes me brave in life's battles."
+
+She seemed neither surprised nor startled by our sudden address. Calm
+self-possession never for a moment forsook her, though in our rashness
+we might have been probing a half-healed wound or rousing long dormant
+emotions.
+
+But it was far otherwise. Naturally as Anselmo had told us his story she
+replied to our greeting. They were a wonderful pair, these two. United,
+their careers would have been very different, but never otherwise than
+pure and holy. As we spoke to her a slight colour mounted to her pale,
+lovely face, a light came into her eyes, a sweet smile parted the lips.
+She looked almost childlike in her innocence, utter absence of
+self-consciousness.
+
+"Yes, I was Rosalie," she repeated; "and I am Rosalie still, though my
+life compels me to adopt a new name. But I ever think of myself as
+Rosalie, and in my dreams am Rosalie of the days gone by. Sometimes my
+mother visits me in those dreams and calls me Rosalie. If we retain our
+names in the next world I shall be Rosalie once more. Señor, you have
+been with Anselmo and he has told you our story--or how could you know?"
+
+"It is true. We have been with Anselmo, were with him this morning and
+parted at mid-day. As the clock struck twelve we stood on the ruined
+citadel and saw you cross the square of San Pedro."
+
+"Ah, señor, I saw you also, for I recognised Anselmo. He is never within
+many yards of me but seen or unseen I know it. Some spiritual instinct
+never fails to tell me he is near."
+
+"You are both remarkable. Your love and constancy ought to be placed
+side by side with the histories of Paul and Virginia, Abelard and
+Héloïse. Yet you are distinct and different from these, as you are above
+them."
+
+"Señor, if we only knew, there are thousands of histories in the world
+similar to our own, but they are never heard of. Shakespeare records a
+Juliet, Chateaubriand an Atala, and they become immortal; but what of
+the numberless heroines who have had no writer to send them down to
+posterity? Depend upon it they are as the sand of the sea. And is it so
+much to give up for Heaven? We possess each other still, Anselmo and I;
+and the possession is for ever. You think it strange to hear a Sister of
+Mercy talking of love in this calm and passionless way," she smiled.
+"You imagine me cold and severe. You do not believe that I have feelings
+deep as the sea, wide as eternity. It is true that my love for Anselmo
+is only the love we should all bear towards each other; but for him it
+is supreme and exalted above all words. In my dreams he comes to me as
+an angel of light bidding me be of good courage; in my waking hours he
+is my best and truest friend, my hero and my king. Is not this better
+than all the passionate vows which rarely survive one's early youth, and
+too often die under the strain of life's daily work? For me, Anselmo is
+still surrounded by all the romance of our first youth. He is a sort of
+earthly shekinah, a pillar of fire guiding me onwards."
+
+"And you never regret the choice you have made? the companionship you
+have given up? the right of calling Anselmo husband? the sacrifice of
+motherhood, which is said to be sweetest of all earthly ties to woman?"
+
+[Illustration: CATHEDRAL CLOISTERS: GERONA.]
+
+"Regret?" she softly murmured. "A hundred times since it happened
+conviction has been vouchsafed to me in my dreams, strengthening my
+faith, showing the wisdom of my choice. Every day of my life I thank
+Heaven for the power it gave me. Had I married Anselmo, he would have
+become my religion; my heart's best affection given to him, Heaven would
+have come second. I know and feel it. And we know Who has said: 'He that
+loveth father and mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me.' Yet that
+would have been my case in the earlier years; and in the later--who can
+tell?--perhaps what I have described."
+
+"Impossible, for Anselmo is worthy of all love, and could never change.
+One rarely meets any one like him. He seems little less than saint."
+
+"He is very saintly," replied Rosalie, with almost a look of ecstasy. "I
+frequently meet the priesthood in the sick-room, at the bedside of the
+dying. The difference in the ministrations is wonderful. The very
+entrance of Anselmo brings consolation, seems to sanctify the chamber.
+Sometimes it is almost as though an angel spoke."
+
+If she at all exaggerated, who could wonder? She saw and heard and
+judged everything through her own nature; and to the sick and sorrowing
+no doubt came herself as a rainbow of hope.
+
+"You have done wisely and chosen the better part," we said. "Your life
+in consequence is peaceful and happy."
+
+"It could not be more so," answered Rosalie. "I have my earthly shekinah
+to lighten my path. My heart is so much in my work that if I lived for a
+century I should never weary of it. What higher mission or greater
+privilege could there be? I am constantly at the bedside of the sick,
+assisting the last moments of the dying, helping to restore others to
+health. The love they give me is unbounded. My existence is made up of
+love. I feel I have many in the other world who pray for me, perhaps
+watch over my daily life."
+
+"But are they not in purgatory?" For of course Rosalie was a Roman
+Catholic.
+
+"I do not believe in purgatory," she murmured in subdued tones. "I have
+seen many die who cannot possibly be going to torment. If there be a
+transition state, it is one of bliss and holiness, where the soul, in
+gratitude to God for His mercies, grows and expands until it becomes fit
+for the heaven of heavens."
+
+"But this is perplexing. Here are two devout Romanists who reject the
+very first conditions of their faith. Anselmo believes not in
+confession, you reject purgatory. Of course we agree with you, but then
+we are Protestants."
+
+"Hush!" murmured Rosalie. "The very walls of Gerona have ears. We can
+only act up to our convictions, and where they disagree with the Church
+keep differences to ourselves. What Anselmo believes, I believe. It is
+wonderful how we think alike in all great matters. This morning I had
+the privilege of a long conversation with Père Delormais, who is staying
+for a week here. There, indeed, is a broad-minded Churchman who ought to
+be Pope of Rome. He would favour Protestants as much as Roman
+Catholics--and scandalise the narrow-minded community. In that he
+reminds me of the Abbé Fénélon, who is so earnest and devout. Do you
+know his 'Spiritual Letters,' señor?"
+
+"It is one of our favourite books, Rosalie. Those who read and follow
+Fénélon will hardly go wrong. We have always felt he was a Protestant at
+heart."
+
+"A follower of Christ at heart," returned Rosalie, "without distinction
+of forms and ceremonies. To him if the heart was right, the rest
+mattered little. He cared not whether a soul worshipped within or
+without the Church of Rome. Would that all errors could be swept away
+and we were all Protestants and Catholics, united in one creed and
+ritual, even as we worship the one true God and believe in the
+all-sufficient Saviour."
+
+"That day is far distant. We must wait the millennium, Rosalie. Until
+then it is not to be peace but a sword. The bitterest persecutors are
+those who fight for what they call Religion."
+
+"'A man's foes shall be they of his own household,'" quoted Rosalie.
+"That applies equally to the 'Household of Faith.' There is the
+prophecy. I suppose we must not look for a Church Triumphant until the
+Church Militant has ceased. But I must go my way. Señor, I rejoice that
+you spoke to me. I am glad to know you. Whether the acquaintance be of
+hours or years, you are evidently Anselmo's friends, therefore mine. Do
+not think my heart closed to all human interests because I wear a
+religious garb and go through life as Sister Anastasia, ministering to
+the sick and dying. On the contrary, I take pleasure in all the worldly
+concerns of my friends. I like to hear of their being married and given
+in marriage. Nothing delights me more than the sight of a happy home and
+devoted family. And I like to hear of all the changes, improvements,
+inventions that are turning the world upside down and revolutionising
+the lives of men. If you are staying in Gerona we shall meet again. I am
+constantly flitting to and fro. My life is a great privilege, as I have
+said. You will keep a corner in your heart for me and for Anselmo; one
+niche for both. Adieu, señor. Adieu."
+
+She glided away rapidly with her quiet graceful motion; an angel of
+mercy, we thought, if earth ever held one.
+
+"Never, never should I have had strength to give her up," said H. C.,
+following her with all his susceptible nature in his eyes. "This morning
+I admired Anselmo, now I feel quite angry with him."
+
+"You do wrong and are mistaken. It was her choosing, not his. He behaved
+nobly. They have found their vocation. Both are happy, and we cannot
+doubt it is Heaven's ordering. There is no shadow in their lives;
+remember how rare that is. You know Mrs. Plarr's lines:
+
+    'There are twin Genii both strong and mighty,
+      Under their guidance mankind retain,
+    Never divided where one can enter,
+      Ever the other doth entrance gain;
+    And the name of the lovely one is Pleasure,
+      And the name of the loathly one is Pain.'
+
+For them the genii have separated. Their life has no pain. Think of
+Rosalie's vision. Had they married it might have been all sorrow and
+suffering. No, best as it is. Their story is an idyll too perfect for
+this world. They have had their romance, and have kept it."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+MOTHER AND SON.
+
+     Demons at work--In the crowd--Ernesto and his mother--Roasted
+     chestnuts--Instrument of torture--New school of
+     anatomy--Rhine-stones or diamonds?--Happy mother--Honest
+     confession--Danger of edged tools--Cayenne lozenges for the
+     monkeys--Joseph--Early compliments--Ernesto pleads in vain--Down by
+     the river--Music of the reeds--Rich prospect--Faust--Singers of the
+     world--Joseph takes tickets--Gerona keeps late hours--Its little
+     great world--Between the acts--Successful evening--In the dark
+     night--On the bridge--Silence and solitude--Astral bodies--Joseph
+     turns Job's comforter--Magnetism--Delormais psychological--Alone in
+     the streets--Saluting the Church militant--Haunted staircase
+     again--Sighs and rustlings--H. C. retires--"Drink to me only with
+     thine eyes"--Delormais' challenge--Leads the
+     way--Illumination--Coffee equipage--"Only the truth is
+     painful"--Lost in reverie.
+
+
+We were facing the wonderful arcades which still seemed haunted by
+Rosalie's shadow, so vivid the impression she left behind her. It was
+one of the most striking bits of Gerona the beautiful, with its massive
+masonry and deep recesses requiring sunlight to relieve their mysterious
+gloom.
+
+In a few moments we stood once more on the bridge, looking upon the
+remarkable scene. The demons were in full work down in the dry bed of
+the river; their altars threw out tongues of flame as wood, coal and
+braise mingled their elements, and the air seemed full of the scent of
+roasted chestnuts.
+
+Those marvellous houses stood on either side with their old-world
+outlines and weather-beaten stains. Above them rose the towers of
+Gerona's churches, sharply cutting the grey sky. To our right, the
+boulevard stretched far down, with its waving, rustling trees. All the
+shows were in full operation; streams of people went to and fro; the
+booths were making a fortune; the Dutch auction was giving away its
+wares--if the auctioneer might be relied on.
+
+We joined the crowd and presently felt a tug at our elbow. It was
+Ernesto with radiant face, his hands full of chestnuts freely offered
+and accepted. We found it easy to persuade ourselves the indigestible
+horrors were excellent.
+
+"Ernesto, you are taking liberties," said his mother, as the boy took
+our arm to confide his purchases. A Rhine-stone brooch for the mother,
+which Mrs. Malaprop would have declared quite an object of bigotry and
+virtue; a wonderful knife for himself, full of sharp blades and secret
+springs. A purse capable of holding gold, and a pocket-book that would
+soon become dropsical with a boy's treasures. Finally, from the
+innermost recess of a trousers' pocket, he produced for an instant--a
+catapult; to be held a profound secret from the mother.
+
+"It keeps her awake at night," he confided; "and when she does get to
+sleep she dreams of smashed windows and murdered cats. Now I never smash
+windows, though I do go for the cats when I have a chance. It does them
+no harm. If I hit them, you hear a thud like a sound from a drum--the
+cats are not over-fed in these parts--but instead of tumbling down dead,
+which would be exciting, they rush off like mad."
+
+"Perhaps they die afterwards, Ernesto, of fractured liver or broken
+heart."
+
+This was at once negatived.
+
+"Oh no, cats haven't livers and hearts like human beings. Their insides
+are nothing but india-rubber. You can't kill a cat. If one fell from the
+top of San Filiu, it would get up, shake its paws and run away."
+
+We noted this revelation, intending to bring it before the Faculty on
+our return to England, which evidently still gropes in Egyptian
+darkness. The catapult was restored to safe depths, and before long no
+doubt many a domestic tabby would be missing; there would be widowed
+cats and orphaned kittens in many a household.
+
+Then Ernesto, drawing us under an arcade out of the throng of the fair,
+insisted upon fastening his mother's mantilla with the new brooch that
+we might all admire the flashing stones.
+
+"I believe they have made a mistake, and these are real diamonds," he
+cried excitedly, kissing his mother and duly admiring the effect. "And I
+haven't spent half my pocket-money yet."
+
+"Thanks to you, señor," said the happy mother. "I was his first thought.
+He bought me the brooch before he would look at a knife or chestnut. It
+shall be kept amongst my treasures."
+
+She was evidently almost as happy and light-hearted as the boy, her eyes
+flashing with proud affection. No great care haunted her life in spite
+of her conjugal good-morning.
+
+"Confess that your lot is favoured," we said, "and you would not change
+your lazy husband even if you had the chance. Confess you adore him and
+are to be envied."
+
+"Well, señor, you are not my father-confessor," she laughed, "but I will
+confess to you all the same. I admit I would rather bear the ills I have
+than fly to those of which I know nothing," unconsciously quoting
+Shakespeare.
+
+"Then the conjugal good-morning must be a little sweetened. It is
+dangerous to play with edged tools."
+
+Again she laughed, a laugh free from anxiety.
+
+"We understand each other, señor. If I received him too amiably he would
+not appear upon the scene till twelve o'clock. Not that I really mind;
+but it is a bad example for Ernesto. The boy, however, takes after me.
+Never will grass grow under his feet."
+
+Ernesto was impatient to be off; he must certainly act up to the proverb
+to-day.
+
+"Now for the shows," cried the lad. "We are losing too much time here. I
+smell roasted chestnuts, but their flavour is better. We must cross the
+iron bridge to get to the shows. I want to hear the lions growl, and
+administer cayenne lozenges to the monkeys. It is great fun to see them.
+You must often have done the same, señor?"
+
+We virtuously disowned the impeachment. But he was full of harmless
+mischief, after the manner of boys healthy in mind and body; free and
+open in his thoughts and ways.
+
+A few minutes and we found ourselves in the market-place listening to
+the clown who had used superhuman exertions last night, still
+apparently in excellent health and spirits. Night was the great
+harvest-time, but even now his labours were receiving fair success. The
+people had got over their first glamour and were responding.
+
+"There is José, your landlord's son, señor, looking to right and left,"
+said madame, in the interval between two terrific trumpet blasts.
+"Probably searching for you. Ah! he sees us."
+
+The tall, slight young man was making his way through the few remaining
+stalls in the market. These sold nothing but fruit and were altogether
+neglected. Gerona did not shine in that department.
+
+"I have been looking for you everywhere," said our young host as he came
+up, bowing politely after the fashion of his country. "I thought, señor,
+you might want me to pilot you about the town; but you are in the hands
+of a fairer guide, and I am not needed."
+
+Joseph had evidently not pursued his studies at Tours for nothing, and
+was beginning early to turn compliments.
+
+"On the contrary, we shall be glad of your company," we replied.
+"Ernesto and his mother are going in to hear the lions roar and
+administer delicacies to the monkeys. And having no ambition to shake in
+our shoes or be taken up for cruelty to animals, we would rather explore
+the antiquities of Gerona under your care. So you appear at the right
+moment."
+
+"Ah, señor, do come in," pleaded Ernesto. "I should enjoy it so much
+more. And you would shriek with delight when you saw the antics of the
+monkeys eating cayenne----"
+
+"Ernesto, you are incorrigible," we interrupted, laughing. "We decline
+the risk; and whilst detesting monkeys, we have a conscience. Yours
+evidently has still to be awakened. But you may come and tell us your
+experiences at the hotel later on--that is if you are still at large."
+
+So the boy, taking his mother's arm, boldly mounted the steps, and with
+a final happy nod, and flourishing a small packet of cayenne lozenges,
+he disappeared beyond the curtain. How the lions would roar or the
+monkeys receive the indignity remained to be seen. Ernesto was not
+wanting in purpose and might be trusted to do his best.
+
+We left the shows and the crowd for a moment, went round to the banks
+of the river, and listened to the whispering reeds and rushes. What
+repose; what a contrast to the glare and glitter and crowding of the
+fair. Not a soul visible excepting the ferryman a little way up-stream,
+waiting dejectedly in his boat for custom that would not come. The
+rustling reeds harmonised musically with the quiet flow of the water as
+it rippled and plashed on its way to the sea. To the left the plain
+spread far and wide--a rich, productive country with much fair beauty
+about it. Where we stood the river was broad and reflected the magic
+outlines of the town, faint and subdued under the grey skies. Above the
+music of the rushes we could hear the distant hum of the
+pleasure-seekers, where everything was life and movement.
+
+Presently passing the theatre, we saw "Faust" announced for that
+evening. An operatic company had arrived from Barcelona. Wonders would
+never cease. In this dull town, decaying remnant of Spain, there was an
+Opera-house, and the tempter was to play off his wiles on beautiful
+Margaret. What would the performance resemble?
+
+"Quite a large house," said Joseph, "and a very fine one; the players
+are often excellent."
+
+Of course he judged from his own experience, which had never gone beyond
+Tours; never dreamed of the great voices of the world. Who indeed could
+dream of Titiens, never having heard of her? Or of Ilma di
+Murska?--those stars in the world of song: not to mention Grisi and
+Malibran the incomparable, of the far-gone days. Still, he spoke with
+enthusiasm, and we felt we must hear this Faust and Marguerite.
+
+"Take three tickets for to-night, José, and you shall point out all the
+_élite_ of Gerona; the great, the good, the beautiful."
+
+Joseph needed no second bidding. Diving through the doorway to the
+office he returned with three excellent stalls. The performance was to
+be fashionably late. Everything in the way of entertainment is late in
+Spain, and especially in Gerona. At night the streets are soon deserted,
+but people do not go to bed. They sit up in their own homes, amusing
+themselves.
+
+"It is announced for half-past eight," said Joseph, "but seldom begins
+before nine."
+
+[Illustration: OLD HOUSES ON THE RIVER: GERONA.]
+
+Accordingly before eight-thirty we found ourselves in our seats waiting
+the lifting of the curtain. The house was nearly empty, though it was
+within five minutes of the appointed hour. Not a sign of any orchestra.
+We feared a cold reception and a dead failure.
+
+"Not at all," said Joseph. "It is always the same. Before nine o'clock
+the house will be full, with hardly an empty seat anywhere."
+
+So it proved. About twenty minutes to nine the orchestra streamed in and
+took their places, laughed, talked and made jokes, as if the
+audience--now quickly appearing--had been so many cabbage-stalks. In
+various parts of the house there were notices forbidding smoking; but
+the musicians lighted their abominable pipes and cigars without
+ceremony, and soon ruined the atmosphere. We wondered how this would
+affect the singers, and when they came on they coughed, sneezed, and
+looked reproachful.
+
+It was a large, well-appointed house, of excellent proportions. Half the
+town might surely find room here. Curtains and all such elements
+disturbing to the voice were conspicuous by their absence. Before nine
+o'clock every seat was filled, as Joseph had foretold.
+
+Between the acts we were able to survey the little world of Gerona. Many
+clearly thought themselves members of a great world. Humility was not
+their leading virtue. From the construction of the house, every one was
+very much in evidence, and from our places in the front stalls we saw
+and heard perfectly. "Monarchs of all we survey," said H. C. after a
+long stare in all directions. "No, I don't quite mean that; it would be
+slightly embarrassing. I mean that we survey everything as though we
+were monarchs. It comes to the same."
+
+Every species of temperament was represented; the solemn and sober,
+excited and flirting, prude and profligate. Extremes met. Some of the
+ladies made play with their eyes and fans, were full of small gestures
+and rippling laughter. Many were dressed "in shimmer of satin and
+pearls," their white arms and necks very décolletés. Thus we had both a
+play and an opera. It was quite as amusing to study the audience between
+the acts, as to watch the drama upon the stage. Ladies were admitted to
+the stalls, and the house looked more civilised in consequence. Many of
+the men in this polite Spain sat with their hats on until the curtain
+drew up. Altogether the house presented a very lively appearance.
+
+"Who would have thought it!" said H. C. "The place overflows with wealth
+and rank. These people might be dukes and duchesses--and look the
+character much more than many of our 'Coronets and Norman blood.' Yet as
+we passed Gerona in the train it seemed nothing but an encampment for
+beggars. Beggars? Let me apologise. Beggars would want something more
+recherché. In these days that flourishing profession dines at eight
+o'clock and sleeps on down."
+
+In the foyer, between one of the acts, we came into closer contact with
+this aristocratic crowd.
+
+It was a very large long room, gorgeously fitted up; great mirrors
+giving back full-length reflections. Few ladies honoured it with their
+presence, but a crowd of short, dark, handsome Spaniards went to and
+fro, smoking cigarettes, wildly gesticulating about Margaret, abusing
+the unfortunate Siebel, openly passing their opinions upon the ladies of
+the audience. Mixing freely amongst them we heard many an amusing remark
+upon people we were able to identify on returning to our seats. At the
+end of the third act we began to feel like old habitués. A week in
+Gerona and we should be familiar with every one's history.
+
+"A happy thought, coming here to-night," said H. C. "I am now quite at
+home amongst these people, and should like to call upon some of them
+to-morrow. That exquisite creature, for instance, with the lovely eyes,
+perfect features, and complexion of a blush rose. I believe--yes, I am
+sure--look--she is gazing at me with a very sweet expression!"
+
+He was growing excited. We grasped his arm with a certain magnetic touch
+which recalled him to himself. Keepers have this influence on their
+patients.
+
+"Look at the old woman next to her," he went on indignantly. "Can she be
+the mother of that lovely girl? She ought to blush for herself. Her
+dress-bodice ends at the waist. And behind her fan she is actually
+ogling a toothless old wretch who has just sat down near her."
+
+Here, fortunately, the curtain went up, and H. C.'s emotions passed into
+another channel.
+
+[Illustration: STREET IN GERONA.]
+
+The performance had equalled our modest expectations. One must not be
+too critical. If Faust was contemptible and Siebel impossible, Margaret
+and Mephistopheles saved all from failure. She was pretty and refined,
+with a certain touching pathos that appealed to her hearers. She sang
+with grace, too, but her voice was made for nothing larger than a
+drawing-room, and when the orchestra crashed out the dramatic parts, we
+had to imagine a great deal.
+
+Siebel was the great stumbling-block and burlesque; her singing and
+acting so excruciating that when the audience ought to have melted to
+tears they laughed aloud. When Valentine died she clasped her hands, not
+in despair but admiration of the fine performance, looked at the
+audience as much as to say, "Would you not like him to get up and die
+again?" and when his body was carried off, skipped after it, as though
+assisting at some May-day frolic.
+
+Faust was beneath criticism, and one felt angry with Margaret for
+falling in love with him. In reality she must have hated him.
+Mephistopheles, on the contrary, was admirable, and would have done
+honour to Her Majesty's in the days of Titiens and Trebelli.
+
+The "Old Men's Chorus" was crowning triumph of the performance. Three
+decrepit objects came forward and quavered through their song. When it
+was ended the audience insisted upon having it all over again, whilst
+they kept up a running accompaniment of laughter, in which the old men
+joined as they retreated into the background.
+
+Altogether it was a successful evening. Every one left in good humour,
+and many were charmed.
+
+We went out into the night, glad to exchange the atmosphere. It looked
+doubly dark after the brilliancy of the house. Every light was out,
+every house buried in profound slumber. We turned to the bridge, and
+stood there until all the playgoers had streamed homewards, and silence
+and solitude reigned. Once more the chestnut-roasters had departed and
+their sacrificial altars were cold and dead. Down the boulevard not a
+creature was visible. Stalls and booths were closed, torches
+extinguished. The leaves of the trees gently rustled and murmured in the
+night wind. We almost felt as though we still saw Ernesto and his mother
+walking up and down in close companionship. It must have been their
+astral bodies. Both no doubt were slumbering, and perhaps the same
+vision haunted their dreams; broken windows and four-footed
+victims--seen from different points of view.
+
+In the firmament a great change had taken place. The clouds had rolled
+away; not a vapour large as a man's hand remained to be seen; stars
+shone clear and brilliant; the Great Bear ploughed his untiring way,
+and Orion, dipping westward, was closely followed by his faithful
+Sirius. All seemed to promise fair weather.
+
+"What do you think of it, Joseph? Is your weatherwise astronomer for
+once proving a false prophet?"
+
+"It looks like it," replied Joseph, gazing north and south. "No man is
+infallible," philosophically. "But our prophet has never been wrong yet,
+and I expect you will find the skies weeping in the morning."
+
+"You are a Job's comforter, and ought to be called Bildad the Shuhite.
+Was not he the worst of the three, and would have the last word?"
+
+Joseph shook his head. He was not acquainted with the Book of Job.
+
+"I am jealous for the honour of my prophet," he laughed.
+
+Standing on the bridge, we could see the dark flowing water beneath--a
+narrow shallow stream here, which reflected the flashing stars. The
+houses were steeped in gloom, all their quaint, old-world aspect hidden
+away. The night was growing apace, and it suddenly occurred to us that
+we had made a half-engagement with Delormais to hear passages from his
+life. Would he hold us to it? Or would reflection have brought a change
+of plans and an early pillow?
+
+Surely there is a mental or psychological magnetism about people,
+neither realised nor understood, never sufficiently taken into account.
+As the thought flashed over us, a tall dark form in long cloak and round
+hat, full of dignity and power, turned the corner and approached the
+bridge. It was the priest.
+
+"I knew it!" he cried in that sonorous voice which was like a deep and
+mellow diapason. "An unseen influence guided me to the bridge. You told
+me you were going to the opera. I felt that when it was over you would
+come here star-gazing and lose yourselves in this wonderful scene. And
+here, had I not sought you out, you would have remained another hour,
+forgetting the engagement to which I hold you."
+
+"Nay, at this very moment recollection came to us," we returned. "We
+were wondering whether for once you had changed your mind and sought an
+early repose."
+
+"My approach influenced you," said Delormais: "work of the magnetic
+power constantly passing to and fro between kindred spirits, as real as
+it is little estimated. No one believed in it more firmly than Goethe,
+who in spite of his contradictory life was in close touch with the
+supernatural. And amongst my own people, how many have declared the
+reality of this mysterious link between the material and spiritual. Even
+sceptical Voltaire admitted some invisible influence he could not
+analyse. Sceptical? Will you persuade me a man with so terrible a
+death-bed was ever sceptic at heart? It is impossible. But how could you
+think I should change my mind and forget my engagement? Uncertainty
+plays no part either in your character or mine. Let us to our rooms.
+There you will lend me your ears, and I will brew you black coffee to
+refresh you after your evening's dissipation. And if you like you shall
+bring your century-old flask, and I will not read you a homily. Or was
+it only the contents of the flask that was a century old?"
+
+The hotel was at hand. We four alone possessed the street and awoke the
+silent echoes. Always excepting the ubiquitous old watchmen, who seemed
+to spend half their time in gazing at the great doorway, flashing weird
+lights and shadows with their lanterns. These they now turned upon us,
+but recognising the ecclesiastical figure, quickly lowered their lights,
+turned the spears of their staffs to the ground, and gave a military
+salute.
+
+"As a member of the Church Militant such a greeting is perhaps not out
+of place," he laughed. "No general on this earth ever fought more
+valiantly than I to gain battles--but the weapons are wide as the
+issues. They fight for an earthly, I for a heavenly kingdom."
+
+He spoke a few words to the watchmen; bade them be strong and of good
+courage; and we fancied--we were not quite certain--that he glided a
+small token of good-will into their hands.
+
+Then we crossed the road, entered the courtyard, and passed up the broad
+marble staircase.
+
+It was the hour for ghosts and shadows and unearthly sounds. Again we
+thought of the rich and rare crowd that had passed up and down in
+sacques and swords in the centuries gone by; every one of whom had long
+been a ghost and shadow in its turn. Again we saw clearly as in a vision
+that last happy pair who had separated--he to find death on the
+battlefield, she to rejoin him in the Land o' the Leal. Distinctly we
+heard the rustle of the gown, the fervency of their last embrace, the
+sighs that came in quick succession. So easily imagination runs away
+with us.
+
+We were awakened to realities by José, who, heavy-eyed and dreamy, was
+politely wishing us good-night, hardly wakeful enough to reach his room.
+
+"I will follow his example," said H. C. "The air of Gerona conduces to
+slumber. I verily believe you never sleep. To-morrow I shall hear that
+the good father's confessions terminated with the breakfast hour. Ah! I
+shall miss the black coffee--but I have a flask of my own, though its
+contents have nothing to do with the centuries."
+
+Then Delormais turned to us, his eyes full of kindly solicitude.
+
+"Are you equal to a vigil? Is it not too bad, after your hard day's
+work--pleasure is often labour--to ask you to give an old man an hour or
+two from your well-earned slumbers? Do you not also find the air of
+Gerona conducive to sleep? I warn you that at the first sign of drooping
+eyelid I dismiss the assembly."
+
+"A challenge! Never was sleep less desired. Though the breakfast hour
+finds us here, as H. C. foretells, there shall be no want of attention.
+But do not forget the black coffee!"
+
+We heard H. C.'s receding echoes through the labyrinthine passages; the
+closing of a door; then a voice gently elevated in song, utterly
+oblivious of small hours and unconscious neighbours. "Drink to me only
+with thine eyes, and I will pledge with mine," it warbled; "leave but a
+kiss within the cup, and I'll ne'er ask for wine."
+
+Here recollection seemed to come to the voice; an open window looking on
+to a passage was softly closed, and all was silent. H. C. was evidently
+thinking of the charming face he had seen at the opera, all the more
+lovely and modest contrasted with the shameless old woman at its side.
+
+Delormais led the way through the corridors. His light threw weird
+shadows around. A distant clock struck the hour of one. The hush in the
+house was ghostly. The very walls seemed pregnant with the secrets of
+the past. They had listened to mighty dramas political and domestic;
+heard love-vows made only to be broken; absorbed the laughter of joy and
+the tears of sorrow. All this they now appeared to be giving out as we
+went between them, treading quietly on marble pavement sacred to the
+memory of the dead.
+
+We entered Delormais' sitting-room. At once he turned up two lamps, and
+lighting some half-dozen candles produced an illumination.
+
+"One of my weaknesses," he said. "I love to take night walks and lose
+myself in thought under the dark starlit skies, but that is quite
+another thing. In my room I must have brilliancy."
+
+"When you are a bishop you will so indulge this weakness that your
+palace will be called a Shining Light, its lord a Beacon of the Church."
+
+A peculiar smile passed over the face of Delormais. We did not
+understand it at the moment, but knew its meaning later on.
+
+Then he brought forward the coffee equipage, for which, if truth must be
+told, though slumber was never farther from us, we were grateful.
+
+"I had it all prepared by our amiable host, and I have my own
+spirit-lamp, without which I never travel," said the priest. "There are
+times when I visit the most uncivilised, hope-forgotten places, and if I
+had not a few accessories with me, should fare badly."
+
+The water soon boiled, an aromatic fragrance spread through the room;
+the clear black coffee was poured into white porcelain cups.
+
+"But where is the supplement? I do not see the century-old flask," said
+Delormais.
+
+"That is sacred to headache--or the charm would go; there are other
+fixed rules besides the Persian laws."
+
+"I am glad to hear it. Then after all my little homily this morning was
+not needed. That is why you took it so amiably. Only the truth is
+painful."
+
+He placed for us a comfortably cushioned armchair near the table, and
+one for himself. Our coffee equipage was between us, the steaming
+incense rising. A shaded lamp threw its rays upon the white china and
+crimson cloth, gently illumined the intellectual and refined face of
+Delormais. We could note every play of the striking features, every
+flash of the large dark eyes.
+
+A sudden stillness came over him; he seemed lost in profound thought,
+his eyes took a deep, dreamy, far-away look. They were gazing into the
+past, and saw a crowd of events and people who had lived and moved and
+had their being, but were now invisible to all but the mental vision.
+The hands--firm, white, well-shaped and made for intellectual work--were
+spread out and met at the tips of the long slender fingers. The legs
+were crossed, bringing into prominence a shapely foot and ankle set off
+by a thin well-fitting shoe. In all matters of personal appointment
+Delormais was refined and fastidious.
+
+For some minutes he appeared thus absorbed in mental retrospect. The man
+of life and energy had suddenly changed to contemplation. Apparently he
+had forgotten our presence, and the silence of the room was profound.
+One almost heard the rising of the incense from the coffee-cups, as it
+curled upwards in fantastic forms and devices, and died out. We were
+motionless as himself. Not ours to break the silence, though it grew
+strained. We had come to listen, and waited until the spirit moved him.
+Nor had we to wait long. He roused himself from his reverie; the dreamy
+light passed out of his eyes; his spirit seemed to come back to earth as
+he turned to us with a penetrating, kindly gaze.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+DELORMAIS.
+
+     Magnetism--Past life--Impulsive nature--First impressions--Perfumed
+     airs--A gentle spirit--Haunted groves--Blue waters of the
+     Levant--Great devotion--A rose-blossom--Back to the angels--Special
+     providence--Fair Provence--Charmed days--Excursions--Isles of
+     Greece--Ossa and Pelion--City of the violet crown--Spinning-jennies
+     have something to answer for--Olympus--Ægina--Groves of the Sacred
+     Plain--Narrow escapes--Pleasures of home-coming--Rainbow
+     atmosphere--Orange and lemon groves--The
+     nightingales--Impressionable childhood--Fresh plans--The Abbé
+     Rivière--Rare faculty--Domestic chaplain--Debt of
+     gratitude--Treasure-house of strength--Given to hospitality--First
+     great sorrow--Passing away--Resolve to travel--"I can no more"--The
+     old Adam dies hard--Chance decides.
+
+
+Delormais roused himself to the present as one who awakes from a dream.
+Those large dark eyes seemed capable of every expression; could flash
+with intellect, melt with fervent love or grow earnest with
+condemnation; sparkle with wit, or suffuse with sympathy and pathos. In
+Delormais susceptibilities and intellect seemed equally balanced.
+
+"I have been reviewing my life," he began. "And I am asking myself why
+we are here seated together as old familiar friends. How it is that to
+you, a comparative stranger, I have promised to speak of the past, open
+my heart, disclose secrets unknown to the world? It must be that you
+deal in magnetism. Or that we were born in the same mystic sphere, or
+under the same conjunction of stars; and that for the third time in my
+life I discover one who is altogether sympathetic to me; to whom I feel
+I can speak as to my other self. Nor is it necessary that this feeling
+should be shared by you in an equal degree. Enough that you are not
+antagonistic; even approach me with a friendly liking. I, many years
+your senior, am the dominant power. You follow where I lead. But a truce
+to metaphysics; searchings into spiritual conditions we cannot
+altogether fathom; wandering into realms withholden from mortal vision.
+Let us leave the unseen and uncertain, and turn altogether to the
+present world."
+
+We made no reply. Our sympathy was strongly awakened in this singular
+man. Here was a nature rare as it was powerful; distinguished by all the
+finest and noblest qualities vouchsafed to mankind. But we wished him to
+take his own way, utter his own thoughts, not disturbed by remark or
+turned aside by suggestion.
+
+He rose for a moment, replenished the cups, and went on with his
+narrative.
+
+"I have not asked you to join me to-night to read you a lesson," he
+continued. "In reviewing my past life, I find it full of incident and
+action. But it has none of those startling dramas and strange
+coincidences, none of those high achievements or fatal mistakes, which
+occasionally make biographies a solemn warning to some or a pillar of
+fire to others. I have brought you here simply for the pleasure of
+spending an evening with you. If I beguiled you at this late hour under
+any other impression I am guilty of false pretences. But late though it
+be it is still evening to me, to whom all hours are alike. For a whole
+week at a time I have slept an hour in the twenty-four in my arm-chair,
+and found this sufficient rest. We give too much time to sleep. Like
+everything else it is a habit. The day will come soon enough for the
+folding of the hands. At any time I can turn night into day, and feel no
+sense of fatigue or loss of power. Nature never takes her revenge by
+turning day into night. I cannot remember the time when the daylight
+hours caught me napping.
+
+"So then, for the pleasure of your company, and that we may become
+better acquainted, I have persuaded you to join me; not that I have much
+to tell you that can be useful or instructive. And yet it is said that
+the record of every life is a lesson. But all this you do not require. I
+was presumptuous enough at mid-day to read you a homily of which black
+coffee was the text and strong waters were the application. It was done
+partly from the impulsiveness of my nature which has carried me into a
+thousand-and-one unpremeditated scenes and circumstances; partly that
+my heart warmed towards you and I thought it a surer introduction to a
+better acquaintance than the usual topic of the weather. Throughout my
+life of more than sixty years, from the day I was able to observe and
+reflect I have been a student of human nature. You see even my rashness
+did not mislead me. I was not rebuked. On the contrary, your heart
+immediately responded to the singular and presuming old man."
+
+He called himself old, but in reality, though six decades had rolled
+over his head, he was still in full force and vigour of life.
+
+He paused a moment. The deep musical voice echoed through the room in
+subdued cadences. There was nothing harsh or loud in its tones.
+Delormais was too well-bred, too much a man of the world and student of
+human nature, as he had said, not to know the charm and value of
+modulation.
+
+He paused, but we the patient listener: Saul sitting at the feet of
+Gamaliel: made no reply.
+
+"Nevertheless, if I cannot instruct, I think I can interest you,"
+continued Delormais, breaking the momentary silence. "My life has been
+singular and eventful. I will rapidly sketch some of its passages: a
+mere outline. To go through it circumstantially, in detail, would
+prolong the narrative to days and weeks. To write the life chapter by
+chapter, incident by incident, would fill many volumes.
+
+"I have a good memory and it carries me back to the earliest scenes of
+childhood: scenes full of fairy visions and sweet remembrances.
+Orange-groves and lemon-groves, olive-yards and vineyards, orchards
+where grew all the luscious fruits of the earth, gardens filled with its
+choicest flowers, these are my first impressions. I breathed an air for
+ever perfumed.
+
+"These realms were inhabited by beings fitted for paradise. My mother's
+lovely and gentle face haunted the groves; my father's voice filled the
+house with music and energy. He was a man born to command, but ruled by
+charm, not by power: expressed a wish rather than gave an order. Most
+lovable of husbands and most indulgent of fathers, we, who were to him
+as the breath of his nostrils, worshipped him. I was his constant
+companion. Day after day, when just old enough to run by his side, he
+would sail about with me in his white-winged boat, on the blue waters
+of the Levant. On the terrace in front of the château my mother would
+sit and watch us, an open book before her to which only half her
+thoughts were given and nothing of her heart. That followed the little
+craft skimming to and fro in the sunshine.
+
+"Or in a larger yacht, we would take longer voyages; but if my mother
+were not with us these absences were rare, three days their limit. I was
+the idol of the sailors, just as my father was their king, who could do
+no wrong.
+
+"All my days and surroundings were coloured by this gentle, dark-eyed
+mother of exquisite loveliness and delicate refinement, whose only
+failing was too great a devotion to her husband and boy. I was an only
+surviving child, and for that reason doubly precious to my parents. A
+little daughter had first been born to them; a child, I have heard, the
+very counterpart of her mother--frail, delicate, and too good for earth;
+her soul too pure and her face too fair. At the age of three, when she
+was budding into loveliest rose-blossom, she went back to the angels.
+
+"There never was any fear of that sort for me. From the first I was
+strong and sturdy, escaping even the ordinary ailments of childhood. So
+far I saved my parents all anxiety. Their only care was to check my high
+and venturesome spirit, which now would cause me to be fished up from
+the bottom of shallow waters; and now would bring me down to earth with
+a broken olive-bough that possibly had borne fruit for centuries and
+might have done so for ages yet to come. I never came to harm. A special
+providence watched over me--I record it with all reverence.
+
+"As the bird flies my home was not so very far from here, though it was
+in France, not Spain. We lived in one of the loveliest spots of fair
+Provence, where indeed the earth brought forth abundantly all her fruits
+and flowers.
+
+"My mother had offended her family by her marriage, yet in no sense of
+the word was my father her inferior. But she was of noble birth and he
+was not, though a patrician. He was a gentleman in all his thoughts and
+deeds, a great landed proprietor, a man of vast intellectual culture and
+refinement. The _mésalliance_ her people chose to see in the matter
+existed only in their worldly minds and wicked ambitions. For to marry
+my father she had refused the Duke of G., an empty-headed _bon vivant_,
+with nothing but his title and wealth to recommend him. For fifteen
+years my mother's life was happy as life on earth can be. The day came
+when her people acknowledged the wisdom of her choice, the hollowness of
+theirs. But one circumstance in her father I have always thought
+condoned all his obstinacy. He finally yielded to her wishes. Without
+this the marriage would have been impossible. When he saw that her very
+existence depended upon it, he at length dismissed the duke and gave his
+consent--reluctantly, with a bad grace it must be admitted, but it was
+done. The duke married elsewhere. Wild, unprincipled, unstable as water,
+he entangled himself in all sorts of intrigues, gambled, and finally
+fell into embarrassment. Not until then was my father really and truly
+received without reservation as a son of the family--a position to which
+he was in every possible way entitled.
+
+"Those were charmed and charming days of childhood and youth. It has
+been said that when the early years are specially happy, the after-life
+is the opposite. I cannot say that this has been my experience, though,
+as you will see, the hand of sorrow has sometimes been heavy upon me.
+
+"My father was wealthy. He spent much time in his library, where my
+mother might almost always be found, her seat near to him. By stretching
+forth his hand he could occasionally clasp hers, as though to assure her
+that his heart still beat for her alone. In all my father's intellectual
+pursuits she was thoroughly at home--no study was too deep or abstruse
+for her comprehension.
+
+"Now and then she would accompany us in our yacht, and it was delightful
+to witness the reverence and devotion of the crew on those
+occasions--men who remained with us year after year, nor ever thought of
+change. I believe that every one of them would have laid down his life
+for her. She never liked the sea; the least rising of wind or ruffling
+of water alarmed her. When she accompanied us our excursions would be
+lengthened. We explored the islands of the Mediterranean, visited
+friends in some of the more distant towns on the seaboard. How well I
+remember a longer absence than usual, when we made acquaintance with all
+the Greek isles, and explored the fair city of the violet crown. Who
+that has approached those classic shores can forget the first sight of
+Ossa and Pelion--scene of the battle between the gods and Titans--though
+Homer reverses possibilities in placing Pelion upon Ossa! Who can forget
+his first impression of the rocky gorge and valley between Ossa and
+Olympus! All is now in a state of sad but picturesque ruin and poverty,
+but in days gone by industries flourished here--a happy and contented
+people. The spinning-jennies of England have a little to answer for in
+this.
+
+"To my mother's classic mind, all ancient history appealed with a
+special charm. The shores of Greece, like our own, were washed by the
+blue waters of the Mediterranean. There too the hills, in all their
+exquisite form, stood out in a bright clear atmosphere. We journeyed
+leisurely from the frontier to the Piræus; visited the islands of the
+Peloponnesus, with all their ancient and romantic interest; rested
+ourselves at the Monastery of Daphne, and from the summit of the pass
+gazed upon that wonderful view of Athens. Together we ascended Mount
+Olympus and pictured ourselves amongst the gods of the ancient
+mythology. We admired its richly-wooded slopes, where the endless
+mulberry trees put forth their spreading foliage, and visited the
+Monastery of St. Dionysius, which lies in that wonderful Olympian
+amphitheatre--one of the grandest scenes in nature.
+
+"All Athens opened its doors to us. They could not greet too warmly or
+_fête_ too highly my mother's beauty and grace, my father's rare gifts
+of heart and mind.
+
+"But our happiest hours were spent alone. Together we studied the
+wonders of the capital, and grew familiar with the Byzantine churches.
+We passed days upon lovely Ægina where blow the purest of Heaven's pure
+winds. We stood almost in awe before the wonderful ruins of the Doric
+Temple of Zeus, Ægina's glory, whose columns have stood the test of
+2,500 years. What can be lovelier than the view from the summit of that
+rugged hill crowned by its imperishable monument? I remember as though
+it were yesterday my first glimpse of Helicon and Parnassus, as we
+sailed through the Gulf of Corinth; the walk through the olive-groves of
+the Sacred Plain, where, turn which way you will, the eye rests on
+historic ground. In the fair city we thought of Paul as he preached to
+the Athenians under the shadow of the Parthenon. We haunted the
+Acropolis with its barren rocks and fragments of past glories. From the
+charmed heights we gazed upon the sapphire sea ever flashing in
+brilliant sunshine. In the distance, faint and hazy and dreamlike, were
+ever the sleeping mountains, Ægina and Argolis protecting the magic
+ranges. Sometimes we penetrated too far inland, and more than once my
+father's adventurous spirit had nearly brought us within the grasp of
+the lawless, a condition of things that would have been the death of my
+mother, and for which he would never have forgiven himself.
+
+"But all the pleasure of our wanderings never equalled the charm of our
+home-coming. There was our life and our delight. There we were truly
+happy. Looking back, I see that it was an ideal existence: a condition
+Heaven never permits to remain too long unbroken, or we might forget
+that this is not our abiding city.
+
+"My father filled his leisure moments by cultivating vineyards, which in
+those days were very successful, and in the form of wine returned rich
+revenues. We lived in a rainbow atmosphere, and, if you know
+Provence--as doubtless you do--you will also know that this is no mere
+figure of speech. The airs of heaven were ever balmy. In those days one
+never heard of cold and snow and frost on the Riviera. We have since
+approached some degrees nearer to the North Pole. Little need for others
+to go off in search of it and bring it to us. At that time we lived in
+perpetual summer. The sapphire waters of the Mediterranean for ever
+flashed and flowed upon the white sands of the shores that belonged to
+us. It seems to me now that the skies were always blue and the sun ever
+shone. Olive-yards and vineyards, I have said, surrounded us. Orange and
+lemon-groves sent forth an exquisite perfume only known to those who
+live amongst them. An amphitheatre of hills rose about us; the lovely
+Maritime Alps with all their graceful undulations, all their rich
+foliage. Birds flashed in the sunshine. In the balmy nights of May the
+nightingales never ceased their song.
+
+"I must have been an impressionable child, with all my strong, sturdy
+health, inheriting something of my mother's romantic nature. It is
+certain that the memory of those early days has never faded, but has
+been the background and colouring of all my after life. Even now in
+thought I often go back to them. There are times when I am a little
+undecided how to act. I ask myself how my father or mother would have
+acted under the circumstances, and in their clear, sensible tones seem
+to hear the reply.
+
+"Up to the age of seven they were my sole instructors. Then fresh plans
+were formed. A precocious child, it was felt that I ought to enter upon
+more serious studies than they had leisure to direct.
+
+"A tutor was found; the Abbé Rivière; a man of large mind and solid
+attainments; a profound thinker. To this he added the simple nature of a
+child. The marvel was that he condescended to become tutor and companion
+to a lad of seven. We soon found that his ambition was to have leisure
+for the writing of metaphysical works. His present appointment gave him
+his heart's desire. He had no parish or people to look after. With less
+singleness of purpose and more worldliness, he might have risen to any
+position in the church. No better companion for a boy could have been
+found, and he possessed the rare faculty of imparting knowledge. His
+mind could unbend, and he adapted his conversation to his hearers. No
+mere bookworm was he, dry, tedious and incomprehensible. My studies were
+a delight. I knew afterwards that one of the joys of his life was to
+watch day by day the unfolding of his pupil's mind. Thus he took the
+keenest interest in his work, and considered his days doubly blessed. I
+have heard him say that the offer of the triple crown could not have
+tempted him to change his life.
+
+"He did not live in the château, but in a small house on the estate. It
+was supposed that here he would feel himself more his own master, free
+to order, to come and go as he would, whilst every comfort was secured
+to him. My father was the most generous of men, full of thoughtful
+consideration for all in any way dependent upon him. From the highest
+to the lowest, none were passed over. He soon discovered the Abbé's true
+character; the high purpose that actuated his life; and became devoted
+to him. My father's mind was quite equal to the Abbé's, though he had
+not spent his life in metaphysical studies. Still, he sympathised with
+his pursuits, and read his works in MS. Now he agreed with the writer
+and now differed. His clear, correct vision many a time won over the
+Abbé to his opinion.
+
+"The Abbé became, so to say, our domestic chaplain. As often as he could
+be persuaded, he made a fourth at the dinner-table, and said grace in
+his quiet, refined tones. And he needed far less persuasion on these
+occasions than when the château was filled with guests. He was always an
+acquisition. A man of deep and varied thought, possessing the gift, not
+always given to great men, of putting his thoughts into words. An
+earnest, fluent talker, who could unstring his bow and throw a charm
+even over ordinary topics. This was far more apparent, far more
+exercised when we were alone and he was sure of the sympathy of his
+hearers, than when others were present. If he only spoke of the passing
+clouds, the ripening fruit, or the flashing sea, his rare mind would
+clothe his ideas in a form peculiarly his own, and especially
+attractive.
+
+"I often think Providence helped my father in his selection. When indeed
+does Providence _not_ direct the paths of its children? Without doubt I
+owe the Abbé a deep debt of gratitude. He did much to shape and
+consolidate my character. I was his pupil in all those important years
+when the seeds are being sown to bear fruit in the after life. From the
+age of seven to nineteen, I was seldom absent from him. Occasionally he
+would join in our yachting excursions. Then, unbending, throwing work to
+the winds, he became the most delightful of companions. In spite of his
+more than fifty years and his long white hair, he could be almost
+child-like in his ways. His was one of those simple and rare natures
+that never grow old.
+
+"Rightly or wrongly, my parents elected to keep me at home. I was their
+all in life; they would have me under their own roof. And why not? My
+future was assured. I should be wealthy. It was not necessary to go out
+into the world to learn to fight my way, as it is called. In the matter
+of education I certainly did not suffer. Experience of the world came
+soon enough.
+
+"So our quiet and charming life went on. Looking back, I would not
+change one single circumstance of those early days. They are a
+treasure-house on which I still draw for strength and guidance.
+
+"We were by no means isolated. My father was given to hospitality and
+delighted in receiving his friends. We mixed freely with the few
+families of our own rank in the neighbourhood. Nevertheless these were
+exceptional times. He was happiest--we all were--when the house was free
+from guests and we were all in all to each other. It was a paradise of
+four people; for the Abbé in time became as one of ourselves. If good
+influence were wanted, he gave it. He was a deeply religious man in the
+wide acceptance of the term; not thinking of saints and fasts and
+penances, but of the higher life which looks Above for strength and
+consolation. I much fear me he would have passed but a poor examination
+before the Consistory of Rome. I doubt if he would have escaped
+excommunication. Holy, upright man!" cried Delormais with emotion. "He
+was as much above ordinary human nature, with all its petty ways and
+narrowing limits, as the stars are above the earth."
+
+Again he paused, and for a moment seemed plunged in profound sadness. He
+had evidently reached a painful crisis in his life. A deep sigh escaped
+him which seemed weighted with the burden of years. Then with an effort,
+still turning upon us that kindly, penetrating eye, he went on with his
+narrative.
+
+"At the age of fifteen came my first great sorrow--the greatest sorrow
+of my life. I could not have conceived that our cloudless sky would so
+suddenly become overcast with the blackness of night.
+
+"My mother died. A man loses his wife, and however much he loved her, he
+may get him another. But he can have but one mother in his life, one
+father.
+
+"For long she had been gradually failing. Much as I loved her, my
+boyish eyes did not perceive the change that was coming. I did not see
+that this earthly angel was quietly passing away to heaven. She herself
+was conscious of it. There were times--how well I remembered it
+afterwards--when I would find her eyes fixed upon me with a yearning
+ineffable sadness. Her whole soul and spirit seemed to be speaking to me
+without words. She was about to leave me to the temptations and tender
+mercies of the world--how would it fare with me in the years to come?
+But she never spoke or gave me word or sign of warning.
+
+"My father also saw the change coming, but would not admit it; could not
+believe or realise it. The loss would be his death-blow. For him there
+could be no second wife, no other companion. When the blow fell, it
+crushed him. He was never the same again. I never again heard him laugh,
+scarcely saw him smile. His body was still on earth, thought and spirit
+seemed to have followed his wife into the unseen world. His affection
+for me, the kindly remonstrances of the good Abbé, even these were not
+powerful enough to restore his desire for life. He went on quietly,
+patiently for four years, then followed the wife without whom it seemed
+he could not remain on earth.
+
+"I told you just now their life was too happy to remain long without
+interruption. Fifteen years of perfect companionship had passed as a
+flash, the dream of a long day, and then vanished.
+
+"I was now nineteen, but mentally and physically more like
+five-and-twenty. A restlessness seized me. My home was haunted by the
+spirits of my parents; by the remembrance of days whose perfect
+happiness made that remembrance for the moment intolerable. I had
+passionately, tenderly loved both father and mother. If I went into the
+groves, her face seemed ever gazing at me amidst the fruit and foliage.
+Her accustomed place in the terrace was filled with her presence. In
+every room in the house I heard my father's voice, felt the clasp of his
+hand.
+
+"The good Abbé was my frequent companion, but the blow had told upon him
+also. He had aged wonderfully. Though he tried to be cheerful for my
+sake, it was clearly forced. My life grew impossible. I felt that I
+must change the scene if I would recover mental tone and vigour. For a
+time I must travel; see the world; wander from place to place, country
+to country, until rest and calm returned to my soul. Even the Abbé,
+sorry as he was to part from me, commended my resolution.
+
+"I was my own master; wealthy; free to come and go as I would;
+everything favoured the idea. At home I would change nothing. The Abbé
+should remain in his little house, his days and leisure at his own
+disposal. The old servants were retained in the château. Only the
+living-rooms should be closed to the ghosts that haunted them. The able
+superintendent of all outdoor concerns, a domestic chargé-d'affaires,
+who had for years filled the position under my father, remained at the
+head of all things. The only change in his routine was that once a week
+he should have a morning with the Abbé. All matters were to pass under
+the scrutiny of that wise judgment. If any difficulty arose he was to be
+appealed to. It was the only service I asked at the hands of my old
+tutor in return for the home and stipend it was my privilege to afford
+him. He had long been white-haired, and was now venerable beyond his
+nearly seventy years. He gave me his solemn benediction at parting, and
+for the first time I saw him break down. He wept as he placed his hands
+upon my head. 'This third parting is too much for me,' he cried. 'I can
+no more.'
+
+"So I turned my back upon my home, my face to the world. I was strong,
+energetic, full of life and spirit, though for the moment clouded and
+subdued. The Abbé had taken care that my mental powers should be
+thoroughly trained. For twelve years I had been his constant care. In
+many things he thought me his superior. Mathematics and classics, the
+sciences, these by his rare skill he had made my amusement. But my
+impulsive nature, quick sometimes to rashness, had not been conquered.
+He had only given me a certain amount of judgment and common-sense which
+must stand by me in moments of difficulty or danger. Altogether I was
+well-fitted to take care of myself, in spite of my love of adventure and
+quick temperament. You see that it clings to me still," added Delormais
+with a smile. "The old Adam dies hard within us. Who else would have
+treated you to a homily on black coffee and strong waters as I did this
+morning?
+
+"I departed on my travels with no fixed purpose other than to see the
+world. To which point of the compass I turned, chance should decide."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Again Delormais paused as though absorbed in past recollections. For a
+moment his white, well-shaped hand shielded his eyes. Then returning to
+his former attitude, now gazing earnestly at us and now into space, he
+continued his narrative.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+DELORMAIS' ROMANCE.
+
+     Rome--Count Albert--Happy months--Sweets of
+     companionship--Egypt--Strange things--Quiet weeks--Sinai--Freedom
+     of the desert--Crossing the Red Sea--Mount Serbal--Convent of St.
+     Catherine--In the Valley of the Saint--Tomb of Sheikh Saleh--Pools
+     of Solomon--Jerusalem the Golden--Bethel--Lebanon--Home
+     again--Fresh scenes--Algeria--Hanging gardens of the Sahel--Mount
+     Bubor and its glories--Rash act--At the twilight hour--Earthly
+     paradise--Fair Eve--Fervent love--Arouya--Nature's revenge--Not to
+     last--Eternal requiem of the sea--In the backwoods--Hunting
+     wolves--Prairies of California--Honolulu--Active volcanoes--Lake of
+     fire--Rare birds and wild flowers--Worship of Peleus--An
+     eruption--Mighty upheaval--Coast of Labrador--Shooting bears.
+
+
+"The first morning that I wakened up away from home I found myself in
+the Eternal City. I had always loved Rome. Here I thought I might lose
+myself in ancient history. In imagination I trod the palace of the
+Cæsars, and in the Coliseum beheld the martyred Christians. I pictured
+the gilded pageantries of the Tiber, the splendours of the pleasure-lost
+citizens. I saw the vast Campagna clothed with its armies, listened to
+the clash of arms and shouts of warriors ascending heavenwards. I walked
+the Appian Way with St. Paul and at the Three Taverns seemed to hear his
+voice in sorrowful farewell. At the shrine of Cecilia Metella I lingered
+in sympathetic communion; and from the Pincio Hill watched the sunsets
+of those matchless skies. Why are the skies of Rome more beautiful than
+any other? The Vatican opened its doors to me and the Pope gave me his
+most intimate and friendly benediction. I fear that I thought too
+lightly of the latter.
+
+"What just then was more to my purpose, in Rome I found a great friend.
+He, Count Albert, was the nephew of the duke my mother had refused to
+marry. We had been intimate from childhood, but he was five years my
+senior. I need not say that he was a very different man from his uncle:
+high-minded, earnest, a cultivated citizen of the world. About to visit
+Egypt and Palestine, he begged me to join him. His happiness he declared
+would then be complete.
+
+"Thus chance, or an over-ruling Providence, decided for me. I willingly
+acquiesced, and the many months we spent together remain as some of the
+happiest of my life. Though never ceasing to mourn my loss, I quickly
+threw off depression in the excitement of ever-changing scenes. Only in
+the still darkness of the night hours would the beloved faces and voices
+come to me with an ever-recurring sense of loneliness, and, man though I
+was, my pillow was frequently wet with tears. But our friendship for
+each other was sincere and has remained so. For the Duke of G.--he has
+now by the decrees of fate become the head of his family--is still
+living, though we have seldom met of late years.
+
+"We travelled together, enjoying those sweet pleasures of companionship
+only given us in youth. With Egypt and Palestine we became intimate and
+familiar. Cairo delighted us. It was less modern in those days than in
+these. We were never tired of visiting the mosques with all their sacred
+and historic charm. We made the acquaintance of the sheikhs, saw them
+perform impossible magic, heard strange things revealed in a drop of
+ink. To me these mysteries have remained unsolved to this day. We spent
+hours and days amongst the tombs of the Caliphs, revelling in their
+wonderful refinement. We visited all the ancient cities of the Nile:
+Thebes with its hills and ruins, Memphis with its palm forests and
+Pyramids--those monuments the most ancient in the world. We contemplated
+the great Pyramids of Ghizeh by moonlight and felt steeped in mystery.
+In the same weird light I have stood before the Sphinx and asked the
+reason and origin of its existence, but only profound silence has
+answered me. At Dendera, that perfect temple begun by Cleopatra and
+finished by Tiberius, I gazed upon the features of the famous queen and
+compared them with those of Hermonthis. I found they resembled each
+other and confess that I wondered in what consisted the beauty of the
+woman who changed the fate of the world--but beautiful she must have
+been. We chartered our dahabeah and travelled up to the Second Cataract.
+Never shall I forget the soothing repose of those quiet weeks, the
+delight of our uninterrupted companionship, the books we read together,
+the daily thoughts we exchanged, the ruined cities we explored. It was
+an experience that comes only once in a lifetime.
+
+"We both felt strongly the connection between Sacred Geography and
+Sacred History: how the one would be better understood if the other were
+visited. So together we became acquainted with the Peninsula of Sinai,
+its mountains, plains, and sea. The charm and freedom of the desert I
+had often dreamed about, but how far greater was the reality! Here we
+revelled day after day in the wonderful isolation: sky and sand and
+nothing else. A mingling of gorgeous tones: a vast expanse of blue and
+yellow; a molten sun burning down upon all by day, at night the infinite
+repose of darkness and star-lit skies. How endless were those sandy
+wastes, broken only by the wild broom and acacia yielding its gum
+arabic, the wild palm and manna-giving tamarisk!
+
+"We traversed the desert in which the Israelites wandered for forty
+years, and crossed the Red Sea over the very spot where Pharaoh and his
+host were drowned. We ascended Mount Serbal and the cluster of Jebel
+Mûsa, and therefore must have trod the very Sinai of Israel. We stayed
+for days at the wonderful convent of St. Catherine, a strange building
+to exist in the very centre of the desert, with its massive walls,
+gorgeous church and galleries, monkish cells and guest chambers, its
+wonderful gardens. We spent much time in the Library, examining its
+ancient and singularly interesting MSS. We conversed frequently with the
+monks, and wondered why they should be Greek and not Arabian; and
+whether, so far removed from the world, temptation and sin and sorrow
+still assailed them.
+
+"In the Valley of the Saint we visited the tomb of Sheikh Saleh, the
+'great unknown,' where the tribes of the Desert assemble once a year and
+hold their races and dances and offer up burnt sacrifices. We looked
+upon Hebron, that wonderful sepulchre of the Patriarchs, and passed
+through the Valley of Eschol, once so abundant in the fruits of the
+earth. We visited the three Pools of Solomon on our way to Bethlehem.
+Never can I forget the gorgeous splendour of the scene, the wonderful
+undulations of those vine-clad hills. In the vast depression lie the
+sleeping pools, square and regular, and sky and atmosphere seem full of
+flaming colours, and one realises the true meaning of the glories of the
+East. Beyond lies Rachel's tomb, and from the top of a neighbouring hill
+one looks down upon Jerusalem the Golden. We feel that we are treading
+the holiest ground on earth.
+
+"We went up the Passage of Michmash to Bethel; that dreary and barren
+spot where Jacob made him a pillar of stones and dreamed his dream. You
+remember his words: 'Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it
+not.... This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate
+of heaven.' The spot is very desolate; no wonder Jacob feared as he
+gazed around.
+
+"We visited Lebanon, and in its grove reposed under the few remaining
+cedars, listened to the cry of the cicale, and watched the birds of
+brilliant plumage flitting from branch to branch. Though in the midst of
+the desert there was no silence. A wonderful spot, with its rushing
+streams, its vineyards and corn-fields, the magnificent sea flashing in
+the sunshine. What a forest life it must have been before Sennacherib
+laid it low!
+
+"So we became thoroughly acquainted with Sinai and Palestine. I can
+never understand those who leave this magic land with a sense of
+disappointment. It is true that we were young, full of life and vigour,
+ready to extract all the honey from our sweets; but to me no after
+experience ever equalled this first lengthened journey of my manhood.
+With what sorrow and regret I brought it to an end and parted from my
+friend, you will easily imagine.
+
+"But it had to be. I had been long absent from home. The Abbé wrote to
+me regularly; all had gone well and quietly, but I began to feel anxious
+to gaze once more upon the beloved groves and familiar shores; to hear
+once more the voice of the good old man who I knew hungered and thirsted
+for my return.
+
+"One morning when the sun was shining and everything looked bright and
+happy, I suddenly appeared before the Abbé. He was absorbed upon a MS.,
+putting the finishing touches to a chapter of peculiar merit, when he
+looked up and saw the desire of his eyes. For a moment I thought he was
+about to lose consciousness. Then the blood rushed to his pale, refined
+face, and I found myself clasped in his arms.
+
+"We spent a quiet happy month together. I took up my abode in his house,
+not in the château. Everything was pursuing the calm and even tenor of
+its way. Every one was happy, and the return of the master made that
+happiness complete. They all hoped I had come to remain; but I found
+that could not be. I was unable to settle down to a quiet domestic life.
+This home-coming had brought back all my loss, the happiness of days
+gone for ever. I felt I must seek fresh scenes, and soon departed again
+on my wanderings. This time they were not very distant.
+
+"I crossed over to Algeria, and from the bright green slopes of the
+Sahel learned to love the white terraces and hanging gardens that
+contrasted so well with the matchless blue of the Mediterranean. That
+was not all that I learned to love.
+
+"I mixed freely with the Arabs and the French of all classes. Fate took
+me to Djidjelly. I wished to ascend Mount Bubor, and from its summit
+gaze as it were upon all the kingdoms of the earth and the glory of
+them. Here I committed the most rash, most impulsive act of my life. You
+will say it was impossible in one brought up as I had been. I have
+learned that nothing is impossible. Remember also my youth; that I was
+in a sense alone in the world; had never loved, never even thought of
+love. I will now tell you a secret hitherto locked within my own breast.
+In a word, I married. Djidjelly has been considered almost impregnable,
+but no fortress can keep out the arrows of Cupid.
+
+"I had been in the town for about a week, exploring the rocks and
+heights, picturing that terrible expedition two centuries ago, when the
+Kabyles brought Beaufort and his men to utter defeat. One day I had
+walked some ten miles into the interior. I was revelling in the perfume
+of one of the lovely groves that abound, when suddenly I came upon a
+vision of grace and beauty that absolutely dazzled and astounded me. It
+was that witching hour of evening when the sun nears the horizon and
+all nature seems sinking to repose. A perfect paradise of orange and
+almond trees, olives and pomegranates interspersed with the wild laurel,
+surrounded me. Never did paradise boast a fairer Eve. The declining sun
+threw deep shadows athwart the paths; branches and foliage traced fairy
+pictures of sunlight and shade.
+
+"In this enchanting scene stood a young Kabyle woman, lovelier than
+anything I had ever seen before or have ever dreamed of since. She was
+about seventeen, but here, as you know, women develop early. Her form
+was perfect as her face. If she walked, her step was light and majestic.
+If she ran, it was with the grace of the gazelle. Everything about her
+was harmonious. Her abundant dark hair crowned a small and shapely head.
+Her eyes, large, dark and soft, flashed with sensibility and
+intelligence beneath pencilled eyebrows and long drooping eyelashes that
+almost swept her cheek. Her expression was one of singular purity and
+guilelessness. All the passionate temperament of the East seemed to have
+passed her by. Yet how purely, how fervently she could love. Over a
+silken robe she wore a haick or burnous of fine gossamer that fell about
+her in graceful folds. When her small coral lips parted they revealed
+the most exquisite of pearly teeth. Her voice was music. You will say
+that I am making her too perfect. This would indeed be impossible. I
+have never met any one to approach her either in grace of mind or beauty
+of feature.
+
+"But Nature had been cruel. She had bestowed those matchless charms only
+to withdraw them too soon. I saw her and from that moment loved her:
+loved her for ever. There was no doubt or wavering in my mind. I
+approached her. She met me fearlessly, naturally, without thought of
+guile. To my delight she spoke perfect French, was evidently refined and
+educated. Her father was the proprietor of this little paradise. This
+meant that he was probably at ease in the world without being exactly
+rich. I quickly got to know him. Wooing in this part of the world is not
+a matter of months or years. Within a week of our first meeting, I was
+engaged to Arouya. Her father was only too willing to give her to one
+who was young, good-looking, above all had wealth at his command.
+Almost immediately, without counting the cost or reflecting upon the
+mistake of a union with one of another race and religion, we were
+married. But all the reflection in the world would have made no
+difference. I was borne on by a mighty torrent against which there was
+no struggling.
+
+"For six months I lived a charmed, enraptured, secluded life with
+Arouya, my wife. We were intensely happy in each other's love: bliss
+that is rarely given to mortals. It was not a mere life of the senses;
+her mind was wonderfully pure, bright and expansive. From the very first
+I laboured to convert her to Christianity, and with singular clearness
+she grasped and embraced all its profound yet simple truths: became
+deeply, devotedly religious. This only seemed to strengthen her
+affection for me.
+
+"But it was not to last. Almost from the day of our marriage I felt the
+shadow of the sword. Our happiness was to be as fleeting as it was
+perfect. Arouya was already stricken with mortal illness. Consumption
+had set its seal upon her. Before we had been married three months she
+began to droop; at the end of six months she died. Died in my arms,
+blessing the hour in which we had first met. I laid her in her far-off
+grave, within sound of the sea, which chants her eternal requiem.
+
+"I will draw a veil over my grief. For the third time in my young life I
+was heavily stricken. But I have learned to see the hand of mercy in the
+blow, and in time I lived it down. It was an episode in my life so
+romantic, so sacred, that I never spoke of it even to the good Abbé. You
+are the first to whom I have confided it. The secret is locked in my own
+breast--and in yours.
+
+"I left Algeria and sought distraction from my grief by going farther
+abroad. I visited America, where I saw Nature on a gigantic scale. There
+I went through endless experiences and adventures. In the backwoods of
+the North I have spent whole nights watching for wolves, and heard their
+howlings on all sides. Often I have been sore beset. Many a tree have I
+climbed to save my life; from its branches shot many a tiger whose
+glaring eyes and deep growls told me one or other must conquer. But as
+in childhood, so in later years I seem to have carried about with me a
+charmed life. Many a time has my thirst been assuaged by the monkeys,
+who in return for stones pelted me with cocoanuts. In the Indian jungle
+I have hunted lions, and once was surprised and sprung upon by a tiger
+that at that very moment was providentially shot by my servant.
+Otherwise I should not now be here to tell you the tale. It was a narrow
+escape.
+
+"In the vast prairies of California I delighted. Here I saw vegetation
+as I had never conceived it. Even the cedars of Lebanon paled before
+these gigantic monarchs of the forest. Loveliest flowers of gorgeous
+hues, wonderful tree-ferns, abounded. There was no limit to their
+wealth. Once, whilst here, the desire seized me to visit Hawaii--the
+Sandwich Islands as they are called: those wonderful volcanic isles of
+the Pacific. Beside them, everything else of a like nature fades into
+insignificance. Vesuvius, Ætna, Hecla, these are child's play in
+comparison. The eight islands form a rich and productive chain.
+
+"I embarked from San Francisco for Honolulu, and reached it after a run
+of sixteen days before the wind. Here I found much to repay me. The
+island is full of rocky spurs which form so great a contrast to the
+green plains of the interior with their clear flowing streams and
+endless forests. Vast craters are ever in a state of eruption: the
+largest volcanoes in the world: some extinct, others in a state of
+activity. One of these days I believe that a tremendous upheaval will
+take place and the islands will disappear. The mountain peaks of Hawaii,
+Mauna Kia and Mauna Loa, 14,000 feet high, with their eternal snows,
+would alone repay a visit. Perpendicular precipices 3000 feet high
+present a bold savage front to the sea, and looking at them you think
+that never before have you gazed upon rock scenery. The sandy shores
+have the loveliest, most perfect of coral reefs. The waters surrounding
+the islands are clear and brilliant with every rainbow colour. Here the
+world is a paradise; but its people, though harmless enough, are not
+angels.
+
+"Kilanea on Mauna Loa is the largest of the active volcanoes. Its
+oval-shaped crater is nine miles in circumference and 6000 feet above
+the level of the sea. Within this a lake of fire is for ever burning and
+seething, moving and heaving to and fro in liquid waves of molten lava.
+Imagine the tremendous, the awful sight. I was there in 1856 when it was
+in a very active state and continued so for some years. At night the
+spectacle was sublime beyond description. Herds of wild horses roam the
+islands. There is a curious bat that flies by day. Many of the trees are
+productive. The sugar-cane flourishes; the palm, banana, cocoanut and
+_ti_. The natives bake and eat the roots of the latter and thatch their
+huts with its leaves. The snow-clad hills are the most distinctive
+feature, here and there rising in overpowering masses wreathed in
+fantastic vapours. Above these the clear blue sky rises in brilliant
+contrast and unbroken serenity. At sundown the white snow-tops flush a
+rosy red. Wonderful creepers interlace the trees of the forest, so that
+you walk under an endless magic roof of green, through which the sun at
+mid-day penetrates only in delicate gleams and patches. Gorgeous
+wild-flowers grow everywhere through the pathless woods. Birds of rare
+plumage flash from bough to bough, chattering and calling, but soulless
+in point of song. Everywhere one meets the pungent odour of wild fruit.
+Here too I found orange and lemon-groves that almost rivalled those of
+my Mediterranean home. You have heard of those wonderful trees with
+their wealth of blossoms that live one day, changing colour three times
+in the daylight hours: white in the morning, yellow at noon, red at
+sundown--blushing their life away.
+
+"The heat of the days was intense, but at sunset a cool breeze would
+spring up, laden with the perfume of orange and lemon-groves. I mixed
+freely with the natives, a curious, superstitious race.
+
+"It was here that I first experienced the sensation of earthquakes. They
+are common enough in these volcanic islands, and unless violent, excite
+little attention. I had been travelling for two days. Suddenly I felt
+the ground as it were slipping under my feet. The trees about us swayed,
+the leaves rustled as though moved by a strong wind. In the air was a
+brooding stillness. We were not far from a tremendous volcano. An
+eruption was evidently about to take place. I had two or three native
+servants with me, and an acquaintance who was half a Frenchman and had
+settled in the island. The former were frightened and superstitious,
+given up to the worship of Peleus, goddess of the volcano.
+
+"With difficulty we made our way to the mouth of the crater through the
+pathless forests surrounding it. Never can I forget the beauty of the
+immense tree-ferns that abounded. It was no doubt a rash proceeding, but
+at last we stood at the edge of the crater. We looked upon a vast lake
+of liquid fire. The sight was terrific, and made me think of Dante's
+most graphic passages.
+
+"All this soon changed. Presently the surface of the lake of fire had
+turned black, sure sign of an approaching eruption. Not a breath of air
+stirred. All nature was steeped in a profound hush. The very birds
+ceased to fly and flutter. Our horses trembled and manifested every
+symptom of fear. There was no time to be lost if we wished to save our
+lives. After a sharp ride we gained the slopes of a snow mountain. Here
+we waited for what soon came; shock after shock of earthquake. Rocks and
+stones detached themselves around us and rolled into the valley. Trees
+were uprooted. Then came a mighty, rushing, hissing sound, as a sea of
+molten lava rolled down in many directions and spread over the plain.
+Never shall I forget the grandeur, the awful majesty of the sight. We
+knew not how far it would reach or to what extent our lives were in
+danger. Dense volumes of smoke rose in the air, obscuring the sky.
+Torrents of ashes fell far and wide. I thought of the fate of
+Herculaneum and Pompeii, scenes I had visited with my parents only a few
+years before. Was such a fate to be ours? We were almost choked with the
+smell of sulphur. Vegetation was scorched and burnt up under the
+terrible influence. It was a monster devouring all that came within its
+path. The poor monkeys in the cocoa-nut trees no longer thought of
+pelting us with fruit. They crouched and hid themselves in the branches,
+and understood the peril of their lives. I will not weary you with
+further description. Suffice it that we escaped, and when I again found
+myself in Honolulu, it was to bid the islands a long farewell.
+
+"For a time there was no end to my wanderings. From Honolulu I went off
+in an American whaler to the coast of Labrador and shot bears as they
+drifted southward on icebergs coming from that mysterious and hitherto
+inaccessible North Pole. Once I spent a week with that curious little
+people, the Esquimaux, who inhabit the creeks of Labrador and live
+chiefly on the excellent fish abounding in those waters: waters so
+wonderfully tempered by the Florida stream. In my travels I have
+experienced the extremes of refinement on the one hand, of hardship on
+the other. But the latter has been my own choice, and this makes all
+things bearable. I once had a friend who went out to break stones on the
+road; work we give to our convicts; but he did it for pleasure and
+thought it delightful."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Once more Delormais paused as though in deep reflection. The silence in
+the room was only broken by the faint ticking of the clock on the
+mantelpiece. Outside not a sound disturbed the sleeping world. Not a
+breath stirred in all the corridors of the old palace that had seen
+better days. We waited until the spirit should move him again.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+MONSEIGNEUR.
+
+     Great conflict--Returning to Paris--Count Albert married--Marriages
+     declined--Love buried in the grave of Arouya--Frivolities--Napoleon
+     at the Tuileries--Illness--Doctors' errors--Days of horror--Vow
+     registered--Between life and death--Victory--Home again--Abbé's
+     objections--Resolve strengthened--Death of the Abbé--Taking
+     vows--Life of energy and action--Rapid sketch--Sympathies--All
+     ordained--"Monseigneur"--"Mon ami"--Cry of the watchmen--Candles
+     wax dim and blue--Wandering in dreams--False prophet--H. C. rises
+     with the lark--Beauty of Gerona--Pathetic scene--Colonel
+     administers consolation--Widow's heart sings for joy--In the
+     cloisters again--Good-bye--In the cathedral--Anselmo--Sunshine over
+     all--Miguel--On the ruined citadel--Anselmo's signal--A glory
+     departs.
+
+
+"I have told you of the great romance of my life," he presently
+continued. "Now let me tell you of its great conflict.
+
+"After many wanderings I returned to Paris. Here the great world opened
+wide its doors to me. In a short time I was _l'enfant de la maison_
+amongst all people worth knowing. Count Albert had married one of the
+most charming women in the great world. You can picture my welcome. Few
+days passed but I spent some portion of my time with them. I was
+naturally sought after, my wealth and position rendering that
+inevitable. Fathers proposed marriage for their daughters after the
+French fashion, offering the bribe of large dowries. But they knew not
+my secret. All my love was buried in a quiet Algerian grave, within
+sight of the ever-sounding sea. I had never loved before; I should never
+love again. I shuddered at the idea of a mere _mariage de convenance_.
+Love and love only could make the chains of matrimony bearable. Who
+could love again after such a love, such a marriage as mine?
+
+"I soon felt the life of Paris feverish, enervating. There was no rest,
+or repose, or freedom about it. A wild series of frivolities succeeded
+each other: court ceremonies--Napoleon III. reigned at the
+Tuileries--balls, receptions, the life of the clubs. I hated wine, yet
+indulged freely in it to help me through the days. I had not been made
+for this kind of life; all the better parts of my nature were being
+stifled. Still I went on from week to week, partly because I could not
+tear myself away from Albert and his charming wife.
+
+"At last I fell ill of a nervous malady which prostrated my strength.
+The doctors ordered brandy in large doses. They should rather have
+forbidden it. The day came when I saw that brandy was my master. I could
+not live without it. Nothing could exceed my horror when I made the
+discovery. Then the moral struggle began, and that my nature was strong
+only made the conflict more severe. But the evil was more physical than
+mental or moral and so far beyond my control.
+
+"At length, almost in despair, sick of this frivolous, aimless life, I
+vowed to devote my days to the service of Heaven if I might be permitted
+to conquer.
+
+"Again I fell ill, but this time of a malady for which all stimulant was
+forbidden. For weeks I kept my bed, part of the time hovering between
+life and death. Heaven was merciful. My vow had been heard, my prayer
+answered. When I recovered, the victory had been gained for me. I hated
+the very sight of all stimulant. From that hour nothing stronger than
+tea or coffee has passed my lips.
+
+"I left Paris and returned to my home in Provence. What delight, what
+repose, what charm I found there. Paradise had once more opened its
+gates. There, with the Abbé, I spent a whole year in calm and quiet
+retreat. Health and vigour of mind, strength of body, returned to me.
+
+"But I did not forget my vow. The Abbé treated me to many an argument
+and disquisition upon the subject. He showed me the life of an
+ecclesiastic in all its lights and shadows; the sacrifice of domestic
+happiness it entailed; the constant self-denials if I would do my duty
+in the spirit as well as letter. He pointed out how by nature and
+position I was eminently fitted to take my part in the world; to marry;
+become the ruler of a little kingdom, as it were; the father of sons and
+daughters. He was growing old, he declared, and certainly in the last
+year had greatly changed. An expression on his face told me he was not
+far from heaven. He felt his own end approaching.
+
+"All this only strengthened my resolve. If anything could have made me
+more in favour of a religious life, it was the quiet ecstasy with which
+he contemplated passing to celestial regions. Nothing could be more
+saintly and beatific than his last days. He was in perfect happiness,
+and frequently said so. I was permitted to be with him when his eyes
+looked their last upon the world. I was the last object they rested on;
+my name was on his lips as his soul winged its flight to heaven. For the
+fourth time the hand of affliction was laid upon me. My last link with
+the world was severed. I stood alone.
+
+"In due time I took upon myself the vows of the Church. Never for a
+moment had I contemplated the cloister. Mine must be a life of energy
+and activity. Whether it be a weakness or not, I have ever loved to
+command; to rule mankind; to have the ordering of things. There I feel
+in my element. I have a capacity for organisation which will not lie
+dormant. It has been my lot to have it more or less fully exercised.
+With all humility, and giving the sole glory to Heaven, I may say that I
+have succeeded in every work or mission I ever undertook; advanced every
+cause in which I have been concerned. The great moral, the great secret
+of my life, is this: I have first of all been convinced of the soundness
+of my intentions; I have held decided views; I have never entered upon a
+single act of importance without first placing it under the guidance of
+Heaven, as Hezekiah went up into the Temple and spread the letter before
+the Lord. And then I have gone forward, nothing doubting. Paul may plant
+and Apollos may water in vain, if they trust to their own strength. That
+has been my rule and conviction through life. I have constantly
+endeavoured to have no will of my own; no personal ends and aims and
+prejudices; but to obey the great Master, whose I am and Whom I serve."
+
+Here Delormais rapidly sketched his life in the Church. He described
+every office he had held in succession; the difficulties he had
+contended with; the evils he had suppressed; the reforms he had made;
+the manner in which he had once fought with and at length convinced the
+Consistory of Rome. Through all he spoke with the utmost humility,
+recognising himself an agent, not a principal to whom any credit was
+due.
+
+Over this portion of his life we draw a discreet veil. It was disclosed
+under secrecy. Partly to prevent identification; partly because other
+names were inevitably introduced, some of which were as household words
+in the world of the French Church.
+
+The time had passed unconsciously. There was a singular charm and
+attraction about Delormais. His fine presence and high breeding, his
+animated way of talking and graphic powers of description, all carried
+you beyond yourself. Everything was forgotten but the man before you.
+For the moment you were lost in the scenes he portrayed so vividly.
+Underlying all, running through all like a fine silken warp, his
+sympathetic nature was evident. Strong, decided, commanding, loving to
+rule, he was yet singularly lovable. When was this ever otherwise where
+sympathy was the keynote of the disposition? He was a man to come to for
+advice and consolation. Broad-minded above all the small views and
+judgments of human nature, if he chastised with the one hand, he took
+care to heal with the other. No one need dread his condemnation. We had
+been so recently under the influence of both men it was impossible to
+help contrasting this strong, admirable nature with the calm, retiring,
+almost celestial beauty of Anselmo: each perfect in its way. We
+mentioned him to Delormais as a type.
+
+"Ay, I know him well," he replied: "have known him always. The Canon who
+was his protector and left him a portion of his wealth, was one of my
+few intimate friends. A purer spirit than Anselmo's never breathed. He
+might be advanced to high places in the Church, but is better and
+happier where he is. In all my wide experiences I have never met his
+equal. Of course I know his story, and his love for Rosalie--hers for
+him: an idyll almost too perfect for earth. I know her well also, and
+all her saintliness. Such love and faith are rare: a consistency worth
+all the sermons that ever were preached. How different was my fevered
+love from theirs; my rash, unreflecting impulse in that Algerian
+paradise. And yet, Heaven be praised, nothing but good came of it. All
+is ordained; all is for the best if only our heart's desire is to do
+well. All comes right in the end. I have never known it otherwise. If
+ever I feel in the slightest degree discouraged, if ever my faith in
+human nature is unduly tried, I immediately think of these two saintly
+people, and courage revives."
+
+Once more he paused, and seemed lost in thought. Whether it was given to
+Anselmo and Rosalie, or whether to retrospection, we could not tell. The
+clock ticked its faint warning of the passing of time. All else was
+profound silence. But he soon roused himself to the present, and again
+turned to us with an expression in which humour was mixed with
+kindliness.
+
+"And now," said Delormais, with that peculiar smile that had puzzled us
+at the beginning of our interview, "I am going to surprise you. Life is
+full of the strangest coincidences and combinations, which would be
+laughed to scorn in fiction. It is the unexpected which happens. You
+remarked some time ago that my palace would be known as a shining light,
+if I ever were made a bishop. I shall never be made a bishop," he
+laughed, "and for this reason."
+
+Here he quietly took an official-looking document out of a capacious
+side pocket, and placed it in our hands. It was an intimation of his
+elevation to the See of X.---- a place we knew by heart, and loved.
+
+"Can this be true?" we asked in perplexity.
+
+"It is indeed," laughed Delormais. "So you see I cannot be made a
+bishop, for I am one already; though not duly enthroned. You will have
+to be present at that ceremony. I am not surprised. I knew it was
+coming, though I could not tell the exact day and hour. It reached me
+only this evening. And you are the first to whom I have told it."
+
+"Then," we replied, rising and making him a profound bow, "let us be the
+first to greet you by your title, _Monseigneur_. The first to wish you
+all honour and success in that high office Heaven has destined you to
+fill."
+
+"Nay," he returned; "Monseigneur to others it may be; but to you it
+shall be ever _mon ami_. For with your permission I intend our
+acquaintance to ripen into friendship. You shall come and visit the old
+Bishop in his palace. We will make it a shining light together. The
+oftener you come, the longer you stay, the more welcome you will be. You
+know that X. is surrounded by antiquities, endless monuments of
+interest. Amidst these attractions you will feel at home. Your visits
+will not be a mere sacrifice to friendship."
+
+"You are sketching a delightful picture. Will it ever be realised?"
+
+"That only depends upon yourself," laughed Delormais. "The Bishop has
+not to be made, nor the palace to be built; the guest-chamber awaits you
+with the blue skies and balmy airs of spring. Of all appointments it is
+the one I would have chosen. A life of activity, of responsibility and
+usefulness; a wide sphere of action; opportunities for doing much good
+in public, still more in private. The latter brings the greater
+blessing."
+
+"You are a wonderful man," we could not help exclaiming. "Your life
+ought to be written. We should love to make it known to the world."
+
+"You shall become my biographer," laughed Delormais, "if you will
+undertake it in French. Do what you will with what I have told you
+to-night. Only keep to yourself all my ecclesiastical history. That is
+sacred and private, at any rate as long as I am living. For the rest,
+change names and dates only sufficiently to prevent recognition. Not
+that it would matter. My life is my own, as I have said. And not that I
+have anything to conceal. My faults, follies and indiscretions have been
+those of impulse; of the head, not of the heart, I would fain believe. I
+cannot remember the time when I did not at least wish to do well. Of
+evil men and deliberate sin I have ever had a wholesome horror. But all
+and everything by God's grace, not of my own strength."
+
+At that moment we were startled by a cry in the street: the well-known
+call of El sereno.
+
+"Another watchman," cried Delormais. "What is the hour?"
+
+We had not thought of time. A few months earlier and the sun would long
+have been up. Want of space prevents our giving more than a mere outline
+of Delormais' life. He filled in an infinite number of details
+impossible to be recorded here. They would swell to a volume, but a
+volume of singular interest. He spoke rapidly and with few pauses. Our
+watches marked the hour of five. It was that period of the night when
+darkness is greatest before dawn. The watchman's voice cried the hour
+and the starry night for the last time.
+
+"For your own sake I must break up the assembly," laughed Delormais.
+"Two hours' sleep will refresh us both. Presently we shall meet again.
+See! our candles wax dim and blue--or is it fancy? This is a ghostly
+house, you know. My great-grandmother was Spanish, and for all I can
+tell some of its ancestors and mine may have met here in times long past
+and played out their comedies and tragedies together. As we are playing
+ours."
+
+We parted. Sleep came to us, but scarcely unconsciousness. In our dreams
+we lived over again all the scenes Delormais had so graphically
+described, but more highly-coloured, full of impossible adventures. We
+wandered through endless groves of paradise peopled with myriads of
+Arouyas. Our only difficulty was to choose the fairest. Life was one
+long poem; time had passed into eternity. From such celestial regions we
+were awakened at eight o'clock by the entrance of our host with morning
+coffee and steaming rolls, accompanied by José bearing hot water. The
+latter had constituted himself our _criado_ or _valet de chambre_.
+
+"Señor," he said, "it is a cloudless morning. Our astronomer has proved
+a false prophet. My heart bleeds for him. I fear his glory has departed.
+Heaven send he does not commit suicide. Is it you, señor, who have
+influenced the stars against him?"
+
+"Monsieur," said our host, putting down the tray, "your friend the poet
+rose with the lark--figuratively speaking, for who knows what time the
+lark rises in November? Taking his coffee, he went out with his umbrella
+shouldered à la militaire. For a poet, monsieur, your friend can put on
+a very defiant air, as if, like Don Quixote, he had a mind to fight with
+windmills. He told me he was inflated with inspiration. He was going to
+contemplate the Pyrenees from the Citadel, and to write a sonnet to the
+eyebrows of a young lady he saw last night at the opera. I confess I
+should have thought the eyes a finer theme. Joseph tells me it was the
+Señorita Costello. She is considered the great beauty of Gerona; and
+even in Madrid, I am told, created a profound sensation. No wonder the
+susceptible monsieur's heart beat fast when he beheld her. Now, señor,
+we leave you to enjoy your coffee and perform your toilet. His
+reverence, Père Delormais, sends you his greeting and hopes you have
+slept. I have just taken his coffee also. Contrary to his usual custom,
+though wide awake he was still reposing. Ah! what a great character we
+have there!"
+
+Upon which the attentive deputation retired and we were left in peace.
+
+It was indeed glorious to see the blue unclouded sky, to find the cold
+winds departed, summer reigning once more. How changed the aspect of
+Gerona. How all the wonderful colouring came out, the effects of light
+and shadow, under the sunshine. H. C. arrived just as we left the hotel,
+and together we went to the bridge where we had stood not many hours ago
+under the stars.
+
+It almost seemed as though we had gone through years of experience since
+then. This morning everything was bright and animated. The river now
+flashed and sparkled and reflected brilliant, broken outlines. The old
+houses looked older than ever in this youthful atmosphere, but seemed
+warmed into life. They now appeared quite habitable, almost cheerful.
+The towers standing above and beyond them were pencilled against the
+blue sky. The very air seemed full of sun-flashes. In the boulevard the
+trees in the sunshine made wonderful play of light and shade upon the
+white houses. The arcades lost their gloom. Every one seemed to rejoice
+and expand. No people are so responsive to atmosphere as the Spanish.
+Warmth and sunshine are more necessary to them than food and sleep. They
+are hot-house plants.
+
+Towards ten o'clock we made our way up the street of steps to the
+barracks. The scene was much the same as yesterday; conscription was not
+yet over. We were evidently expected, and a sentry at once conducted us
+to the colonel's office.
+
+"I knew you would come," he cried, with quite an English handshake.
+"Your interests are not of the butterfly nature, passing with the
+moment. And see; here is our disconsolate widow. Now you have come, we
+will talk to her."
+
+We easily recognised the forlorn mother of yesterday's little drama. She
+was quietly seated in a chair, her mantilla drawn closely about her, a
+pathetic image of grief.
+
+"Oh, señor Colonel, it is useless," she said. "Hope is dead and my heart
+broken. Heaven has seen fitting to afflict me at all points. I have lost
+my husband, my position; I am poor and in misery; my eldest son turns
+out a disgrace; my remaining consolation is torn from me by the cruel
+conscription. Nothing is left for me but to die."
+
+"This is quite wrong," returned the colonel, pretending a severity he
+did not feel. "Heaven is merciful. Brighter days will dawn for you if
+you are patient. You will see that conscription is a blessing, not a
+curse. It will make a man of your boy. Discipline is good for all. It is
+just what he needed. He will return to you strong and vigorous; able and
+willing to make a home for you. I promise to make him my special charge.
+He shall be always about me. I will give him all the favour possible,
+and will keep a constant eye upon him. Heaven permitting, he shall
+return to you, not spoilt or lowered, but mentally and physically
+improved. In the meantime--I have been making enquiries--I have found
+you a position where you can honourably earn your living; where you will
+be comfortable and respected; and if you will only look at the best side
+of things, happy also. What do you say to it?"
+
+Here he described the nature of the proposed occupation. The poor lady
+burst into tears.
+
+"Heaven reproves me for my ingratitude by showering mercies upon me,"
+she cried. "Hope once more kindles within me. This is the one thing for
+which I am fitted. Ah, colonel! it is you who have brought back life and
+hope to my despairing heart."
+
+"Nay," he returned, "I am merely the humble instrument, as we all are,
+carrying out the purposes of Heaven. But I exact one thing of you. Cease
+to be sad: let hope and energy return; carry out your daily tasks
+heartily; and make up your mind that life still has much in store for
+you."
+
+The change was already apparent. A drooping, grief-stricken woman had
+entered the office; one with hope and energy and patient waiting revived
+left it.
+
+[Illustration: SAN FILIU, FROM WITHOUT THE WALLS: GERONA.]
+
+"Life is full of such sorrows," said the colonel. "Unfortunately we
+cannot reach a millionth part of them. In this case help has been made
+strangely easy. It is so seldom that the wish to aid and the power go
+together. Let us now take a turn in your favourite cloisters."
+
+Reposing under the blue skies, in the strong light and shade thrown by
+the sunshine, they were even more beautiful and effective than
+yesterday. In presence of their colonel, the men kept at a respectful
+distance. They were all occupied in the same way; drawing water from the
+well, mending clothes, running to and fro; some diligently doing
+nothing. All seemed happy and contented.
+
+"And they are so," said the colonel. "To a large number the change is
+infinitely better in every way. They all find their own level. Those of
+the better class discover each other, soon fraternise, and form
+themselves into cliques. Youth is the age of friendship and enthusiasm.
+Even these have their popes and go in for hero-worship. Life has its
+charms for them. Yes," looking around, "no doubt these cloisters have a
+beauty of their own. They influence me more to-day than ever before. I
+think you would convert me in time," he laughed; "widen my interests and
+enlarge my sympathies. You see, to me they are mere military barracks.
+The men come first, and you will admit that they are not romantic. Plant
+these cloisters in the midst of a desert, and no doubt I should be duly
+impressed with their refined atmosphere."
+
+We left them and stood at the head of the long flight of steps, admiring
+the picturesque scene. To-day everything was radiant with light and
+sunshine. The very crowd outside the Conscription-house looked more
+hopeful. Even misfortune was less depressing under such blue skies. The
+wonderful houses to our right, in their deep lights and shadows, looked
+more rare and more artistic than ever. The ancient red roofs of the town
+sloping downwards were deep and glowing. Many a gable stood out vividly,
+many a dormer window and lattice pane seemed on fire as it reflected in
+crimson flashes the rays of the ascending sun.
+
+We reluctantly said good-bye to our colonel. These passing episodes,
+possessing all the charm of the unexpected, are one of the delights of
+travel. But they leave behind them a regret, for too often there can be
+no renewal of the intimacy. Yet we realise that the world holds many
+pleasant people, and that life is too short for all its possibilities.
+
+"If you ever visit Gerona again," he said, with a final hand-shake,
+"you will come and see me. If I am no longer quartered here, find out
+where I am, send me a telegram, and follow quickly. May we meet again!"
+
+Then we took our winding way up to the cathedral.
+
+The fine square was in full sunshine. Deep lights and shadows lay upon
+cathedral and palace. The house in which Alvarez once lived looked as
+though human tragedy had never touched it. A golden glow lay on the grey
+stone, restoring its lost youth. The ancient windows with their
+wonderful ironwork, seemed kindled into life, ready to reveal a thousand
+secrets of the dead-and-gone centuries. There was no gloom and mystery
+to-day. The long, magnificent flight of steps were in full sunshine
+also. Sunshine lay upon the town with its clustering roofs; flashed here
+and there upon the surface of the winding river; gilded the snow-tops of
+the far-off Pyrenees. The skies were blue and laughing; all nature was
+radiant.
+
+We passed through the west doorway into the cathedral.
+
+Even here there was a change. The dim religious light might still be
+felt; nothing could take that away. A sense of vastness and grandeur
+still lay upon the splendid nave; a feeling of mystery still haunted
+pillars and aisles and arches, and the deep recesses of the east end.
+But to-day shafts of wonderful light flowed in, redeeming all from the
+faintest suspicion of gloom. Rainbow-coloured beams from the upper
+windows fell athwart the nave in rich prismatic streams. Beautiful as
+the interior had been yesterday, it was yet more so this morning. These
+shafts of light piercing the semi-darkness created a marvellous effect
+of contrast, adding infinitely to the charm of the lovely building.
+
+There was no mistaking the tall slender figure that approached us with
+its quiet grace. It was Anselmo, his face lighted up with its rare
+smile.
+
+"We meet again," he said, in tones subdued to the sacred spot on which
+we stood. "And yesterday I know that you met and conversed with Rosalie.
+As we went together this morning to the bedside of a dear maiden whose
+days are numbered, she told me of your encounter. I am glad. Now you
+know us both and will keep us together in your memory. You must have
+seen that she is more angel than woman walking the earth. I often
+wonder how all her deep affection, purified and exalted, can be given to
+one so unworthy. You smile! You think ours a strange history, we a
+singular pair. I suppose it is so. Ours must be almost a unique
+experience; and I believe that to few in this world is given the peace
+and happiness we enjoy."
+
+Talking, we passed on to the cloisters, lovelier than ever in their
+brilliant light and shade. Once more we went through the north doorway
+and gazed down upon San Pedro, the desecrated church, the ancient town
+walls, and ruined citadel crowning the slopes. Sunshine everywhere; hope
+upon all; the gloomy skies of yesterday forgotten; earth seemed many
+degrees nearer heaven. We climbed down into the narrow streets and found
+Miguel at his door waiting to give us a morning salutation.
+
+"The photograph, señor. Is it a success?"
+
+We told him that still lay in the uncertain future.
+
+Again we found ourselves seated upon the ruined citadel. It was
+difficult to realise all the horrors of that long past invasion under
+the influence of these glorious skies, the gladness of this laughing
+sunshine. The air was scented with wild thyme. The outlines of the
+towers stood out wonderfully; the blue of heaven shone through the open
+work of San Filiu's lovely steeple. All the sunshine glinted upon the
+leaves of the trees in the hollow and traced patterns in the hanging
+gardens.
+
+"How beautiful it all is," said Anselmo. "On such days how thin the veil
+separating the seen from the unseen. Our vision seems only just
+withholden. What an awakening it will be to the higher life!"
+
+With him, also, we had to part; a yet more reluctant farewell than that
+lately gone through at the barracks. But we hoped to meet again. This
+must not be our only visit to Gerona; and here Anselmo wished to live
+and die. He had no ambition for a higher destiny, though even this, it
+has lately been whispered to us, may one day come to him without change
+of scene.
+
+We parted as friends part, not mere acquaintances of a day. There is, we
+have said, a magnetic power that bridges over time and conventionality.
+As in dreams we sometimes live a lifetime in a moment, so in friendship
+an hour may do the work of years. Again the clock struck twelve;
+Anselmo's signal. History repeats itself. To-day he went alone, leaving
+us standing amidst the ruins. We watched him as he climbed the rugged
+heights of the cathedral, a tall, dark, graceful figure upon the
+landscape. At the north doorway he turned, gazed steadily at us for a
+few moments, raised his hands as though in benediction, and the next
+moment was lost to sight.
+
+A glory appeared to depart; the spot seemed emptier without him; there
+was less brightness in the sunshine. We hastened to change the scene,
+and in the lively streets of the fair, to disperse the sad current of
+our thoughts. For our hours in Gerona the beautiful were numbered.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+A MINISTERING SPIRIT.
+
+     Sweet illusions--Everything seen and done--True devotion--In the
+     vortex--Sunshine and blue skies--Less demon-like pit--Lights and
+     shadows--Arcades lose their gloom--Rosalie--Charm of
+     Anselmo--Romance not dead--H. C. in ecstasy--Escorting an
+     angel--Cathedral steps--San Filiu--A lovely spot--Ancient
+     house--Mullions and latticed windows--Passing away--Rosalie's
+     ministrations--Resignation--Rosalie's farewell--"Consuelo"--Taken
+     from the evil to come--The door closed--Ernesto's world
+     topsy-turvy--Ernesto turns business-like--The catapult again--Up
+     the broad staircase--Not the ghostly hour--Madame in her
+     bureau--Posting ledger--Balance on right side--Madame
+     philosophises--Shrieks to the rescue--"My dear daughter"--Our host
+     and the nightingales--Waiting for next year's leaves--The Señorita
+     Costello--Delormais on the wing--Another vigil--Promise
+     given--Departure--Inspector quails--H. C. collapses--The
+     susceptible age--Lady Maria alters her will--Possession nine-tenths
+     of the law.
+
+
+It was not an unmixed sorrow. At sunrise the next morning preparations
+for the cattle fair must commence. By mid-day bipeds and quadrupeds
+would rule the town, our beautiful palace find itself desecrated. In its
+present half-deserted condition an air of refinement and antiquity hung
+over it. One felt, almost saw and heard, the great crowd of cavaliers
+and dames, besacked and besworded, that had passed up and down the broad
+marble staircase in the picturesque and romantic Middle Ages. All the
+ghosts and ghostly sighs and shadows lurking in secret corners, halls
+and corridors, would vanish before the vulgar herd. Under this influence
+Gerona the beautiful would become intolerable; better leave with
+impressions and sweet illusions undisturbed.
+
+And little remained. Everything had been seen, everything done. We had
+said farewell to Anselmo, then plunged into the vortex of the fair,
+where noise, crowd and confusion fought with each other. Sunshine and
+blue skies were having their usual effect upon the Spanish people. Every
+one was in high spirits, inclined to patronise booths, monkeys, and
+fortune-tellers.
+
+[Illustration: A GERONA PATIO.]
+
+Every hour spent in the ancient town strengthened our devotion. This
+old-world atmosphere, these marvellous outlines lost nothing by
+familiarity. Standing once more on the bridge we confessed how difficult
+it would be to look upon such a scene again. To-day, under the sunshine
+the chestnut-roasters appeared less demon-like, the bed of the river
+less a bottomless pit. A little of the weird element had departed. The
+sense of mystery so strongly felt last night could not live in this
+brilliant atmosphere.
+
+By way of compensation the deep lights and shadows appealed to the
+imagination quite as strongly as any sense of mystery. They filled the
+air with life and motion. The trees rustled and gleamed and glinted and
+drew moving pictures upon the white houses. Arcades lost their gloom,
+but not their charm, and these apart from all else raise Gerona far
+above the rank of any ordinary town. As we left the fair and turned into
+the quieter streets, it seemed almost a natural consequence that from
+one of the deep round arches there glided the quiet, graceful form of
+Rosalie. She had foretold that we should meet again.
+
+"But for the last time, Rosalie," as she greeted us with her rare sweet
+smile. "We leave this evening. Time presses, and we would avoid
+to-morrow's ceremony."
+
+"They are terrible days," returned Rosalie. "No wonder you escape them.
+Until they are over we keep as far as possible out of sight. You have
+seen Anselmo to-day, señor?"
+
+"Yes, and wished him farewell. It was a sad moment. He alone has repaid
+us for our visit to Gerona. We should like to spend many days here and
+know him more intimately."
+
+"Days of profit, if I may venture to say so, señor. The more you saw
+Anselmo, the more you would love him. It is every one's experience.
+Apart from his saintliness, you cannot tell on a slight acquaintance how
+much there is in him. His is not the goodness of a weak but of a strong
+nature; intellectually strong; but so refined and unambitious that to an
+ordinary observer it may seem passive. He is of a different order from
+Père Delormais, who is full of action and energy, and does so much and
+does all well. But Delormais was born to great things; they are his of
+inheritance. Anselmo had not these privileges."
+
+"The greater merit, Rosalie; but we think you count for very much in his
+life. He has kept you before him, and your image has inspired him to
+deeper holiness."
+
+"Ah, no, señor. Rather is it the other way. He has been my guide and
+king, as I told you yesterday. Anselmo is above all earthly mortals,
+all human aid. But you will meet him again and know him better. This
+your first visit to Gerona will not be your last. Few people come here,
+but those who do always return. I think of it as a place apart,
+possessing ideal beauties, a separate atmosphere. And for me," she
+smiled, "everything seems imbued with the charm of Anselmo. The bells
+ring out his name; I hear it in the song of the birds, the whispering of
+the trees. Romance is not dead within me because I am Sister Anastasia."
+
+Here H. C. struck in, unable to contain himself any longer.
+
+"If I were here very long," he cried excitedly, "I should fall madly in
+love with you myself, and write reams of poetry to your lovely eyes. I
+have never seen such eyes. They have all the light of heaven in them,
+and--and--all the beauty of earth."
+
+Rosalie laughed.
+
+"You are very outspoken, señor. I could have told you were a poet from
+your look. But you must exercise your genius on a worthier theme. On me
+it would be wasted; my life, all I have, all I am, is dedicated to
+Heaven. Time is passing. Will you not go with me on my way that I may
+show you one of the loveliest spots in Gerona?"
+
+So Rosalie walked through the quiet old-world streets with an escort on
+either side. We felt we were attending an angel. H. C. did not attempt
+to conceal his rapture. It is a weakness of which he seems unconscious.
+Rosalie pointed out many a house in which she had ministered; here
+soothing the pillow of the dying, there rescuing one from the grasp of
+death. Under her guidance the streets seemed more beautiful than ever; a
+holier atmosphere surrounded them.
+
+At length we reached the wonderful steps leading to the cathedral. They
+were flooded with sunlight and gave dignity to the ugly west front, so
+unworthy of the splendid interior. Passing under the fine old gateway
+and turning to the left, we found ourselves close to the old church of
+San Filiu. In days gone by, when the Moors captured Gerona and changed
+its cathedral into a mosque, the Christians had worshipped here.
+Whatever its interior at that time, it is now dark, gloomy and
+depressing.
+
+Rosalie entered a quiet street beyond, a short narrow turning of only a
+few yards, then halted.
+
+It was, as she had said, one of the loveliest spots in Gerona; so hidden
+that few would find it by chance. A small house of great antiquity but
+perfectly preserved. An exquisite Gothic archway over which the house
+was built led into a small quadrangle. Beside this archway was a
+mullioned window with latticed panes. We imagined the quaint old room
+within and longed to enter. Above this was another latticed window with
+Gothic mullions and ornaments. It was open, and sweet-scented flowers
+threw their perfume upon the air. This was crowned by a sloping roof
+with red tiles bearing all the tone and beauty of age. At least three
+centuries must have rolled over them unmolested. Even H. C. forgot the
+charms of Rosalie and became enthusiastic in favour of still life.
+
+"It is my destination," said Rosalie. "I was hastening here yesterday
+when you saw me crossing the square of San Pedro. Where those lovely
+flowers are scenting the air, a lovelier earthly flower is passing away.
+Consumption is doing its work. The only child of a mother who will soon
+have no tie left on earth. So Heaven sometimes sees well to draw our
+souls upwards. There are those who need this discipline. Trouble, like
+everything else, enters into the wise economy of God's purposes. I doubt
+if a single unnecessary care or pain is dealt out to us. But here the
+hand of affliction is charged with a heavy burden. The invalid is a fair
+maiden of seventeen, pure and beautiful. Her resignation is a gift from
+heaven, a lesson to us all. But for that I don't know what would become
+of the mother."
+
+As she spoke a face appeared at the window above the flowers; the sweet
+gentle face of a middle-aged woman, pale and pathetic, to which the
+mantilla added grace and charm. There was a look of patient sorrow in
+the dark eyes, lightened by a momentary gleam as they caught sight of
+Rosalie.
+
+"Sister Anastasia," said the subdued woman, "the sun is not more true to
+its course than you to your hour. My child hungers for you. Next to her
+mother you are her only consolation."
+
+"I come, I come," replied Sister Anastasia. "Tell Rosita that in my bag
+I bring her refreshment for the mind and food for the soul. Ah, señor,
+this is indeed farewell, since you tell me your moments in Gerona are
+numbered. The sun shines, the skies are blue, let these be an omen of
+your life until we meet again. For by the love you bear Anselmo--you
+must love him; we all love him--you must return. He will be here and so
+shall I. We shall probably see no change until Heaven calls us to the
+great change of all. This fair child above will have passed away, and
+the mother's heart will be desolate. But Heaven that brings the sorrow
+will heal the wound. Adieu señor. Adieu."
+
+[Illustration: OLD HOUSES ON THE RIVER: GERONA.]
+
+She glided through the archway and on the other side gained admittance
+to the house. The door opened to receive her, a quiet voice was heard in
+greeting. "You are an angel of light," it said. "Your new name should
+have been Consuelo. But, oh, Anastasia, my child is worse. I fear me a
+few days will see the ending, and I shall be lonely and desolate upon
+earth. Why did Heaven take the child and spare the mother?"
+
+"God knows best," returned Anastasia. "Let His will be done. Be sure He
+who deals the blow will not forsake you. Your child is spared the
+sorrows of earth. You will think of her as in safe keeping; taken from
+the evil to come."
+
+We heard no more. The door was closed. Let us leave Rosalie in her true
+element, a ministering spirit shedding abroad more happiness and
+consolation, more holy influence, than she at all realised; doing all
+with that unconscious modesty which was one of her greatest gifts. The
+picture of that last interview remains vividly in our memory. A little
+mediæval old house that has scarce its equal in Gerona; the flowers
+behind the latticed panes and the sad, subdued face appearing above
+them; Rosalie's eyes looking up in all their loveliness with an
+expression of almost divine sympathy.
+
+We went our way, richer for having known her. It was our last look upon
+these cathedral precincts. The afternoon shadows were lengthening as we
+went back through the quiet streets to the hotel. All the brilliant
+glory of the day had departed. These repeated farewells were depressing,
+yet not quite over, for as we approached the Fonda who should be
+standing at their own door but Ernesto and his mother. We had not met
+them since the previous day when they had disappeared within the lion's
+den, and we had gone round to the reeds and the river.
+
+"Ernesto! how is this? Why are you not at school?"
+
+"School, señor!" opening very wide eyes. "Fair week is holiday. We
+should have a revolution if they attempted school upon us. For this one
+week in the year we change places with our fathers and mothers, pastors
+and teachers. They obey and we command."
+
+"We congratulate you on this topsy-turvy state of things. But as you are
+strong be merciful. Remember that Black Monday comes. Cinderella went
+back to her rags at midnight; you must go back to school and good work.
+And the monkeys? You are still at large; we feared the opposite, as you
+had not brought us your report."
+
+"Oh! I brought it, señor; but it was rather late, and Señor Lasoli said
+you were at the opera. You should have seen the monkeys!" And here he
+went off into convulsions at the recollection of the performance. "They
+couldn't understand what was inside the lozenges to bite their tongues
+so! First they would take a nibble, then rub the lozenge on the arm;
+then another nibble; then a whole torrent of monkey-swearing and
+lozenge-rubbing because it kept on biting and burning. I quite thought I
+should die with laughing."
+
+From the way he laughed now, it seemed doubtful whether all danger was
+over.
+
+"But that is not the worst, señor," said the mother, at length making
+herself heard. "Will you believe that the boy has a wretched catapult in
+his pocket, and there will be any number of broken windows and
+assassinated cats in the town. I don't know what will become of us. If
+there is one thing I dread more than another, it is a catapult. They are
+the implements of the devil."
+
+"There is absolutely no fear," laughed Ernesto. "I never broke a window
+in my life--at least, hardly ever. As for cats, they are quite outside
+the law of murder. A dead cat is as rare as a dead donkey. Are you
+really going to-day, señor? Then I shall have no more pleasure in the
+fair, though this year it is better than usual. The lions roared like
+thunder, and the monkeys accepted all the lozenges. They were punished
+for their greediness. But will you come back to spend a whole month at
+Gerona? And if you allowed me, I would take you to some of the
+excursions in the neighbourhood. There are any number within twenty
+miles; ruined churches and deserted monasteries. I don't care much about
+them myself, but I know many who do. It seems to me that a good show and
+a handful of chestnuts are worth all the wretched old ruins in the
+world."
+
+In spite of this vandalism, we assured Ernesto that when we spent a
+month in Gerona he should have the honour of escorting us, provided it
+was not school-time. He wished to bind us to a given date, thereby
+showing a decided talent for business, but we refused to be committed to
+the inevitable. We left mother and son together, a picture of domestic
+happiness. As we disappeared under the archway of the hotel, Ernesto
+held up his catapult in triumph, successfully parrying his mother's
+attempt to obtain possession of the forbidden weapon. She evidently
+looked upon it as only one degree below an infernal machine.
+
+Once more up the broad marble staircase. But it was not the ghostly
+hour, and sighs and rustlings and shadows were in the land of the
+unseen. Madame in her bureau looked the picture of massive contentment.
+At this moment she was posting a ledger, and the balance was evidently
+on the right side.
+
+[Illustration: MARKET PLACE: GERONA.]
+
+"As it need be, for they worked hard enough for their living," she
+assured us. "She couldn't tell how it was; no one would think from her
+size that she never relaxed in her exertions. Do what she would, she
+could not get thin. As for her husband, she made him eat all the richest
+bits at dinner; never allowed him to fast; supplied him with eggs and
+butter and beer _ad libitum_. No; he was obstinate. He _would_ keep
+thin. The consequence was they were a ridiculous couple. She was the
+Duomo at Florence, he was the Campanile. However, they made the best of
+it. Life was too short to grieve over inevitable troubles. Clearly she
+was an inevitable. When she was a girl, there were five ladies who might
+be seen walking out morning, noon, and night, and always together. Go
+which way you would you were sure to meet them. They knew every one, and
+five perpetual bows were everlastingly see-sawing like a wound-up
+machine going through its performance. They were called the Inevitables.
+No one ever thought of them by any other name. They were quite aware of
+it and rather liked it. It was something to be in constant evidence.
+What other five sisters would live together in such harmony? Well, these
+five ladies were for ever running in her head. For a long time past she
+had felt like all five ladies rolled into one. She was one great
+Inevitable. Fate was a little cruel. Her movements might be compared to
+those of the elephant. As for her husband, he could still run up and
+down stairs like a lamplighter--almost pass through a keyhole--but it
+took her five minutes to get up a dozen steps. Soon it would take her
+ten. And then she wanted pulling up in front and pushing up behind. It
+was quite a ceremony. She had serious thoughts of having a crane and
+pulley adjusted to her windows, and of being hoisted up and down, but
+the question was whether a hempen rope would bear her weight, or
+anything under a cast-iron chain. Was it true that Queen Victoria was
+carried wherever she went, because she suffered from rheumatism? Ah! it
+was a great thing to be a queen. No ledgers to post up; no anxiety as to
+whether the balance would be on the right side at the end of every
+month. What a blessing to have a good, solid, comfortable margin at
+one's bankers to draw upon for contingencies, which was only another
+word for the unexpected. This year it was painting inside, next year
+painting outside. If there was no painting, it was chairs, tables or
+linen. The extras went on for ever and swallowed up all the profits."
+
+We thought the old lady, like the extras, would also have gone on for
+ever, but to our infinite relief a piercing shriek was heard from an
+upper region. Madame turned pale and mildly echoed the scream.
+
+"My dear daughter!" she cried. "Something has frightened her, or she is
+suddenly taken worse. She is always being taken worse, though worse from
+what I cannot possibly imagine. Sometimes I think it is fancy or
+hysteria. She is really perfectly well all the time."
+
+At this moment the mysterious daughter appeared upon the scene, running
+downstairs at a speed that testified to the soundness of her limbs,
+whatever her state of nerves.
+
+"A dreadful mouse," she moaned, throwing herself into her mother's
+capacious protection. "It ran right over my feet, across the room, and
+went into my little cupboard."
+
+"Perhaps you have some cake there?" said this sensible mamma.
+
+"A mere fragment," acknowledged the daughter.
+
+"Poor little mouse," said the mother soothingly. "It is hungry, perhaps,
+and fond of cake. My dear, it will eat cake; it will not eat you."
+
+We caught sight of our industrious host in his garden surveying his
+possessions, and escaped. The cook stood in his doorway in white cap and
+apron, a satisfactory object in all hotels. Over the slanting tiled roof
+grew the fruitful vine, a picture of beauty. Our host, surrounded by
+his birds and pigeons, was vainly imploring the nightingales to sing.
+They only looked at him with their little black eyes, opened their
+beaks, shook their heads, and said as plainly as possible that the song
+had left them. It would return with next year's leaves and garlands,
+more glorious for the rest.
+
+"I should have liked you to hear them," said their proud owner in quite
+a melancholy voice. "You would have thought yourselves in Italy, as I
+often do."
+
+"Or on the Rhine, or the Blue Moselle, or the Dauphiné Alps, Señor
+Lasoli, where the nightingales assemble in myriads, and sing and rave
+night and day through the weeks of spring. We have heard them."
+
+"They are more beautiful near water," said our host. "The song gains
+volume and vibration by being carried across. But I have chiefly heard
+them in our woods on the Mediterranean shores. France to me is a sealed
+book. So, señor, you leave us, and I cannot even wish you to remain.
+To-morrow you would not be in your element. Gerona will be out of joint
+until we settle down again to our normal condition. I trust you will one
+day return, and that your friend will write an epic poem in honour of
+our town. It would certainly be translated and might be dedicated to the
+Señorita Costello. He would be fêted on his arrival; fireworks,
+illuminations, and municipal addresses. The hubbub of conscription would
+be nothing to it. At five o'clock, señor, the omnibus will be at your
+service."
+
+As we went through the haunted corridors to our rooms, Delormais came up
+the marble staircase, apparently somewhat hurried.
+
+"We are both on the wing," he cried, "and so I the less regret your
+going. I thought to have stayed until to-morrow, but sudden news compels
+me to leave to-night. Summoned to Rome, I must obey. I know that I have
+a battle before me, and also know that I shall win. Conquering as a
+humble Vicar of Rheims, I shall not do less as Bishop of X. You will see
+me dismissed with a Cardinal's hat, an honour I would not cross the road
+to obtain, so little do I care for the pomps of the world. With such
+models before me as my father and mother and the good old Abbé, one
+feels that the only thing worth living for is to do good and cultivate
+the graces of the spirit."
+
+We were in his room, scene of last night's vigil, where he had sketched
+an outline of his life and the hours had passed unconsciously.
+
+"Another night of vigil, but without companionship," said Delormais. "On
+the contrary, time will only place distance between us. You go
+southward, I northward into France, reaching my destination about two
+o'clock to-morrow afternoon. Would that I might accompany you to
+Barcelona and gaze with you upon the wonders of that loveliest of
+cathedrals. Again I say that the Catalonian cathedrals are the glories
+of Spain. But my own has its charms, and those at least we shall often
+see together. I have your promise?"
+
+We gave it unconditionally, in this instance not fearing to commit
+ourselves to a given date. Delormais was a man whose friendship was a
+privilege and whose sympathy and conversation made all days a delight.
+We parted, hoping to meet again.
+
+Not long after this the omnibus rattled out of the courtyard, and our
+host intimated that time was up.
+
+The sun had set, darkness had fallen when we clattered through the quiet
+streets. Passing the deep, round arcades we looked out for Rosalie, but
+no light, graceful figure speeding on its errand of mercy appeared. The
+arcades were again mysterious and impenetrable. We turned on to the
+bridge and for the last time looked upon the scene as the omnibus
+rattled on. All down the boulevard booths were on active service.
+Torches flared and still the crowd sauntered to and fro. The river
+flowed on its way, and all the outlines of those wonderful old-world
+houses were faintly visible. We knew them by heart now, and they were
+almost as real to us by night as by day.
+
+The station once more. Only forty-eight hours had passed since we had
+struggled across that crowded platform, but we had gone through so many
+experiences, heard and seen so much, that many days seem to have flown.
+When we thought of Delormais it was impossible to realise we had not
+known him for years, visited his early home, joined in his travels. The
+father and mother, still the objects of his undying affection, the old
+Abbé in whom he delighted, had become personal friends by his vivid
+descriptions.
+
+Reflections were suddenly put to flight as the omnibus brought up with a
+jerk that almost landed H. C. once more on his knees. The station crowd
+was small compared with that previous crowd. Again we had a slight
+adventure with our luggage, and began to fear in earnest that we and it
+should never reach Barcelona together. They refused to register or have
+anything to do with it; luggage was never booked to Gerona by the
+express. One other miserably slow train left in the early morning, and
+the officials calmly intimated that we might wait for it.
+
+But a worm will turn, and we felt the law must be taken into our own
+hands. We bade the omnibus conductor leave at his peril, made him carry
+our baggage through the buffet to the platform, and when the train
+arrived, the whole, great and small, was put into a carriage. Then we
+followed and mounted guard. The inspector came up and demanded an
+explanation, upon which H. C. put on his Napoleon air and shouldered his
+umbrella. He looked so much in earnest that the inspector quailed,
+bowed, withdrew, and gave a hasty signal for departure. Away we steamed,
+masters of the situation.
+
+Then H. C.'s military aspect collapsed. He turned paler than usual.
+"What is it?" we asked; for his susceptible heart is subject to
+spasmodic attacks. The doctors declare they are functional and not
+organic, and will pass away with the emotional age. Lady Maria was once
+terribly frightened and sent post-haste for Sir William
+Broadbent--though he was not Sir William at that time. The report was
+encouraging, but Lady Maria had received a shock. "I am sure my dear
+nephew will never be fit for hard work in this world," she said; "he
+must be made independent of it." And forthwith she sent for her man of
+business, and altered the paltry £200 a year she had left him into four
+th----. Well, well; Lady Maria is still living, and nothing on earth,
+they say, is certain excepting death and quarter-day. "What is it, H.
+C.?" we asked. "Will you take a little of the century-old----"
+
+"No, no," he cried despondently. "I am only thinking that that inspector
+will be one too many for us. He looked revengeful. At Barcelona we
+shall find ourselves under arrest. Instead of a comfortable night at the
+Four Nations, we shall occupy a dark cell in the town prison."
+
+A gloomy prospect indeed--too terrible for reality.
+
+"Calm yourself," we replied. "You played your part too well just now.
+The inspector was really alarmed and glad to get rid of you at any
+price. If he pursued us with vengeance, we might turn up against him,
+like the eastern slippers. Depend upon it we have seen the last of him."
+
+We looked round comfortably upon our possessions. With nine points of
+the law on our side all must be well.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+A WORLD'S WONDER.
+
+     Barcelona--H. C.'s anxiety--Mutual salutes--Old
+     impressions--Disappointment--Familiar cries and
+     scenes--Flower-sellers--Perpetual summer--Commercial
+     element--Manchester of Spain--Surrounding country--Where care comes
+     not--Barcelonita--The quays--A land of corn and wine--Relaxing
+     air--Lovely ladies--Ancient element conspicuous by its
+     absence--Historical past--Great in the Middle Ages--Wise and
+     powerful--Commerce of the world--Wealth and learning--Waxes
+     voluptuous--Ferdinand and Isabella--Diplomatic but not
+     grateful--Brave and courageous--Fell before
+     Peterborough--Napoleon's treachery--Republican people--Prosperous
+     once more--Ecclesiastical treasures--Matchless
+     cathedral--Inspiration--Influence of the Moors--Work of Majorcan
+     architect--Dream world--Imposing scene.
+
+
+We made way without further let or hindrance, and about ten o'clock the
+train steamed into Barcelona. H. C. gazed out anxiously for a regiment
+of soldiers with drawn swords, and was relieved at seeing only the usual
+couple of policemen with guns and cocked hats, looking harmless and
+amiable. He smiled benignly, saluted, and they returned the compliment.
+
+Our hearts beat quicker as we found ourselves in presence of familiar
+haunts. The very name conjured up a thousand scenes and pictures, every
+one of them a delightful recollection. From its fair port we had more
+than once sailed in days gone by for our beloved Majorca, loveliest of
+islands. Here we had spent days of pleasant expectation, waiting for the
+island steamer; more than once had returned with a cargo of Majorcan
+pigs, and after a tug-of-war seen some of the obstinate animals landed
+at last without their tails. Arriving from the sea was a far pleasanter
+way of gaining a first impression. The coast views are very fine.
+Approaching the harbour, church turrets and towers are outlined against
+the transparent sky. Passing between low reaches, the immense fortress
+of Montjuich, nearly a thousand feet high, rises like an impregnable
+rock defying the world.
+
+Approaching to-night by train was less exciting and romantic. Still it
+was Barcelona, and the porters calling out the syllables in their soft
+Spanish set our heart beating.
+
+It was a certain disappointment to find our favourite Four Nations--at
+that time one of the best hotels in Spain--closed. We had to put up with
+the Falcon, not by any means the same thing. It is pleasant to return to
+familiar quarters and people who welcome you as old habitués. The
+atmosphere of the Falcon was also more commercial and had no repose
+about it. Yet it was on the Rambla, and the next morning we awoke to the
+well-known cries of Barcelona, the old familiar scene.
+
+A very Spanish scene, with its broad imposing thoroughfare and double
+row of well-grown trees rustling in the wind, glinting in the sunshine,
+filling the air with music and flashes of light. As the morning went on,
+the broad road became more crowded. Stretching far down, under the
+trees, were flower-stalls full of lovely blossoms. Roses, violets and
+hyacinths scented the air. It was delightful to see such profusion in
+November; to find blue skies and balmy airs rivalling the flowers. This
+land of perpetual summer is highly favoured. If a cold wind arises,
+turning the skies to winter, it is only for a short interval. Though it
+be December, summer soon returns, and the sunny clime is all the
+lovelier by contrast.
+
+Like the Hôtel Falcon, the element of Barcelona is, we have said,
+commercial. It is perhaps the most flourishing and enterprising of all
+the towns of Spain. There are immense ship-building yards, and all sorts
+of ironwork is made, but the town itself has no sign or sound of
+manufacturing. It has been called the Manchester of Spain, yet its skies
+are for ever blue, the air is clear and untainted: a peculiar brilliancy
+and splendour of atmosphere not often met with even in the sunny South.
+
+The country for many miles around is beautiful and undulating; beyond
+the immediate hills it has often a wild and savage grandeur that
+sometimes reaches the sublime. Year by year the town grows in extent.
+Well-organised tramways carry you to and fro through endless
+thoroughfares. The richer merchants have built themselves streets of
+palatial residences that stretch away into suburbs. Few cities are so
+brilliantly lighted. If Spain is a poor country, Barcelona seems to have
+escaped the evil. There is animation about it, perpetual movement, a
+quiet activity. For it is quiet with all its business and energy, and so
+far has the advantage over Madrid, where the commercial element was less
+evident but the noise infinitely greater. There people seemed to like
+sound for its own sake. In Barcelona they were intent upon making money,
+and as far as one can see, gained their object. Everything prospered. It
+was delightful to go down to the fine harbour and watch the vessels
+loading and unloading, the flags of all nations vividly contrasting with
+the brilliant blue sky as they flashed and fluttered in the wind. The
+port is magnificent. Its waters are blue as the heaven above them, and a
+myriad sun-gleams light up its surface. Nothing can be more exhilarating
+and picturesque. The faintest outline of a ship possesses a nameless
+charm; suggests freedom, wide seas, infinite space: speaks of
+enterprise, danger, and courage, yet is an emblem of absolute repose;
+hours and days and weeks where the world cannot reach you, and its cares
+and worries are non-existent.
+
+Nowhere is the element found under more favourable conditions than in
+Barcelona. Few harbours are so well placed. Climb the heights for a
+bird's-eye view of the port, and the scene is enchanting. Low-lying
+shores undulate towards the mouth of the harbour; green pastures,
+glittering sandhills, the blue flashing sea stretch beyond. If your
+vision could carry so far, you might gaze upon the lovely Island of
+Majorca, rising like a faultless gem out of its deep blue setting of the
+Levant. Nothing meets the eye but the broad line of the horizon, broken
+here and there by a passing vessel.
+
+[Illustration: THE RAMBLA: BARCELONA.]
+
+On the other side the water, beyond the shipping, lies a small new
+settlement of houses called Barcelonita. It is not aristocratic and is
+the laundry of the mother town, where dwell the ladies who undertake to
+rapidly bleach and destroy one's linen with unrighteous chemicals, and
+have earned for Barcelona an unenviable reputation. Ship-builders and
+fishermen alone dispute the right of way with these women of the
+wash-tub. Turning back to the town, the broad thoroughfare running down
+a portion of the quays is lined with magnificent palms, giving it an
+almost Oriental aspect. At one end rises a monument to Columbus; at the
+other an enormous triumphal arch, combining the Oriental with the
+classical; the former quite the pleasanter. Everything bears witness to
+the well-being of Barcelona. Its quays are lined with bales of goods.
+Men keep tally with the monotonous sing-song one knows so well. Boxes of
+oranges betray themselves by their exquisite perfume, and the whole year
+round brings a succession of fruits. In this lovely climate the earth is
+abundantly productive. It is a land of corn and wine; the warm days of
+winter more beautiful than those of summer.
+
+Of Barcelona this is especially true. Its climate seemed more relaxing
+than that of any other Spanish town. Even Valencia, so much farther
+south, appeared less enervating. Long walks were out of the question.
+All one could do was to hire one of the open carriages and drive lazily
+about: a luxury obtained at a trifling cost. But vehicles and drivers
+hardly seemed to share in the general prosperity; both appeared equally
+shabby, worn-out and antediluvian. Their horses looked no less forlorn.
+
+In the afternoons the Rambla was crowded with people, strolling to and
+fro under the shadow of the trees. All the town seemed to close ledgers,
+lock up counting-houses, and turn to the very innocent pleasure of
+taking the air.
+
+Ladies appeared with mantillas and fans; the younger women here as in
+Madrid using a distinct language of fan and eye. Large, softly flashing
+eyes, full of expression for the most part. H. C.'s susceptible heart
+had no chance of repose. His dreams were feverish and disturbed by
+night; his leisure moments by day devoted to love-sonnets. These lovely
+ladies in their first youth are certainly very captivating and poetical;
+and a slight touch of the voluptuous, _dolce far niente_ element is a
+distinct characteristic of their subtle grace and charm.
+
+In the afternoons, if the Rambla gained a charm it also lost one. The
+flower-stalls disappeared with their picturesque and pretty
+flower-sellers. Empty spaces remained, looking forlorn and neglected.
+Great masses of blossom that delighted the eye and scented the early
+morning were no more. Here the red and white camellias flourish in the
+open air, but are by no means given away, as they were almost given away
+in Valencia. Barcelona has its price for flowers as for everything else.
+
+All this, the reader will say, belongs to the modern element. The
+splendid outlines of Gerona; the old-world houses, with their ancient
+ironwork and Gothic windows; the Anselmos, Rosalies, Delormais' of
+Barcelona--where were they?
+
+Conspicuous by their absence. With the exception of a few narrow
+tortuous streets, Barcelona is essentially modern. Even these
+picturesque thoroughfares are distinguished by discomfort, a shabby air,
+and little beauty of outline. In the Rambla you might almost fancy
+yourself on a Paris boulevard. Barcelona has increased so rapidly that
+all the new part, including the rich suburb of Gracia--its West-End--is
+twice as large as the old. All its great buildings are modern; and
+modern, though specially bright and engaging, is the scene of its port
+and harbour.
+
+Yet with few vestiges of age, Barcelona has an historical past. In both
+a religious and military sense, she has played her part in the annals of
+Spain. More than one document in the archives of Samancas holds records
+to her honour and glory.
+
+Her days are said to go back to four centuries before Rome, and
+tradition credits Hercules with her foundation. Two hundred years later,
+under the Romans, it became a city, and about the year 400 A.D. began to
+prosper. Tarragona was the capital when the Moors destroyed it, and
+Barcelona, wise in its generation, yielded to the conquerors and
+succeeded as chief town. In the ninth century it was ruled by a
+Christian chief of its own under the title of Count of Barcelona, merged
+later on into that of King of Aragon.
+
+But it was in the Middle Ages that Barcelona was great, and these Middle
+Ages have left their mark on her ecclesiastical history. Powerful, she
+used her power well; rich, she spent wisely.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF CORO, GERONA CATHEDRAL.]
+
+At that time, she divided with Italy the commerce of the East,
+practically the commerce of the world. She was the terror of the
+Mediterranean. Trade was her sheet-anchor. The Castilians held trade in
+contempt, and suffered in consequence; Barcelona, proud of her commerce,
+flourished. Her name was great in Europe. The city became famous for
+wealth and learning, a rendezvous of kings, the resort of fashion,
+voluptuous in its tastes. Ferdinand and Isabella especially loved it,
+though self-indulgence played little part in their lives. Here in 1493
+they received Columbus after his famous voyage of discovery.
+
+Yet this very connection with Castile led to the decline of Barcelona.
+In her policy she has never been consistent, otherwise than consistently
+selfish. Now and then, to keep up her prestige, she has claimed the aid
+of a foreign power, only to throw it off when her turn was served.
+Diplomacy, but not gratitude, has been her strong point--and sometimes
+she has overreached herself.
+
+Nevertheless, as we have said, there are passages in her history of
+which she may be proud. She behaved bravely, but suffered, at the time
+Marlborough was gaining his victories elsewhere, when she had to fight
+Spain and France single-handed--for Barcelona, it will be remembered,
+formed part of an independent kingdom. Louis XIV. sent Berwick with
+40,000 men to the rescue of Philip V., and an English fleet under
+Wishart blockaded them. Against this formidable array, Barcelona acted
+with courage, but the foe was strong. She fell; was sacked, burnt, and
+lost her privileges. In the War of Succession, in 1795, her almost
+impregnable fort was taken by Lord Peterborough--one of the great
+captures of modern times. But she arose again and kept her prosperity
+until Napoleon obtained possession of her by treachery in 1808, when
+Duhesme, entering with 11,000 men as a pretended ally, took the Citadel.
+Napoleon looked upon Barcelona as the key of Spain, and considered it
+practically impregnable.
+
+Of the beauty of her site there can be only one opinion, but she is, and
+always has been, very Republican. That her people are noisy, turbulent,
+riotous, they have clearly shown of late years. In any revolt she would
+be ready to take the lead. Should the kingly power ever fall in Spain,
+Barcelona will be amongst the first to hoist the red flag. Though no
+longer the terror of the Mediterranean, she seems to have regained more
+than her former prosperity, and on a safer basis than of old. In 1868
+one of the last vestiges of antiquity--the town walls--disappeared to
+make way for the modern element.
+
+But if the streets of Barcelona are modern, and to some extent
+uninteresting, the same cannot be said of her churches. She is rich in
+ecclesiastical treasures. Catalonia has a style of architecture as
+marked as it is pre-eminently her own. If her churches are less
+magnificent and extensive than those of other countries, in some points
+they are more beautiful.
+
+We have referred to one of these points--the extreme width of the
+interiors. This, however, is not a feature in Barcelona, though in both
+height and breadth it is splendidly proportioned. In effect, tone and
+feeling, we place this cathedral before all others whether in Spain or
+elsewhere. Beauty and refinement, the repose of a dim religious light,
+softness and perfection of colouring, these merits cannot be surpassed.
+Crowded with detail, it is so admirably designed that perfect harmony
+exists. Every succeeding hour spent within its walls seems to bring to
+light some new and unexpected feature. Day after day admiration
+increases, and wonder and surprise; and many visits are needed before
+its infinite beauties can be appreciated.
+
+From the moment of entering you are charmed beyond all words. Here is a
+building no human mind could plan or human hands have raised. Never
+other building suggested this. However great the admiration--from St.
+Peter's at Rome, largest in the world, to Westminster Abbey, one of the
+most exquisite--nothing seems beyond man's power to accomplish.
+Barcelona alone strikes one as a dream-vision enchanted into shape and
+substance, possessing something of the supernatural, and is full of a
+sense of mystery. A faint light softens all outlines; half-concealed
+recesses meet the eye on every hand; mysterious depths lurk in the
+galleries over the side chapels. Sight gradually penetrates the darkness
+only to discover some new and beautiful work. Not very large, it is so
+perfectly proportioned that the effect is of infinitely greater space.
+Not a detail would one alter or single outline modify.
+
+[Illustration: PULPIT AND STALLS, BARCELONA CATHEDRAL.]
+
+Some of its coloured windows are amongst the loveliest and richest in
+the world. Rainbow shafts fall across pillars and arches. We are in Eden
+and this is its sacred fane. The whole building is an inspiration.
+
+It is cruciform, and stands on the site of an ancient Pagan temple.
+This, in 1058, gave place to the first Christian church, very little of
+which now remains. Converted into a mosque, it ceased to be Christian
+during the reign of that wonderful people, the Moors--wonderful
+throughout their long career, and falling at last, like Rome, by a fatal
+luxury. The more one sees their traces and remains, the more their
+strength is confirmed. Their influence upon Spain was inestimable. In
+all they did a certain religious element is apparent, not an element of
+barbaric worship, but of cultivation and reverence. Strange they should
+have hated the Christians, failing to realise an influence that was
+gradually changing the face of the earth.
+
+In Spain their history runs side by side with that of the Christians,
+yet they were so divided that nothing done by the one was right in the
+sight of the other. So each kept its school jealously separate, to our
+endless gain. The very name of Moorish architecture quickens the pulse,
+conjuring visions that appeal to all one's imagination and sense of
+beauty. Intellectually they were more advanced. The rough and warlike
+Christians had not the nervous development of the Moors, who were
+learned in the arts and sciences; possessed the traditions of centuries;
+had ruled the fortunes of the world. Christianity had to triumph in the
+end; but for long the Moors were powerful and supreme.
+
+Barcelona Cathedral was commenced at the end of the thirteenth century,
+in the year 1298, and carried on through a great part of the fourteenth.
+It seems to have been the work of Jayme Fabre, who was summoned over
+from Palma de Mallorca by the King of Aragon and the reigning bishop,
+and designed and for many years superintended the work. To him is due
+the chief credit of this world's wonder, to Mallorca the honour of
+producing him.
+
+Nearly the whole merit lies in the interior, and the exterior is of
+little value. Its poor and modern west front opens to a square, but the
+remainder is so surrounded by buildings and houses that it is difficult
+to see any part of it. The octagonal steeples are plain below the
+belfry; but the upper stages, pierced and beautiful, are finished off by
+pierced parapets. Some of the windows are richly moulded. The small
+flying buttresses are not effective. The east end is the best part, with
+its Gothic windows and fine tracery, though otherwise severely simple.
+Here the upper part of the buttresses have been destroyed, and the walls
+ending without roof or parapet give it a half-ruinous appearance.
+
+The interior has an aisle and chapels around the apse, following the
+French rather than the Spanish school. The details, however, are
+entirely Catalonian. The arches are narrow, but extremely beautiful. The
+capitals of the fluted pillars are small, delicate, and refined, and the
+groining of the roof is carried up in exquisite lines. Beyond the main
+arches is a small arcaded triforium, and above this a circular window to
+each bay.
+
+The dark stone is rich, solemn and magnificent in effect. Owing to the
+clever placing of the windows and the prevalence of stained glass, a
+semi-obscurity for ever reigns: not so great as that of Gerona, but so
+far dim and religious that only when the sun is full on the south
+windows can many of the details be seen.
+
+The Coro, forming part of the plan of the building, is less aggressive
+than in many of the Spanish cathedrals. The stalls are of great delicacy
+and refinement; the Bishop's throne, which has been compared to that of
+Winchester, is large and magnificent, taking its proper position at the
+east end of the choir. The pulpit at the north corner, and the staircase
+leading to it, are marvels of exquisite wood-carving and rare old
+ironwork. The canopies are delicately wrought, and the _misereres_
+ornamented with fine foliage. Upwards, the eye is arrested by the beauty
+of the surrounding fluted pillars, on which rest the main arches of the
+nave. These cut and intersect the pointed arches of the deep galleries
+beyond, placed above the side chapels, of which there are an immense
+number. Turn which way you will, it is nothing but a long view of
+receding aisles, arches, and columns free or partly hidden by some
+lovely pillar; windows of the deepest, richest colours ever seen;
+mysterious recesses where daylight never penetrates; a subdued tone of
+infinite refinement; a solemn repose and sense of unbroken harmony.
+
+[Illustration: TWILIGHT IN BARCELONA CATHEDRAL]
+
+A little to the right the eye rests on the great organ, filling up one
+of the deep dark galleries. Its immense swinging shutters are open,
+exposing silvery pipes. The organist is at his post, but only for
+recreation, for it is not the hour of service. Soft, sweet music
+breathes and vibrates through the aisles, dies away in dim recesses,
+floats out of existence in the high vaulting of the roof; but the sense
+of repose is never disturbed. Sitting in a quiet corner of the stalls,
+amidst all this beauty of tone and outline, one feels in Paradise.
+
+But the charm of charms lies in the octagonal lantern at the west end,
+and here Barcelona stands unrivalled.
+
+This crowning glory is of extreme richness yet delicacy of detail.
+Looking upwards and catching all the infinite combinations of arches and
+angles--the bold piers resting on square outlines--the marvellous
+cuttings and intersectings--the purity yet simplicity of design--the dim
+religious light in which all is so mysteriously veiled--the few beams of
+light cunningly admitted at the extreme summit--observing this, one is
+lost in silent wonder. It seems almost as difficult to penetrate into
+the beauty and mystery of this lantern as into heaven itself. And we ask
+ourselves again and again if the world contains a more exquisite
+dream-building than this.
+
+Well do we remember the first time we saw this lantern and its imposing
+accompaniment.
+
+A state council was being held in the church. Immediately beneath it sat
+the clergy; Bishop, Dean, and Canons in gorgeous vestments. One carried
+a Cardinal's hat, whose thin inscrutable face reminded us a little of
+Antonelli, that man of influence and mystery, whom none understood, and
+whose greatest schemes and ambitions were not destined to succeed. Many
+were dressed in purple and fine linen; not a few looked as though they
+fared sumptuously. Their actions were grave and solemn. Something
+weighty and momentous as the election of a new pope or the founding of a
+new religion, might have been under discussion. In reality, it was the
+choice of a new canon. One or two possessed refined, intellectual
+faces, but the greater number were not born to be leaders of men. The
+gravity of the occasion, perfect outlines of the building, splendour of
+the vestments, all the pomp and ceremony with which, at last, they broke
+up the assembly; the veneration paid to the old Bishop and he of the
+crimson hat; the solemn procession filing down the aisle and through the
+cloisters to the Bishop's palace--this remains in the memory as an
+impressively splendid picture. Fifteen years have gone by since that
+day, but we see it as vividly before us as though it had been but
+yesterday.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+IN THE CLOISTERS OF SAN PABLO.
+
+     In the cloisters--Sacred geese--Bishop's palace--House of the
+     Inquisition--Striking quadrangles--_Ajimez_ windows--A rare
+     cloister--Desecration--Library--Rare MSS.--Polite
+     librarian--Romantic atmosphere--Santa Maria del Mar--Cloisters of
+     Santa Anna--Sister of Mercy--San Pablo del Campo--More dream
+     cloisters--Communing with ghosts and shadows--Spring and
+     winter--Constant visitor--Centenarian--Chief architect--Cathedrals
+     of Catalonia--Barbarous town-council--Hard fight and
+     victory--Failing vision--Emblems of death--Laid aside--Wholesome
+     lessons--Placing the keystone--Finis--_Resurgam_--Charmed
+     hour--Possessing the soul in patience--City of Refuge.
+
+
+Every succeeding visit to Barcelona has confirmed our love and reverence
+for its cathedral. Toledo, Burgos and all the greater cathedrals pale
+before the charm of its rare beauty and refined splendour.
+
+It could only be that such a cathedral had corresponding cloisters, and
+passing through the south doorway, we accordingly found ourselves in
+another old-world dream; but with the blue sky for canopy, and with no
+mysterious recesses or hidden depths.
+
+Exception has been taken to the detail of the cloisters, but as a whole
+they are amongst the most effective in existence. Gothic arches, large
+and beautiful, rested upon fluted pillars whose capitals very much
+resemble those of the interior; an enchanted land and an architectural
+revelation. The garden was full of orange trees and flowers not too
+carefully tended, so that a certain wild beauty, all the contrast of the
+green with the ancient stone and wonderful outlines, charmed the vision.
+Plashing fountains caught the sunbeams and threw rainbow drops into the
+air.
+
+In a corner of the enclosure behind the iron railings some sacred geese
+intruded upon the sanctity of the precincts. The piety of these ungainly
+birds had to be taken for granted. They were aggressive, and hissed if
+only one ventured to look at them. Nothing could be more strangely out
+of place in a scene so beautiful and full of repose, and for which with
+all their sacredness they evidently had no veneration. Life passed
+lazily; they grew monstrously fat, and we wondered if at a certain age
+they disappeared for the benefit of the Bishop's table: other geese
+taking their place in the cloistered garden. No one could tell us
+anything about them, but the people seemed to think them indispensable
+to the welfare of the town.
+
+Here we found the best view of the exterior. Through lovely and graceful
+arches which framed in the picture, one caught the pointed windows of
+the nave with their rich tracery, above which rose the decorated
+belfries with pierced parapets.
+
+But the immediate surroundings were also exceptionally interesting.
+South of the cloister is the Bishop's palace, with a quadrangle
+ornamented with some fine Romanesque arcading and moulding. North, is an
+immense fifteenth-century barrack built for a palace, and given over to
+the Secret Inquisition by the Catholic monarchs. The Casa Consistorial
+and Casa de la Disputacion, though much altered, retain splendid traces
+of fourteenth-century work. The quadrangles are striking, though one has
+been much spoilt; and the _ajimez_ windows with their slender columns,
+capitals and arches are full of grace.
+
+Seeing an open doorway close to the cathedral, we had the curiosity to
+enter, and found ourselves in a wonderful little cloister, half sacred,
+half secular, its ancient walls grey and lichen-stained. In the centre
+grew a tall palm-tree whose graceful fronds seemed to caress and curve
+and blend with the Gothic outlines that charmed one back to the days of
+the Middle Ages. A crumbling staircase, old and beautiful, led to the
+upper gallery, where open windows with rare Gothic mouldings and
+ornamentation invited one to enter into silent, empty, but strangely
+quaint rooms. As we looked, two women approached the wonderful old
+fountain in the centre with its splendid carvings, and filled their
+picturesque pitchers. The cloisters were in the hands of workmen. We
+asked a reason, and found that a new tenant, objecting to the refined
+atmosphere of time's lovely ravages, was scouring, cleaning, and
+polishing up the general effect. One shed tears at the desecration.
+
+[Illustration: SMALL CLOISTER OR PATIO: BARCELONA.]
+
+Still nearer the cathedral is the Library, with its ancient picturesque
+_patio_, and the most striking roof and staircase in Barcelona. The
+library is rich in volumes and MSS., containing amongst much that is
+interesting all the archives of the kingdom of Aragon. Amidst other
+records will be found those of Catherine, who was bold enough to place
+her hand--and head--at the disposal of Henry of England. The chief
+librarian conducted us over the whole building, and most kindly and
+patiently showed everything worthy of note, dwelling humorously upon
+passages in records that in any way referred to Great Britain.
+
+[Illustration: CLOISTERS OF SANTA ANNA: BARCELONA.]
+
+In such an atmosphere we lost sight of the Barcelona of to-day. It
+became ancient, ecclesiastical, historical, learned and romantic. Here
+we returned to scenes and influences of the Middle Ages. And here,
+within a narrow circle, this "Manchester of Spain" is one of the most
+absorbing towns in the world.
+
+But the ecclesiastical merit of Barcelona is not confined to the
+cathedral. Though some of her best and most ancient churches have
+disappeared, others remain. Amongst the foremost is Santa Maria del Mar,
+taking rank after the mother church. A vast building, simple to a fault;
+cold, formal and severe, though architecturally correct; the interior
+hard and repelling, without sense of mystery or feeling of devotion. Yet
+it has been much praised; even to comparison with the Cathedral of
+Palma, and is said to be the work of the same architect; but Palma with
+all its simplicity is full of dignity and grandeur. The west front of
+Santa Maria is its best feature. The central doorway is fine, but the
+rose window above is hard and German in tracery, therefore has little
+beauty, and is of later date than the church.
+
+Not far from here, in the narrowest of narrow streets, beyond an obscure
+archway we found the small church of Santa Anna, interesting by reason
+of its cloisters with their pointed arches springing from delicately
+carved capitals that rested upon slender, graceful shafts; a vision of
+refined beauty. In the centre grew a wild and lovely garden. Spain is
+undoubtedly the land of cloisters, loveliest in existence; and Barcelona
+is especially rich in them. As we looked, a Sister of Mercy passed
+through on some errand of charity. We thought of Rosalie, only to be
+more certain than ever that there was but one Rosalie in the world.
+
+Yet more marvellous was a still smaller church of extreme interest and
+antiquity; San Pablo del Campo, formerly a Benedictine convent of some
+renown, said to have been founded in the tenth century by Wilfred II.,
+Count of Barcelona. In the twelfth century it was incorporated with the
+convent of San Cucufate del Vallés, a few miles from Barcelona, of which
+the interesting church and cloister still exist.
+
+This remarkable San Pablo is extremely small, and cruciform, with three
+apses, a short nave and an octagonal vault over the crossing. It is
+solidly and roughly built, and until recently possessed every aspect of
+antiquity. All this will probably now disappear, for it has been given
+over to the workmen to be restored and ruined, and the work will be done
+to perfection.
+
+[Illustration: CLOISTERS OF SAN PABLO: BARCELONA.]
+
+So with the west front. With the exception of the circular window over
+the striking Romanesque doorway, one feels in presence of the remote
+ages; but the window rather spoils an otherwise admirable effect. By
+this time it has no doubt shared the fate of the interior; when we were
+there it was still a glorious dream of the past.
+
+Yet more dreamlike were the small cloisters. In point of tone and
+atmosphere we might have almost been in the early ages of the world. No
+one had thought it worth while to interfere with this little old-world
+building, buried in solitude by surrounding houses. The obscurity
+reigning even at mid-day was never designed by its architect. No one
+would dream that in this little corner, unknown, unvisited, exists a gem
+of the first water and great antiquity; dating probably from the
+eleventh century.
+
+It was a very small cloister, having only four arches on each side
+divided by a buttress in the centre. The arches were trefoil-headed,
+separated by double shafts and the capitals were richly carved. In the
+north wall a fine fourteenth-century doorway admitted into the church,
+and in the east wall of the cloister an equally fine doorway led to the
+fourteenth-century chapter-house. Everything was complete on a small
+scale.
+
+It was solemn and imposing to the last degree; an effect of age and
+decay so perfect that we seemed to meet face to face with the dead past.
+To enter these little cloisters was to commune with ghosts and shadows.
+If ever they lurked anywhere on earth, here they must be found. We were
+infinitely charmed with their tone. In spite of surrounding
+houses--where dead walls were seen--a tomb-like silence reigned. We
+looked at the small neglected enclosure, where the hand and foot of man
+might not have intruded for ages, and almost expected to see rising from
+their graves the dead who had possibly lain there for eight centuries.
+The stones were stained with damp and the lapse of time; wild unsightly
+weeds grew amongst them; but nothing stirred.
+
+As we looked, lost in the past, we became aware that we were not alone.
+
+Entering the small cloister was an aged man with long white hair and a
+long grey beard, half-led by a small child of some eight or nine
+summers. He might have been one of the patriarchs come back to earth,
+and seemed venerable as the cloister themselves. More fitting subject
+for such surroundings could not exist. His movements were slow and
+deliberate, as though for him time's hour-glass had ceased to run. The
+child seemed to have learned to restrain its youthful ardour; gazed up
+into the old man's face with fearless affection, and appeared to watch
+his will and pleasure. A lovely child, with blue eyes and fair hair, who
+might belong to Andalusia, or possibly a northern province of Europe.
+
+"Spring and winter," said H. C., looking at this strange advancing pair.
+
+"Or life and death; for surely they are fitting emblems? Who can they
+be, and what do they want in this forsaken spot?"
+
+The child said something to the aged man and motioned towards us. He
+paused a moment as though in doubt, then approached yet nearer.
+
+"I am your humble servant, gentlemen," he said, with something of
+courtliness in his manner. "It is seldom any one shares with me the
+solitude of these cloisters."
+
+"You are then in the habit of coming here?" returning his salutation.
+
+"For many years I have paid them an almost daily visit," was the reply.
+"I live not very far off, and they speak to me of the past. A long past,
+sirs, for I am old. I have no need to tell you that. You see it in my
+face, hear it in my voice. In three years I shall be a centenarian, if
+Heaven spares me as long. I do not desire it. A man of ninety-seven has
+almost ceased to live. He is a burden to himself, a trouble to others. I
+was once chief architect of this city, and many of the more modern
+buildings that your eyes have rested upon are due to me. In my younger
+days I had a boundless love for the work of the ancients. Gothic and
+Norman delighted me. Half my leisure moments were spent in our wonderful
+cathedral, absorbing its influence. Ah, sirs, the cathedrals of
+Catalonia are the glories of Spain. I dreamt of reproducing such
+buildings; but we are in the hands of town committees who are vandals in
+these matters. Fifty years ago--half a century this very month--the
+destruction of this church and these cloisters was taken into
+consideration. They wanted to pull down one of the glories of Barcelona
+and build up a modern church and school. I was to be the architect of
+this barbarous proceeding. It happened that this was one of my most
+loved haunts. Here I would frequently pace the solitary cloisters,
+thinking over my plans and designs, trying to draw wholesome inspiration
+from these matchless outlines. I was horrified at the sacrilege, though
+it was to be to my profit. I fought valiantly and long; would not yield
+an inch; pleaded earnestly; and at last persuaded. The idea was
+abandoned. That you are able to stand and gaze to-day upon this marvel
+is due to me. Ever since then I have looked upon it as my own peculiar
+possession. Day after day I pay them a visit. My failing sight now only
+discerns vague and shadowy outlines. It is enough. Shadowy as they are,
+their beauty is ever present. What I fail to see, memory, those eyes of
+the brain, supplies. Rarely in my daily visits do I find any one here.
+Few people seem to understand or appreciate the beauty of these
+cloisters. They are like a hermit in the desert, living apart from the
+world. But here it is a desert of houses that surrounds them. Like
+myself, they are an emblem of death in life."
+
+We started at this echo of our own words. Could his sense of hearing be
+unduly awakened? Or was the emblem so fitting as to be self-evident?
+
+"You have long ceased to labour?" we observed, for want of a better
+reply to his too obvious comparison.
+
+"For five-and-twenty years my life has been one of leisure and repose,"
+he answered. "It has gone against the grain. I was not made for
+idleness. But when I was seventy-two years old, cataract overtook me. A
+successful operation restored my sight, but the doctors warned me that
+if I would keep it, all work must be abandoned. Since then I have more
+or less cumbered the ground. But for many friends who are good to me,
+life would be intolerable. Heaven blessed my labours, and gave me a
+frugal wife; I have all the comforts I need and more blessings than I
+deserve. This child is my favourite little great-granddaughter, and is
+often my charming companion to these cloisters. A dreary scene,
+gentlemen, for a child of tender years, but they read a solemn and
+wholesome lesson. Unconsciously she imbibes their influence. They tell
+her, as I do, that life is not all pleasure; that as these ancient
+architects left beautiful traces and outlines behind them, so we must
+build up our lives stage by stage, taking care that the outlines shall
+be true and straight, the imperishable record pure and beautiful. For
+every one of us comes the placing of the keystone, with its momentous
+_Finis_. But, blessed be Heaven, as surely beneath it appears the
+promised _Resurgam_."
+
+We walked round the cloisters together, and for a full hour this
+patriarch, with the support of our arm, charmed us with reminiscences of
+Barcelona, descriptions of the lovely monuments of Spain he had visited
+in the course of his long life. In spite of his years, his memory still
+seemed keen and vivid, his mind clear. He had not passed into that
+saddest of conditions a mental wreck.
+
+"And I pray Heaven to call me hence ere such a fate overtake me," he
+said, in answer to our remark upon his admirable recollection. "Whilst
+memory lasts and friends are kind, life may be endured. I possess my
+soul in patience."
+
+We parted and went our several ways, leaving the little cloisters to
+solitude and the ghosts that haunted them. The streets of Barcelona
+grated upon us after our late encounter. It was returning to very
+ordinary life after the refined and delightful atmosphere of the past
+ages. We crossed the Rambla, and entering a side street quickly reached
+the cathedral, which became more and more a world's wonder and glory as
+we grew familiar with it, an unspeakable delight. In this little City of
+Refuge we again for a time lost ourselves in celestial visions. In this
+inspired atmosphere all earthly influences and considerations fell away;
+sorrow and sighing were non-existent: a millennium of happiness reigned,
+where all was piety and all was peace.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+MONTSERRAT.
+
+     Early rising--Imp of darkness--Death warrant--The men who
+     fail--Ranges of Montserrat--Sabadell--Labour and romance--The
+     Llobregat--Monistrol--Summer resort--Sleeping village--Empty
+     letter-bags--Ascending--Splendid view--Romantic element--Charms of
+     antiquity--Human interests--Mons Serratus--A man of
+     letters--_Solitude à deux_--Fellow travellers--Substantial
+     lady-merchant--Resignation--Military policeman--"Nameless here for
+     evermore"--Round man in square hole--Romantic history--_Cherchez la
+     femme_--Woman a divinity--Good name the best inheritance--No
+     fighting against the stars--Fascinations of astrology--Love and
+     fortune--Too good to last--Taste for pleasure--Ruin--Sad end--Truth
+     reasserts itself--Fortune smiles again--Ceylon--Philosophical in
+     misfortune--A windfall--Approaching Montserrat--Paradise of the
+     monks--Romance and beauty--New order of things--Gipsy encampment.
+
+
+We rose early one morning for the purpose of visiting Montserrat the
+sublime, the magnificent, and the romantic.
+
+Early as it was, Barcelona was by no means in a state of repose. Many of
+its people never seemed to go to bed at all, and some of its shops never
+closed. If we looked out upon the world at midnight, at three in the
+morning, or at five, Bodegas selling wine and bread were open to
+customers. The Rambla was never quite deserted. Before daylight trams
+began to run to and fro; the street cries soon swelled to a chorus.
+
+Early rising is not always agreeable when wandering about the world in
+search of the picturesque. Perhaps you have gone to bed late overnight,
+tired out with running to and fro. Energy is only half-restored when an
+imp of darkness enters, lights your candles, and pronounces a
+death-warrant. "It is five o'clock, señor. Those who wish to catch the
+train must get up."
+
+You think it only five minutes since you fell asleep. "Two o'clock, not
+five," cries a drowsy voice. "You have waked me too soon."
+
+"As you please, señor. Not for me to contradict you."
+
+The imp retires. If, like Mrs. Major O'Dowd, you carry a _repater_, you
+strike it. Five o'clock, sure enough, and ten minutes towards six.
+Nothing for it but to yield. Not as a certain friend who once bribed
+another imp of darkness with half-a-crown to wake him at five o'clock.
+The half-crown was duly earned. "Another half-crown if you let me sleep
+on until eight," cried the sluggard. The imp disappeared like a flash,
+and a gold mine was lost through an appointment. Of such are the men who
+fail.
+
+We came down and found the hotel in the usual state of early-morning
+discomfort--doors and windows all open, a general sweeping and
+uprooting, sleepy servants, a feeling that you are in every one's way
+and every one is in yours. Breakfast was out of the question, but tea
+was forthcoming. The omnibus rattled up.
+
+"Take your great-coats," said the landlord, who set others the example
+of rising early. "You will find it cold in the mountains of Montserrat,
+especially if you remain all night to see the sun rise."
+
+He forgot that we were not chilly Spaniards. Our imp of darkness,
+however, who stood by, disappeared in a twinkling and returned with the
+coats. The landlord--a very different and less interesting man than our
+host of Gerona--wished us a pleasant journey, closed the door, and away
+we went under the influence of a glorious morning. The sun shone
+brilliantly, everything favoured us.
+
+After some ten miles of rail the wonderful ranges of Montserrat began to
+show up faint and indistinct, with their sharp outlines and mighty
+peaks. In the wide plains below cultivated fields and flowing
+undulations abounded. Sabadell, the midway station, proved a true
+Catalonian manufacturing town, but very different from an English town
+of the same nature. No smoke, no blackness of darkness, no pallid
+sorrowful faces. Under these blue skies and brilliant sunshine the
+abundant signs of work and animation almost added a charm to the scene.
+To those who delight in labour, life here is a combination of romance
+and reality--a state of things wholesome and to be desired.
+
+We looked down upon many a valley well-wooded with small oaks, pines and
+olive trees, many a hill-slope covered with vines. Approaching the
+mountains of Montserrat, their savage and appalling grandeur became more
+evident. The monastery was seen high up, reposing on a gigantic plateau
+with its small settlement of dependencies. Villages were scattered over
+the plain, through which the river Llobregat took its winding way.
+
+The train drew up at Monistrol. Here we left the main line for the small
+railway which winds up into the mountains. Not being a crowded time of
+year, the train consisted of two carriages only, with an engine pushing
+up behind. The outer carriage was open, and here we took seats, the
+better to survey nature.
+
+We were high above the plains; the train had to descend into the valley,
+then re-ascend into the mountains. Far down was the little town of
+Monistrol, with its white houses. The river rushed and frothed over its
+weir, spanned by a picturesque stone bridge of many arches. As the train
+twisted and turned like a serpent, it seemed that we must every moment
+topple over into the seething foam, but nothing happened. Down, down we
+went, until we rolled over the bridge, felt the cool wind of the water
+upon our faces, and drew up at the little station amongst the white
+houses of the settlement.
+
+Here people from the hot towns spend the months of summer, exchanging in
+this hill-enclosed valley one species of confinement for another. It was
+the perfection of quiet life, no sound disturbing the air but the
+falling water. Not a soul was visible; the lifeless village, like Rip
+Van Winkle, seemed enjoying a long sleep. We might have been a phantom
+train in a phantom world. Though the train stopped at the little
+station, no one got in or out--no one but the postman, who silently
+exchanged attenuated letter-bags. Evidently the correspondence of this
+enchanted place was not extensive. Not here were wars planned or
+treaties signed.
+
+[Illustration: MONISTROL.]
+
+Away we went again and now began to ascend. Every moment widened our
+view and added to its splendour. Until recently all this had to be
+done by coach, a journey of many hours of courageous struggling. Now the
+whole thing is over in three-quarters of an hour, and it is good to feel
+that all the hard work is done mechanically. We had once gone through
+something similar in the Hex River Valley of South Africa, but in the
+Montserrat journey there was a more romantic element; the charm and
+glamour surrounding antiquity, the keen human interest attached to a
+religious institution dating from past ages. We easily traced the old
+zigzag carriage road up which horses had once toiled and struggled.
+Almost as zigzag was our present road, winding about like forked flashes
+of lightning.
+
+The scene was almost appalling. Before us the ponderous Mons Serratus,
+with all its cracks and fissures, ready to fall and reduce the earth to
+powder. Its sharp, fantastic peaks against the clear sky looked like the
+ruins of some mighty castle. The mountain rises four thousand feet high
+and is twenty-four miles in circumference--a grey, barren mass of
+tertiary conglomerate, an overwhelming amount of rock upon rock
+seemingly thrown and piled against each other. In all directions are
+enormous cañons and gorges with precipitous ravines; one rent dividing
+the range having occurred, it is said, at the hour of the Crucifixion.
+No eye has ever penetrated the depths below.
+
+Far up the mountain reposes the monastery, with its dependencies and
+cultivated gardens. Every new zigzag took us a little nearer than the
+last. Very high up we stopped at another small station. No doubt some
+sequestered nook held an unseen village, for again the old postman
+silently exchanged letter-bags.
+
+He was a fine specimen of humanity, this "man of letters," whose grey
+hairs and rugged features witnessed to a long and possibly active life.
+The head was cast in a splendid mould, to which the face corresponded.
+Such a man ought to have made his mark in the world. That he should end
+his days in playing postman to the monks of Montserrat seemed a sorry
+conclusion. The times must have got out of joint with him. As a leader
+in parliament or head of some great financial house, his appearance
+would have assured success. There must be a story behind this exterior,
+a mystery to unravel. But physiognomy seldom errs, and the expression
+of the face spoke in favour of honest purpose.
+
+He was a notable man, a man to be observed passing him on life's
+highway. For a time we watched him closely. There was a certain
+unconscious dignity about him. His remarks to the conductor were above
+the chatter of ordinary people. Our carriage was a third class, though
+we had lavishly taken first; but in those small, closed compartments
+nothing could be seen. This carriage was large, open, airy; we breathed,
+and were in touch with our surroundings; our fellow-travellers were also
+more interesting than the turtle-doves who occupied the luxurious
+compartment in a blissful _solitude à deux_.
+
+They were few and characteristic. First the conductor, who varied the
+monotony of his going by paying visits to the engine-driver and leaving
+the train to look after itself. Next, our postman, the study of whom
+would have been lost in any other compartment. Then a stout lady, who
+wore a hat that was quite a flower-garden, and substantial seven-leagued
+boots; a large basket laden with small nick-nacks was very much in
+evidence, to which she clung affectionately, and one felt it was all her
+living.
+
+This modest pedlar was on her way to Montserrat to dispose of her
+stock-in-trade--not to the monks, who could have no interest in
+housewifes and pocket-mirrors, but amongst the visitors. A humble
+peasant, with an honest, upright look in her dark eyes; a certain
+patient resignation in their expression which often comes to those who
+live from day to day, uncertain whether the morrow will bring fast or
+feasting. She sat at the end of the large square carriage, under the
+short bit of roofing. Here the magnificent surroundings were less seen,
+but what mattered? She was of those to whom the realities of life mean
+much more than the beauties of nature.
+
+Next came a military policeman duly accompanied by his gun and cocked
+hat, on his way to a three months' duty at Montserrat.
+
+Thus the carriage contained a poet, who could be on occasion a Napoleon;
+a man of letters, though apparently of letters limited; an armed
+Government official of more or less exalted rank; a lady-merchant
+representing the great world of commerce; and a humble individual who,
+like Lost Lenore, shall be "nameless here for evermore;" all personally
+conducted by a paid menial who neglected his duty and jeopardised the
+lives of his passengers. No merit to him that the journey passed without
+accident, but a great escape for ourselves.
+
+Of this small group of Catalonians, our postman alone was of the higher
+type and by far the most interesting.
+
+"I see you are not of our country, señor," he remarked after exchanging
+letter-bags at the last station. "Your interest in the journey proves
+you unfamiliar with it. You may well marvel at this stupendous miracle
+of nature."
+
+"We marvel at everything. The whole scene is overpowering. And, if we
+may venture to say so, you are yourself an enigma. In England we have a
+proverb which speaks of a round man in a square hole; might it not
+almost be applied to you?"
+
+"In other words, you pay me the compliment of saying that I magnify my
+office," quickly returned the postman. "Well, it is true that I was not
+born to this, but it is not every one who has the wit to find it out. My
+father was an officer in the Spanish navy, and in the navy my first
+years of labour were spent. And now I am playing at postman--to such
+base uses do we come. Yet is my calling honourable.
+
+"You would ask how I fell from my high estate, and politeness withholds
+the question. In reply I can only quote the old saying, _cherchez la
+femme_. They say that a woman is at the bottom of all mischief, and I
+believe it. On the other hand, there is no doubt that at her best she is
+a divinity. No, sir; I perceive what you would say; but I have nothing
+questionable to disclose; no intrigues or complications, or anything of
+that sort.
+
+"My father died when I was twenty. He had been made admiral, and lived
+to enjoy his rank just four months. Unfortunately, all Admiral Alvarez
+had to bequeath to his son was his good name. Of fortune he had none.
+You will say that a good name is the greatest of all inheritance, and so
+it is; and a young man with health, strength, and a noble profession
+before him should be independent of fortune. I quite agree with you. But
+there are exceptions, and the exceptions are those who are born under a
+conjunction of stars against which there is no fighting. If I had lived
+in the days of the Egyptians I should have been an astrologer, for I
+believe there is something in the science. Right or wrong, it possesses
+a mysterious fascination.
+
+"At twenty-one I married, apparently with discretion. The lady I chose
+was young, handsome, and owned a fortune. Without the latter matrimony
+for me would have been a dream. My lieutenant's pay, which hardly
+sufficed for one, would have reduced two to the necessity of living upon
+love, air, or any other ethereal ingredient that may be had for nothing.
+
+"For a time all went merrily. We were both well-favoured by
+Nature--perhaps I may be allowed to speak thus of myself when life is
+closing in--and fortune seemed to have been equally considerate. It was,
+however, too good to last. As I have said, I was not born under a lucky
+star. All through life I have just missed great opportunities. Even as a
+child I can remember that the ripe apples never fell to my share. If we
+drew lots for anything I was always next the winning number and might as
+well have drawn the lowest. My father, who really ought to have left me
+something in the way of patrimony, left me only his blessing.
+
+"Well, señor, my wife, I repeat, was young and handsome. She was fond of
+gaiety, and having the _entrée_ to a very fine society, her taste for
+pleasure was easily gratified. She became extravagant, and gradually
+fell into a state of nervous excitement which required constant
+dissipation. I was often away from home with my vessel, but not for long
+absences. They were, however, sufficiently frequent to render me
+careless and unsuspicious as to the true state of our finances. When I
+really learned this, it was too late. We were ruined. And not only
+ruined, but overwhelmed in debt.
+
+"In the first moment of horror I bitterly upbraided my wife. She, poor
+thing, took her misfortunes and my anger so much to heart that she fell
+into a consumption, and died in less than a year. I was so affected by
+my troubles--more, I believe, for the loss of my wife, whom I really
+loved, than for the loss of my income--that I fell for a time into a
+despondent frame of mind. I had felt compelled to retire from my
+profession--a man in a state of debt and bankruptcy had no right to be
+holding a royal commission--and my enforced idleness did not help to
+mend matters. At length life, health, and youth--I was not yet
+thirty--asserted themselves. Melancholy flew away; energy, a wish to be
+up and doing something, returned.
+
+"I looked around me. The prospect was a sad one. There was nothing to be
+done. No one wanted me.
+
+"At length fortune, tired of frowning upon me, smiled awhile. I fell in
+with an old friend of my father's, a wealthy coffee-planter in Ceylon.
+He had come over for a holiday to his native country. For the father's
+sake, for the sake of old times and the days of his youth, he was kind
+to the son. He sympathised with my sorrows, which were not of my own
+making. About to return to Ceylon, he offered me a certain partnership
+in his business, promising greater things if I remained.
+
+"How thankfully I turned my back upon Spain, the land of all my
+misfortunes, I could never say. I began a new and prosperous life in a
+new country. In course of time my old friend died, and I became senior
+partner in a flourishing concern. For twenty-five years I remained out
+in Ceylon. I had made a considerable fortune, and you will think that I
+had probably married again. No, señor. I gave up my life to work, and
+would not a second time tempt fate.
+
+"At last, after an absence of a quarter of a century, a feeling crept
+over me that had every symptom of _mal du pays_. As this increased, I
+realised my possessions and returned to my own country, a rich man. But,
+alas! youth had fled. Wealth did not now mean for me what it had meant
+at five-and-twenty. The first thing I did was to pay up all my debts
+with interest, and to stand a free, honourable and honoured man. What
+surprised me most was the comparative smallness of the sum which in the
+hour of our misfortunes I had thought so formidable.
+
+"And now, señor, do you think that I could let well alone: or, rather,
+that fortune could still turn to me a smiling face? It seemed as though
+the land of my birth--my mother country--was to bring me nothing but
+sorrow. In searching to place my capital, and remembering that you
+should not have all your eggs in one basket, I invested some of it in
+certain bank shares. It was a flourishing concern, paying a steady nine
+per cent. That it should be unlimited was a matter of no importance. So
+prosperous a company could never fail. Yet, señor, in less than a year,
+fail it did for an amount which swept away every penny of my fortune,
+and left me stranded high and dry on the shores of adversity.
+
+"This time my ruin was more complete than before, for I was getting old
+and could not begin life afresh. Yet--perhaps for that very reason--I
+felt it less, and bore it philosophically. I had brought no one down in
+my reverses. There was no one to upbraid me, and more than ever I felt
+thankful that I had never married again. I obtained a situation in the
+Post Office of a light description, which would just enable me to live.
+Three years ago, a small windfall came to me: a sum of money that,
+safely invested, assures me comfortable bread and cheese for the
+remainder of my days. No more flourishing banks with unlimited
+liabilities. And now here I am, in daily charge of the mail-bags between
+Monistrol and Montserrat. A humble office you will say, but not ignoble.
+After the free life of Ceylon, with all its magnificent scenery, I felt
+it impossible to live shut up in a town, and especially requested this
+post might be given me. In the midst of this wild grandeur, which really
+somehow reminds me of parts of Ceylon, I am happy and contented. Bricks
+and mortar are my abomination; they weigh upon one's soul and crush out
+one's vital power. I love to breathe the morning air with the lark. At
+best I can live but a few years more, and I will not spend them in
+regretting the past. On the whole, I consider that I am rather to be
+envied than pitied. That I am no longer obliged to work for my bread
+gives an additional zest to my occupation.--We are approaching
+Montserrat. Is it not a sublime scene?"
+
+It was indeed nothing less. We rose above the vast magnificent valley,
+until at last it looked dream-like and intangible. We seemed to overhang
+bottomless precipices. On a plateau of the great mountain reposed the
+monastery and its dependencies. Luxuriant gardens flourished, paradise
+of the monks--a strange contrast of barren rocks and rich verdure. Here
+dwelt a wonderful little world of its own, never deserted even in
+winter, and in summer crowded with people who spend hours, days, weeks
+breathing the mountain air, living a life of absolute freedom from all
+restraint.
+
+No monastery can be more romantically placed; perhaps none ever equalled
+it; yet of late years some of its romance and beauty has disappeared.
+The lovely old buildings that were a dream of Gothic and Norman
+refinement, of architectural perfection, have given place to new and
+hideous outlines. Nothing remains to show the glory of what has been but
+one side of a cloister through whose pointed arches you gaze upon a
+perfect Norman doorway--a dream-vision. A railway has brought Montserrat
+into touch with the world, and to accommodate the crowd of visitors, a
+new Hospederia has been built containing a thousand rooms, resembling an
+immense and very hideous prison. The passages are long, dark, narrow and
+cold. Rooms open on each side--single rooms and sets of rooms. The
+latter are furnished with a kitchen; so that a family or party of
+friends may come here with bag and baggage, pots, pans and all kitchen
+equipage, servants included, and encamp for as long or as short a time
+as may please them.
+
+Our train stopped at the little station under the very shadow of the
+mountain. This was the more crowded part of the settlement, and on the
+left we noticed what looked like a party of gipsies encamped, enjoying
+an open air feast with much laughter and merriment. The monastery
+buildings were at the other end of the plateau.
+
+We left the station under the pilotage of our friend the postman,
+carrying his mail-bag. Before us, raised on a terrace, was a long row of
+buildings old and new, of every shape and size. These were the
+dependencies, and helped to form the little world of Montserrat.
+Towering behind, up into the skies, were the precipitous sides, peaks
+and pinnacles of the great mountain.
+
+"There lies the Post Office," said our man of letters, "and that is my
+destination. If you have any intention of remaining the night, you
+should first pay a visit to the little house on the right. The funny
+little monk who attends to visitors will receive you, conduct you to the
+Hospederia and give you rooms. In summer every room is often occupied to
+overflowing, but now you will have the place to yourselves--you and the
+ghosts--for I maintain that it is haunted. I will not say farewell,
+señor; we shall frequently meet during the day. There is small choice of
+ways in this little settlement; but for all that you will find that
+Montserrat is one of the glories of Spain."
+
+He went his way, and we wondered what news from the outer world could
+now have any interest for the monks who were as dead to that world as
+though they reposed under their nameless graves in the little cemetery.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+A HIDDEN GENIUS.
+
+     Monk's face--Superfluous virtue--"Welcome to Montserrat"--Mean
+     advantage--Exacting but not mercenary--Another Miguel--Missing
+     keys--Singular monk--Hospederia--Uncertainty--Monk's idea of
+     luxury--Rare prospect--Haunted by silence--Father Salvador
+     privileged--Monk sees ghosts--Under Miguel's escort--In the
+     church--Departed glory--The black image--Gothic and Norman
+     outlines--Franciscan monk or ghost?--Vision of the past--Days of
+     persecution--Sensible image--Great community--Harmony of the
+     spheres--Sad cypresses--Life of a hermit--Monk's story--Loving the
+     world--Penitence--Plucked from the burning--Talent developed--A
+     world apart--False interest--Salvador--Temptation and a
+     compromise--Salvador extemporises--"All the magic of the
+     hour"--Salvador's belief--Waiting for manifestations.
+
+
+We turned to the right, and entering the building indicated, passed into
+a bare, unfurnished room. Through a square hole in the wall, not unlike
+a buttery-hatch, a monk's face peered at us with large coal-black eyes,
+startling in their effect; a small, spare monk, with unshaven face,
+round head and black hair, habited in the ugly dress of the Jesuit
+order. It struck us rather unpleasantly that everything about him was
+black, not the eyes and hair only. He evidently belonged to a sect who
+thought washing superfluous, if not sinful.
+
+"Ah!" he exclaimed in quite friendly tones. "Welcome to Montserrat! I am
+very happy to see you."
+
+"We might be chums of a lifetime," said H. C., shuddering, as the
+well-disposed ecclesiastic advanced a dusky hand; for we saw it coming
+and meanly put him in the foreground. In spite of his Napoleon manner,
+he had to shake it. The little monk was not to be frowned down.
+
+"I am very happy to see you," he repeated. "You are welcome. Our
+visitors are few at this time of the year. Every visitor adds his quota
+to our common fund. However small, it is acceptable. Do not think me
+mercenary. The fathers and brothers must live, and they do a great deal
+of good. Even up here, out of the world, you have no idea how much may
+be done. And we have many branches. But the beauty of Montserrat is
+supreme, and you know that it is world-wide. Now you want rooms,"
+continued the eloquent little monk. "I will go across with you to the
+Hospederia. But first you must record your names in this book. Miguel,"
+to a young man in attendance, "where are the keys? They are not here.
+Why are they not here? How often am I to report you to the
+Father-Superior for carelessness?"
+
+The keys were guiltily produced by Miguel.
+
+"I thought so," cried the monk. "Suppose, now, you had gone down to
+Monistrol with the keys in your pocket! We must have got through a
+window like thieves and vagabonds. A very undignified proceeding. The
+Reverend Father would have stopped your butter for a month. As it is, I
+must overlook it, I suppose; you are so very fond of butter. Now,
+gentlemen---- Dear me, what beautiful writing you English always have!"
+scanning the book, in which, with the aid of a very bad pen, we had
+hieroglyphically scratched our names. "Now, gentlemen, I am at your
+service. We will take our little pilgrimage. You have a choice of rooms.
+There is not a soul in the Hospederia--a thousand rooms, every one
+empty. Miguel, attend us; you will have to make up beds for these
+gentlemen."
+
+The pilgrimage was certainly a short one. We gave the little monk as
+wide a berth as politeness and the way permitted. To keep step with him
+was impossible. He had a curious motion which resembled more the
+trotting of a young colt than the walk of a human being. As he skipped
+across the road, a small, animated mass of quicksilver, full of peculiar
+life and energy, it was difficult to keep becomingly grave. The great
+Hospederia was in front of us, huge, modern, unsightly, depressing. The
+monk jingled the great keys as though they made pleasant music in his
+ear. Then he applied one of them to the huge lock and the heavy door
+rolled back on its hinges.
+
+If the exterior had looked depressing, it was cheerfulness itself to the
+interior. A chilling, silent, uninhabited, ghostly atmosphere met us at
+the very threshold. Our postman might well say it was haunted. Voices
+and footsteps echoed in the long, bare, gloomy corridors. A monk's cell
+could scarcely have been more guiltless of comfort. We had hardly made
+up our minds whether to stay the night or not, and our proposed lodging
+kept us still more undecided. As far as sunrise was concerned, at this
+time of the year the effects were doubtful. More often than not a thick
+mist enshrouded the whole visible world like a white sea. We might
+remain, have our trouble and discomfort for our pains, and nothing more.
+
+"Here," said the monk, throwing open the door of a small room, and
+pointing to a bed hard as pavement, "you may sleep in comfort, even
+luxury. And," opening the window, "what a prospect!"
+
+True enough as regarded the outlook. Such an assemblage of vale,
+mountain and river could hardly be surpassed. The luxury of the bed, on
+the other hand, was a distinct effort of the imagination. We would not,
+however, disturb the sensitiveness of the little monk by arguing the
+matter, and indeed, it would have been difficult to lower his
+self-complacency. Two rooms belonging to a suite were duly apportioned
+to us. The bare kitchen between them looked cold and lifeless. These
+rooms would be prepared, and any one remaining here for the night might
+reasonably consider it a penance for his sins. It would be rather a
+gruesome experience to find ourselves in sole possession of this vast
+building of a thousand rooms. An army of ghosts--the ghosts of
+dead-and-gone monks--would certainly come down upon us, and H. C.'s most
+Napoleon manner would have no effect whatever. Like the little monk,
+ghosts are not to be frowned down.
+
+"A pity to disturb this Hospederia, which may be considered closed for
+the season," we remarked. "My poet friend is very much afraid of ghosts,
+and this place might very well be haunted. It is certainly haunted by
+silence. Why not give us cells in the monastery, where, in presence of
+the Father-Superior, ghosts would hardly venture to intrude?"
+
+"An excellent idea," said H. C., looking blue and shivery. "This place
+is more gloomy than the grave."
+
+"In the darkness one place is very much the same as another," said the
+monk. "No one is allowed even within the walls of the monastery without
+an order from the Holy Father at Rome, the Archbishop of Toledo, or some
+equally great authority. Father Salvador is the only one who can prevail
+with our Superior. As for ghosts, I have seen them with my own eyes on
+All Souls' Eve, at midnight, in the monastery graveyard, and oh! how
+frightened I was! How I shivered in my sandals! They were the ghosts of
+two monks who had committed suicide within a year of each other in their
+cells. Of course, they were quite mad, and they left a letter behind
+them--both of them--to say they could bear their solitude no longer. In
+the dead of night they heard groans, and saw shapes like immense bats
+flying about. Each bat had four wings, two tails, fiery eyes and forked
+tongues. They were quite insane. But there are no ghosts here, sirs. For
+the matter of that, the building is far too modern. Ghosts have
+excellent taste and cultivate the antique. There, that is settled.
+Everything is at your disposal--the whole building. Now, Miguel, show
+the gentlemen where they can dine. I have heard that the fare in the
+restaurant is equal to anything in Madrid. I am your most humble servant
+and delighted to see you. Welcome to Montserrat."
+
+Upon which the little monk skipped once more across the road with the
+same acrobatic motion, and disappeared within his sanctum.
+
+Under Miguel's escort--who had had so narrow an escape from losing his
+butter, and doing a month's fasting out of Lent--we found the
+dining-room. Several dining-rooms indeed, of great size, one above
+another, apparently quite prepared to entertain the Hospederia with its
+full complement of guests. The manager informed us that we could have
+any meal we liked at any appointed hour; he was equal to the largest
+dinners at the shortest notice; and having settled this part of the
+programme to H. C.'s satisfaction, we dismissed Miguel and took to
+exploring.
+
+As Don Alvarez had said, we could not go very far wrong. One road led to
+the summit of Mons Serratus, another down into the world; a third round
+the mountain into another part of the world. This was still traversed by
+a coach and four, and presently we had the pleasure of seeing it start
+with great preparation and ceremony. For the moment we contented
+ourselves with the immediate precincts.
+
+[Illustration: CHURCH OF MONTSERRAT.]
+
+The convent buildings stood on a plateau at the far end of the
+settlement. Almost buried under the side of the mountain was the immense
+church or chapel in which the monks attend mass. One may see them at
+stated hours in the choir behind the great iron _grille_ that separates
+them from the outer worshippers. There are now only about twenty
+fathers, for the monastery was suppressed some sixty years ago, only a
+few being allowed to remain. It is of very ancient origin, and rose from
+small to great things, and again has fallen from its high estate. The
+foundation is due to a black image of the Virgin; a small figure in
+black wood supposed to have been specially carved by St. Luke, and
+specially brought to Spain by St. Peter. If in St. Luke's best style, he
+was certainly not a Michel Angelo. The image, however, is highly prized
+by the religious order, as having worked countless miracles and brought
+them fame and wealth.
+
+In crossing towards the chapel we met our funny little monk. "Ah, you
+are going into the church?" he cried. "You will find the fathers at
+prayer--it is nearly the hour for the refectory. And you will see the
+black Virgin--the beautiful black image--carved by St. Luke--carried by
+St. Peter--blessed by twelve popes! No wonder she performs miracles.
+Withered arms and legs come to life again. I have seen old people turn
+young. Once when I looked at her she blinked with both eyes. It is true
+I am short-sighted, but I am certain of the fact: as certain as that I
+saw ghosts in the graveyard on All Souls' Eve. Señor, that wonderful
+black image is the one great thing to see at Montserrat. The cleverness
+of the railway, the beauty of the landscape, the grandeur of the
+mountain, the splendour of the church--all this is very well in its way;
+but it is as nothing compared with the black image. Go and study it, and
+if you look long enough perhaps she will blink her eyes at you too, or
+bow her head. It is quite possible."
+
+Then he skipped through the quadrangle back to his den.
+
+This quadrangle was very interesting; large, quiet, and solidly built:
+an outer court to the holy of holies, which was the church itself. Under
+the mountain-side, its covered passages ever seemed in deep gloom and
+shadow; a death-in-life atmosphere hung about it. In days gone by it was
+one of the loveliest nooks in the world, for the ancient buildings were
+beautiful and refined. Gothic cloisters and Norman doorways mingled
+their outlines in close companionship without rivalry, and the beholder
+was charmed at finding himself in an element where nothing jarred.
+
+All has disappeared to make way for the modern traveller, whose name is
+legion. Nothing remains but the one little Gothic fragment, with its
+pointed windows and slender shafts. A lady in a mantilla graced them as
+we stood looking at the Norman archway beyond: the more interesting of
+the turtle-doves who had travelled with us from Monistrol. Her mate was
+attending to the vulgar side of life, arranging a select repast with the
+restaurant manager at the farther end of the settlement. We saw him come
+out and advance towards her with that degree of fervour which generally
+marks the _lune de miel_. She, too, went to meet him half-way--and they
+disappeared out of our lives.
+
+As we looked at the Norman doorway it was suddenly filled with the
+figure of a monk. Nothing could have been more appropriately romantic
+and picturesque. He was clothed not as a Jesuit, but in the far more
+becoming dress of a Franciscan. His cowl was thrown back, revealing a
+pale, refined face and well-formed head, on which the hair seemed to be
+arranged almost like a circlet of leaves--the crown of the poet. He
+stood still and motionless as though carved in stone. In his hand he
+held a breviary. A girdle was round his waist confining the long brown
+robe. As far as we could see, he appeared unmindful of his surroundings,
+lost in a dreamy gaze which penetrated beyond the skies. It was the
+attitude and expression of a visionary or mystic.
+
+What was this monk in the strange garb? Who was he? What brought him
+apparently at home amidst the Jesuits, he who evidently belonged to
+another order? Had he thrown in his lot amongst them? Or did he live, a
+solitary being, in one of the surrounding hermitages?
+
+Whilst we looked he slowly turned, and, with bent head and lingering
+steps, as though in deep contemplation, passed out of sight. Nothing
+remained but the empty doorway with a vision of arches beyond; a few
+ruined walls stained with the marks of centuries, to which patches of
+moss and drooping creepers and hardy ferns added grace and charm. We
+were alone, surrounded by intense quiet and repose. Sunshine was over
+all, casting deep shadows. No sound disturbed the stillness, not even
+the echo of the monk's receding footsteps. So silent and motionless had
+been his coming and going, we asked ourselves whether he was in truth
+flesh and blood or a mid-day visitor from the land of shadows. How
+remote, how out of the world it all was!
+
+Suddenly, as we looked upwards, an eagle took majestic flight from one
+of the mountain peaks, and, hovering in the blue ether, seemed seeking
+for prey. But it was not the time of the lambs, and with a long,
+sweeping wing, it passed across the valley to an opposite range of
+hills.
+
+The great church was before us with its dome, of Roman design and
+sufficiently common-place. But, after all, what mattered? Its effects
+and those of the hideous Hospederia were lost in their wonderful
+surroundings, just as a drop of water is lost in the ocean.
+
+On entering the church this comparison disappeared. There was an expanse
+about its aisles, largeness and breadth in the high-domed roof, that
+produced a certain dignity, yet without grace and refinement. No magic
+and mystery surrounded them, and the dim religious light was the result,
+not of rich stained glass admitting prismatic streams, but of an
+obscurity cast by the shadows of Mons Serratus. For great effects one
+had to go back in imagination to the days when the monks were many and
+assembled at night for service. It is easy to picture the impressive
+scene. Beyond the ever-closed screen, within the great choir, a thousand
+kneeling, penitential figures chanting the midnight mass, their voices
+swelling upward in mighty volume; the church just sufficiently lighted
+to lend the utmost mystery to the occasion; a ghostly hour and a ghostly
+assemblage of men whose lives have become mere shadows. On great days
+countless candles lighted up the aisles and faintly outlined the more
+distant recesses. The fine-toned organ pealed forth its harmony, shaking
+the building with its diapasons and awakening wonderful echoes in the
+far-off dome.
+
+[Illustration: CLOISTERS OF MONTSERRAT.]
+
+All this may still be seen and heard now and then, but with the number
+of monks sadly curtailed. It is said that they now never exceed twenty.
+When their day of persecution came they escaped to their mountain
+fastness, climbing higher and ever higher like hunted deer, hiding in
+the cracks and crevices of the rocks; fear giving them strength to reach
+parts never yet trodden by the foot of man, whilst many a less active
+monk slipped and fell into the bottomless abyss, his last resting place,
+like that of Moses, remaining for ever unknown. The troops of Suchet
+followed the refugees, found them out, and put an end to many a life
+that, if useless, was also harmless. Not a few of the survivors became
+hermits, and on many a crag may be found the ruins of a hermitage, once,
+perhaps, inhabited by a modern St. Jerome, though the St. Jeromes of the
+world have been few and far between.
+
+Some sort of religious institution existed here in the early centuries,
+long ages before Ignatius Loyola founded the order of the Jesuits. In
+the eighth century the famous black image was hidden away in a cave
+under a hill to save it from the Moors. Here it miraculously disclosed
+itself a hundred years later to some simple shepherds. These hastened to
+the good Bishop, who took mules, crook and mitre, and came down with all
+the lights of the church and all the pomp of office to remove the
+treasure to Manresa.
+
+Apparently the image preferred the fresh mountain air to the close,
+torrent-washed town with its turbid waters, for having reached a certain
+lovely spot overlooking the vast plain, it refused to go any farther. As
+it could not speak--being a wooden image--it made itself so heavy that
+mortal power could not lift it. This was the first of a long succession
+of miracles. On the spot where the image rested, the Bishop with crook
+and mitre, and bell and book, and Dean and Chapter, held solemn conclave
+and there and then went through a service of Consecration. A chapel was
+built, and the image became the object of devoted pilgrimages.
+
+All traces of the chapel have disappeared long since. Nothing now marks
+the spot but an iron cross which may be seen far and near. Approaching,
+you may read the inscription: _Aqui sè hizo inmovil la Santa Imagen_.
+After this a nunnery was founded, which in the tenth century became a
+Benedictine convent.
+
+Ages rolled on, and it grew famous. When destroyed by the French it held
+as many as 900 monks: a great religious community, wealthy and
+powerful. But the mighty are fallen. The few remaining monks, more
+exclusive in their retirement than the great body of their predecessors,
+have a school attached to the monastery in which much time is given to
+the study of music. It is going far out of the world for instruction,
+but Nature herself should come to their aid. Amidst these lonely
+solitudes the Harmony of the Spheres might well be heard.
+
+Passing through the great quadrangle, we entered a narrow passage
+between the church and hill-side, reminding one a little of some of the
+narrow streets of Jerusalem. Here, too, we found some arches and
+buttresses framing in the sky, arch beyond arch. At the end of all we
+came out once more upon the open world, and what a scene was disclosed!
+
+In front of us was a small chapel attached to a little hermitage. Beside
+it ran a long avenue of sad and solemn cypresses. It might have been the
+cemetery of the dead-and-gone monks, but no small mounds or wooden
+crosses marked where the dead reposed. This mournful avenue extended to
+the brow of the hill, where we overlooked vast wild precipices. Cañons
+and gorges opened beneath us and above us in appalling magnitude. The
+stupendous valley stretched right and left in the distance. Far on the
+other side reposed a chain of snow-clad hills. Villages lay about the
+plain and hill-sides. In the far-off hollow slept the little town of
+Monistrol, its blue smoke mingling with the clearer atmosphere. Through
+all the valley the river ran its winding, silvery course on its way to
+the sea.
+
+The plateau on which we stood held the monastery buildings. Near us
+stretched the gardens of the monks in cultivated terraces, and above
+them, winding round the mountain was the white road leading out into the
+world lying to the south of Montserrat. Again, as we looked, another
+eagle soared from one of the peaks and took its slow majestic flight
+across the valley, no doubt on the track of its mate, perhaps to find
+out why he tarried so long. A string of boys in caps and black cloaks
+left the convent and wound round the white road, conducted by a few of
+the monks whose duty it was to keep watch and ward over the students.
+These passed out of sight, and once more we seemed alone with nature.
+
+But on turning back down the cypress avenue, sitting against the little
+chapel we saw the Franciscan monk who had lately filled the Norman
+archway. Though his breviary was open, he was not reading. His
+eyes--large, dark, dreamy eyes that ought to belong to a genius--were
+looking out on the mountain and the far-off sky, lost in profound
+contemplation.
+
+[Illustration: CHURCH OF MONTSERRAT.]
+
+Of what nature were his thoughts? Introspective or retrospective? Was he
+thinking of days that were past, or of the life to come? Were regret and
+remorse his portion, or resignation to his present surroundings? Was he
+dwelling upon some terrible Might-have-been? He looked inexpressibly
+lonely, as though he and the world had parted company for ever, but
+there was something singularly interesting about him. It seemed
+difficult to intrude upon his solitude, as impossible to pass without
+speaking.
+
+Some influence compelled us to stop. His face was pale and refined. He
+was so thin as to be almost cadaverous; not an ounce of flesh had he to
+spare on his bones; there was a certain look of hunger in his large
+magnificent eyes; not a hungering after the flesh-pots of Egypt, but, as
+it seemed, for peace of mind and repose of soul. Grazing at the skies,
+he appeared to be asking questions of the Infinite Beyond. Where was the
+kingdom of Heaven and what was it like? When there came for him the
+great apocalypse of the soul how would it find its way to the realms of
+paradise?
+
+We stopped in front of him, and he started as though he had only that
+moment became aware of our presence. He did not seem to resent the
+intrusion, but looked up with a searching inquiring glance, which
+presently changed to a smile beautiful and almost childlike in its
+confidence: sad, beseeching, as though it were in our power to interpret
+to him the hidden mysteries of the unseen; the perplexing problems of
+life; the doubts and difficulties with which his questioning heart
+contended.
+
+"You have indeed found a quiet corner for contemplation," we remarked
+after he had greeted us with a subdued: "May Heaven have you in its holy
+keeping."
+
+[Illustration: SALVADOR THE MONK.]
+
+"It is all my want and all my desire," he replied, in a voice that was
+full of melody. "I live the life of a hermit. Near at hand I have my
+small hermitage, and I also have my cell in the monastery, occupying the
+one or the other as inclination prompts me. For you see by my dress that
+though this is my home, where I shall live and die, I do not belong to
+the Jesuits. I am really a Franciscan, but have obtained a dispensation,
+and I live here. I love to contemplate these splendours of nature; to
+read my breviary under the blue sky and the shadow of our great
+mountain. Here I feel in touch with Heaven. The things unseen become
+real and tangible, doubts and difficulties vanish. My soul gathers
+strength. I return to my cell, and its walls crush all life and hope out
+of me; weigh upon me with an oppression greater and deeper than that of
+yonder giant height. I feel as though I should die, or fall away from
+grace. There have been times when they have come to my cell and found me
+unconscious. I have only revived when they have brought me out to the
+fresh air, this freedom and expanse. The good Father-Superior recognises
+my infirmity and has given me the hermit's cave. I will show it to you
+if you like. It is quite habitable and not what you might imagine, for
+it is a built-up room with light and air, not a cavern dark and earthy.
+I love solitude and am never solitary. Once I loved the world too much;
+I lived in the fever of life and dissipation. Heaven had mercy upon me,
+and you behold a brand plucked from the burning. When my heart was dead
+and seared, and love and all things beautiful had taken wing, I left the
+world. The profligate became a penitent. I took vows upon me and joined
+the Franciscan Order. But I should have died if I had not come up here,
+where I have found pardon and peace. That was twenty years ago. Yet I am
+not fifty years old, and am still in the full vigour of manhood. It may
+be long before a small wooden cross marks my resting-place in the
+cemetery. When the last hour comes I shall pray them to bring me here,
+that amidst these splendours of nature my soul may wing its flight to
+the greater splendours of paradise. I feel that I could not die in my
+cell."
+
+"How is it you are allowed so much freedom?" we asked. "We thought that
+here you were all more or less cloistered. It was our wish to see the
+interior of the monastery, but the lay monk who receives visitors said
+it was not permitted."
+
+"A strict rule," returned the monk; "but if you are staying here a
+couple of days, I could take you in. To-morrow is a great fast; to enter
+would be impossible; the day after it might be done."
+
+"Unhappily we cannot remain. To-morrow at latest we return to Barcelona.
+But, if we may ask it again without indiscretion, whence have you this
+indulgence and power?"
+
+"The secret lies in the fact that I possess a talent," smiled the monk.
+"I was always passionately fond of music, and as a pastime studied it
+closely and earnestly. Here I have turned it to account. Whether it was
+the necessity for an occupation, or that it was always in me, I
+developed a strange faculty for imparting knowledge to others. I fire
+them with enthusiasm, and they make vast progress. My name, I am told,
+has become a proverb in our large towns. It has been of use to the
+monastery: has enlarged the school, added to the revenues. In return I
+have obtained certain privileges; a greater freedom of action. Otherwise
+my power would leave me. This is why I can promise to open doors to you
+that are usually closed to the world. Yet in what would you be the
+better? Curiosity would hardly be satisfied in viewing the bare cells
+and long gloomy passages, the cold and empty refectory, where perchance
+you might see spread out a banquet of bread and water, a little dried
+fish or a few sweet herbs."
+
+"There is always something that appeals to one, strangely attractive, in
+the interior of a monastery," we returned.
+
+"I know it," replied the monk, whose new name he told us was Salvador.
+"It is a world apart and savours of the mysterious. It possesses also a
+certain mystic element. Thus the atmosphere surrounding it is romantic
+and picturesque, appealing strongly to the imagination. Sympathy goes
+out to the little band of men who have bound themselves together by a
+vow, forsaken the world and given up all for religion. But if you were
+called upon to share that life only for a month, all its supposed
+mystery and charm would disappear. It only exists in the sentiment of
+the thing, not in the reality. It lies in the beauty of the solitary
+mountains in which the monasteries are often placed; or the splendid
+architecture they occasionally preserve. In the dull monotony of a daily
+round never varied, you would learn to dread the lonely cell--even as I
+once dreaded it more than death itself. Hence my freedom. It will soon
+be our refectory hour," looking at a small silver watch he carried
+beneath his robe. "I must return or fast."
+
+Then there came to us a bright idea. "Why leave us?" we said. "Or if you
+must do so now, why not return? Would you not be allowed to dine with us
+this evening? You would tell us of your past life before you became a
+monk, and of your life since then. It must contain much that is
+interesting. In the evening shadows you would guide us about the
+mountain paths, tell us of the evil days that fell upon the monks and
+their flight into the hills."
+
+Salvador the monk smiled. "You tempt me sorely," he replied. "I should
+like it much. Such a proposal has never been made to me since I put on
+cloak and cowl. It would be like a short return to the world--a backward
+glance into the life that is dead and buried. Then imagine the contrast
+between your sumptuous repast and the bread and sweet herbs with which
+we keep our bodies alive. I fear it would not be wise to awaken
+memories. No, I must not think of it. But to-night I shall dream that I
+have been to a banquet and walked with you in quiet paths, taking sweet
+counsel. Oh, I am tempted. What a break in my life to spend a whole day
+with you, and become once more, as it were, a citizen of the world! But
+I will make a compromise. If you go up the mountain to-morrow morning to
+see the sun rise, I will accompany you. Though a fast day, I can do
+this; and I may take a modest breakfast with you."
+
+This decided us, and we agreed to remain: it would have been cruel to
+deny him. He folded his camp-stool and prepared to depart.
+
+"You will accompany me to my door," he said, somewhat wistfully, "though
+to-day I may not ask you to pass beyond."
+
+So we wended back through the arches in the narrow passage between the
+hill and monastery, and the mountain shadows fell upon us. We reached
+the great quadrangle, lonely and deserted.
+
+"Let us enter by way of the church," said the monk; "I will show you our
+little private door."
+
+The great building was silent and empty. Our footsteps woke weird echoes
+in the distant aisles. Salvador by some secret touch unfastened the door
+of the screen, which rolled back on its hinges, and we passed into the
+choir.
+
+"Here we attend mass," said our guide; "a small community of monks,
+though I am more often at the organ. In days gone by, when they numbered
+nearly a thousand, it was a splendid and powerful institution--a
+magnificent sight and sound. No need then to add to the funds by
+teaching. All the glory has departed, but perhaps, in return, we are
+more useful. Nothing, however, can take from our scenery, though its
+repose is no longer unbroken. With a railroad at our very doors, who
+can say that we are now out of the world? Ah!" as a man crossed the
+choir towards the sacristy; "there is my organ-blower. Would you like me
+to give you some music?"
+
+"It would be enchanting. But your repast--would you not lose it?"
+
+"I have twenty minutes to spare, and should then still be in time for
+the end." He beckoned to the man, who approached. "Hugo, have you
+dined?"
+
+"Si, Padre Salvador."
+
+"Then come and blow for me a little."
+
+He bade us seat ourselves in the stalls, where the organ was best heard.
+We listened to their receding footsteps ascending the winding staircase
+leading to the organ loft. In a few minutes we had lost all sense of
+outward things. The loveliest, softest, most entrancing music went
+stealing through the great building. Salvador was evidently
+extemporising. All his soul was passing into melody. Divine harmonies
+succeeded each other in one continued flow. It was music full of
+inspiration, such as few mortals could produce; fugitive thoughts more
+beautiful by reason of their spontaneity than any matured composition
+ever given to the world. Here indeed was a genius.
+
+Never but once before had we heard such playing. Many years had gone by
+since one evening on the Hardanger Fjord, we glided through the water
+under the moonlight and listened to such strains as Beethoven himself
+could not have equalled. Many a hand oft-clasped in those days lies cold
+and dead; life has brought its disillusions; the world has changed; but
+even as we write the glamour of that moonlit night surrounds us, those
+matchless strains still ring in our ears, lifting us once more to
+paradise.
+
+This monk's music brought back all those past impressions; "all the
+sorrow and the sighing, all the magic of the hour." We listened
+spell-bound, enraptured; and again we were in paradise. No wonder he
+inspired his pupils to accomplish the impossible. It lasted only a
+quarter of an hour, but during that time we never stirred hand or foot,
+scarcely breathed. Ordinary life was suspended; we were conscious only
+of soul and spirit. When this divine influence ceased we were hardly
+aware of the silence that succeeded. The monk had thrown us into a
+trance from which it was difficult to awaken. Only when his cloaked and
+cowled figure once more entered the choir and quietly approached us did
+we rouse to a sense of outward things.
+
+"I see my music has pleased you," he said. "I do not affect to
+depreciate its power, since it influences me no less than others. For
+the time being I am lost to myself. All my soul seems expressing
+thoughts that words could never utter. No credit is due to me for a
+power outside and beyond me. The moment I sit down to the organ, Saint
+Cecilia takes possession of me, and I merely follow whither she leads.
+Of all arts, it is the most divine. Now before we separate let me take
+you into the Chapel of the Virgin. The image, you know, is considered
+the great treasure of the monastery."
+
+In his voice there seemed almost an inflection of doubt or amusement.
+"And you also look upon it in this light?" we asked. "You believe in all
+the miracles, legends and traditions time has gathered round the image?"
+
+"I must not talk heresy," smiled the monk; "but I believe more in my
+music."
+
+We had entered the small chapel, where a light was burning before the
+celebrated image, black and polished as ebony; an image less than two
+feet high, seated in a chair, with an infant in its arms. The
+workmanship was rough and rude, the face ugly and African. There was
+nothing about it to raise the slightest emotion, for it was not even
+artistic.
+
+"On this very spot," said the monk, "Ignatius Loyola is said to have
+waited for hours in rapture watching the image and receiving
+manifestations, after which he founded the Order of the Jesuits. He laid
+his sword upon the altar, declaring that he had done with it for ever,
+and henceforth his life should be devoted to paths of peace. In like
+manner I have stood here for hours, waiting for inspiration, for some
+manifestation, some token, though it should be only borne in upon the
+mind with no outward and visible sign. And I have waited in vain.
+Nothing has ever come to me. But I seat myself at the organ and seem
+wafted at once into realms immortal; my soul awakens and expands; I
+feel heaven within me. It is my one happiness and consolation; that and
+being alone with nature."
+
+He conducted us back to the screen.
+
+"Then we cannot prevail upon you to be with us this evening?" we said in
+a final effort. "You will not give us all the experiences of your past
+life, spiritual and otherwise?--all you went through in your transition
+state?"
+
+"Tempt me not," returned the monk. "Your voice would persuade me against
+my reason. I must not return to the sweets of the world even for an
+evening. Think of the going back afterwards. But to-morrow morning
+before dawn breaks in the east I will be with you."
+
+He bade us farewell and closed the gate. We watched the solitary figure
+glide down the choir until it disappeared. The quiet footsteps ceased to
+echo, and we stood alone in the church. The silence was painful and the
+building had no power to charm. We passed out to the great quadrangle
+and soon found ourselves in a very different scene.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+SALVADOR THE MONK.
+
+     Gipsies--Picturesque scene--Love passages--H. C. invited to festive
+     board--Saved by Lady Maria's astral visitation--The
+     fortune-teller--H. C. yields to persuasion--Fate
+     foretold--Warnings--Photograph solicited--Darkness and
+     mystery--Night scene--Gipsies depart--Weird experiences--Troubled
+     dreams--Mysterious sounds--Ghost appears--H. C. sleeps the sleep of
+     the just--Egyptian darkness--In the cold morning--Salvador keeps
+     his word--Breakfast by candlelight--Romantic scene--Salvador turns
+     to the world--Agreeable companion--Musician's nature--Miguel and
+     the mule--Leaving the world behind--Darkness flies--St. Michael's
+     chapel--Sunrise and glory--Marvellous scene--Magic
+     atmosphere--Salvador's ecstasy--Consents to take luncheon--Heavenly
+     strains--"Not farewell"--Departs in solitary sadness--Last of the
+     funny monk.
+
+
+It was the other end of the settlement. All the houses were behind us;
+the railway station was in a depression at our left. The plateau
+expanded, forming a small mountain refuge, sheltered and surrounded by
+great boulders that were a part of Mons Serratus towering beyond them.
+Grass and trees grew in soft luxuriance. Under their shadow a picnic
+party had encamped; noisy Spaniards who looked very much like gipsies;
+an incongruous element in these solemn solitudes, yet a very human
+scene. They were scattered about in groups, and the bright handkerchiefs
+of the women formed a strikingly picturesque bit of colouring. Baskets
+of rough provisions were abundant. A kettle hung on a tripod and a fire
+burnt beneath it, from which the blue smoke curled into the air and lost
+itself in the branches of the trees. The people were enjoying themselves
+to their hearts' content. Here and there a couple had hoisted a red or
+green umbrella, which afforded friendly opportunities for tender love
+passages. Some were drinking curiously out of jars with long spouts
+shaped like a tea-kettle. These they held up at arm's length and
+cleverly let the beverage pour into their mouths. Practice made perfect
+and nothing was wasted. Chatter and laughter never ceased. They were of
+humble rank, which ignores ceremony, and when H. C. approached rather
+nearly, he was at once invited to join their festive board and make one
+of themselves.
+
+One handsome, dark-eyed maiden looked at him reproachfully as he
+declined the honour--the astral body of Lady Maria in her severest
+aspect having luckily presented itself to his startled vision. The siren
+had a wonderfully impressive language of the eyes, and it was evident
+that her hand and heart were at the disposal of this preux chevalier.
+
+"Señor," she said, "I am a teller of fortunes. Show me your hand and I
+will prophecy yours."
+
+H. C. obligingly held it out. She studied it intently for about half a
+minute, then raised her eyes--large languishing eyes--and seemed to
+search into the very depths of his.
+
+"Señor, you are a great poet. Your line of imagination is strongly
+influenced by the line of music, so that your thoughts flow in rhyme.
+But the line of the head communicates with the line of the heart, and
+this runs up strongly into the mount of Venus. You have made many love
+vows and broken many hearts. You will do so again. You cannot help it.
+You are sincere for the moment, but your affections are like champagne.
+They fizz and froth and blaze up like a rocket, then pass away. You will
+not marry for many years. Then it will be a lady with a large fortune.
+She will not be beautiful. She will squint, and be a little lame, and
+have a slight hump--you cannot have everything--but she will be amiable
+and intellectual. I see here a rich relative, who is inclined in your
+favour. It is in her power to leave you wealth. Beware how you play your
+cards. I see by your hand that you just escape many good things by this
+fickle nature. I warn you against it, but might as well tell the wind
+not to blow. There is one thing, however, may save you--the stars were
+in happy conjunction at your birth. The influence of the house of Saturn
+does not affect you. I see little more at present. Much of your future
+depends on yourself. To you is given, more than to many, the controlling
+of your fate. You may make or mar your fortune. No, señor," as H. C.
+laughed and tried to glide a substantial coin into her hand, "I do
+not tell fortunes for money to-day. It is a _festa_ with our tribe,
+almost a sacred day, the anniversary of a great historical event. To-day
+we do all for love; but I should much like your photograph."
+
+[Illustration: VALLEY OF MONTSERRAT.]
+
+H. C. chanced to have one in his pocket-book, which he had once put
+aside for the Madrid houri who married the Russian nobleman. This he
+presented with much grace to the enraptured Sibyl. Their heads were very
+close together at the moment; there seemed a clinking sound in the air.
+We happened to be consulting the time, and on looking up, the Sibyl's
+face seemed flushed and conscious, and H. C.'s poetically pale
+complexion had put on a delicate pink. This was a little too
+suspicious--even to our unsuspecting mind--and with a hasty bow to the
+interesting assembly, and wishing them all good appetites and fair
+fortunes, we went on our way. Looking back once, the charming Sibyl was
+still gazing towards us with a very sentimental expression, whilst H. C.
+for the next ten minutes fell into silence.
+
+The day wore on to evening. We watched the shades of night gathering
+over the vast valley and distant hills. Everything grew hazy and
+indistinct, and finally gave place to a world of darkness and mystery.
+The outlines of Mons Serratus loomed upwards against the night sky. The
+stars came out flashing and brilliant as they travelled along in their
+awful and majestic silence. The great constellations were strongly
+marked. Here and there lights twinkled in the monastery, and in the
+various houses of the settlement. Where the gipsy party had encamped,
+silence and solitude now reigned. A black mark told where the tripod had
+held the kettle and betrayed what had been. The whole encampment had
+returned to the lower world by the evening train. We had watched them
+enter a special carriage, which they filled to overflowing. Their
+spirits had not failed. As the train moved off they sent up a shout
+which echoed and re-echoed in many a gorge and cleft. Presently, when
+the stars had travelled onwards, we felt it was time to disappear from
+the world for a season. We were taking a last look at the Gothic arches,
+through which the sky and the stars shone with serene repose. The night
+was solemn and impressive; a strange hush lay upon all. It might have
+been a dead universe, only peopled by the spirits of the dead-and-gone
+monks and hermits roaming the mountain ranges. Throughout the little
+settlement not a soul crossed our path; doors and windows were closed;
+here and there a light still glimmered. We caught sight of another
+wandering light far up a mountain path, held by some one well acquainted
+with his ground--perhaps a last surviving hermit taking his walks
+abroad, or a monk contemplating death and eternity in this overwhelming
+darkness. We wondered whether it was Salvador, our musical monk, seeking
+fresh inspiration as he climbed nearer heaven.
+
+As we passed out of the arches we came upon our funny little monk, who,
+having ended all his duties, was going to his night's rest. He caught
+sight of us and gave a brisk skip.
+
+"Welcome to Montserrat," he cried once more. "I am delighted to see
+you." From long habit he evidently used the form unconsciously--it was
+his peculiar salutation. "You are about to retire, señor. Let me conduct
+you to your rooms. I should like to see you comfortably settled for the
+night."
+
+From his tone and manner he might have been taking us to fairyland; beds
+of rose-leaves; a palace fitted up with gold and silver, where jewels
+threw out magic rays upon a perfumed atmosphere. He swung back the great
+gates of the Hospederia. We passed into an atmosphere dark, chilling,
+and certainly not perfumed. Mysterious echoes died away in distant
+passages. The little monk lighted a lantern that stood ready in the
+corridor, and weird shadows immediately danced about. One's flesh began
+to creep, hair stood on end. In this huge building of a thousand rooms
+we were to spend a solitary night. It was appalling. As the monk led the
+way passages and staircases seemed endless: a labyrinth of bricks and
+mortar. Should we survive it: or, surviving, find a way out again?
+
+[Illustration: A FEW OF THE GIPSIES AT MONTSERRAT.]
+
+At last our rooms. Small candles were lighted that made darkness
+visible. We should manage to see the outline of the ghosts that appeared
+and no more. The little monk skipped away, wishing us pleasant dreams.
+Pleasant dreams! Never but once before--and that in the fair island of
+Majorca--did we spend such a night of weird experiences. If we fell
+asleep for a moment our dreams were troubled. We awoke with a start,
+feeling the very thinnest veil separated us from the unseen. The
+corridors were full of mysterious sounds: our own particular room was
+full of sighs. Ghostly hands seemed to pass within an inch of our face,
+freezing us with an icy cold wind that never came from Arctic regions.
+Once we were persuaded an unearthly form stood near us; to this day we
+think it. We were wide awake, and when we sat up it was still there. The
+form of a monk in cloak and cowl. A strange phosphoric light seemed to
+emanate from it, making it distinctly visible. The face was pale, sad
+and hopeless. Large dark eyes were full of an agony of sorrow and
+disappointment. It was evidently the ghost of a monk who had repented
+his vows and learned too late that even a convent cell cannot bring
+peace to the soul. A strange thrill passed through us as we gazed, yet
+of fear or terrors we felt nothing. The sadness and beauty of the face
+held us spell-bound. We found courage to address it. "Spirit of the dead
+and gone, wherefore art thou here? Why wander in this unrest? Can we do
+aught to ease thee of thy burden? Will our earthly prayers and sympathy
+avail thee in thy land of shadows?"
+
+No doubt there was a slight suspicion of rhythm in the words that would
+have become H. C. rather than our more sober temperament; but they came
+of their own accord, and we did not wait to turn them into better prose.
+We listened and longed for a reply, but none came. Nothing but a
+deep-drawn sigh more expressive of sorrow than all the words that ever
+were coined. The singular part of it was that whilst the apparition was
+visible, all the mysterious sounds and echoes in the passages ceased,
+and began again when it disappeared.
+
+As disappear it did. No word was spoken; no sign was made. For one
+instant a mad thought had passed through our brain that perhaps it was
+about to conduct us to some buried treasure: some Aladdin's lamp, whose
+possession should make us richer than Solomon, more powerful than the
+kings of the earth. But the strange light grew faint, the outlines
+shadowy, until all faded into thin air. The room was once more empty;
+and we held no treasure. It was a long and troubled night. Rest we had
+none. Yet next morning H. C.--whose poetical temperament should have
+made him susceptible to all these influences--informed us that he had
+slept the dreamless sleep of the just. He had heard and seen nothing.
+This seemed unfair, and was not an equal division of labour.
+
+Before daylight we were up and ready for our pilgrimage. It required
+some courage to turn out, for the world was still wrapped in Egyptian
+darkness. In the east as yet there was not the faintest glimmer of dawn.
+In the house itself a ghostly silence still reigned. Apparently
+throughout the little settlement not a soul stirred. Nevertheless it was
+the end of the night, and before we were ready to sally forth there were
+evidences of a waking world. We went down through the dark passages
+carrying a light, which flickered and flared and threw weird shadows
+around.
+
+We opened the door and passed out into the clear, cold morning. The
+stars still shone in the dark blue sky. Through the gloom, passing out
+of the quadrangle, we discerned a mysterious figure approaching: a
+cowled monk with silent footstep. It was Salvador, true to his word.
+
+"We are both punctual," he said, joining us. "I think the morning will
+be all we could desire."
+
+It had been arranged that breakfast should be ready at the restaurant.
+Salvador had refused to dine with us, he did not refuse breakfast. The
+meal was taken by candle-light, and he added much to the romance of the
+scene as he threw back his cowl, his well-formed head and pale, refined
+face gaining softness and beauty in the subdued artificial light.
+Salvador had the square forehead of the musician, but eyes and mouth
+showed a certain weakness of purpose, betraying a man easily influenced
+by those he cared for, or by a stronger will than his own. Perhaps,
+after all, he had done wisely to withdraw from temptation.
+
+This morning his monkish reticence fell from him; he came out of his
+shell, and proved an agreeable companion with a great power to charm.
+Once more for a short time he seemed to become a man of the world.
+
+"You make me feel as though I had returned to life," he said. "It is
+wonderful how our nature clings to us. I thought myself a monk, dead to
+all past thoughts and influences; I looked upon my old life as a dream:
+and here at the first touch I feel as though I could throw aside vows
+and breviary and cowl and follow you into the world. Well for me perhaps
+that I have not the choice given me. Why did you not leave me yesterday
+to my solitude and devotions, and pass on, as others have done? You are
+the first who ever stopped and spoke. To-day I feel almost as though I
+were longing once more for the pleasures of the world."
+
+[Illustration: MONS SERRATUS IN CLOUDLAND.]
+
+We knew it was only a momentary reaction. He had the musician's highly
+nervous and sensitive organisation. Our meeting had awakened long
+dormant chords, memories of the past; but the effect would soon cease,
+and he would go back to his monkish life and world of melody, all the
+better and stronger for the momentary break in the monotony of his daily
+round.
+
+We did not linger over breakfast. At the door a mule stood ready
+saddled. This also went with us in case of need. H. C. and the monk
+were capable of all physical endurance. Like Don Quixote they would have
+fought with windmills or slain their Goliaths. Nature had been less
+kindly to us, and the mule was necessary.
+
+It would be difficult to describe that glorious morning. When we first
+started, the path was still shrouded in darkness. We carried lighted
+lanterns, and Miguel, following behind with the mule, looked a weird,
+picturesque object as he threw his gleams and shadows around. Our path
+wound round the mountain, ever ascending. One by one the stars were
+going out; in the far east the faintest glimmer was creeping above the
+horizon. This gradually spread until darkness fled away and light broke.
+We were high up, approaching St. Michael's chapel, when the sun rose and
+the sky suddenly seemed filled with glory.
+
+It was a scene beyond imagination. The vast world below us was shrouded
+in white mist. Under the influence of the sun this gradually rolled
+away, curling about the mountain in every fantastic shape and form, and
+finally disappeared like a great sea sweeping itself from the earth. The
+whole vast plain lay before us. Towns and villages unveiled themselves
+by magic. Across the plains the Pyrenees rose in flowing undulations,
+their snow-caps standing out against the blue sky. The winding river
+might be traced in its course by the thin line of vapour that hung over
+it like a white shroud. The whole Catalonian world, all the sea coast
+from Gerona to Tarragona, came into view, with the blue waters of the
+Mediterranean sleeping in the sunshine. In the far distance we thought
+we discerned our lovely and beloved Majorca, and were afterwards told
+this was possible.
+
+All about us were deep, shuddering crevices, into which one scarcely
+gazed for horror. Immense boulders jutted out on every hand; some of
+them seeming ready to fall and shake the earth to its centre. Wild and
+barren rocks gave foothold to trees and undergrowth more beautiful than
+the most cultivated garden; nothing lovelier than the ferns and
+wildflowers that abounded.
+
+As the sun rose higher, warmth and brilliancy increased until the air
+was full of light. We breathed a magic atmosphere.
+
+"This is what I delight and revel in," cried Salvador the monk. "This
+lifts me out of myself. It is one of the glories of Spain, and makes me
+feel a new being with one foot on earth and one in heaven. Can you
+wonder that I should like to inhabit yonder cave? Day by day I should
+watch the sun rise and the sun set, all the hours between given to
+happiness and contemplation. As I look on at these effects of nature my
+soul seems to go out in a great apocalypse of melody. The air is filled
+with celestial music. Yet no doubt our Principal is right, and in the
+end the influence would not be good for me. I am a strange
+contradiction. There are moments when I feel that I could go back to the
+world and take my place and play my part in all its rush and excitement;
+other moments when I could welcome the solitude of the desert, the
+repose of the grave."
+
+It was almost impossible to turn away from the scene, undoubtedly one of
+the great panoramas of the world. Here, indeed, we seemed to gaze upon
+all its kingdoms and glories. Without the least desire to become
+hermits, we would willingly have spent days upon the mountain. As that
+could not be we presently commenced our long descent, winding about the
+mountain paths, gathering specimens of rare wildflowers, and gazing upon
+the world below. We made many a halt, rested in many a friendly and
+verdant nook, and took in many an impression never to be forgotten. On
+returning to the settlement we felt we had been to a new world where
+angels walked unseen. It was difficult to come back to the lower levels
+of life. We had quite an affection for our patient mule, that looked at
+us out of its gentle eyes as though it knew quite well the service
+rendered was as valued as it was freely given.
+
+Salvador joined us at luncheon: we would not be denied.
+
+"It is a fast-day," he said; "how can I turn it into a feast?"
+
+"You are a traveller, and as such are permitted an indulgence."
+
+He smiled. "It is true," he returned. "I perceive that you know
+something of our rules." Nevertheless he was abstemious almost to
+fasting. "And yet it has been indeed a feast compared with my daily
+food," he said when it was over. "Now would you like to go into the
+church and have some music? My soul is full of the melody I heard on the
+mountain."
+
+So it happened that presently we were listening to such strains as we
+never shall hear again. Once more we were lifted to paradise with melody
+that was more heavenly than earthly. Again his very soul seemed passing
+out in music. Had he gone on for hours we should never have moved. But
+it came to an end, and silence fell, and presently we had to say
+farewell.
+
+"I cannot say it," he cried in a voice slightly tremulous. "It has been
+a day of days to me, never to be repeated. Another glimpse of the world,
+and a final leave-taking thereof. I will never again repeat this
+experience--unless you return and once more ask me to guide you up Mons
+Serratus."
+
+This was very improbable, and he knew it. He grasped our hand in
+silence, essayed to speak, but the farewell words died unuttered. Then
+he silently turned, drew up his cowl and left us for ever. We watched
+him disappear within the shadows of the church, heard a distant door
+closed, and knew that in a moment he would have regained the solitude of
+his cell.
+
+We went back to the world. As we crossed the quadrangle the little lay
+brother who had first received us caught sight of and skipped towards
+us.
+
+"Welcome to Montserrat. I am most happy to see you," he cried. "So you
+have been to the top of the mountain to see the sun rise. And our good
+Salvador has been your guide. He is lucky to get so many indulgences,
+but he deserves them. What would the school do without him?--lose half
+its pupils. And what would the convent do without the school?--starve.
+Did you sleep comfortably in your beautiful rooms?"
+
+We thought it hardly worth while to relate our ghostly visitations, and
+left him with the impression that, like H. C., we had slept the sleep of
+the just.
+
+"And now you are going back to Barcelona," he said. "Well, there is
+nothing more to be seen. After looking upon the beautiful black Virgin
+and sunrise from St. Michael's chapel, you may depart in peace."
+
+And in peace we departed when the time came, wondering whether we should
+ever again look upon this little world and listen to the divine
+harmonies of Salvador of Montserrat.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+A STUDY IN GREY.
+
+     Manresa--Tropical deluge--Rash judgment--Catalan hills and
+     valleys--Striking approach--Taking time by the forelock--Primitive
+     inn--Strange assembly--Unpleasant alternative--Sebastien--Manresa
+     under a cloud--Wonderful outlines--Disappointing church--Sebastien
+     leads the way--Old-world streets--Picturesque and pathetic--Popular
+     character--"What would you, señor?"--Sebastien's Biblical knowledge
+     at fault--Lesson deferred--A revelation--La Seo--Church cold and
+     lifeless--Cave of Ignatius Loyola--Hermitage of St. Dismas--Juan
+     Chanones--Fasting and penance--Visions and revelations--Spiritual
+     warfare--Eve of the Annunciation--Exchanging dresses--Knight turns
+     monk--Juan Pascual--Loyola comes to Manresa--Fanaticism--Vale of
+     Paradise--"Spiritual Exercises"--Founding the Jesuit Order--Dying
+     to self--The fair Anita--In the convent chapel--Two novices--Vision
+     of angels--The White Ladies--Agonising moment--Another Romeo and
+     Juliet--Back to the hotel--Sebastien disconsolate--"To-morrow the
+     sun will shine"--Building castles in the air--A prophecy fulfilled.
+
+
+Only a few miles from Montserrat and within sight of some of its
+mountain peaks, you find the wonderful old town of Manresa. Thither we
+wended our way one gloomy morning.
+
+From the skies came a constant downpour of almost tropical rain. We were
+well sheltered and comfortably housed in Barcelona, but H. C. declared
+Joseph's friend was a true prophet after all, the rainy season had set
+in, and if we waited for the weather, we might wait for ever.
+
+Acting upon this rash judgment we departed under lowering skies. Water
+ran down the streets like small rivers, and the omnibus waded to the
+station.
+
+"Such days have their beauty," said H. C. in his best artistic style.
+"The effect of atmosphere is very fine. And after all we are not made of
+sugar."
+
+"We need be to bear this infliction calmly," was the reply; a sarcasm
+lost upon H. C. who was diligently studying the clouds.
+
+The very train seemed to struggle against the elements as it made way
+through the Catalan hills and valleys, and we certainly acknowledged a
+peculiar charm as we saw them half veiled through the mist and the rain
+that yet was distinctly depressing. On nearing Manresa, it lightened a
+little: the clouds lifted and the rain ceased, but only for a short
+respite.
+
+Nothing could be more striking than the approach to the old town.
+Perched on a hill, outlined against the grey sky was the famous old
+cathedral, rising upwards like a vision. Far down at the foot of the
+hill ran the rapid river, winding through the country between deep
+banks. A splendid old bridge added much to the impressive scene, about
+which there was a wildness that seemed very much in harmony with the
+grey and gloomy skies.
+
+As we crossed the bridge outside the railway station, a young man, well
+built, handsome, with a fresh colour and honest face, came up and
+offered to bring us a carriage or personally conduct us to the hotel.
+Few people visit Manresa; omnibuses are unknown, and carriages only come
+out when ordered. We chose to walk, in spite of the rain, which was
+coming down again with vengeance. The services of the guide were
+accepted, and we soon found that he filled the important office of
+general factotum to the hotel.
+
+"Ah, señor," taking us into his confidence in the first five minutes,
+"if you would only petition the padrone in my favour and get him to
+promote me to the dining-room! As it is, I fetch and carry all day long
+and scarcely earn money enough to pay for the boots I wear out."
+
+We certainly thought no time was being lost in enlisting our sympathies,
+and mildly suggested the padrone might not thank us for meddling with
+his own affairs.
+
+The streets were very steep, stony and winding. Water streamed from the
+houses and ran down the hills, and the place altogether looked very
+hope-forsaken, for it especially needed sunshine. Yet in spite of all we
+found it very interesting, and its situation is so striking that it
+could never be otherwise. We waded on and thought the rain would never
+cease or the walk ever end.
+
+At last the inn, which would hardly have been found without our guide.
+He pointed to it with pride, but we could not rise to the sentiment.
+The entrance was small, and we soon found ourselves mounting a narrow
+wooden staircase which had neither the fashion of Barcelona nor the
+dignity of Gerona. The first landing opened to a long low room of many
+windows, looking old enough to have seen the birth and death of many a
+century. This was given over to the servants of the house, and the
+humbler folk whose rank entitled them to a place below the salt. They
+were seated at round tables--but certainly were not knights--in
+detachments of eight or ten, and their boisterous manners and loud
+voices kept us at a respectful distance, without any desire for a nearer
+approach. For ourselves, we had to go a stage higher in the world,
+represented by the second floor. Here we found the quality at
+breakfast--the substantial mid-day meal: a worthy crew hardly a degree
+better than those we had just interviewed. They proved, indeed, the
+roughest specimens we had yet met in Catalonia: an assemblage of small
+farmers, pedlars and horse-dealers. Had the landlord added
+house-breakers to his list, one or two might have answered to the
+description.
+
+But as travelling, like adversity, makes us acquainted with strange
+companions, and we cannot always choose our types, we sat down to table
+with a good grace. The only alternative was to fast, a penance in which
+H. C. had no faith whatever. To-day this motley assemblage seemed
+peculiarly objectionable, without any of the redeeming points such
+people often have: honest, straightforward speech, directness of purpose
+and modesty of manner which are a certain substitute for cultivation,
+and atone for the want of breeding. Nothing of this was perceptible
+to-day.
+
+The room like the one beneath was long and low, but lighted only by one
+window at the end, so that we were in a semi-obscurity still further
+increased by the weeping skies. A redeeming feature was the civility of
+the inn people, a fault their slowness. To make matters worse, the food
+was coarse and ill-served, and we had to pass almost everything. Long
+before déjeuner came to an end we left them to it and went forth to
+explore. We had very little time to spare, having arranged not to spend
+the night in Manresa: a lucky arrangement on our part, for picturesque
+and striking as the place really is, its resources are soon exhausted. A
+wet evening in such an inn would have landed one in the profoundest
+depths of melancholy.
+
+On leaving the table we found that for the moment the rain had ceased.
+Our guide evidently thought it his duty to look after us, and no sooner
+caught sight of us as we passed downwards than he sprang up, leaving
+upon his plate a delicious piece of _black-pudding_. In vain we offered
+to wait whilst he finished his bonne-bouche. "You are very good, señor,
+but it is not necessary," he replied. "I am very fond of black-pudding,
+but this was my third helping, and really I have had enough."
+
+This seemed probable. "Apparently the supply equals the demand," we
+said. "You must have a liberal master in the landlord of the inn."
+
+"Yes, that is true," returned Sebastien--for such he soon told us was
+his name. "But we only have black-pudding once a week, and we ought to
+have it twice. We are agitating for it now, and as the padrone knows the
+value of a good servant I expect we shall get it."
+
+Sebastien would not leave us again and became our shadow, sublimely
+indifferent to the rain which every now and then came down in
+waterspouts. To this day we feel that we saw Manresa under a cloud. It
+was a study in grey; and if we paid it another visit in sunshine we
+should probably not know it again. For this H. C. was responsible in
+preaching up his rainy season: the true fact being that the next day and
+for ever after we had blue skies and cloudless sunshine.
+
+Manresa is rich in outlines. Its church towers stand out conspicuously
+on the summit of the rock on whose slopes much of the town is built. On
+leaving the inn we saw before us one of the old churches standing in
+solemn repose, grey and silent above the houses. The interior proved
+uninteresting in spite of the nave, wide after the manner of the Catalan
+churches. Sebastien thought every moment spent here waste of time. "It
+is cold and ugly," he declared, constituting himself a judge--and
+perhaps not far wrong. "It makes me shiver. But when the altar is
+lighted up on a Sunday evening, and the place is full of people, and the
+organ plays, and the priest gives the Benediction, then it is passable."
+
+We felt inclined to agree with him, and wished we could see the effect
+of a Benediction service, but as this was not possible we left the
+church to its silent gloom and shadows, Sebastien cheerfully leading the
+way.
+
+[Illustration: MANRESA.]
+
+The streets, decayed and old-world looking, had a wonderfully
+picturesque and pathetic element about them, and on a bright day would
+have been full of charm. A canal ran through one of them, spanned by a
+picturesque single-arch stone bridge. On each side the houses rose out
+of the water, reminding one of Gerona or a Venetian street; handsome,
+palatial, full of interesting detail; a multitude of balconies, many of
+rich wrought ironwork; many a Gothic window with deep mullions; many an
+overhanging casement, from which you might have dropped into the running
+stream. Waterspouts stood out like gargoyles, and slanting tiled roofs
+were full of colouring. Towering above these rose a lovely church
+tower, splendid with Gothic windows, rich ornamentation and an openwork
+parapet, with a small round turret at one corner.
+
+We stood long on the bridge, gazing at the wonderful scene, all its
+infinite detail and harmony of effect; the deep shadows reflected in the
+dark water which needed so much the blue sky and laughing sunshine. It
+was evident that Sebastien could not understand what kept us
+spell-bound. He stood by in patience, now looking intently as though
+trying to learn what was passing in our minds, now directing his
+attention to the water and the houses, as though to guess the secret of
+their fascination. Apparently he was hail-fellow-well-met with every one
+in the town--that dangerous element, a popular character; for not a
+creature passed us, man or woman, youth or maiden, but he had something
+to say to them.
+
+"You seem to know every one, Sebastien," we remarked, as we took our
+kodak out of the case he had slung over his shoulder, in the wish to
+carry away with us some of these splendid outlines.
+
+"What would you, señor? The town is not large, the inhabitants do not
+change, and I was born and bred here. I am fond of company, and make
+friends with them all. I wanted to be a soldier and go out and see the
+world, but they said my sight was not strong enough, and they would not
+have me; so I turned to and took service in the hotel. I am comfortable
+enough, and just earn my living, without a trifle over for the old
+mother, but I don't see much prospect of rising unless I am promoted to
+the dining-room."
+
+"Your eyes look quite strong," we said; large blue eyes, bright and
+clear, without a sign of weakness about them.
+
+[Illustration: MANRESA FROM THE RIVER: MORNING.]
+
+"They are as strong as yours, señor--if I may say so without offence. I
+never could make out what they meant. Sometimes I have thought my old
+mother was at the bottom of it, and because I was her only child, went
+to the authorities and begged them to spare me. I don't _know_ that she
+did, but I have my suspicions. One day I taxed her with it point-blank.
+She was very confused for a moment, and then told me not to be
+foolish--the authorities wouldn't pay attention to such as her, even if
+she had gone to them. I'm not so sure of that. It is well known the old
+mother has seen better days, and when she goes out dressed in her
+best, with her black lace mantilla over her head, which she has had ever
+since she was a young woman, why, she commands respect, and I can quite
+believe the authorities would listen to her."
+
+"Why not try again with those eyes of yours?" we suggested. "You cannot
+be more than nineteen."
+
+"Not more than nineteen!" returned Sebastien, opening the said eyes very
+wide. "Why, señor, I am twenty-three, going on for twenty-four. I know I
+look young, and do what I will I can't help it, and can't make myself
+look any older. I have tried hard to grow a moustache, but it is only
+just beginning to sprout."
+
+He laughed, and we laughed with him, for the down upon his upper lip was
+of the most elementary description. He looked youthful in every way, but
+we cheered him with the reflection that it was a fault time would
+inevitably rectify.
+
+"I have one consolation," he said. "At the fonda I get as much
+black-pudding as I want--once a week; in the army they don't give
+black-pudding at all. So if I have lost something, I have gained
+something too."
+
+"Sebastien, we are ashamed of you! Would you sacrifice your birthright
+for a mess of pottage?"
+
+"What does the señor mean?" asked Sebastien, looking puzzled.
+
+"Have you never heard of Esau?"
+
+"Never, señor. Was he a Spaniard or an Englishman? And was he, too, fond
+of black-pudding?"
+
+It was impossible to help laughing; but we passed over the question,
+feeling that a course of Bible history begun on the bridge would come to
+an untimely end. So we left him to his ignorance and his preference for
+black-pudding, passed away from the canal, the old bridge and ancient
+outlines, and climbed about the steep decayed streets. The rain poured
+through the water-spouts, and every now and then we came in for an
+unwelcome shower-bath. This highly amused Sebastien, who never enjoyed
+the fun more than when he himself was victim.
+
+Suddenly we found ourselves confronted by one of those views which come
+upon one as a revelation of what nature sometimes accomplishes. We had
+seen nothing equal to it, nothing to resemble it since the days of
+Segovia. In sunshine the likeness might have been still more striking.
+
+We had passed by a steep descent into the lower part of the town and
+stood upon the hill side. To our right rose the great collegiate church
+of La Seo, crowning a massive and majestic rock. Houses stretched far
+down the slopes, and the church rose above them in magnificent outlines.
+It was built of yellow greystone that harmonised wonderfully with the
+grey skies. For the time being these had ceased to weep, and everything
+was bathed in a thin mist, which rolled and curled about and threw a
+wonderful romance and glamour over the scene, especially refining and
+beautifying.
+
+Still below us, on the left, ran the broad river, with its dark, almost
+blood-red waters flowing swiftly under the high, picturesque bridge. We
+traced its winding course between deep banks far out into the country;
+just as we had traced it from the heights of Montserrat, not far off as
+the eagle flew. Here too everything was veiled in a thin mist.
+
+The rock on which the church stood consisted of a series of hollows,
+where grew lovely hanging gardens and flowering trees. The church with
+its striking outlines looked massive enough to defy the ages. It was of
+the true fourteenth century Catalan type, and took the place of a church
+that had existed here in the tenth century. Its buttresses are
+especially large and prominent. The lofty tower stands over the north
+aisle. Four arched stone ribs crown the steeple, within which a bell is
+suspended. A fine Romanesque doorway leads into the modern uninteresting
+cloister. Other fine doorways lead into the interior of the church. Its
+great size, high and wide, is impressive, but the details are trivial.
+The capitals of the enormous octagonal columns are poor, and the arches
+they support, thin and almost contemptible, take immensely from the
+general effect.
+
+Here also, there was no need to remain long. With the charms of
+Barcelona cathedral lingering in the mind as a dream and a world's
+wonder, the collegiate church of Manresa, with all its loftiness and
+expanse, was cold and lifeless, without sense of beauty or devotion. In
+its striking situation lies the chief merit of the town.
+
+[Illustration: MANRESA FROM THE HILL-SIDE: EVENING.]
+
+We went down the banks, stood on the shallows and watched the deep red
+waters rushing through the bridge. Beyond it was a slight fall over
+which the waters poured in a crimson stream. Near the bridge stood a
+large, ancient crucifix. On the farther bank of the river rose the
+outlines of the Cave of Ignatius Loyola. Above the cave has now been
+built a great church, and the cave itself, reached by a short passage in
+its north-east corner, has been turned into a votive chapel, to which
+pilgrims flock at stated times.
+
+Manresa is of course for ever associated with the name of Loyola. He had
+been staying some time at the Monastery of Montserrat, preparing his
+mind for the great change he intended to make in his life. As he
+wandered about the mountain in his cavalier's dress, he must have looked
+far more fitted to lead an army than to become a member of the Church
+militant.
+
+One of his most frequent visits was to the Hermitage of St. Dismas, high
+up amongst the rocks. Here dwelt a saintly priest, Juan Chanones, who
+gave Loyola much holy counsel. It must needs be that Loyola earnestly
+weighed the cost of what he contemplated; impossible but there were
+moments when the tempter placed before him in the strongest colours
+imaginable the allurements of the life he was renouncing. When the final
+die was cast there must be no turning back, no lingering regrets. Loyola
+was one of the last men to be vacillating or lukewarm; with him it was
+ever one thing or the other; and so in the quiet monastery, far out of
+the world, he considered well his decision.
+
+Chanones was the very man for such a crisis. The hermit was one who
+imposed upon himself every possible penance. He fasted, wore a hair
+shirt, and spent many hours of the twenty-four in long prayers and
+devotions. Loyola had begun by confessing to him the whole of his past
+life, and confiding his hopes and aspirations for the future: how he
+wished to become a monk and devote his days to religion. He was already
+a mystic, full of ecstasies, seeing visions and dreaming dreams.
+Chanones strengthened his resolutions and fired him yet more with the
+spirit of mysticism.
+
+Under his influence, the night before leaving the monastery he hung up
+his sword and dagger beside the image of the Virgin as a sort of votive
+offering, declaring that henceforth he had done with the world and with
+wars. His only warfare should be spiritual: fighting against the powers
+of darkness and the influence of evil. He spent the whole night in
+prayer before the altar; where according to his mystic moods, visions
+and revelations had been vouchsafed to him.
+
+But earlier in the evening a slight event had happened.
+
+It was the eve of the Annunciation, in the year 1522. Loyola had come
+down from the hermit's cave dressed in the rich garb of a cavalier which
+as yet he had not thrown off. In the Hospederia of the monastery were
+many poor pilgrims; beggars dressed in rags. Meeting one of these,
+Loyola persuaded him to exchange his rags for his own splendid dress.
+Disguised in his sackcloth gown and girdle, few would have recognised
+the once magnificent knight. His head, accustomed to a helmet, was now
+bare. His left foot was unshod, on his right he wore a sandal of grass.
+He was lame from that wound in his leg which had been the turning-point
+of his career. Never perfectly healed, of late it had become inflamed
+and painful. In this garb he spent his last night at Montserrat.
+
+Next morning he went forth at daybreak with a few companions, one of
+whom was Juan Pascual. They had not proceeded many miles before they
+were overtaken by a hasty messenger who asked Loyola if it was he who
+had presented a beggar with the rich dress of a cavalier. The story had
+been doubted and the man put into confinement. Loyola declared that it
+was true, lamented the trouble he had brought upon the beggar, and
+prayed he might be liberated; adding that he had made the exchange from
+motives of penance and religion, as well as disguise. The messenger
+returned to the convent, and the little band of pilgrims continued on
+their way.
+
+They journeyed slowly, but the distance was not great. At noon they were
+overtaken by the mother of Pascual, who in company with others, was
+returning from celebrating the Feast of the Annunciation at Montserrat.
+This lady, Inez, directed him to the hospital of Santa Lucia, where he
+would obtain relief for his leg, which threatened to become troublesome
+if not dangerous. Inez quickly discovered that Loyola was no ordinary
+pilgrim, and supplied him with food from her own table during the five
+days he remained in the hospital.
+
+The day after his arrival he went up to the great church of La Seo, and
+remained in prayer for five hours, seeking direction for his movements.
+At the end of five days he left the hospital for a room found him by
+Inez. Here he at once adopted that spirit of fasting and penance which
+knew no moderation and with him became fanaticism. The food sent by Inez
+he gave away, and lived upon black bread and water. He constantly went
+bare-headed and bare-footed, wore a hair shirt like Chanones, and
+occasionally added to his sufferings by putting on a girdle made of the
+leaves of the prickly gladiole. He neglected himself in every way, never
+cutting his nails or combing his hair and beard; so that he who had once
+been the most fastidious of cavaliers now became a byword to those who
+met him and gazed in contempt and derision. He spent much time at the
+hospital nursing the sick, devoting himself to the most forbidding
+cases.
+
+This life continued for four months, and then he withdrew to the cave
+which he declared had been miraculously revealed to him. It overlooked a
+valley called by the people the Vale of Paradise, and its existence was
+known to few.
+
+The cave was dark and small and belonged to a friend of Loyola's who
+lived to be a century old. Here he existed in great seclusion, spending
+seven hours of every day in prayer, and often remaining on his knees all
+night. It was here that he chiefly composed his "Spiritual Exercises,"
+which contain so much beauty and devotion. Here also came to him the
+first idea of the Order of Jesus, which he afterwards founded. But it
+must be remarked that the Jesuit Society as framed by Ignatius Loyola
+was a more simple and unworldy institution than it afterwards became.
+His own rules seem to have been very pure and without guile or worldly
+ambition; his mind embraced only heaven and the things which concerned
+heaven. If Loyola were to return to earth, he would be the first to
+condemn many of its principles and practices and to say: "These are none
+of mine."
+
+That he became spiritual as perhaps has been given to few cannot be
+doubted by any one who had read his writings and studied his life. We
+of another creed cannot be in touch with him on many points, but all
+must profoundly admire his absolute death to self, the perfect
+resignation of all his thoughts and wishes to the Divine guidance.
+
+In Manresa, we have said that his penances amounted to fanaticism. His
+prayers and fastings so weakened the body, that frequently for hours and
+sometimes for days he would lose consciousness, and fall into death-like
+swoons. He retired to his cave and was tormented by a morbid
+recollection of his past sins. For many months he was filled with horror
+and knew nothing of peace of mind or spiritual consolation. He was
+haunted by terrible voices and visions; and it was only after body and
+soul had, as it were, been torn asunder, and he had gone through all the
+agonies of a living spiritual death, that at last peace and light, the
+certainty of pardon and the Divine favour, came to him.
+
+After that his past life seems to have been placed behind him and knew
+him no more. He became a teacher of men; a great spiritual healer in
+whom the heavy-laden found comfort and encouragement; a profound reader
+of the human heart, to which he never ministered in vain. Perhaps one of
+his greatest weapons was humility, by which he placed himself on a level
+with all who came to him, and which enabled him to apply in the right
+way all the deep and earnest sympathy that was in him.
+
+His visions, the voices he heard, the so-called miracles he witnessed,
+were no doubt delusions due to the highly wrought imagination and
+ecstatic state of the mystic; but with Loyola they did not end here.
+They bore fruit. He was practical as well as theoretical: and dead as he
+became to self, a little of the sensible, matter-of-fact discipline of
+his early training must have clung to him to the last. His after life
+was full of activity and action. It would be difficult to say where he
+did not go, what countries he did not visit with practical issues, in
+days when men could not easily run to and fro on the earth as they do
+now.
+
+Loyola died as he had lived, full of faith and hope. He had caught the
+malarial fever in Rome, and was not strong enough to fight against it.
+In August, 1556, the end came, when he was sixty-five years old; but in
+everything except years he might have gone through a century of time.
+His physical powers were worn out with hard work and abstinence; and
+perhaps the greatest miracle in connection with Ignatius Loyola was the
+fact that he lived long after the vital forces should have ceased to
+hold together. After his death the doctors found it impossible to
+discover what power had kept him alive during his later years, but
+agreed that it was nothing less than supernatural.
+
+Thus Manresa is for ever connected with the name and fame of Ignatius
+Loyola the saint.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Crossing the bridge and winding through a very ancient and dilapidated
+part of the town, we presently reached the church, which struck us as
+being new and gaudy, with very little to recommend it. But we had come
+to see what had once been the cave, and wished we could have found it in
+its original state. Certainly the saint himself would never recognise it
+as the old earthy cavern, nine feet by six, whose mouth was concealed by
+brier bushes, and where he was wont to pass long days and nights in
+prayer and penance. The walls are now lined with marble; a light burns
+before the altar; some poor sculpture represents Loyola writing his book
+and performing his first miracle.
+
+The view from his cave must have been magnificent even in his day. There
+in front of him ran the famous river, and there stood the old bridge.
+Beyond it rose the rock with its hollows and gardens; and towering above
+were the splendid outlines of the collegiate church. Beyond all in the
+distance rose the chain of the Pyrenees, undulating and snow-capped;
+whilst in one distant spot, standing alone, cleaving the sky with their
+sharp outlines, appeared the peaks and pinnacles of Mons Serratus; the
+monastery resting half way down on its plateau, far more beautiful and
+perfect than it is to-day. Upon this the hermit Loyola--as he might at
+that time be called--would fix his eyes for hours day after day, seeking
+inspiration for his "Exercises," perhaps occasionally dreaming of the
+days when he still wore his cavalier's dress, and had not yet renounced
+all the pomps and vanities of the world. But as we have said, he was not
+a man of two minds; having put his hand to the plough, as far as we
+know he never turned back even with the faintest regret or longing for
+the pleasures deliberately placed from him.
+
+Sebastien our guide was evidently a good Catholic, having a great
+reverence for Loyola, with whom he was more familiar than with Esau. He
+watched us narrowly as we entered the chapel, and was evidently
+disappointed at the little impression made upon us: expecting a
+drop-down-deadness of manner, when we stood before the effigy of the
+saint, which unfortunately only excited a feeling of irritation at the
+badness of its workmanship.
+
+So we were not sorry to find ourselves once more under the skies, dark
+and lowering though they were. Here indeed the magnificent view, the
+splendid outlines of Manresa, all slightly veiled in that charming mist,
+might well appeal to all one's sense of the beautiful and the sublime,
+and raise emotions the poor votive chapel could never inspire.
+
+As we went back into the town, for the moment it seemed very much
+haunted by the presence of Loyola. Passing a picturesque little house in
+the centre of a small garden, Sebastien suddenly stopped in front of it
+and gave a peculiar call, whilst a flush of expectation rose to his
+face. Surprised at the movement we waited for the sequel. This quickly
+followed in the opening of a casement, at which appeared the charming
+head of a young woman.
+
+"Sebastien!" she cried, clasping her hands in ecstasy. "Have you come to
+see me?"
+
+"Yes, since I see you now," returned Sebastien. "But I cannot come in,
+Anita. I am guiding these gentlemen through the town, and have to show
+them everything; they would be lost without me. We have just been to the
+chapel of the saint, where I said a short prayer for our speedy
+marriage. Ah! when will it be?"
+
+"Patience, patience!" cried the fair Anita. "I am getting on well, and
+you must make el padrone advance you to the dining-room. Oh, it will all
+come right. Then we are both young and can afford to wait."
+
+We thought it a pity so interesting a conversation should be carried on
+in a public thoroughfare, and at a tantalising distance, and offered
+Sebastien five minutes' interval if he liked to go in and pay his
+respects to his ladye-love. But he declined, and wafting a warm salute
+to the fair vision of the casement, intimated he was again at our
+service.
+
+"She is the sweetest girl in Manresa," said Sebastien quite openly, "and
+I am a lucky fellow to have won her. Unfortunately we are both poor. But
+Anita is with a dressmaker, and will soon be able to start on her own
+account: we shall not have much difficulty in getting on, if the padrone
+will only advance me--as indeed I deserve."
+
+We congratulated Sebastien upon his good fortune and wished him
+promotion and success: and looking at his straight-forward open face, so
+singularly free from guile, we thought the fair Anita was by no means to
+be condoled with, however humble their prospects.
+
+Then we made way into the upper part of the town, and presently
+Sebastien turned into a chapel attached to a convent.
+
+It was a small building of no pretension, but with a marvellous repose
+and quietness about it. A screen divided the body of the church from the
+altar, and immediately before the altar, separated from us by the
+screen, was a strange and striking vision.
+
+Two young girls who might have been some eighteen years old, knelt side
+by side at the foot of the steps, motionless as carven images and
+dressed in white. Their veils were thrown back, but their faces, turned
+towards the altar, were invisible. Their posture was full of grace, and
+their dress, whether by accident or design, was becomingly arranged and
+fell in artistic folds. All the time we looked they moved neither hand
+nor foot, and might have been, as we have said, carved in stone. We
+almost felt as though gazing upon a vision of angels, so wonderfully did
+the light fall upon them as they knelt: whilst in the body of the church
+we were in semi-obscurity.
+
+Presently a bell tinkled, a side door opened, and two other young girls
+very much of the same age and dressed in exactly the same way, entered.
+The two at the altar rose, made deep, graceful curtsies, and veiling
+their faces, passed out of the chapel. Those who entered at once threw
+back their veils. In the obscurity we were not observed. We had full
+view of their charming faces, far too charming to become the nuns for
+which Sebastien said they were qualifying.
+
+"They are White Ladies," he whispered, "and very soon will be cloistered
+and never see the world again. It is enough to break one's heart."
+
+"You don't approve, Sebastien?"
+
+"Ah, señor, I shudder at the thought. It occurs to me what a terrible
+thing it would be if Anita were to turn nun instead of becoming my happy
+wife--at least I shall do all I can to make her happy. But these poor
+girls--think for a moment of the humdrum life they are taking up;
+nothing to look forward to; no change, no pleasure of any sort. They
+might as well be buried alive at once and put out of their misery."
+
+As the door opened to admit the two novices--if novices they were--we
+had caught sight of others in the passage; some eight or ten, as we
+fancied. An elderly nun, equally dressed in white, was going amongst
+them, almost, as it seemed, in the act of benediction. She was evidently
+counselling, encouraging, fortifying those to whom she ministered. One
+might have thought that passing through that doorway was renouncing an
+old life and taking up a new one; an irrevocable step and choice from
+which there was no recall and no turning back.
+
+H. C. was taken with a lump in his throat as the young fair women
+unveiled and moved towards the altar. One of them was certainly very
+beautiful. Large wistful blue eyes stood out in contrast with the ivory
+pallor of her oval face, than which the spotless veil was not more pure
+and chaste.
+
+It was too much for H. C.'s equanimity. He coughed and betrayed himself.
+
+She turned hurriedly; and seeing a face that corresponded to her own in
+pallor, and eyes that were quite as wistful, gave him an appealing,
+imploring glance which seemed to say that she would be saved from her
+present fate.
+
+For an instant we trembled. The case was so hopeless. There was the
+dividing screen. There was the nun on guard beyond the closed door.
+There was the drenching rain outside. An escape in a deluge would not
+have been romantic--and where could they escape to? It was one of those
+agonising moments of helplessness that sometimes drive men insane.
+
+H. C. grasped the screen. There was an instant when we thought he would
+have torn it down come what might. He looked reckless and desperate and
+miserable. Then we placed our hand on his arm as we had done that night
+at the opera in Gerona, and he calmed down.
+
+We turned to leave the chapel. As we did so, a louder bell rang out, the
+door opened, and in walked the Mother-Superior at the head of her little
+army of novices.
+
+They quickly grouped themselves round the altar, moved in utter silence
+like phantoms and subsided into graceful attitudes, apparently absorbed
+in devotion. The sight was as charming as it was painful: for who could
+say how many of these young girls were voluntarily renouncing the world,
+or in the least realised what they were doing?
+
+Before passing out we gave a last look at this angelic vision. Quiet as
+we were we did not move exactly like phantoms. The meaning of our slight
+stir penetrated beyond the screen. It was too great a temptation for the
+fair young novice we have described. She felt that her last hope was
+dissolving, and she turned towards H. C. with a gaze that would have
+moved a stone.
+
+Fortunately his eyes were buried in his handkerchief, or it is certain
+that we should never have left the chapel in the state in which we found
+it. The screen would have gone; the Mother-Superior defied, there would
+have been rout and consternation, the alarm bell rung, and perhaps--who
+knows?--a priest would have appeared upon the scene and married this
+romantic Romeo and Juliet. The novices would have turned into
+bridesmaids, and the Mother-Superior have given away her spiritual
+daughter. A lovely transformation scene indeed! Slighter currents have
+before now changed the course of nations.
+
+The door closed upon us without tragic event or catastrophe. Through the
+deluge we waded to the hotel.
+
+The long dining-room was now empty. The waiter brought us coffee and
+cognac, ordered to restore H. C.'s nervous system; we paid our bill,
+which was by no means as modest as the pretensions of the inn; and under
+the faithful and unfailing pilotage of Sebastien, departed for the
+railway station. The poor fellow looked melancholy.
+
+"Oh, señor, I wish you were going to stay a week," he cried. "I did hope
+you would be here for at least four days."
+
+"The fates forbid!"--horrified at the bare thought. "A week here in such
+weather would make one desperate, Sebastien. Remember that we have no
+fair Anita to turn all our thistles to roses, dull streets into a
+paradise."
+
+Sebastien sighed. "To-morrow the sun will shine, señor. You would not
+know Manresa again under a blue sky."
+
+"But our poet friend declares the rainy season has begun. This deluge is
+to last many days, if not weeks, Sebastien."
+
+"It is a mistake," said Sebastien. "We have no rainy season. You will
+see that to-morrow there will be no rain, no clouds. Then if you had
+stayed, I am sure you would have spoken to the padrone for me, and got
+him to promote me to the dining-room. And then we could have been
+married."
+
+Sebastien, like everyone else, was building his castles and dreaming his
+dreams; and it certainly caused us a slight regret that we could not
+help to lay them on a solid foundation. All we could do was to give him
+our best wishes, and tell him that if sufficiently earnest and
+persevering he would certainly gain the desire of his heart. It only
+depended on himself.
+
+This prophecy seemed to inspire him with hope and courage; and our last
+reminiscence of Manresa was that of a young man, strong, handsome, fresh
+coloured, standing hat in hand on the platform, and begging us "with
+tears in his voice" to stay at least two days in Manresa the next time
+we passed that way and formally petition the landlord in a deputation of
+one for his promotion.[B]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+LERIDA.
+
+     Picturesque country--Approaching Lerida--Rambling inn--Remarkable
+     duenna--Toothless and voiceless--Smiles upon H. C.--Nearly
+     expires--Civilised chef--A procession--Lerida Dragon--City of the
+     dead--Night study--Charging dead walls--A night encounter--Armed
+     demon--Wise people--Watchman proves an old friend--No
+     promotion--Locked out--Rousing the echoes--Night porter appears on
+     the scene--Also El Sereno--Apologetic and repentant--The charming
+     Rose--Porter congratulates himself--Cloudless morning--H. C.
+     confronted by the Dragon--In the hands of the Philistines--A Lerida
+     fine art--Boot-cleaner in Ordinary--Remarkable character--H. C.
+     hilarious--Steals a march.
+
+
+No sooner had we left Manresa than the rain ceased, and though the sky
+remained grey, the clouds lifted.
+
+As far as Cervera the country we passed through was evidently
+picturesque, and only wanted the contrast of sun and shade to make it
+charming. Conspicuous amidst the landscape for many and many a long mile
+was the wonderful mountain of Montserrat with its peaks and pinnacles,
+about which the white mists still rolled and wrapped themselves. The
+scenery was diversified by many a wide ravine, where tangled bushes grew
+over the hard rock; many a fertile vale rich in fruit trees, pines,
+olives, oak and cork trees, intermixed their various shades of green.
+Beyond Cervera, the country was cold and barren and abounded in
+rock-strewn plains, to which the grey skies gave a still more sad and
+sombre tone. We approached Lerida when the shades of night were falling,
+and could just discern its grand outlines rising out of the great plain.
+These seemed to yield in interest only to Manresa, whilst the town
+itself proved far more attractive.
+
+We found the place sufficiently civilised to possess an omnibus, which
+transported us bag and baggage to the hotel. The long straight
+thoroughfare in which we found ourselves looked in the darkening night
+like the fag end of a village, unfinished and unpaved; almost like the
+street of some far away colonial settlement. It was wide and lined with
+trees, and beyond the trees on one side, a row of large houses; amongst
+them our inn; a rambling, cheerless sort of building, too new to be
+peopled with ghosts or distinguished by artistic outlines. Anything more
+opposite to the ghostly element could not be imagined. Still, in spite
+of frightful drawbacks it was some degrees better than Manresa.
+
+We were conducted by a curious but amiable duenna to a large lofty
+sitting room with a bedroom opening on each side: evidently the state
+apartments. The place looked empty and neglected, and our candles hardly
+lighted the obscurity. The electric bells were all broken, and we soon
+found that if we rang till doomsday no one appeared.
+
+Our duenna was toothless and apparently voiceless, for when she opened
+her capacious mouth and began to talk, no sound came forth. The mouth
+worked up and down in absolute silence, and the effect was creepy and
+peculiar. It almost felt as though a mummy had been galvanised into life
+minus the voice. Her costume had nothing redeeming about it. An
+impromptu turban placed over a shock head of hair, petticoats of the
+shortest, revealing feet and ankles that would have supported a
+substantial Dutch vrouw. We afterwards found she was the laundress of
+the establishment, and this was the costume in which she presided at the
+wash-tub. She smiled sweetly upon H. C. and her face looked like a huge,
+amiable cavern. With an imagination full of the lovely face of that
+young novice in Manresa, he shuddered, dropped into the furthest chair,
+and begged us to complete the arrangements without him.
+
+There was nothing to arrange, and the Dragon soon withdrew with her
+cavernous smiles and voiceless words. Then from a distant corner we
+heard an anxious murmur: "What about dinner?" H. C.. had not expired;
+the Dragon had evidently not frightened away all earthly desires.
+
+Fortunately dinner was forthcoming, though when we had finally settled
+down and removed the stains of travel, and H. C. had recovered his
+nerves, the night was growing apace. We plunged into wide passages, and
+after half a dozen wrong turnings at length found ourselves in the
+dining-room, large, lofty and well lighted. The chef sent up a civilised
+bill of fare, and the landlord himself waited upon us; whilst under the
+influence of fortifying dishes and refined wines the charms of the
+Manresa novice faded into the background, and H. C. felt almost equal to
+challenging the Lerida Dragon to single combat as a libel upon her sex.
+We were conducted back to our rooms by quite a procession, including the
+thin landlord and imposing landlady, headed by the Dragon bearing a
+flambeau.
+
+Once on our balcony, we found the night had changed for the better.
+Clouds had disappeared, stars shone, the trees before us were rustling
+gently in the wind, calmness and repose had fallen upon the world. It
+was past ten o'clock; the place seemed still and deserted as a city of
+the dead; not a sound broke the silence as we went forth for a
+night-study of Lerida.
+
+It was intensely dark. Here and there an oil lamp glimmered, making
+darkness visible. Presently we found ourselves on the bridge, looking
+down upon the waters of the river that runs so closely to the town as to
+reflect its outlines. To-night it was too dark to reflect anything,
+excepting here and there a faint track of light thrown by a distant
+star. The surface was not disturbed by any sort of craft.
+
+To the right rose the houses of the town, and above them faint and
+shadowy against the night sky, the outlines of the wonderful old
+cathedral, perched on its rock 300 feet above the town itself.
+
+We tried to reach it, climbing and stumbling up the narrow ill-paved
+thoroughfares, that seemed to wind and twist about like the contortions
+of a snake. The darkness might be felt. There was not a solitary light
+to guide our feet, and every now and then we found ourselves charging a
+dead wall as Don Quixote charged the windmills.
+
+Once H. C. plunged against the door of a low cottage, and before he
+could turn round there rushed out a demon in light attire with a torrent
+of hard words and a blunderbuss-sort of weapon. Fortunately for H. C. a
+dog also rushed out at the moment between the man's legs, bringing him
+to the ground, where he and his blunderbuss lay motionless. All the
+dogs in the neighbourhood set up a howl and a bark, and the place was
+fast turning to pandemonium.
+
+We were evidently on dangerous ground, where strangers were not expected
+and made welcome; doors opened above us and voices inquired who passed
+that way so late. Our lives were in jeopardy amongst these wild
+Catalonians, howbeit they have not the sword-and-dagger temperament of
+the more impulsive Spaniards. We had fallen amongst thieves. Discretion
+being the better part of valour, we glided back like phantoms, passing
+safely through the ranks of the enemy, and found ourselves on the great
+square which is the market-place, and where we breathed freely.
+
+No one followed in pursuit. It seemed as though, their own territories
+abandoned, they cared nothing what became of intruders. Presently the
+dogs ceased to bark, silence once more fell upon the night. We hoped our
+friend of the blunderbuss had not been seriously wounded, but under the
+circumstances it was impossible to make anxious inquiries.
+
+It was difficult to get even a faint impression of the town. Here and
+there we caught a vision of promising arcades, and apparently ancient
+outlines of houses and gabled roofs, but everything was in tenebrous
+gloom. Hardly a single window reflected the faintest ray; the streets
+were deserted. Only from a solitary café came forth, as we passed, a
+small band of some half dozen men, who quietly went up a side street and
+disappeared. It was only a little past eleven, but the people of Lerida
+are wise and know nothing of midnight oil, wasting energies, and burning
+the candle at both ends.
+
+"We are doing no good," said H. C. whose head had been rather damaged by
+coming in contact with doors and walls in the narrow lane. "I think it
+would be as well to follow the example of these people and retire,
+reserving our energies for to-morrow. In this darkness we might charge
+another cottage door without a friendly dog to deliver us from a
+murderous blunderbuss."
+
+So we turned back in the long narrow street of which Lerida seemed
+chiefly composed, and presently found ourselves in the broad hotel
+avenue.
+
+In the very centre of it was an old watchman with his staff and
+lantern. He threw his light upon us as we approached, then gave a
+"Buenas noches" and turned down the spear of his staff in friendly
+token.
+
+We thought we recognised both face and voice. Where had we met?
+
+"You are late, gentlemen. It grows towards midnight. In a few minutes I
+must call the hour and the weather. The people of Lerida are even
+earlier than those of Burgos, where I was watchman until six months
+ago."
+
+Then the mystery was solved. This was the very old watchman who had
+piloted us to the hotel the night we had lost ourselves in that most
+uncomfortable of Spanish towns, with the worst of Spanish inns.
+
+"Have you forgotten us?" we asked. "Do you not remember taking two
+strangers through the streets of Burgos more than a year ago, and seeing
+them safely to their door?"
+
+The watchman put down his lantern deliberately and struck the ground
+with his spear. "Is it possible, señor! Santa Maria! A plague upon
+memory and eyesight! But the night is dark, and my lantern burns dim.
+Indeed I remember it well. Can I ever forget your largesse on that
+occasion? I have often wondered how you fared in Spain and whither you
+wandered. Often wished I might meet you again."
+
+"But what brings you here? Surely Burgos is more important than Lerida,
+and you have progressed backwards. This hardly looks like promotion."
+
+"Oh, señor, there is no promotion for us poor watchmen. One town is much
+as another. I earn as much in Lerida as I did in Burgos, and the saints
+know either pays little enough."
+
+"Were you, then, sent here for any special reason?"
+
+"A reason of my own, señor. My wife's old parents live here and she
+wanted to be near them; so I petitioned to come here and it was granted.
+On the whole I am better off than in Burgos."
+
+After some further conversations, and with a substantial remembrance for
+auld lang syne, we left the old watchman and turned for our hotel.
+
+We soon felt almost as lost as in that past time at Burgos. The houses
+were all exactly alike. Every light was out, every door closed. There
+was no especial lamp to indicate which was the inn, and we could
+discover neither sign nor name. At last in the darkness we managed to
+trace on a lamp, in small characters, the words _Fonda de España_. The
+great door beneath was shut, like every other door; but there was a
+ponderous knocker, to which we directed our energies.
+
+It was all in vain, for no one responded. Knock after knock brought
+forth no result. The echoes we roused in the avenue were enough to wake
+the dead. Our watchman had gone to the far end, and by the gleam of his
+lamp we saw him turn and hasten. The habitable part of the inn was
+upstairs, a league of passages separated it from the outer door. If
+everyone was in bed and asleep, we might knock away until daybreak.
+
+We were growing concerned, when just as our old friend the watchman
+arrived upon the scene, up rushed another functionary in breathless
+agitation: the night porter of the hotel, and he carried great keys in
+his hand.
+
+"A thousand pardons, gentlemen," he began, as far as want of breath
+would allow him. "I did not know any one was out and went for a short
+walk just to breathe the midnight air and contemplate the stars. I heard
+you knocking when quite a mile away. You have indeed the strength of
+Hercules. And there is also something peculiar in this knocker. You may
+hear it all over the town, but cannot hear it in the hotel unless you
+are in the porter's lodge. It has been said the house is bewitched, and
+I think it; for once, when the Bishop breakfasted here, as soon as he
+entered the doors a loud report was heard and the place trembled, just
+as if some evil spirit were frightened and had departed in a flash of
+lightning. If you only knew how I ran when I heard the knocker, you
+would pity me."
+
+"I guessed what was up," said our watchman, "but waited, thinking you
+would be sure to arrive. Contemplating the stars with you, Juan, means
+taking an extra glass or two at your favourite bodega. You are too fond
+of leaving your post, and one of these days your post will leave you."
+
+[Illustration: ARCADES: LERIDA]
+
+This we thought highly probable, but the porter merely shrugged his
+shoulders, intimating that if he lost one place another would turn
+up. He applied one of the great keys to the lock, and the great door
+rolled open.
+
+We passed into a dark vaulted passage which rather reminded us of the
+gloomy entrance to the Hospederia at Montserrat. Upstairs every one had
+gone to bed, and they had not even left us a light. But for the night
+porter we might have sat all night upon chairs. When the candles threw
+out a faint illumination, H. C. looked round shudderingly as though he
+expected to see the Dragon lurking in some corner.
+
+We had found out that this extraordinary creature rejoiced in the
+charming name of _Rose_, and mentioned the name aloud.
+
+"Rose," said the night porter, "that is my wife. She is not a beauty,
+señor, but she can't scold--she has no voice. When I see other
+good-looking wives rating their husbands I say to myself, 'Ah ha, my
+fine fellow! after all beauty is only skin-deep. I wouldn't exchange my
+peace of mind for all your handsome wives put together.' I married her
+because she had no voice and also earns good wages. But though she is
+voiceless by day, she snores by night, and really becomes quite musical.
+It is a singular contradiction, but nature is freaky."
+
+He marshalled us to our rooms, a candle in each hand, striding along
+with great dignity and evidently thinking that he was the life and soul
+of the establishment. Putting the candles on the sitting-room table, he
+backed towards the door, made a low bow, once more apologised for being
+absent without leave and keeping us beating a midnight tattoo, and
+begged as a favour that we would not mention the circumstance to the
+landlord.
+
+This we readily promised, and as it was utterly impossible to maintain
+any sort of gravity on the occasion, the night porter, wishing us
+refreshing slumbers, departed in great peace of mind--probably to resume
+his devotions at the untimely bodega. We heard his receding footsteps,
+and the house sank into repose.
+
+The next morning there was not a cloud in the sky. Our study in grey had
+given place to more positive tones. H. C.'s rainy season had been a pure
+effort of the imagination. Sebastien was right after all, and in sheer
+gratitude we sat down and wrote an epistle to his master that would have
+moved a heart of stone. We represented in glowing colours the happiness
+of the young pair that a word from him could make or mar; enlarged upon
+the moral question of conferring pleasure where it was possible, and
+wound up with a rash assertion, almost an undertaking, that Sebastien
+would prove a tower of strength to the well-being of the hotel. The
+result has been recorded.
+
+We rose early. With that glorious sun shining, who could waste moments
+in sleep? Presently we heard a sort of alarmed shout from H. C., and on
+going into the sitting-room, and asking how he had slept, found him
+pale, agitated, and confronted by the Dragon.
+
+She looked if anything more terrible than last night. Her cavernous
+mouth was wide open, but no sound came forth, though her capacious jaws
+moved up and down and her eyes rolled in a fine frenzy. Her sleeves were
+tucked up above the elbow, revealing a muscular arm that would not have
+disgraced a prize-fighter. She was evidently primed for another field
+day at the wash-tub. When we went in she was smiling sweetly upon H. C.
+
+"What does it all mean?" we asked. "Surely you have not been offering to
+elope with the Dragon?"
+
+"I simply want my boots," said H. C. unromantically. "I rang away at the
+bell just as we knocked at the door last night, and with the same
+result. The place _must_ be bewitched. Then I opened the door and
+clapped my hands, and the Dragon suddenly sprang out upon me from a dark
+cupboard close by, right into my very arms. I nearly had a fit of
+convulsions. And now when I ask for my boots all she does is to mouth
+and shake her head. What's to be done? Is it a plot to keep us here?
+Have we fallen into the hands of the Philistines?"
+
+Being in a more advanced stage of toilet than H. C., we marched forth in
+search of the landlord on what we hoped would not prove a bootless
+errand. He was in his counting-house counting out his money--and
+arranging his dinners. On making anxious inquiries we discovered that in
+Lerida boot-cleaning was considered one of the fine arts. There was a
+Boot-cleaner in Ordinary to the town, who took the inns in turn and was
+paid according to his work. People had to wait his pleasure. That
+morning he had not yet arrived; we had risen early.
+
+Fortunately he appeared at the moment: an old, grey-bearded man with a
+fine presence, who looked almost past boot-cleaning or any other
+occupation. We found him quite above his humble employment. He was a
+Frenchman by birth, but had lived in Spain for nearly seventy years--was
+now verging on ninety, and his old wife, he told us, was eighty-seven,
+and two years ago had gone blind. He had not forgotten his native
+language, which he still spoke very purely. In his last days he was
+supporting himself and his old wife by cleaning boots. It was the custom
+of the town. The hotels would do anything for you but clean boots. As
+far as he was concerned he just managed to keep the wolf from the door,
+and that after all was all they wanted.
+
+He went off to his task, and returning to H. C. we found a change had
+come over the spirit of his dream. He sat hilarious and comforted before
+an empty tray of rolls and coffee, our own share as well as his having
+disappeared, whilst the Dragon had departed to adorn other realms.
+
+In due time the old man arrived with his boots, was duly paid for his
+work, and we presently found ourselves under the blue skies of Lerida.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE STORY OF A LIFE.
+
+     Lerida by daylight--Second city in Catalonia--Past history--Days of
+     the Goths--And Moors--Becomes a bishopric--Troublous times--Brave
+     people--Striking cathedral--Splendid outlines--Desecration--The new
+     cathedral--Senseless tyranny--One of the most interesting of
+     towns--Crowded market-place--Picturesque arcades and ancient
+     gateways--Wine-pressers--Good offer refused--Another
+     revelation--Wonderful streets--Amongst the immortals--Our
+     Boot-cleaner in Ordinary again--Thereby hangs a tale--His
+     story--Blind wife--Modest request--Nerissa--Charming room--Little
+     queen in the arm-chair--Faultless picture--Renouncements but no
+     regrets--"All a new world"--Time to pass out of life--Back to the
+     quiet streets--H. C. contemplative--Proposes emigration to Salt
+     Lake City--Lerida glorified by its idyll.
+
+
+A greater contrast than Lerida in the morning and Lerida at midnight
+could not be imagined. Last night had by no means prepared us for the
+charms of to-day.
+
+Little as one hears of it, it is the second city in Catalonia, with an
+historical and eventful past that has submitted to constant wars and
+sieges. In the far-off days it was occupied by the Romans, and the
+present bridge is built on Roman foundations. It was held by Pompey in
+the first century B.C. and these were unsettled times for Ilerda, as it
+was then called. In very early days it became a university town, but so
+little esteemed that the students of Rome were sent here when
+rusticated. As the centuries rolled on it grew in favour, though the
+trail of the rusticated Romans must have remained upon it, for two of
+its most famous students were Vicenti Ferrer the inquisitor and Calixtus
+III. the wicked pope.
+
+The Goths had much to do with Lerida, and in 546 it became a Bishopric.
+It fell under the influence of the Moors, but was destroyed by the
+French at the end of the eighth century.
+
+For the next 400 years little is heard of Lerida; but in 1150 it was
+restored by Ramon Berenguer, and quickly became popular and important.
+In the seventeenth century during the great Catalonian revolt, Lerida
+chose Louis XIII. for king; upon which Philip IV. came down upon them
+and defeated La Mothe, causing him to raise the siege. Four years
+afterwards, in 1644, the French again tried to take it but were again
+defeated. The Grand Condé opened another siege, and caused a number of
+violins to play before the town to encourage his soldiers. But this also
+had the effect of encouraging brave Gregorio Brito, the Portuguese
+Governor, who sallied forth with his army, silenced the fiddlers and put
+the French to the rout.
+
+In the War of Succession Lerida was again besieged by the French, who
+behaved with great treachery and cruelly sacked the town after
+capitulation. Retaliation came in 1710, when Stanhope routed Philip V.
+at Almenara. The French fled before the English bayonets, and Philip
+himself, in these early days of his long reign, nearly lost his life. He
+would have been spared many troubles.
+
+A little later on, in 1810, during the Peninsular War, it was taken by
+Suchet, and the inhabitants men, women and children were so cruelly
+treated that the governor, unable to bear the sight of so much
+suffering, capitulated. Since then Lerida has enjoyed more or less
+tranquil days. She would now hardly be thought worth taking.
+
+It was during some of these troublous times, in 1707, that her beautiful
+cathedral was desecrated, and remains to this day a prominent
+illustration of the barbarities of war. It towers 300 feet above the
+town, a magnificent outline against the clear blue sky. The first church
+existed here as far back as the sixth century. This in time gave place
+to the present church, of which the first stone was laid by Pedro II. in
+1203. It is one of the finest specimens in Europe of the early-pointed
+style and its desecration was a world's regret. Nevertheless, its style
+is a little contradictory, for the windows are for the most part
+round-headed.
+
+Perched on the summit of an almost perpendicular rock, it looks even
+higher and larger than it really is. Its fine octagonal steeple stands
+out a bold and conspicuous object over many a mile of plain and
+country. As the sun declines, its shadow falls upon the houses of the
+town sleeping below, and creeps over the surface of the river. Near it
+is a building now used as a powder magazine, but in the Middle Ages was
+a palace given up to the rude scenes of splendour of which those days
+were typical, and before that it had been a Moorish castle and a
+Christian temple. Its walls have defied the centuries, but nothing is
+left of its Moorish beauty and refinement.
+
+In 1707 the French turned the great church into a fortress, and it was
+never restored to its sacred uses. Peace fell upon Lerida, but the fat
+old canons had learned to shirk the steep climbing of the rocks in all
+seasons and all weathers. They agitated for a new cathedral within the
+town, and had their wish. A hideous Corinthian building arose, and the
+magnificent church upon the hill after five hundred years of faithful
+service was shorn of its glory.
+
+Yet its outlines are as fine and as striking as ever, and the columns,
+stonework and tracery that remain, still bear witness to its ancient
+splendour. It is, however, with the greatest difficulty that admission
+is obtained, a senseless piece of tyranny. The interior is to the last
+degree interesting to the lover of ancient architecture, and there are
+no military or other secrets to be carried away. But say what one will,
+courtesy is not one of the virtues of the Spanish, and in this matter
+the Catalonians perhaps take the lead. They are abrupt and uncivil, and
+unwilling to stir hand or foot to oblige you unless something is to be
+gained by it.
+
+Sallying forth this morning, we had these magnificent outlines in full
+view. We have said that the tenebrous darkness of last night had not
+prepared us for the charms of to-day. Lerida proved one of the most
+interesting of Spanish towns. This morning it was full of life and
+movement. The market-place was crowded with buyers and sellers; men and
+women still wearing a certain amount of picturesque costume. The air
+seemed full of sound. Fruit and flower-stalls were splendid, and large
+quantities of each could be bought for a very small sum.
+
+As we had discovered last night, the town consisted of one long street
+running parallel with the river. It was narrow and straggling, full of
+lights and shadows. Now and then you came upon short arcades that were
+singularly picturesque, whilst every here and there a fine old gateway
+led to the river-side. These gateways form part of the fortifications of
+the town, for Lerida is strongly protected.
+
+Making way through this long street, we presently came upon a
+wine-pressing machine in the very middle of the road, worked by strong,
+stalwart men; a very southern and picturesque scene. We watched them
+pile up the grapes, that had already once been pressed, until the
+machine was full. Then adjusting it by means of long poles, they turned
+the press and the rich red grape-juice poured itself into a vat placed
+for the purpose. The air was full of the scent of muscatel. The men
+looked as though the red juice ran in their veins and inspired them with
+energy.
+
+[Illustration: LERIDA MULES.]
+
+As the vat filled, it was emptied with a great ladle into a larger
+barrel that stood inside the archway of the adjoining house. The sight
+was novel, and the men seemed amused at our interest. They offered us
+of the juice in a small vessel, declaring it excellent; but there was a
+suspicious want of cleanliness about the whole thing--it might have been
+fancy--and we civilly declined the attention; upon which, possibly to
+set us a good example, they emptied the vessel themselves, smacked their
+lips and pronounced it very good.
+
+Narrow streets led upwards from the main street to the old cathedral, a
+steep, rough climb. It was a place to revel in, full of wonderful
+perspectives and artistic groupings, as much the result of accident as
+of purpose. The eye was arrested by a bewildering accumulation of
+wrought-iron balconies, casements and sunblinds, all sparkling in
+sunshine and shadow, whilst above one could trace a long succession of
+ancient gabled roofs, clear-cut against the blue sky, the projecting
+water-spout of every house looking like a grinning gargoyle and adding
+much to the quaint antiquity of the place. Through the old gates we
+watched the mules passing in their rich and curious trappings.
+
+Very distinctly we felt that Lerida was a revelation and a discovery; a
+town by no means to be passed over when searching out the glories of
+Spain.
+
+We found the narrow thoroughfare in which last night we had almost come
+to grief; so tortuous and ill-paved, we wondered how we had escaped
+destruction. Here and there small houses of the meanest description
+broke the continuity of dead grey walls. At the door of the cottage H.
+C. had charged sat an evil-looking dog that growled and showed its teeth
+as we passed and evidently connected us with the midnight raid. Whether
+the owner of the blunderbuss had killed himself with his own weapon or
+was only absent on business remained uncertain; he did not appear.
+
+Continuing upwards we presently came out upon the open space surrounding
+the old cathedral.
+
+The precincts were certainly not ecclesiastical. We seemed to have
+reached the poorest part of the town, and the houses were quite
+picturesque in their shabbiness. A splendid doorway admitted to the
+interior of the semi-religious fortress, before which a sentinel with
+gun and bayonet kept watch and ward. No one passed him without a special
+permission from the churlish old commandant of the town, who, after
+tracing your pedigree back to Adam, bestowed the simple favour as
+though conferring upon you the dignity of Spain's high order of the
+Saint Esprit.
+
+[Illustration: LERIDA.]
+
+Strangers and especially Englishmen, evidently visit Lerida at long
+intervals, and wherever we went we found ourselves attracting an amount
+of attention that might have confused more bashful minds. As in most
+other places, the people were especially interested in our little
+kodak, and seemed to think the honour of being taken equal to
+canonisation. In the market-place men and women threw themselves into
+groups and attitudes, set out their stalls to the best advantage, and
+begged the favour of being made immortal.
+
+But as the day wore on the crowd dispersed and disappeared, the
+market-place grew empty, arcades lost their loungers; the afternoon
+shadows lengthened; there were not so many sun-flashes in the air;
+outlines mellowed as the sky behind them grew less dazzling; the river
+lost some of its jewels.
+
+We were gazing at the latter, at the wonderful outlines of the town
+rising gradually upon its rock, crowned by that magnificent fortress
+with its imposing and impressive tower, when a voice suddenly said
+beside us: "We hope, señor, you have spent a happy day in Lerida and
+seen the interior of the old cathedral--now nothing but a useless
+barrack. The commandant suffers from dyspepsia and is capricious. No one
+ever knows beforehand whether he will grant or withhold permission. It
+entirely depends upon his digestion."
+
+We turned and saw our Boot-cleaner in Ordinary standing meekly and
+humbly beside us. Noting his fine face--it was really dignified in spite
+of his office--his white hair, his nearly ninety years, we thought
+humility should have been on our side.
+
+"How is it that you, a Frenchman, come to be living on Spanish ground?"
+we asked.
+
+[Illustration: WINE-PRESSERS: LERIDA.]
+
+"Ah, señor, thereby hangs a tale. If I am to give you my reason, I must
+go back seventy years in my life, for it dates from that time. And that,
+you see, will take us very nearly to the days of Waterloo. All my people
+were respectable and well-to-do, some even distinguished: there was a
+prosperous life before me. I was in the French army, serving my time. I
+had been unfortunate and drawn a low number in conscription; besides
+which, soldiers were wanted and few escaped. Napoleon in devastating
+other countries had not spared his own. It was then I committed the one
+great folly of my life, which has ever since been one of repentance. I
+fell in love with a beautiful Norman girl of gentle blood and breeding;
+so madly, so desperately, that I think for the time being I lost the
+balance of my mind. Every consideration faded before the strength of
+my passion. This beautiful girl seemed equally in love with me. I was
+young, they told me I was good-looking, and in my uniform I dare say I
+was not unattractive. Then came my error. I obtained a week's leave of
+absence, and deserted. We fled together to Spain, and of course I was
+outlawed. I sacrificed home, country and honour; I ruined all my worldly
+prospects; and for what? For a pair of bewitching eyes. Nay, she had
+more than that; she was a good woman and has made me a good wife; but
+had she been twice favoured, my folly would have been equally vast. For
+years and years I was possessed of a fever--that of mal du pays: all I
+had deliberately thrown away gained a hundred-fold in charm, haunted my
+mind by day, coloured my dreams. But there was no place for repentance.
+Now it has all passed away. Señor, my great-nephew is a French count,
+rich and well spoken of, one of the high ones of the land. He does not
+even know of my existence. Life has only one thing left me--death! But I
+pray I may live to close the sightless eyes of my wife, and then follow
+her speedily, that we may rest in one grave."
+
+"Has your wife long been blind?" we asked in sympathy.
+
+"Only two years, señor. You would not know it to look at her. In spite
+of her eighty-seven years, her eyes are still soft and bright, though
+closed to the world. I have now not only to earn the daily bread, but to
+buy it and manage the household. We have many good neighbours who help
+the old couple, and look in upon the wife when I am at work. Ah, señor,
+it is delightful to find one to whom I can talk in my own tongue. Surely
+the señor is French too?"
+
+"Land of our birth," we confessed; "nevertheless we are English, and
+would have it so."
+
+The old man hesitated; we saw there was something upon his mind; it came
+out at last.
+
+"Would the señor deign to come and see the wife, and talk to her a
+little of France and the French? She still speaks it perfectly, and she
+too has often longed for the country and privileges that for her sake I
+threw away. Such a visit would colour the remaining of her days. It is
+but a few steps."
+
+Who could resist such an appeal? We turned and accompanied the
+patriarch, who in spite of his nearly ninety years, still walked with a
+certain amount of vigour. The few steps grew into a good many, as the
+old man passed under the gateway and turned to the left down the long
+narrow street.
+
+Soon we reached the spot where we had watched the grape-pressing. The
+men were giving up work and clearing away, leaving nothing behind them
+but the stains of the fruit and the scent of the muscatel. They nodded
+in friendly recognition, and we knew the laugh they gave meant to say
+that the cup we had refused they had found very cheering. The narrow
+street was growing dim, and in the arched room, half cellar, half wine
+vault, they had lighted candles. The semi-obscurity was weird and
+picturesque in the extreme, almost Rembrandt-like in effect. The men's
+faces were thrown up against the dark background as the light fell upon
+them; and as one of them sitting astride a barrel raised a cup to his
+lips, he looked a true disciple of Bacchus.
+
+Our guide passed on and turning up a narrow street halted before the
+door of a quaint old house. The street was quiet and respectable; the
+house clean and well cared for, in spite of its age.
+
+"We have lived here for a quarter of a century and more--twenty-seven
+years," said the old man, "and the house does not look a day older than
+it looked then. Ah, señor," with a sigh, "we cannot say the same of
+ourselves. Twenty-seven years in a lifetime make all the difference
+between youth and age. But let us mount. My wife does not expect you,
+but you will find her ready to receive the young king himself if he paid
+her a visit."
+
+We passed up a broad old staircase of solid oak, that would almost have
+adorned a palace. In days gone by, this house, fallen to a low estate,
+must have had a greater destiny. The walls were panelled. There was a
+refined, imposing air about the place. We would have given worlds for
+the power to transport the staircase over the seas.
+
+The old man mounted to the topmost floor, and knocked at a large oak
+door which well matched its surroundings. A voice responded, he lifted
+the latch and we walked in.
+
+"I bring you visitors, Nerissa," said the old man. "A gentleman from
+France, who will talk to you in our beautiful language, and tell you of
+scenes and places you have not looked upon for nearly seventy years. You
+were only eighteen, I only twenty when we turned our backs for ever upon
+la belle Normandie."
+
+It was a sight worth seeing. The room was large and airy, quaint and old
+as the rest of the house. Light came in through large casements with
+latticed panes that bore the unmistakable seal of time. The room itself
+was in perfect and spotless order. In a large alcove stood the bed,
+neatly draped and curtained. What furniture the room contained matched
+its surroundings. There was an utter absence of any commonplace element
+about it.
+
+But it was not all this that distinguished it so singularly. It was the
+figure of a little old woman seated near the latticed panes in an
+arm-chair. The evening light, still strong in the west, fell upon her.
+As we entered she did not move, but turned her sightless eyes towards
+us, with the intent, listening look that is so pathetic. She was very
+small, and looked almost like a fairy-queen. Her hair was white as snow,
+but still abundant and faultlessly arranged. The face was small and
+refined, and possessed all the beauty of age, just as in years gone by
+it must have possessed in a very marked manner all the beauty of youth.
+It had the placid look the blind so often wear, was delicately flushed,
+and without line or wrinkle. This was very strange in one who must have
+had, to some extent at least, a hard and laborious life, with many
+anxieties. Her dress was neatness itself; an old dark silk probably
+given to her by a rich visitor whose turn it had served; and it was worn
+with the air that seemed to betoken one who had been a lady. But her
+whole appearance and bearing was gentle. It was a perfect and faultless
+picture, charming to look upon.
+
+We turned to the old man in wonder. His eyes were fixed upon his wife
+with an intensity of admiration and reverence almost startling. It was
+evident that the love of youth had survived every trial, all life's
+rough lessons. So far he could have nothing to regret. The folly of
+which he had been guilty--and it was an undoubted folly and mistake--had
+been condoned and excused by the after life.
+
+"We no longer marvel that you deserted the ranks of the army for those
+of a sweeter service," we said, looking from one to the other and
+feeling that we gazed upon a wonderful idyll.
+
+"Was she not worth it--even all I renounced!" he cried. "Nerissa, I have
+told these gentlemen all my boyish folly and indiscretion--all you made
+me give up for your bewitching eyes."
+
+Almost a youthful flush passed over the old lady's face as she smiled
+rather sadly in response.
+
+"It was indeed much to renounce for me," she said, in a very sweet
+voice. "I was not worth it; no woman could be worth it. I ought never
+have permitted it, and the thought has been one of the lasting sorrows
+of my life. But we act first and think after. Though after all, what I
+renounced was also great."
+
+"We are quite sure you would do it all over again. You do not in the
+least regret it, and your life has been a very happy one."
+
+Again the youthful flush passed over the old lady's face. She put out
+her hand--a small, delicate hand--as though searching for her husband's.
+He had soon clasped it.
+
+"Nerissa, you do not regret anything," he said. "You know quite well you
+would do it all over again if we could go back to the beginning of
+life."
+
+Her sightless but still wonderfully expressive eyes looked up into his
+face.
+
+"With you to tempt me, Alphonse, how could I resist? Alas, human nature
+is weak where the heart is concerned."
+
+"Have you any children?" we asked.
+
+"We have four, señor," replied the old lady. "And grand-children also.
+Our children are all out in the world, and not one of them lives in
+Lerida. As far as I was able I brought them up well, and tried to give
+them a little bearing and refinement. But we have always been poor, and
+poverty means limitation. They are all prospering, but in fairly humble
+life. At rare intervals one or other pays us a visit; but time flies
+quickly and they are soon gone again."
+
+[Illustration: OLD GATEWAYS: LERIDA.]
+
+Then we talked about France and the French. We happened to know many
+places in common, and describing what they are to-day, enabled her to
+realise the vast changes seventy years had worked. The old lady gave
+many a sigh.
+
+"Alphonse, it is all a new world," she said over and over again. "If we
+went back to it we should be lost and strange. It is time we passed out
+of life. But, señor, your visit has brought back a breath of that old
+life to me. Those who come to us now are humble, and know nothing of our
+past world. You almost make me feel young again; bring back lost
+realities, when I was a lady, and had not thrown up all for love, and
+dreamed not of a humble life of poverty. But, oh, I would renounce it
+all again a second time for my husband's sake."
+
+Who would have supposed such an idyll in the quiet town of Lerida? When
+our Boot-cleaner in Ordinary had come to us that morning and received
+his humble dole for the work done, who could have imagined that such a
+romance, a poem in real life, was concealed in his history?
+
+When we went back into the quiet streets the gloom had deepened;
+twilight reigned; a soft glow was in the evening sky; one or two stars
+were faintly shining. We could not lose the impression of the visit we
+had just paid; the wonderful little fairy-queen in the arm-chair, who
+was still ladylike and beautiful and refined in spite of a hard and
+humble life, and the fine and venerable old man, who for seventy years
+had remained true and faithful to his first love. No Knight of the Round
+Table could ever have proved more noble and devoted; worthier King
+Arthur's friendship. The very streets of the town seemed to have gained
+a charm as we passed through them on our way to the fonda.
+
+H. C. was singularly quiet and grave. "Of what are you thinking?" we
+asked.
+
+He started, as if suddenly aroused from sleep. "I am thinking of the
+faithfulness of that beautiful old couple," he replied. "No, if I tried
+for a hundred years I never could be as constant as that. In fact I
+begin to think my only chance of happiness is to emigrate to Salt Lake
+City and become a Mormon."
+
+"Wait until you are in love," we returned. "You were never that yet.
+Your fancy has been touched often enough, but your heart never. That
+comes only once in a lifetime."
+
+H. C. only shook his head and murmured something about having a heart
+large enough to embrace a whole Agapemone of beauty. We did not argue
+the point, feeling there are opinions and delusions time alone can
+correct.
+
+But we went back to the bridge and looked down upon the quiet stream,
+and beyond the houses of the town to the wonderful outlines of the old
+cathedral, darkly and distinctly visible against the evening sky.
+Everything seemed glorified by the story we had just learned, the
+romance we had witnessed. It was an experience we would not have lost;
+and henceforth to us the word Lerida would be weighted with a hidden
+charm of which the interpretation meant everything that was true and
+chivalrous, everything that was brave and constant, lovely and of good
+report.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE END OF AN IDYLL.
+
+     Days of chivalry not over--In the evening light--Night porter
+     grateful--Dragon in full force--Combative and revengeful--Equal to
+     the occasion--Gall turns to sweetness when H. C. appears--Last
+     night in Lerida--Bane of our host's life--Mysterious
+     disappearance--Monastery of Sigena--Devout ladies--Returning at
+     night--Place empty and deserted--Birds flown with keys--Quite a
+     commotion--"The señor is pleased to joke"--Was murder
+     committed?--Mysteries explained--Probably down the well--Drag for
+     skeletons--Host's horror--"We drink the water"--A tragedy--Out in
+     the quiet night--Discords--Lerida café--Create a sensation--Polite
+     captain--Offer declined--Regrets--Final crash--Paradise or
+     Lerida--Deserted market-place--Trees whisper their secrets--El
+     Sereno at the witching hour--Hard upon the angels--Not a bed of
+     roses--Alphonse--End of a long life--Until the dawn--Acolyte and
+     priest--"We must all come to it, señor"--El Sereno disappears for
+     the last time--Daybreak--In presence of death--Alone, but
+     resigned--Surpassing loveliness--Sacred atmosphere.
+
+
+So the days of chivalry and devotion were not over: could never be over
+as long as there are Alphonses and Nerissas in the world. As we went
+back to the hotel in the evening light, the whole town seemed full of
+romance. One by one the outlines faded and died out, and when we entered
+the fonda the stars were beginning to shine.
+
+The night porter was standing in the doorway, though his reign had not
+yet begun. He made us a low bow.
+
+"Señor, allow me to thank you for not complaining of me this morning to
+the padrone. I am still full of remorse for having locked you out last
+night, but it is seldom any of our visitors trouble the dark streets of
+Lerida at midnight. Most of our guests are commercial travellers, who
+have no eye for the ancient and picturesque, and are generally glad to
+get early to bed."
+
+Again assuring the worthy man of our good will, we passed up the shabby
+old staircase. At the top we came into contact with the Dragon striding
+along with bare arms and flourishing a rolling-pin. She looked the
+picture of fiery indignation and we wondered what had gone wrong.
+
+After some difficulty we managed to gather that the waiter, in spite of
+her want of beauty, in spite of her being an appropriated blessing, had
+offered her a chaste salute. In return for the affront, the
+rolling-pin--it was a _washing_ pin, by the way--had come into sharp
+contact with his skull, which, fortunately for him was a hard one. Since
+then the Dragon had been marching up and down with threatening weapon
+and flashing eyes, brandishing her rolling-pin like another Communist,
+mouthing voiceless words.
+
+As soon as she caught sight of H. C., however, her gall turned to
+sweetness; she marshalled him to our rooms, threw wide the door, and
+beamed on him one of her most cavernous smiles. That a chaste salute
+from him would have been very differently received was evident.
+
+It was our last night in Lerida. The landlord still attended us at
+dinner, for the waiter was nursing his wounds in the kitchen. A violent
+headache had come on, and he was vowing vengeance against the Dragon,
+declaring she had imagined the whole thing.
+
+"But for the servants, my life would be happy," said our host. "If they
+keep the peace with me, they are disputing amongst themselves. The last
+waiter and chambermaid I had, after quarrelling like cat and dog for six
+months, suddenly went off one day together, and we never heard of them
+again. It was a Sunday, and madame and I had gone off with some friends
+by train to Sariñena--a long day's excursion, for we were going to the
+Monastery of Sigena, near Villanueva. Has the señor visited the famous
+monastery?"
+
+We had never done so.
+
+"It is to be regretted," returned the landlord, as he busily changed the
+plates and poured out the wine. "The monastery is the most interesting
+in our neighbourhood; and people come from far and wide to see it. In
+situation it is most romantic, standing near a lovely stream full of
+fine fish. The nuns, however, don't fish; the very thought would be
+sacrilege. They are devout ladies, some of them very handsome; a pity so
+much beauty should be wasted. They are of the order of St. John of
+Jerusalem, which I have heard dates as far back as the twelfth century,
+but I am not learned in those matters. I have seen the nuns at mass in
+their chapel, and they looked like a vision of angels. But I was saying.
+We had left the hotel in charge of the waiter and chambermaid. As it
+happened, there were no guests staying here. When we came home at night,
+we found the place locked and empty. Both servants had flown, and to add
+insult to injury had taken the keys with them. Fortunately the glass
+doors in this very dining-room had been left open, and by means of a
+ladder, and climbing over walls at the risk of one's life, I managed to
+get in, took the duplicate keys out of my desk, and admitted madame. It
+caused quite a commotion."
+
+"And had the enterprising pair taken nothing but the keys?" we asked.
+"Was your gold plate safe, and madame's diamonds?"
+
+"The señor is pleased to joke," laughed the landlord. "My gold plate is
+pewter, and madame's jewelry is false, excepting her wedding-ring and
+the few things she happened to have on that never-to-be-forgotten day.
+No; they had taken nothing. But they had made a first-rate meal, and had
+tapped and emptied three bottles of my very best Chambertin 1868
+vintage, and consumed half a bottle of Chartreuse."
+
+"But you have no proof that they went off together," we suggested. "It
+may be that murder was committed. The dead body of the chambermaid all
+this time may be crumbling to dust and ashes in some hole or corner of
+your cellar. Have you a cellar, or any other place in which a murdered
+body might be concealed?"
+
+"Santa Maria!" cried our host, turning pale. "The idea never occurred to
+me, but I shouldn't wonder if you are right. It would explain a good
+deal that has remained a mystery. We have a deep well out in the yard;
+so deep that we do not know the bottom, which is supposed to communicate
+with the river. The man might easily have murdered the woman and thrown
+her down. And we drink the water!"
+
+"That is hardly the solution that suggests itself. After drinking your
+three bottles of Chambertin and your half-bottle of Chartreuse, depend
+upon it their heads began to go round; they felt the world coming to an
+end, and determined to be beforehand with it. It is clear as daylight:
+they both threw themselves down the well, and there you will find the
+skeletons. You had better have it dragged and give them decent burial,
+or you will certainly be seeing ghosts in the house."
+
+By this time the landlord was trembling with horror; his eyes, grown
+large and round, would almost have matched the Dragon's. He was no
+longer in a fit state to pour out wine or change plates.
+
+"And we drink the water," he murmured half a dozen times over. "We drink
+the water. This accounts for my queer symptoms. But, after all, the
+bodies cannot be there. They must have communicated with the river, and
+so floated out to sea. I dare say they will some day turn up in the
+Panama Canal or on the shores of New Zealand. Señor, I am quite certain
+this is the true state of the case. I never could understand why those
+two should go off together. They were always quarrelling, and seemed to
+hate each other like poison, and I dare say they even disputed as to
+which should go first down the well. But when all's said and done, it is
+three years ago, and they will never come back to trouble me."
+
+"Not even as ghosts?"
+
+He shivered.
+
+"I never saw a ghost, señor, but I suppose there are such things. I
+shouldn't care to see one. Nevertheless, I will have the well
+dragged--quietly, not to raise a scandal. I can pretend to have dropped
+in a diamond ring belonging to a client. If the skeletons turn up we
+must hush up the matter as well as we can, and so dispose of the ghosts.
+They would never walk after decent burial. Ah, señor, what a tragedy you
+have opened up! And all the time I was accusing the wretched pair of I
+know not what!"
+
+Fortunately for us this conversation took place towards the end of
+dinner, or we should have fared badly. We left the landlord in his
+dining-room. He had dropped into a chair and was gazing on vacancy,
+evidently in deep thought as to how he could have the well dragged
+without creating a scandal to the detriment of his hotel.
+
+We went out into the quiet night, making sure the night porter was on
+duty and would keep there. The streets were as dark, quiet and
+ill-lighted as ever, and we took care to avoid Pandemonium. The
+market-place, so full and lively this morning, was now empty and silent.
+From the café already alluded to streams of light and strains of music
+were flowing. We turned in out of curiosity. Half a dozen musicians at
+the further end were making unearthly discords: shrieking and wailing
+instruments set one's teeth on edge and went down one's back like cold
+water. The room was fairly full, the atmosphere heavy with smoke; such
+smoke as only the Catalonians know how to produce.
+
+Our entrance created quite a sensation. We were recognised as English,
+and the English who visit Lerida are few and far between. Was our visit
+friendly or the opposite? Their glances plainly asked the question. Then
+one in military uniform came up, and, with a military salute ventured to
+sit down near us. We thought it a singular proceeding, but decided to
+take it in good part. He proved to be a captain of the regiment
+stationed at Lerida, and a really friendly and polite man.
+
+"I perceive, sirs, that you are strangers," he said. "Can I be of any
+service to you in a place where I am very much at home?"
+
+To which we replied that our stay was drawing to a close, and we had
+probably seen the best of the town. "There is nothing you can do for us,
+though we are grateful for your good intentions. But if you would induce
+those in authority to grant their passes into the fortress with less
+restriction, you would confer a favour upon any who may come after us."
+
+"A senseless restriction indeed," replied our new friend, "and we all
+feel it so; but until some disappointed visitor of consequence appeals
+to the Queen or the Madrid Government, the thing will go on. There is
+absolutely no reason why all the world should not be admitted."
+
+At this moment the musicians finished up with a crash. The sound was
+horrible. H. C. made an excruciating grimace and our captain shook with
+laughter.
+
+"Do you call that music?" we asked.
+
+"_I_ do not," he returned, "because I have spent much time in Paris,
+where barbaric music would not be tolerated. But these frantic discords
+just please the people of Lerida, who have not been educated to anything
+better. It is over for the night, and now everyone will depart. They
+have drunk their coffee or wine or spirit, sat a whole evening in a
+clouded, heated atmosphere, listening enraptured to the strains which
+have set you quivering, and are going home feeling that if this or
+paradise were offered to them they would not hesitate to reject
+paradise. Such is their life."
+
+We got up to depart also.
+
+"I am sorry that I can be of no use to you," said our polite captain;
+"but if you are leaving Lerida to-morrow, time certainly runs short. I
+can, however, give you my card, and place myself and all I have at your
+disposal. If ever you visit Lerida again, and I am quartered here, I
+hope you will find me out. I will at least promise you a pass into the
+fortress; and there are a few things you would not be likely to see
+without the open sesame of one of ourselves."
+
+Upon which he shook hands, gave us a military salute, "wrapped his
+martial cloak about him," and passed out into the night.
+
+We listened to his quick receding footsteps and then turned away. The
+silence was only broken by the distant cry of a watchman proclaiming the
+hour and the weather. "El Sereno," as we called the old guardians of the
+darkness in Majorca, where many a time we wandered with them in the dead
+of night amidst the old palaces and watched them light up the wonderful
+old Moorish remains with their swinging lanterns.
+
+[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO POBLET.]
+
+It was a very dark night, though the stars flashed overhead. We found
+ourselves on the empty market-place, where trees whispered together. In
+the morning, when fruit and flowers and a hundred stalls and a crowd of
+noisy people called for all one's attention, the whispering trees were
+neglected. Now it was their hour, and they told each other their mighty
+secrets, and one felt that they were wiser and greater than mankind
+in its little brief authority. We stood and listened, but they talked in
+an unknown tongue. Almost as mysterious and full of meaning seemed the
+outlines of the gabled houses on the hill slopes crowned by that
+splendid semi-religious fortress, the tall tower cleaving the sky.
+
+From this in days gone by the bells had rung the people to church, and
+hastened the steps and shortened the breath of many a fat old canon who,
+purple and panting, crept into his place before the altar after service
+had begun. But those days are over. For nearly two hundred years the
+bells have been silent. The sober cassock of the priest no longer haunts
+the precincts. Sentries with gun and bayonet now rule, and signs and
+symbols of warfare fill up the ancient aisles and desecrate the sacred
+pavement.
+
+Gazing upon the faint outlines in the darkness of night, the gleam of a
+distant lantern coming up a narrow side street caught our eye. It was a
+watchman, and instinct told us he was none other than our Burgos
+_Sereno_.
+
+He waved his lantern more energetically than usual, as though expecting
+to find the inhabitants of Pandemonium lurking in secret corners. As he
+walked, his staff struck the ground "in measured moments," keeping time
+with his footsteps. "It is twelve of the night," he cried, "and the
+night is fair. _El sereno._" We gradually approached him, knowing well
+we were in his mind. The rays suddenly flashed upon us, and the lantern
+had peace.
+
+"Señor, instinct told me you were still in Lerida. Midnight seems your
+hour for walking. In truth it is far better than midday, for the world
+is sleeping and we have the stars in the sky. I hope that wily porter
+does not mean to play you the same trick to-night. To-day fifty people
+have asked me if the town had been bombarded, declaring they expected to
+see the place in ruins. Have you seen his wife, señor? She is not the
+angel she looks----"
+
+"Are you not rather hard upon the angels, _Sereno_?"
+
+"I don't think I quite meant to put it that way," he returned, with a
+laugh that seemed to come from great depths. "No, she does not look an
+angel--and she is not one either. It is said that when her husband
+misbehaves, she beats him with her washing-pin; and it is also said
+that more than once she has held it over the landlord himself. It may be
+a fable, but when a woman has no voice she is bound to find some other
+way of venting her spleen. I don't think the porter sleeps on a bed of
+roses, though his wife is named Rose, and he tries to make the best of
+his bargain."
+
+"How did you leave Burgos?" we asked, feeling speculations on the
+porter's domestic relations unprofitable.
+
+"Just the same as ever, señor. There was no change anywhere. The
+everlasting bells chime out the hours and the quarters, and the voices
+of a half a dozen watchmen take up the tale. The hotel grows rather
+worse and more unpopular, if that be possible, and for want of a good
+inn the town is neglected. No one ever goes there a second time. In that
+respect one is better off in Lerida."
+
+We were standing near the new cathedral in the market-place, when
+suddenly we saw a quiet figure hurrying towards us. Even afar off we
+knew it well. It was our Boot-cleaner in Ordinary.
+
+At once we felt something was wrong; the figure, in spite of quick
+footsteps, was tragic in its bearing. We went up to him. He grasped our
+hand and his face told its own tale.
+
+"Oh, señor! the end has come, the end of a long life. Who would have
+thought it would be so sudden? My poor Nerissa! My life's partner, and
+my life's blessing! Two hours ago the heart suddenly failed. The doctor
+gives her until the dawn. But she is quite ready and quite resigned.
+'Think what it will be, Alphonse,' she said to me just now. 'To-morrow
+morning I shall see once more.' Señor, I am broken-hearted. And now that
+she is being taken from me, I feel that I have not prized her half
+enough."
+
+"You have been her joy and happiness on earth, and have an eternity of
+happiness to look forward to. For you and for her life is only
+beginning. The end of a long and happy life is a matter for rejoicing,
+not for sorrow."
+
+We had no need to ask a reason for his presence there. He passed on to
+fulfil his mission.
+
+[Illustration: OLD CATHEDRAL: LERIDA.]
+
+Presently a small door was opened and there issued forth in the
+stillness of the night an acolyte bearing a lighted lantern, followed
+by a priest carrying the Host. Alphonse had gone before, and we felt
+that the greatest kindness was to let him return alone, unhindered. The
+small silent procession was full of mysterious pathos and solemnity. It
+told of a soul about to take its solitary and awful journey to the
+unknown and the unseen. Seldom, we felt, would extreme unction have been
+administered to a soul so pure as that of our little fairy-queen. El
+Sereno went down on one knee as it passed, and bared and bowed his head.
+With arm outstretched resting on his staff of office, he looked quite
+solemn and picturesque.
+
+"We must all come to it, señor. But I often ask myself what consolation
+even extreme unction can bring to a badly spent life."
+
+We watched the little procession cross the great square, their footsteps
+scarcely echoing. The sacred hush and atmosphere that surrounds the
+dying seemed to go with them as they walked. Fitful gleams and shadows
+were thrown out by the lantern--they might have been shades of departed
+spirits. In the dark night, under the silent stars, and in that solemn
+moment, we seemed brought into touch with the unseen world. We felt
+deeply for Alphonse, who was passing through the great sorrow of his
+life. His own silver cord would now loosen, and no doubt he too would
+quickly follow into the unseen. His wife would take with her all his
+hold upon life.
+
+After this solemn incident we could only make our way back to the fonda.
+El Sereno accompanied us to its threshold. We walked down the avenue
+between the trees, that were still whispering their mighty secrets to
+each other. Now they seemed laden with immortal mysteries: their burden
+was of souls winging their flight to realms where no torment touches
+them. They were in communion with the stars overhead shining down with a
+serene benediction.
+
+Our portal to-night was open and the night porter was at his post,
+watching for his tardy visitors! wondering why they tarried. What to him
+was that tragedy that was passing at the other end of the town?
+
+We inquired for Rose. She had put up her washing-pin, and forgiven the
+erring waiter; the sun had not gone down upon her wrath. Had her spouse
+also forgiven the gay Lothario, or had they arranged for coffee and
+pistols?
+
+The señor was joking. Such manner of dealing was for gentlefolk. For his
+part, if he owed any one a mortal grudge he would avenge himself by the
+short Corsican way: a stab in the dark. A short reckoning and a long
+rest. But he had never quarrelled in his life; never owed any man a
+grudge. Life was too short; he was too lazy. He thought it a good plan
+to let things take their course. If any one cared to embrace his wife,
+they were welcome to do so. He had no jealousy in his composition. She
+was now sleeping the sleep of the just: and for all he knew and for all
+he cared, her dreams were of gay Lotharios whom she was chastening with
+her washing-pin.
+
+We said farewell to El Sereno, who lamented our departure on the morrow,
+and feared he might see us no more.
+
+This was probable. Lerida, for all its quaint streets, old-world nooks
+and splendid outlines, was hardly a place to come to a second time. He
+moved away rather sadly, for he had his duty to perform, and the moments
+would not stand still.
+
+We watched him receding in the dark night; a stalwart figure; an honest
+man, with much that was good in him, though his lines were not cast in
+grooves where influences for good are strong. At the end of the avenue
+he called the hour and the night; then passed up out of sight into the
+market-place once more. There in due time would return that quiet,
+solemn procession of two; the acolyte bearing the lantern, the priest
+with his bent back and the weight of years upon him bearing the Host:
+their mission accomplished: the last rites administered: the pure soul
+perhaps already far on its long journey.
+
+The night passed on to dawn and daybreak and sunrise: a new day, a new
+world. Was Nerissa still lingering here, or, as she had said, had her
+sightless eyes opened to the world beyond? It was impossible to leave
+Lerida without ascertaining how it fared with this couple that we had
+found so interesting and exceptional. Though it delayed us some hours,
+it must be done, the visit paid.
+
+We breakfasted, attended by the erring waiter, who looked pale and
+brooding and revengeful, as though he meditated drowning the Dragon in
+her own soapsuds. Then, in the clear early morning, we went forth.
+
+The way was familiar by this time. We knew its every aspect: all the
+outlines were old friends. We passed up the avenue and through the
+crowded market-place, where people laughed and talked and bought and
+sold, as if life were one long joke and would last for ever, and there
+was no such thing as death and decay. Down the long narrow street where
+we again saw the men pressing the grapes, and noted the stain of the
+rich red juice, and smelt the luscious perfume of the muscatel--for they
+have red grapes here with the muscatel scent and flavour. Onwards into a
+quiet side street and the quaint old house that now had upon it the dark
+grey shadow.
+
+We mounted the fine broad staircase with its carved oak balusters and
+panelled walls. There was not a sound to be heard. At such moments
+sympathy is quick to respond, and the awful messenger makes the weight
+of his errand known.
+
+The door was slightly ajar. We pushed it gently open and entered,
+feeling ourselves in the presence of death. Peace had fallen upon the
+house.
+
+There in the quiet room was the vacant chair near the latticed window,
+where so recently we had seen that wonderful embodiment of beauty in
+age. It would never be seen again. Near the bed Alphonse was seated,
+holding the hand of his dead wife, his other hand up to his face. He
+looked the picture of sad despair. The aged form, so recently still
+endowed with life and vigour, was now bent and bowed under the weight of
+sorrow.
+
+As we entered he glanced up, and stronger than all the evident grief we
+were surprised to see an unmistakable look of resignation. Quietly
+placing the cold hand that never would move or clasp his own again, he
+rose and came towards us.
+
+"Oh, señor, this is kind. You come to me in my loneliness. It is all
+over. The sightless eyes are closed, the beautiful voice is still. I
+have often prayed that I might be the last to be taken. Heaven is
+merciful, and has answered me. As the dawn broke in the east her spirit
+went. Raising her hand as though pointing to some unseen vision:
+'Alphonse,' she said, 'I am called. You will soon join me, beloved.'
+Then a glory seemed to pass over her face, and she was gone. Señor, come
+near and look upon that beautiful face once more."
+
+He approached the bed and with reverent hand drew down the sheet.
+
+We were almost startled by the beauty disclosed. The face seemed to have
+gone back to the days of its youth; it might have been that of a young
+woman of surpassing loveliness. The rapt expression the old man had
+spoken of was still there. It was impossible but that some divine vision
+had been seen at the last by those eyes closed to mortal things. It
+spoke of intense happiness, of a joy that was to be eternal.
+
+"Alphonse, how can you look upon that face, which has the divine image
+upon it and the divine glory, and be sad?"
+
+"Señor, I have lost my all. I am very lonely. Yesterday I was rich; I
+knew not how rich; to-day I am poor and stricken. Yet I am resigned; and
+I am happy in the thought that in a few days--I verily believe in a few
+days--my body will rest with hers in one grave, and our spirits will be
+united in Paradise. I am not sad; only intensely lonely. Señor, you gave
+her almost her very last pleasure. After you had left, she said that for
+years our little room had not seemed so bright. You brought her a breath
+from her old world and she declared that she felt her youth renewed. Was
+it not the spirit telling her in advance how soon her youth should
+indeed return to her? Oh, Nerissa, my life's joy, my best beloved, in
+what realms is your pure spirit now wandering? Surely you need me to
+perfect your happiness?"
+
+We stayed awhile with him, and before leaving found the forlorn
+attitude, the despairing droop had departed. As we said good-bye we
+quietly placed money in his hand.
+
+"To buy flowers," we explained. "Place them gently in her coffin. The
+fairest flowers you can find. They will still be less fair than she."
+
+"Ah, señor," he returned, "it is a long farewell. I shall look upon your
+face no more. But when I meet her again we will talk of you. And do not
+think that you leave me to utter solitude. I have many friends about me,
+and though humble they are good. For my few remaining days I need have
+no thought, and I have no fear."
+
+We departed. The little episode was over. But it would be ever
+associated in our mind with Lerida, enshrouding the town in a peculiarly
+sacred atmosphere.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+A SAD HISTORY.
+
+     Broad plains of Aragon--Wonderful tones--Approaching
+     Zaragoza--Celestial vision--Distance lends enchantment--Commonplace
+     people--The ancient modernised--Disillusion followed by
+     delight--Almost a small Paris--Cafés and their merits--Not socially
+     attractive--Friendly equality--Mixture of classes--Inheritance of
+     the past--Interesting streets--Arcades and gables--Lively
+     scenes--People in costume--Picture of Old Spain--Ancient
+     palaces--One especially romantic--The world well lost--Fair
+     Lucia--Where love might reign for ever--Paradise not for this
+     world--Doomed--The last dawn--Inconsolable--Seeking death--Found on
+     the battlefield--A day vision--Few rivals--In the new
+     cathedral--Startling episode--Asking alms--Young and
+     fair--Uncomfortable moment--Terrible story--Fatal chains--"And
+     after?"--How minister to a mind diseased?--Sunshine clouded--Burden
+     of life--Any way of escape?--Suggestions of past centuries--The
+     mighty fallen.
+
+
+The sun was still high in the heavens when our train steamed out of the
+station towards Zaragoza and the ancient kingdom of Aragon. Much of the
+journey lay through broad plains that had no specially redeeming feature
+about them. Even fertility seemed denied, for they were often destitute
+of trees and vegetation. Yet were they sometimes covered with a lovely
+heather possessing a wonderful tone and beauty of its own.
+
+Most to be remembered in the journey was the sunset. Towards evening as
+we approached Zaragoza, the sun dipped across the vast plains and went
+down in a blood-red ball. Immediately the sky was flushed with the most
+gorgeous colours, which melted into an after-glow that remained far into
+the night.
+
+In the midst of this splendid effect of sky we saw across the plains the
+wonderful towers and turrets and domes of Zaragoza rising like a
+celestial vision. As we neared, we thought it a dream-city: not perched
+on a gigantic rock like Segovia, but on a gentle height of some 500 feet
+above the sea-level.
+
+The approach to the town is very striking. There is an abundant promise
+of good things, not, we are bound to confess, eventually carried out.
+Apparently, it is of all cities the most picturesque, with its splendid
+river running rapidly through the plain, spanned by its world-famed
+bridge, above which rise the beautiful, refined, eastern-looking
+outlines; but once inside the town the charm in part disappears. It is
+to be worshipped at a distance.
+
+Our first impression told us this, as we rumbled through the streets in
+the old omnibus and marked their modern aspect, the busy, common-place
+bearing of the people.
+
+We had expected a great deal of Zaragoza; hoped to find a city of great
+antiquity, with nothing but gabled houses and ancient outlines worthy
+the fair capital of the fair kingdom of Aragon. These we found the
+exception. Its antiquity is undoubted, but too much of the town has been
+modernised and rebuilt. Still, the exceptions are so striking that when
+one's first disillusion is over, it is followed by something very like
+delight and amazement.
+
+The hotel was a large rambling building which might have existed for
+centuries; and as comfortable as most of the Spanish provincial inns. A
+perfect maze of passages; and when the hotel guide piloted us to a
+far-off room to see a collection of antiquities of very modest merit we
+felt it might have taken hours to get back alone to our starting point.
+
+Zaragoza is large and flourishing; its prosperity is evident; its new
+streets are handsome and common-place. Some of them are wide boulevards
+lined with trees, lighted with electric lamps, possessing "every new and
+modern improvement." As you go through them you almost think of a small
+Paris. At night its cafés are brilliantly lighted, and rank as the
+finest in Spain. They are always crowded, and fond and foolish parents
+bring their children and keep them in the glare and glitter until
+towards midnight, when they fall off their perches. Music of some sort
+is always going on; sometimes the harsh, barbarous discords and howlings
+the Spanish delight in, at others civilised harmonies and trained
+voices that are really beautiful but less popular.
+
+Those who frequent these cafés are not socially of an attractive class.
+Many are rough country people who are evidently in Zaragoza as birds of
+passage. The roughest specimens of apparently unwashed waifs and strays
+will take possession of a table, and at the very next table, almost
+touching elbows with them, will be a fashionable couple, dressed smartly
+enough for a wedding. The one in no way disconcerts the other, and all
+treat each other on the basis of a friendly species of equality. The
+lowest of the people who have a few sous to spare in their pocket devote
+them to this, their earthly paradise. They love the glare and glamour
+and warmth--it is the one green oasis in the desert of their every-day
+lives; all the working hours are gilded by the thought of the evening's
+amusement. Many of them have dull, dark homes, in which they feel
+cribbed and cabined. Of the quiet pleasures of domestic life they know
+little, but they are all perfectly happy. One of the strongest
+characteristics of human nature is its adaptability to circumstances;
+the back fits itself to the burden. People seldom die of a broken heart.
+
+In Zaragoza, more than anywhere else, we saw this strange mixture of
+classes; wondered that some of them were admitted. But they behaved like
+ladies and gentlemen, drinking coffee and helping themselves to
+detestable spirit with an air and a grace only they know how to put on.
+Yet it is not put on; it is born with them; an inheritance from the
+past.
+
+It was not in all this, however, that the charm of Zaragoza consisted.
+These everyday common-place sights and experiences have few attractions
+for those who seek to link themselves with the past in its ancient
+outlines and glorious buildings. The cafés were all very well as studies
+of human nature, but one very soon had enough of them.
+
+There was one long street especially old and interesting. On each side
+were deep, massive arcades of a very early period, above which the
+houses rose in quaint, gabled outlines, many of the windows still
+possessing latticed panes, which added so much to their charm. To make
+the street more interesting, the market was held here. On both sides
+the road, in front of the arcades was a long succession of stalls, where
+everything relating to domestic life was sold. Fruit and flower and
+vegetable stalls were the most picturesque, full of fragrance and
+colouring. Luscious grapes and pomegranates were heaped side by side
+with a wealth of roses and orange blossoms and the still sweeter
+verbena. Many of the stall-holders wore costumes which harmonised
+admirably with the arcades and gabled roofs. The street was crowded with
+buyers and sellers and loungers, though few seemed alive to the
+picturesque element, in which we were absorbed. Many of the men,
+stalwart, strong and vigorous, were dressed in the costume of the
+country; knee-breeches and broad-brimmed hat; whilst broad blue and red
+silken sashes were tied round the waist: a hardy, active race, made for
+endurance. This scene had by far the most human interest of any we found
+in Zaragoza. As a picture of Old Spain, it would have made the fortune
+of an artist as we saw it that day in all the effect of sunlight and
+shadow, all the life and movement that seemed to rouse the arcades of
+the past into touch with the present.
+
+Near to this a wonderful leaning-tower stood until recently; a
+magnificent Moorish-looking clock-tower built about the year 1500. This
+was one of the glories of Zaragoza; but the inhabitants after
+subscribing a sum of money to prop it up, grew alarmed and subscribed
+another sum to pull it down. In reality it was perfectly safe and might
+have stood for centuries.
+
+But when all is said and done, it is in its side streets, narrow,
+tortuous and gloomy, that the interest of Zaragoza chiefly lies.
+
+Many of the houses are ancient and enormous palaces, once inhabited by
+the old aristocracy of Aragon. They are so solidly built that they not
+only defy time, but almost the destructive hand of man. Some of them
+have wonderfully interesting facades: roofs with overhanging eaves and
+Gothic windows guarded by wrought ironwork; features that can never
+tire.
+
+Magnificent and imposing gateways lead into yet more imposing
+courtyards. One of these was especially beautiful: and its history was
+romantic.
+
+[Illustration: FAIR LUCIA'S HOUSE: ZARAGOZA.]
+
+It once belonged to the son of a reigning duke who renounced all for
+love, and thought the world well lost. He offended his family by his
+marriage, and they treated him as one dead.
+
+The lady of his choice, fair Lucia, was beautiful and charming, but
+beneath him. Tradition says that she was an actress, and that he fell
+hopelessly in love with her as she played in a drama where all ended
+tragically. It might have been a warning to them, but when was love ever
+warned? He espoused her and they took up their abode in this wonderful
+old palace, fitting home of romance.
+
+As we gazed upon the matchless courtyard: the overhanging eaves, the
+rounded arches of the balcony with their graceful and refined pillars,
+the exquisitely-carved ceilings and staircase of rich black oak: the
+latter wide enough to drive up a coach and four: we felt that here love
+might reign for ever. And probably it would have lasted long; for the
+lady, as history says, had all graces of the spirit as well as all the
+charm of exquisite form and feature: whilst her knight was true as the
+needle to the pole, constant as death.
+
+They were happy in each other; life was a paradise; and when did such a
+perfect condition of things ever last? Paradise is not for this world.
+
+Five summers and winters passed and found them still devoted to each
+other. Every day was a dream. Then a cruel visitation came to their
+town: an epidemic, sparing not high or low. It attacked the fair Lucia:
+and though her husband nursed her night and day, and all the leeches of
+the town combined their skill and judgment to save her, a stronger power
+than theirs was against them.
+
+The last day dawned; instinct told her that another sun for her could
+never rise. Her husband bent over her in an agony of grief. She clasped
+her fair, frail arms around his neck.
+
+"My love, my love, we have been very happy: all in all to each other,"
+she murmured. "These five years, an eternity of bliss, have yet flown
+swiftly as a day. You have been good--so good; dear--so dear. Perhaps it
+is well to die thus and now, with all our youth, and all our dreams, and
+all our illusions undispelled. Eternity will restore us to each other. I
+leave you with not one mark on the delicate bloom of our great love."
+
+She died and he was not to be consoled. His people offered to be
+reunited to him but he would none of them.
+
+It was the time of the War of Succession. Into this he madly plunged,
+seeking death and finding it. As a rule death is said to avoid those who
+court him; but here it was not so. The knight, faithful to the end, was
+found upon the battlefield, his eyes wide open, looking upon the
+heavens; where perhaps he saw the vision of his lovely wife, whilst her
+miniature lay next his heart.
+
+The house still stands much as it stood in those days, but two centuries
+older. It is the most beautiful in Zaragoza, perhaps has few equals in
+all Spain. A special atmosphere surrounds it: and as we look a vision
+rises.
+
+Standing in the courtyard and gazing upon that wide staircase, we see
+that youthful pair, so favoured by nature, passing to and fro; we see
+them looking into each other's eyes, hear their love vows. Their arms
+entwine, their love-locks mingle. A mist blurs the scene, and when it
+passes all has changed. A sad cortége is descending. A coffin bearing
+the remains of what was once so fair and full of life. A knight armed
+cap-à-pied follows, with clanking sword and spur; but his face is pale
+and his eyes are red with weeping, though they weep not now. They will
+never weep again. The fountain of his tears is dried.
+
+Again the mist blurs the scene, and when it clears nothing is visible
+but the solitary knight ascending to his lonely room, love flown, hope
+dead, his life gone from him.
+
+Presently the palace is closed; no one ascends or descends the
+staircase; voices are never heard, footsteps never echo. Surely ghosts
+haunt the sad corridors, look out from the vacant arcades upon the
+silent courtyard. For the knight has long lain dead upon the battlefield
+and no one comes to claim the palace and once more throw wide its
+portals to life, and laughter and sunshine.
+
+We paid it more than one visit during our sojourn in Zaragoza, and each
+time there passed before us in vivid colours the love-poem of two
+hundred years ago.
+
+In the bright sunshine, the morning after our arrival we had gone forth
+to acquaint ourselves with the city. No view was more striking than that
+beyond the river looking upon the town.
+
+[Illustration: FAIR LUCIA'S HOUSE: ZARAGOZA.]
+
+We stood on the farther bank. The stream flowed rapidly at our feet.
+Before us the wonderful bridge spanned the water with its seven arches:
+a massive, time-edifying structure. Above this in magic outlines rose
+the towers, turrets and domes of the new cathedral of El Pilar, as
+splendid from this point of view as it is really worthless both
+outwardly and inwardly on a closer inspection. It is certainly one of
+the most remarkable scenes in all Spain: and from this point Zaragoza
+possesses few rivals.
+
+The new cathedral of El Pilar: so called because it possesses the pillar
+on which the Virgin is said to have descended from heaven. It is a very
+large building, and the domes from a distance are very effective, but
+the interior is in the worst and most debased style.
+
+As we stood within the vast space that morning, wondering so much wealth
+had been wasted on this poor fabric, a female, apparently a lady,
+dressed in sable garments, her face veiled by the graceful mantilla,
+glided up to us and solicited alms.
+
+At the first moment we thought we had mistaken her meaning, but on
+looking at her in doubt, she repeated her demand more imploringly.
+
+"Señor, for the love of heaven, give me charity." The building was
+large, the worshippers were few, it was easy to converse.
+
+"But what do you mean?" we said. "You look too respectable to be asking
+alms. Surely you cannot be in want?"
+
+"In want? I am starving."
+
+And throwing back her mantilla she disclosed a face still young, still
+fair to excess, but pale, pinched and careworn.
+
+We felt terribly uncomfortable. She walked and spoke as a lady. There
+was a refinement in her voice and movement that could only have come
+from gentle breeding. How had she fallen so low? Eyes must have asked
+the question tongue could not.
+
+[Illustration: BRIDGE AND CATHEDRAL OF EL PILAR: ZARAGOZA.]
+
+"Listen, señor," she said, as though in reply. "Listen and pity me. I
+was tenderly and delicately brought up, possessed a comfortable home,
+indulgent parents. We lived in Madrid, where my father held an office
+under Government. I was an only child and indulged. Pale, quiet and
+subdued as you see me now, I was passionate, headstrong and wilful. I
+fell under the influence of one outwardly an angel, inwardly a demon. He
+was a singer at the opera, and his voice charmed me even more than his
+splendid presence. He was beneath me, but we met clandestinely again and
+again, until at last he persuaded me to fly with him. I was infatuated
+to madness. All my past life, all past influence, teaching, thought of
+home, love of parents--all was thrown to the winds for this wild
+passion. We were secretly married before we fled, for mad as I was I had
+not lost all sense of honour. Almost from the very first day retribution
+set in. My father had long suffered from disease of the heart though I
+knew it not, and the shock of my flight killed him. The home was broken
+up, my mother was left almost destitute, and in a frenzy of despair, a
+moment of insanity, took poison. I was an orphan, and then discovered
+that my husband had thought I should be rich. On learning the truth, he
+began to ill-treat me. His fancy had been caught for a moment by my fair
+face. Of this he soon tired and, base villain that he was, transferred
+his worthless affections elsewhere. Things went from bad to worse. There
+were times when he even beat me--and I could not retaliate. I had come
+to my senses; I recognised the hand of retribution, and accepted my
+punishment. But what wonder that in my misery I learned to seek oblivion
+in the wine cup? Perhaps my worthless husband first gave me the idea of
+this temptation, for he was seldom sober. It was in one of those
+terrible moments that he fell from a height and so injured himself that
+after five days of intense agony he died. I was free but penniless; knew
+not where to go, which way to turn. I had not a friend in the world--all
+had forsaken me. There was but one thing I could do. I had a voice and
+could sing. I sang in cafés, at small concerts, wherever I could get an
+engagement and earn a trifle. Now I am in Zaragoza. Most nights I sing
+in the great café, but my small earnings all go in the same way--to
+satisfy my craving for wine. Wine, wine, wine; it is my one sin, but oh!
+I feel that it is fatal. I know that it is surely drawing my feet to the
+grave. And after that?"
+
+She shuddered; then pointed to a tawdry image of the Virgin, before
+which we stood.
+
+"There, before that altar, I have knelt day after day and prayed to be
+delivered; but I have prayed in vain; no answer comes, and the chains
+are binding about me. Señor, I saw you enter; recognised that you were a
+stranger. Something told me I might address you and you would at least
+listen; would not spurn me or turn away in hateful contempt. But what
+can you do? I have asked for alms. I have told you I am starving--and
+so I am; but it is the soul that is starving more than the body. You
+will bestow your charity upon me--I know you will--and it will not go in
+food but in wine. Ah, if you could cure me, or give me an antidote that
+would send me into a sleep from which I should never waken, that indeed
+would be the greatest and truest charity."
+
+Then we realised that the pale face and pinched look were not due to
+want of food. The cause was deeper and more hopeless. It was one of the
+saddest stories we had ever listened to; and it came upon us so abruptly
+that we felt helpless and bewildered: sick at heart at the very thought
+of our want of power to minister to this mind diseased.
+
+"Give us your name and address," we said, after trying to think out the
+situation. "Let us see if there is any way of escape for you. Your sad
+story has clouded the sunshine."
+
+She drew a card from her pocket in a quiet, ladylike way and placed it
+in our hands with a pathetic, appealing look that haunts us still.
+
+We watched her turn away and noted the quiet, graceful movement with
+which she glided down the aisle and disappeared through a distant door;
+and our keenest sympathy went out to the poor, fair, frail creature
+whose burden of life was greater than she could bear. Could by any
+possibility a way of escape be found for her?
+
+We passed out of the church, which now seemed laden with an atmosphere
+of human sorrow and suffering, glad to escape to the free air and pure
+skies of heaven. From the Cathedral Square we turned into the narrow
+streets with their great grey palaces and enormous courtyards all full
+of suggestions of the past centuries. But the mighty have fallen: Aragon
+has not escaped decline any more than the rest of Spain.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+IN ZARAGOZA.
+
+     Bygone days--Sumptuous roosting--Old exchange--Traders of
+     taste--Glory of Aragon--Cathedral of La Seo--Modernised
+     exterior--Interior charms and mesmerises--Next to
+     Barcelona--Magnificent effect--Parish church--Moorish ceiling--Tomb
+     of Bernardo de Aragon--The old priest--Waxes
+     enthusiastic--Supernatural effect--Statuette of Benedict
+     XIII.--Mysterious chiaroscuro--One exception--Alonza the
+     Warrior--Moorish tiles--Bishop's palace--Frugal meal--Trace of old
+     Zaragoza--Fifteenth century house--Juanita--Streets of the
+     city--Cæsarea Augusta--Worship of the Virgin--Alonzo the
+     Moor--Determined resistance--Days of struggle--Falling--Return to
+     prosperity--Fair maid of Zaragoza--The Aljaferia--Ancient palace of
+     the Moorish kings--Injured by Suchet--Salon of Santa
+     Isabel--Spanish café--Four generations--Lovely voice--Lamartine's
+     _Le Lac_--Recognised--Reading between the lines--Out in the night
+     air--An inspiration--Night vision of El Pilar--In the far future.
+
+
+The prosperity of Zaragoza to-day is entirely commercial, but on a small
+scale. It is not a great financial or manufacturing town. The rooms that
+once echoed with the voices of dames and cavaliers, flashed with the
+blaze of jewels and the gleam of scabbards, have now in many cases been
+turned into stables. The courtyards, once crowded with mailed horsemen
+setting out for the wars, are now given over to the fowls of the air,
+that roost in the eaves and have little idea how sumptuously and
+artistically they are lodged.
+
+Going on to the old Cathedral Square, we faced the ancient Exchange with
+its splendid cornice and decorations of medallion heads of the bygone
+kings and warriors of Aragon. The Gothic interior is very interesting,
+with low, vaulted passages leading to the one great room with its high
+roof and fine pointed windows, where once the merchants of the town
+carried on their operations. It would seem that in those past days the
+sale of stocks and shares, the great questions of finance, did not
+imply a contempt for the charms of outline and refinement. They loved to
+surround themselves with the splendours of architecture; and in more
+than one Spanish town the last and best remnant of the Gothic age is to
+be found in the Exchange.
+
+The whole square was striking. In the centre was a splendid fountain, at
+which a group of women for ever stood with their artistic pitchers,
+filling them in turn. Fun and laughter seemed the order of the day. The
+square echoed with merriment, to which the many-mouthed plashing
+fountain added its music.
+
+On the further side of the square is the great glory, not of Zaragoza
+alone, but of the whole kingdom of Aragon--the old cathedral of La Seo.
+
+The exterior has been much modernised, and perhaps was never specially
+striking. It is curious only at the N.E. angle, where the wall is inlaid
+with coloured tiles of the fourteenth century; of all shapes, sizes,
+patterns and colours. The whole has a rich Moorish effect almost
+dazzling when the sun shines upon them. Above this rises an octagonal
+tower decorated with Corinthian pillars.
+
+From all this glare and sound, hurry and bustle of life, you pass into
+the interior and at once are charmed, mesmerised. Calmness and repose
+fall upon the spirit; in a moment you have suddenly been removed from
+the world. At once it takes its place in the mind as ranking next to
+Barcelona. If some of its details are not to be too closely examined,
+the general effect is magnificent in the extreme.
+
+In form it is peculiar and unlike any other cathedral, for it is almost
+a perfect square, but this is not observed at the first moment; the Coro
+occupies the centre, and a multitude of splendid columns support and
+separate the double aisles. The nave and aisles are all roofed to the
+same level, giving a very lofty appearance to the whole interior. The
+vaulting springs from the capitals of the main columns with an effect of
+beauty and grace seldom equalled. To look upwards is like gazing at a
+palm-forest with spreading fronds.
+
+Like many of the Spanish churches, the light is cunningly arranged, and
+the shadow-effect is very telling. A solemn obscurity for ever reigns,
+excepting when sunbeams fall upon the windows. Towards evening the gloom
+deepens, and all looks weird and mysterious. The outlines of the lofty
+roof and spreading capitals are almost lost. We seem to be in a vast
+building of measureless dimensions: a dream-structure. The grey, subdued
+colour of the stone is perfect. Immense buttresses support the side
+walls, and between these are the chapels.
+
+[Illustration: AN OLD NOOK IN ZARAGOZA.]
+
+The first chapel on the left on entering is used as a parish church.
+Its Moorish ceiling is magnificent, though difficult to make out in the
+dim religious light that too often reigns. The chapel also contains a
+very remarkable alabaster tomb of Bernardo de Aragon, brother of King
+Alfonso. When we entered, it was almost at the end of a service, and for
+congregation the old priest had no one but the verger. He seemed
+relieved when it was over, waddled down the steps and disrobed. Then in
+a very kindly way he turned to us, bowed as gracefully as his rotund
+personage permitted, and bade us note the beauty of ceiling and tomb.
+
+"Light a few more candles," he said to the verger, "and let us try to
+get at a few of the exquisitely carved details. It is considered one of
+the finest Moorish ceilings in Spain," he continued; "and in my opinion
+it is so. You will mark the depth of the sections, beauty of the
+workmanship, rich and gorgeous effect of the whole composition. There
+never was a people like those wonderful Moors--never will be again as
+long as the world lasts. How these candles add a charm to the scanty
+daylight, giving out almost a supernatural effect! Has it ever struck
+you in the same way, this strange mingling of natural and artificial
+light? It is especially refining. Then look at this tomb, and admire its
+beauty--though it is of a very different character from the ceiling.
+Here we have nothing Moorish. That overwhelming wealth and gorgeousness
+of imagination is absent from the cold marble. But how pure and perfect!
+Note that exquisite statuette of Benedict XIII.: the figures of the
+knights that surround him with their military orders; the drooping
+figures of the mourners in the niches. But after all, what is all this
+compared with the splendours of the cathedral itself," cried the old
+priest, without pausing to take breath. "Put out the lights, Mateo,"
+turning to the verger; and then without further ceremony led the way
+into the larger building.
+
+He had a large, red, amiable face, this old priest; some day we felt
+sure that he would die of apoplexy; but he was evidently a lover of the
+beautiful, and as evidently one who loved his fellow-men.
+
+[Illustration: NORTH WALL OF CATHEDRAL: ZARAGOZA.]
+
+"Look!" he said, throwing up his hands as we stood entranced at the
+scene. "What can be more perfect? Whichever way you gaze you are met by
+a forest of pillars--a true forest, full of life and breath, for are not
+those growing like spreading palms? And where will you find pillars so
+lofty and massive? Where will you discover such a feeling of devotion,
+so mysterious a chiaroscuro? Apart from their beauty, we must not
+disdain these influences. They are aids to devotion, and poor, frail,
+erring human nature needs all the help it can receive both from without
+and within, from below and Above. I always tell our organist to play
+soft voluntaries and pull out his sweetest stops, so that he may make
+music which will creep into the spirit and rouse all its capacities for
+worship. That should be the true aim of all harmony. Look at the
+richness of the coro--the splendour of the carving. It all forms an
+effect which makes this the most wonderful and perfect cathedral in the
+whole of Spain."
+
+"With one exception," we ventured modestly to observe.
+
+"Which is that?" cried the old priest, evidently sharpening his weapon
+of warfare--the tongue that did him such good suit and service.
+
+"Your cathedral is a gem of the very first water," we said. "It throws
+one into a dream from which one might almost wish not to awaken; but it
+is not equal to Barcelona."
+
+The old priest put his hand to his forehead and looked depressed.
+
+"You are right," he said; "I cannot contradict you. But then Barcelona
+is beyond comparison." Here he brightened again. "Let me tell you the
+difference. Barcelona was never built by men; it was the work of angels.
+It is a dream-building that came down from the skies, and some day it
+will disappear into the skies again. And then here we shall reign
+supreme. With all its beauty and splendour and charm, there is nothing
+here to suggest angel master-builders; it is a dream-fabric if you will,
+but essentially the work of man: firm and strong and substantial,
+lasting through the ages. In the days of the Goths there was another
+building on this very spot. The Moors came and it was turned into a
+mosque; and when Alonza the Warrior re-took the city the church was
+reconstructed. This was early in the twelfth century. Here the kings of
+Aragon were crowned with pomp and ceremony, and here our most important
+councils have been held. Now come and look at our Moorish tiles."
+
+And again, without pause in his talk, and without ceremony, he led the
+way. We could only willingly follow through the lovely forest of
+pillars, crossing one aisle after another, sharing his enthusiasm. We
+had the whole church to ourselves. The people of Zaragoza seemed too
+busy to trouble themselves about dreams of architecture.
+
+"Look again," said the old priest, as we stood outside in front of the
+north wall. "These tiles are very beautiful and remarkable. They are
+undoubtedly Moorish; the work of Moorish craftsmen. Do you observe the
+fineness of the colours, the rich deep blue that contrasts so well with
+the emerald green? You would think the effect of so much colour would be
+garish, but on the contrary it is quiet and subdued, with great dignity
+about it. This is quite the oldest part of the exterior. One can only
+regret that the whole was not tiled, for then we should have possessed a
+unique building with which to challenge the world. You see there are
+still evidences of an earlier church than this," and he pointed to
+certain remains which were unmistakably Romanesque: in the lower part of
+the apse, the buttresses and in one of the windows.
+
+"And there," said the old priest, pointing to an immense building, "is
+the Bishop's palace, which was sacked and ruined by the French in that
+terrible war. Since that day much that was interesting in Zaragoza has
+disappeared; but heaven be praised, we have still our cathedral, and as
+long as we have that, the rest matters little. And now I must wish you
+good-morning. It is my hour for breakfast--a very frugal meal with me,
+consisting chiefly of eggs and sweet herbs. Ah, señor," with a round
+gurgling laugh, "I see what you are thinking--that eggs and sweet herbs
+never developed this rotundity of person. You are wrong. I fast twice in
+the week; I never touch anything stronger than coffee; I have only two
+simple meals a day; and yet you see how prodigal nature is in her
+dealings with me. You doubt me? Come with me. I live at a stone's throw.
+You shall see my abode and interrogate my old housekeeper, and you will
+hear how she corroborates my tale."
+
+He led the way, this singular old priest, whom we found not only
+appreciating the beautiful, but brimming over with humour: one of those
+delightfully simple, self-unconscious men, who are all sympathy and
+amiability. We could but follow: down a small narrow street into a
+quaint sort of _cul-de-sac_, where we came upon an exquisite trace of
+Old Zaragoza.
+
+A small fifteenth-century house, with a quaint Gothic doorway, and a
+window guarded by magnificent iron-work. Touching a hidden spring, this
+door opened and admitted us into a panelled passage that apparently had
+not been touched for centuries. Then he turned into a wonderful old
+room, black with panelled oak, some of which was vigorously and
+splendidly carved.
+
+"This is my living room," he said, "and here I am happy. I live in the
+past; the fine old fifteenth-century days when men knew how to produce
+the beautiful and were great in all their ideas. Here I live, and here I
+hope to die."
+
+He went to the door.
+
+"Juanita!" he called. A distant voice answered, and in a moment a quaint
+old woman dressed in black appeared upon the scene.
+
+"Juanita, is my breakfast ready?" asked the old priest.
+
+"Si, el canon."
+
+"What have you prepared?"
+
+"Two fried eggs, canonigo, flavoured with sweet herbs; bread, butter and
+coffee at discretion--as usual."
+
+"You see," laughed the priest. "There is no collusion here! Would that I
+could ask you to share my frugal meal; but it is emphatically only
+enough for one--and that an abstemious old canon. Now if you will come
+and see me this evening or to-morrow, I shall be delighted to receive
+you. I would even ask you to come and dine with me, but my dinner is as
+frugal as my déjeuner. Well, for the moment we part; but you will come
+again."
+
+As we said good-bye, Juanita appeared with her fried eggs, and steaming
+coffee served in a chaste silver pot that must have been at least a
+hundred and fifty years old; and the old priest accompanying us to the
+door, speeded us on our way with true courtesy and an old-fashioned
+blessing.
+
+[Illustration: TOWER OF LA SEO: ZARAGOZA.]
+
+We passed from this delightful atmosphere into the modern streets of the
+city, thinking how little remained of its former traces. For it goes far
+back in history, even to the days of the Romans, when it was called
+Cæsarea Augusta; a name that in course of ages was transformed to
+Zaragoza. Early in the first century it was prosperous; a free city
+possessing its own charters, seat of the Assizes, owning a mint. But of
+the old Roman city all traces have disappeared. It was one of the first
+cities to renounce Paganism. Aurelios Prudentius the first Christian
+poet was born here in the year 348. Christianity was then the keynote
+of its life, and martyrs died for the faith. Now it is given up to the
+worship of the Virgin almost more than any town in Spain. In the eighth
+century it fell under the dominion of the Moors, who kept it until the
+twelfth century. Then came Alonso the Warrior, who captured it after a
+desperate siege of five years, when the people had most of them
+perished from hunger: one of the most determined resistances in the
+history of the world.
+
+It passed through many vicissitudes as the centuries rolled on. Then in
+1808 came the French, who without taking the town managed to leave it
+almost in ruins. Then came the attack under Napoleon's four generals,
+and Zaragoza resisted them single-handed for sixty-two days of terrible
+struggle, combined with plague and famine. All Spain looked on and did
+nothing to relieve it. It fell in 1809. Since that time it has had a
+peaceful return to prosperity.
+
+Many of the ancient outlines and splendours of the city had disappeared
+in the "heap of ruins" left by the French. A new element arose, and as
+we walked towards our rambling old inn, with its thousand-and-one
+passages, we thought them painfully evident. At the inn we took up our
+guide, who escorted us through many streets and turnings to the Plaza
+del Portillo, where stood the ancient west gate of the city.
+
+It was on this very spot that occurred the romantic episode of Augustina
+the Fair Maid of Zaragoza; a Spanish Joan of Arc on a small scale.
+
+In the terrible siege to which the city was to succumb, Augustina was
+fighting on the walls side by side with her devoted lover. She watched
+him fall, death-stricken, then took the match from his loosening hand
+and worked the gun herself. Determined to avenge her lover, it is said
+that she fought long and desperately and with more fatal execution than
+any two artillerymen. But we all know the story by heart; and how,
+though courting death, she escaped all dangers.
+
+Not to see this romantic spot were we here, but the Aljaferia, just
+beyond the gate, in some measure by far the most interesting secular
+building in Zaragoza. This was the ancient palace of the Moorish kings,
+and still possesses some exquisite Moorish traces and outlines, though
+chiefly by way of restoration. It was built by a Sheikh of Zaragoza as a
+royal fortress, with almost impregnable walls. Ferdinand the Catholic
+gave it over to the Inquisition party to add to the power of this
+wretched tribunal, partly because in these strong walls the hated judges
+found a safe refuge after the murder of the popular and ill-fated
+Arbues.
+
+In the French war it was much injured by Suchet, who turned it into a
+barrack, then degraded this ancient palace of the Moorish kings and the
+kings of Aragon to the rank of a prison. Alphonso XII. restored the
+palace, and had it redecorated as far as possible to imitate its ancient
+splendour. The staircase is very fine, and the ceilings of some of the
+rooms are magnificent. One of the rooms is called the Salon of Santa
+Isabel, because here that future queen of Hungary, so famous for her
+goodness, was born in 1271. It is richly decorated in blue and gold.
+There is a small octagonal mosque of great beauty, which has been left
+just as it was in the days of the Moors; and some of the horseshoe
+doorways, in outline at least, have not changed. The visit was full of
+interest, and in spite of all alteration, carried us back to the days
+when that wonderful people reigned in Zaragoza. In the upper part was a
+magnificent armoury, kept in good order by the soldiers--for this fine
+old building has again been turned into a barrack, and devoted to
+military use.
+
+The day passed on to night, and there came an hour when we found
+ourselves sitting for a time in the café that is said to be the largest
+in Spain, studying human nature, listening to the music--for once an
+interesting and civilised performance. The room was gorgeously fitted up
+with gilding and mirrors that seemed to reflect a million lights. The
+atmosphere was fast growing to that state of blue haze which the
+Spaniards delight in, many of whom are said to carry on their smoke in
+their sleep by some process of conjuring only to be acquired after long
+practice.
+
+We happened to be looking away from the orchestra, in deep study of a
+curious group to our right--a group which seemed to comprise four
+generations. One was one of the oddest little old women we had ever
+seen, with a wonderfully wrinkled face, and small restless eyes sharp as
+an eagle's, and withered hands that looked like a bird's claws. This was
+the little great-grandmother. She had by no means passed into her
+dotage, the nonentity of old age, and was possibly not more than seventy
+or seventy-five, though she looked a hundred. Then came her son and
+daughter-in-law--unmistakably her son from the likeness to her on a
+larger and somewhat pleasanter scale. Then a still younger generation:
+a young man and woman, evidently husband and wife; she as evidently the
+man's daughter. These were better dressed and looked as though they had
+climbed a few rungs up the social ladder; they were prosperous in their
+small way; and the young man was distinctly of a better grade than his
+father-in-law. On his knee sat a lovely boy some five years old, fast
+asleep, his head pillowed against the father's shoulder. Here was the
+fourth generation.
+
+But what most attracted us was the singular beauty of the young man's
+wife, with her delicate flushed cheeks, her white teeth, clear hazel
+eyes, and abundant hair perfectly arranged. He seemed to follow her
+looks and hang upon her words and worship the ground she trod upon, and
+we did not wonder.
+
+We were absorbed in this domestic picture, when suddenly we were
+arrested by the spell of a lovely voice, and well-remembered words fell
+upon our ear. It was that touching song of Lamartine's, _Le Lac_, so
+pathetic in words and music. We turned and felt thrilled and startled as
+we recognised the face and form that had accosted us in El Pilar and
+poured out her sad story.
+
+But the face was changed. In place of the hungry pallor there was now a
+crimson flush; the eyes sparkled with light. Was it all due to inward
+fever, to the wine-cup, or to artificial aid? Not the latter, we
+thought. There was a beauty upon the face nothing artificial ever yet
+possessed. She was quietly dressed in black. It might have been the very
+robe she had worn in the morning, differently arranged.
+
+We must have moved or slightly started, for at that moment she evidently
+recognised us. For an instant her face changed colour, her voice
+trembled; then she recovered herself, and apparently did not again
+notice us.
+
+The very first words of the introduction had caught our ear with all the
+charm and familiarity of an old friend. All its dramatic power was well
+rendered by the singer.
+
+    "Ainsi toujours poussés vers de nouveaux rivages,
+      Dans la nuit éternelle emportés sans retour,
+    Ne pourrons-nous jamais sur l'océan des âges
+      Jeter l'ancre un seul jour?"
+
+So it went on, to the end of the declamation. Then, after a slight
+pause, whilst the accompanist went through the short refrain, the soft
+sweet melody, the graceful, mournful words rose upon the air:
+
+    "Un soir, t'en souvient-il, nous voguions en silence,
+      On n'entendait au loin sur l'onde et sous les cieux,
+    Que le bruit des rameurs qui frappaient en cadence
+      Tes flôts harmonieux!
+
+    "O Lac! Rochers muets, grottes, forêt obscure,
+      Vous que le temps épargne, ou qu'il peut rajeunir,
+    Gardez de cette nuit, gardez, belle nature,
+      Au moins le souvenir!
+
+    "Que le vent qui gémit, le roseau qui soupire,
+      Que les parfums légers de ton air embaumé,
+    Que tout ce qu'on entend, l'on voit, ou l'on respire,
+      Tout dise: ils ont aimé!"
+
+Not a word was lost. Every syllable rang out softly, distinctly, clear
+as a bell. We had never heard the song more beautifully sung, or greater
+justice done to its pathos. Every shade of sadness in its cadences was
+perfectly given. It was only too evident that trouble had helped the
+exquisite voice to its sorrowful ring. To us, who were to some extent
+behind the scenes of the singer's life, it was difficult to listen
+without emotion. We could read between the lines and knew the source of
+her inspiration; the deep suffering and misery that lay behind it all.
+
+When the song was over, with its applause that grated, and the singer
+had retired, we felt the room had become stifling and unbearable, and
+went out into the night air. The streets seemed to have grown small and
+contracted. Something must be done for that sad life that would
+otherwise soon be lost in every sense of the word; yet apparently we
+were powerless to move in the matter. Suddenly, as though by an
+inspiration, we thought of the old canon, so full of sympathy and human
+kindness. If there could be any possible way of escape, he was the one
+to suggest it; and we determined to lay the whole case before him.
+
+Thus thinking, we unconsciously found ourselves on the banks of the
+river. The night was clear and calm; the stars hung in the sky: the
+moon, brilliant and silvery, was rising behind El Pilar, showing up in
+magic outlines all the grace of its domes and towers. The old bridge
+spanned the stream, whose dark waters flowed rapidly through its seven
+arches.
+
+It was a perfect night, a witching scene. Everywhere intense quiet
+reigned, absolute stillness and repose. The world might have been a
+sleeping paradise, knowing nothing of human suffering. But we had
+learned that day by sad experience that the time for sorrow and sighing
+to flee away lay still in the far-off future.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE CANON'S HOSPITALITY.
+
+     El Pilar by day--In the old cathedral--The canon reproachful--Equal
+     to the occasion--No pressure needed--_Un diner maigre_--Dream of
+     forty years--True to time--Juanita--Fruits of long
+     service--Exploring Juanita's domains--House of magic--"Surely not a
+     fast-day"--Artistic dreams--Who can legislate after death?--Canon's
+     abstinence--Juanita withdraws--Our opportunity--Canon earnest and
+     sympathetic--Eugenie de Colmar--Canon's surprise--An old
+     friend--Truth stranger than fiction--"You will forget the old
+     priest"--Ingratitude not one of our sins--A _rivederci_--Canon's
+     letter--End of Eugenie's story--En route for Tarragona--Landlord
+     turns up at Lerida--Missing keys--Skeletons floated out to
+     Panama--Domestic drama--Dragon again to the
+     front--Tarragona--Matchless coast scene--Civilised inn--Military
+     element--Haunted house--Mystery unsolved--Distinct elements--Roman
+     and other remains--Dream of the past--Green pastures and sunny
+     vineyards.
+
+
+It was the next day. We had again been standing on the farther bank of
+the river watching the flowing waters. They were dark and deep, a mighty
+stream that swept through the seven arches of the wonderful bridge
+reflecting its outlines. We had contemplated for the twentieth time the
+marvellous effect of the domes and towers of El Pilar rising like an
+eastern vision against the clear sky, had asked ourselves over and over
+again where we should find a fairer and a more striking view, and found
+the question difficult to answer. We had strolled over that same bridge
+back into the town, where the charm of outline and ancient atmosphere so
+strangely disappeared; had passed the fine old Exchange, crossed the
+square with its plashing fountain and ever-changing group of chattering
+women filling their artistic pitchers.
+
+Finally we had found ourselves within the cathedral, also, for the
+twentieth time, lost in this architectural splendour; this wonder of a
+bygone age, where all the fret of every-day life had no room for
+existence.
+
+As we looked, we noticed a portly figure hurriedly crossing the aisles
+in our direction. At the first moment he did not see us. An expression
+of intense amiability and benevolence "was upon the large round face,
+that would otherwise have been so ugly, and by its aid was made so
+beautiful. He raised his eyes and came down upon us as an eagle to its
+prey.
+
+"You are here!" he cried. "I have been wondering all the morning why I
+did not come across you, in what ancient nook you had buried yourselves.
+I was now on my way to your hotel to ask whether you had departed to
+other fields, and to find out why you did not come to me last night.
+To-night I shall make sure of you. You shall dine with me--I will take
+no refusal. For once the old priest's frugal fare must suffice you. It
+shall be a fast-day. Abstinence from flesh-meat occasionally is good,
+even for travellers. Tell me you will come. Do not pain me by refusing,
+or make me guilty of pressing you too much. Juanita, my old housekeeper,
+tells me she is quite equal to preparing you _un diner maigre_."
+
+Pressure was not needed; we were too glad to accept the good priest's
+invitation. He was given to hospitality in the best sense of the word,
+and we readily promised to dine with him. For us, the diner maigre had
+no terrors.
+
+"That is good," he replied, in his rich round voice. "I shall expect you
+at seven o'clock, though we shall not dine until eight. So you are still
+lost in amazement at this architectural dream. The oftener you see it,
+the more beautiful it becomes. With few interruptions I have looked upon
+it daily for forty years, and every morning its charm seems new and
+strange to me. Well, since I have seen you I shall not go to your hotel.
+I have sundry visits to pay to poor sick folk. Until the infirmities of
+old age become too strong for me I will not give them up. And before
+that happens I trust a merciful Creator will remove me to scenes where
+there is neither age nor infirmity nor sick poor in need of
+consolation."
+
+He hurried away, leaving us to the marvellous interior. We were glad to
+go to the old canon's, and felt it would be our opportunity for laying
+before him that interesting but unhappy case.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF CATHEDRAL, SHOWING CORO AND ORGAN: ZARAGOZA.]
+
+As the clock struck seven we rang the bell. The drooping handle was
+in itself an object of art: a wonderful specimen of iron work cunningly
+wrought. We were not privileged to use the hidden spring, which moreover
+we could not discover. The bell was immediately answered by Juanita in
+grey hair, placid face and black silk gown; a picture of high
+respectability. She greeted us with a serene smile and assured us that
+we were welcome: tones and manner a reflection of her master's: the
+fruits of long and faithful service. Hers was a face to be taken on
+trust.
+
+As we entered, the canon came out of his dining-room.
+
+"I like this punctuality," he cried, "and you are doubly welcome. As our
+frugal dinner is not ready, I will take you through my little house
+whilst a glimmer of daylight lasts. Let us first lay siege to Juanita's
+regions--my good old housekeeper who has been with me or mine for fifty
+years--ever since she was a maiden of ten. We will explore the mysteries
+of her preparations for our benefit. I always feel like a child when
+gazing upon her handiwork."
+
+A long passage panelled in old dark oak led from the dining-room to the
+kitchen. Here, indeed, we found ourselves in fairyland. The room was far
+larger than the dining-room. Latticed windows looked out upon a small
+courtyard, half conservatory, where bloomed a profusion of
+sweet-smelling flowers. The kitchen itself was a picture; walls were
+panelled, the ceiling was of oak; everything bore the unmistakable tone
+of age. Facing the windows were hooks and shelves bearing the brightest
+of brass pots and pans. The latticed windows, the flowers beyond all,
+here found their reflections multiplied. Every brass implement was of
+the most artistic description. At right angles with this, other shelves
+bore a small but special dinner-service of old Spanish ware, the only
+example of its kind we had ever seen. Below this was an old dresser on
+which the silver used by the canon was displayed, with here and there an
+artistic water-pot and cooler.
+
+In the centre of the spacious kitchen was a large, solid, substantial
+oak table. At one end lay some work at which Juanita had evidently
+lately been busy. At the other end was a small pile of the curious
+Spanish-ware plates, evidently on their way to the dining-room.
+
+Under one of the latticed windows was Juanita's help-mate: a young woman
+busily engaged in preparing a dish of olives. One could have lived in
+this room with the greatest pleasure, and never asked for anything more
+artistic or luxurious. A savoury smell, as of frying of eggs with sweet
+herbs, was in the air; yet were there no signs of stove or cooking. A
+huge chimney-place there was, in which half a dozen people might have
+comfortably found seats; but nothing was to be seen excepting a couple
+of old-fashioned dogs on which some lighted wood and peat sparkled and
+crackled, whilst the blue smoke went curling up the wide opening.
+
+"Wonderful!" we cried, taking in the incomparable effect of the whole
+room. "This is a house of magic."
+
+"Very simple magic," laughed the old canon. "I fear that in sleight of
+hand Juanita and I would be failures. Her magic lies in preparing simple
+dishes."
+
+"But where are they prepared?" we said. "There is neither sign nor sound
+of cooking here."
+
+"Come and see," laughed the canon; and crossing the kitchen, he led the
+way through a further door down a short passage into a small,
+whitewashed room beyond. Here on a large stove Juanita and her
+hand-maiden conducted their mysteries. A dozen brass pans stood upon the
+stove, and every one of them seemed in use.
+
+"Surely these are not for dinner!" we cried. "It was to be a fast-day."
+
+"A fast-day as far as flesh is concerned," laughed the canon. "That does
+not absolutely mean that you are to starve. I know no more than you what
+Juanita has prepared. If I intruded upon her province with the faintest
+suggestion, she might retaliate by sending us empty dishes. I fear our
+faces would lengthen before them--that is if anything could lengthen
+mine," he gurgled, turning his large, round, delightful countenance full
+upon us. "I see signs of approaching readiness in those steaming
+saucepans. Let us continue our inspection. Daylight dies; nothing
+remains but the afterglow."
+
+We passed again through the charming old kitchen, where the logs on the
+great hearth blazed and crackled.
+
+"Summer and winter, Juanita will have a fire," said the old canon,
+pointing to the crackling logs. "She declares that she is growing old
+and shivery, and the bright flames chase the vapours from her mind."
+
+We passed up the old oak staircase. Everywhere we came upon the same
+signs of age; the same artistic old panelling; bedrooms with ancient oak
+furniture, oak ceilings finely carved. A perfect house of its kind, and
+much larger than it appeared from the outside. One room was the canon's
+own sanctum, fitted up with book-shelves, where reposed many a precious
+volume. Amongst his treasures he produced some ancient illuminated
+manuscripts of rare value. The desk at which he sat and worked was
+placed near a latticed window in a corner of the room, through which one
+just caught sight of the tower of La Seo.
+
+Again we exclaimed that so perfect a house should be found in Zaragoza.
+
+"Mine by inheritance," said the canon. "Early in the sixteenth century
+it belonged to a far-away ancestor, who was Bishop of Zaragoza. Dying,
+he left it to his brother and his children, of whom I am a direct
+descendant. The singular thing is that between the bishop and myself
+there has not been a single ecclesiastic in the family. When I die, the
+direct line of nearly four centuries will be broken. The house will pass
+to my nephew, who is mixed up with Court life, and has married a Court
+beauty. He is already nearly middle-aged, with sons and daughters
+growing up. As far as possible I have ordained that the house shall
+never be altered. But who can legislate for what shall happen after
+death?"
+
+We returned to the dining-room, where we soon found that our fast was to
+be in reality a light, refined and delicate feast. Fish of more kinds
+than one, dressed to perfection; eggs and sweet herbs in many forms and
+disguises; choice fruits. And from his cellar the canon brought forth
+exquisite wines--priceless Johannisberg and Chambertin; whilst with our
+coffee he gave us Chartreuse fifty years old. Yet he himself passed over
+all delicacies, limiting his dinner to eggs and sweet herbs, with which
+he drank coffee.
+
+"You censure others by the dignity of excelling," we said. "Though
+crowding upon us these indulgences, you abstain from all."
+
+"I believe in St. James, who said, 'Use hospitality one to another
+without grudging,'" returned the canon. "I delight in doing this. Heaven
+has blessed me with means; how can they be better employed than in
+ministering to others, whether rich or poor? As for myself, do not think
+I am exercising self-denial. Habit is second nature. Did I not tell you
+that the pleasures of the table had nothing to do with my physical
+rotundity. But heaven be praised, I can still manage to roll over the
+ground without trouble."
+
+Juanita waited upon us with unruffled ease, her comely face looking the
+delight she evidently felt in dispensing luxuries. Her hands were
+clothed in black silk mittens; her black silk gown rustled with a gentle
+dignity as she quietly moved about, taking plates and dishes from her
+hand-maiden, who stood outside the door. Some wonderful old silver
+adorned the table and everything from first to last showed the ruling
+hand and head of one born and bred in an atmosphere of refinement.
+
+We had not sat down to table until eight o'clock, and when coffee was
+served the old clock on the oak mantelpiece had chimed nine, and its
+last vibrations had long died upon the air. Yet the time had passed with
+lightning rapidity, for the canon in giving us some of the experiences
+of his long life, and in telling us many legends of Zaragoza, had
+engaged our whole interest and attention.
+
+When Juanita had handed us coffee, and left the charming old silver
+coffee-pot steaming upon the table dispensing its aromatic fumes, she
+made us collectively a court-curtsey at the door and withdrew.
+
+Then came our opportunity, and we related to the canon our previous
+day's adventure, with all its sadness and its apparently hopeless
+element. He listened with earnest attention and sympathy.
+
+"The world is full of these instances," he cried with a profound sigh,
+when we had ended. "Do you wonder at my frugal living when I hear of
+these wrecked lives? I have seen so much of this terrible vice. I know
+how hard it is to conquer, how seldom the victory is gained. It requires
+daily care on the part of one stronger than the tempted, and too often
+even that fails. But who is this frail creature? She must and shall be
+rescued if human aid, under divine help, can avail. For heaven will not
+always save us in spite of ourselves. 'My Spirit shall not always strive
+with men.'"
+
+Her name and domestic history had been withheld to the last. We now
+explained who she was, who her father had been, his position under
+Government, his sudden death from grief. and we gave him her card, which
+bore both her married and her maiden name--the latter written in pencil:
+Eugenie de Colmar.
+
+The canon quite started as we spoke it, and threw himself back in his
+chair.
+
+"Is it possible!" he cried. "Is it possible! But life is full of these
+coincidences. Verily the Divine hand holds the threads of the world's
+human actions; and what we call coincidences are the silent drawing
+together of these threads for ordained purposes. De Colmar was my
+intimate friend, though many years my junior. He would come and spend a
+week at a time with me here, but his visits were not frequent. I knew
+little of his wife, still less of his child, whom I saw but once when
+she was about ten years old. I was told of his death; had heard of a
+tragedy; but the full details I now learn for the first time. It is one
+of the saddest stories I ever listened to. For the sake of the father I
+must make every effort to save the child. It will be a hard task, but
+only needing the more courage. To-morrow I will seek her out. She must
+be taken from this unwholesome life and excitement. I will tell her that
+she owes it to the memory of her father, in atonement for the wrong she
+did him, to place herself in my hands; to give up her will to mine. She
+shall come into this house and take up her abode with us for a time. Her
+reform shall be my daily care. Juanita, for all her placid face, has
+plenty of good sense and decision; she is quite equal to being her
+companion and to watching over her. It shall be done. I have seldom
+failed in what I earnestly took in hand, and I must not fail now."
+
+This was good news. A load was taken from our mind. Surely all this
+would bear fruit. There seemed every hope that this poor creature would
+be rescued and restored. When we got up to leave, it was with a light
+heart. The time had passed quickly and the hands on the old clock
+pointed to eleven.
+
+"Alas, you are going away. When shall we meet again?" said the canon,
+in tones as melancholy as we felt sure ever fell from his lips. Not his
+to look on the sad side of life. He passed his days shedding light and
+warmth around him like a substantial sunbeam, distributing favours with
+both hands.
+
+"When shall we meet again?" he repeated. "Perhaps never! Even the
+splendours of La Seo may fail to draw from you a second visit; whilst
+the welcome awaiting you from the old priest will be altogether
+forgotten."
+
+We assured him that ingratitude was not one of our sins. The delightful
+evening he had given us would be remembered for ever; we truly declared
+it a privilege and a pleasure to know him; a sorrow to say farewell.
+
+"It is a word I never utter," quickly returned the canon. "With me it is
+ever _au revoir_; if not in this world then in the next. And we have now
+a bond of sympathy between us in this poor creature whom I am going to
+save and rescue whether she will or no. She is our joint protégée; I
+shall write and keep you posted up in her welfare. Be sure that if any
+power can possibly reclaim her, she is saved. _Au revoir_--let us leave
+it at this. Heaven be with you--and peace."
+
+Full of peace indeed was the night as we passed out into the darkness.
+The stars seemed to shine down upon the world with a serene benediction.
+Much of the pain we had felt last night was removed. Surely no chance
+hand had guided us. The work begun to-night was destined to succeed.[C]
+
+
+Before turning in, we went once more round to our favourite spot. It was
+our last look by starlight upon the deep, dark flowing river, the
+wonderful old bridge, the faint outlines of El Pilar rising beyond.
+To-night all was shadowy and indistinct; a dream vision; and the only
+sound to be heard was the swirling of the waters through the seven
+arches of St. Peter's bridge.
+
+The next morning we left Zaragoza by an early train for Tarragona: a
+long roundabout journey. Again we had to pass through Lerida, where we
+had twenty minutes to wait. As chance would have it, our landlord was on
+the platform, speeding parting guests. We went up to him and drew him
+apart.
+
+"Tell us," we said; "what about the dragging of the well? Has it been
+done?"
+
+Our late host threw up his hands. "Oh, señor, I shiver and shake at the
+very thought of it. I had it done the very day after you left. And what
+do you think came up?"
+
+"Two skeletons?"
+
+"The keys, señor: the missing keys and a pair of slippers--very much
+down at heel."
+
+"And the skeletons?"
+
+"Not a vestige, señor; not a single bone. I told you the well
+communicated with the river, and the river with the sea. They must have
+floated out, and probably are now reposing in the Panama Canal."
+
+"But why the Panama Canal?"
+
+"Everything bad must drift there, señor. I lost a large sum in the
+wretched affair."
+
+"And have you seen no ghost since we left?"
+
+"No ghost, señor, and no mysterious sounds. All the same we have had a
+domestic drama."
+
+"The Dragon?"
+
+"Exactly, señor. Your penetration is wonderful. As she was leaning over
+her wash-tub, the waiter came behind and ducked her head in the
+soapsuds. Her mouth--you know her mouth--was wide open, and she
+swallowed a great gulp of soapy water; upon which, presto! quick as
+lightning, she up with her washing-pin and hit him on the head. Such a
+crash! Down went the waiter, and the Dragon was stooping over him with
+wet locks like a dripping mermaid, gloating and mouthing upon the
+ruin."
+
+"And the waiter?"
+
+"In the hospital, señor, with a broken head. That is why I am here. I
+have to come to the station myself, and be my own porter, and see my
+guests off. Servants are the bane of one's life. Like the flies, they
+were invented for our torment. But, señor, these troubles are nothing
+compared with the relief of finding that the skeletons had cleared out
+to sea."
+
+Our train came up and we went our way, leaving Lerida behind us with its
+fine outlines, and the landlord to the difficult task of managing his
+womenkind.
+
+So far we had travelled on the line before, but now branched off towards
+Tarragona. We did not again see Manresa, but even a comparative approach
+to its neighbourhood brought all the splendid and imposing outlines, the
+blood-red river, vividly before us. Once more we saw Mons Serratus with
+its jagged, fantastic peaks: lived through our haunted night in the
+Hospederia; again Salvador the monk and his wonderful music took
+possession of our spirit and Serratus itself appeared enveloped in
+harmony and romance. We were glad not to pass through the station, where
+possibly Sebastien would have been on the watch for passengers; and we
+should have left a heart-broken expression behind us at the very thought
+of our not staying a couple of days to see Manresa under sunshine.
+
+The day was wearing on to evening as we approached Tarragona with its
+matchless coast scene. The blue waters of the Mediterranean stretched
+far and wide, and the harbour reposed upon them like a sleeping
+crescent. As the sun dipped in the west, the waters flashed out its
+declining rays, reflected the gorgeous colouring of the sky. The train
+landed us in the lower town. We had to reach the upper town, and the
+rickety old omnibus rolled and struggled up the steep streets, finally
+depositing us at the Fonda de Paris.
+
+We found the inn quite civilised. The landlord was half Italian and
+spoke several languages. On the first night of our arrival the cook must
+have been in a very amiable mood, for he sent up an excellent dinner.
+But to H. C.'s sorrow and surprise the after dinners were a lamentable
+falling-off. The cook had been crossed in love, received notice to quit,
+or his art failed him: everything was below par. On the evening of our
+arrival, the evil had not fallen.
+
+The hotel, like many of the Spanish inns was large and rambling. Our
+landlord conducted us to excellent rooms facing the road, and from the
+balcony the scene was enchanting. Before us was an old Roman tower. To
+our right, far down, 700 feet below our present level, we caught sight
+of the sleeping Mediterranean.
+
+It was not quite so pleasant to find ourselves surrounded by the
+military element; barracks to right and left of us; sentries in slippers
+patrolling up and down; raw recruits, looking as little like soldiers as
+anything to be conceived; constant snatches of bugle-calling, which
+seemed to end at midnight and begin again at four in the morning. So
+far, all was unrest. But we soon found that the charms of Tarragona
+soared far above all small and secondary considerations.
+
+Down the long passage behind our rooms we came to the garden of the
+hotel. It was after dinner and pale twilight reigned. In the centre of
+the garden a splendid spreading palm outlined itself against the evening
+sky, in which shone a large, liquid, solitary star. The garden was
+surrounded by a white wall, and the scene was quite eastern. Far down
+was the wonderful coast-line and crescent harbour. Of late we had had
+only rivers, and this broad expanse of sea brought new life to the
+spirit.
+
+Returning indoors, we found the inn haunted, but not by spirits of the
+dead.
+
+The ghost was unmistakably flesh and blood. The first time we caught
+sight of him--it was a masculine ghost, therefore doubly
+uninteresting--he was cautiously putting his head into our rooms and
+taking a look round. The said rooms were raised above the rest on that
+floor by steps that led to our own quarters only. Thus the ghost was
+clearly trespassing. He neither looked confused nor apologised as he
+took his slow departure. All his time seemed spent in prowling about the
+passages in a spirit of curiosity or unrest. Often we found him on our
+premises on suddenly coming in, and once or twice, when quietly writing,
+on looking up were startled by an evil-looking countenance intruding
+itself at the open door, and as quickly withdrawing on finding the room
+occupied.
+
+We never discovered the mystery. Whether the ghost was a little out of
+its mind, whether it was its peculiar way of taking exercise, or whether
+it suffered from kleptomania and had a passion for collecting sticks and
+umbrellas, nothing of this was ever learned. We only knew that the ghost
+looked like a broken-down dissenting parson, that it dressed in sable
+garments, and went about with a pale face and large black eyes that
+seemed to glow with hidden fire suggestive of madness, and long,
+straight, black hair plastered down each side of its face; a curiously
+unpleasant object to encounter at every trick and turn of the gloomy
+corridors.
+
+Tarragona possesses two distinct elements, both in an eminent degree.
+The town, especially the lower town, is mean and common-place. Ascending
+beyond a certain point, you come upon everything refined and beautiful.
+It stands on a hill which gradually rises to some seven or eight hundred
+feet above the sea-level. At the highest point of all is its mediæval
+cathedral, surpassing most of the cathedrals of Spain or elsewhere--one
+of those wonders of architecture that visit us in our dreams, but are
+seldom actually found. It does not, however, stand out far and wide in
+magnificent outlines, like Manresa or Lerida. Only a close inspection
+reveals its charms.
+
+The upper town is surrounded by walls ancient and imposing. Within their
+boundaries are many Roman and Christian remains, such as few places
+still possess, making of Tarragona a dream of the past crowded with
+interest. Outside the walls the views are splendid and extensive.
+Looking towards the ever-changing sea, the coast-line is magnificent.
+Point after point juts out; hill after hill rises towards the East. Far
+down at one's feet lies the little harbour, encircling all the craft
+that seek its shelter: steamers from Barcelona with their daily
+freights, steamers from Norway and Sweden laden with scented pinewood, a
+whole fleet of picturesque fishing boats. Inland, the country is a
+succession of rich green pastures and sunny vineyards, whilst on the
+sloping hills afar off reposes many a town and village.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+QUASIMODO.
+
+     Tarragona by night--Cathedral--Moonlight
+     vision--Dream-fabric--Deserted streets--Ghostly form
+     approaches--Quilp or Quasimodo?--Redeeming qualities--Pale
+     spiritual face--Open sesame--Approaching the apparition--Question
+     and answer--Invitation accepted--Prisoners--The Shadow--Under the
+     cold moonlight--Enter cathedral--Vast interior--Gloom and
+     silence--Fantastic effects--Enigma solved--Strange proceeding--No
+     inspiration--Why Quasimodo turned night into day--Weird moonlight
+     scene--Soft sweet sounds--Schumann's Träumerei--Spellbound--The
+     magician--Witching hour--Cathedral ghosts--An eternity of
+     music--Varying moods--Returning to earth--Quasimodo's
+     rapture--Travelling moonbeams--Night grows old--Sky full of
+     music--Lost to sight--Dreams haunted by Quasimodo--New day.
+
+
+That first night we went out into the darkness, when details were lost
+in outlines. We passed the barracks where bugling seemed to be in full
+play. A narrow street to the right led to a short flight of steps, above
+which rose the west front of the cathedral. As far as we could see, the
+porches were deep and beautiful. But it was the south and east sides
+that presented the most marvellous outlines. Even the darkness could not
+hide their beauty. And presently, when the moon rose and her pale
+silvery light shone full upon the grey walls and gleamed upon the Gothic
+windows and ancient tower, it turned to a dream-fabric.
+
+The night was intensely still, not a sound could be heard, not a soul
+was visible. Our footsteps alone woke the echoes as we walked to and fro
+before that moonlight vision, and felt unable to leave it.
+
+[Illustration: SOUTH-WEST EXTERIOR OF CATHEDRAL: TARRAGONA.]
+
+The cathedral clock struck eleven. As the last stroke vibrated upon the
+air, we saw a shadowy form approaching. It was not yet the ghostly hour,
+therefore it must be flesh and blood, to be boldly challenged. Was
+the mysterious being that haunted our corridors prowling these precincts
+in search of relics? No; as the form approached we saw that it was short
+and slender; almost diaphanous, almost deformed. The head seemed
+enormous in comparison with the body; legs and arms were unusually long.
+Yet even in the moonlight we noticed that something pale and spiritual
+about the face redeemed its ugliness. We thought of Quilp, of Quasimodo,
+all the grotesques we had ever heard of, but he only resembled these at
+a distance; we soon found that he was far better than they.
+
+This apparition was followed by a lean, lanky youth who seemed to be
+shod in india-rubber, so silent his footsteps. He towered above
+Quasimodo, whom he followed as a shadow follows its substance. We
+happened to be standing near a small gate in the south railings, and up
+to this gate came Quasimodo, inserted a magic key into the lock and
+swung it open. What did it mean? Were they, this moonlight night, going
+into the interior? What a weird experience; what an opportunity not to
+be lost! The apparition must be won over.
+
+"Are you entering the cathedral?" we asked as they passed in and half
+closed the gate. To our relief a very earthly voice responded in
+matter-of-fact tones.
+
+"Yes," it replied. "Do you want to enter also?"
+
+It needed no further invitation. We passed through, and the gate was
+closed and locked. As we heard the sharp click and Quasimodo pocketed
+the key, we felt ourselves prisoners. All the possible and impossible
+stories we had ever heard of midnight murders and mysterious
+disappearances flashed through the brain. But the die was cast and we
+must follow. The enigma which even at the instant puzzled us was the
+motive for this midnight visit. We could think of none.
+
+We stood for a moment in the space between the railings and the
+building. Repairs were going on; it had been turned into a stonemason's
+yard. The cold moonlight fell upon heavy blocks of marble lying about.
+There was an erection that looked for all the world like a gibbet, and
+we almost expected to see a ghostly skeleton dangling from its
+cross-beam.
+
+Quasimodo moved on and opened a small south door. He entered and we
+waited whilst he took a lantern from the hands of the Shadow. It was
+lighted in a moment, and we found it to be a powerful electric lamp.
+Then we too passed in, and the door closed upon us. If we were to be
+murdered, it would not be in utter darkness. The lantern was brilliant,
+and threw around its ghostly lights and shadows. We are compelled to
+repeat the adjective, for everything was ghostly and weird.
+
+The vast interior was lost in profoundest silence and gloom. No single
+light could reach the depths and spaces, but round about us the lantern
+lighted up the outlines of aisles and arches and pillars.
+
+The effect was inexpressibly solemn. There seemed no limit to the space.
+We paced the aisles and thought them endless. Our footsteps awoke
+ghostly echoes. As far as could be discerned, we were surrounded by the
+loveliest, most refined outlines. Gothic aisles and arches were dimly
+visible. And still the Shadow followed Quasimodo, and still his
+footsteps made no sound.
+
+Quasimodo walked in silence for a time, evidently enjoying our own
+silent delight and experience. His long arms and legs, his large head,
+his long-drawn, backward shadow, all suggested gnome-land. He swung the
+lantern about as though charmed and allured by all the fantastic effects
+it produced.
+
+At last we felt we must break the silence.
+
+"Why are you here?" we said. "May we ask? It seems so strange to be
+walking with you in this midnight space and darkness."
+
+"Can you not guess?" he returned. "What object could I have in coming
+here at this dark hour? Look."
+
+Then we noticed for the first time that the Shadow carried a music-book.
+The enigma was solved. Quasimodo had come to practise.
+
+"But what a strange hour!" we exclaimed. "You turn night into day. Is it
+that these ghostly shadows inspire you as nothing else can?"
+
+[Illustration: EAST END OF CATHEDRAL, SHOWING NORMAN APSE: TARRAGONA.]
+
+"No," replied Quasimodo; "I have no inspiration. I possess the souls of
+others, I have no soul of my own. It is given to me to interpret the
+thoughts of all musicians with a wonderful interpretation, but not a
+single thought of my own do I possess. Not a single line can I
+extemporise. I am like a man to whom has been given all the feelings,
+all the aspirations, all the fire of the poet, and from whom is withheld
+the gift of language. But I am content. All the thoughts of the great
+masters are mine, my very own, and I am grateful for the power. It is a
+gift. As a rule I need no music. All is stamped on my brain in undying
+characters. You shall hear. This is a book of Bach's Fugues that I
+scarcely need; and this quiet and devoted creature is my organ-blower.
+He is deaf and dumb, which explains his silence."
+
+"But you have not told us your reason for turning night into day," we
+remarked. "Everything about you is so weird and unusual that we cannot
+help our curiosity. You must not think it impertinence."
+
+"True," replied Quasimodo. "It must indeed seem strange to you that I
+come here now, yet the reason is simple enough. I teach all day long,
+for I have to work for my living. Yet I cannot live without occasionally
+pouring out my soul in music; and as I have no time but the night, I
+come here now rather than not at all. I was not here last night or the
+night before; I shall not be here again any night this week. I have to
+work not only for my own living, but for a wife and two lovely children.
+You start. You wonder that any woman could have married this grotesque
+creature--much more a beautiful woman. You do not wonder more than I do.
+I tell my wife that she married me for my music, not for myself. The
+music charmed and bewitched her; threw a glamour over her eyes and
+judgment and taste. She laughs in reply. We have been married twelve
+years now, and she still seems the happiest of women, most devoted of
+wives. Heaven be praised, there is nothing grotesque in our lovely
+children. They might have come from paradise. But now I will go and
+play, and you shall listen. You have chosen to enter here, and here you
+must remain until I let you out again. I will leave you my lantern and
+you may wander where you will."
+
+With that he placed his lamp in our hand, and lighting a small wax
+candle which he produced from his pocket, departed down the long, dark,
+solemn, solitary aisle, followed by his silent Shadow. We soon lost
+them in the gloom, and nothing but the distant sound of Quasimodo's
+footsteps told us we were not alone. Even this sound ceased, and for a
+time absolute silence reigned.
+
+Presently a far-off glimmer showed where the organ-loft was placed.
+Quasimodo had lighted the candles and taken his seat. We turned off the
+light of our lantern. The moonlight was playing upon the windows, and
+the pale rays streamed across the aisles upon pillars and arches. Never
+was a more weird, more telling and effective scene.
+
+We sat down on the steps of one of the chapels. The whole ghostly
+building, shrouded in gloom and mystery and moonbeams, stood before us
+in all its solidity, all its grandeur and magnificence. Intense silence
+reigned. We could hear the beating of our hearts, feel the quickening of
+our pulses.
+
+Then through the silence there stole the softest, sweetest sounds.
+Quasimodo was interpreting the thoughts of others. He had chosen that
+soothing, flowing, exquisite Träumerei of Schumann's, and rendered it as
+never rendered before. The whole melody was hushed and subdued. Nothing
+seemed to rise above a whisper. All the aisles and arches were full of
+exquisite vibrations. Quasimodo appeared to linger upon every note as
+though he loved it and could not part with it. One note melted into
+another. The sense of rhythm was perfect.
+
+We listened spellbound to the end. Never had the simple, beautiful
+melody so held all our senses captive. It ceased, and again for a moment
+the whole vast interior was steeped in profound silence; the moonbeams
+streaming their pale light through the windows possessed the building.
+
+Then a different spirit held Quasimodo. Our dream changed. Louder stops
+were pulled out, and he plunged into a vigorous fugue of Bach's. Again
+we had never heard it so played. Every note fell clear and distinct. The
+music seemed gifted with words suggesting wild thoughts and emotions.
+What Quasimodo had said was true. The souls of the dead-and-gone masters
+possessed him. He was their true interpreter. The fugue came to an end.
+Again a moment's silence and again a change in our dream.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF CATHEDRAL: TARRAGONA.]
+
+This time it was Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. More fitting time and
+place could never have existed. The pulses thrilled as we listened.
+Never had music seemed so perfect. Beethoven himself would have declared
+the rendering beyond his own conception. Quasimodo was a magician. His
+body might be grotesque, his mind was angelic. Be his wife never so
+beautiful, he never so grotesque, she could not fail to love that soul
+and spirit. He was worthy, and she was wise.
+
+Again the soft sweet strains went trolling through aisles and arches,
+all their exquisite melancholy cadence fully rendered. And presently it
+changed to the louder, more passionate strains, suggestive more of storm
+and tempest than serene moonlight. It ceased; and one thing gave place
+to another; Quasimodo's moods seemed as wild and eccentric as they were
+uncertain but ever charming. For two whole hours he kept us spell-bound.
+We never thought of the night; of the passing of time; of the necessity
+for rest. We were in a new world. The moonbeams travelled onwards and
+downwards.
+
+Midnight struck. Twelve slow strokes fell upon the air. The ghosts came
+out to listen; it was their hour. We were persuaded that the aisles and
+arches were full of them. We saw faint shadows thrown upon the
+moonbeams, as they passed to and fro. It is useless to say ghosts do not
+throw shadows: that night we distinctly saw them. The wonderful moonlit
+building seemed full of sighs and subdued sobbings. H. C. declared it
+was nothing but the vibrations of the organ: we knew better. The ghosts
+were sighing and sobbing at the wonderful music. There could not be a
+more ghostly time or place; and they would not often have such harmonies
+to listen to.
+
+The moments passed. One o'clock struck; solitary, melancholy sound; more
+suggestive of ghosts and death and the long journey we must all take
+before we become ghosts ourselves, than the twelve drawn-out strokes of
+midnight which bear each other company.
+
+Into those two hours Quasimodo seemed to have crowded an eternity of
+music. Every vein, from the mournful to the triumphant, from the
+faintest whisper to a crashing torrent, possessed him. He passed into
+Wagner, and the sweetest strains from Lohengrin, the most impassioned
+from Tannhäuser, thrilled the darkness. He slided into Handel's airs,
+and with the aid of a wonderful voix céleste, that loveliest of
+melodies, _I know that my Redeemer liveth_, stole through the moonlit
+aisles with such pathos that our eyes wept involuntary tears, and the
+Divine drama of nearly two thousand years ago passed in detail before
+our mental vision.
+
+Quasimodo seemed to have power to raise emotion, to play upon every
+nerve, and he appeared to delight in using that power.
+
+He went on in all his varying moods, until again there came a pause, and
+once more Schumann's Träumerei in soft, sweet strains went stealing
+through the aisles. With this he had begun, with this he would end: as
+one who had taken a long journey, and would bring us safely back to
+haven.
+
+A journey indeed; a flight into fairyland; spiritual realms where
+nothing earthly can enter.
+
+It came to an end: and we had to return to earth. Quasimodo had poured
+out his soul and was satisfied. No wonder he could not live without it.
+Such a gift must find expression, or the spirit would die. The lights
+went out in the distant organ-loft, and by the help of his taper
+Quasimodo groped his way down the winding stair, followed by his silent
+Shadow. We turned on the lamp, and its light guided him to us. He sat
+down beside us on the steps.
+
+"Well," he said, "have you enjoyed my music? Have they kept you
+spell-bound, all the thoughts of the great masters of the past? Did you
+think there was so much in them? Have I given you new ideas, revealed
+unsuspected beauties? Have the hours passed as moments? Oh, the divine
+gift of melody to man, which brings us nearest to heaven! How could we
+live without it?"
+
+He had played himself into rapture. He was intoxicated with the
+influence of all the melody to which he had given such amazing
+expression. It was a language more powerful than words, more beautiful
+than poetry, more soul-satisfying than love itself. What a strange
+contradiction had nature here been guilty of--this grotesque, almost
+deformed exterior united to such loveliness of mind and spirit.
+
+[Illustration: CLOISTERS: TARRAGONA.]
+
+But time was passing. We could not indulge for ever in these dreams,
+perfect though they were. The change in the moonbeams warned us that the
+night was growing old. The ghosts would soon depart to the land of
+shadows. Yet the building was so weird and mysterious, the outlines were
+so marvellous, that it was difficult to break the spell. It had to be
+done. The grey dawn must not find us here. All our romance, all our
+charm of music would evaporate before the cold creeping upwards of
+daybreak.
+
+So we rose from the steps, and Quasimodo rose too, and his Shadow took
+up its customary position.
+
+We still held the lamp. As we went down the long aisles we flashed it to
+and fro. Lights and shadows mingled with the moonbeams, and all the
+fantastic forms we awoke were only reflections from ghostland. At the
+south doorway Quasimodo inserted the key; the door opened and we passed
+out into the night.
+
+The moon and the stars had travelled far; the sky itself seemed full of
+all the music and melody we had listened to. Quasimodo locked the door
+and joined us, followed by his Shadow. But once outside the iron gate
+the Shadow bade him good-night by a silent gesture in which we were
+included, and rapidly and silently, like the shadow he was, glided away
+and was soon lost to sight.
+
+We stood looking at the cathedral, all its wonderful outlines showing up
+clearly in the pale pure moonlight. Silence and solitude now reigned
+within and without. Then we turned away, and Quasimodo accompanied us as
+far as the bottom of the steps. There he bade us farewell and we never
+met him again.
+
+The incident passed almost as a dream. We sometimes ask ourselves
+whether Quasimodo was really flesh and blood, or an angel that for a
+short time had visited the earth in the form of man. But he was no
+spirit. We watched his quaint shape as he went down the narrow street,
+flashing his light. Towards the end he looked back and turned the lamp
+full upon us, as though by way of final benediction. Another turn and he
+had passed out of sight.
+
+The street had not the glimmer of a light or the ghost of a sound. Our
+own broad thoroughfare was in darkness. The Roman tower seemed wrapped
+in the silence and mystery of the centuries. From the end of the road we
+looked over the cliff at the sea sleeping in all its expanse, bathed in
+moonlight. In the harbour one caught the outlines of the vessels, and
+from one of them came the bark of a dog baying at the moon. It was one
+of those perfect nights, still, clear and calm, only to be found in
+these latitudes.
+
+The cathedral clock had long struck two, when we finally turned towards
+the hotel. What if the night-porter failed us, as he had failed in
+Lerida? But he was more cunning. He was not there, indeed, but he had
+left the door ajar, and the gas slightly turned on at the foot of the
+staircase.
+
+We made all fast and sought our rooms. With open windows, even from here
+we could hear the faint plash and beating of the ripples upon the
+shore--the slight ebb-and-flow movement of this tideless sea. Our dreams
+that night were haunted by Quasimodo. We had left the world for realms
+where no limit was, and divine harmonies for ever filled the air. Some
+hours later this harmony suddenly resolved itself into a bugle call, and
+we woke to a new day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+IN THE DAYS OF THE ROMANS.
+
+     Charms of Tarragona--Roman traces--Cyclopean remains--Augustus
+     closes Temple of Janus--Great past--House of Pontius Pilate--Views
+     from ramparts--Feluccas with white sails set--Life a paradise--City
+     walls--Cathedral outlines--Lively market-place--Remarkable
+     exterior--Dream-world--West doorways--Internal effect--In the
+     cloisters--Proud sacristan--Man of taste and learning--Delighted
+     with our enthusiasm--Great concession--Appealing to the soul--Señor
+     Ancora--Human or angelic?--In the cloister garden--Sacristan's
+     domestic troubles--Silent ecclesiastic--Sad history--Church of San
+     Pablo--Challenge invited--Future genius--Rare picture--Roman
+     aqueduct--A modern Cæsar--Reminiscences--Rich country--Where the
+     best wines are made--Aqueduct--El puente del diablo--Giddy
+     heights--Lonely valley--H. C. sentimental--Rosalie and fair
+     Costello--Romantic situation--Quarrelsome Reus--Masters of the
+     world--Our driver turns umpire--Battle averted--Men of
+     Reus--Whatever is, is wrong--Driver's philosophy--Dream of the
+     centuries.
+
+
+Only the broad daylight could discover all the charms of Tarragona: the
+beauty of its situation, the extent of its ancient remains. The very
+perfect walls, fine in tone, bore distinct Roman traces. Below them, on
+a level with the shore, were other traces of a Roman amphitheatre. There
+were also Cyclopean remains, dating from prehistoric times. Tarragona
+was a great Roman station when the brothers Publius and Cneidos Scipio
+occupied it. Augustus raised it to the dignity of a capital: and
+twenty-six years B.C., after his Cantabrian campaign, he here issued his
+decree closing the Temple of Janus--open until then for seven hundred
+years.
+
+Tarragona was already a large and flourishing city with over a million
+of inhabitants. It was rich and highly favoured, and its chief people
+considered themselves lords of the world. Many temples were erected, one
+of them to the honour of Augustus, making him a god whilst still living.
+There are fragments in the cloister museum said to have belonged to
+this temple, which was repaired by Adrian.
+
+On our upward way near the Roman tower we passed the still wonderful
+house of Pontius Pilate, who was claimed by the Tarragonese as a
+fellow-townsman. It is said to have been also the palace of Augustus,
+and the lower portion bears traces of an existence before the Romans.
+To-day it is a prison, and as some of its walls are twenty feet thick
+the prisoners have small chances of escape. Few spots in Spain are more
+interesting, or so completely carry you back to the early centuries. On
+its south wall is an entrance to a short passage leading to the
+Cyclopean doorway, communicating by a subterranean passage with the
+comparatively modern Puerta del Rosario. To the east of this gateway we
+soon reach the ramparts, just above a ruined fort, and near the modern
+battery of San Fernando. From these ramparts you have the finest view of
+Tarragona and its surroundings.
+
+On one side stretch far and wide the blue waters of the Mediterranean.
+Lateen-rigged feluccas, with white sails set, are wafted to and fro by
+the gentle breeze. Life on board seems a paradise of luxurious ease and
+indolence. Nothing marks the passing hours but the slow progress of the
+sun. The sky is as intensely blue as the sea, and the air seems full of
+light. You are dazzled by so much brilliance. Distant objects stand out
+in clear detail. The wide undulating plain stretches far away to the
+left, broken by towns and villages, the famous castle of Altafulla in
+the distance. Below the town lies the aqueduct, one of the most perfect
+Roman remains in Spain.
+
+At our feet are the city walls, enclosing all the wonderful antiquities,
+and above the picturesque roofs of the houses rise the matchless
+outlines of the cathedral.
+
+To this same cathedral we made our way this morning, passing through the
+market-place lively with stalls, buyers and sellers; Spanish men and
+women picturesque in their national costumes: a modern human picture
+side by side with outlines of the highest antiquity.
+
+Passing through an archway we found ourselves in the Cathedral Square,
+dazzled by the splendour of the vision. Here the market had overflowed,
+and the market-women, full of life and colouring and animation, sat in
+front of their fruit and flower-stalls. One and all tempted us to buy,
+and rare were the wares they sold. Again the new and the ancient blended
+together; for beyond the women rose those marvellous outlines, sharply
+pencilled against the brilliant blue sky: magnificent contrast of
+colouring, wherein everything was in strong light and shadow.
+
+Our strange experience of last night was still full upon us. We had
+hardly recovered from the dream state into which the marvellous music of
+Quasimodo had plunged us with strange mesmeric influence.
+
+The beauty of the night, the pure pale moonlight effect, had not
+prepared us for the splendours of to-day: so effective, lovely and
+diversified a cathedral: the most remarkable exterior we had yet found
+in Spain. The whole square with its surrounding houses is a dream. The
+church dates from the eleventh century. Above the round apse of the
+choir at the east end--probably the oldest part of the building--rose
+outline upon outline, all bearing the refining mark of age. Much of it
+appeared never to have been touched or restored. On the south side was a
+tower, of which the lower part was Romanesque, the remainder fourteenth
+century and octagonal. Apart from the east end most of the church is
+transitional. The roofs are covered with pantiles, but they are not the
+original covering, and are not quite in harmony with the rest of the
+work.
+
+The west doorways are very fine. Those that open to the aisles are of
+the earliest date; the central and more important is fourteenth century,
+deeply recessed, with a massive buttress on each side. This doorway
+rises to a triangle, above which are many statues of the apostles in
+Gothic niches. Above the Romanesque side doors are rose windows with
+rare and delicate tracery, and the south door has a finely carved relief
+of the Entry into Jerusalem.
+
+The internal effect was most impressive. Few cathedrals are more solidly
+built, yet few display greater ornamentation. The columns are splendid,
+their richly-carved capitals redeeming the somewhat stern severity of
+the pure transition work. The piers are very massive, and the eye is at
+once arrested by the early-pointed clerestory and unusually large bays.
+The view of the interior of the transept, above which rises the
+octagonal lantern with its narrow pointed lights is especially striking.
+A little of the coloured glass is very brilliant and sixteenth century,
+but the greater part is modern. The chancel is pure Romanesque, the
+chapels are chiefly fourteenth century. In the baptistery the font is a
+Roman sarcophagus found in the palace of Augustus.
+
+But the cloisters are the gem of the cathedral. Here again was an
+architectural dream, grand in design, of noblest proportions: six
+splendid bays on each side, each bay enclosing three round arches. These
+are divided by coupled shafts of white marble, decorated with dog-tooth
+mouldings. Above them two large circles are pierced in the wall, some
+retaining the original interlacing work of extreme beauty and delicacy,
+and of Moorish origin.
+
+Many of the capitals are quaintly carved, with humorous subjects: one of
+them, for instance, representing a procession of rats carrying a cat to
+her burial. The cat shams death, and the too-confident rats omit to bind
+her. Presently the tables turn: the cat comes to life, springs upon the
+rats and devours them.
+
+The verger or sacristan was very proud of these capitals, and of the
+whole cathedral: full of energy and enthusiasm: understood every detail,
+delighted to linger at every turn. He seemed intelligent and educated,
+and declared he was only happy when gazing upon his beloved aisles and
+arches. He begged us to give him an English lesson in architectural
+terms, which he soon accomplished. Dressed in his purple gown, he looked
+as imposing as any of the priests in their vestments, and more
+intelligent than many.
+
+Enchanted to find our enthusiasm equal to his own, he left the cloister
+doorway unlocked, so that we might enter at any moment. This was a great
+concession, for in Spain they keep their cloisters under constant lock
+and key, partly for the sake of the fee usually given: a mercenary
+consideration quite beneath our sacristan. He talked and exhibited out
+of pure love for his work.
+
+"The cathedral is my hobby and happiness," he said, "and I would rather
+die than leave it. I know the history of every stone and pillar by
+heart, could sketch every minute detail from memory. In those glorious
+aisles, these matchless cloisters, I feel in paradise. I love to come
+here when the church is closed and sit and study and contemplate. Born
+in a better sphere, I should have become an architect. All these
+outlines appeal to my soul, just as music appeals to Señor Ancora."
+
+[Illustration: CLOISTERS: TARRAGONA.]
+
+"Is he your wonderful midnight player?"
+
+"Si, señor. Do you mean to say you have heard him?"
+
+"We were with him last night, and spent more than two hours in the
+cathedral listening to his wonderful music."
+
+"It is hard to believe. Never will he admit any one to his midnight
+vagaries, as I call them. I do not know how you won him over to let you
+in; but he seems to guess things by intuition. Something must have told
+him that you had a soul for music, and he could not find it in his heart
+to refuse you."
+
+"A curious, grotesque man, who almost gives one the impression of being
+supernatural," we observed.
+
+"We all think he is bordering upon it," returned the sacristan; "half
+man, half angel. Curious and almost deformed as he looks, he is the envy
+and admiration of the whole town, has the most beautiful wife and
+loveliest children. He came here twenty years ago, a pale, slight,
+ethereal youth of eighteen, looking as though he had dropped from the
+stars, or some far-off paradise. People still wonder whether he did so
+or not.--Look señor," pointing upwards. "Did you ever see such outlines,
+such a vision of beauty? Is it not the very spot for such a soul as
+Señor Ancora's?"
+
+We were standing in the cloister garden, where orange trees and graceful
+shrubs grew in wild profusion and exquisite contrast. In the centre of
+the garden a fountain threw up its spray and plashed with cool musical
+sound. Surrounding us were the wonderful cloister bays with their round
+arches resting on the white marble columns, all enclosed in an outer
+pointed arch. Above them rose the cathedral against the deep blue sky.
+Outline above outline; Romanesque and Gothic; the lantern crowning the
+whole. The shadows of the marble columns upon the ancient cloister
+pavement were sharply defined.
+
+"No wonder you love it," we said to the sacristan. "Rather we wonder you
+do not apply for permission to live in the chapter-house, and take up
+your abode here altogether."
+
+"Ah, señor, like Ancora, I also have my domestic ties: a wife and
+children to think about. But, alas, my wife has no soul, and cannot even
+understand my love for the cathedral. That indeed ought to have been my
+wife, and I should never have married commonplace flesh and blood. Here
+I have been day after day for thirty years, in constant attendance, and
+I grow to love it more and more, and daily discover fresh beauties.
+There are no cloisters in the world like these. There is no vision on
+earth to be compared with this, as we stand here and look upwards and
+around. None."
+
+As we stood listening to the sacristan's enthusiasm, a pale, refined,
+grave-looking ecclesiastic passed out of the beautiful doorway leading
+from the church, and with silent footstep walked through the cloister to
+the chapter-house. He was dressed in a violet silk robe or cassock, over
+which was a white lace alb. As he went by he bowed to us with great
+gravity, but said not a word. There was a sorrowful, subdued look upon
+the clear-cut features, the large grey eyes.
+
+"That is one of our canons," said the sacristan, after he had
+disappeared into the chapter-house; "the one I like best. He too loves
+this wonderful building."
+
+"He is sad-looking. One could almost imagine he had mistaken his
+vocation, or gone through some great sorrow in life."
+
+"You are right, señor: right in both instances. He was a man of noble
+family, never intended for the church. Engaged to a lovely lady to whom
+he was devoted, she died the very day before they were to have been
+married. He remained inconsolable, and at last took orders. At one time
+he had an idea of becoming a monk; but he is very clever, and was
+persuaded to take up a more active life in the church. As you saw him
+now, so he always is; grave, subdued, gentle and kindly. No one goes to
+him for help in vain. Here he is venerated."
+
+We felt drawn towards this refined ecclesiastic and wished to know him,
+but no opportunity presented itself. The cloisters seemed to gain an
+added charm by his presence. His dress and appearance exactly suited
+them, giving them an additional touch of picturesque romance and human
+interest. The whole scene inspired us with a strange affection for
+Tarragona, and there are few places in Spain we would sooner revisit.
+
+A little later, when we were going round the precincts, they seemed
+suddenly to swarm with a small army of boys. These were turning out of
+the new seminary, a mongrel building designed on old lines, therefore
+neither one thing nor the other. We entered, and turning to the left,
+found ourselves in modern cloisters echoing with the shouts of boys at
+play: cloisters attractive only from the fact that they enclosed a
+small, very ancient church--the church of San Pablo--a rare gem in its
+way; with a square-headed doorway and Romanesque capitals, and a small
+turret holding the bell, above which was a thin iron cross. It was a
+lovely building, and lost in admiration we stood gazing. The boys who
+came round us without the least shyness could not understand it.
+
+"What do you see in it?" asked one of them. "We should like to knock the
+old barrack down. It takes up our play-room. A wretched old building,
+neither use nor ornament. But we can't get rid of it. It won't burn; it
+is so solid that we can't demolish it; and we daren't use dynamite. We
+have to put up with it."
+
+"And you would rather put up with the grapes and the oranges in the
+market-place?" we suggested.
+
+"We should like to put them _down_, señor. Only try us."
+
+Having invited the challenge, it had to be accepted: and the whole troop
+tore off with one consent to drive bargains with the fruit-women. One
+boy, however, remained behind; a fair, thoughtful lad of about fifteen,
+with large, dreamy, beautiful brown eyes.
+
+"Why don't you join them, and take your share of the spoil?" we asked
+him.
+
+"Señor, I would rather study this old chapel than eat all the grapes in
+Catalonia," he replied. "My father is the sacristan of the cathedral. He
+loves old buildings too, but not as I do, I think. I have made up my
+mind to be an architect, and when I can do as I like I will build great
+churches on such models as these, like the mighty men of old."
+
+So the father's love had descended to the son, and in the latter may
+possibly some day bear good fruit. The boy looked a genius. We turned
+away, and he turned with us.
+
+"What is your name?" we asked him.
+
+"Hugo Morales, señor. Will you let me show you my favourite spot,
+señor," he said; and forthwith led us to a short street of steps,
+something like the streets of Gerona, ending in a lovely old arched
+passage, through which one caught a glimpse of ancient houses beyond.
+Above the archway rose a wonderful old house with an ajimez window of
+rare beauty, and other Gothic windows with latticed panes and deep
+mouldings. Then came the overhanging roof covered with pantiles. The
+tone was perfect. Next to this was a small church with a Norman doorway,
+crowned by a graceful belfry in which a solitary bell was hung. If not
+the most ancient, it was certainly the most picturesque bit in all
+Tarragona.
+
+"And you really love it?" we asked this singular boy.
+
+"With all my heart," he answered. "I often come here with my books and
+do my lessons sitting on that old staircase that you see on the left.
+The house is empty and no one interferes with me. But I must be off
+home. A Dios, señor."
+
+[Illustration: SAN PABLO: TARRAGONA].
+
+"Good-bye, Hugo. Keep to your ideals and aspirations."
+
+"No fear, señor. I mean to do so."
+
+And away he went, none the less happy for sundry coins that rattled
+musically in his pocket and would probably be spent in something more
+lasting than fruit and flowers; whilst we went back to our beloved
+precincts and studied the outlines of the Middle Ages.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+One sunny afternoon we hired a conveyance and started for the Roman
+Aqueduct. It was the only conveyance of the kind to be found in
+Tarragona. The owner, who drove us himself, called it a victoria, and
+seemed proud of it. Large and heavy, it might have dated from the days
+of the Cæsars. Its proper place undoubtedly was the Museum of Roman
+Antiquities to which we had just paid a visit; and so perhaps there was
+something à propos in the idea of its conveying us to a Roman aqueduct.
+Our driver was dressed in a smock frock, and in the high seat in front
+of us looked perched up like a lighthouse upon a rock--or a modern Cæsar
+in a triumphal progress.
+
+We rattled through the streets, and soon found ourselves on the broad
+white road that in time, if we persevered, would take us to Lerida the
+chivalrous and true. Not the least intention had we of paying that
+interesting old town a second visit, but the very fact of knowing that
+our faces were set that way, brought our late experiences vividly before
+us.
+
+We wondered how it fared with our much-tried landlord; whether the
+waiter was yet out of hospital, and he and the Dragon had made up their
+differences or agreed to differ. Though the well had been dragged, it
+was possible that the skeletons were still there; perhaps had risen to
+the surface to refute the old saying that dead men tell no tales. We
+thought of our polite captain, and almost wished we might come across
+him in Tarragona. He would be sure to know our silent but interesting
+old canon of the violet robe, and would open many doors to us. Above all
+we wondered how Alphonse fared. By this time his wife would be resting
+in her grave; and he, poor lonely wayfarer, would haunt the sad
+precincts of the cemetery, and dream of his early days and of walking
+through the world with the wife of his youth. No doubt he was right and
+would soon follow her to the Land o' the Leal, hailing the hour of his
+release.
+
+But all this had nothing to do with our present journey. On each side of
+the road we found a rich undulating country. We were in the
+neighbourhood of vineyards, and the wine, when pure, is some of the best
+that Spain produces. Here and there stood a picturesque farm-house, with
+whitewashed walls and green venetians, and heaps of yellow pumpkins,
+cantaloupe melons and strings of red peppers dangling from the
+balconies: the usual thing in Spain and Italy and the countries of the
+South. On a hillside, an occasional village slept in the sunshine; a
+quiet little place, apparently without inhabitants or any reason for
+existence.
+
+[Illustration: AN OLD NOOK IN TARRAGONA.]
+
+Presently we caught sight of the wonderful aqueduct built by the Romans
+so many centuries ago, yet still almost perfect. In the days of the
+ancients it brought the water to the city for a distance of twenty
+miles. Those were the days when the Tarragonese called themselves lords
+of the earth; when Augustus reigned in his palace and the amphitheatre
+was the scene of wild sports, and temples existed to the heathen gods.
+The portion of the aqueduct visible from the road was as it were a
+gigantic bridge with two tiers of arches. It had all the tone of the
+centuries, all the solidity which had kept it standing firm as a rock.
+Nearly one hundred feet high and eight hundred feet long, it spanned a
+green and lonely valley or ravine covered with heather. The people call
+it el puente del diablo, and may be forgiven for thinking that more than
+human hands helped to perfect the work.
+
+We went to the topmost height and walked over the giddy stoneway to the
+very centre. There we sat down and felt ourselves masters of the world.
+Wild flowers grew in the cracks and crevices, and ferns and fronds, and
+H. C. stretched over the yawning gulf for one almost out of reach, until
+we gave him up for lost and began to compose his epitaph. But he plucked
+his flower, and after looking at it with a sort of tender reverence,
+placed it carefully in his pocket-book.
+
+"Who is that for?" we asked, for there was no mistaking his soft
+expression.
+
+"The fair Costello. That exquisite vision that we saw in the opera-house
+at Gerona. The landlord gave me her full name and address before we
+left. I am thinking of proposing to her. Her presence haunts me still."
+
+We knew how much this was worth; how long it would last.
+
+"You would bestow it more worthily on Rosalie. There are many fair
+Costellos in the world--there can be only one Rosalie."
+
+"Do you think so?" replied this whirligig heart. "Certainly Rosalie's
+eyes were matchless; I tremble when I think of them. And then we got to
+know her, which is an advantage. After all it shall go to Rosalie. The
+fair Costello might have a temper--there's no knowing."
+
+[Illustration: ROMAN AQUEDUCT, NEAR TARRAGONA.]
+
+We were undoubtedly in a situation favourable to romance. The scene was
+magnificent. Surrounding us was a wide stretch of undulating country.
+The land was rich and cultivated; towns and villages reposed on the
+hill-sides. Far off to the right the smoke of busy Valls ascended,
+and through the gentle haze we traced the outlines of its fine old
+church. Following the long white road before us, the eye at length
+rested on the blue smoke of quarrelsome, disaffected Reus, which
+prospers in spite of its Republican tendencies. Here more distinctly we
+traced the fine tower of the old church of San Pedro, in which Fortuny
+the painter lies buried. Distant hills bounded the horizon, shutting out
+the world beyond.
+
+But there was no more interesting monument than the aqueduct on which we
+stood. Its rich tone contrasted wonderfully with the subdued green of
+the ravine, the deep shades of the heather, so full of charm and repose
+to the eye tired with wandering over the glaring country and straining
+after distant outlines. We stayed long, enjoying our breezy elevation;
+going back in imagination to the early centuries of mighty deeds--those
+Romans who were in truth masters of the world. At last, feeling that our
+driver's patience was probably exhausted, and treading carefully over
+the granite passage of the viaduct, we made our way to the prosy level
+of mankind.
+
+The driver had drawn under the shade of some trees, and was holding a
+levée. Half a dozen other drivers were grouped round him, and the
+bullock-carts with their patient animals were waiting their pleasure,
+one behind another. They were all laying down the law with any amount of
+gesture and loud tones; all more or less angry, each convinced that he
+was in the right.
+
+Our coachman, as owner of a superior conveyance and a man of substance,
+was evidently acting as a sort of judge or umpire, and just as we came
+up was delivering his weighty opinion. But it appeared to be the case of
+the old fable again, and in trying to propitiate all he pleased none. A
+pitched battle seemed averted by our arrival, which put an end to the
+discussion. As strangers and foreigners were objects of interest, we had
+to run the gauntlet of their scrutiny. But they were civil; and
+curiosity satisfied, mounted their heavy waggons and set off down the
+road towards Reus at break-neck speed, raising more dust and noise than
+a hundred pieces of artillery.
+
+Fortunately we were going the other way. As the driver mounted his box
+he shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"It is always the same," he observed. "These men of Reus are the most
+revolutionary, most disaffected in all Catalonia. They always have a
+grievance. Whatever is, is wrong. If it isn't political, it's social. If
+it's not taxes, it's the price of wheat. Their life is one perpetual
+contention, and every now and then they break out into open revolt. Only
+the other day an old man of Kens, a distant connection, on his death-bed
+declared to me that he had made all his miseries, and if he had his time
+to come over again, would make the best of the world and look on the
+bright side of things. Just what every one ought to do. Enjoy the
+sunshine, and let the shadows look after themselves."
+
+So our driver was a philosopher after all, and had more in him than we
+had imagined. With Cæsar's opportunities he might have proved another
+Cæsar. Whipping up his horses, he began his return journey up the long
+white road.
+
+Making way, the outlines of Tarragona came into view, bathed in the glow
+of the declining sun. The effect was gorgeous; and we fell into a dream
+of the centuries gone by, when the Romans marched up that very same road
+with their conquering armies, overlooked the very same sea that now
+stretched to right and left, blue and flashing, and made themselves
+aqueducts. In this vision of the past we saw them building their mighty
+monuments, looking about for fresh worlds to conquer; and we heard the
+famous decree of Augustus closing the Temple of Janus as a sign that
+quiet reigned upon the earth and the Star of Bethlehem was rising in the
+East--divine signal and fitting moment for the coming of the PRINCE OF
+PEACE.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+LORETTA.
+
+     Our ubiquitous host--Curious mixture of nations--Francisco--His
+     enthusiasm carries the point--French lessons--English
+     prejudice--Landlord's lament--Days of fair Provence--Francisco
+     determines to be in time--Presidio--Tomb of the Scipios--Fishing
+     for sardines--Early visit to cathedral--Still earlier
+     sacristan--Francisco's delight--Freshness of early
+     morning--Reus--Bark worse than bite--Where headaches come from--An
+     evil deed--Valley of the Francoli--Moorish remains--Montblanch--The
+     graceful hills of Spain--Espluga--Francisco equal to
+     occasion--Beseiged--Donkeys versus carriage--Interesting old
+     town--Decadence--Singular woman--Loretta's escort--Strange
+     story--Unconscious charm--What happened one Sunday
+     evening--Caro--"The right man never came"--Comes now--How she was
+     betrothed--Primitive conveyance--Making the best of
+     it--Wine-pressers--Loving cup--Nectar of the gods--Fair
+     exchange--Rough drive--Scene of Loretta's adventures.
+
+
+Our landlord was a curious mixture of three nations: French, Spanish and
+Italian. He was small, dark and wiry, and seemed to possess the power of
+being in half a dozen places at once, yet was never in a hurry. One
+moment you would hear his voice in the bureau, the next in the kitchen,
+and two moments afterwards you might behold his head stretched out of a
+second-floor window watching the omnibus as it turned the corner on its
+way from the station: watching and wondering how many passengers it
+brought him. If he did not succeed, it should not be for want of effort;
+but he had been there long, and apparently did succeed, flourish and
+prosper. He was a very attentive host, anxious that we should see and
+appreciate all the marvels of Tarragona. Having lost his wife, the hotel
+had to be managed single-handed. One son, a boy of fifteen, was being
+trained to succeed him. He also spoke French, Spanish and Italian
+admirably, and his ambition now was to go to England to learn English.
+So far he resembled our Gerona guide José, but the one had grown to
+manhood, the other was a stripling, though a bright and interesting lad.
+
+"You have not been to Poblet," our host remarked one morning, as he
+waited upon us at our early breakfast in the salle à manger. A great
+condescension on his part; everyone else was left to the tender mercies
+of the waiter who was more or less a barbarian.
+
+"No," we replied; "but we were even now debating the possibility of
+going there this morning."
+
+"It is quite possible, señor. You could not have a better day. The
+weather is perfect. The train starts in an hour, and the omnibus shall
+take you down. I will pack you a substantial luncheon, for you can get
+nothing there. My son shall accompany you to carry the basket."
+
+The boy, who happened to be standing near his father, grew elated.
+
+"Oh, señor, say yes," he cried. "A day at Poblet will be splendid. I
+shall have a whole holiday, besides getting off my French lesson this
+afternoon."
+
+"You shall talk French to us, Francisco, which will be better than a
+lesson. We decide to go. Pack an excellent luncheon for three, not
+forgetting a bottle of H. C.'s favourite Laffitte."
+
+"Of which I have an excellent vintage," replied our host, who seemed
+equal to any emergency. "Frisco, take care that you are ready."
+
+"No fear about that," replied the boy, whose eyes sparkled with
+anticipation. And he went off to put on his best Sunday suit. The
+landlord on his part bustled off to the kitchen, where we heard him
+giving orders to the uncertain chef. Presently he returned.
+
+"You will allow me to put the smallest suspicion of garlic in your
+sandwiches," he suggested insinuatingly. "It is the greatest
+improvement. The English have an objection to it, but it is mere
+prejudice."
+
+A prejudice we unfortunately shared, and our host went back lamenting
+our want of taste.
+
+The little incident brought back vividly days when we sojourned in fair
+Provence, and from the cottage doors, mingling with the pure air of
+heaven wafted across the Mediterranean, there came the everlasting
+perfume of garlic. Hotels, houses, cottages, all seemed full of the
+terrible odour. The worthy people of Provence, with their dark skins and
+slow movements, were indefatigable in trying to win us over to their
+side. It was almost impossible to enter a public conveyance without
+putting one's head out of window: and stronger than all the impressions
+made upon us by the charms of Provence, its ripening vineyards, its
+wines, all the beauties of sea and sky, mountain and valley, were our
+garlic reminiscences. In Catalonia we had it to a less extent, but it
+was an evil to be avoided. So our landlord went back depressed to his
+kitchen to conclude the packing of the hamper.
+
+Francisco appeared in his Sunday's best long before the omnibus. At
+least half a dozen times he came up to our rooms to remind us that it
+would only rush round at the last moment and would not wait. Going off
+for a month's holiday could not have excited him more. With an agony of
+apprehension he saw us walk to the end of the road and look down upon
+the blue sea that stretched around in all its beauty and repose. Already
+there were white-winged feluccas gliding upon its surface, their lateen
+sails spread out, enjoying the cool of the morning.
+
+The cliff was almost perpendicular. To our left a sentry paced to and
+fro, to overlook the Presidio, a large convict establishment below us on
+a level with the sea. If any convict had attempted to escape--a very
+improbable event--he would quickly have been marked by the lynx-eyed
+sentry, who was relieved every two hours.
+
+Side by side with the Presidio were the remains of the old Roman
+amphitheatre, dating back to the days of the city walls, the house of
+Pontius Pilate, and all the vestiges of the past. Close to us rose the
+old Roman Tower, from which very possibly Augustus had looked many a
+time upon the undulating hills and far-stretching sea, feeling himself
+monarch of all he surveyed.
+
+But long years before, the Phoenicians--that enterprising people of
+Tyre and Sidon, of whom so little is known, yet who seem to have
+possessed the earth--had made a maritime station of Tarragona. What it
+actually was in those days can never be told; no archives contain their
+record; but in beauty and favour of situation the centuries have brought
+no change.
+
+The scene on which we looked that morning linked us to the past. Four
+miles to the east, under the shadow of the hills, and within sight of
+the quiet bays, reposed the Roman tomb of the Scipios, who, in
+conjunction with Augustus, had so much to do with the making of
+Tarragona. It is a square monument thirty feet high, built of stone,
+guarded by two sculptured figures, with an inscription blotted out long
+ages ago. A lovely spot for the long sleep that comes to all. The hills
+are pine-clad, the bays sheltered; the blue sea sleeps in the sunshine;
+no sound disturbs but the plashing of the water that does not rise and
+fall as other seas that have their tides. Fishermen live in the
+neighbourhood, and you may see them setting their nets or fishing from
+the shore for sardines; with this exception the little place shows no
+sign of life and is rarely trodden by the foot of strangers.
+
+We felt its influence as we waited for the omnibus. There, at least, to
+our right was something neither Augustus nor the Scipios had ever
+seen--the small harbour with its friendly arms outstretched, embracing
+all the shipping that comes to Tarragona. The east pier was partly built
+with the stones of the old Roman amphitheatre, a certain desecration
+that took place about the year 1500. A crowd of fishing vessels is
+almost always at rest in the harbour, and larger vessels trading in wine
+and oil.
+
+We were not allowed to look upon all this unmolested. Francisco
+constantly came to and fro to remind us that time was passing. At last
+we turned at the sound of rumbling wheels; the omnibus came up. Our host
+had neatly packed a luncheon-basket, and away rolled the machine through
+the prosy streets. We had turned our back upon all the wonders of
+Tarragona.
+
+It required no slight courage to abandon our beloved cathedral for one
+whole day. True, before breakfast we had gone up and looked upon the
+magic outlines: that marvellous mixture of Romanesque and Gothic that
+here blend together in strange harmony. Early as it was we had found the
+sacristan, and he, in full measure of delight, had taken us through the
+quiet aisles and arches, twice beautiful and impressive in their
+solitude, and thrown wide the door of the matchless cloisters. They
+were lovelier than ever in the repose that accompanies the early morning
+light. But neither light nor darkness, morning nor evening, could abate
+the enthusiasm of the sacristan.
+
+All this was left behind as we rattled down the steep streets. The
+station was on a level with the sea, and in front of it stretched the
+harbour with all its shipping. The train was in waiting, and to
+Francisco's evident pride and enjoyment we were soon whirling away in a
+first-class compartment. He had never travelled in anything beyond a
+second.
+
+The freshness of early morning was still upon everything, and our
+interesting journey lay through scenery rich and varied. Before reaching
+Reus, the train crossed the river, then came to an anchor. We found the
+station crowded with country people going to a neighbouring fair. The
+town rose in modern outlines, above which towered the hexagonal steeple
+of San Pedro. It was evidently a bustling, prosperous town with
+manufacturing signs about it. Everything seemed in direct opposition to
+Tarragona. The one ancient and stately, with its historic and cathedral
+atmosphere in strong evidence; the other given over to manual work. The
+one quiet and conservative, the other quarrelsome and republican. It was
+from Reus that our carters with a grievance had come the day we visited
+the aqueduct: and back to Reus they had all gone to continue their
+warfare.
+
+We recognised two of them on the platform, on their way to the fairs.
+They also recognised us and touched their large round hats with a broad
+smile plainly meant to intimate that their bark was worse than their
+bite.
+
+It is in Reus that many of the French imitation wines are made and sent
+over the world, passing for Mâcon, Chablis and Sauterne. Much imitation
+champagne and many headaches come from here. Enormous wine-cellars, in
+point of size worthy of Madrid or Barcelona, groan with their
+manufactured stores. Reus has many branches of industry and might be a
+happy community if it would subdue its revolutionary discontent. It has
+yet to redeem its terrible murder of the monks of Poblet in 1835.
+
+To-day, however, the crowd in the station were bent on pleasure or
+business and the warring element was put aside to a more convenient
+season. They scrambled into the train, and away we went up the lovely
+Valley of the Francoli as far as Alcober: a favourite settlement of the
+Moors, where many Moorish remains are still visible. The fine Romanesque
+church was once a mosque, so that it is full of the traditions of the
+past. Onwards through lonely, somewhat barren country to Montblanch;
+another old town apparently falling into ruin, with picturesque walls,
+towers and gates. Onwards again under the very shadow of the Sierra de
+Prades, rising in clear undulating outlines against the blue sky; a
+stately, magnificent chain of hills. Where indeed do we find such
+beautiful and graceful hills as in Spain?
+
+Finally Espluga, the station for Poblet. Here Francisco alighted at
+express speed, basket in hand. We followed more leisurely, trembling for
+the Laffitte, but the boy was equal to the occasion. In spite of
+enthusiasm, he had an old head upon his young shoulders, and even now
+would have been almost equal to managing the hotel single-handed.
+
+No sooner out than we were besieged by a man and a woman; the latter
+begging us to take her donkeys, the former praising his comfortable
+carriage. Discretion and the carriage won the day. A long donkey-ride
+over a rough country did not sound enticing. As it turned out we chose
+badly.
+
+Poblet was some miles from Espluga, and we had to pass through the town
+on our way to the said carriage. It had been taken on trust, neither
+carriage nor donkeys being at the station.
+
+The town lies at the foot of a towering hill. From the station you cross
+over a picturesque stone bridge dark with age, spanning the rushing
+river. Standing on the bridge you look down upon a romantic ravine and
+valley, through which the river winds its course. On the further side
+you enter the town: a primitive out-of-the-world spot, as though it had
+made no progress in the last hundred years. The people correspond with
+their surroundings. The streets were narrow and irregular, and the
+virtue of cleanliness was nowhere conspicuous. Our landlord had well
+said that if we did not take our luncheon with us, we should take it
+with Duke Humphrey.
+
+Nevertheless, there was that in Espluga which redeemed some of its
+disadvantages. Groups of houses with picturesque roofs and latticed
+windows: houses built without any attempt at beauty, yet beautiful
+because they belonged to a long-past age when men knew nothing of
+ugliness and bad taste. No one had thought it worth while to pull down
+these old nooks and remains and rebuild greater, or even adorn them with
+fresh paint. Consequently we saw them arrayed in all their early charm.
+It seemed a very sleepy town, with little life and energy. People plied
+their quiet trades. Everything was apparently dying of inanition.
+
+Our donkey-woman was an exception: comely and wonderfully good-tempered,
+with a surprising amount of energy. Not having succeeded in hiring her
+donkeys, she was not to be altogether outdone by the carriage-man, and
+insisted upon accompanying us through the town, to carry the basket and
+show us the way. The man had disappeared to make ready.
+
+"You have made a mistake, señor, in not taking my donkeys. They are
+beautiful creatures; six grey animals, as gentle as sheep. As for the
+carriage he praises, I pity you. The road is fearfully rough. When you
+reach Poblet, you will have no breath left in your body. All your bones
+will be broken."
+
+This sounded alarming; but we discounted something for disappointed
+ambition.
+
+"Are these donkeys all your living?" we asked, already feeling a certain
+regret that we had employed the man and not the woman.
+
+"Not quite, señor. And then, you know, we live upon very little. You
+would be surprised if I told you how few sous a day have sufficed me.
+Hitherto I have lived at home with my mother and sisters, who do
+washing. We have had that to fall back upon when my donkeys are not
+hired. It is lucky for me, since few people come at this time of the
+year: very few at any time compared with what you would imagine. The
+world doesn't know the beauties of Poblet. It languishes in solitude.
+You will see when you get there. My beautiful donkeys!" she continued.
+"I love them, and they love me. I have some strange power over all
+animals. They seem to know that I wish them well. The very birds perch
+upon my shoulders as I go along, if I stop and call to them."
+
+"Where have you learned your charm?" we asked, much interested in the
+woman. The loud voice of the station had disappeared, and she now talked
+in gentle tones.
+
+"Charm, señor? I never thought of it in that light. If it is a charm, it
+was born with me. It is nothing I have learned or tried to cultivate,
+for it comes naturally."
+
+"Can you transfer the power to others?" asked H. C. "Really," he added
+in an aside, "if this woman were in a higher station of life I could
+quite fall in love with her. She must be made up of sympathy and
+mesmerism. What a mistake it was to hire that wretched scarecrow of a
+driver. Don't you think we might take the woman as a conductor and so
+combine the two?"
+
+We ignored the question.
+
+"No, señor," replied the woman of strange gifts; "I cannot give my power
+to anyone. But why do you call it a power? It is merely an instinct on
+the part of the animals, who know I wish them well and would take them
+all to my heart, poor dumb, patient, much-tried creatures. Shall I tell
+you how I came to keep donkeys? It was not my own idea. I did not go to
+them: they came to me. It is ten years ago now, when I was eighteen. I
+went out one Sunday evening in August all by myself. We had had a
+quarrel at home. My mother wanted me to marry a man I hated, because he
+was well-to-do. I said I would never marry him if there was not another
+man in the world. My sisters were all angry, and said that with one well
+married they would soon all get husbands. I was the youngest. At last I
+burst into tears, and told them they might all have him, but I never
+would. And with that, between rage and crying, I went off by myself out
+into the quiet country. I took the road to Poblet, and wandered on
+without thinking.
+
+"At last I came in sight of Poblet, and felt it was time to turn back. I
+had recovered my calmness, for I reflected as I went along that they
+could not make me marry the man, and that their vexation was perhaps
+natural. We were poor and struggling: he was rich compared with us.
+Well, señor, just as I turned I saw a beautiful grey donkey with a black
+cross on its back coming towards me across the plain. I thought it
+singular, for it was all alone, and I had never seen a donkey alone
+there before. There was something strange-looking about it. Evidently it
+has strayed, I thought, and must just stray back again. But with my love
+for animals I could not help stopping and watching. It came straight up
+to me, and put its nose into my hand, just as if it knew me. 'Where have
+you come from?' I said, patting its head. 'Your owner will be anxious.
+You must go straight home.' But there it stood, and there I stood; and
+for at least five minutes we never moved.
+
+"Then I felt it was ridiculous, and set off home. Will you believe,
+señor, that the animal followed me like a dog. I could not get rid of
+it. When I arrived home the donkey arrived with me. What could I do?
+There was an empty stable next door, and I put it in there, thinking it
+would be claimed and perhaps I should get a small reward. The animal
+went in just as if the stable had been always its home. As I was
+leaving, it turned and looked at me, and said as plainly as possible, 'I
+hope you are not going to let me starve.' I went in and told them what
+had happened. 'It must be your lover who has taken the form of a
+donkey,' laughed my eldest sister. 'He knows you are fond of animals,
+Loretta, and has arranged this plan with the devil to make you like
+him.' 'I should soon prove the greater donkey of the two, if I allowed
+myself to marry him,' I retorted."
+
+"Was the donkey never claimed, Loretta?"
+
+"Señor, you shall hear. To sum up the story, the donkey never was
+claimed. We made every inquiry; we did all we could to find the owner;
+it was in vain; he never turned up, and to this day the donkey remains
+mine. People said he was a supernatural donkey, but of course I know
+better. The next thing was, how to make him earn his living, for I was
+determined never to part with him. Then the idea came to me to convey
+people to Poblet. The story got known, and sometimes at the station
+there would be quite a fight for Caro, as I called him. There is still.
+It gave me a start, and now in that very stable I have six beautiful
+donkeys that could not be equalled. And they all love me, and answer to
+their names, and come when I call them. Whichever I call comes; the
+others don't stir."
+
+It was a singular but by no means impossible story. As H. C. had said,
+there was a certain mesmeric influence about the woman to which the
+sensitive animal world might very probably respond.
+
+"And your lover? You did not take compassion upon him?"
+
+"No, señor," laughed the woman, with a decided shake of the head; "but
+one of my sisters did; the eldest, who had been the most angry with me.
+And for the first six years they led a regular cat-and-dog life. Then he
+tumbled over the bridge into the river and was nearly drowned. He was
+saved, but his leg was broken and had to be taken off, and after that
+somehow his temper improved. My sister laughs and says she loves him
+better with his one leg than ever she did when he had two. She is
+welcome to him."
+
+"But you," we observed, feeling the question a delicate one, "why have
+you never married? By your own confession you are twenty-eight."
+
+The woman laughed and blushed. "The right man never came, señor, and I
+was in no hurry. I was quite happy as I was. Five men in this town asked
+me to marry them. I did not care for any of them. 'Will you love my
+donkeys?' I said to each. Not one of them said Yes; so I said No to all
+But now I have said Yes at last. And there he goes," she added.
+
+A tall strong man with a plain but amiable and honest face crossed the
+road, and catching sight of the donkey-woman sent her a beaming nod and
+went on his way.
+
+"You have chosen well, Loretta. He will make you a good husband."
+
+"I think so," returned the woman, and evidently her heart was in the
+matter. "When I asked Lorenzo if he would love my donkeys, he said: Yes,
+a dozen if I had them. So I took him to the stables, and called Caro,
+and it came and put its nose into his hand just as it had done to me
+that very first evening at Poblet. 'You're the man for me,' I said: and
+that was our betrothal."
+
+"And suppose Caro had turned his back upon him?" we inquired. Loretta
+blushed.
+
+"Señor, I should have been angry with Caro: and I should have had
+compassion upon Lorenzo. But Caro had too much sense, and knew Lorenzo
+was to be its master. He is a carpenter, señor, and has a good trade.
+There is your carriage already waiting."
+
+[Illustration: ON OUR WAY TO POBLET.]
+
+"Ah, Loretta, you should have told us this story before. We should not
+have refused your donkeys. It would be an honour to ride the wise and
+gentle Caro."
+
+"Another time, señor. You will be coming again, then you shall have
+Caro, though twenty others fought for him. No one comes to Poblet once
+without coming a second time. You will see."
+
+As Loretta had said, the carriage was waiting. The carriage, save the
+mark! If we had regretted the donkeys before seeing it, what did we do
+now? It was nothing but a country cart covered with a white tarpaulin,
+and a door behind about a foot square, through which we had to scramble
+to find ourselves buried in the interior. The whole concern was only fit
+for a museum of antiquities, like the Tarragona victoria. But the thing
+was done, and we had to make the best of it.
+
+Passing through the streets, we came upon more men pressing out the
+grapes. It was a much larger affair than that of Lerida, and the juice
+poured out in a rich red stream. Four strong men were at work.
+
+We stopped the cart, struggled out of what Francisco called the
+cat-hole, and watched the process. It was a case of mutual interest. The
+men had their heads bound round with handkerchiefs. The thoroughfare was
+the end of the town, wide and cleanly. Altogether this was an
+improvement upon the Lerida wine-press, and when these men offered us of
+the juice in a clean goblet, we did not refuse them. This attention to
+strangers was evidently a peace-offering; a token of goodwill; and the
+loving-cup was cool, refreshing and delicious. Such must have been the
+true nectar of the gods.
+
+"Almost equal to Laffitte," said H. C. "I don't know that I ever tasted
+anything more poet-inspiring. Let us drink to the health and happiness
+of the fair Loretta. Lorenzo is a lucky man."
+
+With some genuine tobacco and a few cigars such as they had never seen
+or heard of, the men thought they had made an excellent exchange. We
+left them as happy as the gods on Olympus.
+
+Soon after this we found ourselves in the open country. The roads were
+of the roughest: hard and dry, now all stones, now all ruts: some of the
+ruts a foot deep, into which the cart would sink to an angle of
+forty-five degrees. There were no springs to the cart; never had been
+any. It was stiff and unyielding, and evidently dated from the stone
+age. We did not even attempt to keep our seats, but flew about like
+ninepins.
+
+"The Laffitte will be churned into butter," groaned H. C. spasmodically,
+feeling a general internal dislocation. "Butter-wine. I wonder what it
+will be like. A new discovery, perhaps."
+
+But the luncheon-basket was in comparative repose. How Francisco managed
+we never knew; habit is second nature; he neither lost his seat nor let
+go the basket. Never in roughest seas had we been so tossed about. The
+next day we were black and blue, and for a week after felt as though we
+had been beaten with rods.
+
+At last after what seemed an interminable drive, but was really only
+some three miles, we turned from the main road and the common--evidently
+the scene of Loretta's donkey adventure--into a narrow, shabby avenue of
+trees. At the end appeared the outer gateway of the monastery, where we
+were too thankful to dispense with the cart and its driver.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+THE RUINS OF POBLET.
+
+     A dream-world--Ruins--Chapel of St. George--Archways and Gothic
+     windows--Atmosphere of the Middle Ages--Convent doorway--Summons
+     but no response--Door opens at last--Comfortable looking
+     woman--Ready invention--Confusion worse confounded--True
+     version--Francisco painfully direct--Guardian gets worst of
+     it--Picturesque decay--Gothic cloisters--Visions of beauty--Rare
+     wilderness--King Martin the Humble--Bacchanalian days--When the
+     monks quaffed Malvoisie--Simple grandeur of the church--Philip Duke
+     of Wharton--Cistercian monastery--History of Poblet the
+     monk--Monastery becomes celebrated--Tombs of the kings of
+     Aragon--Guardian sceptical--Paradise or wilderness--Monks
+     all-powerful--Escorial of Aragon--The great traveller--Changing for
+     the worse--Upholding the kingly power--Time rolls
+     on--Downfall--Attacked and destroyed--Infuriated mob--Fictitious
+     treasures--Fiendish act--Massacre--Ruined monastery--Blood-red
+     sunset--Superstition--End of 1835.
+
+
+Once within the gateway we were in a dream-world; a world of the past; a
+world of ruins, but ruins rich and rare.
+
+From the outer gateway a long avenue of trees and buildings led to the
+monastery. Far down you looked upon a second gateway with a wonderful
+view of receding arches and outlines. Between the two gateways on the
+left were the workshops of the artisans of the days gone by, now closed
+and desolate. Just before reaching the second gateway, on the right, we
+found the small fifteenth-century chapel of St. George, with the
+original stone altar and groined and vaulted roof. On the left within
+the gateway was an ancient hospital and chapel, both crumbling into
+picturesque decay: and on higher ground, the palace of the bishops,
+where they lived and ruled in the days of their glory.
+
+Exquisite outlines of crumbling archways and Gothic windows surrounded
+us. Over all was a wonderful tone of age, soft and mellow. Towers and
+steeples rose in clear outlines against the sky, outlines still perfect
+and substantial. But the outer buildings, which had been palatial
+dwellings, were mere empty shells overgrown with weeds, given over to
+the bats and the owls. A wonderful bit of moulding or fragment of an
+archway, Roman or Gothic as might happen, showed the beauty and
+magnificence of what had once been, and would still exist but for the
+barbarities of man. Some of the outer walls might have defied a
+millennium of years. It was a dead world of surpassing beauty and
+refinement: a series of crumbling arches and moss-grown fragments of
+gigantic walls. We had it all to ourselves; the perfect repose was
+unbroken; no restless forms and loud voices intruded; no jarring element
+broke the spell of the centuries. We were in the very atmosphere of the
+Middle Ages. In days gone by the monastery must have been of regal
+splendour, as it was unlimited in power.
+
+At last we reached the convent doorway and a bell went echoing through
+the silence. No one responded, and we began to fear that perhaps the
+custodian had gone off like our night porter in Lerida, taking the keys
+with him. A second summons produced echoing footsteps, and the door was
+opened by a comfortable looking woman, who was neither a ruin nor a
+fragment nor specially antique.
+
+"Excuse me for keeping you waiting," she said. "I am not the guardian,
+only his humble wife. In fact he calls me his chattel. I object to the
+term. We did not expect any one here to-day, and he has just gone out to
+do a little commission."
+
+But we discovered that this was a stretch of the imagination. In reality
+the old man, seized with a fit of laziness, was only then dressing. He
+appeared on the scene almost at once, somewhat to his spouse's
+confusion. But she made the best of it, and patting her capacious apron
+and stiffening her neck, walked off with a proud step and a jaunty air
+to her special quarters.
+
+"We have had no one here for a fortnight," said the guardian. "I began
+to think we might advertise ourselves as closed for the winter season,
+like the seaside casinos. Quite worn out with doing nothing, I thought I
+might as well spend the morning in bed for a change. Of course just as
+an umbrella brings sunshine, so my staying in bed brought visitors."
+
+"But your wife said that you had gone out to do a commission," cried
+Francisco, with all a boy's direct statement of the truth.
+
+"Did she indeed now," replied the old guardian calmly. "That was
+over-zeal on her part; done with a good motive, but still wrong. I shall
+have to chastise her."
+
+"How shall you do it?" asked Francisco. "Beat her?"
+
+"We don't beat women, young señor," replied the guardian severely. "My
+chastisement takes the form of admonition."
+
+"When I wanted punishing, my father used to beat me with a cane,"
+returned Francisco. "I don't think admonition would have done me any
+good at all. I don't suppose it will do your wife any good. On the very
+next occasion she'll tell another white lie. Much better give her a
+caning and have done with it."
+
+"Did your father ever cane his wife?" asked the old man drily.
+
+"She would have been much more likely to cane him," returned Francisco
+emphatically. "Does your wife beat you?"
+
+The old man felt he was getting the worst of it; was being driven into a
+corner by this enfant terrible; and took refuge in silence.
+
+This interesting conversation took place just inside the doorway, where
+we found ourselves lost in the beauty of the scene. A court with round
+arches on either side resting on pillars with small capitals. Above them
+the walls were in their rough, rude state, full of picturesque decay,
+but here as in many parts of the interior much had been restored.
+Nevertheless, so much of the original remains that the restoration does
+not offend. It has been well done. Before us, at the end of the short
+entrance-court was a large and splendid archway, and beyond we had a
+distant view of the Gothic cloisters.
+
+[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO CLOISTERS: POBLET.]
+
+The interior was so immense, the passages were so intricate, we could
+never have found our way without the custodian. Nothing could be
+lovelier than the half-ruined cloisters. The large exquisite windows
+were of rich pointed work, seven bays on each side, pillars and tracery
+either almost all gone, or partly restored. In one corner of the
+quadrangle was a hexagon glorieta enclosing the fountain that in days
+gone by supplied monks and bishops with water. Weeds and shrubs and
+stunted trees grew about it; a rare wilderness. Above rose the outlines
+of battlemented walls; of ruined pointed windows, lovely in decay; of
+crumbling stairways, rich mouldings and pointed roofs. The cloister
+passages opened to enormous rooms. On the east side was the
+chapter-house, supported by four exquisite pillars, from which sprang
+the groining of the roof; the doors and windows were specially graceful
+and refined; the floor was paved with monumental stones of the
+dead-and-gone abbots, many of the inscriptions effaced by time.
+
+Near this was the large refectory with pillars and pointed vault. Up the
+staircase, which still remains, we passed to the palace del Rey Martin;
+King Martin the Humble as he was called; and large and baronial in days
+gone by the palace must have been, its very aspect transporting one to
+feudal times. Below the palace were enormous vaults where the wine was
+once stored: great vats and channels, and a whole series of processes to
+which the wine was subjected. Those must have been bacchanalian days,
+and supplies never failed. All the rooms--the Chocolateria, where the
+abbots took their chocolate, the Novitiate, of enormous dimensions, the
+Library, the room of the Archives, the room that contained the rich
+monastery treasure, another that had nothing but rare MSS., some of
+which are scattered but many more destroyed--all these rooms seemed
+countless, and each had its special charm and atmosphere.
+
+It was impossible to enter the refectory with its vaulted roof lost in
+the semi-obscurity which reigned, without conjuring up a vision of monks
+and abbots who in past centuries feasted here and quaffed each other in
+draughts of rich Malvoisie. In the palace del Rey Martin, we imagined
+all the regal pomp and splendour in which the king delighted. In the
+wine vaults we beheld the wine running in deep red streams, traced it to
+the refectory table, and noticed the rapidity with which it disappeared
+before the worthy abbots. In the vaults it passed through every stage,
+from the crushing of the grape to the final storing in barrels.
+
+On one side of the cloisters was the partly restored church, high and
+wide, with a magnificent nave of seven fine bays, so slightly pointed as
+to be almost Romanesque. We were lost in wonder at the size of the
+building, its simple grandeur, even as a partial ruin. Open to it from
+the north side is the great sacristy, saddest room of all. For here we
+find a solitary tombstone on which is inscribed the name of Philip Duke
+of Wharton, who came over to the monastery, a lonely exile, and died at
+the age of thirty-two, without friend or servant to soothe his last
+moments, knowing little or nothing of the language of the monks who
+surrounded him. Most melancholy of stories.
+
+In the church, on each side of the high altar were remains of once
+splendid tombs. They are now defaced, and the effigies have altogether
+disappeared. Here was once the tomb of Jayme el Conquistador, which we
+had looked upon that very morning with our amiable sacristan on the left
+of the Coro in Tarragona cathedral. Its ancient resting-place in the
+great monastery church is now an empty space.
+
+The aisle behind the high altar contains five chapels, and behind these
+outside the church lies the cemetery of the monks, a beautiful and ideal
+spot with long rows of round arches one beyond another, so that you seem
+to be looking into vistas of countless pillars. Above the arches and
+pillars are walls of amazing thickness, with windows and projections,
+all ending in moss-grown, crumbling outlines. Below, small mounds and
+tombstones mark the resting-place of the dead. Here they sleep
+forgotten; no sign or sound penetrates from the outer world, and those
+who visit them are comparatively few.
+
+The whole monastery is nothing but an accumulation of crumbling walls
+still strong and majestic, of church and cloister, of palace and
+palatial courts, of refined Gothic windows with broken tracery, of
+ancient stairways and flying arches. Over all was the exquisite tone of
+age.
+
+It was originally a Cistercian monastery, dating from the middle of the
+twelfth century. Its abbots were bishops, who lived in great pomp and
+almost unlimited wealth and power. "Which they used according to their
+lights," said our custodian; "sometimes wisely, sometimes wastefully. I
+should like to have been cellarman to the old abbots in the days when
+the vaults were full of wine and a few quarts a day more or less were
+never missed."
+
+"Is there any legend connected with its origin?"
+
+"Indeed, yes, señor. When was there ever an old institution in Spain
+without its legend? As the señor knows and sees, the monastery dates
+back to the year 1150. But long before that, in the days of the Moors, a
+hermit named Poblet took refuge here that he might pray in peace. An
+emir found him one day, captured him and put him into prison. Angels
+came three times over and broke his chains. The emir grew frightened,
+repented, set the hermit at liberty, and gave him all the surrounding
+territory in this fertile valley of La Conca de Barbera. In 1140 the
+body of Poblet was miraculously discovered. It was nothing but a heap of
+bones, and so I suppose they were labelled, or how could they have
+identified them--but I don't know about that. The bones of course became
+sacred and had to be duly honoured. So Ramon Berenguer IV. built the
+convent of El Santo; the bones were interred under the high altar, and
+the king gave enormous grants to the clergy. The place grew celebrated
+above all others in Catalonia; it become a sort of Escorial, and here
+the kings of Aragon for a long time were buried."
+
+"And the bones of the hermit--where are they?"
+
+"Nobody knows," replied the guardian, shaking his head wisely. "They may
+pretend, but nobody knows. Is it likely? And what does it matter for a
+few human bones? Just as if they could work miracles or do any good. A
+poor old hermit, with all our weaknesses upon him!"
+
+"Then you don't believe the legend?"
+
+"Not I, señor. I believe much more in the jovial times the old abbots
+indulged in. At least we have a capacious refectory and inexhaustible
+wine vaults to prove what fine banquets they had in the Middle Ages. We
+have come down to poor times, in my opinion. The world in general seems
+very much what this monastery is--a patched-up ruin."
+
+"If the world were only half as beautiful," said H. C., "we should spend
+our years in a dream."
+
+"It would not be my sort of dream, señor," returned the old guardian
+drily. "I have been here for twenty years, and confess I would give all
+the ruins in the world for a good and gay back street in Madrid or
+Barcelona. To you, señor, who probably come from the great cities of the
+world and mix with gay crowds--well, I dare say you think this paradise.
+To me it is a dreary wilderness."
+
+It was not to be expected that the old custodian would appreciate all
+the beauty and refinement, all the ecclesiastical, regal and historical
+atmosphere that surrounded it with a special halo. And perhaps twenty
+years' contemplation of the outlines would have made many a better man
+long for a change of scene. Custom stales and familiarity breeds
+contempt. But not twice twenty years could have made us unmindful of the
+singular beauty of Poblet.
+
+[Illustration: MONKS' BURIAL GROUND: POBLET.]
+
+We had got round to the lovely cloisters again, and Francisco declared
+it was time to display the luncheon-basket. So there, in the silent
+cloisters, surrounded by all the tone and atmosphere and outlines of the
+early centuries, we spread our feast.
+
+The old guardian was equal to the occasion and produced table and
+chairs. Those he placed in the quadrangle, under the blue skies. The
+lovely glorieta was on one side of us; on the other, by looking through
+the broken tracery down the silent passage, we caught the outlines of
+the great church; a wonderful view and vision.
+
+Our host, better than his orders, had packed up two bottles of wine, and
+H. C. in the largeness of his heart presented the guardian with a
+brimming bumper of choice Laffitte, that nearly half emptied one of the
+bottles. Like a true courtier, he bowed and drank to our health and
+happiness, and when the wine had disappeared, patted his fine rotundity
+with affectionate appreciation.
+
+"Señor," he cried, "this is better than anything I ever tasted. A bottle
+of this a day would reconcile me even to the solitude of Poblet. Surely
+the old abbots never had anything equal to this--even when they drank
+Malvoisie. It has set the blood coursing through my veins as I have not
+felt it for twenty years. For such as this some people would sell their
+souls."
+
+The excellent fumes must have penetrated even to the guardian's private
+rooms, for at this moment, with an air of great innocence, the wife
+appeared upon the scene. Francisco declared she had heard the cork drawn
+and arrived for a share of good things. With true gallantry, but a
+sinking at the heart for the diminishing Laffitte, H. C. poured out
+another bumper and offered it to the lady, whose proportions matched her
+husband's. It was accepted with a reverence, and if appreciation were a
+reward for the empty bottle, H. C. had his to the full. Then the
+comfortable pair retired to the cloister passage, where the guardian had
+his own table and chairs and display of photographs, and there they sat
+down and contemplated life under Laffitte influence. Judging by their
+expressions they were in the enjoyment of infinite beatitudes.
+
+[Illustration: RUINS OF POBLET.]
+
+It was a calm, quiet, delicious hour, far removed from the world. For
+the moment we were back in the centuries, picturing scenes of the past.
+Days when Poblet rose from small things to great; when its abbots became
+mitred; when they could ask nothing of the kings of Aragon that was not
+immediately granted. The kings delighted to honour them. Wealth flowed
+into the treasury; power multiplied. At last they ruled as despots. The
+kings built them a palace within the hallowed precincts. Side by side
+dwelt humble monk and crowned head. Humble? Where the regal will
+clashed with the monkish, the king went on his knees and gave way. It
+became the Escorial of Aragon, a thousand times more beautiful and
+perfect than that other Escorial reposing on the hill-slopes of Castile.
+Here it pleased the kings to be buried, and close to the monks' cemetery
+reposed the dead who had held the sceptre. No special tomb or carved
+sarcophagus marked their rank. In death all should be equal. Or if there
+were tombs decorated with gold and enriched with sculpture, they were
+placed in the great church. What more indeed could they want than these
+wonderful arcades reposing under the pure skies of heaven.
+
+But the monks grew stiff-necked and proud; waxed rich and powerful,
+grasping and avaricious. Since kings bowed down to them, they were the
+excellent of the earth. Humility fled away. They were paving the road to
+their own downfall. At last they would only admit those of highest rank
+into their community. Of course they upheld the kingly power whilst
+trying to make it subservient to themselves. The throne was their
+stronghold: Republicanism meant confiscation. The revolutions of the
+world have attacked the religious orders before all else with hatred and
+violence.
+
+Time rolled on. Ferdinand VII. died, and in the War of Succession they
+became politically unpopular. Socially they had long been disliked for
+their oppression of the peasantry; but strong and rich, the feeling had
+to be cherished in silence. The monks were Carlists to the backbone.
+
+At length, in the year, 1835, Poblet was attacked by the peasantry, who
+came down like a furious avalanche upon the building that for its beauty
+should have been held twice sacred.
+
+By this time, too, a change for the better had come over the monks. Much
+wealth and influence had gone from them; they were quietly doing good.
+But the traditions of the past are slow in dying. The mob believed the
+monastery was a vast treasure-house; untold riches lay buried in
+fictitious graves, hidden in tombs and hollow pillars. It was now that
+the men of Reus proved capable of fiendish acts of excitement. The monks
+were driven from their refuge and many were cruelly massacred. The
+pent-up fury of ages was let loose like a torrent. No power could stay
+the thirst for so-called revenge. It was their hour; a short-lived hour;
+but how much was accomplished! The monastery was ruined. The mob,
+infuriated at finding no heaps of gold, no hidden treasures, tore down
+pillars, defaced monuments, desecrated the church, left the beautiful
+traceried windows in ruins, and then set fire to the building.
+
+The sun had risen on as fair and peaceful a scene as earth could show;
+it set on the saddest of devastations. Yet, thanks to the solid masonry,
+much escaped. For the monks it was lamentation and mourning and woe. It
+has been recorded that the sun went down in a deep-red ball, reflection
+of the blood of the martyred monks. But the people are superstitious. We
+have seen it ourselves sink over the Spanish plains also a fiery-red
+ball, intense and glowing, when the world was at peace. Yet, it must
+have been a special sunset on that memorable day of 1835, for it is
+recorded that long after the sun disappeared clouds shot to and fro in
+the sky like swords of flame. But this, too, we have gazed upon in days
+of peace and quietness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+LORENZO.
+
+     Day visions--All passes away--End of the feast--Francisco gathers
+     up the fragments--Ghosts of the past--Outside the monastery--Oasis
+     in a desert--After the vintage--Francisco gleans--Guilty
+     conscience--Custom of country--Dessert--Primitive
+     watering-place--Off to the fair--Groans and lamentations--Sagacious
+     animal--Cause of sorrows--Rage and anger--Donkey listens and
+     understands--A hard life--Washing a luxury--Charity
+     bestowed--Deserted settlement--Quaint interior--Back to the
+     monastery--Invidious comparisons--A promise--Good-bye to
+     Poblet--Troubled sea again--Suffering driver--Atonement for
+     sins--Earns paradise--Wine-pressers again--Rich stores--Good
+     samaritans--Quaint old town--Bygone prosperity--Lorenzo--Marriage
+     made in heaven--House inspected--On the bridge--At the
+     station--Kindly offer--Glorious sunset--Loretta's good-bye--"What
+     shall it be?"--Flying moments--As the train rolls off.
+
+
+All this passed before us as a vision whilst we sat in those wonderful
+cloisters. We imagined the scene in all its ancient glory. We saw monks
+pacing to and fro in their picturesque Benedictine dress. The proud step
+of a mitred abbot echoed as it passed onwards in pomp and ceremony and
+disappeared up the staircase to the palace of King Martin the Humble:
+far more humble and conciliating than the uncrowned kings of Poblet. We
+heard the monotone of the Miserere ascending through the dim aisles of
+the great church, the monks bowing their heads in mock humility. We saw
+Martin the Humble take the throne-seat to the right of the altar as
+though he felt himself least of all the assembled. And we saw that
+solitary death-bed of Wharton the self-banished whilst yet in his youth,
+and marvelled what silent, secret sorrow had bid him flee the world.
+Everything had passed away; kings and monks, wealth and power, and
+to-day the silence of death reigns in Poblet.
+
+[Illustration: CLOISTERS OF POBLET.]
+
+When our modest feast was over, and H. C. had tried for the third
+time to extract a final drop of Laffitte from the second empty bottle,
+we left Francisco to gather up the fragments, and without the
+custodian--who was now taking a refreshing sleep after his appreciated
+bumper--wandered about the ruins as we would, realising all their beauty
+and influence, all the true spirit of the past that overshadowed them.
+Every room and court was filled with a crowd of cowled monks and mitred
+abbots. Up crumbling and picturesque' stairways we saw a shadowy
+procession ascending; the ghostly face of Martin the Humble looked down
+upon us from the exquisite windows of his palace, shorn of nearly all
+their tracery.
+
+It was difficult to leave it all, but we wanted to see a little of the
+outer world. Francisco committed his basket to the guardian--now wide
+awake--and in a few moments we found ourselves outside the great
+entrance, facing the crumbling dependencies. Beyond the gateway we
+turned to the left and passed up the valley. It was broad and
+far-reaching, and the monastery looked in the centre of a great
+undulating plain. From the slopes of a vineyard on which we sat awhile,
+it rose like an oasis in a desert, its picturesque outlines clearly
+marked against the blue sky. An irregular, half-ruined wall enclosed the
+vast precincts. In the far distance were chains of hills. There was no
+trace anywhere of a monks' garden, but in their despotic days they
+probably had all their wants supplied in the shape of tithes. The
+landscape was bare of trees, yet the rich soil yields abundantly the
+fruits of the earth. In the vineyard nearly all the grapes had been
+plucked; but Francisco wandering to and fro found a few bunches and
+plucked them. Warmed by the sunshine they were luscious and full of
+sweet flavour. We felt almost guilty of eating stolen fruit.
+
+"Are we not very much like boys robbing an orchard, Francisco?"
+
+"No," laughed the boy, "though I'm afraid if we were that would not stop
+me. What we are doing is quite allowed. It is the custom of the country.
+Anyone may take the overlooked bunches in a vineyard just as they may
+glean in a corn-field. If I had not picked these, they would have
+withered. The owner, if he came in at this moment, would wish us good
+appetite and digestion and probably hunt for another bunch or two to
+present to us. Not a bad dessert after luncheon."
+
+Higher up the road we found a settlement, where in summer people flock
+to the hotels to drink the waters and enjoy the country. To-day all was
+closed for the approaching winter. A few years ago the place had no
+existence beyond a few scattered farm cottages with latticed windows and
+thatched roofs, surrounded by small orchards. These still exist. The
+place looked light and primitive, as though life might here pass very
+pleasantly. It was too far from the monastery to intrude upon its
+solitude, and the whole settlement seemed deserted. Not a creature
+crossed our path until on the down-hill road on the other side we came
+upon an old woman struggling with an obstinate donkey. Approaching, we
+heard groans and lamentations: now the animal was threatened, now
+implored. He was equally indifferent to both appeals. Looking very
+sagacious, his ears working to and fro and his feet well planted upon
+the ground, as wide apart as possible, he would not budge an inch.
+
+The old woman would certainly never see eighty again. She was wrinkled
+and shrivelled and looked a black object; her old face so tanned by the
+sun that she might almost pass for a woman of colour. Her black hair was
+wiry and untidy, and a rusty black gown hung about her in scanty folds.
+We stopped to inquire the cause of her sorrows.
+
+"Ah, señor, this wretched animal will one day be the death of me. But
+no, you wretched brute," suddenly turning to rage and anger, "I will be
+the death of you. I know that one of these days I shall take a knife to
+its throat, and there will be an end of it. And there will be an end of
+me, for I have no other living. All I can do is to go about gathering
+sticks and begging halfpence from charity. But this miserable donkey is
+worse than a pig. A pig will go the wrong way, but my donkey won't go at
+all. Sometimes for an hour together he doesn't move an inch. I have
+known him keep me a whole afternoon within ten yards of the same spot. I
+have beaten him till I'm black and blue"--the old woman had evidently
+got mixed here--"until my arm has ached for a week and I hadn't a breath
+left in my body; and all he does is to kick up his hind legs and bray in
+mockery."
+
+[Illustration: POBLET, FROM THE VINEYARD.]
+
+All this time the donkey was switching its tail as though it understood
+every word that was said and thoroughly appreciated its bad character.
+And apparently to emphasise the matter, at this moment it suddenly gave
+a bray so loud, long and à propos that we were convulsed with laughter,
+in which the old woman joined. The donkey looked round with a
+ridiculously comical expression upon its face that was evidently put on.
+
+"Ah, señor, it is all very well to laugh, but I am a poor wretched old
+woman," said this sable donkey-owner. "I never know one day whether I
+shall not starve the next. My husband died forty years ago. I have one
+daughter, but she left me. For twenty years I have not heard of her.
+Mine has been a hard life."
+
+"How often do you wash?" we could not help asking out of curiosity.
+
+"Wash, señor?" opening very wide eyes. "I am too poor to buy soap, and
+water is scarce. And I am so thin that if I washed, my bones would come
+through the skin. Señor, if you will bestow your charity upon me I
+promise not to waste it upon soap."
+
+We were near the river. The clear, sparkling water flowed on its way to
+the sea. Near the bank were whispering reeds and rushes. We felt sorely
+tempted to lift the old woman with our stick--she could not have weighed
+more than a good fat turkey--drop her into the stream, and for once make
+her acquainted with the luxury of a cold bath. But we reflected that she
+probably had no change of things, and her death might lie at our door.
+So we bestowed upon her the charity she asked for and left her. Prayers
+for our happiness went on until we were out of sight, and up to that
+point the perverse animal had not moved.
+
+We now turned back on our road, and appeared to have the whole
+country-side to ourselves. As we passed the thatched cottages every one
+of them was closed and silent. No blue curling smoke ascended from any
+of the chimneys.
+
+"Is it always so quiet and deserted?" we asked Francisco, who had
+knocked at three or four cottages without success. He was anxious to
+show us the interiors, which he said were curious: great chimney-corners
+with the chain hanging down to hold the pot-au-feu that was always
+going: peat fires that threw their incense upon the air: enormous
+Spanish settles on which half a dozen people could sit easily and keep
+warm on winter evenings: wonderful old clocks that ticked in the corner.
+We saw all this in the fifth cottage. Its inmates had flown, but
+forgotten to lock the door. The fire was out, and the great iron pot
+swinging from the chain was cold.
+
+"No, señor. I have often been here and never found everybody away like
+this. One might fancy them all dead and buried, but they are at the
+fair, I suppose. The harvest is all in, fruits are all gathered; there
+is nothing left on the trees"--with a melancholy glance at the
+orchards--"and for the moment they have nothing to do. So they have gone
+in a body to amuse themselves and spend their money."
+
+We got back in time to the monastery, and again the woman opened to us.
+
+"This time he really has gone off for a commission," she laughed, as the
+colour mounted to her face at the remembrance of her late transgression.
+"I really had to make an excuse before," she added. "It might have been
+one of the directors, and I should not like them to think the old man
+was getting past his work."
+
+The guardian came up behind us at the moment, a bottle of wine in his
+hand for their evening meal.
+
+"Ah, señor," shaking his head mournfully, "it is not equal to yours.
+Until the flavour and recollection of yours have passed away, I shall
+find this but poor stuff. I must make believe very hard, and fancy
+myself living in the days of the old monks, drinking Malvoisie."
+
+We promised to send him a bottle of Laffitte the very next time any one
+came over from the hotel, and he declared the anticipation would add
+five years to his life. We took a last look at the lovely cloisters, and
+then with a heavy heart turned our backs upon Poblet. Seldom had any
+visit so charmed us. Never had we seen such ruins; such marvellous
+outlines and perspectives; never felt more in a world of the past; never
+so completely realised the bygone life of the monks: all their splendour
+and power, wealth and luxury, to which the kingly presence gave
+additional lustre. They were days of pomp and ceremony and despotism;
+but the surrounding atmosphere of refinement and beauty must have had a
+softening and religious effect that perhaps kept them from excesses of
+tyranny and self-indulgence: vices that might have made their name a
+byword to succeeding ages.
+
+Our primitive conveyance was in waiting. Once more we found ourselves
+tossed upon a troubled sea where no waters were. We passed through the
+plains in which the magic donkey had appeared to Loretta, now empty and
+gathering tone and depth as the day declined.
+
+Our driver was not communicative. Apparently all his energy had spent
+itself at the station in claiming our patronage. He now even seemed
+unhappy, and in spite of the abominable drive he was giving us, we
+ventured to ask him if the world went well with him.
+
+"I can't complain of the world, señor," he returned, in melancholy
+tones. "I have food enough to eat, but alas cannot eat it. I suffer from
+frightful toothache. At the last fair I mounted the dentist's waggon;
+boom went the drum, crash went the trumpets--I thought my head was off.
+He had pulled out the only sound tooth I possessed. 'Let me try again,'
+said he. 'No, thank you,' I answered. 'You have given me enough for one
+day, and if you expect any other payment than my sound tooth you will be
+disappointed.' Unfortunately, señor, he _had_ more than the tooth, for
+he had carried away a bit of my jaw with it. Since then I have no
+comfort in life. The next time the fair comes round I suppose he will
+have to try again. The priests tell us a good deal about the torments of
+purgatory, but they can be nothing compared with this toothache. After
+this I shall expect to go straight to paradise when I die--priest or no
+priest."
+
+The silence of the unhappy driver was more than accounted for, and we
+gave him our sympathy.
+
+"Thank you, señor," he answered. "It is very good of you. But,"
+comically, "my tooth still aches."
+
+We had reached the outskirts of the little town and dismissed the
+conveyance, of which we had had more than enough. It rattled through the
+streets and we followed at leisure. The men at the wine-press were just
+giving up work. Inside, in large rooms, they showed us wide tubs full
+of rich red juice, waiting to be made into wine.
+
+"You have enough here for the whole neighbourhood," we remarked.
+
+"It is all ordered, señor, and as much again if we can get it. We are
+famed for our wine. May we offer you a really good specimen bottle, just
+to show you its excellence? It would be a most friendly act on your
+part--and a little return for your splendid tobacco and cigars."
+
+"By all means," cried H. C., before we had time to accept or decline.
+"We are all as thirsty as fishes--and as hungry as hunters."
+
+"It is last year's wine," said our cellarman, returning with a bottle
+and drawing the cork. Then he hospitably filled tumblers and with a
+broad smile upon his face waited our approval. We gave it without
+reserve. It was excellent.
+
+"And as pure as when it was still in the grape," said the man. "Take my
+word for it, señor, you won't get such stuff as this in Madrid or
+Barcelona. It goes through your veins and exhilarates you, and if you
+drank three bottles of it you might feel lively, but you would have no
+headache."
+
+We owed the wine-presser a debt of gratitude. His invigorating draught
+was doubly welcome after our late experience, and we went our way
+feeling there are many good Samaritans in the world.
+
+We had some time to wait in the little town, and made closer
+acquaintance with its curious old streets: the overhanging eaves and
+waterspouts that stretched out like grinning gargoyles; the massive
+walls of many of the houses, and casements with rich mouldings that
+suggested a bygone day of wealth and prosperity.
+
+In our wandering we came upon the man Loretta had pointed out as her
+future husband. He was almost in the very same spot we had last seen
+him, and his head was now adorned with a white cap. We stopped him.
+
+"So, Lorenzo, you are going to espouse Loretta."
+
+"With your permission, señor. I hope you are not going to forbid the
+marriage?"
+
+[Illustration: RUINS OF POBLET.]
+
+"Quite the contrary. We offer you our congratulations, and think you
+a very lucky man, Loretta a fortunate woman."
+
+"Thank you, señor," replied Lorenzo, laughing--he seemed made up of
+good-humour. "I think it promises well. You see we are neither of us
+children, but old enough to know our own mind. Loretta is twenty-eight,
+I am thirty-two, and as far as I can make out, we have neither of us
+cared for anybody before. Our marriage was evidently made in heaven. And
+then Mr. Caro settled the matter by accepting me as his master."
+
+"And you love the donkeys, we hear?"
+
+"I love all animals in general," returned Lorenzo, "and of course
+Loretta's donkeys in particular. If she could have an additional
+attraction in my eyes, it is her power over the dumb birds and beasts,
+which proves the goodness of her soul. I cannot approach her in that
+respect."
+
+"And when are you going to be married?"
+
+"Has Loretta not told you that?" said Lorenzo, the colour flushing to
+his face. "We are to be married to-morrow morning. Everything is ready.
+Loretta has her wedding-gown, and our rooms have been furnished some
+time. They are over my workshop, so that I shall be able to hear her
+singing whilst I am planing and sawing below. Here it is, señor; will
+you not come in and look at it? I think," a bright light in his eyes,
+"we shall be very happy. After we are married to-morrow we go to
+Barcelona for a few days, where I have a prosperous brother who will
+take us in. Then we come back and settle down to our life. Yes, I think
+we shall be as happy as the day's long, señor."
+
+We had no doubt about it. Happiness in this world is for such as these.
+Excellent natures, saved from the great cares and responsibilities of
+those in a higher walk; working for their daily bread, which is
+abundantly supplied; contented with their lot; knowing nothing of
+impossible wants and wishes; loving and shedding abroad their love. It
+is such natures as Loretta's and Lorenzo's that are the truly happy.
+Their very names harmonized. But they are rare amongst their own class;
+one might almost say rare in any class; the exception, not the rule. It
+was good to come upon two such people, and to find that a kindly fate
+had reserved them for each other.
+
+We left Lorenzo in his workshop, a strong, manly fellow, using his plane
+with a skilful hand, and went our way.
+
+Right and left Loretta was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she was arranging
+things at home for the last time. The last evening in the old nest. She
+might be contemplating her wedding-gown, lost in thoughts of the past or
+dreams of the future. But she was not one to look on the sad side of
+life, or to spend time in melancholy introspection.
+
+From the picturesque old bridge beneath which the river ran its swift
+course, the scene was wild, picturesque and lonely. With all our
+loitering we had an hour to wait for the train. At the station we found
+Loretta, apparently anything but low-spirited. She was accompanied by a
+well-dressed woman who looked as if the world went well with her.
+Loretta saw us and came forward.
+
+"Señor, you are back from Poblet. Tell me, did I exaggerate its beauty?
+Will you not come again, if only to ride the gentle Caro?"
+
+"Poblet far surpasses anything we expected from it, Loretta. But why did
+you not tell us that to-morrow was your wedding-day?"
+
+"I did not like to," she returned, laughing. "And yet I am too old to be
+silly about it. How did you find out, señor? Surely the old guardian at
+Poblet knows nothing? I have not been near him for three weeks."
+
+"We met Lorenzo, and he told us. Loretta, you are a happy couple. He
+will make a famous husband, and you a model wife."
+
+"Ah, señor, I shall try my best; but sometimes I think I am not good
+enough for him. He is such a brave man, my Lorenzo."
+
+"Why are you here, Loretta?"
+
+"To escort Lorenzo's cousin, señor, who came over to see me to-day for
+the last time before my wedding. She lives in Tarragona. We have been
+great friends, and she has long hoped Lorenzo and I would marry."
+
+She carried in her hand, this cousin of Lorenzo's, a glass water-bottle
+of rare and exquisite shape. We could not help admiring it in strong
+terms.
+
+"It is not to be bought anywhere," she said. "It is old and they do not
+make them now. Señor, it would give me real pleasure if you would accept
+it. I do not mean in Spanish fashion, but truly and sincerely."
+
+This was very evident, but the gift had to be refused, however kindly
+offered.
+
+We walked up and down the platform in face of one of the loveliest
+sunsets ever seen. In spite of its gorgeous colouring there was a great
+calmness and repose about it. Wonderful tones from crimson to pale opal
+spread half over the sky. Every moment they changed from beauty to
+beauty, and lighted up the outlines of the town into something rare and
+ethereal. We have already said there is no country like Spain for the
+splendour of its sunsets, and especially in their afterglow. They are
+truly amongst her glories.
+
+At last the train came up and shut out the heavenly vision. Loretta
+approached and said good-bye.
+
+"You will come again, señor, and ride Caro. I shall be married then, and
+both Lorenzo and I will escort you to Poblet. It will delight us to
+serve you. We will make it a holiday. But do not tarry. Caro is not as
+young as he was, though I believe donkeys live for ever."
+
+"Now, Loretta," we said, whilst the train waited, "it is our ambition to
+send you a wedding-gift. What shall it be?"
+
+"Señor, you are too good. What have I done? I could never----"
+
+"Loretta, the train may start at any moment."
+
+"Señor, I have all I could wish for, excepting----" She hesitated.
+
+"Loretta, the moments are flying."
+
+"Señor, it is too great an object. I have not the courage----"
+
+"Loretta, the guard signals. Another moment and you are lost."
+
+"Well, then, señor, I long for a clock for our mantelpiece. We had made
+up our minds to wait, and----"
+
+"Loretta, the clock is yours. It shall be pure white. A golden Cupid
+shall strike the bells. In his other hand he shall hold a glass which
+turns with the hours, running golden sands. Fare you well, Loretta."
+
+The engine whistled. The carriage moved. Our last look was a vision of a
+comely woman standing on the platform, a tall erect figure gazing after
+the train, the reflection of the afterglow lighting up her face to
+something beyond mere earthly beauty.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+THE GARDEN OF SPAIN.
+
+     Charms of Tarragona--Dream of the past--Quasimodo comes not--Of
+     another world--Host's offer--Francisco inconsolable--A mixed
+     sorrow--No more holidays--List of grievances--Fair
+     scene--Luxuriance of the South--Hospitalet--Pilgrims of the Middle
+     Ages--Amposta--Centre of lost centuries--Historical past--Here
+     worked St. Paul--Our fellow-travellers--Undertones--Enter old
+     priest--Draws conclusions--Love's young dream--Impressions and
+     appearances--Not always a priest--Fool's paradise--Youth and
+     age--Awaking to realities--Driven out of paradise--Was it a
+     judgment?--Calmness returns--Judging in mercy--Nameless
+     grave--"Writ in water"--Withdrawing from the world--Entering the
+     church--Busy life--Romances of the Confessional--"To Eve in
+     Paradise"--Tortosa--Garden of Spain--Vinaroz--Wise mermen--Cradle
+     of history and romance--Gibraltar of the West--A race
+     apart--Benicarlo--Flourishing vineyards--"If the English only
+     knew"--Eve recognises priest--"I am that charming daughter"--Lovely
+     cousin engaged--Count Pedro de la Torre--Mutual
+     recognitions--Congratulations--Breaking news to H. C.--Despair--"To
+     Adam in Hades"--Gallant priest--Saved from temptation.
+
+
+With sorrowful hearts we turned our backs one morning upon Tarragona.
+
+Though bound for Valencia, Tarragona the delightful possessed charms
+Valencia could never rival. Not again should we meet with such a
+cathedral, such cloisters, or even so original and enthusiastic a
+sacristan. We were leaving all that wonderful historical atmosphere that
+made this exceptional place a Dream of the Past, and great was our
+regret.
+
+We had stood near the tomb of the Scipios and fancied ourselves back in
+the days when our own era was dawning. Before us the ever-changing yet
+changeless sea looked just as it must have looked when they, loving it,
+decided to sleep within sound of its waters. In a last moonlight visit
+to the cathedral we had waited and listened in hope of hearing
+Quasimodo's footsteps, seeing his quaint and curious form approaching.
+
+He never came. No unseen talisman whispered to him our desire. Perhaps
+it was as well. A second experience is never the same as the first. The
+subtle charm of the new and the strange, the unexpected, the unprepared,
+is no longer there. Quasimodo now dwelt in our minds as a being
+spiritual, intangible, of another world. That he belonged to the highest
+order in this, is certain. The influence of his music haunted us, haunts
+us still. In waking and sleeping dreams we live over and over again the
+weird charm and experience of that wonderful night; see the moonbeams
+falling in shafts of clear-cut light across pillars and aisles and
+arches; hear and feel the touch, as of a passing breath, of the ghostly
+visitants from Shadow-land. All the marvellous music steals into our
+soul. There can be but one Quasimodo in the world. We doubt if there was
+ever another at any time endowed with his marvellous faculty. It was
+pain and grief to feel that we should see and hear him no more.
+
+Our very host added slightly to our reluctant leaving by declaring that
+if we would only stay another week he would charge us half-price for
+everything: nay, we should settle our own terms. Francisco was
+inconsolable, but perhaps a little selfishness was mixed with his
+sorrow.
+
+"No more holidays," he cried. "No more excursions to Poblet; no escape
+from French lessons. And yet, señor, there are other places besides
+Poblet, and every one of them would have delighted you. Think of all the
+lost luncheons; all the first-class compartments that will now be empty.
+There are lovely excursions, too, by sea." The boy's catalogue of
+grievances was as long as Don Giovanni's list of transgressions.
+
+But time the inexorable refused to stand still, and when the final hour
+struck, the relentless omnibus carried us away.
+
+Francisco accompanied us to the station, having an idea that without his
+help we should inevitably go wrong. He was a witness to the abominably
+rude station-master, who in this respect has not his equal in Spain,
+according to our experience. Finally we moved off.
+
+At the moment we felt a distinct mental wrench. Tarragona was indeed
+over. To our right was the harbour with its little crowd of
+fishing-boats; out on the sea lovely white-winged feluccas glided to and
+fro. The whole journey was one of extreme beauty. Very soon we had the
+sea on our left, and often the train skirted the very waves as they
+rolled over their golden sands. The coast was broken and diversified,
+now rising to hills and cliffs, now falling to a level with the shore.
+Where we passed inland the country was rich and fruitful, showing more
+and more the luxuriance of the South.
+
+Many of the towns had historical interests or remains to make them
+remarkable. At Hospitalet we found ourselves on the site of a House of
+Refuge for pilgrims from Zaragoza who in the Middle Ages were wont to
+cross the mountains in caravans after visiting the scene of some
+miraculous pillar or image. Near this we skirted a fishing village,
+where the train was almost washed by the sea that, blue and flashing,
+stretched far and wide. The little fleet was moving out of the small
+harbour as we passed, each followed by its shadow upon the water.
+Picturesque Amposta was the centre and atmosphere of the lost centuries.
+It existed long before the Romans, who, on taking it, made it one of
+their chief stations. Here came Hercules, and after him St. Paul, who
+did much work and ordained a bishop to carry on his labours. Later came
+the Moors, when it reached the height of its glory. In 809 Louis le
+Débonnaire, son of Charlemagne, besieged it, was repulsed, returned in
+811 and conquered. The Moors quickly retook it, but the disorganised
+inhabitants had become nothing better than pirates. So in 1143 the
+Templars came down upon them, and inspired by the late victory at
+Almeria, aided by the Italians, conquered in their turn: only to be
+turned out again the following year by the inevitable Moors.
+
+Everywhere the eye rested upon a lovely scene of river, sea and land,
+intensely blue sky and brilliant sunshine. In our carriage we had a very
+interesting bride and bridegroom. She seemed to worship the very ground
+he trod upon, and both were evidently in paradise. At the same time he
+accepted the worship rather too much as his due--gracefully and
+graciously, but still distinctly his right. They were in the mood to
+admire lovely scenery, and undertones of delight were frequent.
+
+Presently an old priest entered the carriage, sat himself down beside
+us, and they quickly fell under his eye. He looked on with a smile of
+amusement at the silent unmistakable worship. We thought he drew his
+conclusions as one who observes a scene in which he has no part or lot.
+
+"Love's young dream," he said to us under cover of the rattle of the
+train. "My experience tells me it is only a dream, varying in length
+according to the constancy of the dreamers. You think I have no right to
+give an opinion? Then, señor, I should tell you that, like the world in
+general, you judge by appearances and judge too hastily. That is the
+difference between impressions and appearances. Of first appearances
+beware; of first impressions be assured. They have never failed me."
+
+We agreed with the old priest, but made no remark.
+
+"You think I have no business to judge of these matters?" he continued
+with a smile; "and you are mistaken. I was not always a priest clad in
+black robe and beaver hat, separated from the world by the barrier of
+the Church. In early life I took up law, pleaded, and generally won my
+cause. Then I pleaded my own cause with a beautiful woman, won her and
+married her. I, too, dwelt in my fool's paradise; thought the world all
+sunshine, the hours all golden. I was young and in those days handsome.
+Never can I reconcile the ugly, grey-headed man one becomes in age, with
+the charm and elegance of one's youth. But time has no mercy. However,
+the fact remains that in those days I was young and handsome."
+
+The old priest was handsome still; but again we were silent.
+
+"Then one fine morning I awoke to realities," he went on. "The angel
+with the flaming sword had come and driven me out of my paradise. Yet I
+had not transgressed. It was the woman, whom I fondly hoped heaven had
+given me as a life-long companion. She was beautiful; there was an
+indescribable charm about her; but she was frivolous and inconstant. She
+left me one day with one whom I had thought my friend. He was rich and
+free to roam. I heard of them in other countries: wandering to and fro
+like spirits ill at ease.
+
+"Finally they went to Rome. Was it a judgment upon the wife who had
+proved faithless to her husband, the man who had betrayed his friend?
+Both took the fever at the same time and died within a week of each
+other. They were buried side by side in a small cemetery near to the
+Eternal City. Some years after I went to Rome. I had lived down my
+life's tragedy and could gaze upon their graves with calmness. As I did
+so, and realised the certainty of retribution, I prayed that I might
+judge in mercy. They had blighted my life, but looking on those nameless
+graves I felt for the first time that I could forgive. Yes, the graves
+were nameless, for no stone had been placed over them. This I did. By
+way of inscription I merely recorded the initials on each: and the text
+'Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us.'
+
+"That very same day I was wandering about the English cemetery in Rome,
+and came upon the text 'Here lies one whose name was writ in water;'
+doubtless the expression of one whose life had been a failure or
+disappointment. 'My friend,' I thought, 'you are not to be pitied half
+so much as those whose names are writ in Sin.'
+
+"It was about this time that I determined to enter the Church. Since
+that terrible blow I had grown to hate the world, withdrew more and more
+from society. I had no near ties on earth. Again and again I thanked
+heaven that no child had been born to me. As soon as I had made the
+resolution I put it in force, and cannot say that I ever regretted it.
+Gradually all morbidness left me. I lead a busy life; I delight in
+society; people consider me a very jovial old priest. But I never lift a
+finger to promote a marriage; I never solemnise one without a sigh and a
+wonder as to what will be the end of it. And let me tell you a secret. I
+never hear in the confessional that love is on the wane between husband
+and wife, without pouring out upon them the sternest vials of my wrath,
+threatening them with all the terrors of purgatory if so much as a
+breath of inconstancy of mind or thought is whispered. Oh, if I were not
+pledged to silence, what Romances of the Confessional could I not tell
+you!"
+
+We had listened without interruption. Sitting side by side it was easy
+to talk without being overheard. The train clattered and beat and
+throbbed on its way. The happy pair were at the other end of the
+carriage. H. C., who sat opposite to us, instead of giving his
+undivided attention to the scenery, was composing a sonnet to the fair
+lady, which he headed, "To Eve in Paradise"--a questionable compliment.
+Tortosa, with its narrow streets and gloomy palaces, its strong walls,
+ancient castle and bridge of boats, all visible from the train, had
+passed away. One lovely view gave place to another.
+
+"It is indeed a rich country through which we are travelling," said the
+priest, "the very Garden of Spain, which appears to me to find its
+culminating point round about Valencia. Our whole progress is marked by
+historical footsteps. I never visit Tortosa without thinking of St.
+Paul, and a little of his amazing energy seems to fall upon me. He
+becomes a real presence to me. An influence he must and will be in all
+places and in all ages. Then comes Vinaroz with its crumbling walls--one
+of the loveliest spots in the whole province. I always think its people
+are like mermen, neither one thing nor the other. They fish the sea and
+plough the land by turns. Both occupations yield them good fruit, so
+perhaps they are wise. The fish are abundant, the lampreys excellent. It
+was here the Duc de Vendôme died from a surfeit of fish, of which he was
+passionately fond. But for this, Philip V. would probably never have
+entered upon his long and eventful reign. Look at those white-winged
+boats gliding upon the blue waters! Where is there another sea like the
+Mediterranean? It is the very cradle of history and romance; scene of
+half the mighty events of the world. Were I an idle man I would spend my
+life upon its surface."
+
+"What is that distant object?" indicating an enormous perpendicular rock
+some five miles away, that stood a picturesque, castle-crowned islet,
+round which the sea was breaking in faint white lines.
+
+"We call it Gibraltar of the West," replied the priest. "An interesting
+place to visit, and larger than you would imagine, with its 3000
+inhabitants. They are curious people: in some things almost a race
+apart. It is neither an island nor yet part of the mainland. You cannot
+gain entrance by water, though surrounded by the sea. The only passage
+to it is a narrow strip of sand reaching to the shore. It was here that
+Pope Benedict XIII. took refuge after the Council of Constance had
+pronounced against him. And here comes Benicarlo with its old walls," he
+continued, as the train drew up at the small station. "The ancient town
+is worth a visit. Its people, poor and wretched, might be flourishing
+and well-to-do, for the neighbourhood is wonderfully productive. The
+vineyards are amongst the best in Spain; the luscious wines are sent to
+Bordeaux to mix with inferior clarets, which find their way to the
+English market. Ah! the English little know what adulterated articles
+are sold in England that the French would never look at."
+
+At this moment our fair Eve, who for the last few minutes had come out
+of paradise, looked attentively at the priest, hesitated a moment, then
+spoke.
+
+"From the singular likeness," she said, "I think you must be related to
+the Duke de Nevada in Madrid? Forgive me if I am mistaken."
+
+"Señora," replied the old priest with a polite bow, "Juan de Nevada is
+my elder and much-loved brother, though we seldom meet--for Madrid is
+the one place I never visit. I am gratified that you see in me the least
+resemblance to that truly noble and great man."
+
+"Have you never heard him speak of the Señor de Costello?" continued the
+lady.
+
+"Without doubt," returned the priest. "They are neighbours in Madrid. I
+have heard him mention a very charming daughter, and also very charming
+cousin who lives in Gerona."
+
+"I am that charming daughter," laughed the fair Eve; "but the term
+applies much more correctly to my lovely cousin. Her beauty has created
+a furore in Madrid. We are great friends, and she stays with us part of
+every year. She has just become engaged to your brother's eldest son,
+and therefore some day will be Duchess de Nevada--though I trust the day
+is far distant. You have doubtless heard of the engagement?"
+
+"Indeed, yes," returned the priest. "Only last week I wrote my nephew a
+long letter congratulating him upon his good fortune. But how comes it,
+madame, if I may be so indiscreet, that my fair travelling companion
+should not herself eventually have become Madame de Nevada?"
+
+"For the excellent reason that sits opposite to me," quickly replied
+this lovely Eve, laughing and blushing in the most bewitching manner.
+Upon which she introduced her husband to the priest as Count Pedro de la
+Torre.
+
+The name explained what had puzzled us for some time. We were haunted by
+a feeling of having met this young man in a previous state of existence,
+but now discovered that we had really met him in Toledo. He was amongst
+the group who had sat that first night of our arrival at the other end
+of the table, smoking and drinking wine and coffee. He it was who had
+come forward to speak to the man in the sheepskin, and then handed him a
+bumper of wine. He had left the very next day, and we had seen less of
+him than of the others.
+
+We recalled the circumstance to his memory.
+
+"I recognised you at once," he said, "but thought you had forgotten me.
+That man in the sheepskin was my father's head huntsman, a privileged
+being who was born and brought up on the estate, gave us our first
+lessons in sport and looks upon us as his own children. My father's
+place--my own, I fear, before long--is near Toledo. If you ever visit it
+again we should be delighted to show you hospitality. We live with my
+father when not in Madrid. He is old, in failing health, and could not
+bear the idea of my leaving home. On my part I was too glad to remain in
+the dear old nest."
+
+"And we see that we have to offer you our congratulations," bowing as in
+duty bound to his lovely partner.
+
+De la Torre laughed. "You make me your debtor," he replied. "But however
+profound your congratulations, they can never equal those I offer to
+myself. I am indeed far more blest than I merit."
+
+"Wait until I show you my true character," laughed madame, "take the
+reins of government into my own hands, and leave you with no will of
+your own--a henpecked husband. At present I tender you a velvet hand;
+presently it may turn into----"
+
+"If it changed into a cloven foot," he interrupted gallantly, "I should
+still say it was perfect."
+
+"Ah, you are in paradise," cried the old priest with a sigh; "in
+paradise. Try to remain there. Do not summon the angel with the flaming
+sword. Be ever true and tender to each other. Talk not of cloven feet.
+Let it ever be the velvet hand, the glance of love, the gentle accents
+of forbearance. You have every good gift that heaven and earth can give
+you. Be worthy of your fate."
+
+We interpreted as gently as possible to H. C. the sad news of the
+engagement of the beauty of Gerona, the lovely Señorita de Costello. It
+was a great shock. He turned deathly pale and remained for a time
+staring at vacancy. Then with a profound sigh he tore up his
+half-finished sonnet, "To Eve in Paradise," and began another
+self-dedicated, "To Adam in Hades." He keeps it in a sacred drawer,
+enshrined in lavender and pot-pourri.
+
+"All this rencontre is very à propos," said the old priest. "Again the
+world is smaller than it seems. And we are getting on. Here is Castellon
+de la Plana already, with its fine fruit and flower gardens and
+picturesque peasants. Alas, we see less costume everywhere than of old.
+The taste of the world is not improving."
+
+Very pleasantly passed the remainder of the journey, through a country
+beautiful and fertile. Everywhere we saw traces of vineyards and
+cultivated lands. Here and there oxen were ploughing. Often we saw them
+thrashing out the rice. Many an old and picturesque well stood out
+surrounded by trellis-work covered with vine-leaves. But the vines were
+not festooned after the picturesque manner of North Italy, where you
+walk under the trellis and pluck the grapes that hang in rich clusters.
+Here the vines are trained on sticks or grow like currant bushes, and as
+in Germany, lose their beauty.
+
+A single field will produce at the same time fruit-trees, almond or
+olive, corn and grapes, all mingling their beauty and perfume. We passed
+a multitude of orange and lemon groves with all their deep, rich, sheeny
+verdure. Nuts and olives, almonds and carobs abounded. Many a palm-tree
+added its Oriental grace to the landscape. The whole country seemed to
+revel in sunshine and blue skies. At Saguntum, that town of the
+ancients, the heights were crowned by walls, fortresses and castles,
+imperishable outlines grey with the lapse of centuries.
+
+As it chanced we were all bound for Valencia. Our interesting bride and
+bridegroom were staying there one night and continuing their journey the
+next day. The priest was to spend a week there.
+
+"I have a proposal to make," said de la Torre, as we neared the capital.
+"We telegraphed for rooms and ordered dinner in our sitting-room. You
+three gentlemen must join us. It will only be adding three covers--an
+effort the chef will be equal to."
+
+"Let me add my persuasions," added Countess de la Torre graciously and
+gracefully. "Remember we have been united a whole week and are quite an
+old married couple. You would give us great pleasure."
+
+But this, strongly supported by de Nevada the priest, we felt bound to
+decline. It would have been cruel to intrude so long upon a tête-à-tête
+which just now must form the delight of their existence.
+
+"I must be obdurate," said the priest. "In the first place your delicate
+paradise food--which no doubt consists of crystallised fruits and
+butterflies' wings--would be wasted upon three hungry travellers
+dwelling without the enchanted gates. But let us compromise. We are all
+staying at the same hotel. We three unappropriated blessings will dine
+together, and after that we will come and take our coffee and Chartreuse
+with you, remaining exactly one hour by the clock: not a moment more."
+
+So it was settled.
+
+Soon after this all the church towers and steeples of Valencia came into
+view. Across a stretch of country, we saw the blue sea sparkling in the
+evening sunshine. In the air, above the rush of the train, there was a
+sound of ringing bells.
+
+"It must be a gala day," said Madame de la Torre, listening for a moment
+to the swelling clamour.
+
+"It is for your arrival, madame," returned the priest gallantly. "They
+wish to do you honour."
+
+Our fair Eve laughed. "Monsieur de Nevada," she cried, "you were never
+intended for a priest. It was a mistaken vocation. You ought to have
+married, and your wife would have been your idol."
+
+Under the circumstances it was a somewhat unfortunate speech. The drama
+in de Nevada's life had taken place long before her birth. She evidently
+knew nothing of the story. But the priest had outlived his sorrow, and
+was of an age to sit loosely to the things of earth. A momentary shadow
+passed over his face, gone as soon as seen.
+
+"Madame," he laughed in clear tones, "if I were forty years younger and
+Mademoiselle de Costello were not Madame de la Torre, she would almost
+induce me to forget my vows. As it is, all is well. I am saved from
+temptation. Valencia at last! Never did journey pass so quickly and
+pleasantly."
+
+A well-appointed omnibus was in waiting. We filled it comfortably, and
+in a few moments found ourselves at the Hotel España. The manager
+settled us in admirable quarters, and having some time to spare before
+dinner we went out to survey the fair city by evening light.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+LOVE'S YOUNG DREAM.
+
+     First impressions--Devoted to pleasure--Peace-loving--Climate makes
+     gay and lively--New element--Few traces of the past--Old
+     palaces--Steals into the affections--City of the
+     Cid--Ecclesiastical attractions--Archbishopric--University--Homer
+     must nod sometimes--Comparative repose--De Nevada carries us
+     off--Admirable host--Conversational--Grave and gay--Mercy, not
+     sacrifice--Library--At Puzol--Exacting a promise--The hour
+     sounds--Count Pedro appears--Fragrant coffee--Served by
+     magic--Specially prepared temptation--Perverting facts--Land
+     flowing with milk and honey--Inquiring mind--Mighty man of
+     valour--Cid likened to Cromwell--Retribution--Ibn Jehaf the
+     murderer--Reign of terror--The faithful Ximena--Cid's
+     death-blow--Priest turns schoolmaster--"Beware!"--Earthly
+     paradise--Land of consolation--System of irrigation--Famous
+     council--Poetical Granada--No appeal--Apostles' Gateway--Earth's
+     fascinations--Picturesque peasants--Pretty women--Countess Pedro
+     shakes her head--Leave-taking--Next morning--Quiet activity--Market
+     day--Splendours of flower-market--Lonja de Seda--Vanishing
+     dream--Audiencia--San Salvador--Antiquity yields to
+     comfort--Convent of San Domingo--Miserere--Impressive
+     ceremony--City of Flowers--Without the walls--Famous river--Change
+     of scene.
+
+
+Valencia proved more modern and bustling than we had imagined. After the
+quiet streets of Tarragona it appeared to us the most crowded place we
+had ever been in; tramcars ran to and fro; there was much noise and
+excitement. Half the crowd was composed of the student class. All seemed
+in an uproar, but it was only their natural tone and manner. The
+Valencians, especially the lower classes, are devoted to pleasure; the
+work of the day over, they live for enjoyment.
+
+[Illustration: ANCIENT GATEWAY: VALENCIA.]
+
+Involuntarily we were reminded of our old days in the Quartier Latin;
+but there, excitement often meant revolutionary mischief. The Valencians
+are peace-loving, and their climate forces them to be gay and lively.
+Though passionate and hasty, like a violent tornado the rage soon
+passes. This evening, in spite of much movement, a constant buzzing of
+voices, an excitement that filled the air, everything was in order.
+Laughter and chatter abounded, far more so than we had found in most
+Spanish towns. Until now the character of the Spaniard on ordinary
+occasions had seemed rather given to silence: in Valencia we came upon a
+new element, approaching the French or Italian.
+
+The city has lost much of its ancient interest. As late as 1871, the
+wonderful old walls, massive and battlemented, were pulled down to find
+work for the poor. Twelve gates admitted to the interior: and what the
+walls were may be judged by the few gates that remain.
+
+Within the city the air is close and relaxing, the skies are brilliant,
+the sun intensely hot, the streets narrow and densely packed with
+houses. This was designed to keep out the heat, but also keeps out air
+and light. The houses in the side-streets are tall, massive and
+sombre-looking, and here some of the wonderful old palaces remain. The
+principal thoroughfares are commonplace; one has, as it were, to seek
+out the beauties. It is in its exceptional features that Valencia
+shines, and gradually steals into your affections. Not, however, as
+Tarragona the favoured. The pure air, stately repose and dignified charm
+of that Dream of the Past is very opposed to the noisy unrest and
+crowded thoroughfares, constant going to and fro, and confined
+atmosphere of this ancient city of the Cid.
+
+Nevertheless it has its ecclesiastical attractions in the way of
+churches: some with interesting towers, though few with fine interiors.
+It is an archbishopric, therefore has a cathedral. It possesses a
+university, and most of the crowd we saw evidently thought that the bow
+cannot always be strung and Homer must sometimes nod. They fill the
+cafés and theatres, go mad with excitement in the bull-ring when the
+Sunday performance is given, and occasionally have a free fight amongst
+themselves; when some of them get locked up by way of warning to the
+many rather than as a punishment to the few. After such an outbreak,
+never very desperate, peace reigns for a time: peace that is never
+seriously broken.
+
+[Illustration: A STREET IN VALENCIA.]
+
+It was a relief that first evening to return to the comparative repose
+of the hotel. When the hour for dinner had struck, de Nevada in clerical
+garments came to our rooms and carried us off to his own sitting-room
+where dinner was served. We seemed fated to fall in with the clerical
+element in Spain, and as yet had certainly not regretted it. De Nevada
+was evidently well known and highly considered by the hotel people,
+who exerted their best efforts in his favour, which also fell to our
+portion. His conversation was a mixture of grave and gay, with much wit
+and humour. He had outlived his sorrows, it may be, yet their influence
+remained. Every now and then a chance word or allusion seemed to vibrate
+some long-silent chord in heart or memory. A momentary shadow would pass
+over his face as a small cloud passing over the sun for an instant
+overshadows the earth. It was over in a flash, and he would at once be
+his genial, jovial self, full of strong spirits toned down by excellent
+breeding and the thought of what was due to his cloth. Probably we saw
+more of his inner character than if we had dined with the de la Torres.
+We had him to ourselves, his undivided attention, and amongst various
+topics he gave us a great insight into many of the by-ways of the
+Spanish Church. "It is a subject in which I am deeply interested," he
+said. "I am writing a book thereon, and devoting considerable space to
+the vexed argument of the Inquisition. It has never been properly
+handled, and I am not afraid to say that it was a serious blot, if not
+on the characters, at least on the judgment of Ferdinand and Isabella.
+Souls were never yet gained nor religions established by cruelty and
+torture. It is partly for that reason that I am here. The Archbishop has
+a magnificent library, and I want a week of reference amongst the books.
+We are as brothers, and I should take up my quarters in the palace, only
+that I like to be independent. To-day he is at Puzol, where he has a
+country house. When here I generally dine with him; was to have done so
+to-morrow night; but it is an informal engagement, and if you will
+promise to meet me again at the same hour, we will dine here together.
+And now the hour sounds for the de la Torres. Let us be punctual, as we
+must be so in leaving. Did you ever see so charming, so devoted a
+couple? Who would not dwell in such a fools' paradise?"
+
+He sent our maître-d'hotel to inquire if it would be agreeable to them
+to receive us, and in response Count Pedro appeared upon the scene. All
+our rooms adjoined.
+
+"We are more than ready," he cried. "I am quite sure," laughing, "that
+you think we spend all our time sitting hand-in-hand and looking into
+each other's eyes. My dear Nevada, we are quite a sober couple, with a
+great deal of matter-of-fact sense about us."
+
+"Which only proves how difficult it is for people to know themselves,"
+laughed the priest. "But now for the sunshine of madame's presence."
+
+In their sitting-room all banqueting signs had been removed. On the
+table steamed fragrant coffee, with a decanter of Chartreuse, side by
+side with cigars and cigarettes. The most fastidious woman in Spain will
+never object to smoking in her presence. Countess de la Torre had
+exchanged her becoming travelling-dress for a still more becoming
+evening costume. She looked dazzlingly beautiful, her pure white neck
+and arms decorated with jewels. As she rose and received us with a
+high-bred, bewitching grace, we thought we had seldom seen a fairer
+vision.
+
+"Ah!" cried de Nevada, glancing at the table. "Your feast of orange
+blossoms and butterflies' wings was served by magic. In fact I am not
+aware that we are told Adam and Eve in Paradise ate anything. Life was
+eternal and needed no renewing."
+
+"You forget," laughed Madame de la Torre. "They ate fruit, or how could
+Eve have tempted Adam with an apple?"
+
+"I have always held that as a specially prepared temptation," said the
+priest. "They had never eaten anything until then, and the danger lay in
+the new experience."
+
+"Monsieur de Nevada, you must go to school again," laughed Countess
+Pedro. "Or you are wilfully perverting facts to suit your purpose. I
+shall have to inform against you to the Archbishop. We are going to see
+him to-morrow morning. Are you not in his jurisdiction?"
+
+"No, madame," replied the priest. "I hold no preferment in the province
+of Valencia. This Garden of Spain blooms not for my pleasure. Yet, how
+can I say so, for who enjoys it more when fate brings me here?"
+
+"It is indeed the Garden of Spain," said de la Torre. "I often wished we
+were as favoured in the neighbourhood of Toledo--though we have little
+to complain of."
+
+"Valencia is a land flowing with milk and honey," said de Nevada. "You
+must not hope for two Canaans so near each other."
+
+"Tell me," said Madame de la Torre, as she poured out coffee with a
+graceful hand, "why this town is called Valencia del Cid. I thought the
+Cid had only to do with Burgos. I fear I am exposing my ignorance."
+
+"It would be difficult to know what the Cid had not to do with and where
+he did not go," returned de Nevada. "He was a mighty man of valour,
+according to his lights: also a great barbarian. In those days we might
+all have been the same. In my own mind, I have always likened him to the
+English Cromwell; and if Cromwell was in any way better than he, it is
+that he lived six centuries later. They were equally determined and
+unscrupulous. What a wonderful passage is that in the history of
+England! But the Cid had much to do with Valencia. He came here in 1094,
+and after a siege of twenty months took the town. It is remarkable how
+retribution follows a man, as surely as shadow follows the substance.
+'Be sure your sin will find you out.' Never was truer proverb What says
+Shakespeare?" continued the priest, turning to us:
+
+    "'Our acts our angels are, or good or ill,
+    The fateful shadows that hang by us still.'
+
+"I don't know that I quote correctly, and my English is barbarous," he
+laughed. "Never could I master that fine language; perhaps for the
+reason that I never dwelt long enough in your country. Few and short
+have my visits been. It was in 1095 that the Cid took Valencia. Ibn
+Jehaf the murderer was on the throne, having killed Yahya, whom Alonso
+VI. had placed there. This act brought the Cid down upon them. The first
+thing he did was to burn Jehaf alive on the great square that you will
+see to-morrow when you go to the Archbishop: act worthy of the tyrant.
+He ruled here for five years. His will was law; it was a small reign of
+terror. Then he died, and his faithful wife Ximena endeavoured to hold
+the reins. Those were not times when a woman could rule easily, and in
+1101 the Moors brought hers to an end and banished her from the
+province. It is said that when the Cid captured Valencia he took his
+wife and daughter to a height to show them the richness of the country;
+and promised his favourite daughter that if she pleased him in her
+marriage that fair prospect from the boundaries of the Saguntum Hills on
+the north to the confines of the sea on the east should be her dowry: a
+promise never to be fulfilled. Within three years the daughter died
+unwedded; a death so violent that it is said to have struck a death-blow
+to the Cid, and to have brought home to him many of his perfidious acts.
+Certain it is that he was never the same man afterwards. Another two
+years brought his own life to a close. But, madame, you are beguiling me
+into a history, and turning the old priest into a schoolmaster."
+
+Our fair hostess laughed.
+
+"You make me your debtor," she replied. "I shall take greater interest
+in what I see to-morrow, and look at everything through the eyes of the
+past. Has the Archbishop any relics of the Cid?"
+
+"Not only of the Cid, but of many other historical persons and events,"
+said de Nevada. "You must especially notice the library with its fine
+collection of books. I may be there at the moment, and if so will
+promote myself to the honour of Librarian-in-chief to Countess Pedro de
+la Torre."
+
+"Beware!" laughed madame. "Countess Pedro has a thirst for knowledge.
+Your office will be no sinecure."
+
+"My labour of love will at least equal madame's diligence, though the
+climate is hardly favourable to very hard work," smiled the priest.
+"Even Nature conspires to indolence in the people. The ground brings
+forth abundantly, and almost unaided. The Moors thought it an earthly
+paradise--as it is. I am not sure but they considered it the scene of
+the first paradise. Heaven, they said, was suspended immediately above,
+and a portion of heaven had fallen to earth and formed Valencia. To the
+sick and sorrowing it is a land of consolation. In its balmy airs--far
+more healing than those of Italy--the former recover strength; in the
+brilliance of its sunshine, the blueness of its skies, the splendour of
+its flowers and vegetation, the troubled mind finds peace and repose."
+
+"Its system of irrigation--to descend to the commonplace," laughed de la
+Torre--"is perfect. Does the council still sit in the Apostles'
+Gateway?"
+
+"Indeed it does," replied the priest. "And far from being commonplace,
+the idea to me, surrounded by its halo of the past, is full of
+picturesque romance."
+
+"What is that?" asked madame. "It is dangerous to make these remarks
+before an inquiring mind."
+
+"The matter is simple," said de Nevada. "Valencia is the most perfectly
+irrigated province in Spain, not excepting Granada. Especially is that
+the case in the surrounding neighbourhood. You must have noticed narrow
+channels running through the fields as you passed in the train. The
+system presents infinite difficulties. Not one of the least is that all
+shall share alike in the fertilizing streams. In Granada a good deal is
+done by signals, and occasionally in the night-silence you may hear the
+silver bell sounding upon the air and carried from field to field: token
+that the dams are opened and the water flows. In Valencia they have
+nothing so poetical. The tribunal was instituted centuries ago by the
+Moors. It has been handed down from generation to generation and still
+continues. Being perfect, the system works well. Every Thursday morning
+seven judges sit in the great doorway of the cathedral, and hear all
+complaints relating to irrigation. These judges choose each other from
+the yeomen and irrigators of the neighbourhood. They pronounce sentence,
+and against that sentence there is no appeal. The judges are integrity
+itself. It is their motto, and it seems as impossible for them to go
+wrong as for a Freemason to betray the secrets of his craft. I think the
+system might with advantage be adopted by other tribunals."
+
+"I should like to see and converse with these judges," said madame, "and
+decorate them with the order of the Golden Fleece. Surely they deserve
+it?"
+
+"That order, I fear, is reserved for those of higher rank," replied the
+priest. "Yet I have often myself thought they should wear an order of
+Distinguished Merit: a sort of Cross of the Legion of Honour--after the
+French idea--open to all ranks and classes. But as you proceed on your
+journey to-morrow evening, you will not be here on a Thursday. The
+judges are indeed to be condoled with."
+
+"I have slightly changed our plans," said Count Pedro, "and we leave the
+day after to-morrow by the early train. It will be less fatiguing for
+Isabel. We shall also see more of the country. I never tire of gazing
+upon the beauties of nature, and fortunately my wife is in sympathy with
+me. Seas, mountains, forests, vast territories, cultivated plains or
+sandy deserts, all alike fill me with a delight and rapture nothing else
+can equal. I hope to spend some of the first years of our married life
+in becoming intimate with the best points of many lands."
+
+"You will find few more charming spots than Valencia," returned the
+priest. "Its rich plains never fail. No sooner has one harvest been
+gathered than another appears. Did you notice the peasants in the fields
+as we came along, sitting at work with their knees up to their ears? How
+picturesque they look walking down a road in their short white linen
+trousers and jackets and scarlet mantles, coloured handkerchiefs wound
+round the head like a turban, and blue scarves tied round the waist. I
+have watched them many a time. You will see nothing of this in the town
+itself."
+
+"I don't quite like the type of face," objected de la Torre. "It is too
+African. The sun has grilled them to a colour that is almost mahogany.
+And they are superstitious and revengeful."
+
+"But their imagination is lively and keeps them in almost constant good
+humour," returned the priest, "so they seldom think of revenge. How well
+they sing their _fiera_, how jovially they dance the _rondella_. It is
+quite a pleasure to look at this abandonment of happiness, this
+existence utterly free from care. Believe me, they have their virtues.
+And how pretty the women are! Few women in Spain equal those of
+Valencia. They are singularly graceful and their walk is perfect. Notice
+a congregation of women in church. You will hardly find elsewhere an
+assemblage so conspicuous for beauty of face and grace and nobility of
+form."
+
+Countess Pedro shook her head. "Oh!" she cried, raising her clasped
+hands. "I shall have more and more to tell to the Archbishop. Monsieur
+de Nevada, you are not supposed to know that female beauty exists, and
+here you are describing it with an eloquence which comes from the
+heart."
+
+[Illustration: RENAISSANCE TOWER: VALENCIA.]
+
+"With humble deference to your opinion, madame, I disagree with you,"
+laughed the priest. "All things beautiful are to be appreciated;
+above everything else a beautiful woman, the noblest work of God. We
+worship the stars in the heavens, though we can never attain to them. Do
+you imagine that I could be in this room and remain insensible to such
+charms as few women possess?"
+
+Our fair hostess blushed with pleasure. No woman is insensible to a
+compliment of which she can easily judge the sincerity. Every woman also
+likes to be praised before the husband to whom she is devoted. The age
+of de Nevada permitted him to be candid in expressing his admiration,
+whilst the in some sort family connection that would take place at the
+marriage referred to, had paved the way to an immediate and friendly
+intimacy.
+
+In spite of the priest's emphatic determination to leave punctually, the
+hour had long struck when we reluctantly took our departure. Both de la
+Torre and his fair wife were charming, refined and intellectual, and the
+moments had passed all too quickly.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Next morning the crowded streets had thinned. Most of the people had
+disappeared, reserving themselves for the evening. Yet there was a
+constant, quiet activity going on, which gave the city a lively and
+prosperous air. It was market-day; the most picturesque market we had
+yet seen in Spain; thronged with buyers and sellers, piled up with all
+the fruits and vegetables of the South. Figs, grapes and pomegranates
+abounded at very small prices. The market-place was full of colouring,
+in part due to the bright handkerchiefs and scarves worn by men and
+women.
+
+All was as nothing compared with the splendour and perfume of the
+covered flower-market. For a few halfpence one carried away sufficient
+to decorate a palace. For ninepence one woman offered us a bouquet more
+than a yard round. We had never seen anything like it and wondered if it
+was meant to grace some foreign Lord Mayor's banquet. This sum was asked
+with some hesitation, seeing that we were strangers: she was prepared to
+take half the amount. The roses were far lovelier than those that grow
+in the gardens of Italy and find their way across the Channel. We gave a
+few halfpence for a large handful of tuberoses and pinks, and the woman
+was so charmed at the liberal payment that she presented us with a great
+bunch of sweet verbena. We possess some of the leaves now, and the
+scent--rare above all other scents--hangs round them still. Each morning
+we renewed our purchase. The flowers were always there. For them it was
+market-day all the year round.
+
+The market-place was a charming three-cornered square; on one side a
+Renaissance church that for its style was really picturesque and formed
+an admirable background to the women and stalls. The interior, all gilt
+and glitter, set one's teeth on edge, but that did not alter the outward
+effect.
+
+Opposite was a far lovelier building--the Lonja de Seda, or ancient Silk
+hall--of exquisitely beautiful and refined fifteenth-century Gothic.
+
+The immense rooms were ornamented with fluted columns without capitals,
+that spread out like the leaves of a palm-tree and lost themselves in
+the roof. Behind it was an old garden, with wonderful architectural
+surroundings. A long stone staircase ended in a Gothic doorway of
+graceful outlines and deep rich mouldings. Windows filled with
+half-ruined tracery looked on to the garden with its trees and flowers.
+The upper part was an open Gothic arcade with rich ornamentations and
+medallions, above which rose a massive square tower with a round Norman
+turret.
+
+This dream-building was vanishing under the hands of the restorer. The
+court was filled with workmen, and the exquisite tone of age, the
+rounded, crumbling outlines were beginning to disappear. We were just in
+time to see it at its best.
+
+[Illustration: MARKET PLACE, VALENCIA.]
+
+From this we made our way to the cathedral, of which little need be
+said. After the architectural dreams of Catalonia, it was terribly
+unsatisfactory. The interior gave out no sense of grandeur, repose or
+devotion. On Sunday, during service, it gained a certain solemn
+impressiveness from the kneeling crowd, but that was all. Begun in the
+thirteenth century, and originally Gothic, few traces of the first
+building remain. Certain portions of the exterior are beautiful and
+striking; especially the magnificent north doorway--the Apostles'
+Gateway; deep and richly ornamented, though many of its statues have
+disappeared. It is here that the Tribunal of the Waters sits in
+judgment, to which we have heard de Nevada allude.
+
+[Illustration: LONJA DE SEDA: VALENCIA.]
+
+Near the cathedral was the Audiencia, or Court of Justice, one of the
+most perfect buildings in Europe. Though the ground-floor has been
+divided into public offices, the elaborately carved and gilt ceilings
+remain, decorated with splendid honey-comb pendentives of the Moorish
+School. The first floor is given up to the matchless Salon de Cortes,
+where justice is administered; its walls covered with curious frescoes
+of the sixteenth century, chiefly portraits of the members of the
+Cortes assembled in session. The rich carving of the room is in native
+pine, and was finished in the sixteenth century, when art was still at
+its best. A narrow gallery runs round the room supported by slender
+columns. Below this are coats-of-arms and busts of the kings of Aragon,
+with appropriate historical incidents. The ceiling is also elaborately
+carved in lozenges encased in square panels. Not the smallest fragment
+of the room has been left undecorated, and its refined, subdued tone is
+lovely in the extreme. Here we found the sword and banner of Jayme el
+Conquistador, which the Valencians place amongst their chief treasures.
+
+The churches are numerous, but not specially interesting. San Salvador
+possesses a rude expressive sculpture of the thirteenth century, a
+curious image, supposed to have been carved by Nicodemus, and said to
+have miraculously found its solitary way from Syria across the seas.
+
+Not far from this is the Church, given to the Templars by James I. in
+1238, when already a building of some antiquity. Here was the remarkable
+tower of Alibufat, on which the Cross was first displayed. But like the
+people of Zaragoza, who pulled down their leaning tower, so the
+Valencians demolished the tower of Alibufat to widen a street. We have
+seen that even their ancient walls were not spared. They have no respect
+for antiquity; no love for the past. A modern spirit possesses them; a
+love of pleasure and comfort; a desire to get money for the sake of
+indulgence. Gay, lively, full of excitement and impulse, everything
+yields to the passing moment.
+
+Next we come to the once vast and splendid Convent of San Domingo, in
+the days of its glory one of the richest and most powerful convents in
+Spain, but now shorn of all its ecclesiastical element. Outlines alone
+remain: the chapter-house and cloisters of late Gothic still beautiful
+and refined. In a small chapel supported by four slender pillars San
+Vincente Ferrer took upon him the vows of a monk.
+
+[Illustration: SALON DE CORTES: AUDIENCIA.]
+
+Of the religious ceremonies the most imposing is the Miserere which
+takes place every Friday in the church of the Colegio del Patriarca.
+High Mass is first given at nine o'clock. The music both at this and the
+Miserere is magnificent. Many of the rank and fashion of Valencia are
+constant in their attendance. Ladies assemble in a great crowd, each
+wearing a black mantilla. As they kneel in penitential attitude the
+scene is full of devotional grace and charm.
+
+The space above the high altar is covered with a purple pall which looks
+black and funereal. Chanting commences: slow and solemn and in the minor
+key.
+
+Suddenly, in the midst of the sad cadences, the picture above the altar
+descends by machinery, and in its place is seen a lilac veil. There is a
+slight movement, a half-raising of the head, amidst the congregation; an
+attitude of expectation. The mournful but exquisite music does not
+cease. It is soft and subdued, appealing to the senses. Presently the
+veil is withdrawn and gives place to a grey veil. This in turn passes
+away and a black veil appears, representing the veil of the Temple. It
+is torn asunder, and an image of the Saviour on the Cross is disclosed.
+
+The upturned heads gaze for a moment; on many a countenance appears the
+emotion actually felt. Imagination is stirred by the dramatic
+representation. A murmur escapes the kneeling multitude; the music
+swells to a louder strain, the voices gain a deeper pathos. Then voices
+and organ gradually die away to a whisper and cease.
+
+Silence reigns. For a moment there is no sound or stir. Then all is
+over; the Miserere is at an end. Quietly the fair penitents rise from
+their knees and stream out into the streets, which gain an additional
+charm as they pass onwards with their perfect forms and graceful walk.
+
+In spite of the somewhat claptrap element, the Miserere is impressive
+from the beautiful and refined music, the kneeling crowd, the deep
+obscurity that gives it mystery. It is even worth a day or two's delay
+in this fair City of Flowers and other delights.
+
+For in our mind we always associate Valencia with the perfume of
+flowers. Roses for ever bloom, and like silver in the days of Solomon,
+are accounted as little worth. But if they were plentiful as to the
+Greeks of old they would only seem the lovelier.
+
+Some of the streets are very picturesque, with long narrowing vistas of
+houses and balconies, casements and quaint outlines, all in the strong
+light and shadow of sunshine, with perhaps a church tower and spire
+rising above all at the end, sharply outlined against the intensely
+brilliant blue of the sky.
+
+Making way, we reach the gates of the city, which are still its glory,
+though so few remain of the twelve that once admitted to the interior.
+Some still retain their towers and machicolations. Outside these runs
+the famous river with its ancient bridges. Crossing one of them, and
+proceeding a distance of three miles down a straight, not very
+interesting road, you reach the famous port of Valencia: one of the
+finest ports in Spain, one of the largest harbours. After the close
+atmosphere of the town, the scene is agreeable and exhilarating.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+OLD ACQUAINTANCES.
+
+     Port and harbour--Sunday and fresh air--In the market-place--De
+     Nevada protests--A curse of the country--In the days gone by--On
+     the breakwater--Invaded tramcar--De Nevada confirmed--Another
+     crusade needed--Plaza de Toros--In Sunday dress--Domestic
+     interiors--When the play was o'er--Bull-ring at night--Fitful
+     dreams--Fever--Maître d'hôtel prescribes--Magic effect--Depart for
+     Saguntum--Before the days of Rome--Primitive town--Days of the
+     Greeks--Attacked by Hannibal--Rebuilt by the Romans--Absent
+     guardian--The hunchback--Reappears with custodian--Doors
+     open--Moorish fortress--Fathomless cisterns--Sad
+     procession--Weeping mourners--Key of Valencia--Miguella--Time heals
+     all wounds--Proposes coffee--Proud and pleased--Scenes that
+     remain--In Barcelona--Drawing to a close--Sorrow and regret--Many
+     experiences--Our Espluga friends--Loretta's gratitude--In the Calle
+     de Fernando--A last favour--Glories of Spain--Eastern benediction.
+
+
+Our first visit to the port and harbour was on a Sunday. Labour was
+suspended, and vessels of all countries were flying their flags. From
+the end of the long breakwater we breathed freely. Before us stretched
+the wide shimmering sea, blue as the sky above. A very few white-sailed
+boats were gliding about--only in summer are they found in large
+numbers. On such a day as this, hot, glowing, glorious to us of the
+North, the soft-climed Valencians would not venture upon the water. An
+occasional fishing-boat strayed in and out, but all else was at peace.
+The whole place was deserted. There was a strange calm and quiet upon
+everything; almost an English "Sabbath stillness" in the air.
+
+We wondered, but soon discovered the cause. This might have dawned upon
+us had we called to mind yesterday's experience.
+
+We were walking through the market-place with de Nevada the priest,
+when a large placard caught our eye, announcing a bull-fight for the
+next day, Sunday: the last of the season.
+
+"I have never seen one," said H. C. "We must go to it."
+
+"Surely you would not visit the barbarous exhibition?" said de Nevada.
+"In this matter I have nothing of the Spaniard in me. I hold bull-fights
+as a curse of the country; training up children to cruelty and laying
+the foundation of a host of evils."
+
+But his words had no weight with H. C.
+
+"I think everyone should see a bull-fight at least once in their lives.
+If I know nothing of its horrors, how can I join in a crusade against
+them? Once seen, I will write a scathing poem on the entertainment which
+shall be translated into Spanish. All my graphic power of description
+shall be exerted, and it may go far to put down the evil. I might also
+appeal to the people's superstition, which seems almost the strongest
+element in their nature. You will come?" turning to us.
+
+But we had had our experience once for all years before, in the
+bull-ring at Granada, accompanied by eight naval officers whose nerves
+were in excellent order. When the play was half over, and men shouted
+and women shrieked and waved, and there was universal applause and
+uproar, sick of the horrors, we left the building: to the surprise and
+no doubt contempt of the assembly.
+
+Thus H. C.'s appeal fell upon deaf ears.
+
+And when it came to the point he also would not go. So it fell out that
+we were both sitting on the breakwater, gazing upon the shimmering sea,
+revelling in the serene stillness of the atmosphere.
+
+The scene changed. We had to return, and seeing an empty tramcar, found
+ourselves enjoying the world from a solitary elevation: a short-lived
+pleasure. From a side-street there suddenly poured forth a crowd of men,
+who swarmed in and out and up the sides: and stillness and solitude were
+over.
+
+They were mad with excitement, and being already late, feverishly
+anxious to make way. One might have thought them intoxicated, but it was
+excitement only. They raved and shouted; their eyes flashed and
+glistened; they anticipated the horrors of the bull-ring; speculated as
+to how many bulls would be killed, whether the toreador would escape.
+For the moment they were as wild animals, and de Nevada's protest in the
+market-place wanted no better confirmation.
+
+H. C. shuddered. His poetical mind had received a shock in coming into
+contact with this coarse and savage element.
+
+"I am glad I decided not to go," he said. "De Nevada is right.
+Bull-fighting should be put down, even though the people rose up in
+revolt. It needs a Crusade as much as ever the cause for which the
+Templars went eastward."
+
+The Plaza de Toros was thronged with a crowd of men, women and children,
+who could not pay the fee or were too late for admission. If unable to
+enter, it was something to look upon the outer walls, whilst the
+thunders of applause helped them to realise the scene.
+
+The tramcar waited some twenty minutes, and we remained studying the
+crowd of eager faces that surged to and fro. From the bull-ring--one of
+the largest and finest in Spain--arose that constant roar and tempest of
+voices.
+
+We were almost prisoners, wondering how we should escape, when a city
+tramcar came up, stood side by side with ours, and we made the exchange.
+This slowly moved through the crowd and turned into a quieter
+thoroughfare, and the raving followed us far down the road.
+
+The car travelled slowly round the town, through the Cathedral Square,
+in and out of ancient gateways. Street after street, comparatively
+deserted, wore its Sunday dress. Flowers abounded. We were on a level
+with first-floor windows, and from many an open casement came a glimpse
+of domestic interiors: the scent of roses; fair ladies dressed in
+rustling silks and sheeny satin; ripples of laughter and conversation;
+occasional streams of melody from a fair performer. Absorbed, we did not
+observe the car gradually getting round to its starting-point, until we
+once more found ourselves in the centre of the crowd outside the
+bull-ring.
+
+They had not moved an inch. The spectacle was just over, the great doors
+were thrown open, and a cortége passed out: cart after cart with dead
+horses and bulls, the latter decorated as if for a prize show. A
+deafening roar, louder than ever, went up from the people. Finally came
+the vehicle with the toreadors and matadors dressed in all their fine
+colours, flushed with their performance, calmly taking the hurrahs. The
+very horses seemed maddened as they tore out of sight. Then the crowd
+began to disperse. Strolling out after dinner, we found ourselves once
+more in front of the bull-ring, looking in the darkness like a second
+Roman Coliseum. The square was deserted, its crowds having gone home to
+live the horrors over again in their dreams. Silence reigned. But the
+time would come round for fresh spectacles and more horrors.
+
+And so it goes on from one generation to another.
+
+That night our own dreams were fitful and broken. We had watched the
+sunset from the tramcar, full of splendour and colouring. As the sun
+went down, a chilliness had risen upon the air, and suddenly we
+shivered. Then it passed away, but there was no rest on retiring. Fever
+came on, and in semi-delirium we imagined that we were taking part in a
+bull-fight; warring with infuriated animals. There was no repose and no
+escape. Deafening shouts rang in our ears, but still the combat went on;
+seemed to have gone on for years, and must go on for ever.
+
+The agony was terrible. Molten lead coursed through our veins. We tried
+to rise, but chains bound us down. The night passed. In the early
+morning the fever abated, and presently we awoke from a short,
+unrefreshing slumber; rose as one who has gone through a long illness.
+When H. C. appeared and said it was time for the flower-market and the
+Lonja, he went alone.
+
+Our maître-d'hôtel, who felt he could not be sufficiently attentive to
+friends of de Nevada and the de la Torres, brought us strong tea; and on
+hearing an account of our night, suddenly departed, to reappear with a
+white powder procured at a chemist's.
+
+"A touch of the fever, señor, caught last night at sundown," he
+remarked. "It is taken in a moment, but seldom shaken off so quickly.
+This powder will go far to put you right."
+
+We took it in faith, and found it chiefly quinine. The effect was
+excellent. Though still weak, we were capable of an effort, and when H.
+C. returned with hands full of roses, carnations, orange-blossoms, sweet
+verbena--for which he had extravagantly paid threepence and made the
+flower-woman's heart sing for joy--we were able to carry out our
+programme and start for Saguntum.
+
+A short railway journey landed us amidst the ruins of this ancient city,
+where we were in the very atmosphere not only of Rome, but of days and
+people long before.
+
+The small, primitive town at the foot of the height was full of quaint
+outlines. Large circular doorways led to wonderful interiors; immense
+living-rooms in semi-obscurity; rich dark walls whose colour and tone
+were due to smoke and age. Here women were working and spinning and
+sometimes bending over a huge fire, deep in the mysteries of cooking.
+Beyond these dark rooms one caught sight of open courts or gardens,
+where orange and other trees flourished. Some of the women were busy
+making cheese, which here is quite an article of commerce and goes to
+many parts of the country. We had the place to ourselves. The women
+stopped their cheese-making and spinning to assemble in groups of twos
+and threes and stare after us. Human nature is curious and inquisitive
+all the world over.
+
+But the charm and attraction of the place are the ruins that crown the
+heights; walls and towers now crumbling and desolate, witnessing to the
+strength and power of Saguntum in ages gone by. It was founded nearly
+1400 years before the Christian era by the Greeks of Zante, when the
+Phoenicians were still monarchs of the land. Why they permitted the
+Greeks to erect this stronghold does not appear. When a wealthy frontier
+town allied to Rome, it was attacked by Hannibal. The defence was brave,
+determined and prolonged; but Rome would not come to the rescue, and the
+town perished amidst frightful horrors. This chiefly led to the Second
+Punic War, by which Saguntum was revenged and Hannibal and his armies
+were routed out of Spain: reverses they never recovered. In time it was
+rebuilt by the Romans, and in the course of centuries fell under the
+dominion of the Goths and the Moors.
+
+Saguntum--Murviedro, as it is often called--is now a magnificent ruin.
+The climb to the castle is long, steep and rugged, and on reaching the
+gates we found them closed. There was no guardian to admit us; the ruins
+were uninhabited. After our feverish night, a return to the town for
+the keys and a second long climb seemed too much of a penance. Yet the
+interior must be seen.
+
+Fortune favoured us. We found a man near the gates cutting away the rank
+grass and weeds: a strange uncanny creature; terribly hump-backed; with
+a pale long-drawn face from which a couple of dark eyes looked out upon
+you with a strange inward fire that seemed consuming him. He was almost
+a skeleton, as though he and starvation were close companions.
+
+We made known our trouble, offering a substantial bribe if he would go
+down and bring up the keys. The man's eyes sparkled. Without hesitation
+he laid down his great shears and put on the coat he had placed under
+the walls.
+
+"If the keys are to be had by mortal power, señor, I will not return
+without them," he said; his voice was shrill with the sharpness of
+habitual suffering.
+
+"Go, then, and success attend you. We await you here."
+
+We sat down between the great gates and the ruins of the Roman theatre,
+and watched our messenger's long thin legs rapidly flying over the
+ground. Then he disappeared behind the houses.
+
+We waited and wondered. Presently he reappeared followed by an old woman
+dangling great keys. His eloquence had prevailed. Perhaps he had
+promised to share the bribe, or hoped it might be doubled. Panting and
+breathless, they reached us.
+
+"Ah, señor, this is unheard-of," said the old woman. "No one enters
+without permission from the commandant. If he knew, it would be as much
+as my place is worth--not that it is worth much. But he is away to-day;
+gone to Valencia to the marriage of a friend. So I have some excuse; and
+he will never know. I will admit you. The times I have opened these
+gates! I am sixty-five, señor, and have been up and down, through summer
+and winter, through storm and tempest, ever since I was fifteen. Pretty
+near the end now."
+
+Inserting the great key into the rough, rusty old lock, the rude doors
+opened and admitted us.
+
+[Illustration: RUINS OF SAGUNTUM.]
+
+We found the fortress distinctly Moorish and very interesting. The
+old woman, well up in her work, knew the history of every portion.
+Amidst the ruins of the castle were some Moorish cisterns she declared
+to be bottomless, where blind fish for ever swam. Below what was once
+the governor's garden, she led us to gloomy dungeons where heavily
+chained prisoners were confined for life, and she described many a
+horror that had taken place in the past. Everything testified to the
+strength of Saguntum of old.
+
+From the walls the views are magnificent. Stretching across the wide
+plain, one caught faint traces of Valencia and the shimmering sea; at
+our feet was the little town, and beyond it the hills rose in gentle
+outlines.
+
+As we looked we observed a procession set forth upon the long white
+road. Harsh, discordant music from brass instruments rose upon the air.
+Then we saw that it was a funeral. The coffin was being slowly borne on
+men's shoulders to the cemetery. The latter was near the town, enclosed
+in high walls, above which appeared the dark pointed tops of the
+melancholy cypress. A group of mourners followed the coffin; women bowed
+and weeping, men subdued: quite a long stream of them. Near us stood our
+curious messenger.
+
+"Who is it?" we asked.
+
+"A sad story, señor. A youth of seventeen, who caught the fever and
+died. A week ago he was as well as you or I: full of energy and
+enterprise: talking of what he wanted and what he would do in the
+future. His ambition was to emigrate, and for long he had been trying to
+get his parents' consent. But he was their only child, and they were
+loath to part with him. Ah! he has taken a longer journey now; emigrated
+to a more distant country. And there will be no coming back to
+Murviedro."
+
+"And the parents?"
+
+"Poor things! They are heartbroken. There goes his mother, supported by
+two women friends. One can almost hear her weeping. Oh that horrible
+music! It goes through my spine as if it would tear it asunder. When I
+am buried I hope they will have no music. I think I should turn in my
+coffin. Is it not a splendid view, señor? This fortress may well be
+called the key of Valencia. The key of the province, you understand,
+not of the town. We command the best of the country. You should see it
+in summer, when every tree is in full leaf and every flower in bloom,
+and the branches droop with the weight of their fruit. A land of
+abundance, is it not, Miguella?" turning to the old woman, who stood
+looking at the sad cortége with weeping eyes.
+
+"Ay, Juan, it is so," she returned with tearful voice. "Abundance of
+everything. But fate is cruel, and strong youth must die, and old people
+like you and I who half starve, for all the abundance, must still cumber
+the earth."
+
+"Speak for yourself, Madre Miguella," returned the man sharply.
+"Whatever you may be, I am not yet old and I don't see that I take the
+place of a better man. I shall be forty-one next New Year's Day. A hard
+life I have of it; few pleasures and little food. I am not formed as
+other men; no woman looking at me would take me for her husband. For all
+that, I am not tired of life, and have no desire to be in the place of
+that poor lad. It will come soon enough, Madre Miguella, without wishing
+oneself there before the time."
+
+"Santa Maria! what a clucking about nothing!" retorted Miguella. "If I
+called you an old man it was only a form of speech. I had in my mind's
+eye the strong lusty youth who has gone to his burial. Compared with him
+I should call you old and of little worth. After all, I was only
+thinking of the uncertainty of human life. You won't deny that, friend
+Juan."
+
+"I suppose I can't," replied the contrite hunchback. "Poor lad! I could
+almost have found it in my heart to die for him. He was always good to
+me; never mocked at me; gave me many a centimo from his little hoard;
+often shared his dinner if I met him on the road. I have lost a friend
+in him."
+
+Miguella was shedding tears afresh at the recital of the lad's virtues.
+
+"Poor boy!" she cried. "But he's better off. He hadn't time to grow hard
+and wicked. The angels make no mistake when they come for such as him. I
+wish his poor mother could see it in that light."
+
+"Give her time, give her time," returned the hunchback. "If you lost
+your leg, you would not all at once grow reconciled to a wooden one.
+Nature doesn't work in spasms, Miguella.
+
+[Illustration: BARCELONA.]
+
+By-and-by, the poor mother will come to see mercy in the blow, but she
+can't do that whilst the sound of her boy's voice rings in her ears, and
+she still feels the clasp of his arms round her neck. She wouldn't be a
+mother if she did."
+
+Time was on the wing. The sun was declining, the shadows were
+lengthening when we turned from the ruins and once more stood outside
+the walls. Miguella locked the doors with a firm hand and possessed
+herself of the keys. We took care the bribe should not be halved. It was
+a gala day for them, poor creatures. Juan's face lighted up with
+infinite contentment.
+
+"Lucky for me that I came up weeding, señor. For a whole week I need
+feel no hunger, and may give my poor body a little repose."
+
+"But life is not quite such hard lines with you, Miguella?"
+
+"Not quite, señor, though hard enough. Yet I have many mercies. I earn a
+little money by making cheeses; and in summer, when visitors now and
+then come to Murviedro, I take a trifle and put by a peseta for a rainy
+day. Heaven be praised I have never been in actual want; and Juan knows
+that he has never in vain asked me to lend him a centimo. Though I find
+his accounts very long reckonings," she quaintly added with a smile.
+
+"Miguella, you have been as good as a mother to me," returned Juan. "I
+never knew any other mother; have ever been a waif on the earth, without
+kith and kin either to bless or ban."
+
+We all went down the rugged steep together. At the bottom, Juan bade us
+farewell and turned to the left towards his humble cottage. Miguella
+escorted us up the quaint, quiet street. We passed through a picturesque
+gateway, and just beyond this was her small house.
+
+"Señor, if you would allow me to make you some coffee to refresh you for
+your journey, I should be happy," she said. "I am famous both for my
+cheese and my coffee."
+
+To refuse would give her pain; the train was not due for an hour and a
+half; a cup of Miguella's coffee was not to be despised. She turned with
+a glad smile, opened her door, and invited us to enter.
+
+It was a surprise to find her cottage the perfection of order, for the
+Spaniards are not famous for the virtue. She placed chairs, and bustled
+about her preparations. In a few moments a peat fire with sticks was
+blazing on the hearth, water was put on to boil, and a brown earthenware
+coffee-pot was placed on the embers to warm. In her own domain Miguella
+became a handy, comely old woman, who moved about without noise and must
+have been a good helpmeet to the husband she had lost a quarter of a
+century ago. Whilst the water was boiling, she took us into an inner
+room and showed us her arrangements for making cheese. It was an
+interesting sight, and the old woman went up still further in our
+estimation. Everything was spotlessly pure and clean. A grey cat
+followed her about like a dog and seemed devoted to her.
+
+"She is getting old like me," said poor Miguella, "but she is a faithful
+animal, and never by any chance puts her nose into a pan of milk. I
+might leave it all open; nothing would be touched. It is only ewes'
+milk, señor. Would you like some in your coffee?"
+
+We thought black coffee more stimulating.
+
+She placed it on the table, hot and fragrant. Miguella had not
+overpraised the cunning of her hand. With a slight diffidence meant for
+an apology, she took out one of her fresh little cheeses, and with
+home-made bread, placed it also on the table. The coffee she served in
+white cups of coarse porcelain, which we duly admired, and she brought
+forward plates of the same material.
+
+So Miguella, in largeness of heart gave us hospitality, and our simple
+collation was so perfect that a king need have wished no better. She had
+put on a white apron to serve us becomingly, and from her
+chimney-corner, where she added fuel to her fire, surveyed the
+appreciation of her labours with pride and pleasure. To us, the
+incident--not an every-day one--had borne a certain interest and charm.
+We had gone back for a moment to primitive days, "when Adam delved and
+Eve span." The best of Miguella's nature had come out simply because we
+had been a little kind to her: and we wisely reflected that too often
+the greatest enemy to mankind is man.
+
+Our last glimpse of Miguella was of a comely old woman standing in her
+doorway to watch us depart. The glow of the setting sun was upon her
+face, which was softened and refined by her abundant neat grey hair.
+She looked pleased and happy. No doubt she would return to her
+chimney-corner and cheese-making, and ponder over the day's small
+adventure. Juan would be no loser. Many a centimo would find its way
+from her pocket to his, and he would think her more motherly than ever.
+
+[Illustration: COURTYARD OF AUDIENCIA: BARCELONA.]
+
+On our way to the station we saw the sad funeral procession approaching.
+Most had dispersed, but some six or eight women were returning with the
+poor mother, who still looked bowed and broken. As Juan had wisely said,
+time would lessen the blow, but for the present no silver lining was
+visible in the heavy cloud overshadowing the life.
+
+We watched them disappear through one of the large round doorways into
+the home now desolate for ever. Then we went on, and presently the train
+came up, and Saguntum passed out of our lives, though not out of memory.
+Miguella and Juan, the ancient ruins and outlines crowning the heights,
+the quaint streets with their picturesque interiors, the sad procession
+winding slowly down the long white road, the bowed mourners and the
+weeping mother: nothing could ever be forgotten.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Some days after this we were walking in the streets of Barcelona. We had
+said good-bye to Valencia and our present sojourn in Spain was drawing
+to a close. With sorrow and sighing we remembered the motto of the wise
+king: THIS ALSO SHALL PASS AWAY. Oft quoted before, it is ever present
+with us and we quote it once more. We had gone through many experiences,
+made many acquaintances who had become friends. In imagination a small
+crowd of companions surrounded us, every one of them with a special
+niche in our heart and memory. Sauntering through the now long familiar
+streets, we had wandered instinctively into the neighbourhood of the
+cathedral. As we stood in the courtyard of the Audiencia, admiring for
+the fiftieth time its pointed arches, clustered columns and fine old
+staircase, two people entered, breaking upon our solitude. Their faces
+were radiant with happiness. At the first moment we hardly recognised
+them; the next we saw that it was Loretta and Lorenzo.
+
+"Still in Barcelona! How is this, Loretta?"
+
+"Señor, we have prolonged our stay. There was no special reason why we
+should not do so. Work is provided for, and the donkeys are in good
+keeping. We shall never again have such a holiday. It comes only once in
+our lives."
+
+"It is quite unnecessary to remark that you are happy, both of you."
+
+"Señor, I ask what I have done that heaven should have bestowed such
+favour upon me," returned Loretta, her face glowing with fervour. "I
+feel as though I could take the whole creation under my wing and love it
+for the sake of the love that is mine. I tell myself that I have not
+half cared for my dumb animals, though harsh word to them never passed
+my lips."
+
+"Loretta, we have found your clock," passing from the sublime to the
+commonplace. "Come both of you and see it."
+
+It was in the adjoining Calle de Fernando, not many yards from where we
+stood. We were just in time: the clockmaker was about to pack up and
+despatch it. Its design might have been made to order. A clock of white
+alabaster, pure as the heart of Loretta. Cupid with bow and arrows slung
+behind him struck the hours on a silver bell. The hour-glass was
+missing, it is true, but the sands of Loretta and Lorenzo were none the
+less golden. So the clock instead of being forwarded to Espluga, was
+sent to their address in Barcelona.
+
+"My happiness is now complete," cried Loretta. "Yet one thing is still
+wanting. I would that you, señor, should come as speedily as possible
+and ride Caro to Poblet, and that Lorenzo and I should wait upon you.
+Ah, do not delay."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"One of the most romantic episodes I ever heard of," cried H. C., as
+Loretta and Lorenzo walked away arm in arm in their great happiness, and
+we turned to contemplate once more the magic interior of the cathedral
+that has no rival.
+
+"It is indeed. And if these dream-churches and ancient towns are her
+glories, does Spain not possess yet other glories in the exalted lives
+of Rosalie and Anselmo, the simple hearts and annals of yonder couple,
+and all who resemble them? May their shadows never grow less and their
+faces never be pale!"
+
+"Amen," answered H. C., as the happy pair in question turned a corner
+and "passed in music out of sight."
+
+LONDON:
+PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED.
+STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[A] The rose.
+
+[B] If the reader feels any interest in Sebastien, he will be glad to
+hear that a petition sent to the landlord in the form of a letter proved
+as effective as the proposed deputation. He was promoted to the dignity
+(and fees) of second waiter in the dining-room: and on the first of last
+May was united to his beloved Anita. The sun shone and the skies were
+blue; the world smiled upon the young couple. The bride in her white
+veil and pale silk dress (the gift of her late employer, Madame la
+Modiste) must have appeared ravishing; and few bridegrooms in Manresa
+could have looked handsomer or more manly than Sebastien. We imagine how
+his face beamed, his eyes sparkled, his heart overflowed. His
+master--not to be outdone by Madame la Modiste--gave them a wedding
+breakfast, and the walls rang with the shouts that went up when the
+health of the happy pair was drunk. One can only wish them the serene
+bliss and success they deserve.
+
+[C] The following letter from the old canon, one of many, may be
+transcribed for the benefit of the reader:
+
+"You will be anxious to hear how our patient has been progressing since
+I last wrote to you. Better and better. There is nothing but good news
+to send you. I think I may almost affirm that Eugenie is now 'clothed
+and in her right mind.' The cure is effected. For many months she has
+not looked upon the wine cup, and declares that all desire for it has
+left her. I believe it has. As you know, the very day after our first
+and last evening together I sought her out, told her I was her father's
+friend, explained to her the atonement that was in her power. The poor
+creature, overcome with misery, sorrow and remorse, burst into such
+tears as I have never seen shed, and yielded without a murmur to my
+wish. I would give her no time for reconsideration, and that very day
+she took up her abode in my house. She never leaves it except in company
+with Juanita or myself. There has been no trouble from the beginning. It
+almost seemed as though the calm and peaceful atmosphere of our little
+household at once exorcised the evil spirit within her. Her better
+nature has triumphed, and I am persuaded that she will not fall away
+again. I do not intend that she shall. As long as I live this is to be
+her home. She asks nothing better; declares that for the first time in
+her life she has found peace and happiness. Her gratitude to you is
+unbounded. If I only mention your name, tears spring to her eyes. I
+believe she would lay down her life for you. She begs that you will one
+day come again to see, not the old Eugenie who accosted you in the
+church; she is dead and buried; but the new Eugenie who lives and has
+taken her place. She wonders what influence gave her courage to speak,
+and declares it was some unseen spirit or power which compelled her to
+go forward whether she would or no. The moment she saw you this spirit
+took possession of her and she was passive in its hands. Never before
+had such a thing happened to her. I put it down to other and higher
+influence. These things do not happen by chance. Heaven may spare my
+life for some years. During that time Eugenie's home is assured. She is
+now as a daughter to me; shares my modest repasts; occupies herself in
+the affairs of the house; spends much of her time with Juanita. She
+reads much, and is studying science with me. Her intelligence is of a
+high order, and she has a wide grasp of mind. By-and-by she may outrun
+me. Truly it is a pearl of price we have rescued from the fire. And I
+too have my reward. The house is brighter since she came to it. Even
+Juanita, who once only smiled, now laughs on occasion. She has taken a
+great affection for Eugenie, and when I am no longer here will transfer
+her services to our protégée. Heaven be praised, I am able to leave them
+independent of the world. And I have enlisted my nephew's sympathy in
+the matter. Eugenie is to be much with them when I go hence, but this is
+to be her home; hers for her life. Yet who can tell? She is young. If
+you thought her beautiful then, what would you say now to that calm,
+radiant face, those clear, steadfast eyes? One day she will probably
+marry again; and in a second and more worthy choice find all the
+happiness and protection that she missed in her first terrible and
+headstrong mistake.
+
+"And now, the old question. When are you coming? Juanita bids me say
+that all the resources of her simple art are waiting to be put forth in
+your favour. She declares she never was happier than that evening when
+she waited upon us and dispensed her simple luxuries. Eugenie says she
+shall never be at perfect rest until you have witnessed her
+transformation. For myself, I have a new work on Natural Philosophy to
+show you. I long once more to pace together the aisles of our beloved
+cathedral. At my age I live from day to day, grateful to heaven for each
+new day in this bright world. But it behoves me to sit loosely to all
+things. The end may come at any hour, it cannot be very far off now. The
+old man longs to welcome you yet once again. Deny him not."
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Glories of Spain, by Charles W. Wood
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