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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0f5b2f9 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69594 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69594) diff --git a/old/69594-0.txt b/old/69594-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5f13dac..0000000 --- a/old/69594-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9503 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of San Salvador, by Mary Agnes Tincker - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: San Salvador - -Author: Mary Agnes Tincker - -Release Date: December 20, 2022 [eBook #69594] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from - images generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN SALVADOR *** - - - - - - =By Mary Agnes Tincker.= - - - SAN SALVADOR. 16mo, $1.25. - - TWO CORONETS. A Novel. 12mo, $1.50; paper, 50 cents. - - HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO. - BOSTON AND NEW YORK. - - - - - SAN SALVADOR - - - BY - - MARY AGNES TINCKER - AUTHOR OF “SIGNOR MONALDINI’S NIECE,” “TWO CORONETS,” ETC. - - _Unless the Lord build the house, - they labor in vain that build it: - unless the Lord keep the city, he - watcheth in vain that keepeth it_ - -[Illustration] - - BOSTON AND NEW YORK - HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY - =The Riverside Press, Cambridge= - 1892 - - - - - Copyright, 1892, - BY MARY AGNES TINCKER. - - _All rights reserved._ - - - _The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A._ - Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton & Co. - - - - - PROLOGUE. - - - SCENE I. - -The family in Palazzo Loredan, in the Grand Canal, Venice, had finished -their midday breakfast, and coffee was brought in. - -There was the Marchesa Loredan, a widow, her widowed only daughter with -a little son and his tutor, and Don Claudio Loredan, the Marchesa’s -second son. Her eldest son was married; and the youngest, Don Enrico, -was a monsignore, and coadjutor of an old canon whom he was impatiently -waiting to succeed. - -The breakfast had not been a cheerful one. Don Claudio, usually the life -of the family and its harmonizing element, had been silent and -preoccupied; and Madama Loredan’s black brows had two deep lines between -them,—sure signs of a storm. - -She rose as the coffee was bought in. - -“Carry a tête-à-tête down to the arbor,” she said to the servant; and to -her son, “I wish to speak to you, Claudio.” - -The tutor rose respectfully, making sly but intense signals to his pupil -to do the same. But the boy, occupied in counting the cloves of a -mandarin orange, did not choose to see them. - -A long window of the dining-room opened on a balcony, and from the -balcony a stair descended to the garden. This garden, a square the width -of the house, would soon be a mass of bloom; but spring had hardly come -as yet. The little arbor in the centre was covered with rosebuds, and -the orange-trees were in blossom. There was a table in the arbor, with a -chair at each side. - -Madama literally swept across the dining-room; for she did not lift a -fold of the trailing robe of glossy white linen bordered with black -velvet that followed her imperious steps. - -Don Claudio was familiar with the several indications of his mother’s -moods, and he followed in silence, carefully avoiding the glistening -wake of her progress. When she had seated herself in the arbor, he took -the chair opposite her, half filled a little rose-colored cup with -coffee, dropped a single cube of sugar into it, stirred it with a tiny -spoon that had the Loredan shield at the end of its slender twisted -stem, and gravely set the cup before her. - -He had not once raised his eyes to her face. - -She watched him with a scrutinizing gaze. He was evidently expecting a -reprimand; yet there was neither anger nor confusion in his handsome -face. It had not lost its preoccupied and even sorrowful expression. She -sipped her coffee in silence, and waited till he had drunk his. - -“You were at Ca’ Mora last evening and this morning,” she said abruptly, -when he set his cup down. - -“My master is dying!” he responded quietly. - -Madama was for a moment disconcerted. The old professor with whom her -son had for two years been studying oriental languages was a man of note -among the learned. He had exercised a beneficial influence over the mind -of Don Claudio; and for a while she had been glad that an enthusiasm for -study should counteract the natural downward tendency of a life full of -worldly prosperity and its attendant temptations. Only of late had she -become aware of any danger in this intimacy. - -“Dying!” she echoed. “I did not know that he was ill.” She hesitated a -moment, then bitterness prevailed. - -“Of course his granddaughter has need of consolation,” she added with a -sneer. - -“I have not seen her to-day,” Don Claudio said, controlling himself. -Then, with a sudden outburst, “I would gladly console her!” he -exclaimed, and looked at his mother defiantly. - -His defiance of her was like the flash of a wax taper on steel. Madama -leaned forward and raised a warning finger. - -“You will leave her to be consoled by her equals,” she said. “And when -her grandfather is dead, you will see her no more. Woe to her if you -disobey me!” - -The young man shrugged his shoulders to hide a tremor. - -“Woe to her!” repeated his mother, marking the tremor. - -Don Claudio remained silent. - -“Has she succeeded in compromising you?” Madama asked. - -The quick blood covered her son’s face. - -“You might, at least, refrain from slandering her!” he exclaimed. Then -his voice became supplicating. “Mamma, all that Tacita Mora lacks is -rank. She has a fair portion; and she has been delicately reared and -guarded. Her manners are exquisite. And there can be no undesirable -connection, for she will be quite alone in the world.” - -His mother made an impatient gesture, and was about to speak; but he -held his hands out to her. - -“Mamma, I love her so!” he exclaimed. “You do not know her. She is not -one of those girls who give a man opportunities, and are always on the -lookout for a lover. We have never spoken a word of love. We have only -looked at each other. But I cannot lose her!” - -He threw himself on his knees at his mother’s side, and burst into -tears. - -She drew his head to her shoulder, and kissed him. - -“You have only looked at each other!” she repeated. “My poor boy! As if -that were not enough! Claudio, we all have to go through with it, as -with teething. It is a madness. The only safe way is to follow the -counsel of those who have had experience. It is only the pang of a day. -This kind of passion does not endure; but order does. This is a passing -fever of the fancy and the blood. Be patient a little while, and it will -cure itself. Do not allow it to compromise your future. You will be glad -of having listened to me when your love shall have died out.” - -“It will never die!” he sobbed. - -“It will die!” she said. “And now, listen to me. I have told the -Sangredo that you are going to visit them this afternoon. It is a week -since Bianca came home from school. You should have gone sooner. Go, and -make yourself agreeable. If you do so, I will consent to your going once -more to see Professor Mora, and I will myself go to inquire for him.” - -The young man rose, and stood hesitating and frowning. - -“Go, my dear!” his mother urged. “It is only a civility, and commits you -to nothing.” - -He went slowly away, knowing well that further appeal was useless. His -mother followed him after a moment. - -“My gondola!” she said to a servant who was taking off the tablecloth, -and went on to an adjoining boudoir where her daughter sat. - -“Boys are such a trial!” she said with an impatient sigh, and dropped -into a sofa. “Alfonso has, happily, reached the age of reason. Enrico is -under good guardianship, or I should tremble for his future, he is so -impatient. It is true, Monsignor Scalchi does live longer than we -thought he would; but, as I say to Enrico, can I kill Monsignor Scalchi -in order that you may be made a canon at once? Wait. He cannot live -long. Enrico declares that he will never die. And now Claudio, with his -folly!” - -“What will he do?” the daughter asked. - -“He will do as I command him!” the Marchesa answered sharply. “I only -wish, Isabella, that you would be half as resolute with your son. -Peppino may go without his dessert this evening. It may make him -remember to rise the next time that the mistress of the house leaves the -table.” - - - SCENE II. - -In a boarding-house, on the Riva degli Schiavoni, a number of tourists, -among them some artists, are seated at their one o’clock dinner. - -Says a lady, “They say that the old Greek, or Arabic, or Turkish, or -Hindu, or Boston Professor whom we met at the Lido last month—you -remember him, Mr. James?—well—where did I begin? I’ve lost my nominative -case.” - -_2d Lady._ They say that he is dying, poor old man! My gondolier told me -this morning that Professor Mora has visited every part of the globe, -and knows a thousand languages. He seemed even to doubt if the professor -might not have been to the moon. The gondolier evidently looks upon him -with wonderment. And as for the professor’s granddaughter, she is one of -the marvels of the earth. - -_1st Lady._ Mr. James can tell you all about that. I think he did -succeed in getting a sketch of the girl, if not of her grandfather. I -don’t know where he keeps it, unless it is worn next his heart. It is -not among the sketches that he shows to people. In fact, everything -about this family is mysterious and uncommon. - -_A gentleman._ What is it, Mr. James? The story promises to be -interesting. - -_Mr. James (sotto voce)._ Damn the women! (_Aloud._) This old professor, -I am told, came here fifteen years ago, some say, from the East. Shortly -after, his widowed daughter with her little girl followed him. I am not -aware that they behaved in a mysterious manner, unless it is a mystery -that people should be able to live quietly and innocently, and mind -their own business; all which the Mora certainly achieved. They were not -rich, but to the poor and unfortunate they were angels of mercy. - -_1st Lady (striking in)._ Everybody didn’t think so. - -_Mr. James._ Everybody doesn’t think that God is good. Of course there -were servants’ stories and gossips’ stories, and those who wished to -believe them did believe them. - -_Gentleman._ Will the girl be left alone? - -_1st Lady._ Do not cherish any hopes, sir. The mother is dead; but the -young lady has an admirer. He is a fine young man with a palace and an -ancestry, and the most beautiful eyes in the world. She goes out with -him in his gondola by moonlight. It is so romantic! - -_Mr. James._ Did you ever see them out together by moonlight, or at any -other hour? - -_1st Lady._ Others have. - -_Mr. James._ What others? Name one! - -_1st Lady._ Really, sir! (_leaves the table_). - -_Mr. James._ The Signorina Mora will not be left alone. There is a -respectable woman with her— - -_2d Lady._ A nurse! - -_Mr. James._ —a very respectable woman with her who has been here since -her mother died, two years ago. She is an elderly woman of very pleasant -appearance and manners. Some one has said that she belongs to some -charitable order that nurses the sick. - -_2d Lady (in a stage voice)._ “Juliet! Where’s the girl? What, Juliet!” - -_Gentleman._ Ahem! - - - SCENE III. - -In the church of Saint X. the half of the Chapter on duty that week had -just come out of choir, and were taking off their vestments and laying -them away, each in his proper drawer in the wall of the sacristy. The -sound of alternate singing and praying yet came from the church. A -Novena was going on; and Monsignor Scalchi, the old _canonico_ for whose -place Monsignor Loredan waited so impatiently, officiated. - -Some of the clergy hastened away, others lingered, chatting together. -One stood watching the gloomy way in which Monsignor Loredan flicked a -speck of dust from his broad-brimmed hat. - -“Well?” said the young man, aware of the other’s gaze, but without -looking at him. - -“I was wondering how Monsignor Scalchi is,” his friend said. - -“When he sees me, he coughs,” said the coadjutor. - -At that moment the person of whom they spoke entered the sacristy, with -a priest at either hand. A rustling cope of cloth of gold covered his -whole person, his eyes were downcast, his hands folded palm to palm, and -he murmured prayers as he came. - -The young men stood respectfully aside as he passed, his garments -smelling of incense, and went to disrobe at the other end of the -sacristy. - -“Don’t lose courage, Don Enrico!” said one of the group. “He looks -feeble. He can scarcely lift his feet from the floor.” - -“Poh!” exclaimed Don Enrico. “He is as strong as I am. He buys his shoes -too long, so that they may drag at the heels and make him seem weak in -the legs.” - -He yawned, saluted with a graceful wave of the hand, and sauntered out -into the silent piazza. - -“Don Enrico is out of temper about his brother’s affairs, as well as his -own,” one of his friends said when he was out of hearing. “They say that -Claudio is in love with Tacita Mora, and is making a fool of himself. If -he should offend the Sangredo, Don Enrico will lose the cardinal’s -patronage. Professor Mora was as blind as a bat. He thought that Tacita -was a child, and that Don Claudio was enamored of the Chinese language.” - -“But the nurse never leaves the girl,” some one said. - -“Oh! the nurse is dark!” said one of the sacristans. - -Yes; they all agreed that the nurse was dark. - -One after another they dropped away, till only Monsignor Scalchi was -left kneeling at a _prie-dieu_, and an under-sacristan going about his -work, filling a silver lamp for the shrine of Saint X., shaving down the -lower ends of great yellow wax torches to set in triple-footed iron -stands for a funeral, counting out wafers for the altar. There was -silence save for a light lapse of water against the steps outside; there -was a sleepy yellow sunshine on the marble floor, and a smell of incense -in the soft air. - -As Monsignor Scalchi rose from his knees, a second under-sacristan -entered. - -“Here are the books from San Lazzaro, Monsignore,” he said. “But the -translations from the Turkish are not yet ready. The illness of -Professor Mora delayed them. He was to have looked them over.” - -“Did you learn how the professor is?” asked the prelate, glancing over -the books given him. - -“I went to ask, Monsignore. Gian says that he is failing fast. The -Marchesa Loredan has been to see him.” - -“Ah!” exclaimed Monsignor Scalchi, looking up from the volume in his -hand. - -“Yes; and Gian says that the nurse watches over everything.” - -“The nurse seems to be a dark one,” monsignore remarked. - -“Yes,” said the sacristan, “the nurse is dark.” - - - SCENE IV. - -The mistress of Palazzo Sangredo sat in one of her stateliest salons -talking with her cousin, the Countess Bembo. At some distance from them, -half enveloped in the drapery of a great window, Bianca Sangredo peeped -out into the Canal. - -“I saw him myself!” said the countess in a vehement whisper. “I saw him -go into the house, and I saw him come out. And he was there again this -morning, and stopped half an hour. You ought to have an explanation with -the marchesa. Everybody knows that the families wish for a marriage -between him and Bianca. If Sangredo would stay at home and attend to his -duties, Don Claudio would not dare to behave so. But Sangredo never is -at home.” - -“Oh, yes, he is!” said Sangredo’s wife languidly. “He is always at home -in Paris. But the marchesa declares that Claudio goes to Ca’ Mora to -study, and that he already speaks Arabic like a sheik. Professor Mora is -famous. Papadopoli says that since Mezzofanti no one else has known so -many languages.” - -“Yes,” said her cousin sharply. “And the professor’s granddaughter will -teach him to conjugate _amore_ in every one of them.” - -“Mamma,” said Bianca from the window, “Don Claudio’s gondola is at the -step.” - -“Come and sit by me, child!” her mother said hastily. - -When their visitor entered the salon, the two elder ladies received him -with the utmost cordiality. Bianca only bent her head, and did not leave -her mother’s side; but her childlike dimpling smile was full of -kindness. She had a charming snow-drop stillness and modesty. - -“I have already seen you to-day, Don Claudio,” said the Countess Bembo. -“I passed you near the Giudecca; and you did not look at me, though our -gondolas almost touched.” - -“I beg your pardon!” he said seriously. “I had been, or was going, to -the house of Professor Mora, and I saw no one. He lies at the point of -death. It is a great grief to me.” - -The ladies began to question and sympathize. After all, things might not -be so bad as they had feared. - -“He will be a loss to the world, as well as to his friends,” Don Claudio -said. “His knowledge of languages is something wonderful. Besides that, -he is one of the best of men. His mode of teaching caught the attention -at once. ‘Sometimes,’ he once said to me, ‘you may see protruding from -the earth an ugly end of dry stick. Pull it, and you find a long root -attached. Follow the root, and it may lead you to a beautiful plant -laden with blossoms. And so a seemingly dry and insignificant fact may -prove the key to a treasure of hidden knowledge.’ That was his way of -teaching. However dry the proposition with which he began a discourse, -it was sure to lead to something interesting.” - -“You must feel very sad!” the young girl said compassionately. - -“It is sad,” he answered, and let his eyes dwell on her fair, innocent -face. Then, the entrance of other visitors creating a little stir, he -bent toward her and murmured “Thanks!” - - - - - SAN SALVADOR. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - -It was a still night, and all eastward-looking Venice, above a certain -height, was enameled as with ivory by the light of a moon but little -past its full. Below, flickering reflections from the water danced on -the dark walls. The bending lines of street lamps showed in dull golden -blotches in that radiant air. The same golden spots were visible on -gun-boat or steamship, and on a gondola moored at the steps of Casa -Mora. - -Above this waiting gondola a window stood wide open to the night. It -seemed to be the only open window in Venice. All the others had their -iron shutters closed. - -Seen from without, this open window was as dark as the mouth of a cave. -But inside, so penetrating an effulgence filled the room, one might have -read the titles of the books in cases that lined all the walls. - -The wide-open, curtainless window admitted a square of moonlight so -splendid as to seem tangible; and in the midst of it, on a pallet, lay -the old professor, his face, hair, and beard almost as white as the -pillow they rested on. A slender girl knelt at his right hand, her head -bowed down. One could see that her thick knot of hair was floss-fine and -gold-tinted, and her neck white and smooth. At the opposite side of the -couch a young man was seated, bending toward it. In an arm-chair near -the foot, with her back to the light, sat a woman. Her cheek resting on -her hand, she gazed intently at the dying man. - -After a prolonged silence he stirred, and stretched a thin hand to touch -the girl’s head. - -“Go and rest awhile, my Tacita!” he said. “I will recall thee. Go, -Elena. I will recall thee.” - -The two rose at once and went out of the room, hand in hand, closing the -door. - -“I charge thee to let the girl alone!” Professor Mora exclaimed the -moment they were gone. - -The young man started. - -“This is no time for idle compliments,” the other pursued with a certain -vehemence. “I know that thou hast taken a fancy to Tacita because she is -beautiful and good. She is of a tender nature, and may have some leaning -toward thee. I should have been a more jealous guardian of both.” - -“I know that my mother has been here to-day,” Don Claudio said bitterly. - -“Thy mother is a worldly woman,” the old man replied. “But in this she -is right. Marry the girl they have chosen for thee. It is not in thy -nature, boy, to be immovable and persistent in rebellion even against -manifest injustice. Thy protest would be the passion of a moment. They -would wear out thy courage and endurance. But even with their consent, -Tacita is not for thee. I forbid it! Dost thou hear, Don Claudio -Loredan? I forbid it!” - -“You seemed to like me!” Don Claudio exclaimed reproachfully. - -The professor moved his hand toward the speaker. “I love thee, Claudio. -But that makes no difference. He who would have Tacita must live even as -I have, without luxury or splendor, striving to learn what human life -means, and following the best law that his soul knows.” - -The young man sighed. He had no such plan of life. - -“It will be a moment’s pain,” the other went on. “But thy honor and her -peace are at stake. I charge thee”—he half rose in his earnestness—“I -charge thee to let the girl alone! Remember that one day thou wilt have -to lie as I lie here now, all earthly passion burned to ashes, and only -the record of thy conscience to support, or cast thee down.” - -“Be tranquil!” said Don Claudio faintly, and bowed his face into his -hands. “I will obey.” - -The old man sank back upon his pillow with a murmured word of blessing, -and looked out at the violet sky. For a while he remained silent. Then -he spoke again, as if soliloquizing. - -“The unfathomable universe! The baffling problem! Only the shades of -night and of life reveal something of the mystery to us. For eighty -years I have studied life from every side. I was hungry to know. And the -more I learned of any subject the more clearly I perceived the vastness -of my own ignorance. I tried in vain to grasp the plan of it all. I -built up theories, fitting into them the facts I knew. Sometimes the -mosaic grew to show a pattern; and then, just as I began to rejoice, all -became confusion again. I was Tantalus. Again and again the universe -held its solution before my soul. Only a line more, and it was mine! Yet -it was forever snatched away.” - -He was silent a little while; then resumed: “In one of those moments of -disappointment I recollected a text of the Hebrew Bible taught me in my -childhood: _The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom_. When I -learned it, two paths of life were opening out before my mind. One was -like a hidden rivulet, flowing ever in lowly places, seeking ever the -lowest place, refreshing, beneficent. The other was like a mountain -path, and a star shone over it. I chose the mountain path. It was often -steep and hard, and the star recedes as you climb. But the air on those -heights is sometimes an elixir. We had a song at home:— - - ‘Sweet is the path that leads to what we love.’ - -How many a time I sang it to keep my courage up! - -“In that moment of recollection I asked myself if I might not have more -surely attained to what I sought by taking the lowlier way, if the -supernatural might not have aided material science, as imagination aids -in the mathematics. What means the story of the tree of knowledge and -the tree of life? Many of those old tales contain a golden lesson. We do -not study the past enough; and therefore human life becomes a series of -beginnings without visible results. There are a few centuries of -progress, something is learned, something gained, a clearer light seems -to announce the dawn of some great day, and men begin to extol -themselves; and then a shadowy hand sweeps the board clean, and the -boasters disappear, they and their achievements. Perhaps out of each -fading cycle God gathers up a few from destruction. _Many are called, -but few chosen_, said the King. For the others the story of Sisyphus was -told.” - -Again there was a pause; and again he spoke: - -“I was tossed hither and thither. I had such failures that life seemed -to me a mockery, and such successes that I would fain have lived a -thousand years. Of one thing in it all I am glad: I never complained of -God in failure, nor glorified myself in success. I give thanks for -that!” - -He closed his eyes and seemed to pray. - -After a moment he spoke again. - -“I have known one perfect thing on earth,” he said, and clasped his -hands. “I have found in life one beauty that grows on the soul forever. -One being in touching the earth has consecrated it. There is no flaw in -Jesus of Nazareth.” - -The pause that followed was so long that Don Claudio bent to touch the -cold hands. - -The dying man roused himself. - -“Farewell, my beloved pupil!” he said. “God be with thee! Go in peace! -And tell them to come to me.” - -The young man knelt, and weeping, pressed his lips to the cold hand that -could not lift itself. - -“Farewell! God be with you!” he echoed in a stifled voice; and rose and -went out of the room. - -A light shone through the open door of an adjoining chamber, and Tacita -and the nurse could be seen each lying on a sofa inside. They started up -at the sound of Don Claudio’s step. - -“He wants you,” the young man said, and pressed the hand of each as they -passed by him, then went down to his gondola. A moment later they heard -the ripple of his passage across the lagoon. - -Tacita knelt beside her grandfather and took his hand in hers. He drew -her, and she put her face close to his. - -“Dost thou remember all, my child?” he whispered. - -“I remember all!” she whispered back. - -“Thou wilt be strong and faithful?” he asked in the same tone. - -“I will be strong and faithful,” she answered. - -He said no more. His breath fluttered on her cheek, and seemed to stop. - -“Elena!” she cried. - -After bending for a moment over the bed, the nurse had gone to the -window, and stepped out into the balcony. She returned at that -frightened call, and knelt by the bed. - -In the silence that followed, a gondola slipped under the balcony; and -presently there rose from it a singing voice, low toned, but impassioned -and distinct. It sang:— - - “San Salvador, San Salvador, - We cry to thee! - Danger is in our path, - The enemy, in wrath, - Lurks to delude our souls from finding thee! - We cry to thee! We cry to thee! - San Salvador, - We cry to thee!” - -The dying man, half sunk into a lethargy, started awake. - -“The mountains!” he exclaimed, looking eagerly out at the dark outline -of housetops against the eastern sky. “The mountains and the bells!” - -He panted, listened, sighed at the silence, and sank back again. - -The singer recommenced more softly; but every word was so distinctly -uttered that it seemed to be spoken in the chamber:— - - “San Salvador, San Salvador, - We turn to thee! - All mercy as thou art, - Forgive the erring heart - That wandered far, but, weeping, homeward flies. - We turn to thee! We turn to thee! - San Salvador, - We turn to thee.” - -“The mountains!” murmured the dying man. “The curtain and the Throne!” - -Again the voice sang:— - - “San Salvador, San Salvador, - We live in thee! - ’Tis love that holds the threads of fate; - Death’s but the opening of a gate, - The parting of a mist that hides the skies. - We live in thee! We live in thee! - San Salvador, - We live in thee!” - -There was one more sigh from the pillow. A whisper came: “We live in -Thee!” - -“My dear,” said the nurse, laying her hand softly on Tacita’s bowed -head, “Professor Mora is no longer an infirm old man.” - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - -Professor Mora was buried in the cemetery of San Michele, with the rites -of the Roman Church, though he had not received the last sacraments. -That he had not, was supposed to have been the fault of the nurse. It -was known, however, that he had made his Easter Communion; and those who -had seen him before the altar at San Giorgio on that occasion spoke of -his conduct as very edifying. - -Many of them would doubtless have been puzzled, and even scandalized, -could they have read his mind. That he was, in soul, prostrate at the -feet of his Creator, there could be no doubt. He had often, of late -years, spent an hour in some church, kneeling, or sitting in deep -thought. He found it easier to recollect himself in the quiet of such a -place, surrounded by religious images. - -On this last Easter he had questioned:— - -“Shall I confess my sins to a priest? Why not? It can do me no harm, and -it may do me good. I will declare what I know of my own wrong-doing, -addressing God in the hearing of this man. He uses many instruments. -Perhaps the forgiveness of God may be spoken to me by the lips of this -man. Shall I tell this man that I do not know whether he has any -authority, or not? No. I am doing the best that I can; and his claim -that he has authority will have no weight with me.” - -It was the same with his communion. - -“Is it true that the Blessed Christ, the Son of God, is mystically -concentrated and hidden in the wafer which will be placed upon my -tongue, and that he will pervade my being, as the souls of a thousand -roses are concentrated in a vial of attar, and scent all the house with -their sweetness? I do not know. Nothing that God wills is impossible. If -I cry out to him, O my Father, I search, and grope, and cannot find my -Saviour! Send him, therefore, to meet my soul in this wafer, that I may -live! At this point let me touch him, and receive help, as the sick -woman received it from his garment’s hem!—he could meet me there, if it -were his will, and pour all heaven into my soul through that channel. -Does he will it? I do not know. But since it is not impossible, I will -bow myself as if he were here. Is there a place where God is not?” - -Such was Professor Mora’s Easter Communion; and many a formal -communicant was less devout. - -It is true that he had bent in heathen temples with an almost equal -devotion; but it was always to the same God. - -“Show me the path by which the instinct of worship in any people, or -individual, climbs to what it can best conceive of the Divine,” he said, -“and there I will find the footsteps of God coming to meet that soul. A -sunbeam falls on limpid water and a lily, and they shine like jewels. -The same beam, turning, falls unshrinkingly on the muddy pool, that -brightens also after its manner, and as well as it can.” - -To him the Indian praying-wheel, so often denounced as the height of -material superstition, might be made to indicate a fuller conception of -the infinity of God than was to be found in much of the worship that -calls itself intelligent and spiritual. Written over and over on the -parchment wound about this wheel is the one brief prayer, “O Jewel in -the Lotos, Amen!” Their Divine One was as the light of the morning -embodied and seated on a lotos-flower. Their prayer confesses nothing -and asks nothing; yet it confesses and asks all. It is a dull longing in -the dull, and a lark song in the spiritual. It expresses their despair -of being able to tell his greatness, or their need of him. It repeats -itself as the flutterings of a bird’s wings repeat themselves when it -soars. The soul says, “As many times as it is here inscribed, multiplied -by as many times as the wheel revolves when I touch it, and yet a -million times more, do I praise thee, do I implore thee, do I love thee, -O thou Divine Light of the world! Even as the planets whirl ceaselessly -wrapped about in the hieroglyphs of obedience to thy laws, so does this -wheel, encircled by the aspirations of our worship, speak to thee for -us.” - -He entered one of their temples with respect, and kneeling there, -remembered what their Hindu teachers had said to him: - -“Owing to the greatness of the Deity, the One Soul is lauded in many -ways. The different Gods are the members of the One Soul.” - -And also: “One cannot attain to the Divine Sun through the word, through -the mind, or through the eye. It is only reached by him who says, ‘It -is! It is!’” - -As he meditated then with the door of his soul wide open, it had seemed -to him that all the gods and all the worships of men had gathered -themselves before him, and mingled, as mists gather into a cloud, and -that from turbulent they had grown still, and from dark they had -gathered to themselves light, growing more golden in the centre, as -though their divers elements were purifying themselves to form some new -unity, till the crude and useless all melted away, parting to disclose -an infant seated on a lotos-flower, and shining like the morning sun. -And the lotos-flower was the figure of a pure woman. - -“It is! It is!” he had said then. And that wide essential faith had -survived, though for details of dogma he had gone out of the world with -the same word with which he had begun his studies: “I do not know!” - -A funeral gondola came and took his body away, several gentlemen, Don -Claudio among them, accompanying. - -Tacita, wrapped in the window curtain, watched them till the gondola -disappeared under the Rialto bridge, then threw herself, sobbing, into -her companion’s arms. - -The nurse persuaded her to seek some occupation. “Come and help me make -out the list of books that Don Claudio is to have,” she said. - -Professor Mora had given a large part of his choice library to Don -Claudio. - -This woman, Elena, had an interesting face. There was something noble in -the calm, direct look of her eyes, and in her healthy matronly figure. -It would be difficult to describe her manners, except by saying that -there was nothing lacking, and nothing superfluous. - -One sees occasionally a great lady whose character is equal to her -social position, who has that manner without mannerism. A certain -transparency of action follows the outlines of the intention. When this -woman spoke, she had something to say, not often anything brilliant, or -profound, but something which the moment required. - -Tacita at once busied herself with the list, and found comfort in it. -She needed comforting; for she was of a tenderly loving nature, and her -almost cloistered life had confined her interests to that home circle -now quite broken up. Her father had died in her infancy. Her mother, not -much older than herself, had been her constant companion, friend and -confidant. The loss of her had been a crushing one; and the wound still -bled. But she and her grandfather had consoled each other; and while he -lived the mother had seemed near. Now he, too, was gone! - -And there was yet another pain. Some little tendrils of habit and -affection had wound themselves about her grandfather’s favorite pupil, -and they bled in the breaking. For they were to separate at once. Nor -had she any wish to remain in Venice. She well knew that she would not -be allowed to see Don Claudio, except at her peril, and that jealous -eyes were already fixed upon them. - -Yet how slight, how innocent their intercourse had been! She went over -it all again in fancy as she took down book after book. - -She and Don Claudio had always saluted each other when he came; at -first, with a ceremonious bow, later, with a smile. They seldom spoke. - -The table, piled with books, at which the professor and his pupil sat, -was placed before the lagoon window, where, later, the old man’s -deathbed had been drawn. Her place was at a little casement window on -the _rio_ that ran beside the house. They spoke in languages which she -did not understand, and she had often dropped her work to listen. - -Sometimes, in going, his eyes had looked a wish to linger; but she did -not know how he had longed to stay, nor how many glances had strayed -from the piles of books to her face. The graceful contours of her form, -her delicate whiteness, her modesty, her violet eyes, the golden lights -in her hair—he had learned them all by heart. - -“Tacita. Yes,” he had thought, “that is the right name for her. She -stays there in that flickering light and shade as silent as any lily!” - -Their world had been the world of a Claude landscape, all floating in a -golden haze. - -Once they had all gone out into the balcony to watch a steamship from -Cairo move up the lagoon that was all radiant and red with the setting -sun. Another time a thunder-storm had darkened about them, so that they -could scarcely see each other, and Don Claudio, coming to her table, had -asked softly,— - -“Are you afraid, Tacita?” - -Another time he had brought her some roses from his mother’s garden. - -And now, everything was ended! - -“He will come to-morrow for his books,” she thought; “and, after that, -we shall never see each other again. But we shall be alone together -once, and speak a word of the past, and say farewell, like friends.” - -It was all that she expected, or consciously wished for, a friendly and -sympathizing word, a clasp of the hand, the first and the last, and a -“God be with you!” It would have sweetened her sorrow and loneliness. - -After the visit of the Marchesa Loredan, Tacita’s grandfather had talked -with her; and the girl had assured him that there was nothing between -her and Don Claudio but the calmest good-will. Her naturally quiet -disposition had not been disturbed in his regard. But the thought that -this was to be their last meeting, and that for the first time they -would be alone, could not fail to agitate her somewhat; and when morning -came, her expectation became a fluttering. - -The books were all sorted, the house all ready for their departure. She -and Elena would leave Venice the next morning. She was alone in the room -where her grandfather had studied, taught, and died. - -There was a sound of oars that came nearer. She listened, but would not -look. “What can it mean?” she thought. “There are double oars; and he -has but one gondolier.” - -Gian, the man-servant, entered and announced the Marchesa Loredan and -Don Claudio; and at the same instant Elena slipped hastily into the -room, that her charge might not be found alone. - -Tacita’s heart sank heavily. She greeted her visitors with an equal -coldness, though Don Claudio’s face implored her pardon. - -“Your books are all ready, Don Claudio,” she said, when she could speak. -“Professor Mora said that you were to have those that are marked with a -white star. Gian will take them down. Here is the list.” - -She gave him the paper, and he received it, blushing with shame. He -could not utter a word. But the Marchesa’s voluble condolences and -compliments covered all defects in the conversation. - -She was glad that the signorina was going to travel for a time. Nothing -distracted one from sorrow like traveling. Was there anything that the -Marchesa could do for her? She would send her maid to the railway -station the next morning with a basket of luncheon for the travelers. If -she could help them in any other way, the signorina might speak freely. - -Tacita recollected the reply of Diogenes when Alexander asked: “Is there -anything that I can do for you?” - -“Only stand a little out of my sunshine,” said Diogenes. - -The Marchesa was most grateful for Professor Mora’s gift to her son; and -with the signorina’s approval, Don Claudio proposed to erect a memorial -tablet in St. Michael’s to his honored preceptor. - -The proposal pleased and touched the desolate girl, and she tearfully -thanked Don Claudio. - -From her own point of view the Marchesa Loredan had been very kind. Her -visit would put a stop to any serious gossip about her son and Tacita; -and she had shown a gracious regard and respect for the dead _savant_ -and his family. - -She had a very comfortable sense of having done her duty, and been -prudent in her own affairs at the same time. That both Tacita and her -grandfather would have regarded such gossip with loathing and contempt, -and that they set no very high value on her approval, she did not dream. - -“Don Claudio should have been the one to tell me this,” Tacita thought. - -The books were carried down, the laborious visit came to an end, the -orphan was alone again, her sweet, sad hope crushed like a fragile -flower. - -“Elena, take me away from here!” she exclaimed. “No one has any heart. -Take me away!” - -“Don’t cry, dear! We will go in the morning,” her friend said -soothingly. “Don Claudio will come to take leave of you at the station. -He found a chance to tell me so. He said that he could not get away -alone this morning.” - -“She is cruel, and he is weak,” said Tacita. “I like not a weak man.” - -Elena shook her head. “Ah! my dear, a man is usually weak before a -strong-willed woman who loves herself better than she does him.” - -Don Claudio was, in fact, waiting at the station when they arrived there -the next morning. - -“I could not let you go without a word,” he said in an agitated murmur. -“I shall always remember, and regret. Oh! the sweet old days! Tacita, do -not you see that my heart is breaking?” - -“Dear friend,” she answered gently, “we will remember each other with a -tender friendship. Your heart will not break. It must not. A loving wife -will console you. _Addio!_” - -“To God!” There could be no more perfect parting word. They clasped -hands for one trembling moment, then bowed their heads, and turned away. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - -Among those who were on the steps of San Michele when the funeral -gondola of Professor Mora reached them was a man who seemed to be -waiting to assist at his burial. He followed to the chapel, and went -away as soon as the service was over. - -He was a young man, scarcely more than thirty years of age, a little -taller than medium, slender, but athletic, and of a dark complexion. In -the light, his dark hair had an auburn tinge, and his dark eyes a violet -shade. His fine serious face had a look of high intelligence, and in the -church, something even exalted, in its expression. He had brows to which -Lavater would have ascribed great powers of observation; and his look -was steady and penetrating. It recalled the old story of disguised -deities who were recognized by their moveless eyeballs. He was quiet, -and his dress was conventional, neither fine nor coarse. Both face and -manner expressed refinement. It could be seen that his hands bore the -marks of labor. If you had asked what his trade was, he would have said -that he was a carpenter. Those who looked at him once with any -attention, looked again. - -When the funeral was over, this young man crossed the Laguna Morta, and -landed at the steps behind San Marco. He went round into the church, -looking at every part of it attentively. He did not appear to be either -an artist or a worshiper, still less a tourist. - -He might have been taken for an artisan who examined intelligently, but -without enthusiasm, to see how the work was done. A closer view of his -luminous dark eyes revealed a second expression, something mystical and -exalted, as though he looked through the object his glance touched, and -saw, not only the workman who had wrought it, but his mind and -intention. - -He made one slow circuit of the church, uttering not a word till he went -up stairs and looked at the Judas hanging to a tree, the fresco half -hidden in a corner of the gallery. - -“_Absit!_” he exclaimed then, shuddering. - -As he went out of the church, an old man seated on the step tried to -rise, but with difficulty, being lame. The stranger aided him. - -“You suffer,” he said kindly. “Are you very poor?” - -“I do not suffer much,” the old man replied in a cheerful tone. “But my -joints are stiff. And I am not poor. I have a son who earns good wages, -thank God!” - -A sweet smile lighted for an instant the stranger’s face. “Addio, -brother!” he said, and went on, out through the piazzetta, and down the -Riva degli Schiavoni. - -Near a _rio_ along which stretched a garden, several boys were engaged -with some object around which they were crouched on the pavement. It -proved to be a little green lizard which they had caught on the garden -wall. They were trying to harness it to a bunch of leaves. The little -thing lay on its back, gasping. - -The stranger, with a quick, fiery movement, pushed the boys aside, and -released their captive. He took the nearly dead creature in his hand, -and carried it to the garden wall, then returned to the boys, who had -been surprised into a temporary quiescence. - -“Boys,” he said, “when some strong, cruel person shall make you suffer -for his amusement, remember that lizard. If you should some day be -helpless and terrified and parched with thirst, remember it.” - -He left them speechlessly staring at him, called a gondola, and gave the -direction of the railway station. As he passed Ca’ Mora, he looked -earnestly at the window over the balcony. Elena stepped out and saw him. -He raised his hand above his face in salutation, and she replied, -raising her hand in the same way. - -When he reached the railway landing, two gondoliers were standing on the -steps, confronting each other in loud and angry dispute. They -gesticulated, and flung profane and furious epithets at each other. - -The stranger paused near them, and looked at one of the disputants with -a steady gaze that seemed presently to check his volubility. The man -grew uneasy, his attention was divided, he faltered in some retort, then -turned abruptly away from his still menacing antagonist, and began to -fumble with the oars and _felse_ of his gondola. - -The stranger went into the station and bought his ticket. As he stood -waiting, the gondolier he had observed came in and accosted him -respectfully, and with some embarrassment. - -“I suppose you thought I was behaving badly, signore,” he said. “But -Piero has got three passengers away from me to-day, and I couldn’t stand -it.” - -“I have not condemned you, friend,” said the stranger mildly. “What does -your own judgment say?” - -The man’s eyes fell. “I needn’t have used certain words,” he said in a -low tone. - -“Your judgment decides well,” said the stranger. “It has no need of my -interference. Addio, Gianbattista Feroli.” - -“Addio!” the gondolier echoed dreamily, and stood looking after him. “He -has a saint’s face,” he muttered. “But how did he know my name!” - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - -On leaving Venice, Tacita Mora’s ultimate destination was to go to her -mother’s relatives, after some months spent in travel. Elena was to be -her companion and guardian on the journey. - -Who her mother’s relatives were, and where they were, she did not know. -She had once asked her mother, who replied,— - -“My child, it is better, for many reasons, that you should not know till -you see them. They are quiet, respectable people. You have nothing to -disturb your mind about on their account. They know of you. They will -keep track of you, and seek you at the proper time. - -“But, as I do not wish others, who would be unfriendly, should know of -them, it is better that you should remain ignorant for the present. -People may ask you questions, and you will thus be spared the trouble of -evading, or refusing to answer. Confide in no one. Absolutely, confide -in no one, as you value your life! The person who displays curiosity -concerning your private affairs is the very last person whom you should -trust. Curiosity is a tattler, or an insinuator. Do not talk of your -personal affairs outside of your own family. I will give you a sign by -which my people are to be recognized. You are never to give that to any -one, even to them, nor to intimate that you know such a sign. They will -give it to you, anywhere, if there should be need. If no trouble should -occur, it will be given you by the side of a rock. To such a person you -may trust everything.” - -This conversation had taken place on their last visit to the Lido, as -they walked on the sands, picking up shells, and dropping them again. - -Professor Mora had given his granddaughter the same charge, adding,— - -“Some one may solicit you artfully, suspecting a secret, and pretending -to know it. Beware of the curious. For your life, remain firm and -silent! And now, forget it all till the time shall come to remember. Do -not let your imagination dwell upon the subject.” - -It was with this prospect that the orphan set out on her travels. - -Never was there a better companion than hers proved to be. The nurse had -traveled extensively, and was guardian, friend, and courier in one. She -had all the firmness and courage that a man could have, with the more -ingratiating ways of a woman. And she was an intelligent guide. - -Tacita was to remain under this woman’s protection till her friends -should claim her. She would then place herself entirely under their -guardianship, and remain with them, if contented, five years. If she -should desire to leave them before that time should expire, they were to -find a retreat for her. Her fortune was invested, and the income -regularly paid; but how it was placed she did not ask. She only knew to -whom she was to look for money, and to whom she was to appeal in case of -accident. These persons were rather numerous, and were scattered over -the greater part of Europe. None were of any special distinction, and -none were bankers. There was a musician of repute among them, and a -public singer. - -Elena was also to join friends of her own whom she had not seen for -years, when she should have placed her charge in safety. Who and where -these friends were, Tacita took good care not to inquire. They were -people who lived in a small mountain city, Elena volunteered to tell -her. “And perhaps, dear, you might like to go there with me.” - -“I would go anywhere with you!” Tacita said warmly. “I do not dare to -think of a time when I must lose you. I will not anticipate trouble; but -when we have to part, you may be sure that I shall insist on an -appointment for a meeting not far distant in time.” - -Traveling was a delight to Tacita. She had all that curiosity to see the -world that a child has to whom the world is fairyland. The names of some -places were to her like roses, or music, or like rolling thunder. She -had read of them in prose and song. When she looked at them, in their -possibly unimpressive features, she still found traces of their story, -like the furrows left in a face by some tragical experience. - -“Oh, the waterfalls!” she exclaimed, as their train rolled through the -Alps. “So white above, so green and white below! Where can I have seen a -white scarf like that wavering down from a height! Perhaps I passed this -way with my mother when first we came to Venice. It is such a fresh wild -place!” - -She stood to look down at the torrent foaming among gray rocks below; -then leaned back on the cushions, and fixed her eyes on the snow-peaks -that seemed almost in the zenith. - -“I remember so much that my grandfather used to say, though I seemed -often to listen carelessly,” she said. “He sometimes made such an odd -impression on my mind. It might be he would talk half to me and half to -himself, as if thinking aloud. He would seem to open the door of a -subject, look in curiously, find it unpromising, and come out again. Or -he would brighten as if he had found a treasure, and go on talking -beautifully. When some astronomer had discovered a new star, he said the -Te Deum should be sung in the churches, and he gave an alms and kept a -lamp burning all night in honor of it, and we had ices in the evening. -And before we separated to go to our rooms, he read the Gloria, and said -three times over the sentence, ‘We give thee thanks for thy great -glory.’ Listening to him, I sometimes felt as though people’s minds -were, for the greater part, like the tossing waves of a stormy sea. He -said once of a crowd, ‘They do not think; some one has set them -swinging. I wonder what sets them all swinging! There is God, of course. -But what instrument does he use? The stress of circumstance? Or is the -tidal wave that gives the impulse some human mind fully alive?’ I think -the human mind was his idea. He said that some people were cooled off -and crusted over like planets, and others all alive, like suns. He used -to speak of reflective men and light-giving men. He was light-giving.” - -They visited Germany and the North, France, Great Britain, Spain and -Algiers; and Tacita was getting very tired, though she did not say so. -Elena had acquaintances in all those countries, and appeared to have -errands in some. A year passed. It was spring again when they reached -Seville from Africa, saw the Holy Week processions, and laid in a store -of fans, silver filigree buttons, sashes, and photographs. Already a -large number of boxes had been sent “home” from the different countries -they had seen. - -The evening before setting out from Seville to Madrid, Elena, for the -first time, asked Tacita concerning her mother’s relatives. - -“If you do not know them, nor where they are,” she said, “how can you -communicate with them?” - -“Both my mother and grandfather told me to give myself no uneasiness,” -Tacita replied. “I thought that it was all settled with you. We are soon -to visit your home. After that, they will probably come, or send for me. -Are you impatient?” - -“Certainly not, my dear! I would most willingly keep you always with me. -But you have money, and some dishonest person might attempt to deceive -you.” - -“Oh! I have no fear,” said Tacita with a reserve that savored of -coldness. She was surprised that the subject had been introduced, and -astonished at her companion’s persistence. It seemed to have been -avoided by mutual consent. - -“Tell me how you will know them, and we will seek them together,” said -Elena. - -“I have not to seek them,” said Tacita with decided coolness. - -“Is there, then, a secret?” asked her companion, with playful mockery. - -Tacita looked at her steadily, and grew pale. “I thought that I knew -you; and I do not,” she said. - -Elena resumed her dignity. “If you really object to telling me, then I -will not ask,” she said. “You had not mentioned the fact that it was a -great secret.” - -“Nor have I said so now,” answered the girl with a look of distress. “My -mother talked with me of our affairs just before she died, and my -grandfather gave me some directions. What they said to me is sacred, and -is mine. I do not wish to talk of it.” - -“You swear that you will not tell me?” said Elena, looking at her -keenly. - -“I will not swear to anything!” exclaimed Tacita. “And I request you not -to mention the subject again.” - -“We will then dismiss it,” said her companion, and rose to leave the -room. “I presumed on what I thought was a confidential friendship, and -on the fact that your family confided you to me.” - -Tacita said nothing. Her head drooped. All her past sorrows seemed to -return upon her. This woman, heretofore so dignified and so delicate, -had appeared to her in a new light. She had sometimes fancied that Elena -understood something of her affairs; but, apparently, she did not. That -she should show a vulgar and persistent curiosity was shocking. - -After a while Elena came into the room, and standing at a window, looked -out into the purple twilight starred with lamps. The crowd that in -Seville seems never to sleep was flowing and murmuring through the plaza -and the streets. - -Tacita was weeping silently. - -“My dear child!” exclaimed the woman, going to embrace her. “Are we not -friends?” - -“You made me fear that we were not,” said Tacita. - -“Dismiss that fear! I will never so offend you again.” - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - -One morning shortly after their arrival at Madrid, the two went to the -great picture-gallery, of all picture-galleries the most delightful. - -“When you shall have seen Murillo’s Conceptions,” Elena said, “you will -see the difference between a sweet human nature and a supernatural -creature. Raphael has painted good and beautiful women full of religious -feeling; Murillo has painted the miraculous woman. The Spaniard had a -vision of the Divine.” - -“You have been in Madrid before?” - -“For two years,” said Elena quietly. - -They entered the large hall. It was early for visitors; but two artists -were there copying. One had had the courage to set his easel up before -one of Murillo’s large Conceptions. - -Tacita seated herself before that heavenly vision, and became absorbed -in it. It was a revelation to her. The small picture in the Louvre had -made but a slight impression on her, weary as she was with sight-seeing. -But here was a reflection of heaven itself in the exquisite figure that -floated before her supported on a wreath of angels, the white robe -falling about her in veiling folds, and the long cerulean scarf full of -that same wind that shook the house wherein waited the Apostles and the -Marys when the Holy Ghost descended upon them. The two little hands were -pressed palm to palm, the long black hair fell down her shoulders, her -large black eyes, fixed on some dawning, ineffable glory, were full of a -solemn radiance, her delicate face was like a white lily in the -sunshine. The figure was at once childlike, angelic, and imposing. - -Tacita had not removed her eyes from the picture when Elena came to -touch her arm, and whispered: “Do you know that you have not winked for -half an hour?” - -Tacita roused herself. “I scarcely care to look at anything else now,” -she said. “I will glance about the room there, and then go home.” - -She went into the Isabella room, and walked slowly along the wall. -Nothing dazzled her after that Murillo. Even Fra Angelico’s angels -looked insipidly sweet beside its ethereal sublimity. The “Perla” kept -her but a moment. Those radiant black eyes of the “Concepcion” seemed to -gaze at her from every canvas. She was about leaving the room, when -something made her turn back to look again at an unremarkable picture -catalogued as “A Madonna and Saints.” Of the two catalogues she saw, one -ascribed it to Pordenone, the other to Giorgione. She glanced at it -without interest, wondering why she had stopped. The Madonna and Child, -and the woman who held out to them a basket of red and white roses might -just as well not have been painted for any significance they had; and -she was about turning away when she caught sight of a face in the -shadowed corner of the canvas behind the kneeling woman. - -This was no conventional saint. The man seemed to be dressed in armor, -and his hand rested on a sword-hilt or the back of a chair. The shadows -swathed him thickly, leaving the face alone distinct. One guessed at a -slight and well-knit figure. The face was bronzed, and rather thin, the -features as delicate as they could be without weakness. Dark auburn hair -fell almost to the shoulders, a slight moustache shaded the lip, a small -pointed beard the chin. The brows were prominent, and strong enough to -redeem a weak face, even; and beneath them were the eyes that go with -such brows, penetrating, steady, far-seeing, and deep-seeing. Those eyes -were fixed on the Madonna and Child, not in adoration, but with an -earnest attention. He stood erect, and seemed to be studying the -characters of those two beings whom the woman before him knelt to -worship. Yet, reserved and incisive as the look was, something of -sweetness might be discerned in the man’s face. - -Tacita, half turned to go away, remained gazing at that face, -fascinated. What a fine strength and purity! What reserve and what -firmness! It was a face that could flash like a storm-cloud. Would -anything ever make such a man fear, or be weak, careless, or cruel? - -Elena came and stood by her, but said nothing. - -“Behold a man,” said Tacita, “whom I would follow through the world, and -out of the world!” - -Her companion did not speak. - -“Why was I not in the world when he lived in it!” the girl went on. “Or -why is he not here now! Fancy that face smiling approval of you! Elena, -do the dead hear us?” - -“The living hear us!” replied the woman. “Is the air dead because you -cannot see it? Is it powerless because it is sometimes still? It is only -the ignoble who go downward, and become as stones.” - -She spoke calmly and with a sort of authority. - -They went out together. - -“We are late for our luncheon,” Elena said as they got into their -carriage. “We must lose no time, if we are to see the king and queen go -out to drive. Are you decided to leave Madrid to-morrow?” - -“I don’t know,” Tacita replied absently. - -“I shall want to know this evening, dear; so try to make up your mind. I -want to send for some of my people to meet us. I hope that you will like -my people.” - -“If they are like you, I shall love them,” Tacita said. - -“How long will you be content to stay with us?” the woman asked. - -“How can I say, Elena? You have told me that your people are quiet, -kind, and unpretending. That is pleasant, but only that is not enough -for a long time. I want to see persons who know more than I do, who can -paint, play on instruments, dance, sing, model, write poetry, speak with -eloquence, and govern with strength and justice. I think that my heart -would turn to lead if I had to live forever with people who were -uncultivated. But if your people are like you, they are not merely -simple. You know a great deal more than I do; and you are always -_simpatica_.” - -“By simplicity, I do not mean ignorance,” her friend said. “Professor -Mora was simple. Some barbarous persons are very involved and obscure.” - -“Oh! if you speak in that sense”— - -They ate their luncheon, stepped into the carriage that was waiting for -them, and drove to the Plaza del Oriente. A good many persons were -standing about the streets there waiting to see the young king and -queen, Alfonso and Cristina, drive out. It was a gathering of leisurely, -serious-looking people, with very few among them showing signs of -poverty. The sky was limpid above the trees; and in the square opposite -the corner at which our travelers waited, a bronze horseman seemed -leaping into the blue over their topmost boughs. - -Tacita glanced about her, at the people, the palace gate from which the -royal cortége would issue, at the bronze horseman in the air; and then, -turning a little to the other side, saw a man leaning carelessly against -the trunk of a tree—saw him, and nothing else. - -She felt as though she had received an electric shock. There before her -was the face of the Giorgione picture, every feature as she had studied -it that morning, and the very expression of which she had felt the -power. He was gazing at the palace gate, not as though waiting to see, -but already seeing. One would have said that the walls were transparent -to him, and that he was so absorbed in observing that king and queen -whom no one else saw as to be oblivious to all about him. - -His dress was some provincial or foreign costume. Black velvet -short-clothes were held at the waist by a fringed scarf of black silk. -His short jacket of black cloth was like a torero’s in shape. He wore a -full white shirt, black stockings and sandals, and a scarlet fez on his -dark hair in which the sunshine found an auburn tint. - -Tacita gazed at him with eyes as intent as his own. The smileless lips, -the brow with its second sight, the pointed beard and faintly bronzed -skin—they were the same that she had but an hour or two before engraven -on her mind in lines as clear and sharp as those of any antique -intaglio. - -The stranger had not seemed aware of her observation; and the distance -at which he stood from her gave no reason for his being so. But -presently, when she began to wonder if he would ever stir, he went -quietly to a poor woman who, with a child in her arms, leaned against -the fence behind him, and took the child from her. - -She looked surprised, but yielded in silence. The infant stared at him, -but made no resistance. He had not looked directly at either of them, -nor addressed them. He brought the child to the carriage, and held it -out, his eyes lowered, not downcast, nor once looking at its occupants. - -Both Tacita and Elena silently placed a silver coin in the child’s hand. - -The man retreated a step, respectful, but not saluting, and carried the -child to its mother. She showed in receiving it the same silent surprise -with which she had yielded it to him. The stranger returned to his -former position under the tree. He had not looked at any one, nor spoken -a word; yet he had displayed neither affectation nor rudeness. A winged -seed could not have floated past with more simplicity of action, nor yet -with more grace. - -There was a stir among the people. Two horsemen had issued from the -palace gate, and an open carriage followed, behind which were again two -other cavaliers. Tacita descended hastily from the carriage. In doing so -she glanced at the tree against which the stranger had leaned; but he -was no longer to be seen. - -The royal carriage passed by, its occupants bowing courteously to the -young traveler who courtesied from her post on the sidewalk. The queen -was pale and sad-looking, the spirited face of the young king had -something in its expression that was almost defiant. The spectators were -cold and merely civil. At such a sight one remembers that kings and -queens have also hearts that may be wounded, and that they sometimes -need and deserve compassion. Few of them, indeed, have willfully grasped -the crown; and on many of them it has descended like a crown of thorns. - -“The king gives the queen the right hand, though she is queen consort -only,” Tacita said as they drove away. “In Italy the king regnant must -absolutely have the right; and etiquette is quite as imperative in -placing the gentleman at the lady’s left hand. Consequently, the king -and queen of Italy do not drive out together. Gallantry yields to law, -but evades a rudeness.” - -She was scarcely conscious of what she was saying. Her eyes were -searching the street and square. “What is his name?” she exclaimed -suddenly, without any preface whatever. - -“His name is Dylar,” answered Elena. “He will make a part of the journey -with us.” - -“He is from your place?” Tacita asked. She could not have told whether -she felt a sudden joy or a sudden disenchantment. - -“Yes, he is from our place.” - -“The child was not his?” - -“Oh, no!” - -“Why did he bring it to us?” - -“Probably he saw that they were poor.” - -“Does he know them?” - -“He must know that they are poor, or he would not have asked charity for -them.” - -“He asked nothing,” said Tacita. - -“Yet you gave.” - -“It is true; he did ask and seemed sure of receiving. Why does he make a -part of the journey with us?” - -“He knows the way and the people. He will meet us when we cross the -mountains.” - -“I wonder if they are the mountains that my grandfather remembered!” -thought Tacita, and asked no more. Some feeling that was scarcely fear, -but rather a sense of coming fate, began to creep over her. She had -entered upon a path from which there was no retreat, and something -mysterious was stealing about her and closing her in. - -“Dylar is here,” Elena said as they drove into the gardens of the -Ritiro. “Shall we stop and speak to him? I want to tell him when we will -leave Madrid. What shall I say?” - -“We will leave to-morrow morning,” Tacita said, looking eagerly around. -Already it seemed to her a wonderful thing to hear this man speak. - -He was walking to and fro under the trees, and came to the side of their -carriage immediately. He glanced at Tacita, and slowly bowed himself in -something of an oriental fashion. One might have hesitated whether to -compare his manner to that of a perfectly trained servant come to take -orders, or to the confident reserve of a sovereign about to hear if his -orders had been obeyed. “The signorina has decided to set out to-morrow -morning,” Elena said to him. “We shall not stop anywhere.” - -“I will meet you at the orange-farm,” the man answered quietly. - -The voice was clear and low, the enunciation perfect. - -He looked at Tacita with a reassuring kindness. “Elena knows all that is -necessary,” he said. “Trust to her, and have no fear.” - -She felt herself in the presence of a superior. “I have no fear now,” -she replied; and thought, “How did he know that I was afraid!” - -He drew back, and they went on their way, neither speaking of what had -occurred. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - -Tacita resumed her journey in a dream, and pursued it in a dream. She -asked no questions, and observed but little, though at times it seemed -to her that the line of their progress was a zigzag. Did they cross the -water a second time? Why did they travel so much by night, and sleep by -day? She did not care. Her mind became dimly aware of these questions -rather than asked them. Had she taken hashish? No matter. All that she -wanted was rest. Her very eyelashes and fingernails were weary. Oh, for -the mountains, for a place to call home, and rest! - -She received the impression that a part of the country through which -they passed was like a burnt-out world, all sand and black rocks, so -that the limpid rivulet that met them somewhere was a surprise. She -wondered languidly that it was not dried up. Was it a week, or a month, -since Dylar had said, “Have no fear”? No matter. She had no fear; but -she was, oh, so weary! Fortunately, nothing was required of her but -passive endurance of fatigue. She was borne along, and tenderly cared -for. - -One day she roused herself a little, or something was done to rouse her. -They were in an easy old carriage drawn by mules. It had met them at a -solitary little station of which she had not seen nor asked the name; -and they had been driving through a dry plain, and were now in pine -woods. - -Elena gave her some little cakes of chocolate and slices of lemon. “We -are almost out of provisions,” she said; “but in an hour you shall have -a good dinner; and then to bed with her, like a sleepy child.” - -Elena was smiling brightly. Tacita gave a languid smile in return, and -leaned back, looking out the window. The pines had ceased, and there was -a rice-field at one side, and orange-trees heavily laden with ripe fruit -at the other. - -The oranges reminded her of Naples, which she had visited when a child. -The blue bay and blue sky seemed to sparkle before her, the songs -bubbled up, there was the soft splendor of profuse flowers, the fruits, -the joy in life, the careless gayety; and, crowning these delights, that -ever-present menace smoking up against the sky, telling of boiling -rivers from a boiling pit of inextinguishable fire ever ready to -overflow, bearing destruction to all that beauty. - -“The utmost of earthly delight has ever its throne on the edge of a -crater,” she thought. - -The orange-trees pressed closer, right and left, there were blossoms -with the fruit, and the western sun shone through both. The air was -fresh and sweet. She saw nothing but glossy foliage and golden balls, -and a green turf strown with gold. - -“It is Andalusia, or the Hesperides!” she said, waking, and sitting up. - -Even as she spoke, the green and gold wall came to an end, and at a -little distance a whitewashed stone house was visible. - -“Look!” exclaimed Elena; and leaning toward her, pointed upward out of -the carriage window. - -Behind the house, showing over its roof like a crown on a head, was a -curve of olive-trees on a hill-top. Above the trees rose wild rocks in -fantastic peaks and precipices, and above the rocks, closely serrated, -was a range of Alp-like mountains upholding a mass of snow and ice that -glittered rosily in the sunset. - -“Is it your home?” asked Tacita eagerly. “How beautiful!” - -“Not yet,” her friend answered, her eyes, filled with tears of joy, -fixed on those shining heights. “But from my home those mountains are -visible. To-morrow night I shall sleep under my own blessed roof!” - -The door of the house stood open, but no one appeared in it. At some -distance were several persons, men and women, gathering oranges. They -paused to look at the travelers, but made no movement to approach them. - -“We do not need any one,” Elena said. “You shall go directly to your -chamber; and after supper you shall sleep.” - -They entered a vestibule from which a stair ascended. The inner doors -were closed. They went up to a pleasant chamber that looked toward the -mountains and the south. At their left, toward the east, twilight had -already come under the shadow of those heights and the pines beneath. -But shafts of red gold still shot over their heads from the west, and -all the shadows had a tinge of gold. An orange-tree that grew beneath -their window lifted a crowded cluster of ripe fruit above the sill, as -if offering it to the travelers. - -“Thank you!” Tacita said, and detached one from the bunch where they -grew so close that each one had a facet on its side. - -Elena, who seemed to feel perfectly at home, left her resting and went -down stairs for their supper. She had made no mistake in saying that it -would be a good supper. An hour later, the shadows had lost their gold, -and Tacita was asleep. - -How sweet is the deep sleep of weariness that hopes and trusts! It is -not alone that every nerve and muscle lets slip a burden, that the heart -gives a thankful sigh, and the busy brain grows quiet. The pleasure is -more than negative. Such sleep comes as the tide comes in calm weather. -Transparent, yet tangible, it steals over the tired senses, its crest a -whispered lullaby. Deeper, then, smoothing out the creases of life with -a down-like touch. Yet deeper, and a full swell submerges the -consciousness, and you lie quiescent at the bottom of an enchanted sea. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - -“Are you prepared for mountain climbing?” Elena asked the next morning -when Tacita woke. - -“I am prepared for anything! I have had such a refreshing sleep! How -long has it been?” - -“Nearly twelve hours, my dear. Your ancestors must have come from -Ephesus. I thought that I knew how to sleep; but the singleness of -purpose with which you lay yourself away is something entirely your own. -It is a gift. It arrives at genius. Now, who do you think that I can see -coming over a rocky path above the olives?” - -“Can it be Dylar?” - -“It is Dylar. He will be here in fifteen minutes.” - -The people of the house paid as little attention to their guests in the -morning as they had the evening before. Elena brought the breakfast, if -she did not prepare it. Probably they were all out picking oranges. -Children were visible at a distance gathering the fruit up from under -the trees. The orchard was a good many acres in extent. - -When Tacita, prepared for her journey, went down to the door, their -driver of the day before stood there with two donkeys girded with -chair-shaped saddles, with high backs and foot-rests. Not far away there -was another donkey. Beside it stood a man who uncovered his head, and -looked with an eager smile at the young traveler when she appeared. - -“He is one of my people,” Elena said. “I have been talking with him. You -should salute him in this way,” lifting her hand above her face. - -Tacita imitated her with a smiling glance toward the guide, who -responded. - -Away under the trees talking with the farmers was a third man, who as -soon as Tacita appeared, came to meet her. - -It was Dylar; but Dylar in a conventional dress such as any gentleman -might wear in traveling; and with the dress, he had assumed something of -the conventional manner. Had he lost by the change? she asked herself, -while he made courteous inquiries, and looked to see if her saddle was -firm. No: the face was the same, and could easily make one forget the -costume; and there was sincerity in the tone of his inquiries. - -“We cross this angle of the mountains, and go back almost in the -direction from which you came yesterday,” Dylar said. “I am sorry that -it was necessary to take you by the longer way. Late in the afternoon we -shall reach a house where you and Elena will sleep. It is a solitary -place, but more comfortable than it looks at first sight, and it is -quite safe. To-morrow you will have but three hours’ ride.” - -They mounted, and took the path that led backward over the heights. They -rode singly, Elena with her guide leading. Tacita followed with a man at -her bridle, and Dylar came last. - -The air grew cooler and finer. It was the air that makes one wish to -dance. - -Tacita asked herself what it could be in all these faces,—Dylar’s, -Elena’s, the two guides’, yes, and in her own mother’s and -grandfather’s,—which made them resemble each other in spite of different -features and characters. It was a spiritual family resemblance. -Ingenuous was not the word. It was not dignity alone. Strong and gentle -did not describe it. It was the expression of a certain harmonious poise -and elastic firmness of mind indicating that each one had found his -proper place, and was content with it; indicating, too, a mutual -complaisance, but a supreme dependence on something higher. - -Their way led deeper into the mountains. Now and then, in turnings of -the path, Tacita lost sight of her companions. She looked backward once -for Dylar. When he appeared, he smiled and waved his hand to her -encouragingly. - -“He smiled!” she whispered to herself, but did not look back again. - -The sky was blue and cloudless, and pulsed with its fullness of light. -Somewhere, not far away, there was a waterfall. Its infant thunder and -lisping splash pervaded the air. The scene grew more grand and terrible. -One moment they would be shut into a narrow space from which exit seemed -impossible, dark stone grinding close without a sign of pathway; then -the solid walls were cleft as in an instant. In the near deeps lurked a -delicate shadow; far below was revealed from time to time a velvety -darkness. - -Tacita’s mind, floating between present contentment, a half-forgotten -pain, and a mystical anticipation, confused the scene about her with -others far away. Clustered windows, crowded sculptures and balconies, -seemed to emboss the cliffs at either hand, or float in misty lines -along their surfaces. The sound of the haunting cascade became the dip -of oars, or the swash of the lagoon ploughed by a steamboat. She saw -their time-stained old Venetian house; and the last scenes she had -witnessed there rose before her. A wreath of mist that had risen from -some invisible stream and paused among the rocks recalled a narrow bed -with a white-haired old man lying on it, peaceful and dead. The hymn -sung as he died seemed only that moment to have ceased on the air. Why -had it sounded familiar? Perhaps it might have a phrase in common with -some song she knew. How did it go? She hummed softly, feeling for the -tune, found a bar or two, and sang in a low voice. - -To her astonishment, her guide at once took up the strain, and from him -Elena and her guide, and then Dylar. They sang:— - - “San Salvador, San Salvador, - We live in thee! - ’Tis love that holds the threads of fate; - Death’s but the opening of a gate, - The parting of a mist that dims the sky. - We live in thee! We live in thee! - San Salvador, - We live in thee!” - -Tacita held her breath to listen. Was she indeed riding through mountain -paths and morning air, or lying in a dream in some strange land? Dylar’s -was the voice that had sung beneath their window when her grandfather -was dying! - -The way grew wilder. The rocks were black and frowning. Sometimes their -path was but a narrow shelf along the face of a precipice. Once the -guide made her descend, and fastened a rope from iron hook to hook set -in the rock for her to hold in passing. - -At noon they reached a little plateau,—a few feet of short turf, some -tiny vines and spotted lichens, and a blue flower, all of which seemed -miracles in that place. Here they dismounted and ate their luncheon. - -“What a wonder a flower would be, if there were only one in the world!” -Dylar said, seeing Tacita bend over this. - -She smiled, and continued to examine it carefully, without touching. It -seemed something sacred. Who drew the little lines on its petals, and -scattered the gold dust in its heart, and gave it all that seeming of -innocent faith and courage? The grass-blades, too, with their fine -serrated edges, and sharp points thrust upward, then curving over, as if -they were spears changing to pruning-hooks,—what beautiful things they -were when there were but few! - -Dylar and Elena talked with their guides in a language that she had -never heard before, yet which she could almost understand. - -It was a clear-sounding and sonorous language, with a good deal of -accent, and it almost sang. - -“You will soon learn it,” Elena said. “It is the flower of all -languages, not yet rich, but pure.” - -They mounted, and pursued their way. After some hours the path began to -broaden and descend. They entered a pine wood, and the sun deserted -them, showing only on the tops of the highest trees. The way was dim and -fragrant, long brown aisles of gloom stretched away at their left. But -only a fringe of trees stood between them and the crags at their right. - -The path turned with a long curve, and they were at the door of a dark -old house, built of rough stones, and set against a cliff. Opposite the -door a road went down into the pines, and disappeared. The road by which -they had come continued past the door, descended gently, and disappeared -around the cliffs. - -The house had a sinister, deserted look. The door was off the hinges, -and set against an inner wall. The rude shutters of an upper window hung -half open. Where the masonry of the house ended and the natural rock -began was not apparent. Nature had adopted the rough stones, and set her -lichens and grasses in their interstices. - -A rivulet fell from the heights into a trough near the door, twisting -itself as it fell, and braiding in strands of light. From the trough the -water overflowed, and followed the road. - -“It is not so bad as it looks,” Elena said. - -Dylar came to assist Tacita. “I think that you will be able to rest well -here, unpromising as it looks,” he said. “Do not be anxious. You will be -well guarded. And to-morrow your journey will come to an end.” - -As they entered the house, a man came hastening down the stairs. He -saluted Dylar with reverence and Elena with delight. They spoke together -in the language the guides had used. The man bowed lowly before Tacita, -and smiled a welcome. - -The room had no door but that by which they had entered, and no -furniture but a rough bench and table. There was a cavernous chimney. -The floor was strown all about with twigs and pine-needles. - -One of the guides brought in some boughs, and kindled a fire on the -hearth. - -Dylar took leave of Tacita, and pursued his way down the carriage-road -leading by the rocks. In parting he said,— - -“After to-morrow I will see you, if the King wills.” - -A stair led directly from the room to a landing. Two doors opened on -this landing. One was closed. The other stood wide open into a chamber -that was in pleasant contrast with the room below. A wide white bed, a -deep sofa, a commode and mirror, a table set with covers for two drawn -up before the sofa, and a second table holding roasted fowl, salad, -wine, and fruit promised every necessary comfort. The room was rough but -clean. A gray muslin curtain was drawn back from one side of the window, -and there was a glazed sash in a sliding frame at the other. - -“Isn’t it cosy!” said Elena, who seemed to be overflowing with joy at -finding herself so near home. “Now, lie down on the sofa, dear, and you -shall have some soup as soon as it is hot. We shall fare well. Our -supper has been prepared by the housekeeper at the castle, and sent in -good order.” - -“I must not ask what castle?” Tacita said. - -“Why, Castle Dylar, of course!” Elena said, and went down stairs for the -soup. - -There was a sound from below of the door being set on its hinges and -barred, and the shutters were closed. - -“The guides will sleep below,” Elena said. - -“Elena,” said Tacita, “what did Dylar mean when he said ‘if the King -wills?’ Who is the king?” - -“Christ Jesus,” replied Elena, bowing her head. - -“_Evviva Gesù!_” exclaimed the girl with pleasant surprise. “And is -Dylar the master of Castle Dylar?” - -“He is sole master!” - -“Am I allowed to ask if he has any title of nobility?” - -“He is a prince,” said Elena. - -She asked no more. - -Later, when half asleep, she became aware of strange sounds from below, -as of a heavy weight falling, and grating hinges. - -“Don’t be afraid,” Elena said. “The men are putting the donkeys in their -stable. And our chamber door is strongly barred.” - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - -The sun was high when Tacita woke the next morning. The chamber door was -open, and an odor of coffee came up the stair. The window sash and -curtain had been drawn back, admitting the pine-scented air and a rain -of sunshine that fell over everything in large golden drops. - -It was late. “But that does not matter,” Elena said, coming up with the -coffee. “We could not have started sooner. My brother had to come for -us; and it takes three hours. There were other things to do besides. And -when they were all done, we talked over the incidents of a five years’ -separation. How glad I was to see him!” - -Tears were shining in her eyes. “There is no haste. My brother has to -prepare some things. We go by an inner path, not the one Dylar took. We -travel in a southwesterly direction across the mountains; and you will -reach your chamber long before sunset. I have thought that you would not -care to see any strangers to-night. Am I right? Well, now we will go -down. But first, I have a word to say to you.” - -There was something in her face that arrested attention, an excitement -that was almost a trembling. “Tacita, do you remember all that your -mother and grandfather told you, which you refused to repeat to me?” - -Tacita made no reply in words. Already she divined. - -The nurse leaned to whisper a word in her ear, and give her a sign. - -Tacita looked at her with a mild surprise. - -The nurse went to look out the window, and returning, repeated her -pantomime and whisper. - -“Well?” said Tacita wonderingly. - -“Dylar reproved me for having tried you in Seville,” the nurse said, and -again repeated the whisper and the touch. - -“I might have known!” Tacita exclaimed joyously, embracing her. “I did -almost know. It is all that was needed to make me perfectly happy! And -now, let us start for home. At last I can call it home! ‘By the side of -a rock,’ my mother said.” - -They went down stairs. There was no one visible, and the door was still -barred. Elena led her companion into the niche under the stair, and -tapped on the stone wall. Immediately, as though her light touch had -pushed it, a part of the wall receded a few inches, was lifted a few -inches, and swung slowly backward. It was a door of small stones set in -a plank frame, the irregular edges fitting perfectly into the masonry -about them. A narrow, dim passage was visible, leading downwards. - -They descended, hand in hand, passing by a man who stood there in the -shadow; and the door was closed and barred behind them. It was hung on -iron hooks that were round at the top, and square below. When the bars -were removed, and the door freed from the wall, a pulley lifted it from -the square to the round iron on which it swung. - -The incline led to a small cave, scarcely larger than the room above. It -was all open to the west, and an abyss separated it from a precipice, -leaving only a narrow shelf of rock outside the cave’s mouth. Beside -this shelf, no other egress was visible. - -The place showed signs of having been recently used as a stable. For the -rest, it might not have been visited for years. There was an old chest -with rusty hinges, an old box full of pine-needles, and some discolored -blocks of wood that might have served as seats. - -“It is Arone, my brother!” said Elena, when the man came down to them -after fastening the door. - -He had a sunny face, and he resembled his sister so closely that an -introduction was scarcely necessary. His dress set off a fine manly -figure. It was a gray cloth tunic reaching to the knees, and girded with -a dark blue fringed sash. Long gray stockings and a gray turban-shaped -cap with a blue band completed his costume. The band of the cap was -closed over the left ear with a small silver hand. - -The shelf of rock proved to be their path. Holding by a rope fixed in -iron hooks, they followed its curve to a small platform of rock. From -this, a bridge of two planks, over which the rope was continued, crossed -the chasm to a second shelf. This was more dangerous than the first; for -it was wet, and the sheer rock it followed was dripping. Beyond, in a -wider path, were their guides of the day before, and the donkeys. - -Holding the rope, Tacita passed the wet rock, not daring to look -downward, and was received by her companions with a “Brava!” - -The worst was over. She sat down to get her breath, and Arone returned -to remove the ropes and plank. - -“You are going to see, in a little while, why our path is wet,” Elena -said. “Meantime, look about you. Do you see that window?” pointing to a -fissure in the rock above the cave. Ropes extended from this point to -another not visible to them, but in the direction of their pathway. “The -closed door you saw next to our chamber leads to that room, and those -ropes carry signals to a station that is visible to a second station -farther on. From there they are repeated to a third, and that third -station we see at home. Anything that takes place here can be known -there in a few minutes. They must know already that we have passed the -bridge. The house is not such a ruin as it appears, nor so far away from -everybody. There are several decent rooms above; and it is only five -miles round by the road to Castle Dylar. There are always two persons in -the house as guard; and they are changed every week. From an upper -window, like this, hidden behind a fissure in the rock, all the roads -outside are visible. There are tubes leading to the lower room through -which the guard can converse, or listen.” - -Tacita did not reply. She disliked mysteries, having had reason to -mistrust them. - -“We have no more secrets than we must, dear,” her friend said, -perceiving the signs of distaste. “All that you have seen is necessary -for the protection of good people who have not strength to defend -themselves, and would not wish to use force, if they could.” - -Arone, who had come back to them, looked at the window over the cave, -and blew a whistle. Instantly, a bunch of long, colored streamers ran -along one of the ropes, and disappeared. While they waited, Elena gave -her charge a first lesson in her mother’s native language, telling the -names of their guides, their animals, the rocks, lichens, and the sky, -with its light and sources of light. Then, pausing, she raised her hand, -and listened. There was a stir, faint and far away, but coming nearer. -It became a rushing sound, and a sound of waters. A huge white feather -showed above the wet rock underneath which they had passed, and a -foaming torrent leaped over its brink, plunged with a sharp stroke to -the shelf, and fell into the abyss. Their whole path from the cave’s -mouth to within a few feet of where they stood was covered with the wild -rush of a mountain torrent. - -“That is our beautiful gate,” Elena said. “It needs no bolt. Now we will -go. From here the way is all plain.” - -They rode for two hours over a hard mountain path, where nothing but -dark rocks, pine-trees, and snow was visible. Then through a gap in the -mountains an exquisite picture was seen, lower down, and not so far away -but its features could be examined. There was a green hill with sheep -and lambs, and a little cottage. Outside the door, under the shadow of -an awning, sat a man and woman. The man was carving pieces of wood on a -table before him; the woman had some work on her lap which kept her -hands in constant motion. A young girl came out of the cottage and -brought her mother something which they examined closely together. They -were all dressed in gray with bright girdles. - -“The man carves little olive-wood boxes and bowls,” Elena said. “The -woman and her daughter make pillow lace. The girl is our very best -lace-maker. Her work brings a high price when we send it out.” - -The three continued tranquilly their occupations, unconscious of being -observed; and an interposing mountain slope soon hid them from sight. - -Tacita began to feel that she had rested but superficially the two past -nights. She scarcely cared to look at the changing views where distant -snow-peaks and occasional airy distances seemed to intimate that before -long they might emerge from their mountain prison. - -The path descended gradually; there were glimpses of pine-groves and -olives. Suddenly they made a sharp turn, and entered a cave much like -that they had started from. - -“At last!” exclaimed Elena, and slipped from her saddle. - -From the cave they went into a long corridor that led them to an -ante-room with a curtained glass door at each of the four sides. There -was no window. One of the doors stood open into a charming bed-chamber. - -The one large window of this chamber was covered with a curtain of white -linen in closely crowded flutings that shone with a reflected sunshine. -The color of all the room was a delicate gray, with touches of gilding -everywhere. They glimmered in a broad band of arabesques that ran round -the walls at middle height; on a bronze vase with its long slender -pen-sweep of a handle; on the lance-ends of the curtain-rod; on the -railing around three sides of a little table that held a candlestick, -bottle, and glass at the bedside. There was a glistening of gold all -through the light shadow-tint. - -“Welcome! A thousand welcomes to San Salvador!” exclaimed Elena, leading -Tacita into the chamber and embracing her with fervor. “May all -happiness and peace attend you here; and may the place be to you the -gate of heaven!” - -“And now, dear, your fatigues are all over,” she added. “You are at -home!” - -“San Salvador!” repeated Tacita, looking about her. - -“Do you wish to see and know more now, at once?” the nurse asked -smilingly. “There are no more secrets for you.” - -“Oh, no! Just now I appreciate too well our Italian proverb: ‘The bed is -a rose.’ And that sofa seems to speak.” She went to sink on to its soft -cushions. “Go to your friends, Elena.” - -“Presently. You must first be attended to. There is a woman here who -will serve you in everything. She speaks French, and her name is Marie. -What are your orders?” - -“My wish is to rest on this motherly sofa an hour or two, without having -to utter a word. Then I would like a little quiet dinner, all alone, -after which I will go to bed and sleep as long as nature wills. Those -are my wishes. My sole command is that you go to your friends at once, -and do not return to me till to-morrow morning. My poor, dear Elena! -What a care I have been to you! Now let me see you take some care of -yourself. I have all that I want.” - -The woman, Marie, appeared with a cup of broth on a tray. From her glad -excitement, the tray trembled in her hands. - -“Oh, welcome home, Elena!” she exclaimed. “Welcome to San Salvador, -Tacita Mora! You are a thousand times welcome! May the place be to you -the gate of heaven! I am so glad!” - -She set the tray before Tacita, but could spare her only a glance as she -uttered her hasty and tremulous welcome. Then she ran to embrace Elena. -“Oh, welcome! welcome! You are looking so well. You come laden with good -news. Stay with us! We will not let you go again. We will give the moon -in exchange for you!” - -“Oh, I should miss the moon,” Elena said laughingly. - -After a little while they went out together, leaving Tacita to rest. - -“What, then, is San Salvador?” she wondered, sinking among the -sofa-pillows. - -Perhaps she might learn by lifting that sun-lighted curtain. But she did -not wish to lift it. There was pleasure in tasting slowly the unfolding -mystery. So far, each revelation had been brighter than the preceding. -She slept content, and waked to see on the curtain the deep hue of -sunset. - -For a little while she lay looking about her, recollecting herself, and -examining her surroundings. The floor was of yellow tiles, all the -furniture and bed-covers were of pale gray linen as glossy as satin, the -wicker chairs were graceful in shape, and the tables gave a restful idea -of what tables are meant for, undefeated by sprawling legs and -impertinent corner-twiddlings. They were of fine solid wood, dignified -and useful, and set squarely on strong legs. - -Glancing at the band of arabesques around the walls, Tacita perceived -that it had a meaning. It was all letters—but letters run to flower or -to animal life. They budded, they ended in tendrils, they were birds and -insects, but always letters; and as she studied them, they became -letters that made words in all the languages that she knew; and -doubtless those which she could not decipher were words of languages -unknown to her. And of all those which she could read, every one -repeated the same words, over and over, whole, or in fragments, each -phrase held up as a honey-dropping flower: - -_He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; and sorrow and mourning shall -flee away._ - -It was set down in clear text. Then a bird flew with a part of it in his -beak. _Like a shepherd, Like a shepherd._ And the word _shepherd_ stood -alone, all bloomed out with little golden lilies. Dragon-flies and -butterflies bore the promise on their wings; and where it bore roses, -every rose had a humming-bird or bee sucking its sweetness out. The -quick squirrel ran with what seemed a vine hanging from his upturned -mouth; and the vine was a promise. - -It was the Moorish idea. She had seen among their arabesques the motto -of Ibn-l-ahmar: “There is no conqueror but God,” so interwoven with -ornamentation. But that solemn Moorish reverence and piety did not touch -the heart like this consoling tenderness. - -Dinner was served on a table set before the window. It was a charming -little dinner: a shaving of broiled ham; a miraculous soup; a bit of -fish in a shell; a few ribs, crisp and tender, of roasted kid; rice in -large white kernels; an exquisite salad of some tender herbs with lemon -juice and oil that was like honey; a conserve of orange-blossoms, rich -and thick; a tiny flask of red wine from which all acrid taste of seed -and stem had been excluded; and lastly, a sip or two of coffee which -defied criticism. - -Evidently the cook of San Salvador was nothing less than a -_cordon-bleu_. - -The dinner done a healthy justice to, and praised, Tacita was once more -left to herself. But first Marie brought a vase of olive oil and water -with a floating flame, and set it in a little glazed niche in the wall -that had its own pipe-stem of a chimney; and she drew back the window -curtain. The lower part of it had lost the sun; but a bar of orange -light crossed the top. - -Tacita waited till the door closed, then looked out eagerly. - -There were still mountains in a rugged magnificence of mass and outline; -but the color left no room for disappointment. They faced the west with -the kindled torch of a snow-peak above a tumult of gold and purple and -deep-red. There were pines along the lower heights, and olives, and, -lower still, fruit-trees. A rock protruding close to either side of the -window narrowed the lower view. But only a few rods distant, a wedge of -smooth green turf was visible, with a crowd of gayly-dressed children -playing on it, tossing grace-hoops, chasing each other, and dancing. - -Presently the air was filled with a sweet, tinkling music. The children -ceased their play at the sound, and formed themselves in procession, -with subsiding kitten-like skips, and passed along the green, and out of -sight. - -As she watched them, it occurred to Tacita for the first time to think -that youth is beautiful. It is a thought that seldom occurs to the -young, youth being a gift that is gone as soon as recognized. Her aching -languor and weariness taught her the value of that elastic activity, and -her sorrow suggested the charm of that unclouded gayety. Yes, it is -beautiful, she thought, that evanescent blush of life’s morning forever -hovering about the sterner facts of human existence. - -She sat and looked out till the color faded from the heights, leaving -only a spot of gold aloft; and, thinking that she must not go to sleep -in her chair, fell sound asleep in it. - -It was about midnight when she waked, and with so vivid an awakening -that to sleep longer seemed impossible. In place of the languid -quiescence of the evening before, there was a consuming impatience to -know all without an hour’s delay. Close to her was the unsolved mystery -of her mother’s birth and of her own fate. She could wait no longer. - -She lighted her candle, and went softly out into the ante-room. All was -still. She tried the door opposite her own. It opened on a broad stair -that descended between two blank walls. - -Closing the door noiselessly behind her, she went down, candle in hand, -and reached a corridor and a second stair. Across the foot of this -second stair shone a soft light. It was the same light that shone -outside her window above,—a passing moonlight that had gathered to -itself all the star-beams in the air and all the frosty reflections of -its own crescent splendor from snow-clad heights and icy peaks, and -fused them in a lambent silver. - -Tacita set her candle on the stair, and went down into a long hall, of -which the whole outer side was an arcade, and beyond the arcade was a -piazza open to the night, and with a wide space beyond its parapet. As -in a dream, she passed the arcade; and before her lay San Salvador, the -city of the Holy King! - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - -San Salvador was built on a plain that might once have been the bed of a -lake formed by mountain torrents partially confined. It was an irregular -oval, two miles in length from north to south, and a mile and a half -wide. As large an exact paralellogram as the space would allow was -surrounded by a deep canal, or river, shut in by balustrades on both -sides, and having its outlet southward through the mountains. This space -was the town, as compactly built as possible. - -Across the centre, from east to west, ran a wide avenue that expanded at -middle length to a square. Seen from a height this avenue and square -looked like a huge cross laid down across the town. Narrow streets, -alternating with single blocks of houses, ran north and south, only an -open space of a few feet being left all round next the river. The -cross-streets did not make a complete separation of the houses, but cut -away only the basement and floor above, so that one looked across the -town through a succession of arches. - -The houses were all of gray stone, three stories high, with a _patio_, a -flat roof, and two fronts. There was no sign of an outbuilding, nor was -there a blade of grass in the gray stone pavement that covered every -inch of ground inside the river. But there were plants on the roofs. At -each end of the avenue a bridge as wide crossed the river; and there -were four narrow bridges at each of the four sides of the town. - -In the southern half of the square was a building called the Assembly, -from its use, or the Star-house, from its shape. It had three triangular -stories set one over the other in the shape of a six-pointed star, the -protruding angles forming vestibules below with their supporting -columns, and terraces above. These columns restored the symmetry of the -structure, and gave it grace and lightness. - -In the northern square was a low bell-tower with a pulpit built against -its southern side. The first floor was an open room surrounded by -arches. - -With the exception of these two structures, nothing could be more -monotonous in form and color than the whole town; while nothing could be -more varied than its setting. - -That part of the plain outside the river, called the Cornice, had a -straight edge next the river and an outer edge that showed every wildest -caprice. Sometimes it ran into the mountains in bays, in curves and -rivers, and sometimes the mountains crowded it to within a few feet of -the river. All around rose the mountain wall, lined with hills, gentle, -or abrupt; and, inundating all, a flood of verdure was thrown up on -every side, like the waves of a sea. The ragged edges of the plain were -heavy with wheat, rice and corn; higher up were orchards, vineyards, and -terraced gardens, and a smoke of olives curling about everywhere, and -groves of trees crowded into sunny hollows, and wedges of pines thrust -upward, diminishing till the last tree stood alone beneath a gigantic -cornice-rim of rock, snow and ice,— - - “Where the olive dare not venture, - And the pine-tree’s courage fails.” - -Around the middle distance of this garden-zone was a wavering path, now -visible to the town, now lost, with frequent dropping paths, half -stairs, to the plain. This path was called the Ring. Here and there was -a glistening watercourse, or cascade; and the whole garden-circle was -sparsely dotted with little cottages, some of them scarcely more than -huts. - -Two great masses of rock detached from the mountains were connected with -them by bridges. That at the southwest was covered with a building -containing a school for boys, that at the northeast had the hospital. - -Directly opposite the eastern end of the avenue was the largest building -in the town, called the Arcade. Here was the girls’ school, and a hotel -for women. - -It was here that Tacita Mora stood, in the long wide veranda that -followed the whole irregular front of the building, and looked for the -first time on the city of her birth. But of all this scene, splendid by -daylight, in that midnight hour she saw only a bold mountain outline -high against the stars, with an embroidery of shadows beneath, and lower -yet, a gray bas-relief that as it approached nearer became houses. - -Presently, the waning moon came up over the mountains behind the Arcade, -and set a snow-peak glistening opposite, and half unveiled a ghostly -sheeted avalanche, and penciled here and there a clearer outline, and -showed the embossed surface of the plain cleft smoothly across from -beneath the veranda where she stood to something far away that seemed -like a white wavering cascade, with a fiery sparkle above it as the moon -rose higher. - -The desire to know more, to see nearer, to assure herself by actual -touch that this was not all a twilight _mirage_ became irresistible. - -“Be free as in your father’s house,” Elena had said to her. - -There was no sign nor sound of any one abroad. The soft rustle of -running waters alone moved the silence. - -Tacita found the last stair and went out. In that delicate airy -illumination the avenue disclosed itself before her, and the white -object far away became stationary. But the sparkle above it had -disappeared. She went forward timidly, pausing to listen, turning to -retreat, and again advancing, at once resolute and afraid. - -A few silvery bird-notes floated through the silence; a white network of -cloud, like a bed of anemones, veiled the moon’s crescent. - -Tacita, gathering courage and excited by the spirit of adventure, -hastened till she reached the Square, paused there but a moment, and -then hurried on toward that white object which was her goal. It was a -little above the level of the town; it took shape as she drew nearer, -and became the façade of a white building with a fragmentary glimmering -across it and above; it showed a background of dark rock, and a plateau -in front surrounded by a white balustrade. In all the town there was -nothing white except this building and the balustrade raised and -overlooking every other building. In a Christian community only a church -would be so enthroned. - -Tacita crossed the bridge, and went to kneel on the steps leading from -the level to the inclosed terrace. There was a smooth façade with a -great door in receding arches in the centre, above a flight of white -steps, five rose windows following the arched line of the roof, and -something like a gilded lettering across the middle height. - -As the anemone-cloud drew away from the moon, the letters grew distinct, -and the text shone out full and clear:— - -I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. - -At sight of that shining legend aloft, something stirred in the girl’s -memory. A thick curtain of years parted, showing a distinct fragment of -the past. Once, long ago, she had looked up at that white expanse and -seen upon its front the line of shining figures. Her hands held the soft -fold of a dress, and a hand rested lightly on her head. In her memory -the bright figures were associated with the idea of a great golden lamp, -softly luminous, swung by a golden chain down from the skies, and of a -face all radiant, and a sweet voice that said: _Of such is the kingdom -of heaven_. - -“I must have stood on this very spot with my mother while she explained -the words to me, and told how he blessed little children.” - -When the bee has gathered all the honey that it can carry, it flies -home. - -Tacita’s heart was full. She wanted no more that night. - -But there was no timidity in her return. The place was walled in as by a -host of angels. The fold of her mother’s dress seemed yet within her -grasp, and the flowing water was a song of peace. - -The candle, burnt low, was where she had left it on the stair, and all -was silent and deserted on the way up to her chamber. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - -“You have taken the edge off the surprise I meant for you,” Elena said -when Tacita told her of her midnight walk. “But there still remains -something to please you with its novelty. Go and see the Basilica. The -door is open all day. You can go alone, and will enjoy it more so than -with company. When you come back I will have your new room all ready for -you. It is in front, over the great veranda, a little to the right.” - -“Shall I meet many people in the street?” Tacita asked. - -“You will see very few; and they will all be on some business. We are an -industrious community, and there is no one who has not something to do -in the morning. It is only toward evening that we walk for pleasure.” - -“Will any one speak to me?” - -“Probably not; but they will bow to you. You have only to bow and smile -in return.” - -“Can I smile to everybody?” - -“If the smile wants to come.” - -“Oh, Elena, that is the best of all!” Tacita exclaimed. “Sometimes I -have met strangers whom it seemed impossible to pass without notice. -Perhaps the person appeared to be in trouble, or was uncommonly -_simpatica_; or for the moment I happened to feel strongly that we are -all ‘poor banished children of Eve.’ It was an affection that I cannot -describe, as though it were heaven to sacrifice your life in order to -save or console another. I gave, perhaps, a glance that rested a moment, -or a faint—oh, so faint!—hint of a smile; and I was always pained and -mortified, the person would look so surprised. It showed me plainly that -the earth is indeed accursed when our kindest impulses are so -misunderstood.” - -While speaking, she put on a new dress that Elena had brought her. It -was a long robe of thin dark blue wool, bound at the waist by a silken -sash, a lighter tint of the same color. The wide straight sleeves fell -over the hands, or were turned back, such sleeves as may be gathered up -under a brooch at the shoulder. A long scarf of the woolen gauze served -to wrap the head and neck, if necessary. There were gloves of fine white -kid and russet shoes with silver buckles. - -Elena wore the same style of dress in gray. - -“Gray is our working color,” she explained. “Sometimes it is worn with -leathern belts, or sashes of another color. Gray alone, or with black, -or white, is mourning. White is our highest gala. The very old wear -white always. It gives that look of cleanliness and freshness which age -needs. The children are our butterflies. They wear gay colors. We never -change the form of our dress. The only variation is in color and -material. I think that you will scarcely find anything more graceful, -modest, or convenient.” - -“It’s the prettiest dress I ever had,” said Tacita. “And now—and now”— - -They went down stairs and stepped out into the veranda, and the full -splendor of what she had seen but in shadow burst upon Tacita’s view. - -There was every shape and shade of verdure, and every shape of barren -rock and gleaming snow. There were mists of rose, blue, and gold that -were flowers. There was every depth of shadow, from the tender veil as -delicate as the shadow of eyelashes on the eye, to the rich dusk lurking -beneath some wooded steep or overhanging crag. The houses were of a -silvery gray, bright on the roofs with plants and awnings. Wherever -there was water, it glittered. The façade of the Basilica was like snow, -and its five windows blazed in the morning sun. The wavering path that -threaded the gardens was yellow, and shone with some sparkling gravel. - -Tacita leaned over the balustrade and looked right and left. At every -turn some lovely picture presented itself. - -“There is no one in the avenue,” Elena said. “But the archways will be -cooler.” - -Tacita chose the deserted avenue, and walked timidly, almost without -raising her eyes, till the second bridge was passed, and the Basilica -rose before her, standing out from a mass of dark rock that almost -touched the tribune. - -Nine steps of gray stone led up to the white balustrade. Within, at -either side was a square of turf, thick and fine, separated and -surrounded by a path of yellow gravel, sparkling with little garnets. -Three white steps above led to the double door, now wide open. There -were inscriptions on the fronts of the steps. The upper one bore in -Latin that most perfect of all acts of thanksgiving, _We give thee -thanks for thy great glory._ The vestibule was one third the width of -the Basilica, two narrow side doors, unseen from the front, having -vestibules of the same size. This was entirely unadorned, except by the -two valves of the carved door of cedar and olive-wood shut back against -the wall, and the shining folds of a white linen curtain shutting an -inner arch of the same size. - -Lifting the linen band that drew these folds aside, Tacita was -confronted by another curtain, a purple brocade of silk and wool, -heavily fringed. - -She dropped the linen behind her, and stood cloistered between the two -for a moment; then, lifting a purple fold, stood before a screen that -seemed woven of sunshine. A gold-colored silk brocade with a bullion -fringe that quivered with light closed the inner edge of the arch. - -Two contrary impulses held a momentary soft and delightful conflict in -her mind: an impatient desire to see what was beyond that veil, and a -restraining desire to let imagination sketch one swift picture of what -was so delicately guarded. - -Then, holding her breath, she slipped past the scintillating fringes and -stood in the nave. - -Flooded with the morning sunshine, the place was as brilliant as a -rainbow. Even the white marble footing of the walls, and the two lines -of white marble columns, overhung with lilies instead of acanthus -leaves, caught a sunny glow from that illumination. The walls, frescoed -with landscapes of every clime, showed all the rich hues of nature. The -blue ceiling sparkled with flecks of gold, there were golden texts on -the white marble of the lower walls that condensed the whole story of -Judaism and Christianity. On the pedestals of the ten lower columns were -inscribed the Ten Commandments. The pavement of polished green porphyry -reflected softly all this wealth of coloring, and as it approached the -tribune was tinted like still waters at sunset. For the Basilica of San -Salvador was simply the throne-room of its Divine King; and the throne -was in the tribune. - -A deep alcove rising to the roof was lined with a purple curtain like -that of the portal; and raised against it, nine steps from the pavement, -was a throne made of acacia wood covered with plates of wrought gold. -From the arch above, where the purple drapery was gathered under the -white outspread wings of a dove, suspended by golden chains so fine as -to be almost invisible, hung a jeweled diadem that quivered with -prismatic hues. The footstool before the throne was a block of -alabaster; and on its front was inscribed in golden letters: - -_Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give -you rest._ - -The white marble steps were in groups of three, each surmounted by a low -balustrade of alabaster hung with golden lilies between each snowy post. -A broad purple-cushioned step surrounded the lower balustrade. Otherwise -there was no seat nor resting-place but the pavement. - -Tacita sank on her knees and gazed at that throne that shone full of -sunshine, half expecting that the light would presently condense itself -into the likeness of a Divine Face. The crown hung just where it might -have rested on the brow of an heroic figure enthroned beneath. And was -there not a quiver in the jewels as if they moved, catching and -splintering the sunrays on diamond points, or drinking them in smooth -rubies, or imprisoning their fluttering colors in white veiled opals, or -showing in emeralds a promise of the immortal spring of Heaven! And was -there not a whisper and a rustling as of a host preceding the advent of -some supreme Presence? - -She put aside her fancies, and made a heartfelt thanksgiving to him who -was truly there, then rose and slowly approached the throne. The work -was all beautiful. The fluting of the columns was exquisite, and every -milk-white lily that was twined in their capitals was finished with a -loving hand. On the fronts of the steps were names of prophets, apostles -and saints, highest of all and alone, the name of Abraham surrounded by -the words he spoke to his son, Isaac, as they went up the mountain in -Moriah:— - -_My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering._ - -Lower down were names of beneficent gods and goddesses, all names which -the children of men had lovingly and reverently worshiped, each -light-bearing god or goddess with a star to his name. - -Tacita remembered her grandfather’s declaration: “Show me the path by -which any human soul has climbed to worship the highest that it could -conceive of the Divine, and I will see there the footsteps of God coming -down to meet that soul.” - -Her heart expanded at the thought. It seemed the very spirit of the Good -Shepherd gathering all into his fold—all who lifted up their hearts in -search of something above their comprehension, but not above their love. - -With a deep sigh of utter contentment she turned aside, and walked down -one aisle and up the other, looking at the frescoes. - -The wall of the three vestibules extended quite across the Basilica with -a wide gallery above; and from the golden fringe of the portal to the -purple fringe of the apsis, one scene melted into another with such -artful gradations that there was no break in the picture; and all ended -against the ceiling in mountain, or tree-top, or vine, or in a flock of -birds, so that it did not seem an ending. - -A glimpse of polar sea with an aurora of the north and icebergs began -the panorama; and then came full streams overhung by dark pine-trees -that presently showed green mosses and springing delicate flowers under -their shadows. The scene softened, and grew yet softer, till a palm-tree -was over-brushed by the purple curtain of the apse, and a line of -silvery beach, and a glimpse of sea and of a far-away misty sun-steeped -island just escaped its folds. There were sunsets shining through -forest-reaches, brooks dancing over stones, the curve of a river, the -violet outline of a mountain faint against the sky, lambs sunk in a -green flowery meadow and half submerged, looking like scattered pearls. -There were gray streaks of rain, and a glimpse of a rainbow; there was -sunrise over bald crags where an eagle stood black against its opal -background. The butterfly fanned its capricious way with widespread -wings, the bee and humming-bird dived into the flower, the stag stood -listening with head alert, the elephant pulled down the fruit-laden -branches, the dragon-fly spread its gauzy wings; but nowhere was there -any sign of man, nor of the works of man. - -From one aisle to the other Tacita went, wondering more and more of what -famous artist this could have been the crowning work. From the portal at -both sides the scenes were arctic; but their procession was infinitely -varied. The small doors entering from the sides were scarcely visible in -rocks and arching trees. A heavy grapevine climbing to hang along the -ceiling seemed to hide all but the tiny cove of a pond spotted with -lilies, amid which floated a pair of swans. - -At the left side, burning the jungle from which he issued, a tiger stood -and stared intently at the Throne. - -But in all there was no sign of man, nor of the works of man. - -When Tacita reached the Arcade on her return, Elena was waiting for her -at the lower entrance, and uttered an interrogative “Well?” - -“I have no words! Don’t ask me about the Basilica. I met some people -coming back. How well they stand and walk. Standing and walking must be -taught here. Every one understands it so well. I kissed my fingers to a -little girl, and she came and touched my girdle, then brushed her -fingers across her lips, and ran away again before I could stop her. Oh, -it is all so lovely!” - -They went up to a pleasant chamber that looked across the town. “This is -your room, dear,” Elena said. “The dining-room is just across the -corridor. We will have our dinner at our own little table before the -school-girls come in; and you can be served in your own room any time -you like. It is but a step more to take. And here is the salon, just -beside you. It is but little used; for except when a stranger comes, we -do not visit in San Salvador. Our houses are for our private life. We -meet frequently, may meet almost every evening at the assembly-room in -the Star-house; and as it is open every day, and there are a good many -nooks and corners there beside the chief rooms, there is always a place -for a tête-à-tête, or a little company. But some people will come here -to see you. You will like to make some acquaintances before going to the -assembly. I hope that you may feel rested enough to go to-morrow night.” - -The salon was simply furnished, and had no need of other ornament than -the view seen from its windows. There was a single picture on the wall, -representing a young woman of a noble figure standing erect, her arms -hanging at her sides, and one hand holding a scroll. She wore the -costume of San Salvador of a tawny brown with yellow sash and scarf. -Under one foot, slightly advanced, lay a Cupid sprawling face downward, -the fragments of his bow and arrows scattered about. The face was of a -somewhat full oval, olive-tinted, with heavy black hair drawn back from -the temples, a delicate rose-color in the cheeks, and sweet red lips. -The large dark eyes looked straight out with a lofty and thoughtful -expression. The whole figure was instinct with a fine animal life, such -life as sustains a strong soul full of feeling and intelligence. All the -curves of the face were tender; but they were contradicted by an -assumption of reserve almost too severe for beauty. It was the picture -of a loving nature that had renounced love. - -“That is our Iona,” Elena said. “She is the Directress of the girls’ -school, and she is the women’s tribune. All classes have with us their -tribune, or advocate. Iona has traveled and studied in both continents. -She has advanced so far in astronomy that she teaches it even in the -boys’ school. Would you like to have her teach you our language? She has -offered herself as your teacher.” - -“If she will take the trouble, I shall feel honored. What a -noble-looking creature! Is she a native of San Salvador?” - -“Yes; and she has a brother here who has never been outside. Ion is one -of the cleverest boys we have. Their parents died when they were very -young.” - -Later, when they had eaten their dinner, and Tacita was alone, there was -a tap at the door, and she rose to meet the original of the portrait. -Iona had tapped with her ivory tablets, and was pushing them into the -folds of her sash as she entered. - -There was something electric in the instant during which the two paused -and looked at each other without speaking. Then Iona stepped forward, -gentle, but unsmiling, laid a hand on Tacita’s arm, and, bending, kissed -her lightly on the forehead. - -“You are welcome to San Salvador!” she said with deliberation, in a -melodious, bell-like voice. “I hope that you will be contented here. -Does the place please you?” - -“I am enchanted!” Tacita said. “I ask myself continually if I have not -found the long-lost garden of Eden.” - -The two contemplated each other with something more than curiosity. -Tacita was conscious of a certain restraint and something akin to -disappointment while talking with this woman, who was even more -beautiful than her portrait. The form, the teeth, the mass of hair were -the most superb that she had ever seen; and though the skin was dark, -every faintest wave of color was visible through it. While she talked, -the color deepened in her cheeks till she glowed like a rose. - -The blue dress with its silver clasps might have been too trying to her -olive skin but for this lovely blush. - -Iona proposed herself courteously as teacher, and Tacita thankfully -accepted, offering herself in return for any service she might be able -to perform. - -“Be quite at ease!” her visitor replied, not unkindly. “You will soon -have an opportunity. I have already thought that you might be willing to -assist in the Italian classes. You speak the language beautifully. But -for some time yet you will have employment enough in seeing the place -and becoming acquainted with the people and their customs. Of course -Elena has already told you that there need be no restraint on your -wanderings. Every one you meet will be a friend, whether he can tell you -so or not. The language most useful to you will be French, though there -is scarcely a language, living or dead, which some one here does not -speak.” - -Tacita begged to know something of the government of San Salvador. - -“We have a few general principles which give form to every detail,” Iona -said. “For personal disorders in the young, parents and teachers are -held responsible; for any social disorder, our rulers are held -responsible. Probably, all blame is finally laid on the father and -mother, and more especially on the mother. The training of the child is -held to be of supreme importance, and there is no more dignified -occupation. We say, ‘The mother of children is the mother of the state.’ -No diseased or deformed person is allowed to have children. You will not -hear any mother in San Salvador complain of her child as having a bad -temper, or evil dispositions. She would be told that the child was what -she made it. - -“The children stay at home till they are about four years of age. Then -their whole day is spent at school, where all their meals are taken. The -mothers take their turns, all who have not infants, as matrons of the -schools, a week at a time. Their sole duty is to see that the food is -good and sufficient, that the little ones have their nap, and that their -health is thought of. I suppose you know that we have public kitchens -where all the cooking is done. The kitchen for the children is by -itself, and so is that for the sick. Here also the ladies serve their -week in a year or thereabout, as matrons. They make the bill of fare, -and have an eye to the sending out of all but the food for the children -and the sick, these having their special matrons. - -“We do not lay much stress on the form of a government. The important -thing is personal character. A republic may be made the worst of -tyrannies; and an absolute monarchy might be beneficent, though the -experiment would be a dangerous one. The duty of a government is to obey -the laws and compel everybody else to obey them. That is literal. We -have no sophistries about it. Of course, Dylar is our chief, and in some -sense he is absolute. Yet no one governs less than he. We take care of -the individual, and the state takes care of itself. Moreover, the Dylar -have always been the first to scrupulously obey our laws and observe our -customs. There is a council of elders; Professor Pearlstein is -president. No one under sixty years of age is eligible. Each class has a -tribune chosen by itself. I hold a sinecure as tribune for the women. I -fancy”—looking at her companion with a smile of sudden sweetness—“that -you may be our long looked for tribune for the children.” - -“Surely it should be a mother to hold that office,” Tacita said. - -“Think a moment!” said Iona, her smiling eyes lingering on the sweet -face. - -“It is true,” said Tacita slowly. “Parents do not always understand -their own children.” - -“They are sometimes cruel to them when they think themselves kind,” Iona -said with energy. “They sometimes ruin their lives by their partiality. -They sometimes tread as with the hoofs of a beast on the feelings of the -most sensitive of their flock. How often are children mute! The finer -they are, the more isolated are their puzzled and often grieving souls. -They sometimes suffer an immense injustice without being able to right -themselves, or even to complain; and this injustice may leave them -morally lame for life. Children should be shielded from pain even as you -shield a young plant from the storm. When the fibres of both are knit, -then give them storm as well as sunshine.” - -“I see that the boys and girls are kept apart both in their education -and socially,” Tacita remarked. “I have heard that point discussed -outside.” - -“It will never be discussed here,” said Iona with decision. “All have -equal opportunities; but they do not have them in common. The result -justifies the rule. When the boys and girls approach a marriageable age -they are allowed a free intercourse and free choice. In questions -concerning the honor of the state we have no theorizing; and the state -has as much interest in the child as the parent has. It has more. The -parent suffers from the sin, or gains by the honor of his child for but -a few years; the state may suffer or profit from the same cause for -centuries. Besides, a well-organized and orderly government is of more -importance to the well-being of every individual than any other -individual can be. The love of no individual can console a man in the -midst of anarchy, or when he is the victim of a tyrant. You have to -thank your parents for human life, if you hold it a boon; and you have -to thank your government for making that life secure and free.” - -“And if you have not security and your reasonable degree of freedom?” -asked Tacita. - -“Then the greater number of your people are bad, and the few have an -opportunity to be heroic.” - -“My grandfather had no respect for the opinions of majorities,” Tacita -said. “He said that out of a thousand persons it was quite possible that -one might be right and nine hundred and ninety-nine wrong. He said that -the history of the world is a history of individuals.” - -As Iona rose to go, the door opened, and Elena came in followed by -Dylar. - -Tacita went with some agitation to meet this man, who was still, to her, -a mystery. Nor was he less a mystery when she found him simply a -dignified and agreeable gentleman, with nothing strange about him but -his costume of dark blue cloth, a sort of cashmere of silk and wool, -soft and softly tinted. It was made in the Scottish, or oriental -fashion, with a tunic to the knee and a silken sash of the same color. -He wore long hose of black silk, silver buckles to his shoes, and on his -turban-shaped cap, made of the same blue cloth, was a silver band, -closed at the left side by a clasp of a strange design. A hand pointing -upward with all its fingers was set inside of a triangle that was -inclosed in a winged circle. - -Seeing Tacita’s glance touch this symbol more than once, Dylar explained -it. “We have all some badge, according to our occupation,” he said. “The -hand is manual labor. I am a carpenter, and have served my -apprenticeship, though I seldom do any work. The triangle is scientific -study, and the winged circle is a messenger. All those who, having their -home here, go out on our errands, wear this winged circlet. It is the -only badge I really earn; but I wear the three as Director of all.” - -“I hope that I may be allowed to earn one,” Tacita said, trying to -settle her mind into a medium position between the strange romance of -her first impressions of this man and the not unfamiliar reality of -their present meeting. The penetrating eyes were there; but they only -glanced at her kindly, and did not dwell. A slight smile, full of -friendliness, illumined his face as he spoke to her; but between it and -her there floated a shadow-face, having the same outlines and colors, -but fixed in a gaze of intense and self-forgetful study. - -“I am not clairvoyant,” he said presently, his eyes laughing; “but I -fancy that your thought has made a flight to Madrid during the last few -minutes.” - -“Could I help it?” she said blushing. “I could not venture to ask; but”— - -“You can ask anything!” Dylar said. “If you show no curiosity, I shall -think you indifferent. I am told that the resemblance is striking. Of -course I cannot judge. The original of that portrait was the founder of -San Salvador, and a Dylar, my ancestor. But, my lady, I had already seen -something more than a picture resembling you when we met in Madrid. I -had seen yourself, not alone in Venice, but years before, in Naples. You -spoke to me. Do you remember?” - -“Oh! I could not have looked at you and forgotten,” she answered with -conviction. - -“Pardon! You looked and spoke. And you gave me an alms.” - -He searched in the folds of his sash for a coin, and showed it to her. -It was an Italian _baiocco_ polished till it looked like gold. - -“You went to Naples ten years ago with your mother and grandfather,” -Dylar said. “You visited the Museum. Two men were seated side by side on -the steps as you went up, a young and an old man; and the old man -stretched his hand out for alms. Your mother gave him something. The -young man did not ask, but you gave him this _baiocco_, and you said, -‘My brother, I am sorry that it is not more.’” - -For a moment she could not speak. Then she said,— - -“I was taught to call the poor brother and sister. I could not know that -I was taking a liberty.” - -“The liberty of heaven!” said Dylar. “Well! I thought that you would -come here some day. And you are here!” - -He rose, looking down, as if to temper somewhat the joyousness of his -exclamation. - -“Ask all the questions you choose,” he said. “Do in all things as if you -were in your father’s house. Farewell, till we meet again.” - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - -All the social life of San Salvador centred in the Star-house, or -assembly rooms, in the Square. This was open at all times to all -classes, with certain restrictions. No one should go there in a working -dress, nor except by appointment to meet some one, nor when any other -convenient rendezvous was available, and no one should enter a room -already occupied. It was on no account to be used as a lounging place. -The result of these regulations was that all but the library and -reading-room were usually deserted by day. - -The lower floor was the music and dance-room, and was so constructed, -the floor being supported entirely from beneath, and detached from the -walls, that no jar was communicated to the rooms above. The only -vestibule to this room, entered directly from the Square, was that -formed by the pillars supporting the protruding angle of the story -above. Inside, the corner opposite the door was railed off and raised -for an orchestra. The angle at the right was curtained off for a -dressing-room, and the third, entered from the outside, contained the -stairway. The two upper floors were divided in nearly the same way; a -large, hexagonal room with a supporting cluster of columns in the -centre, and three small rooms walled or curtained off in the angles, one -containing a staircase. - -The salon on the second floor was reserved for conversation, the third -floor was a library and reading-room, and there was a terrace on the -roof. - -The structure was solidly built, and, for the greater part, very plainly -finished. There was a cluster of columns in the centre of the two upper -rooms inclosing a slender fountain jet in a high basin. The lights were -all placed around these columns, and from each of them an arch vaulted -to a pilaster in each of the six angles of the room. In the upper floor -the walls were covered with book-cases, in the lower they were tinted a -dark red with a fresco in each side of a Muse or dancer. - -The partitioned angles were draped with curtains colored like the walls. - -The second floor, the salon _par excellence_, was more brilliant. The -walls were lined with small faceted blocks of white glass set in an -amber-colored cement, the curtains of the angles were of amber-colored -silk, the chairs, divans, sofas, and _amorini_ were covered with an -amber-colored linen that looked like satin, the floor was of small -alternating amber and dark green tiles, the heavy rugs were amber -colored. It was a room all light, except the dark green divan that -surrounded the cluster of pillars. - -These rooms were lighted till ten o’clock every evening but Sunday, and -were free to all; but the inevitable law of selection had made it a -tacit custom for certain persons to go on certain evenings. To meet a -stranger, it was considered proper to give place to those who had been -outside. - -Elena brought out a beautiful lace dress that Tacita’s mother had left -behind her on going out into the world. It was of pillow lace woven in -stripes, and made over a soft silk in broad stripes of rose and -cream-color. Dressed in it, Tacita looked like a blush rose. - -They set out for her first assembly at early twilight. Lights in the -houses showed them the way, there was a sound of violins in the dewy -air, and figures flitting in the dance-room, and outside a number of -persons were dancing gayly in the light that shone from the building. - -“Our people are much given to dancing,” Elena said. “And we have the -most beautiful and complex fancy dances in the world.” - -They went up a winding stair, that started in a lower angle and ended in -a terrace, from which a wide arched door opened into the salon, showing -the glittering walls, the full light, the tossing fountain in its -lightly shadowed seclusion, the silken curtain of the opposite boudoir, -and a company almost filling the room. - -The music came softened from below, allowing the voices to be heard. - -Dylar and Iona met the two as they entered, and Tacita found herself in -the midst of the most cultivated and charming company she had ever seen. -But for their costume, they would not at first have seemed different -from any other gathering of well-bred people who meet with pleasure a -welcome guest; but the stranger soon felt in their greeting the -difference between mere courtesy and sincere affection. It was a -repetition of the heart-warming phrase that told her she was “in her -father’s house.” - -The costumes gave an air of romance and unreality to the scene. As -Tacita looked about with a pleased wonder, these figures suggested -Arcadian groves, Olympian slopes, or some old palace garden shut in by -high walls, with fragrant hedges of laurel and myrtle over-showered by -roses, with a blush of oleanders against a mossy fountain, the dim stars -of a passion-vine hung over a sequestered arbor, and crumbling forms of -nymphs, lichen-spotted in the sunshine. These figures would have -harmonized with such scenes perfectly. - -On the green velvet divan sat several old men and women who wore long -white robes of fine wool with silken girdles. All the younger ladies -wore the same straight robe, made in various colors, with silken fringed -sashes, and fine lace at the neck and wrists. Some wore lace robes like -Tacita’s. A few had strings of pearls; but no other jewels were visible. - -The gentlemen, on the contrary, seemed much more gayly dressed than in -any other modern society. Their costumes were all rather dark in color -and without ornament; but the silver buckles on their shoes and the -silver badge on the turban cap which each one carried in his hand, or -under his arm, brightened the effect, and they all wore lace ruffles at -the wrists and laced cravats. Dylar wore violet color, and a silver -fillet round his cap. - -Of the more than a hundred persons present, all but the youngest had -been outside, and spoke other languages than their own. Some were -natives of San Salvador living outside, and returned but for a time. -Tacita found herself charmingly at home with them. - -After a while Dylar drew her apart, and they seated themselves in a -boudoir. - -“You will observe the absence of jewels in our dress,” he said. “This is -only our ordinary way of meeting; but there is no occasion on which gems -are worn here as elsewhere. With us they have a meaning. Diamonds are -consecrated to the Basilica. Other stones are used as decorations for -some distinguished act or acquirement. The ruby is for an act of heroic -courage, the topaz for discovery, the emerald for invention. Pearls are -worn only by young girls and by brides at their wedding. When you marry, -we will hang pearls on you in a snow-drift.” - -He bent a little and smiled into her face. - -Tacita blushed, but made no reply immediately. A feeling of melancholy -settled upon her. Could it be that she would be expected to marry?—and -that he would wish to select a husband for her? - -“Elena does not marry, and Iona is not yet married,” she said after a -silence. - -“Oh, there is perfect freedom,” said Dylar. “But Iona is only twenty-six -and Elena scarcely over forty years of age. Both may marry yet. Now -there is a gentleman coming in who wishes very much to see you. He has -just come from England, and will return in a few days. Shall I call -him?” - -She consented cordially, and Dylar beckoned the young man to them, and -having presented him, retired and left the two together. A moment later -she saw him go out with Iona by the way leading upstairs. They were -going either to the library or terrace. - -How well they looked together, though Iona was almost as tall as Dylar. -She wore amber-color that evening, which became her, and her cheeks were -crimson, her eyes brilliant. For a little while Tacita had some -difficulty in attending to what her new companion was saying, and in -making the proper replies. Then something in his manner pleased her, and -drew her from her abstraction. - -He was simply a well-bred young Englishman in a sort of masquerade, -which, however, became him wonderfully. He had hair as golden as her -own, and he wore dark blue. While talking with him, Tacita, woman-like, -looked at the wide lace ruffle that fell back on his sleeve. It had a -ground of fairy lightness, a _vrai reseau_ as strong as it was light, -with little wide-winged swallows all over it in a fine close _tela_, -with a few open stitches in the head and wings. She wondered where she -had read of swallows that - - —“hawked the bright flies in the hollows - Of delicate air.” - -“You are admiring my ruffles,” the young man said with the greatest -frankness. “They were made here, and belonged to my father. I have -refused a good deal of money for them. Of course you have learned that -they make beautiful lace here. I think it the finest lace made in the -world, taking it all in all. Look at that dress of yours, now. How firm -and clear it is! That’s pillow lace, though, and this is point. There’s -a kind of cobweb ground to some rare Alençon point that is wonderful as -work; but you don’t dare to touch it. I’ve seen a fine _jabot_ belonging -to one of the Bonaparte princes, and worn by him at a royal marriage. -You’ll sometimes see as good a border of medallions as that had, but not -such a centre, lighter than blonde. It was scattered over with bees that -had only alighted. Each wing was a little buttonhole-stitched loop with -a tiny open star inside. As a _jabot_ it could be worn; but as ruffles, -you would have to keep your hands clasped together over the top of your -head.” - -The young man proposed after a while that they should go up and see the -library, and Tacita somewhat shrinkingly consented. - -“If Dylar should be there, I hope he will not believe that I followed -him!” she thought. - -He was not there. The large room was quiet and deserted. Shaded lamps -burned on the green-covered tables, folds of green silk were drawn back -from two lofty windows closed only with casements of wire gauze. Globes, -stands of maps, movable book-rests, and cases of books of reference were -all about. From the stairway and through the open windows the hum of -conversation came softened to a hum of bees, the sound of viols from the -dance-room was a quivering web of silver, and the feet of the dancers -did not make the least tremor in the firmly set walls. - -“The library is not a very large one, you see,” said Tacita’s guide. “It -is nearly as much weeded as added to. It is surprising how much -literature thought to be original is found out to be only a turn of the -kaleidoscope. I won’t quote Solomon to you.” - -“My grandfather,” Tacita said, “used to say that one folio would contain -all the thoughts of mankind that are worth preserving, and ten all the -commentaries worth making on them.” - -“This is the way they condense here,” said her companion. “For -necessarily San Salvador must be a city of abridgments. Say that ten -authors write on some one subject worthy of attention. The best one is -selected and then interleaved with extracts from the others. To this is -added a brief notice of the authors quoted. It’s a good deal of work for -one person to do; but it saves the time of everybody else who has to -read on the subject.” - -Returning to the Salon they found that Dylar and Iona had come down from -the terrace, and some boys were carrying about cups of a pleasant drink -that seemed to be milk boiled, sweetened, and delicately spiced. - -“Iona must take you up to-morrow night to look at Venus,” Dylar said. -“It is very beautiful now.” - -The bells rang ten o’clock, the signal for going home, and they went -down stairs. Dylar took leave at the door; but the young Englishman -asked permission to accompany Tacita and Elena to their door. The music -had ceased in the dance-room, and the lights were half extinguished; but -the last couples came out still dancing, humming a tune, and, hand in -hand, danced homeward. - -“You will like to see our fancy dances,” Elena said. “Some of them are -very dramatic. There is a good deal of grace and precision in them, but -no parade of agility. I know nothing more disgusting than the flesh and -muscle exhibition of the ordinary _ballet_. Some of our dances require -quite as much command of muscle, but there must be no effect of effort. -To see a woman gracefully draped float like a cloud is quite as -wonderful as to see her half naked and leaping like a frog. We have a -Sun-dance, with the whole solar system; and I assure you the moons have -to be as nimble-footed as the _chulos_ of a bull-fight. The Zodiac dance -is more like a minuet in time. There are twelve groups which keep always -the same position with regard to each other; but the whole circle slowly -revolves, having two motions, one progressive. It is a science, and -requires a good deal of practice. Iona used to be the lost Pleiad, and -wandered about veiled, threading the whole maze, but never finding her -place. Of course all are in costume; and it is an out-door dance, -occupying the whole Square. Her part was like some little thing of -Chopin’s, plaintive, searching, and unanswered.” - -When the two had gone up stairs, Elena said: “Do you think that you -would ever be willing to marry the young man who came home with us -to-night?” - -“Oh, no!” Tacita exclaimed. “What should put it into your mind?” - -“He wished me to ask you. I thought that it was vain; but I promised to -ask. If there is the least chance, he will stay longer. If not, he will -go to-morrow. He has long known you by reputation, and he admired you at -sight.” - -“There is not the least chance,” Tacita said decidedly, and wondered why -she should feel so angry and pained. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - -The next day they went to visit the girls’ school. - -The Arcade was built around and above a promontory of rock, the stories -following it in receding terraces, and the wings following backward at -either side, so that the effect from a little distance was that of an -irregular pyramid with a truncated top. - -There was a narrow vale and a green slope behind one side, where the -children played on that first evening of Tacita’s in San Salvador; and -here they had their gardens cultivated by themselves, their out-door -studies and recitation-rooms and play-ground. Thick walls, sewing-rooms, -quiet study-rooms, and rooms where the little ones had their midday nap -interposed to keep every sound of this army of girls from that part of -the building used as a hotel, or home, for single ladies. - -Going from her quiet apartment to that full and busy hive was to Tacita -like going into another world. In its crowd and bustle and variety it -was more like the outside world than anything that she had yet seen. - -In one room two or three children were lying in hammocks asleep. Out on -the green a group of them seated on a carpet were picking painted -letter-blocks out of a heap, and discussing their names. A girl a few -years older, sitting near them with her sewing, corrected their -mistakes. One lovely girl had a little one on her knee who was reading a -pictured story-book aloud. A larger girl sat apart writing a -composition, dragging out her thoughts with contortions, like a -Pythoness on her tripod. In some rooms were young ladies engaged in -study, writing, or recitation. There was a printing-room, with -type-setters and proofreaders, where one of the girls gave Tacita a -little book of their printing and binding. - -Everywhere were texts and proverbs on the walls and doors, white letters -on a blue ground; and there was a throne-room where the little gilded -chair was filled with flowers for the children’s infant king. Underneath -was a picture of the three Magi kneeling to the Child Jesus. This was in -a little temple on the hillside with a laburnum-tree bending over it -full of golden flower-tassels. - -“When they have acquired the rudiments of learning,” Iona said, “we give -them a touch all round, almost as if without meaning it, to find the -keynote of their powers. It is done chiefly by lectures. Ladies and -gentlemen who have read much, or traveled much, write short essays which -they read in school. If no child shows a special interest in the -subject, we let it go. Our object is to give talent an opportunity, and -also to waste no time and effort where they will meet with no return. - -“All the accounts of the town are kept in the schools, and well kept. It -saves a great deal of work. The kitchen accounts, for instance, are -immense and complicated; yet they are gleefully and painstakingly -smoothed into order by those busy young brains and fingers. Promotion -from one class of these accounts to another is taken great pride in. For -instance, the girl who is ‘in the salt,’ as they say, looks with -admiring envy on the girl who is in the wheat, the fruit, or the meat. -They are also taught to cook a few simple dishes. For that they go to -the kitchens. They all dress alike, as you see, and there is no -difference made in any way. Even the genius, if we find one, is not -taught to set her gift above that of the most homely usefulness.” - -As the visitors went away, a golden-haired girl of ten or twelve years -shyly offered Tacita a white rose half opened, touched the fringes of -her sash with timid finger-tips and touched the fingers to her lips. - -Her delicate homage was rewarded with a kiss on the forehead. And, -“Please tell me your name, dear child!” said Tacita. - -The little girl blushed all over her face with a modest delight, as she -whispered “Leila!” - -“My recollections of school are all pleasant, with the exception of a -few sharp lessons given me there,” Elena said. “I well remember one I -received from Dylar the Eighth, father of our Dylar. I was one day sent -on an errand which obliged me to go through the large dining-room where -we eat now, and I saw a magnificent peach there on the sideboard. I -could not know that it was the first and finest of a rare sort, and that -Dylar himself, who was in another part of the house, had left it there -in passing, and was coming again to take it out for exhibition. But I -did know that we were never to help ourselves to anything to eat without -permission, and that I had no right ever to take anything there. The -peach tempted me, and I did eat. I was looking about for some place -where I might hide the stone, when the Prince returned. He went at once -to the sideboard, then turned and looked at me. No words were needed to -show my guilt. I stood speechless in an agony of shame. - -“The Prince looked at me one awful moment in silence. Then he took me by -the hand quite gently, and led me to the room that has the commandments -of God on the walls, and pointed to the words, ‘Thou shalt not steal.’ - -“He stood a moment beside me while I trembled, and began to sob, then -laid his hand, so gently, on my head, and went away without a word. My -dear, it was the most effective sermon I ever heard. You observe there -was no sophistry used. It was _stealing._ It was many a long day before -I could eat a peach without feeling as if I had swallowed the stone. - -“The next time the Prince came, I ran weeping to kiss the fringe of his -sash, and he kissed my cheek, and whispered, ‘Don’t grieve so, little -one! Forget all about it!’ From that day to this I loved Dylar above all -earthly things. He was forty years old and I was ten; yet he was the one -man in the world to me from that day.” - -While talking they had gone out, and were walking northward in the -outside road on their way to see the kitchens. It was a paved street of -very irregular width. One side was bounded by the straight line of the -river parapet. The other, narrowed to ten feet in width between the -Arcade and the bridge, widened sometimes to a rod or two. And everywhere -above were gardens, cottages, steep paths and stairs, down-falling -streams and trees single, or grouped, or scattered. - -In one of the amphitheatres thus formed was a semicircle of small shops, -each with a wide awning covering an outside counter. The goods were kept -inside, and brought out as called for. A man or woman sat under the -awning before each shop. One was knitting, another was making pillow -lace; the man was making netting, and having but his right hand, the peg -had been fastened to his left wrist, and he threw the cord in position -for the knot as rapidly as if the air were fingers to hold it. - -The kitchens were set high above the plain on the eastern side of a deep -ravine running northward. Long buildings of only one story with attics -were surrounded by orchards, gardens, and poultry-yards. There was a -laundry, and countless lines of clothes out in the sun. There was a -bakery. Beneath these buildings were the wine-caves, and the rooms for -pressing the grapes. Farther up, on a rapid stream that came down and -disappeared under the pavement, was a little mill. - -“It looks small,” Elena said; “but all the wool that makes our dresses -is woven there. Our silk webs we bring from outside, though we have a -small silk farm; but we raise all our own wool. The silk we use for -sashes and for hosiery. We send out silk hose, lace, and carved -olive-wood. - -“And now, my dear, you are to see the folly of individual domestic -cooking, and the wisdom of having public kitchens, if they are properly -conducted. And at this moment you see coming to meet us one of the chief -supports of our system. If we had not a lady of good taste and -administrative capacity to matronize our kitchens, they might -deteriorate, or fail. If even such a lady were always there, she might -sometimes grow weary and careless; but with a short term for each, there -is always the sense of novelty and emulation to keep them up to the -mark.” - -It was a very pleasant presentation of a lady who stood in the door to -receive them, with a square of white net tied, turban-wise, around her -head, and a snowy bib-apron over her cotton dress. - -“You do not remember me,” she said, smiling at Tacita’s intent gaze. “No -wonder. You saw so many strangers last night. Besides, my hair was not -covered then, and I wore a silk dress.” - -It was one of the most accomplished ladies whom she had met at the -assembly. - -They went through the buildings that constituted almost a village. It -was the very paradise of a cooking colony, in plenty order, and -cleanliness. There were no silver saucepans tied with rose-colored -ribbons; but Marie Antoinette might have gone there and made a cup of -chocolate or cooked an omelette, without soiling her fair fingers, or -her dainty high-heeled shoes. - -The economy, too, was perfect. There were central roasting fires on -elevated hearths, with a tunnel-shaped sheet-iron chimney let down over -them where a circle of tin kitchens and spits could surround them, -losing no heat; and there were lines of charcoal furnaces set in tiles -under great sheet-iron hoods. - -“We do not waste a bit of coal as large as a walnut, nor a twig of wood -that a bird could alight on,” the Directress said. “For the food, not -the least important part of our establishment is the fragment kitchen.” - -“Elena, when shall I come and learn to cook something?” Tacita asked as -they went away. - -Her friend laughed. “You find it fascinating, then! I shall have to make -you begin at school. You did not see the preparatory department there. -It is a sight, when they are busy for an hour every morning, chopping -meat, picking raisins, husking corn, shelling peas, picking over coffee -or rice, doing, in short, any preparatory work that the cooks might -need. Sometimes they have half an hour of such work in the afternoon. It -would, perhaps, interest you more than to see them at their books.” - -“I have often thought,” Tacita said, “that if we could sometimes stop -and watch the artisan at his work, we might find it interesting. They -know so many things that the idle do not suspect. I especially like -builders of houses and monuments. There is so much of poetry and -religion in their work.” - -“The artists who painted the _affrescos_ in the Basilica learned cooking -first,” Elena said. “It is recorded of them that they were very -promising cooks, and came near spending their lives in the kitchens. One -day a gentleman observed them arranging some fruit and vegetables with a -very artistic sense of color, and one of them showed him a butterfly he -had painted with vegetable juices and bits of mica. One thing led to -another. Paint-boxes and paper were given them, and they took fire. They -were sent out to study. The landscape painter had a fame in the world, -and died there. The one who painted the insects, flowers, and animals, -returned to San Salvador after a few years, and never went away again. -He taught here. The schools were then started. Did you see the ant-hill -in those frescos? It is in the lower left corner, just above Solomon’s -text: ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard!’ An acanthus leaf half covers it. -But there are the little grains of sand perfect, and the ants running -with their building materials. In one place two ants are carrying a -stick, one at each end of it. It is a little gem. They recorded of this -man that it was his delight to search out microscopic beauties that no -one else had seen. One said that he could intoxicate himself with a drop -of dew. Ah, how many a Psyche of beautiful wings withers away in a dull -imprisonment because no Love has sought her out! It does not even know -why it suffers, nor what it wants. What an escape little Giotto had! -What would have been his after-life if Cimabue had not paused to see -what the shepherd boy had drawn with chalk on that rough piece of -slate!” - -“Only a little before coming here,” Tacita said, “I came upon a sentence -in a book regarding Giotto and the little church of Santa Maria dell’ -Arena, of which he was both architect and painter. The writer said: -‘Dante lodged with Giotto while the works were in progress.’ Dante -lodged with Giotto! If I had been there, I would have put rose-petals -inside their pillow-cases. I once saw an old picture with a portrait of -Giotto in it. He was dark-haired and bright-eyed, and he was dressed all -in white and gold, with a hooded mantle. The hood was up over his head, -showing only a profile. He looked like a rose, and seemed full of spirit -and gladness. I hope that the picture was authentic.” - -“Yes,” said Elena with a sigh, “give them rose-petals, those whom the -world showers with laurel. It is well. They also need sympathy. But my -thought turns ever backward to the uncrowned, the unpraised! My dear, I -have gone among the unknown of many lands, and I have found among them -such vision-seeing pathetic eyes in persons whose lives were condemned -to the commonplace and the material that I hold him who can express -himself at his best to his fellow-man to be happy, even if he has to die -for it. True, to the second sight, there is much of beauty in common -things. But a person born with an ideal sense of beauty, and a vague -longing to be, or to enjoy something excellent, naturally does not look -for it in poverty and ignorance. Let us observe our contemporaries, my -dear. Perhaps we may discover where we least expect it the motionless -eyeballs of some imprisoned and disguised immortal. How happy we, if -ours should be the first voice to hail such with an Ave!” - -When Tacita was alone, she examined the little book given her at the -school. It was only a behavior book for the pupils; but it contained -some rules not found elsewhere. - -“When you are in the street, do not stop to speak to any one you may -meet without an errand which makes it necessary, if it should be before -supper, and do not stop at all unless your first movement toward the -person should be responded to with an appearance of welcome. - -“Do not go to any person’s house unless an errand compel you to; go and -then, your business done promptly, take leave at once, but without -hurrying, even if invited to stay. - -“If at the assembly you see two or more persons conversing apart, do not -approach them unless called, nor look at them as if expecting a call. It -is proper to pass them without saluting. Never approach an alcove which -is occupied. - -“When kissing the sash of one whom you wish to salute, be sure that your -hands are quite clean, and then touch only the fringe, which is easily -renewed. To touch the fringe and then carry your fingers to your lips -would be better.” - -A page called “The Five Classes” reminded the reader somewhat in its -style of that high-minded and gentlemanly, if rather Turveydropish -philosopher, Confucius:— - -“1. We begin our studies by acknowledging that our teachers know more -than we, and that we have much to learn; and then we have the wisdom of -our age, and may be agreeable to the well-instructed. - -“2. We acquire the rudiments of a few studies, and begin to think that -we may soon know a great deal; and we are still tolerable to the -well-instructed. - -“3. We progress till we have a superficial knowledge of several -subjects; and then we are liable to think ourselves so wise that we -become disgusting to the well-instructed. - -“4. We go a great deal farther, and if we have good sense, we perceive -our own ignorance, and are ashamed of our past presumption; and then we -begin to win the respect of the well-instructed. - -“5. We progress farther and deeper, studying with modesty and assiduity; -and after many years we learn that there is an ocean of wisdom to which -all that we could acquire in a thousand years is as a drop of water; and -then we are ourselves on the road to be one of the well-instructed.” - -“It isn’t a useless lesson for any one to commit to memory,” she -thought, closing the book. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - -“It would be a great help to me if I could hear the language spoken in a -longer discourse, so as to get the swing of it,” Tacita said one day to -Iona, after having taken a lesson of her. “In conversation all my -attention is occupied in listening to the sound of the words, and -thinking of their meaning.” - -“You can have to-morrow just what you want,” her teacher said. “Some of -the college boys go up to Professor Pearlstein’s cottage with their -compositions. He criticises both style and thought. Some of the -compositions, if not all, will be in San Salvadorian. They will go up at -eight o’clock in the morning. When you see them come across the town, -follow them. You can do so freely. My brother Ion is one of the boys; -and I sometimes go up to hear them. The cottage is a little above the -Arcade, toward the north, and has a red roof. Half way up, the pathway -branches. Turn to the right, and you will come to a little boudoir in -the rocks from which you can hear perfectly.” - -The next morning, therefore, Tacita followed the boys as directed, and -presently found herself in a charming mossy nook with a roof, and a -thick grapevine hanging between her and the little terrace where the -professor sat before his cottage door with half a dozen boys in a -semicircle before him. - -Professor Pearlstein was a striking figure. His handsome face was calm -and pallid, his hair and beard were white; and he wore a long robe of -white wool with a scarlet sash, and a scarlet skull-cap like a -cardinal’s. He was carefully dressed, even to the scarlet straps of his -russet sandals; and an air of peace and orderliness hung like a perfume -about him and his small domain. - -Tacita, screened by her vine-leaves, listened for half an hour, eager to -catch the thoughts through the veil of this beautiful language which was -so sonorous and so musical, and was spoken with little motions of head, -throat, and shoulders, like a singing bird. - -Then a boy addressed his master in French. - -“I considered the ways of a tree,” he said, holding his manuscript in -hand, but without looking at it. “As soon as the seed wakes, it sends -out two shoots. One goes down into the dark earth, seeking to fix itself -firmly and find nourishment. The other rises into the light, putting up -two little leaves, like praying hands, laid palm to palm. The root -searches in that chemical laboratory, which is the earth, and is itself -a chemist, and the tree sucks up its ichor, and increases. The tree also -searches for food and color in sun and air. The root feels the ever -increasing weight which rests upon it, and clings hard to rocks, and -strikes deeper when it feels the strain of a storm in its fibres. It -does not know what the sun is, except as an unknown power that sends a -gentle warmth down into the dark, and calls its juices upward. It does -not know that of the particles of air which here and there give it such -a delicate touch as seems a miracle, a fathomless and boundless sea -exists above where all its gatherings go to build the tree. It does not -know what beautiful thing it is building there, all flowers and fruit -and rustling music. It crawls and gathers with the worm and the ant, -obedient to the law of its being, and draws sweetness out of corruption, -and clasps a rock for a friend. - -“Master, I could not be content to think that there is no more than this -visible tree to reward such labor, and that anything so beautiful as the -tree should be meant only to please the eye, gratify the palate, and -then return to chaos. - -“May there not be yet a third stage of this creature, some -indestructible tree of Paradise, all ethereal music, perfume, and -sweetness? That beauty would be not in its mere existence, but in the -good that it has done; in the shade and refreshment it has given to man; -in shelter to nestling birds, and to all the little wild creatures which -fly to it for protection; in the music of its playing with the breeze -and with the tempest. - -“When it drops off the perishable part which was but the instrument of -its perfection, the humble instinct in the root understands at last for -what and with what it labored. - -“I remembered, O my master, that we in the flesh are but the root of our -higher selves, our sense feeding our intelligence, which works visibly; -while above the body and the studious mind rises some quintessence of -intelligence which the spark of life was sent to elaborate out of the -universe on which it feeds, a being all pure, all beautiful, which at -last gathers itself up into the light of Paradise, dropping off -corruption.” - -“The picture-book of nature has given thee a fair lesson, Provence,” -said Professor Pearlstein, smiling kindly on the boy; and then, with a -few suggestions and verbal corrections, allowed him to resume his seat. - -Tacita did not need to be told that the boy who rose next was Iona’s -brother. He was graceful and proud-looking, with an oval olive face, -black eyes and dark hair tossed back in locks that had the look of -plumes. He spoke in Italian, which he pronounced exquisitely, with -fullness and deliberation. - -“I have been haunted by a circle and a whirling and a wheel,” he began, -looking downward, his head slightly bowed, as if in confusion. “I meant -to draw a lesson from the life of water. But when I had followed a drop -only half its course, a great machine, all wheels and whirling, caught -me up and tore my thoughts to fragments. - -“I remembered having read somewhere that men and women are but the -separated parts of wheelshapes, or circles which had been their united -form in a more perfect state of being. Then I saw the Hindu walking -seven times around the object of his sacred love, as the Mohammedan at -the Cordovan _Ceca_, till his footsteps wear a pathway in the stone. I -remembered Plutarch’s story of the siege of Alesia. When the city had to -capitulate, the general came out on his finest charger and dressed in -his finest armor, to surrender it. He rode round and round the tribune -on which sat Cæsar with his officers, circled round and round them, then -dismounted, disarmed himself, and sat down silently at Cæsar’s feet. -That revolution had some meaning. I remembered the whirling dervish, a -clod with a planetary instinct, and the Persian hell peopled with beings -which whirl forever in a ceaseless circle, whirling and circling, the -right hand of each pressed to his burning heart. That naturally recalls -to mind the strange idea that the planets are sentient beings, whirling -forever with their hearts on fire, like those accursed ones in the Hall -of Eblis. - -“The planetary idea is in all this circling and whirling. - -“All the old nations have a legend of some great supernatural battle in -the past, where rebel and loyal angels, gods and Titans, good and evil -spirits fought with each other. Those legends must all be the reflection -of a real event. I have wondered if Chaos may not have been the crash -and ruin of such a combat, and Creation, as we have read its story, a -restoration only, instead of being the original establishment of order. -Is not all this whirl the search of scattered fragments for their -supplementary parts? - -“It might be, then, that there is no absolute evil, but only an evil of -wrong associations. There are substances, as chemists know, which are -deadly in some combinations and wholesome in others. There is the brute -creation, which, perhaps, is but a false humanity unmasked. Look at the -trees. Cut down an oak-tree and a pine-tree grows in its place. Why not -say, cut down a cruel man and a wolf is born? And from that wolf -downward through fierce and gnawing generations, each losing some fang -and fire, what wore the shape of man may become mud again. What if the -real grandeur of Christ’s mission may have been to release all _men of -good-will_ from this primeval expiation. First comes the figure, then -the substance. _Let there be Light!_ said the Creator. And said Christ, -_I am the Light of the world._ Shone upon by the sun, the foul and -hateful may produce the exquisite. From mud and dung we have the lily -and the rose. From this divine sun shining on _men of good will_, we -have the perfect man released from a long captivity. The hell we hear -of, the _outer darkness_, of which the King’s Majesty spoke, might be -this going downward in the scale of being of creatures which had arrived -at humanity, but were unworthy of it. - -“Here, then, would begin another movement, the Divine way of heaven. - -“It is all a whirl! Master, it makes me dizzy!” - -Half laughing, the boy pressed his hands to his temples. - -“Ion,” said the master quietly, “it is well to observe natural phenomena -with the hope of drawing some guidance from them in the supernatural. -Nature is like our sweet-toned bell in C. The material stroke at the -base brings out the keynote; but if you listen higher up where the band -of lilies runs, you will hear the dominant whispering. This is our -limit. If the universe should propound its riddle to me, I would lay my -hand on my mouth and my mouth in the dust.” - -“I would die guessing, or knowing!” cried the boy. Then, with a quick -change of expression, he bowed lowly, and said in a quiet tone:— - -“I considered the ways of water. It springs out of the dark earth, is a -rivulet, a brook, a river. It labors, and never ceases to be useful -till, laden with impurities which are not its own, it falls into the -ocean. It has wet the lips of fever, washed the stains of labor, helped -to bear malaria from the crowded city, revived the drooping plant, -quenched the devouring flame, sung its little song along the roof and -eaves, stretched its little film to soften a sunbeam in the hot noon. It -rests. No, it rests not. It climbs into the sky only to return, and go -over it all again. It was depressing to think that we may come again to -go through the same round. But who knows that the drop of water makes -the same round a second time? The variety may be infinite. And so, I -thought, the soul may come and come, till it learns to sympathize with -all. May we not guess who has made many upward-growing circles by -saying, he can sympathize with people in circumstances which have never -surrounded his apparent life, he can be compassionate where others -condemn, he can stand firm where others fail, he is not moved by -clamor?” - -“Who can say?” said the master, passing his hand across his forehead. -“It is wiser not to ask.” - -“Is it forbidden to speculate?” asked the boy in a low tone. - -“It is not forbidden, Ion. But to spend the present in speculating on -the unrecallable past and the unknown future is to throw away a -treasure. What happens when you try to look at the sun at midday? You -see nothing but a palpitating fire that scorches your brain. Turn your -eyes to earth again, and do you see it as it is? No: everything is -discolored, and over it all are floating livid disks that mimic the -sun’s shape and slander his color, the only souvenirs of an attempt to -strain a power beyond its limits. Do not try to read the poetry and -philosophy of a language till you shall have learned its alphabet and -grammar.” - -“Yet I learned German so, and was at the head of my class,” said Ion -boldly. “I opened a book with Goethe’s name on the title-page, and -turned the leaves till I saw a poem that was as clearly shaped for music -as a bird is. I took the first letter and learned its name and sound, -and then the next and the next, till I had a word. I learned that word, -and the next in the same way, till I had a verse and a thought. O -master, what delight when the dark shadows slid off that thought, and it -shone out like a star from under a cloud! When, thought by thought, I -had got the whole poem out, every phrase perfect, and each delicate -grace with its own curves, then I knew German! I plunged into the sea -and learned to swim!” - -He laughed with joyous triumph, and lifting his arms, crossed them above -his head, bending backward for a moment, as if to draw a full breath -from the zenith. - -The old man smiled. - -“Thou hast an answer ever ready,” he said, “and thou art not all wrong, -boy. I would not clip thy wings. I like thy life and courage. But I -would that thou hadst something also of Holy Fear.” - -“I like not the name of fear,” the boy said, clouding over. - -“Yes; if a man fear to do right,” said the master. “But there is a noble -fear of presumption, and of setting a bad example. You have quoted from -our highly-honored Plutarch. Do you remember what he tells of Alexander -on the vigil of the battle of Abela? He stood on the height and saw over -against him Darius reviewing his troops by torchlight. They marched -interminably out of the darkness into the glare and out into darkness. -Those moving shadows on the morrow would become to him and to his army -showers of arrows and shock of spears, and trampling hoofs, and crushing -chariot-wheels, an avalanche of fierce death to bear them down. - -“Then Alexander called his soothsayer, and they set up an altar before -the king’s tent; and there, with the torch-lighted hosts of the foe -before them, they sacrificed to Holy Fear. - -“When the hour of battle came, did Alexander therefore fail? No! The -next day’s sun shone on his victory; and ere it set poor Darius was a -fugitive, and his conquerer proclaimed Emperor of Asia. - -“Ion, thy danger is in rashness and in passion. Guard thyself, boy! -To-night, I pray thee, ere thou sleep, go out alone on to the topmost -terrace of the college, and there in silence gaze for a little while -into the cloudless sky and consider the torchlights of God’s great -invisible encampment, cycles and cycles of being, a measureless life of -which we know not the figure nor the language. And when, so gazing, the -fever of thy soul shall be somewhat cooled, do thou also sacrifice to -Holy Fear!” - -Ion listened at first with downcast eyes, then looking earnestly at the -speaker; and when the exhortation was ended, before taking his seat, he -went to kiss respectfully the fringe of the master’s sash. - -Into the pause that followed there broke a sudden clash of bells all -struck together. - -The master and pupils glanced at each other and all rose, uncovering -their heads. - -Tacita recognized the familiar _à morto_ of Italy. It signified here -that some one was dying. - -The clash changed to a melody, and they all sang together the hymn that -had been sung that night in Venice:— - - “San Salvador, San Salvador, - We cry to thee!” - -singing the hymn through. - -When it was ended, Tacita, perceiving that the lesson of the boys would -not continue longer, hastened down the path before them. - -She had scarcely reached the level when Ion overtook her. - -“May I speak to you, Tacita Mora?” he asked, cap in hand. “The master -gave me permission to follow you.” - -“Surely!” she answered, blushing. “But tell me first for whom the bells -were ringing.” - -“It must be Leila, one of the school-girls. She was very sick last -night. And this morning her brother did not come to the college, so I -knew that she must be worse.” - -“Did not I see you at the assembly?” asked Tacita. “I had but a glimpse; -but I think that it was you.” - -“Yes,” said Ion. “It was my first admission. I was sixteen years old the -day before. We go there at my age, and the ladies teach us politeness. -It is proper and kind for any lady to tell us if we commit a -_gaucherie_. They tell us gently in a whisper. Pardon me if I still am -awkward. I am but a school-boy. I wanted to kiss the fringe of your sash -that night, and did not dare to.” - -He bent to take her sash end, kissed it lightly, and still held it for a -moment as they walked. There was something caressing and fascinating in -his voice and manner. - -Looking down at the silken fringe, and letting it slip tuft by tuft, he -asked suddenly, “Do you love my sister?” - -“I admire her,” Tacita replied. “I have a sense of subjection in her -presence which forbids me to use such a familiar word as love.” - -“She builds up that barrier in spite of herself!” the brother exclaimed. -“She wishes to see if any one will throw it down in order to get nearer -to her. She would sometimes be glad if it were down. I know Iona.” - -“You can approach her nearly,” Tacita said. “But who else would push -down a barrier that she raises round herself?” - -“I want you to,” Ion said earnestly. “I want Iona to have some one to -whom she can unveil her mind more than she would to me even. Her -relations with our people are fixed. Half by her own motion, and half -with their help, she has been got on to a pedestal. She is on a pedestal -even to Dylar. And there she must remain till some one helps her down. -See why I am so anxious about it now.” - -He took her sash end again, and held it, his fingers trembling as he -went on with growing passion. - -“Next year some of our young men are going out to take their places in -the world. They are all two or three years older than I; but I am a -century more impatient than all of them put together. Naturally I should -be expected to wait. If I insist, I can go; only I am afraid it would -give pain to Iona. But if you love her, you can take my place to her. -She is sure to love you. I feel your sweetness all about you in the air. -At the assembly a lady quoted something pretty about you: - - ‘Why, a stranger, when he sees her - In the street even, smileth stilly, - Just as you would at a lily.’ - -Don’t let this barrier grow up between you and Iona! Try to get inside -of it, and help me.” - -“I will do what I can, Ion,” Tacita said, beginning to feel as if she -had found a brother. “May I speak of it to Dylar? I think that she would -show her mind more freely to him.” - -“I leave it all to you, and thank you,” the boy said, warmly. “I shall -die if I do not go! But don’t tell them that I said so. I have such a -longing! Last year I climbed that southern mountain we call the Dome. -From the top I caught a glimpse between the higher mountains of the -outside world. Oh, how it stretched away! Our plain was as the palm of -my hand compared with that vast outspread of land. There were small blue -spots, so small that if I held two fingers up at arm’s length, they were -hidden. Yet they were mountains like these. There were trees so distant -that they looked a mere green leaf dropped on the ground. I saw where -the sun rises over the rim of the round earth, and where it sinks again. -How I breathed! This is a dear home, I know. I have seen men and women -fall on their knees and thank God, weeping with joy, that they were -permitted to return after having been long away. But I cannot love San -Salvador as it deserves till I have seen something different.” - -Tacita took in hers the boy’s trembling hand. - -“Be comforted!” she said. “I will do all that I can, and you are sure to -go. It will not be long to wait. Now, when you go about, look at San -Salvador and all that it contains with the thought that you are taking -leave of it. On the eve of saying farewell, even a mere acquaintance -seems a friend.” - -They were at the door of the Arcade. Ion took a grateful, graceful -leave. - -“Addio, O Queen of golden Silence!” he said. - -“Poor little Leila is dead!” said Elena, coming in later. “I was with -her. It was she who gave you the white rose when we were at the school. -You can now give one back.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - -Leila’s funeral took place the next day, the lovely waxen figure carried -on a bier strown with flowers. The family surrounded their dead, a -procession of friends preceding and following. The child’s home had been -in one of the smaller apartments of the cross-streets, reached by -stairways under the arches; and as it was the custom for funerals to -approach the Basilica by the avenue, they came across to the eastward -through alternating light and shadow, and, reaching the outer street, -returned by the bridge in front of the Arcade, the bells ringing _à -morto_ as they passed through the avenue. But it was not the clash of -all the bells together. It was a plaintive dropping, a tone or a chord, -like dropping tears. - -“Will they not enter?” Tacita asked in a whisper of Elena when she saw -that not only those preceding the dead spread themselves around the -outside of the inclosure of the Basilica, but those who followed were -also remaining outside. - -“No, my dear. The house of God is no place for corrupting human bodies.” - -The bier was set down on the uppermost of the first steps; two men with -gilded staves drew aside the curtains of the portal, and the lights and -the Throne shone out on the mourning and the mourned. A few prayers were -said; and then, led by the chimes, they all sang. - -Tacita knew enough of the language now to follow the sense of their -simple and brief appeal. - - “Thou who didst mourn the friend that silent lay - In the dark tomb, behold our eyes that weep - A lifeless form that loved us yesterday. - Mourning, we lay its silence at thy feet,— - Thou who didst weep! - - “Help of the sorrowful! Help us to say - Of this dear treasure which we may not keep, - The Lord hath given, and he takes away, - And still thy name with fervent blessings greet,— - Thou who didst weep! - Thou who didst weep!” - -The windows of the Basilica had all been darkened and the lamps doubled; -and to those standing opposite the portal the two long rows of columns -and the climbing lights and upper glow might have seemed like Jacob’s -vision of the angelic stairway stretching from earth to heaven, from -shadow to light. - -The hymn ended, they took up their dead and went on in silence. The road -that led to the cemetery led nowhere else. It turned from the plain at -the south side of the Basilica, hidden by the elevation of the little -rock plateau on which the structure was set, and passing along the side -of it, entered a deep and narrow ravine at the back. This ravine was -nearly half a mile long and walled with precipitous rocks that shut out -everything but the line of sky above and the topmost point of one white -snow-peak, serene against the blue. - -Entering the ravine was to be reminded infallibly of the “valley of the -shadow of death.” Here the prayers began. A single voice in the centre -of the procession exclaimed:— - -“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away,” and like waves the -response rolled to front and rear and back again,—“Blessed be the name -of the Lord!” - -The Miserere was repeated in the same way, and the Psalm “The Lord is my -Shepherd.” - -The sun entered the ravine with them. There was only one hour of the day -when a direct beam shone in, and that, except when the days were -longest, scarcely reached the foot-way. It shone along over their heads -now; and as the road near its end made a turn further inward to the -mountains, it shone on a great golden legend set high above on an arch -springing from cliff to cliff:— - -I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE! - -Some men on the natural bridge that made the archway stood outlined -against the sky, looking down at the procession. To them the gray robes -and black sashes could have been scarcely distinguishable from the dark -rocks; but the form of the little maiden thus taking its last journey, -and those of the eight bearers, all in white, would shine out of the -shadows. - -No perfumed garden flowers grew on that high land where they were -working when they heard the bells’ _à morto_; but they gathered snowy -daisies, scentless and pure, and made a little drift of their petals; -and as the dead approached and passed beneath, they dropped them down in -a thin shower as fine as any snow-crystals. - -The ravine opened beyond the arch to what had been a torrent-bed -circling round a cone-shaped mountain almost destitute of verdure. The -whole mass of this mountain was a cemetery. Wide stairs and galleries -outside led to iron-bound doors at different heights. One of these doors -was open. The procession, crossing a bridge over dry stones, went up the -graded ascent to what might be called the second story. Here was a full -sunshine. The bearers set their burden down in it before the open door. -And here, at last, grief was allowed to have its way for a moment. The -mourners fell on their knees beside their dead. A choir of men and women -broke out singing:— - - “Look thy last upon the sun! - Eyes that scarcely had begun - To distinguish near from far, - Star from lamp, or lamp from star;— - Eyes whose bitterest tears were dew - That a swift smile sparkled through. - Lift thy white lids once, before - Darkness seal them evermore! - - “Speak, and bid the air rejoice, - Music of a childish voice! - One more word our hearts shall hail - Sweeter than the nightingale! - Smile again, O lips of rose! - Break the pitiless repose - That is builded like a wall - Where in vain we beat and call. - - “Nevermore! Ah, nevermore! - Till we touch the heavenly shore, - Voice or smile of hers shall bless - Our heart-bleeding loneliness. - Jesus, King, and Brother mild! - Keep her yet a little child, - That her face we there may see - As we yield it back to thee!” - -The parents and the child’s brother sobbed as they bent over the -unanswering dead, if the peaceful brightness of that flower-like face -could be called unresponsive, and they rose only when some of their -nearer friends bent over and would have lifted them. Then the bearers -took up the bier and passed out of the sun, and disappeared into what -from the outside seemed a profound darkness. - -It was a long corridor formed precisely like a catacomb, except that the -greater part of it was masonry. The roof, floor, and walls were all of -unpolished gray stone with white marble tablets set in the walled-up -niches. Three iron lamps suspended from the ceiling threw all about a -tender golden light. At the farthest end of the corridor something white -reflected dimly. There were a few closed niches, but the greater number -of them were unoccupied. Outside one of these, opposite the second lamp, -a smaller lamp, as yet unlighted, was set in an iron ring fixed in the -masonry. - -The bier was set down before this niche, which was lined with myrtle -sprigs, and had little lace bags filled with spices in the corners. -There were two silver rings inside attached to cords, one at the head -and one at the foot. - -As Tacita entered, she saw the father lift his child and lay her in her -fragrant bed, and the mother place a pillow under her head. They crossed -her hands on her breast, and slipped one of the silver rings on to a -wrist and the other over the slender foot. They had been weeping loudly; -but when, their service done, they stood and looked at the peaceful and -lovely sleeper, something of her quiet came over them. They gazed -fixedly, as if their souls were groping after hers, or as if the wall of -her silence and immobility were not altogether impenetrable, and intent, -with hushed breathing, they could catch some sense of a light fuller -than that of the sun, and of sweet sounds, beautiful scenes and loving -companionship in what had seemed a void, and of nearness where infinite -distances had been straining at their heart-strings. - -Tacita laid her bunch of white roses at the child’s feet. Then Elena led -her down the corridor and pointed to a name inscribed on the marble of a -closed niche. It was her father’s. - -She kissed the marble, and stood thinking; then turned away. “God keep -him!” she said. “I cannot find him here.” - -At the end of the corridor, in the centre of the wall, was an open -niche, all white marble, with a gilded cross lying in it, and so many -little bags of spices that all the neighborhood was perfumed by them. - -This niche was called “The Resurrection;” and at every funeral the -mourners brought their tribute of perfumes to it. - -Elena drew her companion’s attention to the niches around this open -tomb. “You see how small they are. They are all young infants. It is the -same in all the corridors. The end where the tomb of Christ is, is -called the cemetery of the Innocents.” - -Outside, in the gallery, a choir was softly singing:— - - “Thou who didst weep!” - -“We will go now,” Elena whispered. - -As they went, the mourners still stood before their dead, the husband -and wife hand in hand. The brother, with his hands clasped before him, -gazed steadfastly into his sister’s face, that was scarcely whiter than -his own. - -The little lamp had been lighted, the chains attached to the chain of a -bell hung outside the door, and a plate of glass covered the niche. - -People came and went quietly. Some had gone home; others were seated on -the stone benches outside. Dylar was leaning on the parapet; and when -Tacita and Elena came out, he accompanied them down and through the -ravine. When they reached the lane behind the church, he asked Tacita if -she would like to go up and see his cottage, which was just above the -college. She assented gladly, and Elena left them to go up the path -together. - -The cottage was of the plainest, and contained but two rooms. The front -one had a glass door and two windows overlooking the town. There was a -table in the centre of the room with a revolving top surrounded by -drawers. A hammock hung at the back, and there were two chairs, a -bookcase and a closet. The floor was of green and white tiles, and the -roughly plastered walls were washed a dull green. - -“You see, I have here everything that I need,” Dylar said. “My living -rooms are in the college; but I often come here. My writing and -planning, especially of our outside affairs, is done here. The business -of San Salvador is all portioned out and arranged, and can be done -without me. But the outside business requires a good deal of study.” - -He brought the chairs out, and they sat down, and Dylar pointed out the -larger mountains, and named them, told where the torrents were and how -they had been or could be deviated, told where the signal-stations were, -and how they could know from them all that happened at their outer -stations. He showed her her own chamber windows in the Arcade, the -heights behind which, scarcely hidden from the town, she had entered San -Salvador, and, near the southeastern angle of the opening, a mountain -with a double peak, beyond which stood Castle Dylar. - -The terrace where they sat was covered with a thin dry turf, and a -pine-tree grew at one side and an olive-tree at the other. The olive was -so old that its trunk was quite hollowed out, and the side next the rock -had long since died and been cut away. The single great outward branch -was full of blossoms. From the parapet one could look down and see the -river of ripening wheat that flowed quite round the rock on which the -college was built. - -“This is the only spot in the world that I can properly call home,” -Dylar said. “It is the only place all mine, and where no stranger comes. -If I am wanted, a signal calls me.” - -“You like to be here!” Tacita said with a certain pensiveness. “You like -to be alone!” - -“You think so,” he said, “because I keep somewhat apart. It is necessary -that I should do so in order to avoid complicating intimacies. Then, I -have a great deal to think of. Besides, I will confess that when human -affection comes too near, and becomes personal, I feel a sense of -recoil. Human evil and sorrow I do not shrink from; but human love”— - -Tacita moved backward a step, and clouded over. - -“Not so!” Dylar exclaimed. “It is precisely because your friendship is -as delicate as a mist that I seek you, that I follow you. See that white -cloud on the pine-tree yonder! It is like you. The tree-top, the topmost -tree-top has caught and tries to hold it. Do you think that it would -like to stay?” - -“It stays!” she murmured; and a faint rose-hue over her face and neck -and hands betrayed the sudden heart-throb. “It stays while it is held.” - -Dylar looked at her with delight in his eyes. - -“I am glad to have here at last the little girl of the _baiocco_,” he -said. “I never forgot her. When I no longer saw her, she grew up in my -mind. I fancied her saying to me across the world: ‘Why do you not come? -I am no longer a child!’” - -Tacita gave him a startled glance, and quickly turned her eyes away. -Love the most ardent, the most impetuous, shone in his face. - -“Tacita,” he said softly, “I am indeed a beggar now! But do not fear. I -will wait for your answer; but I could not wait before letting you know -surely that my fate is in your hands. And now, shall we go down?” - -She turned to descend before him, but stopped, looking back over her -shoulder with lowered eyes that did not see his face. “May I have just -one little string of olive-blossoms?” she asked. - -He gathered and gave it to her over the shoulder her cheek was touching. -“Ask me for the tree!” he exclaimed. - -“Let it be mine where it stands,” she said, hiding a smile, and taking a -step forward. - -“Ask me for the castle!” he said passionately, following her. - -“I will first see the castle,” she said, still going, her face turned -from him. - -“Will you go to-morrow to see it? Elena will accompany us.” - -“If you ask me, I will go.” - -They had reached the circle, and some men were there on their way to the -upper gardens. In the town they were alone again, and Dylar sketched -their programme for the next day. - -“You and Elena will talk it over,” he said. “And if you wish any change -made, send me word this evening.” - -They parted at the door, and Tacita went upstairs feeling as though she -floated in the air. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - -The sun was not yet in the town. Its beams had scarcely reached the -Basilica in their progress down the western mountains when the two -ladies mounted their donkeys at the Arcade to go to Castle Dylar. The -master of the castle was to meet them on the mountain path above the -college. - -They found him waiting for them; and as they went up an easy serpentine -road, and over bridges binding cliff to cliff, Dylar pointed out hills -and streams where the small flocks and herds of San Salvador were kept. - -From this path could be seen to the best advantage the rock on which the -college was built, and the way the structure followed its outlines and -imitated them in pinnacles and terraces of every size and shape. They -found the mountains on which the pine-woods bordered, and, close at -hand, the height from which the first Dylar had discovered the site of -his future city. - -San Salvador disappeared; then its gardens were no longer visible; and -then the spaces that betrayed the presence of a plain, or valley, were -filled in; and they no longer looked backward. - -They entered upon a scene like that which had preceded Tacita’s first -vision of San Salvador, scarcely a month before; and again she began to -ask herself if it were not all a dream. - -But a word from Dylar was enough to chase the phantom of unreality away. -Tacita used every pretext that enabled her to glance at him. He was so -picturesque and soldierly, he had such an uncommon figure with his firm -profile and auburn-tinted hair; and the dark tunic and turban cap with -its silver band were so graceful. - -She and Elena had each a man at the bridle; but Dylar was at her side at -every rough place or steep descent. Yet his manner could not be called -lover-like. It was rather that of a kind and anxious guardian. She asked -herself if he had indeed said but the day before that his fate was in -her hands. It seemed impossible. It was he who held her fate. Under his -guardianship, how sweet were the dark places, how welcome the giddy -cliff edges! - -Outwardly quiet, and with a face almost as colorless as an orange -flower, Tacita was intoxicated with delight. - -Near the end of their journey, they passed across the opening to a deep -and dark ravine. - -“There,” said the prince, pointing, “was found the gold which enabled -the first Dylar to buy and cultivate land around the castle, and to -found San Salvador. It was a rich mine; and we still find a few grains -in it.” - -A little later they reached a small plateau, and dismounted. Passing a -corner of ledge, they came to a long rough stair so shut in as to be in -twilight. It descended and disappeared in a turn, and seemed to have -been cut in the rock. It ended at a door that opened into a low-roofed -cave. - -“Courage!” said Dylar with a smile, and gave his hand to Tacita. - -He led her through the cave, and up a stone stair lighted by a hanging -lamp to a landing that had a narrow barred door at one side. Through -this door, masked on its other side by shelves, they entered a large -cellar such as one might expect to find under an old castle founded upon -rocks. - -Here were long vistas of vaults supported on piers of masonry, tracts of -thick wall, both long and short, sometimes taking the place of pillars -and arches. There were glistening rows of wine-hogsheads diminishing in -the darkness; and shelves of jars gave a familiar domestic look to the -place. - -Dylar pointed out how cunningly the stair from the cave below was -hidden. It was set between two walls that ran together like a wedge, a -wall starting off diagonally from the point where they met, and pillars -and arches so confusing the outlines that the wedge-shape could not be -suspected. - -From the large cellar they entered a small one surrounded by shelves of -bottles. - -“I am sorry to welcome you to my house by such a rough way,” Dylar said. -“But it is, at least, an ascending one.” - -“You are giving me a charming adventure,” Tacita said brightly. “I have -entered many a palace and castle by the _portone_, but never before by a -cavern and a masked door.” - -The next stair led to a plainly-furnished study, or office. Dylar -hastened to open a door into a noble baronial hall. - -“At last, welcome to Castle Dylar!” he exclaimed. “May peace fill every -hour you pass within its walls. Command here as if all were your own!” - -They entered a drawing-room of which the walls were all a rich dimness -of old frescos, and the oaken furniture was upholstered with purple -cloth. The tall windows let in a brilliant sunshine through the upper -panes; but all the lower ones were covered by shutters. Here the -housekeeper came to welcome the ladies and show them to their chambers. - -The wide stairway led to a circular gallery hung with tapestries in -which was woven the story of Alexander the Great. There was nothing -modern. But the two connecting chambers they entered were bright with -sunshine, and fresh with green and white draperies. The windows were -swathed with a thin gray gauze. - -Tacita went eagerly to look out. - -“We must not show ourselves,” Elena said. “You can look through the -gauze.” - -The first glance, vaulting over a mass of tree-tops and a great -half-moon of verdure, saw a plain that extended to a low ripple of -pale-blue mountains on the horizon. A few stunted groves were visible on -this wide expanse, and a few abrupt hills which seemed to be protruding -ledges, the crevices of which had been gradually filled by the -dust-bearing winds. - -Tacita recollected Ion’s description of this scene, which had appeared -to him so beautiful that San Salvador, compared with it, had seemed a -prison. - -“Poor boy!” she thought. “He will find nowhere else such freedom as that -which he is so eager to leave.” - -The near view compensated by its richness for the sterility of the -distant. It was a vast fenceless garden radiating two miles, or more, in -every direction from the front of the castle, and every foot of it was -cultivated to the utmost. There were blocks of yellowing wheat, there -was every green of garden, orchard, and vineyard; and through them all -the ever-present olive-trees which gave the place its name. They were -planted wherever a tree could go. Around the foot of the castle they -were clustered so thickly that they hid even from its windows the green -turf and gray steps of its semicircular terraces. The large houses of -whitewashed stone with flat roofs were scattered about irregularly. By -some of them stood groups of palm-trees; or a single tree waved its -foliage above the terrace. - -The visitors had their dinner in a quaint boudoir, cone-shaped, and -frescoed to look like a forest aisle from the pavement to the apex of -its ceiling. One could recognize the artist of the Basilica in those -interwoven branches, those leaping squirrels, and the bird’s-nests with -a gaping mouth or downy head visible over the rim. - -“I will give you a more fitting service when you come here by way of the -Pines,” Dylar said. “But on these stolen visits from below we live with -closed doors and a single servant.” - -“He eats,” thought Tacita. “Therefore he is human.” And she felt no need -of puzzling over a major proposition, nor, indeed, of anything but what -the painted cone contained. - -“It should be a communicable thought which provokes that amused smile,” -Dylar said when he caught her expression. - -Tacita blushed. “I was telling myself that it is a real plate of soup -before you, and a real spoon in your hand; and that therefore I need not -expect to find myself presently in the Madrid gallery, and see you -disappear into a picture-frame.” - -“Shall I tell you something of that man’s history by and by?” asked -Dylar. “It may help to lay his ghost.” - -“Oh, yes!” she exclaimed. “And, oh, yes!” - -“When you shall have taken some repose, then,” he said, “come with me to -the terrace of the tower. There, with the scene of my ancestor’s labors -before our eyes, I will show you how to distinguish between him and me.” - -“I cannot sleep, Elena,” said Tacita, when they were alone. “Yet a nap -is just what I want. What a shame it is that our rebellious bodies do -not know their duty better, and obey orders.” - -“I fancy,” said Elena, “that the body could retort with very good reason -when accused of being troublesome, and that it understands and does its -business as well as the mind understands and does its own. Why should -not body and soul be friendly comrades?” - -“My respected friend and body,” said Tacita with great politeness, as -she leaned back in a deep lounging-chair, “will you please to go to -sleep?” - -She closed her eyes, and was silent a little while, then opened them, -and whispered, “Elena, it won’t!” - -There was no reply. Elena had gone to sleep in the adjoining chamber. - -Tacita sat looking out over the wide landscape. The nearest house -visible over the olive-trees had a flame of nasturtium flowers on its -lower walls, and a palm-tree lifting its columned trunk to hold a plumy -green umbrella over the roof. The foliage waved languidly to and fro in -a faint breeze, lifting and falling to meet its own shadow that lifted -and fell responsive on the white walls and gray roof. There was -something mesmeric in the motion; and the silence and “the strong -sunshine settled to its sleep” were like a steadfast will behind the -waving hands. - -When Tacita woke, Elena was waiting to tell her that Dylar was in the -drawing-room, and would show her the castle. - -To one acquainted with old countries there was nothing surprising in the -massive, half-ruined structure, with its rock foundations, and the -impossibility of finding one’s way unguided from one part of the -interior to the other. The ancient tapestries, the stone floors with -their faded rugs from oriental looms, the stone stairways where a carpet -would have looked out of place, and was, in fact, spread only as flowers -are scattered for some _festa_,—they were not strange to Tacita. But -they were most interesting. - -A round tower made the centre of the castle; and there was a wing at -either side with a labyrinth of chambers. This tower formed a rude -porter’s lodge on the ground, a fine hall above, a gallery by the -sleeping-rooms, and the fourth floor was Dylar’s private study. From -this room a narrow stair went up through the thickness of the wall to -the roof terrace. There were secret passages, and loop-holes for -observation everywhere. - -“God knows how many deeds of darkness these hidden chambers may have -witnessed!” Dylar said. “If it had not seemed possible that they may be -useful in the future, some of them would have been torn down before -this. If any large agricultural work were attempted, it might be -necessary to lodge the workmen here for a while. When these houses you -see were being built, a hundred men dined every day in a hall in the -eastern wing.” - -They had stepped out on to the terrace, where chairs had been placed for -them, screened from sight by the parapet, so that as they sat only a -green and gold rim of the settlement was visible. - -“How beautiful it would be,” said Tacita, “if all that plain were wheat -and corn and vines and orchards, with the hills crowned with small -separate cities, all stone, with not a green leaf, only boxes of pinks -outside the windows.” - -“Just my thought!” Dylar exclaimed, blushing with pleasure. “Who knows -but it may be some day? We own some land outside our farms, and have -begun by planting it with canes. It is that unbroken green band you see -yonder. It is larger than it looks.” - -They were silent a little while. There was no word that could have added -to their happiness. Then the prince began his story. - -“Three hundred years ago the name of Dylar was well known in some of the -great cities of Europe and the East. The family had occupied high -places, and the head of it at that time, whose portrait you have seen, -was a brave soldier. He was fortunate in everything,—too fortunate, for -he excited envy. He had a beautiful wife and a young son and a daughter. - -“His wife died, and with her departed his good fortune. While he mourned -for her, forgetful of everything but grief, those who envied him were -busy. I need not enter into details. His life is all recorded, and you -can read it if you will. It is enough to say that his enemies succeeded -in depriving him of place, and in multiplying their own number. They -changed the whole face of the earth for him. - -“He found himself in that position where a man sees open before him the -abyss of human meanness. Trivial minds dropped off their childish graces -and showed their childish brutality. Nothing is capable of a greater -brutishness than a trifler. Fine sentiments came slipping down like -gorgeous robes from dry skeletons. Prudence took the place of -magnanimity, its weazened face as cold as stone. Ceremonious courtesy -met him where effusive affection had been. In short, he had the -experience of a man who has lost place and power with no prospect of -regaining them. - -“He had no wish to regain them, and would have refused them had they -been offered. To astonishment, incredulity, and indignation succeeded a -profound disgust. His only wish was to shake off all his former -associations, and seek a place where he might forget them. - -“He sold his property, and with his two children abandoned a society -that was not worthy of him. A nurse and a man-servant only clung to his -fortunes, and refused to be separated from him and his children. - -“For a time he was a wanderer, thinking many thoughts. - -“He had been noble and honorable, but not religious. It is probable that -now, when humanity had so failed him, he raised his eyes to inquire of -that Deity of whose existence he had formerly made only a respectful -acknowledgment. The Madrid picture must have been painted about this -time. It expresses his state of mind. - -“Doubtless some of the plans which he afterward put in execution were -already floating in his imagination when in one of his journeys he came -upon this place, for he immediately resolved to purchase it. It is -recorded that he exclaimed, ‘It was made for me!’ - -“The place must have looked uninviting at that time to one who had not -already plans which would make works of improvement a welcome necessity; -for what is now a garden was then a waste almost as barren as that you -see beyond; and in place of these houses, which, in a rustic way, are -fine, noble structures, were a few miserable huts inhabited by tenants -as ignorant, and even vicious, as they were poor. - -“Probably Dylar had that feeling from the first which has been ever -since one of our principles of action, to take the worst, that which no -one else would take, in men and things, and work at their reformation. - -“At all events, he set out at once to find the owner of the place, a -young man who might be in Paris, or London, or Rome, but most surely, at -the gaming-table. Found at last, after a long search, he consented -readily to sell, but he did not consent gladly. He could not hesitate, -for he was reduced almost to living by his wits; but he suffered. - -“Dylar had compassion on him. He saw in him the victim of an evil -education involved in a life from which he was too weak to escape. But -it was impossible to approach such a man with the same help which he -could give to others. He only begged that if ever the young man, or his -children, should wish to live in retirement for a while, they would -still look upon the castle of their ancestors as a home to which they -would be ever welcome. - -“Then he set himself to change the face of his desolate possessions. He -gathered a score of outcasts, men and women to whom every door of hope -was closed, and brought them to the castle till other shelter could be -provided for them. More than one of them had crimes to confess; but they -were the crimes of misery and desperation rather than of malice. - -“Of a different class of the needy, he added to his own household. There -was an elderly lady who gladly took the place of duenna to his daughter; -and an old book-worm who was starving in unhonored obscurity became his -son’s tutor, and later an important agent in the success of his plans. - -“Of course, agriculture was their first need; and the tutor was far in -advance of his time in this science—so far as to have been considered a -visionary. Dylar found him able to realize these visions. - -“Before long, the land began to reward them. Huts had been built for the -new-comers, and all worked with a will. Dylar had confided something of -his plans to these poor people, and had inspired them with an ambition -to build here a city of refuge, and to look forward to a time when they -might say to the world which had condemned them, Behold! a higher judge -has absolved us. - -“Whether the thought occurred first to Dylar, or to his son’s tutor, we -do not know; but they agreed that gold must exist in large quantities in -the mountains, and they secretly searched for it. Some grains had been -found in a little stream that issued from the mountains where the river -now is. To guess how difficult it was to get at the source of this -stream you would have to examine the conformation of the mountains about -the castle. In fact, they were reduced to the necessity of descending -inside by ropes from the castle itself. - -“You understand that they succeeded, and found gold in large quantities. -You will also understand that they must have confided their secret to -others. - -“Here was an immense difficulty. Had this discovery been made known to -his people, Dylar’s community would have been ruined, his plans overset -forever. - -“He hit upon a device. He made another visit to the outside world, and -brought back seven men who might be called desperate criminals. He asked -them to work for him five years, separated from the world, with no other -companionship than their own, and, the term expired, to go far away -taking oath never to divulge what they had seen and done. On his side, -he would provide for all their needs, and give them a sum of money which -to them would be riches. - -“They agreed readily, not doubting but they were wanted to commit some -crime. When the term of their service was ended, they were no longer -criminals; and among their descendants have been the most faithful -guardians of San Salvador. - -“These men lived at first in a cave in the ravine. Then they built them -huts. Later, wives were found for them, and they made homes for -themselves. Long before the five years were ended the plain of San -Salvador was discovered, the city planned, and the lower entrance to the -castle begun. Outside, land was purchased and cultivated, and the houses -which preceded the present ones were built. Many new people had been -brought in, and some sent out to study a handicraft or science. Building -and agriculture were the chief studies of the people. - -“You will see that the story can only be touched here and there. - -“Everything succeeded, because all were in sympathy with their leader, -and his prosperity was their prosperity. These men and women who had -found themselves here, perhaps, for the first time in their lives, -treated with respect, had no desire to withdraw the veil so mercifully -let down between their human present and their infernal past. They were -faithful from self-interest and from a passionate sense of gratitude. - -“Now and then a new-comer was hard to assimilate; but indulgence was -shown. A mind long embittered may almost outgrow the possibility of -peace, not from any deformity of character, but from a profound sense of -injustice. A man or woman of middle age who can remember no happy -childhood, no aspiration of enthusiastic youth which was not crushed by -disappointment and mortification, has amassed a sense of wrong which -help comes too late then to cancel. - -“Dylar’s conviction, which still holds with us, was that a person so -unfortunate as to have become an outcast from civilization is most -probably the victim of some atrocious wrong in his birth, or in his -early training, or that some supreme injustice has been done him later -in life. Enlightened by his own experience and by subsequent -observation, he perceived a wide and cruel barbarism hidden beneath the -fair semblance of what calls itself civilization. Christianity he -recognized as the only true civilizer; but Christianity was an -individual, not a social fact. There was no Christian society. - -“As time passed, some persons of a different character, though all -needy, began to be drawn into the Olives,—a mourner who desired to spend -the remnant of a blighted life in retirement, or a hopeless invalid, or -some student whose life was consecrated to study and starvation. He was -astonished to find how many accomplished people in the world were poor. - -“He was, therefore, in no want of teachers. Some remained for a time; -some never left him. To the latter only the existence of San Salvador -was known. - -“In the lifetime of the first Dylar the necessity for preparing for -outside colonies was already felt, and his successor began them. He made -large investments, and had agents. All young orphans were sent out, and -all beyond a certain number in families. Sometimes a whole family will -go. Their relatives are their hostages. - -“It was the third Dylar, called Basil, who built the Basilica. There had -been only a shrine for a throne of acacia wood. This throne Basil made -with his own hands. It was he also who planned and began the cemetery; -and he was the first one to be laid in it. - -“Basil went out young into the world. He made himself first a carpenter, -then studied architecture and mining. He never married. I am descended -from his brother. - -“Volumes might be filled with beautiful stories that were told of him, -and with legends, half true, half false, which the people wove about -him. His sudden appearances and disappearances at the castle after he -returned to San Salvador were held by some to be miraculous. He lived a -hundred years, and was found dead on the summit of the mountain of the -cemetery. There is a grassy hollow at the top that is called ‘Basil’s -Rest.’ - -“It would be worth your while to go there some morning before sunrise, -to hear the larks. The story of his finding there, and of the people -bringing his body down, is like a song. - -“The first and second Dylars called the unfortunates they brought here -‘children of Despair.’ Basil named those he brought ‘children of Hope’! - -“I have told you that the first Dylar made friendly offers and promises -to the man of whom he bought this castle. His acts were in conformity -with his words. He kept a watch over the family, especially after he had -discovered gold. He held himself more solemnly bound to them by that -discovery. When any one of them was in difficulty, he went to the -rescue. But it was long before one of them was admitted to San Salvador. -Then a widow came with her young infant. This widow married the fourth -Dylar. From the little girl, her daughter, Iona and Ion are descended.” - -“Oh!” exclaimed Tacita. “Iona!” - -“Yes, Iona! In her and her brother alone we recognize now the blood of -the original possessors of Castle Dylar. Their presence here satisfies -our sense of justice. The girl I speak of married in San Salvador, and -she and her husband went out to have the charge of our affairs in -France. One of their sons became a messenger, that is, a person who -keeps a regular communication between all the children of San Salvador, -reports births and deaths, carries verbal messages, and does whatever -business may be necessary in his province. It is a messenger who buys -and brings all our supplies and carries out all our produce. - -“The son of this messenger became himself a messenger. He was Iona’s -grandfather. He was named Zara for a Greek friend of the family. He was -restless and adventurous, like all his race. He went to the East. This -was in the time of my grandfather. He married an Arab woman—ran away -with her, indeed. But the circumstances of the escapade were such as to -render it pardonable. - -“He lived but a short time after this marriage, and his widow with her -only child, afterward Iona’s mother, came to San Salvador. Iona’s father -was a relative of mine. - -“What Iona is I need not tell you; for you know her. She is one of -Nature’s queens, and of the rarest; and Ion is worthy to be her brother. -In both that restless fire of him who, for very impatience, sacrificed -his birthright is intensified by this spark from Araby. But they have -reason and discipline, and will have opportunity. - -“I am telling you too long and dull a story. But having these outlines, -you may afterward take pleasure in learning many details of our history. -It is full of romantic adventure and Christian heroism. - -“Have I wearied you?” - -“So far from it,” Tacita said, “that I would gladly listen longer. But -you also may be weary. Tell me, these details of your history, are they -all written?” - -“Not all. The simple facts are all written. Our archives are perfect. -The rest is left to the memory of the people. We write no books of -adventure, and no novels; but we talk them; and our story-tellers are as -inexhaustible as Scheherezade. You have not yet listened to one of them, -though you may have seen an audience gathered about one in the booths -above the Arcade. There is one whom I must soon take you to hear. He is -a gardener, and understands more about olives and the making of oil than -any other man in San Salvador. His story-telling is picturesque and -poetical. He does not change the facts, but he transfigures them. His -mind has a golden atmosphere. There is another, a baker, who will tell -you stories as lurid as the fires that heat his ovens. One of the elders -sometimes tells stories of heroic virtue in our pioneers, or in -historical characters of the world. When our messengers come in, they -always give a public account, sometimes very prosaic, of their travels.” - -“Has there never been a traitor in San Salvador?” Tacita asked timidly, -fearing to awaken some painful recollection. - -“Never!” was the prompt reply. “In the first place, even of persons born -here of our most highly-honored citizens, but sent out very young, no -one can know that such a place exists till he has returned to it. This -is your own case. Those who go out adults are persons who have been -tried. Any notable wealth or luxury of living is forbidden, or -discouraged, in our people; and having thus nothing which will attract -flatterers, they see the world more nearly as it is. Self-interest -helps. Besides, with the training our children have, no Judas can come -out of San Salvador. We will have no weak mothers here. If a young child -shows vicious dispositions, it is taken from its mother and carried -outside for training. Perhaps it may never return.” - -“She cannot go with it?” Tacita asked. - -“She cannot go. Did she give birth to an immortal creature for her own -amusement in seeing it ruining itself and others? I do not speak of any -mere infirmity of temper in the child, but of some dishonest propensity -which persists.” - -Tacita bethought her to speak of Ion’s affairs, as she had promised; and -after discussing the subject awhile, they went down through darkening -stairs and passages to where supper awaited them, set out in an -illuminated corner of the great hall. - -“I had supper here that you might see the castle shadows,” Dylar said. -“Seen from our little lighted corner, all this space seems to be crowded -with dusky shapes. Do you see?” - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - -They returned to San Salvador the next day. The sun had set when they -reached the town, and the streets were full. Elena and Dylar dismounted -at the college; but Dylar insisted that Tacita should ride to the -Arcade, and he walked there by her side. She made her little progress -with a blushing modesty, ashamed of being the only person in town who -was not on foot. - -At the door of the Arcade Dylar took leave. - -“I am sure that you will not go to the assembly this evening,” he said, -“and I shall not go. Rest yourself well, and to-morrow I will take you -to hear one of our story-tellers. To-night I—I want to remember!” - -He murmured the words lowly as he lifted her from the saddle, and she -answered them with a little half sigh. She also wanted to remember. - -Supper was over; and she and Elena had theirs alone in the dining-room, -talking quietly over their journey. - -“You are happy, child?” Elena asked. - -“I never dreamed of being so happy!” Tacita answered. And they looked -into each other’s eyes, and understood. - -Going to the salon, they found Iona waiting there. - -“I suppose that you are not going to the assembly to-night,” she said. -“But I hope that you are not too tired to tell me how you like the -Olives.” - -“The little glimpse I was allowed was charming. I never saw such -verdure. The foliage, the fruit, were in billows, in drifts, in heaps. -And how I longed to go to one of those great white houses, and sit on -the roof under the palm-shadows. I said to the prince, ‘Why have we no -palms in San Salvador?’ and he is going to have some. I thought of the -Basilica as a proper site; but he doubted a little. It is not decided. -He said, we worship Christ as King, and shrink from holding the impious -insult of his martyrdom forever before his eyes. And the palm is for the -martyr. But the palms will grow somewhere, and will be my special -garden; and the first person who dies in the effort to serve or save San -Salvador shall be carried to his grave with a waving of palm branches, -and a song of hosannas, and a palm-leaf shall be entombed with him, and -one cut in the marble that bears his name. For that, I would almost wish -to die a martyr.” - -“For that?” said Iona coldly. “The martyr, I fancy, is not thinking of -the crown when he throws his life into the breach.” - -“I was thinking of the people’s love,” said Tacita, faltering, her eyes -cast down to hide the tears that started. She was so happy that she -could not bear a check. Her heart had unclosed itself without a thought, -a fear, and it shrank at the little icy breath of Iona’s answer. - -“But why do not you ask me how I like your castle?” she said, recovering -herself quickly. - -“My castle?” - -“Yes; the prince told me the story.” - -“It is very true that the original owner would never have sold his -castle if he had known that there was a mine of gold within a stone’s -throw of it,” Iona said. “But neither did the purchaser know. All was -done in honor; and the Dylar have spent time, thought, and money, in -compensating my family. I do not hold that I have a shadow of a claim; -yet if I should to-day ask Dylar for a house and an independent -competence outside, I should have it.” - -Tacita had already felt more than once that, however welcome her -presence might be to every one else in San Salvador, Iona regarded it -with a feeling that could scarcely be called by any warmer name than -indifference. To-night her manner was more than usually stately, though -she talked as much as ever, was, in fact, rather more voluble than her -wont. But her talk was like an intrenchment behind which her real self -was withdrawn. - -Presently she began to question Tacita concerning her first journey to -San Salvador, and especially that part of it made in the company of -Dylar. Where had she first met him? Had she seen much of him? Were they -long in Madrid together? - -Surprised, Tacita answered with what frankness she could, and tried not -to feel offended. She said nothing of the hymn under their balcony in -Venice, nor of the picture in the Madrid gallery. The details of the -rest were meagre enough. She had not realized how little there was to -tell when the story was divested of those glances, tones, and movements -which in her imagination filled out the gracious and perfect memory. -Those few facts had been to her like the pale and scattered stars of a -constellation which to the mind’s eye vivify all the blue air between. -She tried to think that in the freedom and confidence of this life such -questions were not intrusive, and that Iona, from her position, had a -peculiar interest, and even right, in knowing all that concerned Castle -Dylar and its master. But in spite of her self-exhortation a troubled -thought would come. Could it be possible that Iona would set herself -against her friendship with Dylar? Did she suspect anything more than an -ordinary friendship between them? - -Their conversation grew dry, and Iona rose to retire, with a -leave-taking which could have been kinder, but not more elaborately -polite. Looking out, Tacita saw her go toward the assembly-rooms, and -was glad to remember that Dylar would not be there. It was twilight, and -at the highest point of the college she saw his light shine out like a -beacon. - -Seeing that light made her forget everything else. - -“Perhaps he will look for my light,” she thought, and drew her curtain -quickly, and lighted a lamp. “I wonder if he will look!” Blushing, she -passed slowly between the curtain and the light, then covered her face -with her hands, ashamed of herself as if she had committed a sin. “I -hope that he didn’t see me!” she whispered. - -Soon after she extinguished her lamp, and sat down by the open window. -At that hour of early evening San Salvador was as gay and crowded as it -was silent and deserted in the morning. There was a sound of violins -from the Star-house; and underneath her window two girls were dancing, -trying to keep time to the music that was smothered by the sound of -their steps. There was a murmur of talk from some of the near housetops, -and the voice of a child singing itself to sleep. Leaning out the -window, she could see a little farther up the road an open lighted booth -where two men sat playing chess with a group of men and women watching -the game. An old man wearing a scarlet fez sat close beside the players, -intent on the game. The light on their faces made them look golden, and -the fez was like a ruby. - -“How beautiful it is! And how happy I am!” murmured Tacita. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - -The next evening Dylar came for Tacita and her friend to go with him and -hear a recitation of one of their story-tellers. - -The place was a nook of the ravine leading to the kitchens, and was so -completely shut in by high rocks as to be quite secluded. - -An irregular circle capable of admitting fifty persons had a shoal -alcove at one side, and all around it low benches on which were laid -thick straw mats stuffed with moss. In the alcove was a chair; and an -olive-oil lamp of four flames was set in a niche of the rock above. -These flames threw a strong, rich light on a score or two of men and -women in the circle, their faces shining out like medallions; but they -touched the man who sat in the chair only in some fugitive line on his -hair, or cheek, as he moved. His form was scarcely defined. He sat -there, a shadow, with his face bowed into his hands, splashes of black -and of gold all about him. He seemed to be waiting, and Dylar spoke. - -“Here is one who waits to hear for the first time how Basil of the Dylar -lived and died.” - -At that voice the story-teller lifted his face, rose, and having bowed -lowly, resumed his seat. - -“How did Basil of the Dylar live and die!” he exclaimed. “Ask of the -poor and the sorrowing how he lived. Ask of the men and women who stood -at bay, facing a stupid and dastardly world. Ask, and they will answer -you: ‘He was a dove and a lion,—a dove to our hidden sorrow, a lion in -our defense.’ Ask of the heart bowed down with a sense of guilt so heavy -it fain would hide in the night, and follow it round the world; fly from -the light, and hide in the night forever around the world. They will -say, ‘Has the Christ come back? Can a mercy so overflowing be found in a -human soul?’ Ask of the children who clung to him when he stood white in -the gloaming. He was white, his hair and heard; his face and his robe, -they were white. - -“The children coming from school cried out when they saw, and ran to -him. They ran, they flew, they clung around him like bees or -butterflies, joyous. They held the folds of his robe. They pressed to -hold his hand, and kissed it finger by finger. - -“He lifted and tossed the smallest. ‘Reach up to heaven,’ he said, ‘and -pull me down a blessing. Stretch your innocent hands and gather it like -a star-blossom.’ And then would the little one, all wide-eyed, reach up -and wait till he said, ‘It is done!’ - -“‘How did the King come down?’ they asked him. ‘How was God made man?’ -He answered them: ‘The sweetness of the Godhead dropped like honey from -a flower. The brightness of the Godhead fell like a star-beam from a -star.’ - -“And he would say to them: ‘Ask of your angels how God looks. How does -he smile and speak? For your angels, said the King’s Majesty, ever -behold his face. Mine has followed me out into a century’s shadows, -walked with me out through a century’s falling leaves. But ask your -angels to-night to whisper close to your pillow, or come in a dream and -tell you what are his hair and eyes, his voice and his smile. Ask one -time and ten times. Ask ten times and a thousand. Ask again till they -answer, “His face I behold no longer; for you are no longer a child.”’ - -“And then their mothers would hear them at night whispering on their -pillows. - -“How did he die, our prince? How at last did we lose him? - -“There was a thought that hovered, dove-like, over the people, that -Basil would stay till his coming, stay till the coming of Christ. It -hovered, coming and going, but never alighted in speech. Quieter grown, -but hale, he lived to a hundred years, lived in the midst of his people, -going no more abroad. He sat in the sun, or the shadow, judged, and -counseled, and pardoned, peacemaking, scattering blessings. - -“But when, of the hundred years, the last few sands were sifting, he -girded him for a journey, and climbed the southern hills. After a week, -returning, ‘I bring you a message,’ he said, ‘from our ancient Mother, -the Earth.’ - -“He showed them a grain of gold as it comes up out of the mine, set in -the gray and white of a rock with clay in the crevices pressed. Pure and -sparkling it lay in its crude and worthless bed. - -“Said Basil, ‘What pay you for bread? Is it dust? And for raiment, a -crumbling stone? For house and land, and a gift of love, do you offer -dust alone? A careless kiss is easy to give, and a careless word to say. -Will you fling your dust in the face of God? You have gold in your -hearts, my children. Cast your follies away like dust, and break your -pride like a stone. Dig for your gold, my children, says Earth, your -Mother. Deep in your hearts it lies hidden.’ - -“That gold that he brought is set at the foot of the throne, and the -words that he spoke there engraven:— - -“‘Dig for your gold, my children, says Earth, your Mother. Deep in your -hearts it lies hidden.’ - -“He went to every house. Not a threshold but felt his footsteps. -Children passed by him in line for a touch of his hand, and old men -knelt for his blessing. - -“He went to the house of the King, and walked with his head bent lowly, -walked to and fro in the rough new building, saying never a word. But, -standing without, he cried: ‘My heart for a step at the door! and my -soul for a lamp at the footstool!’ - -“He entered the dark ravine, he and the sun together. He was led by the -hand by a sunbeam over the stony way. He went to the place he had set -for the dead, where as yet no dead were sleeping. What he did, what he -said thenceforth, no creature knoweth. - -“Basil, our prince, and the sun went to the ravine together. The sun -went in and came out; but Basil, our father, lingered. Twilight settled -and deepened; but Basil, the White Father, came not. The stars came out -in the night; the people gathered and waited. They whispered there in -the dark, and dared not search, nor question. They whispered and waited -and wept: ‘We shall nevermore behold him! He has bidden us all farewell, -and gone from our sight forever!’ - -“But at the dawn they said: Awake! Let us find him! Nor food nor drink -shall be ours till we know where his foot has faltered. Homes we have -none till Basil, our father, is found! - -“The light was faint in the east; they could see but their own pale -faces. They entered, a crowd, the ravine; they covered its stones like a -torrent! Praying and weeping they went, but softly, not to disturb him. - -“They reached the Mountain of Sleep that he had chosen to rest in. Only -one hall was finished, one bed made smooth for slumber. Basil, the -prince, was not there. - -“But a lark sprang up outside, springing and soaring upward. They -followed his song and his flight; for he seemed heaven’s messenger to -them. - -“They climbed the rough, steep rock; they wept no more, but they panted. -Wide and bright were their eyes with a solemn and high premonition. They -climbed to a verdant spot like an oasis in the granite. - -“There, like a fountain of song, jetting and singing upward, climbing -from song to song, the larks were bursting and soaring out of the thick -fine grass all over-floated with blossoms. - -“And, lo! a beam of the sun shot over the eastern mountains, touched the -grass where he lay, and seemed to say, Behold him! And beam after beam -shot over, seeming to say, We have found him! while the larks sang pæans -of joy. - -“The people gathered around, and silently knelt in a circle; knelt, and -folded their hands, but wept not, spoke not, prayed not. Silent they -gazed and listened, as though on the threshold of heaven. - -“There he lay, all white, in the hollow top of the mountain, straight -and peaceful and fair, his hands crossed on his bosom. All white, save -an azure glimmer seen ’twixt the snowy eyelids, he lay in the deep soft -grass with the lark-choir singing about him,—singing as if they saw the -dawn of the Resurrection. - -“As they looked, his silvery whiteness grew bright in the sun of the -morning. Would he melt like frost, and exhale! Would he rise like a -cloud on the sunbeams! - -“Thus stayed they an hour, the living as mute as the dead. - -“Then one, not turning his eyes, spoke lowly: ‘He moves not, neither to -rise and speak, as we knew him; nor moves he to float away and be lost -in the air of the morning. Passive he lies, our prince, in a sweet -obedience to death. Passive and humble he lies, obeying the law of our -Maker. Is it not then that he waits for his people to bear him downward -where he has hollowed his bed, to his resting-place in the shadows?’ - -“Then said another lowly, his eyes still fixed on the dead: ‘Send we -messengers down to bring what is meet to bear him. And bring the -children to walk closest of all beside him. For their angels see the -face of the Heavenly Father.’ - -“Then he looked in their faces, and said: ‘We are fainting with thirst -and hunger. For a night and a day we have fasted and grieved and -searched. Let the strong among us bring bread and meat and a litter. I, -who am strong, will go.’ - -“So they went down, half a hundred, and brought a litter well woven, -hung on staves of ash wood strong and long and polished. They brought up -meat and drink; and the children, wondering, followed, knowing not what -death is, not being let to know. They gathered about him softly, seated -themselves in the grasses, decked their heads with the flowers. And in -the folded hands and on the pulseless bosom of Basil they warily slipped -sweet blossoms of white and blue. - -“For the elders whispered them: ‘Hush! he is sleeping! Hush! he is -weary!’ - -“Then the people sat in a circle, and ate and drank in silence, -prayerful, as if they ate the Holy Bread of the altar. Ending, they rose -and gave thanks; and tender and reverent, laid their dead on the litter, -and took the staves on their shoulders. - -“The children, wondering, ran, lifting questioning eyes, puzzled, but no -wise grieving, and clung to the edge of the litter. They were close to -his head and his feet, they pressed inside of the bearers, making a -flowery wreath all fluttering round his whiteness. And where a fold of -his garment wavered over the border, a dozen dimpled hands proudly bore -it along. - -“So they went down the mountain, weeping, but not with sorrow. For they -felt a stir within them, a trembling, an unfolding, a lifting sense in -the temples, a glimmering sense of kindred to clouds where the sun is -calling the rainbow out of the rain. - -“There was a woman among them, a singer of songs. Basil had named her -the Lark of San Salvador. As they went down, she made a song and sang -it; and to this day the song is sung by all the scattered children of -San Salvador. Later times have added penitence and supplication to the -one stanza that she sang to them that day. Our hymn suits the dark hours -of life: hers was all victory and exultation. She sang:— - - ‘San Salvador, San Salvador, - We live in thee!’ - -“While she sang, they laid him in the bed that he had chosen. And when -Dylar, the heir, came home to them, ‘You have done well!’ he said. - -“Behold! Thus lived and died Prince Basil, the White Father of San -Salvador!” - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - -About a week after, one day when their lesson was ended, Iona said: “I -have seen Dylar to-day, and he proposed that I should make a visit with -you. Professor Pearlstein, whose class of boys you will recollect, would -have come to see you, but he is quite lame. He sprained his ankle some -time ago, and cannot yet walk much. He knew Professor Mora well. They -were boys together. Would you like to go up?” - -Tacita assented eagerly, and they set out. - -“You are going to see an admirable person,” Iona said as they went -along. “He is very useful to the community. He sets the boys thinking, -and guides their thoughts, but not so severely as to check their -expression. He especially urges them to study what he calls the -Scriptures of nature. He keeps the records of the town, and in the most -perfect way, knowing how to select what is worth recording. He will make -no comment. His idea is that most histories have too much of the -historian in them.” - -“My grandfather had the same opinion,” Tacita said. “He held that the -province of an historian is to collect as many authentic facts as -possible, and present them, leaving the reader to draw his own -conclusions. He did not thank the historian for telling him that a man -was good or was wicked from his own conclusion, giving no proof. He -preferred to decide for himself from the given facts whether to admire -or condemn the man.” - -They reached the path leading upward; and there Iona stopped. She was -very pale. - -“Would you mind going up alone?” she asked. “I do not feel quite well.” - -Tacita anxiously offered assistance. - -Iona turned away somewhat abruptly. “I need nothing, thank you. Go in -peace, since you are willing. I am sure that you would have much more -pleasure in a tête-à-tête conversation with Professor Pearlstein. -Present my salutations.” - -Tacita, feeling herself decidedly rejected, looked after her a moment. -Iona was evidently neither weak nor faint. She walked rapidly, and, -instead of going homeward, had followed the outer road northward. - -The Professor was seated in his little terrace with a table beside him. -He was weaving a basket. Silvery white roots in assorted bunches were -piled on the table, and strips of basket-wood lay on the ground in -coils. His robe was of gray cloth with a white girdle and hood, and he -wore a little scarlet skull-cap. Tacita saw now, better than before, how -handsome he was. The face was strong and placid, the hands fine in -shape, the hair gleamed like frost. - -She stood on the edge of the terrace before he saw her, and was in some -trepidation lest she had not taken pains enough to make him aware of her -approach. - -When he looked up suddenly, secretly aware of some other human presence, -his face lighted with a smile of perfect welcome, and with a faint, -delicate blush. - -He brought out a pretty chair of woven roots with leathern cushions. - -“The terrace is my salon,” he said. “And I have the pleasure of asking -you to be the first to sit in a chair of my own making. Are not the -roots pretty? See the little green stripe running through the silver. It -is second sight, already dreaming of leaves. Till I began basket-making, -I had not known the beautiful colors and textures of woods. It is a -pleasant employment for my hands. It enables me to think while working. -Is the chair right for you? I am grateful to you for coming up. Shall we -continue to speak in Italian? It must come more readily to you; and I am -always pleased to speak the beautiful language. It is not more musical -than San Salvadorian; but it is richer. Our language grows slowly. It is -limited, like the experience of our people. Every new word, moreover, is -challenged, and tried by a jury of scholars. We adopt a good many -imitative words, especially from the Italian. You will hear _fruscio_, -_ciocie_, _rimbomba_, and the like.” - -They spoke of Professor Mora, and Tacita answered a good many questions -concerning him. - -Professor Pearlstein, in return, recalled their early days together; and -she found it delightful to hear of her grandfather as a boy, leaping -from such a rock, picking grapes in vintage time in the road below, -studying in the college yonder, and sliding down from terrace to terrace -on a rope. It was charming, too, to hear of her mother as a little girl, -quaint and serious, with golden hair and a pearly skin, and of her -father as master of the orchards, with eyes like an eagle, and a ready, -musical laugh. He died from a fall in trying to jump from one tree to -another. “Who would have thought,” he said, “that it is only three feet -from time to eternity!” - -“I am glad,” Professor Pearlstein said, “that my old friend was able to -live his own life to the last. It is not so hard for a student such as -he. In such cases people can understand that they do not understand, and -they let the student alone. In going out into the world, the most of us -feel the pressure of a thousand petty restraints. I reckon that I lost -five years of my life in wondering what people would think of things -which they had no right to notice at all.” - -“It is like a person trying to run in a sack,” Tacita said, “or like -rowing against the tide a gondola all clogged and covered with weeds.” - -The old man brought a little table and placed on it a dainty refreshment -for his visitor, setting it out with a pleased, hospitable care: a slice -of bread, a conserve of orange-flowers, and a tiny glass of wine; -partaking also with her at her request. - -“I always expected some great discovery from Professor Mora,” he said, -folding his arms and looking far away to the western mountains. “At -first I thought that it would be in physics. But I soon found that he -looked through, rather than at, natural objects and phenomena. Visible -nature was to him the screen which hid the object of his search. I -recollect walking home with him one day in Paris after we had listened -to a lecture on electricity from a famous scientist. ‘What does -electricity mean?’ your grandfather exclaimed. He held that the greatest -obstacle to the discovery of truth is the insincerity of man. - -“I liked the same studies that interested him, though my proficiency in -them was small; and when I saw the way he went, I hoped that he would -set the seal of his guess, at least, on some grand eclectic plan of -creation toward which my lighter fancy spun blindly its filmy threads. -That terrible ‘I do not know’ of his was crushing! But later I learned -to be thankful for one man who searched far into psychical and -theological problems, yet spared the race a new theory.” - -Tacita listened with pleasure to his dreamy talk. And she told him of -the recitation she had heard the week before. - -“That flowery nook, with its larks, is to-day what it was when Basil -laid him down there to die,” he said. “The mountain is excavated in -halls that concentrate like the spokes of a wheel, with a column left -solid in the centre. The hollow called Basil’s Rest may be called the -upper hub. The lower one is in the centre of the earth. There’s a narrow -stair goes up on the outside.” - -When Tacita went down, she saw Iona coming toward her, seemingly quite -restored to health. Her cheeks were crimson, her eyes sparkling. - -“I feel better,” she said. “Let us go to the Star-terrace for a view of -the sunset.” - -They went, and she pointed out effects of shadow in the western -mountains and of colors in the eastern. - -“I have sometimes an impulse to go out into the world again,” she said -then, abruptly. “When I was there, it was during my silence. I was there -to study, not to talk. When we first go out, especially the young, we -are held to a period of silence as to decisions, opinions, wishes, and -plans. Obeying, we save ourselves trouble and avoid a good deal of -foolishness. The story of Sisyphus is impressed on us as that of one -whose first years are spent in a foolish effort and his last years in -repenting of it. - -“The only opinion we express from the first and at all ages is that -touching our faith. A child may reprove a blasphemer, or assert its -devotion to Christ in the hearing of one who expresses doubt. One -subject after another is freed for us, as we learn what the world means -by it. Of course, for a person of vivacious temper and strong feelings -to remain silent, or to say always, ‘I do not know,’ gives full -employment to the will and the nerves. I used sometimes to feel as -though I should burst. - -“Now, if I should go, it would be to speak when occasion calls, and to -act in accordance with my speech. I could call a falsehood a falsehood, -and a wrong a wrong.” - -“You would have to speak often,” Tacita said dryly. - -“Should I not!” - -Iona began walking to and fro. “I have had visions of what might be -done,” she said, her manner warming as she proceeded. “The time is past -when San Salvador can be long hidden, when it should hold itself only a -refuge for a few, and a nursery for a few. I think that the time is come -when it should prepare, prudently, yet with energy, to practice a -Christian aggressiveness. We have our little circles in every part of -the world. They are silent and true, and they are not poor. We have no -weak hearts. The children of San Salvador are baptized with fire. The -tests of our virtue and fidelity are severe. Our people have never -occupied public office, because we hold officials responsible; and by -the world they are not so held. - -“We have capital. It might be spent in acquiring territory. -Concentrated, we should be a power in the world. It is possible. I have -the whole plan in my mind. I have studied over it for years. I have -settled where our outposts should be, and how they might be -strengthened. I would deprive no ruler of his realm; but he should call -himself viceroy, and sit on the footstool of an inviolate throne. I -would mock at no faith of person, or society; but I would show the whole -truth of which each belief is a fragment, and I would surround worship -with such a splendor as should satisfy any lover of pageantry; and I -would attack all organized wickedness. - -“In the early days of our faith Christians did not fear persecution; for -above the head of threatening king, or pontiff, they saw the face of an -approving God. Only the spirit of Christ himself, simple and literal, -can reawaken that faith. The first Dylar said that when he abolished -preaching, and set the words of the King in letters of gold before the -people. - -“Tell me what to do!” said Tacita, leaning to kiss Iona’s hand as she -passed her by. - -Iona paused. “See what I have thought,” she said in a softened voice. -“San Salvador is in danger, and the danger increases every day. How -long, with explorers and mountain-climbers everywhere, can we hope to -escape? Already, more than once, we have escaped but by a -hair’s-breadth. We hide by a miracle. Once discovered, what rights have -we? A vulgar, if not malignant, curiosity follows you everywhere in the -world. Every kind of science and astuteness would be employed to invade -and subdue us. Every sophistical argument on the subject of sovereign -rights, and even of human rights, would be quoted against us. Fancy a -man educated in the tricks of diplomacy and the falsehoods of official -life coming here and claiming the right to investigate and command, and -bringing his subordinates to enforce submission! - -“Our people are sent out into the world with every precaution. All are -placed above want; but no one is made rich enough to win the world’s -blinding flatteries. Depending solely on their intrinsic worth for -respect, they are seldom deceived. But, known as we are, even if force -did not invade, what flatteries! What imitations of our ways without the -spirit! Our realities made theatrical by their paraphrases—it might be -worse than war. Ordinary society can see no difference between its own -fire of straw and stubble and that primal fire which, now and then, -bursts through some human soul. - -“I have thought, then, to acquire all the land possible about the -Olives, planting the plain and peopling the hills. A mile or two distant -there is a group of hills much like those on which Rome was built. Our -people could come, not as one people, but as if they were strangers to -each other. Those who would, might even come at first as laborers. We -all know how to labor. For wealth, if we had workmen and engines, the -mountains would be an immense storehouse. There are beautiful marbles, -and there must be more gold. Then what refuges we could have, not hidden -and crowded, but open!” - -“Did you think to go out into the world in order to stir up the people -to this movement?” Tacita asked, when she paused. - -Iona had stopped with her eyes fixed southward, as if she saw through -the mountain wall that measureless garden, and the city of her -imagination shining in the setting sun. - -She turned quickly, seeming startled to be reminded that she was not -alone. - -“Yes,” she said, almost sharply. “And my brother has told me that Dylar -thought I might wish to go. He spoke to you and you spoke to the prince. -Ion will go.” - -“Ion feared to grieve you,” Tacita said, surprised at this sudden -address. - -“Dylar also had spoken to me of it,” Iona continued, her brows lowering. -“He thought that I might like to go awhile with Ion. Why did he think -so? I have never spoken of these plans to him. I waited for other -conditions to arrange themselves. Why should the idea of my going out -occur to him?” - -“I do not know,” said Tacita, more and more astonished at the tone in -which she was addressed. “He said nothing of it to me. Perhaps he has -some important mission for you.” - -“Why should he intrust a mission to me instead of Elena, or of going -himself?” demanded Iona. “Can you think of any reason?” - -“I do not know,” Tacita repeated, and her eyelids drooped. - -There was a moment of silence, and it seemed to have thundered. Iona -gazed with scrutinizing and flashing eyes into the downcast face before -her, and seemed struggling to control herself. A shiver passed over her, -and then she spoke calmly. - -“I have not told you all my mind. The country I have planned must have a -dynasty, not a luxurious one secluded from the people, but one as simple -and law-abiding as that which rules us here. But who will succeed Dylar? -While I planned, that became the difficult question to answer. He has no -child, and seemed vowed to celibacy. I thought of Ion. He alone, outside -the prince’s blood, might be said to have a certain prestige, though he -has no claim. Ion has force, and, when he shall have been tried in the -alembic, will have a fine character. He has courage, magnetism, and -enthusiasm. It seemed certain that Dylar would never marry; and I -approved of his apparent resolution and imitated it. It seemed fitting -that the two highest in San Salvador should give an example of -exceptional lives devoted to its cause. I had, moreover, a sort of -contempt for that maternity which we share with the beasts, reptiles, -and insects. I almost believed that common people only should have -children and superior people mould and educate them. In that frame of -mind I had that foolish portrait painted. - -“Later, I saw my mistake. - -“I have called the portrait foolish, and it is so in one sense, in the -sense that most people would give it, but not in the sense which still -to me is true. For I do set my foot on trivial love and mere fondness -for love’s sake alone.” - -She was walking to and fro again, her brows lowering. Tacita sat mute -and pale, the vision of a terrible struggle rising before her mind. - -“How perfectly logical an utter mistake may be!” Iona exclaimed with a -sort of fierceness. “I reasoned with myself. I made it quite plain to my -mind that the people of San Salvador needed an example of lofty and -laborious lives which set aside for duty’s sake all the joys of domestic -life. I said, ‘This people was elevated for a century to a higher plane -of feeling by such an example.’ It is a proverb here that the face of -Prince Basil shone a hundred years after he died. - -“I was half right. What kept the Israelites up to that pitch of -enthusiasm which preserved them great so long? Not the goodness of the -mass, which seemed as base as any, but the divine fire of the few. What -made the great republic of the west something that for a time was equal -to its own boast? The greatness and disinterested earnestness of the -few. The nation which has no heroic leader is a prey to the first strong -arm or cunning voice which seeks its subjugation. My plan would have -been perfect if another leader had been growing up, as in the time of -Basil, one of unquestioned right and character. But as I studied longer, -I saw the flaw. Ion has been known here as a wayward boy, though noble. -Besides, there has always been a real Dylar. - -“Gradually the question readjusted itself in my mind without my own -volition. - -“Dylar and Iona married would unite the actual right and a shadowy one -of sentiment, and the need of a leader would consecrate the marriage as -still something ideal. Our son could not be a common one. I would pour -all my soul into him. I would make him enthusiastic, courageous, wise, -and eloquent. He should go down and work beside the daily laborer, as I -have seen Dylar do, till only labor should seem worthy of a crown. He -should be full of fire, like the old gods. That dead moon-like calm that -people call Olympian is not Olympian. They were creatures of fire. They -trembled with strong life like flames. - -“It all flashed upon me. I saw what should be. But how could I inspire -Dylar with my thought! A woman has limits in such circumstances. Nature -imposes them. I could only wait till my plan of empire was perfect, then -set it before him in all its splendor. What could he say but ‘Let us -work together for this new Eden! Let the future viceroy be our son!’ -There could be no other conclusion. It seemed sure, and on the point of -realization. I waited only for his return to lay the whole before him. -And then—and then”— - -She choked, and, tearing the lace scarf from her neck, cast it away. - -Tacita was deathly pale. - -“Iona,” she said gently, “may it not be that you expect too much of -mankind in the mass? Can you hope that any nation will long keep its -ideal state? How many such a bubble has burst! Human life is not a -crystallization, but a crucible. Your kingdom of Christ extended and -prosperous, would it not become a kingdom of the world, as in the past? -It is the old story of the manna, food from heaven to-day, and to-morrow -corruption. Your saint in power would become, as in the past, a sinner, -and your trusting people, also as in the past, a populace first of -children, then of slaves, and lastly, of rebels. Forgive me, dear Iona! -Your vision is as noble as yourself; but all are not like you. Are not -you afraid to be so confident? Your plan opens such a field to -ambition!” - -“I was not ambitious for myself,” said Iona, writhing, rather than -turning herself away. “And I believe that rulers may be educated to see -how much grander and happier they would be if the love of their subjects -should exceed their fear. I thought of the future of our people -submerged in a deluge with no counteracting influence. Perhaps something -suggested”—she turned again to Tacita, and spoke breathlessly—“When -Dylar first saw that portrait, he did not seem pleased. I asked myself -why he should look so dark if he approved of my renouncing love. It was -my way of silently telling him that I would take no lower stand than -his. I thought that he would be pleased. He had never said, but had -always seemed to intimate, that he would not marry. Once, on going out -on a long and dangerous journey, he said to me: ‘If I should never -return, educate Ion to take my place.’ He trusted me. He always confided -his affairs to me. I never feared to have him go out. Nothing could -seduce him. I felt sure that he would return even as he went. To me he -was not utterly gone. I told myself that our spirits communed.” She -paused a moment, then added bitterly: “I thought that they did!” - -“I am no queen nor sibyl,” said Tacita faintly. “I cannot judge of these -questions; and I could never hope to be able to stir a man up to great -enterprises. I am only fitted to be a tender, and in some small things, -a helpful companion.” - -“You think that I could not be a tender companion!” exclaimed Iona -jealously. “I have put a rein upon myself. I will not make my smiles and -caresses so cheap as to give them to everybody.” - -“I know that you are capable of great devotion, Iona,” Tacita said -tremulously, her eyes filling with tears. “Yet the hearts of humbler -women may not be cheaply given, though they may be more accessible. They -may be in something like the Basilica,—I speak with reverence!—no one -rejected who wishes to enter in kindness, but one alone enthroned above -all the rest, one to whom all who enter must pay respect. And perhaps -the very kindness felt for all may be an outshining from that enthroned -one, a reflection of the happiness he gives.” - -“It is well in its way,” Iona said, trying to speak more gently. “But -such love is not good for Dylar when our existence hangs upon a thread. -It is no time for him to think of repose and tender companionship. It -would weaken him. He needs one who, instead of weeping if danger should -threaten, would send him forth even to death, if need were, sure that -such a death is the higher safety for him, and for her love the higher -possession. Yet”—she made a haughty gesture and turned her darkening -face away—“it is not that I love him: it is for San Salvador.” - -“Teach me to be useful, to be strong, Iona!” said Tacita earnestly. “I -would give my life to the same cause.” - -“Would you give up a fancy for it?” asked Iona, looking sharply into her -eyes. “It is so easy to offer a world that is not wanted, and refuse a -grain of sand that is asked for.” - -“I would give all that I have the right to give,” Tacita replied, and -felt herself shrivel before this imperious woman, who stood before her -with the sunset golden on her head and the shadow of a mountain on her -bosom, with her brow made for a tiara, her lips to command, and her eyes -to scathe with their anger. - -“Dylar has asked you to be his wife?” Iona said, low and quickly. - -There was something blade-like in the outcome of this sentence; but it -brought help in seeming to call the conduct of Dylar in question. - -Tacita folded her hands, raised her head with a dignified gesture, and -looked the speaker steadily in the face without replying. - -“Ah!” Iona turned away with a fierce gesture, then returned. “It is not -a son of yours who will save San Salvador!” she exclaimed. - -“Perhaps God will save it, Iona,” said Tacita gently, and rising, went -toward the stair. - -She had descended but a few steps when Iona followed her. “I hope that I -have not been too rude,” she said. “Pardon me if I have offended you! -The subject is to me of such supreme importance that I forget all lesser -considerations in it.” - -Her voice, though conventionally modulated, had something in it which -told her heart was beating violently. - -“I am not offended,” murmured Tacita. “I respect and appreciate your -position, your authority, your rights.” - -At the lower landing they found Dylar. He looked anxiously at Tacita. “I -have been waiting for you to come down,” he said. “And Elena has gone to -order our supper to be brought here. We are going to have the sun-dance -in the Square. Do you wish to go home first?” - -She shook her head, and tried to smile. She could not speak. - -“I will leave you both in better company,” Iona said courteously, -declining to stay; and bowing, left them. - -For a time, to Tacita, it had seemed as if San Salvador had opened its -walls to admit a salt wave from the outer world; but the gap closed -again while Dylar attended to her with a careful solicitude sufficiently -reassuring as to his regard for her, but with no suggestion of fondness. -He was a kind friend; and the cheerfulness and decision of his manner -gave her strength. - -“He is not one,” she thought, “to need the strength of a woman’s will to -keep him in the path of duty. And she—I am glad that Iona does not love -him. It would break my heart, if she did.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - -Iona went away with a stately step, but with a brain on fire. It was -only when near the Arcade that she quickened her steps; and when inside -the door, she ran upstairs. - -Having found Elena, “I am going out to the Olives for a few days,” she -said, “and I want to start at once for the Pines. Will you have Isadore -called to go with me? I will meet him at the water-gate.” - -She waited for no reply, but hastened to her own room. In a few minutes -she came out dressed in the gray costume of labor. - -“Everything is ready,” Elena said, meeting her, and expressed neither -surprise nor curiosity. - -The sun had set, and it was night when Iona met the men who had been -sent up to attend her. But she would suffer them to go no farther than -the water-gate. - -“I know the road well,” she said, “and am in no danger. When at daylight -you see the signal that I am at the Pines, you will turn the gate again. -It will be sooner done if you stay here.” - -They obeyed unwillingly, and she went over the wild mountain road alone, -guiding her donkey with a careful hand, and conscious only of a dull -discomfort. It was midnight when she reached the Pines. - -“Don’t be alarmed!” she said cheerfully to the guardian. “I am sorry to -disturb you; but I wish to go to the Olives. Go to bed now, and be ready -at six in the morning to accompany me.” - -The man said no more. They questioned Iona as little as they did Dylar. - -They were in the lower room. Iona went to the chamber above; but when -she heard the upper door close, she came down again, unbarred the -outside door, and went out into the Pines. Space was what she -wanted,—space and solitude. - -It was a sultry night, and the still air under the pines was heavily -perfumed, not only with their branches, but with the oppressive -sweetness of little flowering vines that ran about through the moss -underneath them. A mist that was mingled of moisture and fragrance hung -in the tree-tops, and above them, dimming the stars. It was stupefying. - -Iona felt her way, step by step, over the slippery ground, and leaned -against one of the great pine-boles, scarcely knowing where she was. -There was left in her mind only a vague sense of ruin and a vague -impulse to escape. She stood there and stared into the darkness till she -was faint and weary, then sank down where she stood and sat on the -ground. There was an absolute stillness all about her. The only motion -perceptible was in the narrow strip of sky between the tree-tops and the -rock, where one dim hieroglyph of stars slowly gave place to another. -Once from some bird’s-nest not far away came a small complaining note. -Perhaps a wing, or beak, or claw, of some little sleeper had disturbed -its downy neighbor. Then all was still again. But the little plaintive -bird-note touched the listener’s memory as well as her ear. The -atmosphere of her mind was as heavy as that around her body, and the -suggestion was dim. She had almost let it slip when it came of itself, a -Turkish proverb: “The nest of the blind bird God builds.” - -It was the first whisper of Divine help that had risen in her soul. -Perhaps then it was an angel’s wing that had disturbed the bird in its -sleep. - -Iona glanced upward and saw the pale mists beginning to quicken with the -coming day. “God help me!” she murmured listlessly, and rising, went -into the house and to her chamber. - -The early training of San Salvador was expressly calculated to give the -child a few indelible impressions. One of these was to do no desperate -nor extraordinary act without first taking counsel from some -disinterested person, or taking a certain time “to see if the King would -interpose.” In absenting herself for a while from San Salvador, Iona had -obeyed the sudden command of necessity. But that step taken, her -instinct was to do all as silently and calmly as possible. - -“I will not mention Tacita Mora’s name, and I will work,” she thought. -It was the one step in advance which she could see. - -Shortly after sunrise she started for the Olives. Reaching the turn of -the road where the green began, she descended from her donkey to walk to -the castle, and the man went on to make the necessary gossip concerning -her arrival. For some reason the first step on the greensward under -those gray-green branches awakened her sleeping passion. Was it grief -that the peacefulness of the scene knocked in vain at her heart for -entrance? She would willingly have thrown herself down in those quiet -shadows and wept. The strong check she drew on the impulse brought up -its contrary, and she laughed lightly. - -There was no one in the great circular ground-room of the tower, nor on -the grand stairs where a man might ride up and down on horseback; but -reaching the top, she was met by the housekeeper. - -“Take my arm,” the woman said. “You must be very tired. I saw you from -the window,” and she gave no intimation of surprise nor curiosity. - -“I am tired and hungry and sleepy,” Iona said smilingly, availing -herself of the offered support. “I find that I have not had exercise -enough, and am too quickly fatigued. That is so easy with what I have to -do. But I have come out here to work. If you will bring me a cup of -chocolate, I will then try to sleep. I reached the Pines very late last -night.” - -She went to the chamber that was called hers, drank the chocolate that -was brought her, and, overcome by fatigue, fell asleep. - -“Prince Dylar has sent you the keys,” the housekeeper said to her when -she woke. “He said that you forgot them. The messenger is waiting to -know if there is any word to take back.” - -“None except to thank the prince for taking so much trouble,” Iona said. - -If she were more irritated or soothed by Dylar’s evident anxiety it -would not have been easy to say. The sending of the keys, too, besides -giving an opportunity to learn if she were well, was a reminder of his -confidence in her and of her importance to San Salvador. They were the -keys of his private apartment, the treasure-vault, and of the door -leading to the ravine where a stream of water still brought an -occasional grain of gold. - -She opened the case with a little key of her own, and looked eagerly to -see if there were any written word, snatching out the slip of paper that -she found. - - She read: “I think that the late rains may have washed out a few - grains of gold. I did not go when I was last at the castle. Will you - look? - - DYLAR.” - -Just as if nothing had happened! Iona put her hand to her forehead and -for a moment wondered if anything had happened. - -“I must work hard!” she thought. “‘When nature is in revolt, put her -into the treadmill;’” and she went out to see what there was to do, -going from house to house, greeting the people and welcomed by them. -They supposed that she had just arrived from some distant city, but -asked no questions, knowing that she was one of Dylar’s messengers. - -There was a field of wheat ripened, and Iona put on a broad-brimmed hat -and thick gloves, and taking a sickle, went out to it across the -vineyards. “I am to do it all,” she said laughingly. “Let no one come -near me.” - -Had any one in San Salvador seen her speaking to those people, he would -have thought that he had never seen her so gay; and had he seen her -when, leaving all behind, she went out alone, he would have wondered at -the gloomy passion of her face. - -She put her sickle into the grain, and bent to her work like any -habitual laborer. In fact, she had done the same work before in play. -Handful by handful, the golden glistening stalks fell in a straight -ridge across the field; and as the movement grew mechanical, her -thoughts took, as it were, a sickle, and began to reap in another field. -With a savage strength it cut through the years of her life, all its -golden promise and fulfillment, all its holy aspirations, all its -towering visionary building which had been, indeed, but a dream of -empire and of love. It cut through the humbler growth of sweetness -blooming like the little blue flowers she severed from their roots and -cast aside to wither, or trampled under her feet. As she wrought thus, -sternly, with a double blade, the mental harvest even more real to her -mind than this one that the June sun shone upon, her breath kept time -with a sharp hiss to the hiss of the sickle, and her heart bled. - -With no cessation from her labor except to wipe the perspiration from -her face, she reaped till sunset. Then, after standing a little while in -doubt what next to do, she bent again, and reaped till the stars came -out. Their lambent shining through the falling dew lighted her back to -the castle. The windows were all open in the houses as she passed them, -and some of the people were seated at supper in their great basement -rooms, as large as churches, with their rows of arches, instead of -walls, supporting the ceiling. - -“Let no one touch my work,” Iona called gayly in at one of the windows, -“unless you should wish to bring in what I have reaped. I have put a -cornice around the field. I would have reaped all night if there were a -moon. Good-night. Peace be with you.” - -They echoed her salutation; and she hung her sickle on the outer wall, -and took her way to the castle. - -“Don’t tell me that you have had your supper!” the housekeeper said; -“for I have taken such pleasure in preparing one for you.” - -“I shall eat it, for I have earned it,” Iona replied, taking off her -coarse gloves and straightening out her cramped fingers. - -But what she ate she knew not, nor what good fairy suggested to her -questions and answers and remarks that were to her as dry as husks, yet -which served as a screen to her misery. She seemed to have a secondary -mind which worked mechanically. - -There are certain proverbial sayings which have an air of such owl-like -wisdom and are such a saving of mental work to those who repeat them -that they seem immortal. One of these is that no person is fit to -command who cannot obey. If it were said that no person is fit to -command an inferior who cannot obey a superior, a reasonable idea would -be conveyed. - -Setting aside such cases as the apprenticeship of Apollo to a swineherd, -and the voluntary self-humiliation of an ascetic who seeks to win heaven -by effacing himself on earth, there is no more murderous injustice than -the enforced subjection of a lofty nature to a lower one. It is not a -question of pride, nor of fitness; it is a question of individual -existence. - -Iona had been like a queen in San Salvador; and she had been a wise and -gentle sovereign. She had assumed no authority, and fully acknowledged -that she had none. She was always consulted, and she had made no -mistakes. Her whole strength had been expended to make herself worthy of -this preëminence, and she had succeeded. Her powers had risen with the -need of them, and she stood upright, sustained by this pressure from all -sides. - -The pressure removed, for to her mind it was almost removed and would be -totally so, she collapsed and fell into confusion. With Tacita the wife -of Dylar, she took for granted that her reign in San Salvador was at an -end. For it was her power in the community, she persistently told -herself, not her power over the heart of Dylar, which she lamented. “It -is not love! I do not love him!” she had repeated a hundred times. - -To her mind, Tacita, however sweet and lovely, was a girl of limited -capacity, but also one who could assume a dignified and even haughty -reserve when her relations with Dylar were called into question. As his -wife, she might object to any other female authority in the place; and -Iona well knew that the fair-haired girl, with her charming grace and -caressing manners, would win a greater affection from the people than -she herself would be able to win by the devotion of a life. - -She went to her chamber with the hope of sleeping; but sleep was -impossible. She rose, took her lamp, and went downstairs, meeting the -housekeeper on the way. - -“I am going out through the cellar,” she said. “Give me a long roll of -wax taper, and the key of the cellar door. I will take care of all.” - -She tied the great roll of taper to her girdle, took a little wallet and -a lamp, and went down to the cellar. But instead of descending the -second stair, she went along under the damp arches, past the rows of -moist hogsheads, to a little stair that went up to a walled-up door. The -stairs had been utilized as shelves, and rows of jars and little bottles -of olives were set along them. - -Iona cleared them all away from the four lower steps, and with a deft -hand took out two or three screws from the boards; then, turning back -the three lower stairs like a door, disclosed a steep stair underneath -through a square opening. The stair ended in a corridor from which was -heard the sound of waters, growing clearer as the passage led into a -cave that had a high opening at one side, like a round window, almost -lost in a long, close passage that looked as if broken in the rock by an -earthquake, louder again when a door was unlocked and opened into a -roofless passage of which one side diminished in height and showed a -fringe of little plants and mosses, and the other soared, a precipice. -Here was a little hollow through which flowed a brook coming through -crevices northward to disappear southward into crevices. Where it issued -from the rock in a fall of a few feet were two troughs, side by side, -turning on a hinge, so that the water might be made to pass through -either. Both were lined with nets that could be raised and drained. - -Iona set her lamp on the rock, changed the troughs, and carefully raised -the net in the one through which the water had been passing, and with a -little wire spade turned over the débris left there. Where a yellow -glimmer showed, she picked it out and put it into the wallet hanging at -her side. - -The night was so still that the flame of the lamp scarcely wavered; but -she swung her coil of lighted taper to and fro, and round in a circle, -to catch any glimmer of the precious metal hidden there. - -There was neither tree nor shrub in sight. Grotesque peaks and cliffs -rose on every side, shutting her in. Scintillating overhead was the -Milky Way, a white torrent of stars from the heights of heaven flowing -between the black rock-rims that it seemed almost to touch. - -The gold came in glimmer after glimmer, some almost too small to gather -out of the slippery débris, others half as large as the flame of the -lamp, and brightly glowing. - -Iona’s spirit revived a little. The place, the time, and the occupation -took her out of the track of her habitual life. She recollected her -first visit to this place, when she and Dylar were children. They came -with his father. The prince had brought her after her father’s death, -hoping to distract her; and while she and the boy picked out the shining -grains, he sat on a lichened rock beside them, and told how men had -spent their lives in searching for and compounding the philosopher’s -stone in order to make at will this bright king of metals which they -were gathering from the sand. - -He told how kings and queens had lavished patronage and treasure on such -seekers after hidden knowledge, and the names by which the magic stone -was called: _The daughter of the great secret; The sun and his father; -The moon and her mother_. He told them the legend that St. John, the -Evangelist, could make gold; and young Dylar paused in his search to -learn the verses of an old hymn to the saint that the alchemists applied -to themselves:— - - “Inexhaustum fert thesaurum - Qui de virgis faeit aurum, - Gemmas de lapidibus.” - -He described to them the _dry way_ and the _humid way_, the _white -powder_, that changed metals to fine silver, the _red elixir_, which -made gold and healed all sorts of wounds, the _white elixir_, _white -daughter of the philosophers_, which made silver and prolonged life -indefinitely. He told them the prediction of a German philosopher that -in the nineteenth century gold would be produced by galvanism, and -become so common that kitchen utensils would be made of it. “But that,” -the prince added, “will surely be a gift of wrath, and will come like a -thunderbolt. Men will play with fire, and it will turn upon them. They -will laugh in the face of God when they snatch his lightnings out of his -hand, and he will reduce them to ashes. But to him who kneels and waits, -into his hand will God put the lightning, and it shall be as dew to his -palm when he smites with it.” - -As he had talked, sometimes to them, and then as if to himself, to her -imagination all the space about and above had become filled with -watching faces. There were pale brows over eyes grown dim and hollow -with fruitless study; there were clustering locks that wore the shadow -of a crown; there were dreamy faces whose eyes were filled with visions -of the golden streets of the New Jerusalem; there were the hungry cheeks -and devouring eyes of poverty; there was avarice with human features; -and over the shoulders of these, and peering through their floating hair -or widespread beard, were impish eyes and glimpses of impish mirth; all -which, with sudden explosion, were wrapped one moment in flame, and the -next, fell in a mass of gold like a mountain, writhing one instant, then -fixed. And in the place where they had been remained unscathed one face -still gazing in a dream at the golden streets of the New Jerusalem. - -The childish vision rose and fell; but it left a scene almost as unreal. - -There showed no more sparkling points in the trough, and Iona changed it -for the other, glancing into the second as she withdrew it. At the -bottom of the net was a spark like a star. It was a little ball of gold -that the water had brought while she was searching. She smiled at sight -of it, scarcely knowing why it pleased her; and instead of putting it -into the wallet, found a dew-softened flake of lichen to wrap it in, and -hid it in her bosom. - -“I will ask Dylar if I may give it to Ion when he goes out,” she -thought; and the image of Ion warmed her heart. “Dear boy!” she -murmured. - -The dew, the darkness, and the silence soothed her as she walked -homeward. Seen from a distance she might have seemed a glow-worm -creeping along the face of the rock. Her lamp grew dim, and she lighted -her taper again by its expiring flame, and went on uncoiling it as it -rapidly consumed in the faint breeze of her motion. - -Weary, and in some way comforted, she reached the castle and her -chamber, and was soon asleep. - -But anguish woke with her, the stronger for its repose. The novelty of -the change was gone, and a consuming fever of impatience to return to -San Salvador took possession of her. But she had come for a week, and -she stayed a week, passing such days and nights as made her cheeks thin -and her eyes hollow. - -The morning she had set for her return she was scarcely able to rise; -but at noon she reached the Pines, and while everybody in San Salvador -was at supper, she quietly entered the Arcade, and sent for Elena to -come to her room. - -“Give these to Dylar with your own hand,” she said, consigning to her -care the wallet and the case of keys. “And please send me some supper -here. I am going up the hills this evening, and may stay all day -to-morrow. Whoever comes with my food can set the basket on the terrace, -if I am not in sight.” - -Elena looked at that worn face, and could not restrain an expostulation. - -“Iona, dear, you look too tired to go up there alone to-night,” she -said. “Wait till morning, and no one shall come near you, nor even know -that you are here.” - -“I should suffocate here!” Iona exclaimed impatiently. - -Elena urged her no farther. “At least, make me a sign in the morning -that you are well,” she said. “Tie a white cloth to the terrace post.” - -“Yes, yes! Don’t fear!” - -She went out. It was twilight, and the windows were beginning to be -lighted. In the Square she saw Ion going toward the college. She drew -the silver whistle from her sash and blew his name. - -The boy stopped, then came running back. - -“I am going up the hills to stay to-night,” his sister said, holding him -in her arms. “Don’t tell any one, unless Dylar should ask you. And see! -I have a gift for you. It is a little ball of pure gold. Say nothing of -it even to Dylar till I tell you. Keep it as a memento of San Salvador -when you are far away. And now, good-night, my treasure, my better than -gold!” - -She kissed him tenderly. - -“O Iona, why do you go up there to-night?” the boy cried. “What is the -matter?” - -She freed herself from him gently, but decidedly. “Don’t oppose me, Ion. -Do as I bid you, and say good-night now.” - -He urged no more, but went away dejectedly. - -The cottage to which Iona went was a tiny one with a plot of herbs in -front of it and a huge fig-tree. It contained but one room, across which -was slung a wide hammock. She opened the door, prepared her hammock and -got into it, dressed as she was. There was a floating wick in a vase of -oil and water that gave just light enough to faintly define the objects -in the room and show a small fragment of paper on the floor. As she lay, -glancing restlessly about, her eyes returned again and again to this -paper, and finally with a sense of annoyance. She was naturally orderly -and neat to a fault even; and now it seemed as if all her -characteristics had become either numbed or fantastic. That scrap of -paper grew to be of such importance to her that she could not rest while -it lay there; and having risen to pick it up, it was still of so much -importance to her that she could not set fire to it in the little -night-lamp without looking to see what it was. It was a fragment of an -old pamphlet in which had been an article on mediæval customs. The few -lines remaining referred to a custom in the isle of Guernsey. - -It related that if a sale of property were being made by heirs, one heir -objecting, this non-consenting one could stop the sale by crying out: -“_A l’aide, mon prince! On me fait tort!_” - -She read, then burned the paper. It was an interesting fact. She thought -it over, going to lie in her hammock again; and thinking of it, dropped -asleep. - -There were a few hours of repose. Then she waked and could sleep no -more. The little lamp had burned out, and the dark dewy night looked in -at her open window. She rose and went out. - -The fig-tree before her door grew a single straight trunk to a height of -four feet, or a little more, then divided into two great branches, -hollowed out and widespreading. Iona leaned into this hollow, hanging -with all her weight, and looked over the town. - -“_A l’aide, mon prince! On me fait tort!_” she murmured, recollecting -the words that she had slept repeating. And she stretched her hands out -toward Dylar’s dwelling-place. - -“They think that she alone has power to charm you!” she went on. “Blind -that they are! And are you also blind? They see me preside with dignity, -and they think that I am nothing but stately. Cannot you understand that -I am as full of laughter as a brook? I have come up here alone many a -time and talked with the birds, the plants, and the wind. I came to give -vent to the life that was bubbling in me. If I had but shown it! If I -had but shown it! The greatest force I ever put upon myself was to be -cool and calm with you. It was honor made me. I thought you were -resolved to lead the angelic life, and I would not by a smile, or a -glance, or a wile make it harder for you. How could I imagine that you -would surrender yourself unsought to a lesser woman! Oh, I could have -charmed you! Cannot I call you now? Shall I submit without a struggle?” - -Iona knew in herself a compelling power of will, without defining it. It -had sometimes seemed to her that when roused by some vivid interest, her -will had flung out an invisible lasso that bound whomsoever she would; -not so much, indeed, here in San Salvador as out in the world, where -minds were less firmly anchored. Yet even here, finding one in a -receptive mood, she had more than once made him swerve as she had -wished. - -Could she not in this hour of supreme upheaval send her soul out—all her -soul—through the space that divided her from Dylar, make it grow around -him like a still moonrise, find him where he lay thinking, or dreaming, -perhaps, of that fair-haired Tacita, reach into, shine into, his heart -and blot that image out, gather all his will into the grasp of her -strong life, and so melt and bend him that he should turn to her as a -flower to the light? Dylar had a strong will. She had seen him as oak -and iron. But, if she should slip in at unawares! - -Iona caught herself leaning over, straining over the inverted arch of -the fig-tree, her arms extended toward the college, the fingers cold and -electric, the very locks of her loose hair seeming to be turned that -way, her whole person having a strange feeling as if a strong current of -some sparkling, benumbing essence were flowing from her toward the spot -where Prince Dylar lay helpless and unconscious. - -She started back. “God forbid!” she cried. “_A l’aide, mon prince!_” The -last words came as of themselves; and her prince was still Dylar. - -“Yet it would be for his good and the good of San Salvador,” she said, -and began to weep. - -And then again, half frightened at her own passion, her mood changed. -After all, was she certain that her fears were well-grounded? What proof -had she? Nothing strong except Tacita’s silence; and might she not have -mistaken the significance of that? Her nature seemed to divide itself in -two, one weak, wretched, dying, the other seeking to comfort, reassure, -and save this despairing creature from destruction. Her imagination -began to hold up pictures to divert the weeping child of earth. - -She fancied Dylar in the first enthusiasm of knowing all her plans. He -would adore her. But there should be no silly dalliance. For, “I do not -love him in that way,” she still persisted. When she should crown -herself with the white betrothal roses that must be gathered by her own -hand, it would be with the thought of authority wearing the crown of -pure justice. When she should assume the rose-colored robe and veil of a -bride, it would be to her a figure of that charity all over the world -which it would be the aim of her life to promote. Both she and Dylar -would be stronger for this companionship; and she would be, not only his -inspirer, but his soothing and comforting friend also. Every lion in his -path should become his beehive. When he was weary of empire she would -charm him with many a folly. For sometimes he would be depressed, -perhaps, even out of temper. It was delicious to think of him so—as -quite a common man—for a little while. It would be the dear little flaw -in her gem. - -All should come as she had planned. Their colonies should condense in -the plain and on the hills outside, little by little, stealing in as -silent as mists, not seeming one, but as strangers to each other. Here -at San Salvador should be their stronghold, as now, and their inmost -sanctuary. But they would live outside, on a hill, or going from place -to place. When all was well ordered without, they would come back for a -while, and she would lead Dylar to some height, to the summit of the -North Peak, where there should be a mirador, and pointing to their -colonies embossing the whole circle even to the horizon, she would say: -“Behold the marriage-portion I brought you!” She would tell him of a -time when, their earthly lives ended, they might be borne, like -Serapeon, over mountain top and plain, while their son— - -Their son! - -Her fancy descended from its cold mountain height to a green hollow in -the hills, and a cooing of doves, and a veil of heliotrope shutting them -in. She hung over the face of the child. His cradle should be formed -like a lotos-flower, and there he should sit enthroned like Horus, the -young Day. As her fancy dwelt on him, he grew,—a youth with inspiration -shining in his eyes, a man, with command on his brow. He should bring in -a golden age. Peace and brotherly love prevailing should make men look -upon their past lives as the lives of wolves. He should wear white while -young, and purple when he began to take the reins of government. The -white should have a violet border. - -Here the dreamer’s fancy seemed to stumble as if caught in the train of -a white robe with a violet border that brought some disenchanting -reminiscence in its folds. - -It was the robe that Tacita had worn the last time they met at the -assembly, and she had looked like a Psyche in it. - -As that figure floated, smiling, into her dream, Iona’s empire crumbled, -her lover became a mocking delusion, her shining babe faded to a -snow-drop broken from its stem, her enthusiastic youth shrank like dry -leaves, her purple-robed prince fell with a crash at her feet. - -“A—a—a—i!” - -It was almost like the growl and spring of the tiger. But the rein was -drawn as involuntarily as a falling person seeks to maintain his -equilibrium. - -“_A l’aide, mon Roi!_” she cried, and stretched her hands out, not -toward Dylar, but toward the Basilica, showing faint and ghost-like -against the western mountains. “_A l’aide, mon Dieu!_” and lifted her -face to heaven. - -To a strong, high soul, despair is impossible. However dark the -overhanging cloud, it never believes that there is no help. It has felt -its own wings in the sunshine, and it knows that somewhere there must be -a way for them to lift it out of the storm. - -But where? - -“My father told me to do without love, if I could,” thought Iona, and -sank down, and sat leaning against the tree. The time-blurred image of -that father rose before her mind, and the scenes following his death. Of -her life with him, except that it was happy, she could recollect nothing -definite. With the egotism and ignorance of youth she had taken a -father’s loving presence for granted, as she had taken sunshine and air. -He had died at Castle Dylar, and she was with him. His illness was -brief, she had scarcely known that he was ill. For one day only she had -not seen him. - -She seemed again to stand, a child, in the middle of the great salon, -looking at a closed door. The prince held her hand and murmured words of -consolation. Her playmate, young Dylar, stood at a distance wistfully -gazing at them. She did not understand for what she needed to be -consoled; but an undefined dread oppressed her. - -“What is in that room?” asked the child with a gloomy imperiousness. -“They close the door, and tell me not to open it.” - -“Only a mortal body from which the soul has fled,” said the prince. -“Your real father has gone to see the King, to see your dear mother; and -both, unseen, will watch over you and your little brother. Do not you -want to go home and see poor little Ion? He is alone.” - -“I want to see my father’s body,” said the child. - -“Iona, he sleeps!” - -“Wake him, then!” she cried. “Or, no. I will be quiet and let him sleep. -I will sit by him till he wakes.” - -Dylar looked distressed. “Dear child, no one ever wakes from that sleep, -it is so full of peace and rest. His heart does not beat. His hands are -as cool as dew.” - -“Wake him!” she cried, beginning to sob; and, snatching her hand away, -ran to beat on the door, and call “Father! Father!” with an awful pause -of silence between one call and the other. “If he were warm he would -speak. Give him wine! I can make his heart beat. Let me in! I will go to -him!” - -“Nothing can make the body warm when the soul has gone out of it,” said -Dylar, following her to the door. “It is like a candle that is not -lighted.” - -“If I kiss him, he will light,” persisted the child. “He always does.” - -“His light is in the court of the King,” said Dylar. “You must not, -cannot call it back.” - -The child stood silent a moment, a statue of rebellious grief, trying to -understand the cold science of death, now for the first time presented -to her. Then, with something more of self control, she asked:— - -“Can I make the King give back his soul, in any way? no matter if it is -not by being good. Could I by being wicked? I am not afraid.” - -“By being bad you would only separate yourself still more from your -father. My child, he was not torn away. He went submissively, -obediently. He bade me love you as my own child, and I will. The King -took him gently by the hand. Wait a little while, and he will come for -you.” - -The child’s head drooped. She leaned against the door, putting her arms -up to it in a vain and empty embrace. “I want to go in!” she said -faintly. - -The prince opened the door and led her in. - -A white veiled shape lay stretched out on a narrow bed. The prince -folded back a cloth, and the child’s dilating eyes, startled and -awe-stricken, looked for the first time on death. - -“Is it a statue?” she whispered. - -“It is his own body in its long sleep.” - -“I have always seen him breathe,” she whispered, looking up at her -guardian with frightened eyes. “His breast went up and down—so!” she -panted. “I felt it when he held me in his arms. I did not know that it -could stop.” - -Sobs broke out. She threw herself on to the cold breast and clung to it. -“He spoke; and I thought that it was a little thing,” she cried, in a -storm of tears. “Sometimes I did not listen. I thought that I could -always hear him speak. Sometimes he told me to do a thing, and I said -no. I did not think that he would ever be ‘no’ to me. He is all ‘No!’ -Speak one word, father! It is Iona. Why can he not speak? This is his -hair, his face, his own self,—all but the cold!” - -“He cannot hear you,” said the prince. - -The child rose and looked wildly about. “I would climb over all these -mountains, barefoot and alone in the dark, to hear him say one word!” - -And then, in that day of revelations, there was yet another which -startled her for a moment out of her own grief. For Prince Dylar, -raising his arms and his face upward, exclaimed with passion: “O -Heavenly Father, do we not expiate the sin, whatever it was!” and for -the first time she saw a man weep. - -How vividly it all rose before her! How like was that child to herself! - -“How glad I am that I put my arms around him and tried to comfort him!” -she thought. - -“My heart has been broken once before, and it healed,” she said, and -returned to the present, where her mind swung idly to and fro, like a -pendulum, counting mechanically the minutes. - -The dawn began. It was not like the tingling white fire, alive to its -faintest wave, of dawns that she had seen. It was still and solemn. - -“_A l’aide, mon Roi, man Dieu!_” Iona murmured drearily; and speaking, -remembered the invitation: _Come unto me, all ye that labor and are -heavy laden, and I will give you rest_. - -What did it mean? She understood duty and obedience toward God; but an -ardent worship of the whole being, a clinging of the spirit through the -sense, she did not understand. It had seemed to her material and -unworthy. She forgot that the sense also is the work of God. The spirit -should rise above the sense, leaving it behind, despising it, she had -thought; but to lift the sense also, to bathe it in that fire that burns -not, to lead it by the hand, like a poor lame sister, into the healing -Presence, that she knew not. Her worship dispersed itself in air. - -“I will go to him!” she said. “But where? He is everywhere; therefore he -is here.” - -She knelt, folded her hands, and said, “Help me, O Lord! for I am in -bitter need,” and said it wearily. The universal affirmation of his -presence had for effect only universal negation. She did not find him. - -The dawn grew. She rose from her knees, weary and faint. “How are we to -know when God helps us? Perhaps when some path shall be opened for me -out of this labyrinth. Is this all that religion can give me?—the -patience of exhaustion, or the apathy of resignation? Is this rest? No -matter! I will obey. I will ask help every day, and try to do my duty. -What is meant by loving God? I cannot love all out-doors. If Christ were -here as he was once upon the earth, he would not make me wait one hour -with my heart all lead. If he were here! Oh, I would walk all barefoot -and alone in the dark over the mountains, over the world, to hear him -speak one word!” - -The sun rose, and its golden veil was let down slowly over the western -mountains, creeping toward the Basilica. When it touched, she could see -from where she stood in her door the sparkling of the crown-jewels. They -seemed to rejoice. - -“I will go to his house to ask help,” said Iona. “Why should he have a -house among us, if not to give audience there to his children! But now I -must sleep.” - -She went to tie her handkerchief on the little balustrade of her terrace -for a sign to Elena, and returning, closed the door, leaving the window -ajar. Getting into her hammock then, she swung herself, to sleep. - -It was late in the afternoon when she waked, and the sun was shining -into the room in a long, bright bar through the window. In the midst of -that light was the shadow of a head. As she looked at the shadow-head it -turned aside in a listening attitude. - -Iona rose and opened the door, and Ion sprang up joyfully. He had -brought her breakfast and left it outside the door, and come again with -her dinner, both waiting untasted. - -“I peeped in and saw that you were asleep,” he said. “Are you not -hungry?” - -She ate something, not more from faintness than to please him. - -“I was so tired. I worked hard at the Olives, and did not sleep till -late. And now, dear boy, go down. I have something to do, and something -for you to do. To-night, after the people are out of the street, I am -going to the Basilica. I wish to go alone. When the portal is closed, -get the key of the south side door, and leave it in the lock. Thank you -for coming up! You are always good to Iona!” - -She kissed him smilingly, and let him go. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - - -In a great mental upheaval, to be able to decide, even on a point of -secondary importance, is helpful. It is like a plank to the shipwrecked. - -Such to her was Iona’s resolution to go to the Basilica and watch all -night. Christ had said “Come!” and she would go as near to him as she -knew how. The sense of blind obedience was restful. She looked across -the town, and a certain peacefulness seemed to hover over the white -building beyond the river. She thought herself like that river, flowing -in silent shadow now after a wild rush from height to depth, and through -dark and stormy ways. - -There was no assembly that evening, and the avenue and square were -unlighted. But the roof-terraces were populous, and a murmur of voices -and of music came from them. They called to each other across the narrow -streets; and when some one sang to mandolin or guitar in one terrace, -the near ones hushed themselves to listen. It seemed to Iona like -something that she had heard of long before, it was so far away, and had -so lost its spirit and color. - -There are times when to hear laughter gives one a feeling of terror such -as might be felt if it came from a train of cars about to roll down a -precipice. When Dante came up from the Inferno, careless laughter must -have affected him so. - -As Iona entered the Basilica, locking the door behind her, the sweet, -true word of an English writer recurred to her: “Solitude is the -antechamber to the presence of God.” - -She knelt before the Throne a moment; then, seating herself on the -cushioned step, waited for some plan of life to suggest itself to her as -possible and tolerable. - -“It must be outside the mountains,” she began, then checked herself. “It -shall be where God wills.” - -But, oh, the torment of it! The utter collapse of all spirit and -elasticity! - -The shadows of the portal came up to fall before the light of the -tribune, and the light went down to meet the shadows. Darker slanting -shadows of columns crossed the dim side aisles. There were panels of -deep, rich color between, growing brighter toward the tribune. On the -balustrades were thirty-three lamps, one for each year of the King’s -life. They climbed in a narrowing flame-shape with the Throne and the -tiara. In the jewels a sleeping rainbow stirred. - -Iona rose and wandered about the church. What more could she say, or do? -Was she to go out as blind and unconsoled as she had entered? The -silence was terrible. It occurred to her that having had no conscious -and pressing need of God, she had gone on fancying herself in communion -with him when there had been no living communion. - -“Do we, indeed, know that God whom we profess to believe in?” she asked -herself. “Have I not as ‘ignorantly worshiped’ him as did the Athenians -of St. Paul’s time? Oh, if I find him not to-night, I shall die!” - -Passing up a side aisle, she paused before the picture of a tiger there, -which stood in a strong light, and stared at the Throne. She lifted her -hand to pat his head, and whispered, half smiling, “Have you found the -secret, brother?” Then she went on and knelt again before the tribune, -questioning:— - -“Who, then, have I come here to seek, and what? A glorious and -triumphant Deity? Something more, indeed! I seek one who knows sorrow, -poverty, and betrayal. Where is he? Where is the compassion, the power, -the voice of him? I must find him, meet him! Where is he?” - -She set herself to call up some image of him as human creatures had seen -him face to face in their need. She recalled other vigils of knight, -crusader, mourner, and sinner. Above all was the supreme vigil of Mary -Magdalen. Ah, what a night of anguish! Ah, what a rapturous morn! To -hear him speak her name as he uttered that “Mary!” on the first Easter -morning would be better than a thousand princes of her blood ruling -through ten thousand years, would be better than to have Dylar look at -her with love’s delight. - -She evoked that scene out of the past,—the chill, dewy garden, the -lonely sepulchre, the dull hour before dawn. The present faded from her -view. Gleam of gold and sparkle of jewel, she set them aside. Blotting -out the glow of lamps and the glimmer of marble, it came. She was in the -garden with Mary Magdalen. The stone was rolled away, she heard the -woman’s bitter outcry: _They have taken my Lord away, and I know not -where they have laid him!_ - -Darkness, sorrow, and desolation reigned. Even the Magdalen, weeping -bitterly, departed. She was alone before an empty sepulchre. - -Said faith: “He is here even as he was there, the same. He is invisibly -here in this place, even as he was there. If he be God, he is here. -Hush, my soul! He is here! He is here!” - -A Presence grew in the place, felt by her whole being, a sense of life, -gentle and potent. Seen by her soul, Christ stood there looking at her, -and waiting to hear what she might say. - -She stretched her hands out to him with a wild burst of tears. “What -shall I do?” she sobbed. - -And, oh, wonder of wonders! A voice “still and small,”—the voice that -was heard by Elijah,—a voice more distinct to her soul and her senses -than her own sobbing question had been, answered her! - -The angel of truth guides the pen with which I write these words! - -The voice came not from the shadows where she had evoked his image by -the mystical incantation of faith. It spoke at her right side, each word -let fall like a pearl, so that she turned her head to listen. - -Were they words of compassion, or counsel? Did they propose a plan, or -commend her obedience? - -No. They only repeated the Divine invitation: _Come unto me, all ye that -labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest_. - -But as they fell softly on her ear, the darkness that had enveloped her -parted, and slipped down like a tent, and a flood of light entered and -illumined her soul. Her hands were still outstretched; but they were -clasped in ecstasy: her tears still flowed; but they were tears of -rapture. - -“Oh, why did I not think of it!” she exclaimed; and in that first -inflowing of heaven did not remember that she _had_ thought, and _had_ -come, and that the words were but a reminder that she had done her part, -and there remained only that he should fulfill his promise. - -She was in heaven! - -There was no thought of explanation, no study of phenomena. She knew at -last what sort of miracle Christ came on earth to perform, and what his -kingdom is. - -How was her life to proceed? It mattered not. Whatever might happen, all -was well, was more than well, was best! Should she go, or stay in San -Salvador? No matter. She was blest either way. - -“And this heaven,” she thought, “lies just outside the door of every -human heart! - -“_Behold, I stand at the door and knock._” - -How simple is a spiritual miracle, after all! It is but the substitution -of harmony for discord, the finding the keynote of the universe. - -Not the least marvelous part of her change was that she recognized this -state as her true one; as one who has long been cramped and bowed down -breathes deep with relief, the pressure removed, and knows that he was -made to stand upright. - -No earthly storm clears so. Even when the sun bursts forth, he shows a -rack of flying mists. But Iona no longer thought of a shadow, even as -past. Trouble had no longer any existence, even as fugitive. _In the -twinkling of an eye_, says Saint Paul. - -It was early dawn when she issued from the Basilica. Some one was pacing -one of the paths in the green above, but came running down as soon as -she appeared. - -“Why, Ion! What brings you here?” his sister exclaimed. - -“I could not sleep,” the boy said, trembling. “Oh, Iona, what is the -matter with you? What has happened? Let us both go away from here!” - -She put her arms around him. “Dear Ion,” she said, “the brightest, the -sweetest, the most glorious thing has happened! Some time I will tell -you, but not now. Your hair is wet with dew, and your cheeks with tears, -my dearest. Do not fear. All is well! All is well! Do not I look happy?” - -“Your face shines!” said Ion, his own growing brighter. “I was afraid.” - -“You are to fear no longer. You must go to rest, and then wake happy. -But first let us kiss the panels of the portal; for they have been to me -the gate of heaven.” - -They went, hand in hand, knelt on the upper step, and kissed the panels -of the door, then walked in silence across the town. In the dawn, the -face of Iona could be seen radiant with a light that was not of the sky. -It was the outshining of an illuminated soul. - -“Brother,” she said, pausing at the door of the Arcade, “what the King -said is not a figure of speech, but literal truth. When he commands, or -invites, do not stop to question. To him there are no impossibilities. -Do not forget him, nor disobey when life is bright; but he is a star, -best seen in the dark. If you should ever be in great anguish, set your -soul searching for Christ, and do not leave off till you find him. He is -near! He is always within call!” - -She went upstairs, planning. First sleep. Then this duty, then that, -quite as usual. And every duty, even those heretofore most nearly -irksome, had a new face, smiling and peaceful. Every little weed and -brier of life put forth its blossom. - -Reaching Tacita’s door, she stopped; and hearing a movement within, she -whispered:— - -“Tacita Mora! O Tacita!” - -Tacita was awake. Her heart had been sorely troubled by Iona’s talk the -week before; and her sudden absence had increased the pain. She opened -the door, wondering at that whisper, and shrank on seeing who was there. -“What do you wish for?” she asked, fearing some new and more violent -scene. - -“To restore you the peace I have disturbed,” said Iona. “To ask your -forgiveness. All the wild things I said that day were a dark delusive -cloud which has been driven away by sun and wind. I was wrong, and you -right. It is the Holy Saviour himself who will save the refuge they have -named for him. I hope, dear, that you and Dylar will marry, and be -happy; but it would be presuming in me to ask of your intentions. -Peace!” - -She went swiftly away before Tacita, astonished, could answer a word. - -To be in heaven while yet upon earth, what is it? It is to have a sense -of security which extends to the bounds of conception,—and beyond, a -sense which no peril can disturb. It is to be steeped in a silent -contentment which no words can express. It is to call the bird your -sister, and the sun your brother. It is to study how you may serve those -whom you have hated. It is to say farewell to those who are dearest to -you, and know that they are not lost. It is to see the sorrows of earth -as motes in a sunbeam, yet be full of compassion for the suffering. It -is to know for what purpose you were created. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - -Early in the autumn Iona was to go out into the world, having instructed -Tacita thoroughly and lovingly in all her work, and seen with what a -modest dignity the girl she had thought almost childish could preside in -her place. - -She was in haste to go, but solely from a conviction that she was needed -elsewhere. - -“Wherever I am not absolutely needed, I am lost,” she said. “My life -here is, and has been for a long time, that of a Sybarite. I am -terrified when I think of a longer waste.” - -“Stay till after the vintage,” they all urged her. - -“I will stay on one condition,” she said to Dylar. “And that is that I -may plan, and help to prepare a house for you and your bride. Once -outside, I may not be able to come back and see you married; and it -would be cruel if I could have no part.” - -“But, Iona, Tacita has not promised to marry me,” Dylar said, smiling. -“However, do as you please. May I ask what your plan is?” - -She pointed to the college. As we have said, the building was large and -irregular, crowning a mass of rock that broke roughly toward the town, -and fell sheer on the mountain side, the narrow space spanned by a -bridge from the college gate to the Ring. A small part of the structure -toward the town was detached, a point of rock rising sharply between it -and the main building. The only mode of communication between the two -was by means of a stair at either side to a mirador built on the top of -this point of rock, and a narrow gallery hung over the steepest fall of -the rock. This semi-detached portion, containing but four rooms, was -Dylar’s private apartment. - -“With two large rooms in addition,” Iona said, “that would make you a -charming apartment. There is yet space enough on the rock if we fill up -that narrow interstice with masonry solid from the plain. The two rooms -will be large, one a few steps higher than the other. They will be very -stately, with the steps and curtain quite across one end. Where the -stone breaks to right and left, a stair can start, double at the top, -and meeting over an arch midway, to separate again below. There will be -space also for a small terrace outside the door. It can be made -something ideal. You use but two of the four rooms now. The little -museum in the other two can be removed to the college. There is plenty -of room. This work should be begun at once, masonry takes so long to dry -well. But as your living-rooms would be the old ones, you need not put -off your marriage till it is quite dry. There is no time to be lost.” - -“No one plans like you,” Dylar said. “It will be charming. Do as you -please. I will see if I can find a bride for your pretty house.” - -He took his way to the library, where he had seen Tacita enter. She was -there alone, lighting up a shadowed corner with her fair face and golden -hair. - -It was a very studious face at that moment. Her arms stretched out at -either side of a large volume, she read attentively. Other books were -piled at right and left. Now and then she put her hand to her forehead, -then made a note on a long strip of paper, writing with a serious -carefulness. - -She was preparing a lecture on history for the youngest class of girls -in that study. - -“It must be to the great complex subject what a globe with the great -circles only is to the whole geography of the earth. It must be as -though, on that globe with its few lines, you should draw at one point a -little black circumflex, and say: ‘Here is found the asp of the Nile. -The monarchs wore it in jewels on their diadem. One laid it alive on her -breast, and died. And here, where this black line goes past, and never -stops, but always returns, the Wise Men of the East found the Infant -Christ. And here grow roses, oh, such roses! in full fields, to make the -precious attar of. And here grows the pink coral, like that coral rose -Iona wears. No; the lesson must not be dry, nor yet too rich. It must -make them wish for more. Only a few sparse sweetnesses. O land of -France, what noblest, fairest deed for children to hear was ever done on -your soil since you were France?’” - -So the young student was thinking, deep buried in her study, when she -heard a voice say:— - -“O Minerva, may I come in? Is there a gorgon on your shield of folios?” - -She looked up with a glad welcome. “Not for you. You are come in good -time, perhaps, to check my wild ambition. Do you know, prince, that I -aspire to become an historian?” - -“Then I come indeed in good time,” he said. “For it is a history which I -wish you to write.” - -She looked inquiringly; but he did not meet her glance. - -“Will you come out to the terrace?” he said, indicating the one near -them toward the college. - -And as they went, he said reproachfully: “You hide yourself from me. I -find you always surrounded. You seem to like me less and less every -day.” - -Tacita’s lips parted. “Shall I tell him that I like him more and more?” -she thought. “No. Yet he must be satisfied.” - -“I do not know what reply to make,” she said, somewhat breathlessly. - -“Do you know what to think?” he asked. - -“Oh, yes!” - -“Would it pain me to know?” - -“Oh, no!” - -He smiled, even laughed a little; she had said, in fact, so much more -than she was aware. - -“Look at the college,” he said. “Iona has a plan of a house there for -me.” He explained it. “She will remain till vintage time to see it well -started. Will you go there and live with me, Tacita, when it is done?” - -“Yes!” she said quietly, her eyes on the college. - -“Will you go next Easter?” he asked, after a pause. - -“Yes!” she said again. - -“God’s blessing on you!” he exclaimed fervently. - -They stood a moment longer in silence. - -Then: “Shall I go back to my writing?” asked Tacita, looking at Dylar -with an expression of entire contentment and confidence. And when he -answered her smile, and bowed assent, she left him there, to build up -his house with one swift flash of fancy, to bring his bride home -rose-veiled, to draw from her reluctant lips all that they now refused -to tell, to tear himself away presently with only a few gentle words, -and not even a pressure of the hand. - -“You have made me very happy, my Tacita!” he said. “I leave you now only -because I must!” - -In San Salvador engagements were very brief, as they could well be -between persons who had known each other from childhood; and whatever -friendly intimacy there might have been between them before, it ceased -in a great measure during that time. It might be said that courtship was -almost unknown; and between the betrothal and marriage the couple did -not meet alone. Tacita’s promise, therefore, remained a secret between -herself and Dylar. - -And so the summer passed with no apparent change in their relations. - -Autumn was always a stirring time in San Salvador. The whole town was -given up to the labors and pleasures of harvesting. Every one had some -task. Even the children were made useful. The vintage, as in all -grape-growing countries in times of peace, was a season of gayety, and -all its picturesque work, except the grape-gathering, was done in that -part of the outside road, or cornice, between the Arcade and the -kitchens. A crowd of children were seated here in groups on straw mats, -with awnings over them. Boys and men brought huge baskets of grapes -supported on poles over their shoulders. In the centre of each group of -six or seven was a large wooden tray heaped high with the fruit which -they picked from the stems into basins in their laps. Women, girls and -boys went about and gathered from these full basins into pails for the -wine presses. Dressed in the stained cotton tunics of former vintages, -their hands dyed a deep rose-color, the children chattered like magpies. -Even little lisping things, under the guidance of their elders, were -allowed to take a part in the business, or fancy that they did. Some of -the boys had taken a little two-years-old cupid and rubbed grape-skins -on his hands, face, legs and feet, till they were of a bright Tyrian -purple, and set a wreath of vine tendrils on his sunny hair; and he went -about from group to group vaguely smiling, not in the least -understanding the mirth which his appearance excited. - -The boys capered about like goats when free from their burdens. One of -them ran to the Arcade, turning summersaults, walking on his hands, -running backward, went up the stairs, like a cat, and appeared in the -veranda, cap in hand. - -Tacita was seated there by a little table, making notes of the harvest -as reports were brought her. The boy delivered his message like a -gentleman, bowed himself out, and became a monkey again. - -Not far from the noisy grape-pickers, under another awning, were women -sorting nuts and olives. They suspended their work as Iona came down the -street and paused to speak to them. All looked up into her face with an -earnest and reverential gaze. They had not ceased to wonder at the -change in her, nor had they learned to define it; for while, in her -gentleness and simplicity of manner she was more like one of them, they -were yet conscious of a superiority which they had never before -recognized in her. It was as though a frost-lily should in a single -night be changed to a true lily, fragrant and still. - -She spoke a few words to them, and then went up to the veranda to -Tacita. - -“Stay with me a little while!” said Tacita eagerly, bringing her a -chair. “I think of you all the time, and cannot keep the tears out of my -eyes.” - -Iona embraced her. “The same hand leads us both, dear. Do not grieve. -For me, I am in haste to go. You have yourself made me more eager with -your munificent gift.” - -For Tacita, with Dylar’s approval, had given all her little fortune to -Iona to be disposed of “not in doing charity,” she said, “but in doing -justice.” - -And Iona had replied: “Yes, justice! For though charity may move us to -act, that which we do of good is but a just restitution.” - -“My heart is in anguish for the world’s poor,” she said now. “And not -for the beggar alone. I think of those who can indeed escape physical -starvation by constant labor, but whose souls starve in that weary round -that leaves them no leisure to look about the fair world in which they -exist like ants half buried in sand. I think of homeless men and women, -oh! and children, eating the bread of bitterness at the tables of the -coarse and insolent; of artistic souls cramped by some need that any one -of a thousand persons known to them could supply, could understand -without being told, if they had a spark of true human sympathy in their -hearts, but which they behold with the insensibility of stones. Your -fortune, my Tacita, will be a heaven’s dew to such. For your largess -will be given only to the silent, who ask not. I do not know the world -as well as many of our people do; but those who have had most experience -say that the almost universal motto acted on, if not confessed, is the -saying of Cain: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ Now, I wish to have as my -motto that I am my brother’s keeper whenever and wherever one has need -of me. I will have nothing to do with agents nor organizations. I will -see the suffering face to face. Wherever I see the eyes of the Crucified -looking at me through a human face, there will I offer help. The King -shall send me to meet them.” - -“There are those,” said Tacita, “who will affect anguish in order to -move you. They rob the real sufferer, and they create distrust and -hardness in the charitable.” - -“I shall sometimes be deceived,” Iona said. “Who is not? Sovereigns are -deceived by their courtiers, husbands by their wives and wives by their -husbands, and friends deceive each other, and children deceive their -parents. I go with no romantic trustfulness, I assure you.” - -The hour for her departure hastened to come. - -On the last evening she went to the assembly, passed through all the -rooms, saying a few words, but none of farewell. Then she went to the -Basilica. - -The rapture of her vigil had subsided; but the seal of it remained -stamped on her soul, never again to be overwhelmed in darkness. Doubt -and fear were gone forever, and she went on cheerful and assured, if not -always sensibly joyous. - -It had seemed to her that on this last visit she should have a good deal -to say; but no words came. What she was doing and to do spoke for her. -She walked about, looking at the temple from different points, to -impress its features on her memory, and sat an hour before the throne in -quiet contemplation. - -What her leave-taking was of that sacred place, we say not. - -Early the next morning she was seen walking along the mountain path with -Ion at her side. At the last visible point of the path she turned, -stretched her arms out toward the town, then went her way. - -Ion came back an hour later, his eyes swollen with weeping. “I shall see -her in the spring, in the spring, in the spring,” he kept repeating, to -comfort himself. And when Tacita came to meet him with both her hands -held out, “O Lady Tacita, I shall go out to her in the spring, in the -spring!” he said. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - -The short southern winter drew to a close. Everything that could fade -had faded. The vines stretched a network of dry twigs, the olive trees -were ashen, the pines were black. The gray of crags and houses looked -bleak under the white dazzle of the mountain-wreath, and the dazzling -blue of the sky. Sometimes both were swathed in heavy clouds, and the -town was almost set afloat in floods of rain. - -It was the time for in-door work, and closer domestic life. - -The last days of this season were given up to penitential exercises -similar in intention to the Holy Week of the Catholic church, though -different in form,—having, in fact, only form enough, and that of the -simplest, to suggest the spirit. Like all the instruction given in San -Salvador, its object was less to act upon the passive soul than to set -the soul itself in action. - -The admonition to these devotions was brief: “At this time, while Nature -sits in desolation, mourning over her decay and trembling before the -winter winds, let us invite those veiled angels of the Lord, sorrow and -fear, to enter our hearts and dwell awhile with us. Let us read and -ponder in silence the life and death of the Divine Martyr. Let us -remember that while we have rejoiced in peace, plenty, honor and -justice, thousands and tens of thousands of our kind in the outer world -have suffered starvation of body and mind, have been hunted like wild -beasts, and branded on the forehead by demons disguised as men; and let -us remember that that same Divine Martyr, our King and our Lord, said of -these same children of sorrow and despair: _Inasmuch as ye have done it -unto them_—whether good or evil—_ye have done it unto me_.” - -The exercises began on Saturday night, and continued eight days, ending -on the second Monday morning. There was a visit at night to the cemetery -by all but the children, the sick, and the very aged. On Saturday the -children would visit the Basilica to commemorate the blessing of the -children by Christ, and, strewing the place with freshly budded myrtle -twigs, would ask his blessing before the Throne. Mothers would take -their infants there and hold them up, but would not speak. “For their -angels shall speak for them,” they said. - -Sunday was kept as Easter, and was a day of roses; and on Monday morning -the whole town, all dressed in white, would go to the Basilica in -procession, tossing their Easter lilies into the tribune as they passed, -till the sweet drift would heap and cover the steps and upper -balustrades, leaving only the Throne, gold-shining above a pyramid of -perfumed snow. - -For up through the dark soil and out of the prevailing grayness, already -a wealth of unseen buds were pushing their way out to the broadening -sunshine, to burst into bloom before the week should be over. The -gardens had their sheltered rose-trees and lily-beds, and every house -its cherished plants, watched anxiously, and coaxed forward, or -retarded, as the time required. - -The first Sunday was called the Day of Silence; for no one issued from -his house after having entered it on returning from the cemetery, and -each head of a family became its priest on that day, reading and -expounding to his household the story of the passion of Christ, the -Divine Martyr. - -On Monday morning, after the procession of lilies, Dylar and Tacita -would be publicly betrothed; and a week later their marriage would take -place. - -“I do not know, Tacita,” he said to her, “if our form of marriage will -satisfy you. It has nothing of that ceremonial which you are accustomed -to see, though we hold marriage to be a sacrament.” - -It was Saturday morning of their Holy Week, and the two were walking -apart under the northern mountains. They had already assumed the -mourning dress of gray and black worn by all during that week, and the -long gray wool cloaks with fur collars worn in the winter were not yet -discarded. But their faces were bright, Tacita’s having a red rose in -each cheek. - -“Elena has told me something,” she said. “And how could I be otherwise -than satisfied? For so my father and mother were married, and so—you -will be!” - -“Our position in regard to a priesthood, if ever to be regretted, is -still unavoidable. Our foundation was a beginning the world anew, all -depending on one man, with the help of God. No authority whatever was to -enter from outside; but all was to conform as nearly as possible to the -word of Christ; and as if to atone for any omission, he was elected -King. Our people were of every clime and every belief; yet they were all -won, by love,—not by force, nor argument, nor fear,—to accept Christ, -and to live more in accordance with his commands than any other -community in the world is known to do. When any of them go out into the -world they choose the form of Christian worship which suits them best; -and some, returning, have wished to see a priesthood introduced here. -But that question brought in the first note of discord heard in our -councils since the foundation. Some wanted one form, and some another. -The subject then was forbidden, and we returned to the plan of our -founder: to live apart, a separate and voiceless nation, waiting till -God shall see fit to break down our boundaries. On Easter Sunday we lay -our bread and wine on the footstool, opening the gates, and with prayer -and song ask him to bless it, our invisible High Priest. Then each one, -preparing himself as his conscience shall dictate, goes humbly up the -steps his foot can touch at no other time, and takes of the sacramental -bread, touches it to the wine set in a wide golden vase beside it, and -comes down and eats it, kneeling. The little square of snowy bread looks -as if a drop of blood had fallen on it where it met the wine. I think -that many a heart is full of holy peace that day.” - -“Well they might be,” said Tacita. “But of the marriage, tell me. What -have we to do? I am half afraid.” - -“First, then,” said Dylar, “On Saturday you lead the girls to the -Basilica for the Blessing, as Iona used to do, Ion leading the boys. On -Sunday you do only as the others. On Monday morning a company of matrons -go for you and take you to the Basilica for the lilies. All are in white -and all wear veils of white, you like the rest. But you alone have a -lily on your breast. All come out. You, surrounded still by your guard -of matrons, remain in the court just outside the portal, at the right, -and I, with the Council, at the left. All the others are below, outside -the green. Professor Pearlstein, as president of the council, then asks -in a loud voice if any one can show reason why I should not demand your -hand in marriage. He waits a moment, then says: ‘Speak now, or forever -after hold your peace.’ No sound is heard. I forbid the wind to breathe, -the birds to sing!” - -“And then?” said Tacita, smiling, as he stopped and flashed the words -out fierily. - -His eyes softened on her blushing face, and they stood opposite each -other under the lacelike branches of an almond-tree where minute points -thick upon all the boughs betrayed the imminent blossom-drift. - -“And then,” said Dylar, “I shall come forward into the path where the -lamps of the sanctuary shine out through the portal, and I shall say: -‘If Tacita Mora consents willingly to promise herself to me this day as -my betrothed wife, in the presence of God and of these my people, let -her come forth alone and lay her hand in mine.’” - -He pronounced the words with seriousness and emphasis. His tones -thrilled her heart. - -“And then?” she said, almost in a whisper. - -He smiled faintly, but with an infinite tenderness. “And then, my Lady, -if even at so late a moment you doubt, or fear, you need not answer.” - -“How could I doubt, or fear!” she exclaimed, and turned homeward. - -They walked almost in silence, side by side, till they reached the -Arcade, where they were to separate till they should meet in the scene -which he had just been describing. And there they said farewell with but -a moment’s lingering. - -That evening all retired as soon as sundown; but they rose again at -midnight and assembled in the avenue and square, from whence, in -companies of a hundred, each with its leader, they started for the -cemetery. - -As they went, they recited the prayers for the dead by companies, the -Amen rolling from end to end of the line. - -Entering the ravine was like entering a cavern. But for the sparse lamps -set along the way they could not have kept the path. They went in -silence here, only the sound of their multitudinous steps echoing, till -a faint light began to shine into the darkness before them from where, -just out of sight, every letter had been outlined with fire of that -legend over the arch:— - -I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. - -Then from the midst of the long procession rose a single voice reciting -the psalm: _The Lord is my Shepherd_. - -No one, having once heard it, could mistake the voice of Dylar for any -other. It was of a metallic purity, and gave worth to every word it -uttered. - -_Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will -fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort -me._ - -As they listened they felt not the stones under their feet. Solemn and -buoyant, into their souls there entered something of that spirit which -has made and will make men and women march singing to martyrdom. - -They passed under the arch, and in at the lower door of the cemetery. -All the doors from top to bottom were open, and the lamps shed a dim -radiance through the long, hushed corridors of the dead; but their -flames caught a tremor as the breathing multitude went by, two by two. - -They ascended inside, by ways that seemed a labyrinth, to the upper tier -just under the grassy hollow of Basil’s Rest. Issuing there, they -descended by the outer stairs, filling all the galleries on the eastern -side of the mountain. The waning moon, rising over the eastern -mountains, saw a great pyramid of pallid faces all turned her way, a dim -and silent throng that did not move,—as though the dead had come forth -to look at the rising of some portentous star, long prophesied, or to -watch if the coming dawn should bring in the Day of Judgment. - -Presently a murmur was heard. All were reciting in a whisper the prayers -for the dead, each striving to realize that they would one day, perhaps -not far distant, be said for himself. - -This multitudinous whisper, the chill of the upper air, the solemn -desolation of the terrestrial scene and the live scintillating sky with -that gleaming crescent unnaturally large between the eastern -mountain-tops, all made Tacita’s hair rise upon her head. Into what -morning-country did it mount, like mists from the earth at sunrise, this -cloud of supplicating sighs from out their earth-bound souls? Were these -shadowy forms about her, indistinguishable from the rock save for their -pallid faces, were they living men and women? or would they not, at the -first hint of dawn, reënter, mute and slow, those cavernous doors, and -lie down again in the narrow beds which they had quitted, for what dread -expiation!—for what hope long deferred! - -Not much of earthly vanity can cling to such a vigil. The ordinary human -life, slipped off so like a garment, would be assumed again, freed for a -time, at least, from dust and stain. - -When, at length, a faint aurora showed in the east, a choir of men’s -voices sang an invocation to the Holy Ghost as the Illuminator. - -That song dispelled all fear, and life grew sweet again:—life to be -helpful, joyful, and patient in; life in which to search out the harmony -and worth of life;—life to grow old in and wait after work well -done;—life to feel life slip away, and to catch dim glimpses and feel -blind intuitions, in the midst of creeping shadows, of a sure soul-rise -in some other sphere! - -As they went down, Tacita heard a whisper from Elena close to her cheek: -“‘Dig for your gold, my children, says Earth, your Mother. Deep in your -hearts it lies hidden.’” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - -The week of commemoration passed by. On Saturday the children went in -procession for the King’s blessing, the Basilica all theirs that day. No -one else might enter save Tacita and Ion as leaders, and the mothers -with their infants. Going, they left the place fragrant with their -strown myrtle-twigs. - -Easter came and went with its blush of roses everywhere, its rose petals -mingled with the children’s myrtle on the pavement, roses between the -lamps, and roses in the girdles of the people. The bread and wine, on -silver trays borne by Dylar and the elders, was set at the foot of the -Throne, and after prayer, and music sweet as any heard on earth, the -people made their communion as the sun went down, having fasted all day -since sunrise. - -When it was over, Ion walked to the Arcade with Tacita. - -“If only Iona were here!” she said. “And now we are to lose you also. -Truly, our joy is not without a cloud.” - -“What joy is cloudless longer than a hour?” the boy exclaimed. “For me, -it is now hard to go. Only the thought that my sister is there attracts -me. You were right, Lady! At the point of leaving San Salvador, each -little stone of it becomes precious to me.” - -“Do not forget that love, dear Ion!” said Tacita. “And remember, too, -that you have left behind you something tenderer than stones.” - -“Dylar will bring you to England,” he said. “I imagine myself running to -meet you; and that comforts me. I cried so when Iona went. I was like a -baby. She made me almost laugh describing our next meeting. She would -appear to me in a London street. She would be dressed in those fashions -we laugh so at. I must not speak to her. If I should speak, she would -call a policeman. I told her that I would run and kiss her in the street -if I had to go to prison for it. How glad I shall be!” - -He wiped his eyes. - -The next morning all the people, all in white, a white wreath round the -city, went with their lilies to the King, till they were piled, a -fragrant drift, up to the very gold, and the lamps shone through them -like stars through drifted snow. - -All came as Dylar had said, and Tacita was betrothed to him before God -and his people, the lights shining on them through the open portals -which they reëntered then, but only with a few chosen ones, to repeat -their vows before the Throne. - -The people waiting outside strowed the way with flowers; and Dylar led -his betrothed to her own door, and left her there. There was music in -the afternoon, and at twilight the sun-dance in the Square. - -At last the bride-elect was alone in her chamber, all the lights of the -town extinguished. The shadows were soothing after the excitement of the -day, and she was glad to be alone. She had refused to take a candle, and -had even blown out the little watch-light. Yet sleep was impossible, -though she felt the languor of fatigue. A tender melancholy oppressed -her heart. Never had she so loved Dylar as at that moment. To be able to -dream over his looks and words had been almost more pleasant than to be -with him; for, gentle as he was, there was something in his impressive -quiet and almost constant seriousness which made her sometimes fear lest -she should seem to trifle. But now she longed for his presence. - -“If I could see him but a moment!” - -She watched a glow-worm coming up her balcony, its clear light showing -the color and grain of the stone, itself unseen. - -How lovely had been her betrothal! She went over it again in fancy, -catching her breath again as when, her guard of matrons parting to -disclose her, she had walked out before the whole town to place her hand -in Dylar’s, and heard the simultaneous “Ah!” of the whole crowd set the -deep silence rustling. “Why had he not come one step to meet her? Her -eyes were downcast after the flashing glance that met her own when he -had called her forth. She had not looked once in his face; and it had -seemed to her that, had there been one step more, she could not have -taken it, but must have fallen at his feet. True, his hands, both -tremulous, had gathered hers most tenderly; but why had he not taken at -least one step? Could it have been coldness that kept him fixed to that -square stone he stood on? It was a smooth gray stone with little silvery -specks in it, and a larger spot at one corner. Dylar’s right foot was a -little advanced to that spot, a neat foot in a black shoe with a silver -buckle, and the edge of his long white robe, open over the shorter -tunic, just touched the instep. She had not raised her eyes above that -white hem and the border of her own veil. - -“Oh, why is he not here for one moment!” - -She recollected Italian lovers. There were young men in the provinces -who, late on the night before their marriage, went to scatter flowers -from the door of their beloved one to the church door; and rude people -even who went abroad at early morning would step carefully not to -disturb a blossom dropped there for her feet to pass over. And then, the -stolen interviews, the whispered words, the sly hand-pressure! - -Ah! Dylar would never love in that way. Perhaps he had no ardor of -feeling toward her. And yet—and yet— - -She smiled, remembering. - -There was the sound of a step below, and some one stopped underneath her -window. Her heart gave a bound, half joy and half fright, and she ran to -lean over the railing. No; it was not Dylar. - -“I am the college porter,” said a voice below. “I bring you a note. Drop -me a ball of cord, and I will send it up.” - -She flew to find the cord, dropped it, holding an end, and in a minute -held the note in her hand. - -“I will come back in fifteen minutes to see if there is any answer,” the -man said. “The prince, my Lady’s betrothed, told me to wait.” - -After all, it was better so. His presence would have agitated her. -Besides, he was obeying the rules of the place. - -But the light to read her letter by! For the first time in her life, it -seemed, she had no light at hand, and this of all times in her life when -most it was needed. Neither was there a match in her chamber, nor match -nor candle in the ante-room, nor in the dining-room. “Fool that I was!” -she cried desperately, and ran to the balcony again. The porter would be -sure to have a taper with him. - -She spoke; but there was no reply. The man had gone away. - -There was no reply from him; but was this a reply, this little lambent -shining at her hand? The glow-worm she had seen was on the rail. As it -lightened, a spot of light like sunshine lit the stone. - -Tacita in breathless haste brought a large sheet of card-board and set -it in the blessed little creature’s path; and when she had enticed it, -carried the sheet to her table, cut the silken thread that bound her -letter, and slipped the page along toward the spot of light that, -ceasing for a while, began again. - -Turning the paper cautiously, her heart palpitating, her lips parted -with quick breaths, she read her letter, word by word, till the whole -message was deciphered. - -“I cannot sleep nor rest for thinking of you,” he wrote. “I have to put -a strong force on myself not to go and speak from under your window. I -am drawn by chains. I have a thousand words of love to say to you. How -can I wait a week to say them! I have been whispering them across the -dark to you. How you came to me to-day, my own! I know just how many -steps you took, and I shall set a white stone in place of the gray one -where you stopped. - - DYLAR.” - -She found pencil and paper, and aided by the same fitful lamp wrote her -answer. - -“My Love, like you I could not sleep nor rest. You have made me happy. I -have only a glow-worm to read and write by. Sleep now, and love your - - TACITA.” - -The man came, and she gave him her note; then, finding her love’s -lamp-bearer, she set it carefully on the railing of the balcony. - -“Dearer than Sirius, or the moon, good-night!” she said. - -The marriage differed but little from the betrothal. It was the only -marriage possible in San Salvador, a solemn pledge of mutual fidelity -made in the presence of God and of the people. Dylar came to the Arcade -for his bride, and led her over the flower-strown path to the Basilica, -which they were the first to enter. - -It was a white day, all being dressed as on the Monday before, except -the bride, who was in rose-color, robe and veil, and the bridegroom, who -wore dark blue. - -That afternoon they set out for the castle, going through the Pines. - -The preparations at the Olives were not less joyous. It was long since a -Dylar had brought a bride home to them; and they looked on Tacita, with -her white and golden beauty, as an angel. - -For a time the bride and bridegroom lived only for each other. They had -all their past lives to bring in and consecrate by connecting it with -the new. It seemed to them that every incident in those lives had been -especially designed to bring them together. - -Then, after a fortnight, they returned as they had come, and walked over -flowers to their new abode, to finish which half San Salvador had been -like a beehive while they were gone. - -The two new rooms were noble and picturesque, the difficulties of -approach had been cleared away, and the background of the -college-buildings gave a palatial air to their modest home. Whatever -defects of newness there were were covered artfully, and the whole was -made a bower of beauty. - -Then began their quiet home-life, and the brief stir of change subsided -to the calm of a higher level. - -The week after their return Elena was to go out. A dozen little children -had been sent out to different houses, and she would gather and take -them to their new homes. A day or two later, twenty young men, Ion among -them, would go. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - -It was the day before that fixed for the departure of the students, and -all the town was gathered in the Square, now changed to an amphitheatre, -and roofed with canvas. Professor Pearlstein was to give the young men a -last charge, repeating admonitions which they had already heard, indeed, -but which in these circumstances would make a deeper impression. - -The speaker began gently:— - -“When a father sends his child on a long journey in foreign lands, he -first provides for his sustenance, furnishes him with suitable clothing, -and tries to secure friends for him in those far-off countries. He tells -him all that he knows, or can learn concerning them, warns him against -such dangers as he can foresee. - -“Having done all this, his anxious love is still unsatisfied. He follows -to the threshold of that parting, and beyond, trying to discover some -new service that he can render, looks again at the traveler’s -equipments, repeats once more his admonitions, gives lingeringly his -last blessing, his last caress; till, no longer able to postpone the -dreaded moment, he loosens his hold upon the loved one, strains his eyes -for the last glance, then sits down to weep. - -“But even then, when the first irrepressible burst of grief is over, he -forgets himself anew, and sends out his imagination in search of the -wanderer—in what vigils! with what fears, what prayers for his -well-being! - -“While the child, amused and distracted by the novelties of this foreign -life, forgets sometimes the parent he has left, those sad eyes at home -gaze down the empty road by which he disappeared, or weep with longing -to see him once more. Would the wanderer’s song and laugh displease him -if he knew? Oh, no! He would rejoice in that happiness. The only -inconsolable anguish that he could feel would be in knowing that the -virtue with which he had labored to fortify that child’s soul was cast -aside and forgotten. - -“But I did not mean to make you weep. I wish you to think, resolve, -remember, and persevere. - -“Once more I warn you of the dangers of that life which you are about to -enter. Let not your minds be swept away by the swift currents everywhere -rushing they know not whither, all human society rising in great waves -on some tidal throe which may land it on a higher plane, or may cast it -into the abyss, one leader with a blazing torch striving in the name of -Liberty to shut the gate of heaven, and the other, his unconscious -accomplice, in the name of Order, setting wide the gates of hell. - -“Trust not the visionary who will tell you that science everywhere -diffused will bring an age of gold. Trust not the bigot who will say -that knowledge is for the few. - -“Trust not those orators who, intoxicated by the sound of their own -voices, proclaim that from the platform where they stand gesticulating -they can see the promised land. Long since the Afghan heard just such a -voice, and made his proverb on it: ‘The frog, mounted on a clod, said he -had seen Kashmir.’ - -“Wait, and examine. Look at both sides of a question, before you form an -opinion. - -“See what children we were but yesterday. We thought that we knew the -Earth. Complacently we told its age, and all its story. We told of a new -world discovered four hundred years ago, of its primeval forests and -virgin soil, of its unwritten pages on which we should inscribe the -opening chapters of a new Genesis. And, lo! the new world, like the old, -is but a palimpsest! Under the virgin soil is found a sculptured stone; -through the unlettered seas rise the volcanic peaks of lost Atlantis. -The insulted spirit of the past lifts everywhere a warning finger from -the dust. It points to the satanic promise: _Ye shall be as gods_. It -points us to the tower of Babel. It underlines the haughty Jewish boast: -_Against the children of Israel shall not a dog wag his tongue_. Samples -every one of arrogant pride followed by catastrophe sudden, utter, and -inevitable. - -“In the face of such a past, can we make sure of our stability? We -cannot. Beware of pride. _Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in -vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain -that keepeth it._ - -“Hold yourselves aloof from any party that excludes your King. Bind -yourselves by no oaths, and have no fellowship with him who has taken an -oath. - -“If a man sin, and hurt no other knowingly, be silent and save your own -souls. If he sin in wronging another, speak for his victim, or bear the -guilt of an accomplice. Do not sophisticate. You are your brother’s -keeper, or his Cain. - -“Do not bid a sufferer be calm, nor talk of reason to him while he -writhes in anguish. The man of cold blood may be as unreasonable as the -man in a passion. There is a reason of flame as well as a reason of -snow. - -“Remember that freedom means freedom from criticism as well as from -force. - -“Never allow yourselves to think or speak of the poor, of condemned -criminals, or social outcasts as the dangerous classes. Your nativity -forbids. Justice and mercy forbid. If there is a class which can truly -be called dangerous to heavenly order and all that is noblest in life, -it is that great stall-fed, sluggish, self-complacent mass which makes a -god of its own ease and tranquillity, shuts its eyes to wrongs that it -will not right, and cares not what power may rule as long as its own -household is protected. It praises the hero of a thousand years ago, and -is itself a skulking coward. It calls out a regiment if its sleeve is -but brushed against, and steps upon a human neck to reach a flower. Seek -not their friendships, nor their praises, and follow not their counsels. -Be courteous, sincere, and inflexible. Be loyal, and fear not! - - ‘Non è il mondan rumor altro che un fiato - Di vento, che or vien quindi ed or vien quinci, - E muta nome perchè muta lato.’ - -“Do right, and trust in God. Remember that Christianity is heroism. _We -are not given the spirit of cowardice_, says Saint Paul. An Arabian -proverb goes farther. ‘There is no religion without courage,’ it says. - -“This life of ours is woven as the weaver makes his tapestry. He stands -behind the frame, seeing the wrong side only of his web, and having but -a narrow strip of the pattern before him at a time. And with every strip -the threads that it requires are given. It is all knots and ends there -where he works; but he steadily follows the pattern. All the roughnesses -that come toward him testify to the smoothness of the picture at the -other side. - -“So we see but a few steps in advance, and the rough side of our duty is -ever before us. But weave on, weave faithfully on in the day that is -given you. Be sure that when, your labor done, you pass to the other -side, if you have been constant, you will find the most glowing and -beautiful part of your picture to be just that part where the knots were -thickest when you were weaving. - -“I wish to tell you a little incident of to-day that clings to my mind. -It is but a trifle; but you may find a thought in it. - -“As I sat aloft at dawn, thinking of you and of what I would say to you, -I saw an ant in the path at my feet carrying a stick much longer than -himself. He ran lightly till he came to two small gravel stones, one at -either side of his path. The stick struck on both stones and stopped -him. He dropped it, and ran from side to side trying to drag it through. - -“For a while I watched the little creature’s distress; then with a -slender twig I carefully lifted the stick over the obstacles, and laid -it down on the other side. - -“The ant remained for a moment motionless, as if paralyzed with -astonishment, then ran away as fast as he could run, leaving the stick -where I had placed it; and I saw him no more. - -“Can you not understand that I was grieved and disappointed? The labor, -the loss, and the fear of that little insect were as great to him as -ours are to us. I was so sorry for him that if I had had the power to -change my shape, as fairy stories tell, and take it safely back again, I -would have run after him as one of his own sort, yet with a tale -marvelous to him, would have reassured him of my good-will, promised him -a thousand timbers for his dwelling, and a store of food and downy -lining for his nest, when I should have resumed my proper form and -power. - -“Oh! would the ants have caught and crucified me in the shape I took -from love, and only to serve them! - -“Children, it is at this very point that the world will fight with you -its most demoniac battle. - -“There have been, and there are, men and women whose lives shine like -those pure flames in the long, dim corridors of our cemetery, making a -circle of holy light about them, some tranquil and hidden, some in -constant combat. But for the majority of the race, all the primal -Christian truths have become as worn pebbles on the shores of time. It -is not long since there was yet enough of public sanity and faith to -compel a decent reverence; but now they utter their blasphemies, not -only with toleration, but with applause. They have an infernal -foolishness that sounds like wisdom to the ignorant unthinking mind. -This spirit puts on the doctor’s cap and robe and reasons with you. It -twists up a woman’s long hair, and breathes out brazen profanities and -shameless mockeries. - -“Or some being, half saint and half siren, will praise the beauties of -our faith as you would praise a picture or a song, and smooth away its -more austere commands, so covering all with glozes and with garlands -that there would seem to be no other duty but to praise and poetize; and -you might believe yourself floating painlessly toward the gates of -Paradise when you are close to the gates of hell. - -“I will tell you some of the arguments of these people. - -“They say that Christ taught nothing new, that his moral lessons had -been taught before, and even in heathen lands. - -“He did not pretend to teach a new morality. He fulfilled the law -already given by making Charity the consort of Justice. - -“Is it to be believed that the Father of mankind left his children, all -but a favored few, in total darkness during the ages that preceded -Christ? ‘Teste David cum Sibylla,’ sings the ‘Dies Iræ.’ - -“They will tell you that the miraculous circumstances of Christ’s birth -are but a parody on old heathen myths, that a woman with a Divine Child -in her arms was worshiped by the Indus and the Nile, and that many an -ancient hero claimed a divine paternity. They will go to the very root -of revelation and tell you that Vishnu floated on primal seas even as -God moved on the face of the waters; that while the Norse Ymir slept, a -man and a woman grew out from under his left arm like Eve from sleeping -Adam’s side. The fragmentary resemblances are countless. - -“Our God be thanked that not the Israelite alone, but even those -step-children of the Light had some sense of his coming footsteps! They -had caught an echo of the promise, for it was made for all. It was -moulded into the clay that made their bodies. It aspired in the spark -that kindled their souls. - -“I have seen the nest of a swallow all straightly built of parallel -woven twigs, except in one corner. In that corner, in a shoal -perspective, was an upright end of pale brown stick shaped like an -antique altar. Two tiny twigs were laid on top as for a fire, and from -them rose a point of bright yellow leaf for a flame. A pencil could not -draw the shapes in better proportion, nor color them more perfectly. - -“Above the leaf-flame was hung a cross like a letter X, which is a -rising or a falling cross. This, floating in the air above the altar, -seemed a veiled interpretation of the sacrifice. Larger, inclosing all, -was an upright cross, the beam of which formed one side of a triangle, -the figure of the Trinity. - -“These figures were laid, one over the other, increasing in size from -the altar outward, the victim announced, the mode of his sacrifice -hinted, and his divinity proclaimed,—all the emblems of Christianity -plainly and chronologically set. What breath of the great all-pervading -harmony blew these symbols to the beak of a nesting bird! - -“From the first records that we possess of human life, a divine legend -or a divine expectation looms before the souls of men, vague as to time, -sometimes confused in outline, but ever striking some harmonious chord -with their own needs and aspirations, and with the visible world about -them. - -“See those southern mountain-tops half hidden in a fleet of clouds just -sailing over! Even we who know those heights from infancy can scarce be -certain what is rock and what is mist in all those outlines. A cliff -runs up in shadow, and masses of frowning vapors catch and carry its -profile almost to the zenith. There is a rounded mountain where the snow -never lingered; and a pile of snowy cumuli has settled on its grayness, -and sharpened itself to a fairy pinnacle to mock our ice-peaks, and -sifted its white drifts into crevices downward, and set its alabaster -buttresses to confuse our knowledge of the old familiar height. Yonder -where the White Lady has stood during all the years of our lives, pure -and stainless against the blue southwest, a dazzling whirl of -sun-bleached mists has usurped her place, leaving visible only her -pedestal wreathed about with olive-trees. - -“But if you watch awhile the slowly moving veil, gathering with care -each glimpse of an unchanging outline, you can build up again the solid -mountain wall. - -“So the heathen, yes! and the Jew also, saw the coming Christ. Anubis, -Isis, Osiris, Buddha, Thor,—they had each some inch-long outline, some -divine hand-breadth of truth running off into fantastic myth. - -“Were they content with their gods, those puzzled but reverent souls? -No; for they were ever seeking new ones, or adding some new feature to -the old. Their Sphinx, combining in herself the forms of woman and lion, -dog, serpent, and bird, seemed set there to ask, What form will the -Divine One choose? Are these creatures all the children of one primal -mother? Of what mysterious syllogism is the brute creation the mystical -conclusion? - -“The German Lessing has well said that ‘the first and oldest opinion in -matters of speculation is always the most probable, because common sense -immediately hit upon it.’ And, converging to the same conclusion, an -English writer, borrowing, however, from the Greek, has said that ‘both -Philosophy and Romance take their origin in wonder;’ and that ‘sometimes -Romance, in the freest exercise of its wildest vagaries, conducts its -votaries toward the same goal to which Philosophy leads the illuminated -student.’ - -“The early ages of the world were ages of romance. - -“In this supreme case, Imagination, with her wings of a butterfly and -her wings of an eagle, soared till her strength failed at a height that -was half heaven, half earth. To this same point philosophy climbed her -slow and cautious way. They found Faith already there, waiting from the -beginning of time at the feet of the God made Man. - -“Again, these apostles of skepticism will tell you that the -superstitions of the time, and the prophesies concerning Christ, favored -his pretensions. - -“If Christ had been an impostor, or self-deceived,—the King’s Majesty -pardon me the supposition!—in either case he would have striven to -conform as much as possible to the prejudices of that expectation; and -he would have taken advantage of the popular enthusiasm, as impostors -and visionaries do. Instead of that, he set up a pure spiritual system -and acted on it consistently, _obedient_ (the Scripture says) _unto -death_. He flattered no one. He boldly reproved the very ones whose -support he might naturally have desired. In the height of his fame he -predicted his martyrdom. - -“Nor was that time more superstitious than the present, nor the -followers of Christ more credulous than people of to-day, and not among -the ignorant alone. It is, in fact, notable how many proofs they -required. I should say that the Apostles were hard to convince, -considering the wonders they had seen. How many times had Jesus to say -to them, _O ye of little faith!_ - -“When the women went to the sepulchre, it was not to meet a risen Lord, -but to embalm and mourn over a dead one. When Mary Magdalen went to tell -the Apostles that Jesus had risen, her words _seemed to them an idle -tale, and they believed it not_. But Peter went to see. _He ran_, Saint -Luke says. He saw the empty grave, the linen cloths laid by; and he went -away _wondering_, not yet believing, though Magdalen had testified to -having seen and spoken with Jesus, and had given them a message from -him, though he had predicted his own resurrection, and though Lazarus -and the ruler’s daughter were still among them. Does this look like -credulity? - -“It is not for the present to reproach the past with superstition, now -when every wildest fantasy flourishes unchecked. Some turn their longing -eyes back to the old mythologies. Like the early Christian gnostics, -they like to flatter themselves by professing an occult worship which -the vulgar cannot understand, and building an inner sanctuary of belief -where chosen ones may gather, veiled from the multitude. It is scarcely -an exaggeration to say that the day may not be far distant when, in -lands called Christian, temples and altars may again be erected to Jove, -Cybele, Diana, Osiris, and the rest. - -“The mind, like the body, may, perhaps, feel from time to time a need to -change its position. But the body, in all its movements, seeks -instinctively to keep its equilibrium. The equilibrium of the soul is in -its position toward its Creator. - -“The paganism of to-day has this evil which the earlier had not: it is a -step in a descending scale. In those other days mankind seemed to be -rising from the abyss of some immemorial disaster, of which all nations -have some fragmentary tradition. In Christ the human race reached its -climax. He was the height of an epoch which now, perhaps, declines to a -new cataclysm. - -“Again, the skeptic tells you that there were and are no miracles. -Presumptuous tongue that utters such denial! How do they know that there -are no miracles? - -“But what is a miracle? Is it necessary to set aside a law of nature in -order to perform a miracle? Was not he who made the law wise enough to -so frame it that without infringement he could perform wonders? The -miracle of one age is the science of the next. Men do to-day without -exciting wonder what a few centuries ago would have consigned them to -the stake as magicians. - -“The miracles of Christ were the acts of one having a perfect knowledge -of the laws of the universe, and are a stronger proof of his divinity -than any invasion of those laws could be. It was miraculous that a -seeming man should have such knowledge. - -“Another criticism of religious teachers in both the old and the new law -is their ignorance of physical science, evident by commission as well as -by omission. Whether they knew or not, common sense alone should teach -us that if any one announcing a new religious truth should disturb the -preconceptions of his hearers regarding physical truths he would in so -much distract their attention from that which he wished to teach them; -and their credulity, under this double attack, might fail to accept -anything. - -“Juvenal’s dictum, ‘bread and games,’ for the government of a people, is -true of all mankind in a higher sense. Physical science is man’s -_circenses_. It exercises his intellect, amuses him and his kind, and -every new discovery should excite in him a higher admiration of the -Creator. It was not necessary that the Son of God should become man, or -rise from the dead in order to teach the movements of the starry -spheres, or the secret workings of terrestrial powers. _Circenses!_ - -“What matters it to the interests of man’s immortal soul if the earth is -a stationary platform, or a globe rolling through space with a double, -perhaps a triple motion! What cares the dying man for the powers of -steam, or electricity, or the laws of the ways of the wind! _Circenses! -Circenses!_ - -“Christ came to bring the bread of life, the heavenly _Panem_, without -which there is no life nor growth for the spirit. - -“My children, you are counseled to patience and gentleness. But listen -not in silence when any one reviles your King. Say little to them of the -God, lest they blaspheme the more; but say, _Behold the man!_ It is not -pious people alone who have lauded him, nor theologians only who have -borne testimony to him. - -“Napoleon I., a warrior, an eagle among men, said of Jesus Christ: ‘I -know man, and I tell you that Christ was not a man. Everything about -Christ astonishes me. His spirit overwhelms and confounds me. There is -no comparison between him and any other being. Alexander, Cæsar, -Charlemagne, and I have founded empires; but on what rests the creation -of our genius? On force. Jesus alone founded his empire on love.’ - -“You will find no peer of Napoleon I. among those who can see no -greatness in Jesus Christ. - -“Carlyle says of Christ that he was ‘the highest soul that ever was on -earth.’ - -“Such names will more impress the mocker than will the name of saint or -apostle. - -“Bid them look at his humility when he was personally criticised, and at -his sublime assumption when proclaiming his mission. _I am the Light of -the world. I am the resurrection and the life. All power is given unto -me in heaven and on earth._ - -“Did any other teacher of men ever utter such words? See him with the -scourge in his hand! See him with the lily in his hand! - -“O happy blossom! to be so looked at, touched and spoken of. Did it fade -away as other blossoms do? Does its seed yet live upon the earth? Does -the Syrian sunshine of to-day still paint the petals of its almost -nineteen hundredth generation? - -“How dare these preachers of destruction try to rob the human race of -such a teacher? What have they to give in exchange for him? Who among -them all has a message that can gild the clouds of life, and make of -pain and of obscurity a promise and a crown? Never in our era as now has -there been such temporal need of the softening influences of -Christianity. The poor and the oppressed of all the world, maddened by -suffering and insult, outraged by hypocrisy and deceit, are rising -everywhere with the desperate motto almost on their lips, _Let us eat -and drink, for to-morrow we die_. A Samson mocked at by fools and -fiends, their arms grope blindly out, searching for the pillars of a -corrupted state. - -“And this is the moment chosen to dethrone the Peacemaker of the -universe! Verily, whom the gods would destroy they first make mad! - -“Will teachers like these incite men to heroic deeds? They destroy honor -and heroism from off the face of the earth! They forge their chains and -lay their traps for anarchy; yet there is no preacher of anarchy so -dangerous, even for this life, as he who seeks to dethrone in the hearts -of men their martyred Lover, Jesus of Nazareth!” - -The old man paused, and, with his eyes fixed far away over the heads of -the audience to where the sky and mountains met, lifted his arms in -silent invocation. Then, drooping, he came feebly down from the pulpit. - -The boys for whom his address had been especially meant pressed forward -to receive him, and conduct him to a seat. - -Then the chimes began softly, and they all sang their last hymn -together: - - “Let veiling shadows, O Almighty One, - Hide from thy sight the dust wherein we lie! - Look, we beseech thee, on thine only Son: - No other name but Jesus lift we on high! - - “Fallen and alien, only him we boast - Strong to defend from Satan’s bonds of shame: - Jesus our sword and buckler, Jesus our host,— - No other name, Creator, no other name! - - “No other name, O Holy One and Just, - Call we to stand between us and thy blame: - Jesus our ransom, our advocate and trust,— - No other name, Dread Justice, no other name! - - “No other name, O God of gods, can rise - Pure and accepted on thine altar’s flame: - Jesus our perfumed incense and our sacrifice,— - No other name, Most Holy, no other name! - - “No other soul-light while on earth we grope, - Only through him eternal light we claim: - Jesus our heavenly brother, Jesus our hope,— - No other name, Our Father, no other name!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - -They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to -have a history. A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a -month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate -far-stretching web. - -Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which -were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to -the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land. - -“Do not seek now to preserve a compact territory,” she said. “You may -find yourself hemmed in. Buy some of the rising land southward along the -river, and let the next purchase connect it with the Olives. Let that -connection be made as soon as possible.” - -“Iona has force and foresight,” Dylar said. “It is well. I sympathize -with her impatience. But I know my duty to be more one of conservation -than of enterprise.” - -After leaving his wife for a week, which he spent at the castle, “I have -bought land all along the river for two miles,” he told her; “and our -friend has bought a tract crossing mine, but not joining it. It is sand -and stones; but planted first with canes, can be coaxed to something -better. Water is going to be as important a question with us as it was -with the Israelites. I thought of them as I walked over my parched -domain, and it occurred to me as never before, that a spring of water is -one of the most beautiful things on earth, to the mind as well as the -eyes.” - -“I am glad that you have gratified Iona’s first expressed wish,” his -wife said. “Naturally, the first wind of the world in her face fanned -the idea to a flame. She is now occupying herself with other thoughts.” - -Iona was occupied with other thoughts. - -Let us take two or three glimpses of her through a clairvoyant’s mind. - -It is a wretched-looking street in an old city. A lady and a policeman -stand on the sidewalk at an open door, inside which a stair goes up -darkly. - -Said the man:— - -“You had better let me go up with you, lady. She’s always furious when -she is just out of jail. We find it best to let her alone for a while.” - -“I would rather go up alone,” the lady said. “Is the stair safe?” - -“There’s no one else will touch you,” said the policeman. “It is the -room at the head of the last stair. I will stay round till you come -down. But you must be careful. She doesn’t like visitors, especially -missionaries.” - -The lady went upstairs. There were three dirty, discolored flights. She -tapped once and again at the door of the attic chamber; but there was no -response. She opened the door. - -There was a miserable room where everything seemed to be dirt-colored. -In one corner was a bed on the floor. There was not a thread of white -about it. From some rolled-up garments that answered for a pillow looked -out a wild face. The dark hair was tangled, the face hollow, dark -circles surrounded the eyes. “What do you want?” came roughly from the -creature as the door softly opened. - -“Let me come in, please!” said a quiet voice. “I have knocked twice.” - -“What do you want?” the voice repeated yet more roughly. - -The lady came in and closed the door behind her. She stood a moment, -hesitating. Then, hesitating still, approached the bed, step by step, -saluted again fiercely by a repetition of the question, “What do you -want?” the woman rising on one elbow as she spoke. - -The visitor reached the side of the pallet. She was trembling, but not -with fear. She fell on her knees, uttering a long tremulous “Oh!” and -leaning forward, clasped the squalid creature in her arms, and kissed -her on the cheek. - -The woman tried to push her away. “How dare you!” she exclaimed, gasping -with astonishment. “Do you know what I am? How dare you touch me? I am -just out of jail!” - -“You shall not go there again, poor soul!” the lady said, still -embracing her. “Tell me how it came about. Was not your mother kind to -you when you were a child?” - -The woman looked dazed. “My mother!” she said. “She used to beat me. She -liked my brother best.” - -“Ah!” said Iona. - - -Another scene. It is a fine boudoir in a city in the New World. A -coquettishly dressed young woman reclines on a couch. Before her, seated -in a low chair and leaning toward her, gazing at her, fascinated, is a -young man scarcely more than half her age. At the foot of the couch is a -tall brasier of wrought brass from which rises a thread of -incense-smoke. Heavy curtains half swathe two long windows opening on to -a veranda that extends to the long windows of an adjoining drawing-room. -In one of these windows, nearly hidden by the curtain, sits another lady -with a bonnet on. She looks intently out into the street, as if watching -some one, or waiting for some one. The curtain gathered before her head -and shoulders, leaves uncovered a fold of a skirt of dark gray, and a -silver chatelaine-bag. - -“I hope that you will conclude to choose journalism,” said the lady on -the lounge, continuing a conversation. “It so often leads to authorship. -And I have set my heart on your being a famous poet.” - -“I, madam!” exclaimed the young man, blushing. “I never attempted to -write poetry. It is true that when with you I become aware of some -mysterious music in the universe which I know not how to express.” - -The lady smiled and made a quick, warning signal to remind him of the -other occupant of the boudoir. - -“I am, then, stirring your ambition,” she said. “I have done more. I -have spoken of you to a friend of mine who is connected with a popular -magazine. That would allow you leisure to cultivate your beautiful -imagination.” - -“How kind you are!” her visitor exclaimed. “But my principal depends on -me; and I think that I can be useful to him.” - -The lady made a pettish movement. - -“He can get others to do his humdrum work. I heard him speak once, and -did not like him. They call him ‘broad.’ Oh, yes! he is very broad. He -reminds me of one of my school-lessons in natural philosophy. The book -said that a single grain of gold may be hammered out to cover—I have -forgotten how many hundreds of square inches. Not that I mean to call -your principal a man of gold, though. Yes, he is broad, very broad. But -he is, oh, so very thin!” - -The young man looked grave. “I am pained that you do not esteem him. -Perhaps you do not quite understand his character.” - -“Now, you,” said the lady, fixing her eyes on his, “you seem to me to -have great depth of feeling and profound convictions.” - -There was an abrupt rustling sound at the window. The lady there had -risen and stepped out into the veranda. They could hear her go to the -drawing-room window and enter. - -“She is so much at her ease!” said the lady of the lounge. “She was -recommended to me by a friend as a companion with whom I could keep up -my French. We speak no other language to each other. But she does not -act in the least like a dependent. I must really get rid of her.” - -A servant opened the door to say that the carriage the gentleman -expected had come. - -“Must you go?” the lady exclaimed reproachfully. - -“I promised to go the moment the carriage should come. I don’t know what -it is for; but it is some business of importance. I am sorry to go. When -may I come again?” - -“To-morrow.” She held out her hand. - -He took it in his, hesitated, bent to kiss the delicate fingers, -blushed, and turned away. - -She looked smilingly after him, bent her head as he turned and bowed -lowly at the door, and when it closed, laughed softly to herself. -“Beautiful boy!” she murmured. “It is too amusing. He is as fresh as a -rose in its first dawn and as fiery as Pegasus.” - -The young man entered hastily the close carriage at the step before -perceiving that a lady sat there. She was thickly veiled. - -“I beg your pardon!” he began. - -Without taking any notice of him, she leaned quickly, shut the door with -a snap and pulled the curtain down, and left a beautiful ringless, -gloveless hand resting advanced on her knee. He looked at the hand, and -his lips parted breathlessly. He tried in vain to see the face through -that thick veil. - -The lady pushed the mantle away from her shoulders and arms, so that her -form was revealed. - -The young man made a start forward, then recoiled; for, hanging down the -gray folds of the lady’s skirt was the silver chatelaine-bag he had seen -in the boudoir. What did her companion want of him? - -The lady flung her veil aside. - -“Oh, Iona!” he cried, and fell into his sister’s embrace. - -After a moment she put him back, looking at him reproachfully. - -“Oh, Ion, so soon in trouble! I heard of you in the hands of a Delilah, -and I left everything. I obtained the place which would enable me to -know all—her guile and your infatuation. She amuses herself with you. -She has said to me that you are in love with her, and do not know it. -Her husband is angry, and people talk. So soon! So soon! Oh, Ion!” - -“She said it!” he stammered, becoming pale. - -“She said it to me laughing. She described you gazing at her. She laughs -at your innocence.” - -The boy shuddered. “I will never see her again!” - - -Again the clairvoyant. - -It is a bleak November day in a city of the North. Pedestrians hurry -along, drawing their wrappings about them. Standing close to the walls -of a church in one of the busiest streets, an old man tries to shelter -himself from the wind. He is thin and pale and poorly clad, but he has -the air of a gentleman, though an humble one. There is delicacy and -amiability in his face; his fine thin hair, clouded with white, is -smoothly combed, and his cotton collar is white. On his left arm hangs a -small covered basket, and his right hand holds a pink wax rose slightly -extended to the passers-by, with a patient half smile ready for any -possible purchaser. - -For a week he had stood there every day, cold, weary and tremulous with -suspense, and no one had even given him a second glance. But that he did -not know, for he was too timid to look any one in the face. - -The afternoon waned. People were going to their homes; but the old man -still stood there holding out the pink wax rose. Perhaps the most -pitiful thing about him was that what he offered was so worthless, and -he did not know it. Some, glancing as they passed, had, in fact, laughed -at his flower and him. - -At length a lady, walking down the other side of the street, caught a -glimpse of him. She stopped and looked back, then crossed over and -passed him slowly by, giving a sidelong, searching look into his face. -Having passed, she turned and came back again. - -“Have you flowers in the basket also, sir?” she courteously asked. - -He started, and blushed with surprise and agitation. - -“Yes,” he said, and opened the little basket with cold and shaking -fingers, displaying his pitiful store. - -“What is your price for them all?” the lady asked. - -He hesitated, still trembling. “If you would kindly tell me what you -think they are worth,” he said. “I do not know. My daughter made them -when she went to school.” - -“Does she make them now?” the lady asked, taking both rose and basket -from his hands. - -A look of woe replaced his troubled smile. “She is dead!” he said with a -faint moan. - -“Have you other children?” was the next question. - -“No. My daughter left a little girl who lives with us, my wife and me.” - -“Will you be satisfied with this?” the lady asked, and gave a larger sum -than the old man had dreamed of asking. “If you think they are worth -more, please tell me so.” - -“I didn’t expect so much,” he said. “It was my child’s hands that gave -them their value to me.” - -Tears ran down his cheeks. He tried to restrain them, and to hide that -he must wipe them with his sleeve. - -The lady slipped a folded handkerchief into his hand. “Farewell, and -take comfort,” she said hastily. “God will provide.” - -She turned to a man who had followed, and paused near her. - -“Find out who he is, what he is, and where he lives, and tell me as soon -as possible,” she said in a low voice. - -The same evening, in a suburb of the city: a little unpainted cottage, -black with age, set on a raw clay bank. A railroad has undermined the -bank and carried away the turf. - -A faint light showed through one window. In a room with a bed in one -corner an elderly woman was making tea at a small open fire of sticks. -In the adjoining kitchen Boreas reigned supreme. All the warmth that -they could have was gathered in this room, where the child also would -sleep on an old lounge. - -She sat in the corner of the chimney now, wistfully watching the -preparations for supper. - -In the other corner sat her grandfather. He had taken a blanket from the -bed and wrapped it round him. He was shivering. - -“It was hard to part with the flowers,” the man was saying. “They were -all that we have left of her! But to a person like that,—a lady, a -Christian, an angel!—it seemed like giving them to a friend who will -keep them more safely than we can.” He choked, and wiped his eyes. - -“Well,” said the wife drearily; “we must economize the money she gave -you for them. We have nothing else to sell.” - -They were silent, trying not to think, and daring not to speak. They had -once been in comfortable circumstances; and now beggary stared them in -the face, and the horror of the almshouse loomed before them, not for -themselves alone, but for the child. If they found a home for her, she -might not be happy there; and they would see her no more. - -Suddenly the old man burst out crying. “I can’t stand it!” he sobbed. “I -can’t stand it! I almost wish I hadn’t seen the lady. I was growing -hardened. I was forgetting that any one had ever addressed me as a -gentleman. It was becoming an ugly dream to me, all this downfall! And -she has waked me up!” He sobbed aloud. - -“Don’t! Don’t!” said the woman. “And there is some one knocking. Nellie, -take the candle, and go to the door.” - -The old man got up, throwing the blanket from his shoulders; and the two -stood in darkness, holding their breath. - -There was a murmur of voices at the door, and the candle came shining -into the room again, and steps were heard, both light, as if two -children were about to enter. - -Then a lady appeared on the threshold, looking in eagerly with bright -eyes. - -“Ah, ’tis you, sir!” she said. “I am sure that you expected me. I am so -glad to have found you! Your troubles are all over!” - -One more glimpse through space. - -A train of cars is going through the Alps, from Lugano southward. Four -persons occupy one of the easy first-class compartments. There are two -talkative ladies in the back seat who seem quite willing to dazzle the -gentleman sitting opposite them. He has an interesting face, an athletic -frame, and gray eyes that are at once enthusiastic and laughing. When -serious, the face is very serious, and the attitude changes a little, -assuming more dignity. He is evidently enchanted with the scene, for he -smiles faintly when lifting his eyes to the snowy heights with their -cascades, or leaning close to the window to see the green waters below -dashed into foam among the rocks. - -Once he glanced at the ladies before him as if for sympathy, but -perceiving none, restrained some expression of admiration which he had -seemed about to utter. - -More than once he glanced at a lady who sat in the farthest corner of -the compartment, looking out in the opposite direction. She had a -somewhat dusky oval face, dark eyes with long lashes, and black hair -heavy about the forehead. She looked like a grand lady, though she was -traveling alone. She wore a simple costume of a dark dull purple and a -full scarf of yellow-tinted lace loosely tied around her neck. - -She took no notice of her traveling companions. The wild grandeur of the -scene was reflected in her uplifted eyes, and woke an occasional sparkle -in them; but she seemed not strange to the mountains. - -Once, when the rock wall shut close to her side of the carriage, she -turned toward the other side, just skimming the three strangers with a -glance. At that moment their progress unrolled an exquisite mountain -picture, and the gentleman turning toward her quickly, they exchanged an -involuntary smile. - -“I never was so enamored of the Alps as some people are,” said one of -the other ladies to her companion. She had caught this sign of sympathy. -“They are so theatrical.” - -Her friend laughed. “You remind me,” she replied, “of the man who said -that there was a good deal of human nature in God.” - -The stranger lady started. - -“Madam!” she exclaimed. - -The one who had spoken shrugged her shoulders. - -The gentleman changed his seat for one opposite the stranger. - -“Madam,” he said, removing his hat, “if you will not allow me the -liberty of expressing to you the delight I have in these mountains, I -shall be forced to soliloquize. I find it impossible to contain myself.” - -“Speak freely, sir!” she said with a pleasant look, but some -stateliness. “If I were not a daughter of the mountains, I think this -scene would force me to speak, if I had to soliloquize.” - -“I have never been here before,” the gentleman said. “I had not known -that Mother Earth could be so beautiful, so eloquent. Does she not -speak? Does she not sing? Who will interpret to us her language, her -messages?” - -“Once upon a time,” the lady said, “a saintly ruler showed his people a -grain of gold that had been dug out of a wild rough place in the earth; -and he told them that where he found it the earth had given him a -message for them. It was this: - -“‘Dig for your gold, my children! says Earth, your Mother. Deep in your -hearts it lies hidden.’” - -The gentleman looked out of the window in silence for awhile. Then he -opened a hand-bag that lay on the seat by his side, and wrote a few -words in a note-book there. The book was a little red morocco one, with -the name Ludwig von Ritter in gilt letters on the cover. - -They spoke of the scenery as they went on, and presently approached a -station. - -“I shall in future take my recreation in traveling,” the gentleman said. -“I have heretofore taken it in the social pleasures of Paris or Vienna. -One spends time very gayly in either of those capitals.” - -The lady was silent a moment, then murmured as if to herself: - -“_E poi?_” - -He looked at her with a smile. “Why, then,” he said, “it is true that -one sometimes has a headache, and is willing to resume one’s duties.” - -The train drew up. The lady called a porter, and, with a courteous but -distant salutation to the gentleman, departed. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - -When spring came round again, Tacita was a mother, having given birth to -the tenth Dylar. - -“And now we say a _Pater Noster_,” she said. “Is there more than a -decade without change?” - -Becoming a mother, it seemed as if she had ceased to be anything else. -The most that the people saw of her was when she sat under the awning of -her little terrace with some work in her hand and her foot on the rocker -of the cradle, her eyes scarce ever straying beyond the one or the -other, and thinking, thinking. - -Dylar had removed her decidedly from all outside duties. It was the -custom in San Salvador for the mother to leave all for her child; and -more depended on this sunny-faced infant than on any other. It was -enough for her to train the child, to note every manifestation of -character, to watch with dilating eyes every sign of intelligence, to -cry out with delight at every mark of sweetness, or tremble at what -might be a fault. - -He was sometimes astonished at her far-sightedness, but never at her -strength. He had seen the steely fibre in her gentle nature even when, a -child, she had mistaken him for a beggar and called him “brother.” - -That strength manifested itself now in the firmness with which she faced -the necessity of soon giving the child into the hands of others for the -greater part of his education. Dylar had not the courage to remind her -of this necessity in the first rapture and tremor of her motherhood. -There were times when he even asked himself if it might not be evaded. - -It was Tacita who spoke first, one evening, as she sat with the child in -her arms. - -“I have fought a battle, and conquered,” she said, smiling. “I looked -forward to the time when my son must go to school, and I was jealous. To -miss him all day, and know that others are listening while he lisps his -first little lessons! I counted the weeks and days. I searched for some -way of escape. His birthday is in April, and in April it is too early in -the year to have a grief. - -“Then—would you believe it, dearest?—I meditated a dishonesty! The -school is dismissed, I said, for the harvest, and does not open again -till the last week of October. It would be a pity for him to begin study -and his little industries, his infant carpenter-work and his small -gardening, and then forget, and have to begin all over again. He had -better not go till after harvest-time. I had my excuses all planned, -when I discovered the little wriggling serpent in my mind. Oh, Dylar! -What if I should have given the boy a taint of that blackness which I -did not know was in me! I am not worthy to train him!” - -She did not raise her eyes; but her husband knelt and surrounded both -mother and child with his arms. - -“You say that you have conquered, Tacita. I had the same battle to fight -and had not conquered. Dear wife, how a spot shows on your whiteness! -What did you resolve upon?” - -“This,” she said. “On the very morning of his birthday, instead of -making holiday at home, we will take him by the hand and lead him to the -school, and his _festa_ shall be to meet for the first time all the dear -brothers with whom he is to go through life, whom he is to help and be -helped by when his father and mother shall be here no longer.” - -They embraced, and Tacita wiped two bright tears from her husband’s -eyelashes. “I am impatient for Iona to come and see the boy,” she said -more lightly. “Nearly all her letter was of him, and she comes only to -see him. She thinks that his hair will grow darker. I want it to be like -yours by and by; but this gold floss looks well on a baby. You must read -her letter. She wishes me to have a little oil portrait of him taken -that she can carry away with her. The messenger who came yesterday is an -artist, she writes, and makes lovely pictures of infants. She chose him -for that reason.” - -Iona appeared to them suddenly on one of those June days. She came laden -with gifts, letters and photographs, and had so many messages to -deliver, and so much to tell, that for several hours of every day for a -week she sat in the dance-room at the Star-house, to talk with any one -who might wish to come to her. The rest of her time was spent at the -school, or hanging over the infant Dylar. - -Those who had never been outside could not tire of hearing her talk, and -looking at the photographs and prints she had brought. These pictures -had been carefully chosen. The sunny beach was contrasted with the -storm-tossed sea; the stately ship, all sails and colors, with the -lonely wreck and its despairing signal; the beauty of luxury with the -deformity of poverty; the dark street and unclean den with the palace -and garden. - -She had faces made terrible by crime, despair, sickness, shame and -sorrow. These to a people who made health and strength a virtue were her -most effective antidote against any allurements of that larger life that -held such perils. - -“It is worse than I thought, my friends,” she said to Tacita and Dylar. -“Perhaps the world never was any better; but it is worse than I thought. -It is not so much the wickedness of the smaller number, but the -carelessness of the majority. Nothing but a calamity stirs them up. -Nothing but a danger to themselves sets them thinking of others. The -prosperous seem really to believe that prosperity is a virtue and -misfortune a vice. Oh, if they only knew the delight of helping the -needy, and helping in the right way, not thinking that by a gift you can -buy any person’s liberty, or that gratitude for any assistance whatever -should bear the strain of any assumption the helper may be guilty of, -but giving outright, helping outright, and forgetting all about it. -There is no pleasure like it. Much is said of ingratitude: far more -should be said of the coarseness of fibre in those who impose a sort of -slavery on the recipients of their favors. - -“But, much as I wonder at the living, I wonder yet more at the dying, or -those who are looking forward to their own death. There are men and -women who leave fortunes to the already rich, or to institutions which -are not in need, or to found or endow libraries which bear their names, -while all about them reigns an earthly hell of poverty to which they -never give a thought. - -“Now and then one hears of something lovely. I remember a man in America -who, dying, left money to give a house, an acre of land, and a pension -sufficient to live on modestly, to a number of homeless women, single or -widows. The only notice I ever saw of that tender and sympathizing -remembrance of the homeless called it ‘eccentric.’ Most people who give -wish to herd the unfortunate together, making a solid and permanent -exposition of their benevolence which they can describe in the -newspapers.” - -“What are women doing?” Tacita asked. “Some things I saw gave me a -troubled feeling. It was so different from our women here, so noble, -harmonious and restful as they are!” - -“It is, perhaps, inevitable,” Iona said. “I do not like to find fault -with my sisters when they strive to be something better than dolls. -Every transition state is disagreeable. I hope that, having made the -circle, they may come back to a higher plane of the same hemisphere they -have occupied in the past. At present many are ruining what they propose -to regenerate. Boasting that they will bring back the lost Paradise, -they go no farther than Cain, the serpent, and partial nakedness. Woman -as a law-maker is meddlesome and tyrannical. She goes too much into -detail. There is a pertness and shrillness in their way of bringing in -the millennium which irritates my nerves. They won’t let you alone. They -nag at you. With some, you cannot speak in their presence without -repenting of having opened your mouth. You deplore the evils of society, -and they call you a pessimist; you praise the beautiful, the sublime, -and discern a rainbow somewhere, and they dub you optimist; you venture -to touch on some half possibility of intimations reaching the living -from the dead, and they pin ‘Spiritist’ on your shawl; you surmise that -we cannot be sure that we are to live only one life upon the earth, and -they discover that you are are a Theosophist, and make remarks about -your Karma. They have a mania brought from their jam-pots for labeling -things. It is a relief to turn from them and talk with a sensible man -whose ideas are more in the _affresco_ style, and do not scratch. - -“And then, on some happy day you meet a woman, _the_ woman, noble, -judicial, kind, courageous, modest and sympathizing, and you fall at her -feet.” - -“I think that something ideal may result from this uprising of women,” -said Dylar. “It is crude now, as you say. But when they shall have shown -what they can do, they will voluntarily return, the mothers among them, -to their quiet homes, and say to man, ‘As we were before, we could not -help making many of you worthless. Now we are going to make a race of -noble men. We will rule the state through the cradle.’” - -“Like our Tacita,” said Iona with a smile. “Elena always said that she -was fit to rule a state.” - -“Dear Elena!” said Dylar’s wife. “I am so impatient to see her. It will -be delightful to have you both here together, if but for a day.” - -For Elena was on her way to San Salvador, and near; and they meant to -keep her. She had had enough of travel and unassisted labor; and she was -needed at home. - -“Do you see how our little palm-trees grow?” Tacita asked. “We are going -to have them set in the green of the Basilica, after all. They will be -ready in the autumn.” - -Iona looked at the young trees thoughtfully. - -“I would like to earn a leaf,” she said. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - -While they were speaking, three visitors whom they did not expect were -approaching San Salvador. - -A German, a Frenchman, and an Italian, who had known each other many -years, meeting occasionally in the society of different European -capitals, had met in Paris that spring, and weary of a round of -pleasures which led to nothing but weariness, had started off on a long -rambling journey. - -They made no plans except to go to places they had heard but little of, -and to be ready to stop at a moment’s notice. - -It was the German who had discovered that their pleasures led to -weariness alone; but his friends readily agreed with him. - -“I am inclined to think,” said the Italian, “that the only refuge of -civilization is in barbarism.” - -“Or in a truer civilization,” said the German. - -“Or in a more robust physical health,” said the Frenchman. “So many of -our moral impressions proceed from the stomach, or the nerves.” - -Though the German had given expression to the unrest of his companions, -he was indebted, and perfectly aware that he was indebted to another for -his own awakening. It was but a word uttered by a stranger whom he had -met in travelling through the Alps; yet the word had often recurred to -his mind. How many times when contemplating some act, not dishonorable, -indeed, yet worldly, as he had studied and doubted, a lowly murmured -word had stolen up in his memory: “_E poi?_” - -In preparing for some reception or fête like a hundred others, in -returning from some dissipation, in looking forward in his career and -planning out his future life, with what a solemn impressiveness the -quiet interrogation had been heard in the first pause of excitement: “_E -poi?_” - -Their holiday was almost ended for the three friends, and they were now -on their homeward way, the line of their travels forming a long loop, -now a little past the turn. The Italian had a young wife who might be -pouting at his absence; the Frenchman was a banker, and his partners -were getting impatient; the German was an official on leave, and his -term was nearly out. - -Yet when their train drew up for a few minutes at the lonely station of -the Olives, and the Frenchman, usually the leader in all their -enterprises, exclaimed, “Once more, my friends! I am sure that no one -ever stopped here before,” the other two hailed the proposal, and -snatching their valises, they stepped from the carriage just as the -train was about to start. - -The Italian, one of whose nicknames was Mezzofanti, or Tuttofanti, was -always spokesman when they were likely to encounter a _patois_; but -somewhat to their surprise, this simple-seeming station-master spoke -both French and English passably. - -There was an orange-farm twenty miles northward, he said, but no means -of reaching it at that time. Fifteen miles southward was a castle, and a -hamlet called the Olives. The man with the donkey-cart just leaving the -station was going there. - -A castle! It sounded well. - -Mezzofanti called the man and entered into negotiations with him; and -he, after looking the travelers over with a somewhat critical -expression, consented to take them to the Olives on condition that they -would take turns walking each a part of the way. He himself would walk -half the distance. His donkey would not be able to carry them all. - -He further told them that they could not stop at the castle, the master -being absent; but they could stop at his house, and could have donkeys -to return to the station the next day. They would want a number of -donkeys there, as they were expecting supplies. He could give them three -good ones, so that they could ride all the way. - -There was a certain calm dignity about this man, though his dress was -that of a laborer, and his French imperfect, which won their confidence; -and they accepted his offer. He had learned French, he said, from his -mother, who came to the Olives from France before he was born. He was -called Pierre at home. It was the name his mother gave him. - -The first part of their road was over an arid plain, dull thin grass and -a few parched shrubs spotting the sandy soil; but in the distance was a -mass of rich dark green foliage with keen mountains, black and white, -rising into the splendid blue above them. - -The German remembered one who had said: “I am a daughter of the -mountains.” He never saw one of those masses of rock and snow rising -into the air without wondering if it might not be there she drew her -first breath. - -The man, Pierre, did not know the names of the mountains. Some of them -had their own names. That highest peak at the left was called the White -Lady, and was beyond the castle. The castle was very ancient, and one -part in ruins. There were many stories about it. His mother knew them. -For him, he was content with the present. The past interested him but -little. The castle was set on a spur of the mountains, and quite close -to them. The inner wall of the court was a cliff. Their road would lead -them ten miles straight to the mountains; then they turned southward, -and after five miles would reach the Olives, which was south of the -heights and just round a turn. At the first turn was a fountain where -they could water the donkey, and rest a little while, if they liked. -There was an old ruined house there where they usually stopped, going to -and from the station. - -“Did the prince live much at the castle?” one of the gentlemen asked. - -“No; he came occasionally. He lived abroad, now here, now there. He had -spent a fortnight the year before at Castle Dylar with his bride.” - -“Oh, there is a bride!” said the Frenchman. “What is she like?” - -The man had spoken in a serious and matter-of-fact way; but at the -question a smile flitted over his face. - -“She is tall and slender, and white and golden-haired,” he said. “She is -very silent; but when she smiles, you think that she has spoken.” - -The Italian changed color. “Do you know her name—her maiden name?” he -asked. - -“We call her Lady, or Princess,” the man said. “I know no other name.” - -“Where is she from?” - -“Oh, far away!” he replied with a vague gesture. - -The Italian asked no more; but his face betrayed excitement. - -Their road had begun to rise and to be overshadowed by trees. After a -while they reached the ruined house built up against the rock, and they -alighted to rest, or look about them. - -The German exclaimed: “Did you ever see such a green atmosphere! I do -not think that you will find such a pine-steeped dimness even in your -Italy, Loredan.” - -Beside the house a small stream of water from the heights dropped into a -trough. Dropping, it twisted itself into a rope. Overflowing the trough, -it rippled along beside the road they were to follow. - -Pierre drank, washed his face and hands, and watered his donkey. The -three travelers went to look at the house. Everything betokened -desertion and ruin. The door and shutter hung half off their hinges, and -only an upper shutter was closed. A stone stair went up from the one -room below; but a heap of brushwood on it barred the passage. - -They pursued their way; and as they went, the scene softened. A narrow -space of rising grassy land, planted with olive-trees, interposed -between them and the rocks, which only here and there thrust out a rude -sentinel; and their road, having risen gradually to the house in the -pines, began to descend as gradually. The afternoon sun had been -excluded; but now it shone across their way. Olive-trees quite replaced -the pines, and allowed glimpses of an illuminated landscape to be seen -between their crisped-up leaves. They rounded a curve and entered the -village. At their right, under thick olives that hid all above them, -grassy terraces rose to the castle; at their left were the farms with -great white houses sunk in luxuriant vegetation. - -The travelers were enchanted. It was a picture! It was a paradise! - -Pierre conducted them to his house, and the whole family came out to -welcome them with a rustic frankness and an urban courtesy. There was -the mother of their host, a woman of eighty, his wife, two tall boys, a -girl and a baby. From the roof terrace another girl parted the long -palm-leaves to peep down at them. - -Entering the wide door was like entering a church. The only partition of -the whole ground-floor was made by square pillars of whitewashed masonry -which supported the floor above on a succession of arches. But the -pillars were so large that they gave an effect of different rooms. Over -some of the arches curtains were looped to be used when greater privacy -was desired. - -One corner next the door seemed designed for a parlor. Far to the right -in another direction could be discerned a hand-loom and spinning-wheel, -and a stone stair. Far to the left was a kitchen where something was -being cooked at an open fire, and nearer, between the white arches, a -table set for supper. - -Pierre led his visitors up the nave of this strange house, and up the -stair to their chambers. They were whitewashed rooms with green doors -and small casement windows, over which hung full white linen curtains. -Green wooden shutters were opened outside. There were no carpets, only -straw mats; yet there was no sign of poverty. The simplicity was -artistic. - -One of the boys went up with them to the castle. The sun was low, and -sent long lines of orange light across the greensward under the trees. -Three flights of stone steps led them to the lower hall, where they -waited till their guide obtained for them the readily accorded -permission to see the castle. - -“There is very little to see,” the housekeeper said. “But what there is -I will show you with pleasure.” - -They questioned her as they went from room to room, and by secret -passages to the upper terrace. Was there any pass through the mountains? -Her replies made them wonder that so intelligent a woman should feel so -little interest in her immediate neighborhood. - -She knew of no pass except one far to the northward; but as the -mountains were a group and not a chain, it did not matter. Climbing in -the vicinity of the castle had proved so dangerous that the prince had -forbidden it. - -The Italian spoke of the prince and princess, but learned no more than -he already knew, though the housekeeper showed no unwillingness to -enlighten him. She was enthusiastic in her admiration for the princess, -but did not hear him ask what the lady’s maiden name was,—did not or -would not. - -Before going away, the three gentlemen laid their cards on the -drawing-room table; and when they were gone, the housekeeper looked at -them. She read:— - -_Don Claudio Loredan, Venice._ - -_Vicomte François de Courcelles, Paris._ - -_Herr Ludwig von Ritter, Berlin._ - -“These must be sent in early to-morrow morning,” she said. “A gentleman -from Venice! Perhaps he may have known the princess.” - -After supper the travelers went out to smoke their cigarettes under the -palm-tree, and the old woman, knitting-work in hand, followed them. She -evidently expected their request that she would tell them something of -the history of the castle, and complied with it with the eagerness of a -professional story-teller. - -“The origin of Castle Dylar is wrapped in mystery. It is believed that -an army of builders once went from land to land building churches, -castles, and monuments of various sorts. They built fortresses, and -walls for cities, too, and had means unknown to us of moving great -stones and fitting them cunningly together. It is believed that Castle -Dylar was built by them. - -“As for its owner, we will say no evil of the dead. His few poor tenants -lived in huts, and knew not how to cultivate the land. They raised a -little, which they and their beasts shared; and when their provisions -failed, they killed and ate the beasts, being the stronger and more -intelligent. When the owner—I know not his name—when he came here from -time to time, often with a number of companions, they fared better. But, -from father to son, the master came less and less, till one was left who -came not at all, but sold the castle and land to a Dylar. - -“Oh, then were the people cared for! Then were they lifted out of their -misery! Then did the land bloom! The first tree planted by Dylar was an -olive-tree. ‘I dedicate the land to peace and light,’ he said; and, -gentlemen, peace and light have dwelt in it to this day. The stupid -children of the tenantry were taught. Men came and built these houses to -last a thousand years, and then another thousand. They dug a hole to let -the river through the mountains. They cultivated land. Men did great -works, and went away when they were paid; but other men and women came -in, one by one and two by two, and dwelt here. They were children of -sorrow chosen out of the world to come here and live in peace. We have -all that we want, and we know not drouth. The sun and the snow-peaks -fill our cups to overflowing. When the land grows dry, our men set -donkeys to turning the great wheel you see yonder, with a bucket at -every spoke; and they fill a tank that sends out little rivulets running -over all the land. They go to every plant and tree, like mothers giving -drink to their children. We know not drouth; and Christ is our King. - -“There have been nine Dylars with the present one. Each Dylar uses his -number to his name, or sometimes alone. If a written order had the -figure nine alone, or nine straight lines signed to it, that order would -be obeyed. We put it on all things for them, too. When our prince was -here last year with his bride, we sent everything up in nines, nine jars -of olives, nine boxes of oil; and the child who could find a bunch of -nine cherries, or a sprig of nine strawberries to send up to the -princess’ table was a happy child. We sent her a box of olive-wood to -put her laces in. It was fluted in groups of nine all round, and had -nine lilies on the cover, and a border made of the figure interlaced and -flowering out. And in the centre of the cover were the initials J. C., -with a crown above them; for Christ is King of us all. I found on the -jasmine-tree on our terrace a flower with nine petals, which was a -wonder; for they have usually only five or six, sometimes only four. The -princess pressed the flower to keep, and said it was the prince’s -flower. - -“The Dylar made it a virtue for their people to be healthy and clean and -cheerful. They gave them games and pleasures as well as labor. And -whenever they find a young man, or a girl who has a gift for some airy -kind of work that needs a nicer study, they send them out to learn. They -seldom come back to stay; but they come, sooner or later, to see their -old home before they die. - -“For us, we do many things. We spin thread of linen and silk, we weave -and embroider and make laces. We make wine and preserve olives and make -oil. We knit hose that a queen has worn, and would have more. For we -have a silk farm, and a silk that reels off like sunshine. And Christ is -our King.” - -“Who governs you?” asked the vicomte. “Of course your prince, and the -housekeeper told us, three of your oldest men. But is there nothing -else?” - -“Oh, now and again, some people come from far away, and ask some -questions, and get some taxes, they call them. They have need of money, -those who send. I know not. They come and they go. We welcome them, and -we bid them godspeed.” - -“But if two of you should disagree?” - -“Then each tells his story to the Three, and they decide. And if they -cannot decide, they write to Dylar, whose messenger comes.” - -“But if some one accuse you, have you no one to see that no damaging -truth, or no lie, is proven against you? Have you no one to speak for -you?” - -“Why should another tell my story for me? And is it not the truth which -all wish to have proven? Are we children? or bees? See, now: if I prove -a lie to-day, and gain a pound of silk by it, or a gallon of oil like -honey distilled, then the spirits of peace in the air about me are -disgusted with the evil scent of my vice, and they fly away, and evil -spirits, who love an evil deed, come near; and of three pounds of silk -they weave a chain that binds my thoughts all down to that sin I have -committed, or of three gallons of bad oil they kindle a lamp in my heart -that burns: and the only way to have peace is to go to him I have -robbed, and say: ‘I lied; and here are three pounds of silk for the -one:’ or, ‘I lied; and here are three gallons of pure oil for one.’ -Moreover, the King, when I do evil, is no longer my king; but the Dark -One rules over me. What have I gained, though the silk or the oil were -like Basil’s gold?” - -“Who is Basil?” asked the German, smiling. “And what was Basil’s gold?” - -“Basil was a Dylar, one of the first. It is said that he was as wise as -Solomon, and could understand the language of all growing things; that -he knew what the curl of a leaf meant, or the sob of the wind. He came -and went. There are wild stories, that he was borne over chasms. I know -not. But he gave his people a message from the earth that he read in a -grain of virgin gold.” - -The German was shaken by a strong tremor. “The message! The message!” he -exclaimed. - -The old woman smiled at his eagerness. “Listen!” she said. “‘Dig for -your gold, my children, says Earth, your Mother. Deep in your hearts it -lies hidden.’” - -“Is there any other settlement near of the Dylar?” the German asked -impetuously. - -“None, sir.” - -“One has gone forth into the world from this place, a woman, tall, -dark-eyed, with black hair heavy about the brows, and a soft voice. She -is a lady. Who is she? Where is she?” - -“I know no such. There is one abroad who sings. She is famous, and she -returns no more. I do not know where she is, nor what name she sings by. -There are others who are married. There are two young girls who study. I -know no such lady. It might be one of Dylar’s messengers; but she is -away.” - -“Could I learn at the castle?” - -“Ah, no! we do not keep their track. They come and they go. There was -one who came last year. She was something like your lady. She stayed a -week; and she reaped a field of wheat. She is strong to work in the -fields.” - -The German sighed, and said no more. - -“The present Dylar is young, is he not?” asked the Italian. - -“Oh, yes; but little over thirty. But he is very serious. His father was -gay till he lost his wife. Then he never smiled again. But when our -Dylar came here with his bride last year he was different. His eyes -followed her everywhere.” - -“What did he call her?” asked the Italian. - -“He called her Love; nought else. We called her princess. How fair she -was! If you should tell her a story, when you had ended, it would seem -to you that she had been the one who talked, and not you. She has -changes of expression, and little movements, so that she seems to have -spoken when she has not uttered a word. At the castle they saved all the -hairs that were in her combs and brushes, and I have a little lock of -them that coils round so soft and shining!” - -When they went in, the Italian lingered behind his companions, and -detained the old woman. “Show me the lock of hair you told us of,” he -said. - -She brought it with pleasure, and carefully unfolding a paper by the -light of a lamp hung against one of the pillars just inside the door, -showed a glossy golden ring, and lifting it, let it drop in a long coil. - -“I will give you a gold piece for one hair!” said Don Claudio. - -“I do not want the gold,” she said; “but you shall have the hair.” She -drew out two or three of the shining threads and gave them to him; and -he laid them inside a clasped fold of his pocketbook. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - -Pierre was to go to the station the next morning to meet Elena; and in -consultation with his advisers it was decided that he should set out -early and alone. He could then warn her of the presence of these -strangers. A considerable quantity of provisions would come by the same -train; but as a part of them were to be left at the Pines, they would be -brought later in the day. - -The strangers could therefore go at any hour they might choose, needing -no guide, and leave the donkeys at the station. - -The gentlemen set out as soon as they had eaten their breakfast, and -half way to the Pines met Pierre coming back on foot. - -He had been taken sick on the way, he said, and a friend whom he had -fortunately encountered would go to the station for him. It was a -sickness he sometimes had, and it would last him several days. He -declined their offer to return with him; and they took leave of each -other, and went on their separate ways. But Pierre had not gone many -steps farther before doubts began to assail him. - -“I might have waited there till these men had gone by,” he thought. - -He turned the situation over in his mind. - -Alexander and his wife were the guardians of the week. There was no -woman in San Salvador better able to take care of the house than -Alexander’s wife. She knew every signal, was prompt and courageous. -Above all, she would do exactly as she was ordered to do if the skies -should fall on her for it. And both he and her husband had charged her -not to leave her signal-post a minute, and to give instant notice to San -Salvador of anything that might happen. - -“I wish I had asked if the door was unbarred,” he thought uneasily. It -occurred to him that the men inside would have left San Salvador early -in the morning, before it was known that these strangers were at the -Olives. Alexander and his wife had not known it till he told them that -morning. “When he passed the evening before, stopping purposely that -they might observe well his companions, they had been occupied in -receiving orders from San Salvador, and had not known that he was not -alone. - -He grew more uneasy every moment. - -“Of course they wouldn’t unbar the door till it was needed,” he -muttered. “And of course Alexander spoke to them before he started. But -I might have waited.” - -In fact, Alexander had called to the men; but they were out of sight and -hearing. They had retired to a more convenient place to wait, knowing -that they would not be needed for several hours. - -“I wish that I had waited!” Pierre repeated over and over. “I could have -waited.” - -He recollected stories of men who had been faithful even to death to -interests committed to their charge; and when had greater interests been -at stake than this of the secret of San Salvador! - -Texts of gold wrote themselves in the air all about him, and on the dark -earth under his feet. - -“_He that endureth to the end shall be saved._” - -“_Well done, good and faithful servant._” - -“_Watch and pray._” - -The guardianship of the house in the Pines was in the hands of a hundred -men, each of whom served a week at a time, with any one whom he might -choose as a companion. Dylar himself took his turn. The rules were -strict. Pierre remembered them when it was too late. - -When the three travelers reached the house, therefore, there was a woman -alone on guard, with strict orders to signal everything, but on no -account to allow herself to be seen nor heard; and the hidden door was -unbarred, and the torrent that shut the road to San Salvador was turned -away. - -They alighted and tied their donkeys to a post, where they could drink -or browse at will. - -“My opinion,” said the viscomte, “is that this old building was not -always so innocent as it probably is now. It was perhaps a hiding-place -for plunder or prisoners, used by the wicked old family which preceded -the Dylars at the castle.” - -They hung their basket of luncheon to a pine-branch, set their bottle of -wine in the running water, and looked about them. To men accustomed to -the luxuries of civilization, and for a time, at least, weary of them, -there was something delightful in this superb solitude of rock and tree, -this silence stirred only by the sweetest and most delicate sounds of -nature. It seemed but a day since a pushing crowd had surrounded them, -the paving-stones of a city had been beneath their feet, and the -Gleipnir cord of social etiquette had bound them; and to-morrow again -all that world would possess them, and this scene become as a fairy -dream in their memories. - -They wandered about a while under the trees, explored a few rods of the -northward road, and came back to eat their luncheon, sitting on the moss -and pine-needles. - -The Frenchman looked up at the beetling rock that overtopped the house -before them. “I have a vision,” he said. “I am clairvoyant. I see -through the rock yonder into a long succession of low caves where you -must walk stooping. At the entrance of these caves sits ‘_une blanche -aux yeux noirs_,’ and all the floor is strewn with ingots of pure gold. -As you look along the windings for miles, that gold lights the place up -like a fire.” - -“I also am clairvoyant,” said the Italian. “I see beyond those mountains -a happy country where ambition never thwarts true love, and partings are -unknown. It is the promised land of the heart.” - -“I see farther yet,” said the German. “Beneath that cliff is your El -Dorado. Beside it is your Love’s paradise. But farther yet, hemmed in by -precipices, is a great black castle of which Castle Dylar is but an -offshoot. There dwells a princess held in bonds by a fierce giant. He -wishes to marry her, would give her all the gold you see, and make her -queen over your paradise; and she will not. If I could pass this wall, -if I could thread the labyrinth of gorges leading to that castle, I -should find her there, dark and splendid and stately. She is as free and -fierce as an Arab. She is as tender as a dove. She looks like a goddess. -Her name is—is—Io.” - -They ate their luncheon in the green fragrant shadows. The viscomte went -into the house while the other two smoked their cigarettes, dreaming -with half-closed eyes, till they were startled by an excited call from -the house: “Come here! Come!” - -They hastened to obey. - -“I have found a secret door!” said the Frenchman’s voice from under the -stair. “It is surely a door! The wall moves. See! it retreats an inch or -two without displacing a stone. Let us get sticks and pry it open. We -are on the eve of a discovery!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - -Meantime, San Salvador, unconscious of danger, was all joyful -expectation. The coming home of Elena was always a holiday for them. - -True, Iona was to go out again the next day; but Iona had never taken -the hold on their familiar life that Elena had always maintained. -Besides, they had this pleasure connected with her going, that she would -take messages to their friends. Many were busy preparing letters and -little gifts. - -Dylar was busiest of all. He had gone up to his cottage, which might -still be called his study, to prepare letters of direction, and plans -which would be supplemented by Iona’s word. - -In the little terrace of their house sat Tacita and Iona with the child. - -“Spare yourself a little for our sakes,” the princess was saying. - -“Never fear, my princess!” said Iona with a smile. “I have a -presentiment that I shall come back here at last to die. It is the only -thing that I ask for myself. If I should not be so happy, I know that -you will bring my body back. It is pleasant to think of lying asleep in -our great quiet dormitory when one can work no longer.” - -“The whole earth should not hide you from us, nor keep you back!” was -the fervent reply. - -“Inaction, or even moderate action, is impossible with the vision that I -have of the world,” Iona went on. “You think that you know it. Ah, you -do not know a thousandth part! You were safe in your family, guarded and -protected. What if you had been poor and friendless? I tell you that to -such human society is sometimes a society of wolves and tigers. Nor is -an active and conscious malignity necessary. Narrow sympathies, -self-complacent egotism and conventional slavery suffice. Why, who shall -say that a tiger may not rend a man, or a child, with an approving -conscience, if conscience he have! - -“Life has become like a cane-brake duel, where two men enter, each from -an opposite side, creeping and searching for each other with the -dagger-hand drawn back, and the blade up-pointed for the _stoccata_. Ah! -Let us not think of it. For the work needed to-day, the soul must not -stop to think, but must march straight on in the name of God. I will -think of my coming back and of my rest at last. It is sweet. Carry me up -at sunrise, and give me a rose in my hand. I would that I could have a -palm. But a rose is the flower of love; and whether it has seemed so, or -not, I have loved so much! I have loved so much!” - -She bent, and softly kissed the sleeping infant; and rising to go away, -glanced back toward the unseen cemetery. - -As she looked, a swift change passed over her face, a keen present -interest took the place of her forward-looking. Her raised brows fell -and were drawn together. She was facing the signal-station connected -with the Pines, and it changed as she looked. Already they knew by -signals from the castle that three strangers had passed the night at the -Olives, that a messenger was coming in to give them details, that Pierre -was on his way to the station to meet Elena, and that the strangers had -also gone. From the Pines they knew that all was prepared for Elena’s -entrance. - -“What does this mean?” said Iona. “Can it be that Alexander’s wife is -alone at the Pines! Tacita, will you call Dylar?” - -Tacita went to the gallery from which she could see her husband’s -cottage, and him sitting at a table covered with papers inside the open -door, and she blew a trilling note on a silver whistle she carried in -her girdle. - -He looked up quickly, and came out. It was the first time she had ever -called him down. - -She waved her hand toward the signal-station, and he understood, and -turned that way. Another signal had been added. - -“Yes,” said Iona. “Pierre has returned home, and Alexander gone to the -station, against the rules. Pierre has sometimes severe attacks of -sickness, and he feels them coming on. But why did not they call one of -the men from inside, and send him to the station?” - -She was talking to herself. Tacita glanced up the hill, and saw Dylar -standing on his terrace watching intently the signals. They changed -again. The strangers were at the Pines, and the men from San Salvador -were not there. - -Without a word, Iona hastened down and went to the Arcade. Half way -across the town she turned to look again. The whole situation was -signaled now. The torrent was off, the door unbarred, the men out of -sight and hearing, and three strangers were at the Pines. - -“Impossible!” she exclaimed, and began to run. - -When Dylar reached his house and read the signals, which had been hidden -from him as he came down, he looked across and saw Iona coming out on to -the mountain path above the Arcade. This road ran for half a mile along -the rock in sight of the town. Then it turned backward and out of sight, -joining the road from the Pines, and that lower one by which Tacita had -come to San Salvador. Near this junction of the roads was the water-gate -by which the torrent was turned. - -“Impossible!” Dylar also had exclaimed on reading the signals. To escape -for almost three hundred years, and fall to-day! So many accidents and -incidents, so many items of neglect coinciding to form a crime and a -supreme calamity, were incredible! It was impossible that accident could -do so much. A vision of treachery rose before his mind. - -He ran down to the town where people were gathering on the housetops and -in the streets. He called for two of the swiftest runners and climbers -to follow Iona to the water-gate; and they sprang out like greyhounds. -It was useless for him to go. There was nothing to be done but turn the -torrent on again. He stood silent and white, watching with a stern face -the signals, and glancing across the town to the mountain path along -which moved Iona’s flying feet. - -The people gathered about him; but no one spoke. A vague alarm, mingled -with, or alternating with incredulity, showed in every face. - -The gate was turned by a beam acting as windlass, and two men were -always sent to turn it on at the Pines. It was less difficult than to -turn it off; for when the beam was once started, and the water got a -wedge in, it carried the gate round of itself. - -Iona remembered this as she fled along. She had not seen the men who -were sent to follow her. They had taken the inner road, which was a -little shorter. - -From all the road she followed and from the water-gate, the signals were -visible; and running breathlessly, she yet kept them in view. - -They changed. - -The strangers were searching the house! - -They changed. The door was discovered! - -Even at that distance it seemed to Iona that she heard a sharp outcry -rise from the town as that signal slid out, the first time that it had -ever been run out in San Salvador. - -Their secret was gone! - -But her hope was not gone. In ten minutes she would be at the gate; and -it must turn for her. To have discovered the door was not infallibly to -open it; or, opening it, there must be some delay. - -Moreover, the cave was prepared to detain the strangers a few minutes, -at least. - -And then an awful question presented itself to her mind. Should she turn -the gate if the strangers were on the bridge? What were the lives of -three intruders to the existence of San Salvador! An insinuating whisper -made itself heard in her heart: “Run and turn the gate. You need not -look at the signal!” - -It was the voice of the world, the voice of the serpent. - -“_A l’aide, mon Dieu!_” she panted. “I will do no evil. If we fall, we -fall!” - -Was it the heavenly voice once heard, or but an echo of it in her -memory, which now seemed repeating those words of miracle: _Come unto -me_—the _well done_ that had accepted and rewarded her plea for help! -Her fleet feet skimmed the mountain path, her panting lungs drew in the -mountain air; but her mind saw once more the golden dusk of the -Basilica, the rich molten coloring of the walls, the words of God -sparkling out here and there in letters of gold, the Throne and the -tiara; and her soul felt the coming of that Presence which had filled -the sacred cloister. Half unconscious of her body, she seemed to be -borne along by wings set in her fluttering temples. - -Then the path turned, and the water-gate was before her. One swift -glance over her shoulder told that the door was not yet open. - -Iona ran to the beam, and leaning on it, pushed with all her strength. -It did not stir. As she leaned, she saw the signal-station on the -opposite mountains. It had not changed. The door was discovered; efforts -had been made to open it; but it was not open. - -With a frantic effort she pushed. The beam trembled, but did not move. - -“_A l’aide, mon Roi!_” she whispered, and threw her whole being against -the beam, while her ears rang, and her temples ached with the strain. - -It started, moved; the water caught the gate. Iona was carried along, -her glazing eyes fixed on the signal. - -The course of the beam ended against a mossy bank. When it stopped, -Iona’s failing form rested as if kneeling on the moss, her arms on the -beam, her cheek resting on the moss above it. And over her lips, and -over the wood, the moss, and the rock flowed a stream of bright red -blood. - -Her head drooped slowly, and she fell asleep! - -So intense had been that flash and strain of soul out through the flesh, -it might be said that the cry she had uttered was not more on earth than -in heaven, as she sank and rose upon its threshold, having earned her -palm! - - - - - CHAPTER XXX. - - -The whole town, gathered below, waited in an awful silence. The shock of -this danger had come upon them like a day of judgment. - -Dylar stood apart, gazing alternately at the signals and at Iona’s form, -the blue flutter of her garments like a puff of smoke on the mountain -side. - -No one ventured to approach him. - -There was a struggle in his mind. What should he do with these men? A -fierce rage was boiling in his heart toward them. It was of their own -seeking—the meddlers! - -A hand was laid on his arm. Professor Pearlstein stood beside him. They -were in the Square near the pulpit, on the front of which were letters -of gold. His hand still pressing Dylar’s arm, the old man stretched his -staff out and drew it along the words: _Thou shalt not kill_. - -Dylar turned away, and began to walk to and fro. He became aware of his -people all about him, and of Tacita, her child in her arms, crouched on -a mat at his feet. She gave the infant to a woman near her, and went to -link her arm in his. - -“My Love,” she said, “the torrent is turned. It was turned before the -door was open.” - -He stopped to look at the signals. He had not looked for half an hour. -The door was open; but the road had first been closed. - -A murmur of prayer rose trembling. The shock had been too great. The -strain was yet too great. - -And then again the signals changed. All danger was over. The strangers -were gone on their way. - -And yet the people waited, only whispering their thanksgiving. - -Soon came the signal that all was well, and Elena at the Pines ready to -enter. - -Then the bells were rung and they sang “Te Deum.” - -But no one went indoors. Not till Elena had come, till all was -explained, could they think of anything else. - -The messenger from the castle arrived with his story, and the cards of -their visitors. - -“Don Claudio Loredan!” exclaimed Tacita, looking at her husband. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - - -“Is it our business if there should be something concealed?” the German -asked when called upon to help pry the masked door open. “The house is -not ours.” - -His companions, full of excitement, broke out upon him. Where was his -enterprise, his romance, his courage! It was a deserted house. Perhaps -its owners knew nothing of this door. - -Their excitement was contagious; and he went with them in search of a -lever. They found saplings that bent and dry sticks that broke. But -their determination increased with the obstacles; and at last the right -touch was given, the door was on the hinge and rolled slowly back, -disclosing a dim descent between walls, with a light shining across from -below. - -All three recoiled a moment at their own success. “We enter at our -risk,” said the German. “We have no right here.” - -The other two went down cautiously, and after a moment called to him, -and he followed. They had pried open an old chest from which the lock -dropped almost at a touch, and were eagerly pulling out the twigs and -dry leaves with which it was filled. All had the same thought. Surely -such pains would be taken only to conceal a treasure. And it must have -been there a very long time. - -One of them went up to keep watch while the other two worked, changing -hands; for the chest was large, and the débris could be removed only in -sifting handfuls. - -When the bottom was reached, a chorus of somewhat bitter laughter rose; -for there was nothing there but a few rough stones. It had evidently -been prepared as a mockery, probably long years before. - -They prepared to go on their way. But first they went to the mouth of -the cave, and outside on the narrow ledge. There was no passage. Only -chasms, precipices, and a dashing torrent that sprinkled them as it -fell, met their eyes. - -They went up, leaving the door open, mounted their donkeys, and started -for the station. - -At a little distance down through the pines they met a man and woman -coming up. The woman’s face was covered with a veil, the man only nodded -in passing them. - -“Don Claudio Loredan!” said Elena to herself when they had passed. “What -in the name of heaven brings him here!” - -At the turn of the path the three travelers paused to look back at the -old house with its background of mountains. - -“Farewell, El Dorado!” said the Viscomte de Courcelles. - -“Farewell, my Promised Land!” said Don Claudio Loredan. - -The German paused a moment when the others went on, looking back -dreamily. “Farewell, Io!” he said. - -“It is strange,” he said, rejoining his companions, “that sometimes on -leaving a place or person one scarcely knows the name of, there comes a -feeling of sadness, almost of irreparable loss.” - -“I suppose,” said the Frenchman, “that the veiled lady we have just met -is one of the exiles from the Olives. I wonder if they expect her at -home.” - -She was expected. She was looked for joyously and longingly. The people -of San Salvador remained watching all the afternoon. The men sent up to -follow Iona had not returned. Doubtless all three were waiting to -accompany Elena. They watched the turn of the mountain path, sure that -they would take the outer one next the town. Spyglasses were ready to -catch the first glimpse of their coming. - -“They are coming! They are coming!” - -The flutter of a garment was visible around the rock. - -Tacita looked through a glass that rested on a man’s shoulder. Her other -hand was in her husband’s arm. - -“It is Elena!” she said, “She comes first, and is on foot. She holds her -handkerchief hanging straight down at her side. Now she stops and lifts -both her arms, then drops them again. It must mean grief for the peril -we have been in. The men follow with the donkeys. They seem to carry -heavy baggage, or something— What are they doing? There is no one else. -What do they carry? O Dylar, where is Iona?” - -She gave him the glass, her face losing its light, and growing pale and -frightened. The little company on the heights was now plainly seen. - -Dylar took the glass, looked through it, and took it away from his eyes. -His face was livid. - -“My God!” he said. “Where is Iona!” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in - spelling. - 2. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed. - 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN SALVADOR *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: San Salvador</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Mary Agnes Tincker</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: December 20, 2022 [eBook #69594]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN SALVADOR ***</div> - -<div class='tnotes covernote'> - -<p class='c000'><strong>Transcriber’s Note:</strong></p> - -<p class='c000'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='border'> - -<div class='chapter ph1'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><span class='fixed'>By Mary Agnes Tincker.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c002'>SAN SALVADOR. 16mo, $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c003'>TWO CORONETS. A Novel. 12mo, $1.50; -paper, 50 cents.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO.</div> - <div><span class='sc'>Boston and New York.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='titlepage'> - -<div> - <h1 class='c004'>SAN SALVADOR</h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div>BY</div> - <div class='c006'>MARY AGNES TINCKER</div> - <div><span class='small'>AUTHOR OF “SIGNOR MONALDINI’S NIECE,” “TWO CORONETS,” ETC.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><em>Unless the Lord build the house,</em></div> - <div class='line'><em>they labor in vain that build it:</em></div> - <div class='line'><em>unless the Lord keep the city, he</em></div> - <div class='line'><em>watcheth in vain that keepeth it</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_title.jpg' alt='' class='ig001'> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>BOSTON AND NEW YORK</div> - <div>HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY</div> - <div><span class='fixed'>The Riverside Press, Cambridge</span></div> - <div>1892</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><span class='small'>Copyright, 1892,</span></div> - <div><span class='small'><span class='sc'>By</span> MARY AGNES TINCKER.</span></div> - <div class='c006'><span class='small'><em>All rights reserved.</em></span></div> - <div class='c005'><span class='small'><em>The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A.</em></span></div> - <div><span class='small'>Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton & Co.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_1'>1</span> - <h2 class='c008'>PROLOGUE.</h2> -</div> -<h3 class='c009'><span class='sc'>Scene I.</span></h3> - -<p class='c010'>The family in Palazzo Loredan, in the Grand -Canal, Venice, had finished their midday breakfast, -and coffee was brought in.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was the Marchesa Loredan, a widow, her -widowed only daughter with a little son and his -tutor, and Don Claudio Loredan, the Marchesa’s -second son. Her eldest son was married; and the -youngest, Don Enrico, was a monsignore, and -coadjutor of an old canon whom he was impatiently -waiting to succeed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The breakfast had not been a cheerful one. Don -Claudio, usually the life of the family and its harmonizing -element, had been silent and preoccupied; -and Madama Loredan’s black brows had two -deep lines between them,—sure signs of a storm.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She rose as the coffee was bought in.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Carry a tête-à-tête down to the arbor,” she -said to the servant; and to her son, “I wish to -speak to you, Claudio.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The tutor rose respectfully, making sly but intense -signals to his pupil to do the same. But -the boy, occupied in counting the cloves of a mandarin -orange, did not choose to see them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A long window of the dining-room opened on a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_2'>2</span>balcony, and from the balcony a stair descended to -the garden. This garden, a square the width of -the house, would soon be a mass of bloom; but -spring had hardly come as yet. The little arbor -in the centre was covered with rosebuds, and the -orange-trees were in blossom. There was a table -in the arbor, with a chair at each side.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Madama literally swept across the dining-room; -for she did not lift a fold of the trailing robe of -glossy white linen bordered with black velvet that -followed her imperious steps.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Don Claudio was familiar with the several indications -of his mother’s moods, and he followed -in silence, carefully avoiding the glistening wake -of her progress. When she had seated herself in -the arbor, he took the chair opposite her, half -filled a little rose-colored cup with coffee, dropped -a single cube of sugar into it, stirred it with a tiny -spoon that had the Loredan shield at the end of its -slender twisted stem, and gravely set the cup before -her.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He had not once raised his eyes to her face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She watched him with a scrutinizing gaze. He -was evidently expecting a reprimand; yet there was -neither anger nor confusion in his handsome face. -It had not lost its preoccupied and even sorrowful -expression. She sipped her coffee in silence, and -waited till he had drunk his.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You were at Ca’ Mora last evening and this -morning,” she said abruptly, when he set his cup -down.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_3'>3</span>“My master is dying!” he responded quietly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Madama was for a moment disconcerted. The -old professor with whom her son had for two years -been studying oriental languages was a man of -note among the learned. He had exercised a beneficial -influence over the mind of Don Claudio; -and for a while she had been glad that an enthusiasm -for study should counteract the natural downward -tendency of a life full of worldly prosperity -and its attendant temptations. Only of late had -she become aware of any danger in this intimacy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dying!” she echoed. “I did not know that -he was ill.” She hesitated a moment, then bitterness -prevailed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course his granddaughter has need of consolation,” -she added with a sneer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have not seen her to-day,” Don Claudio said, -controlling himself. Then, with a sudden outburst, -“I would gladly console her!” he exclaimed, -and looked at his mother defiantly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>His defiance of her was like the flash of a wax -taper on steel. Madama leaned forward and raised -a warning finger.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You will leave her to be consoled by her -equals,” she said. “And when her grandfather is -dead, you will see her no more. Woe to her if -you disobey me!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The young man shrugged his shoulders to hide a -tremor.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Woe to her!” repeated his mother, marking -the tremor.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_4'>4</span>Don Claudio remained silent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Has she succeeded in compromising you?” -Madama asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The quick blood covered her son’s face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You might, at least, refrain from slandering -her!” he exclaimed. Then his voice became supplicating. -“Mamma, all that Tacita Mora lacks -is rank. She has a fair portion; and she has been -delicately reared and guarded. Her manners are -exquisite. And there can be no undesirable connection, -for she will be quite alone in the world.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>His mother made an impatient gesture, and was -about to speak; but he held his hands out to her.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Mamma, I love her so!” he exclaimed. “You -do not know her. She is not one of those girls who -give a man opportunities, and are always on the -lookout for a lover. We have never spoken a word -of love. We have only looked at each other. But -I cannot lose her!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He threw himself on his knees at his mother’s -side, and burst into tears.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She drew his head to her shoulder, and kissed -him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You have only looked at each other!” she repeated. -“My poor boy! As if that were not -enough! Claudio, we all have to go through with -it, as with teething. It is a madness. The only -safe way is to follow the counsel of those who have -had experience. It is only the pang of a day. -This kind of passion does not endure; but order -does. This is a passing fever of the fancy and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span>blood. Be patient a little while, and it will cure -itself. Do not allow it to compromise your future. -You will be glad of having listened to me when -your love shall have died out.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It will never die!” he sobbed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It will die!” she said. “And now, listen to -me. I have told the Sangredo that you are going -to visit them this afternoon. It is a week since -Bianca came home from school. You should have -gone sooner. Go, and make yourself agreeable. -If you do so, I will consent to your going once -more to see Professor Mora, and I will myself go -to inquire for him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The young man rose, and stood hesitating and -frowning.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Go, my dear!” his mother urged. “It is only -a civility, and commits you to nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He went slowly away, knowing well that further -appeal was useless. His mother followed him after -a moment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My gondola!” she said to a servant who was -taking off the tablecloth, and went on to an adjoining -boudoir where her daughter sat.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Boys are such a trial!” she said with an impatient -sigh, and dropped into a sofa. “Alfonso has, -happily, reached the age of reason. Enrico is -under good guardianship, or I should tremble for -his future, he is so impatient. It is true, Monsignor -Scalchi does live longer than we thought he -would; but, as I say to Enrico, can I kill Monsignor -Scalchi in order that you may be made a canon -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>at once? Wait. He cannot live long. Enrico -declares that he will never die. And now Claudio, -with his folly!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What will he do?” the daughter asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He will do as I command him!” the Marchesa -answered sharply. “I only wish, Isabella, that -you would be half as resolute with your son. Peppino -may go without his dessert this evening. It -may make him remember to rise the next time that -the mistress of the house leaves the table.”</p> - -<h3 class='c012'><span class='sc'>Scene II.</span></h3> - -<p class='c010'>In a boarding-house, on the Riva degli Schiavoni, -a number of tourists, among them some artists, -are seated at their one o’clock dinner.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Says a lady, “They say that the old Greek, or -Arabic, or Turkish, or Hindu, or Boston Professor -whom we met at the Lido last month—you -remember him, Mr. James?—well—where did I -begin? I’ve lost my nominative case.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>2d Lady.</em> They say that he is dying, poor old -man! My gondolier told me this morning that Professor -Mora has visited every part of the globe, -and knows a thousand languages. He seemed -even to doubt if the professor might not have been -to the moon. The gondolier evidently looks upon -him with wonderment. And as for the professor’s -granddaughter, she is one of the marvels of the -earth.</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>1st Lady.</em> Mr. James can tell you all about -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>that. I think he did succeed in getting a sketch -of the girl, if not of her grandfather. I don’t -know where he keeps it, unless it is worn next his -heart. It is not among the sketches that he shows -to people. In fact, everything about this family -is mysterious and uncommon.</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>A gentleman.</em> What is it, Mr. James? The -story promises to be interesting.</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Mr. James (sotto voce).</em> Damn the women! -(<em>Aloud.</em>) This old professor, I am told, came -here fifteen years ago, some say, from the East. -Shortly after, his widowed daughter with her little -girl followed him. I am not aware that they behaved -in a mysterious manner, unless it is a mystery -that people should be able to live quietly and -innocently, and mind their own business; all which -the Mora certainly achieved. They were not rich, -but to the poor and unfortunate they were angels -of mercy.</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>1st Lady (striking in).</em> Everybody didn’t -think so.</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Mr. James.</em> Everybody doesn’t think that -God is good. Of course there were servants’ stories -and gossips’ stories, and those who wished to -believe them did believe them.</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Gentleman.</em> Will the girl be left alone?</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>1st Lady.</em> Do not cherish any hopes, sir. The -mother is dead; but the young lady has an admirer. -He is a fine young man with a palace and -an ancestry, and the most beautiful eyes in the -world. She goes out with him in his gondola by -moonlight. It is so romantic!</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span><em>Mr. James.</em> Did you ever see them out together -by moonlight, or at any other hour?</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>1st Lady.</em> Others have.</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Mr. James.</em> What others? Name one!</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>1st Lady.</em> Really, sir! (<em>leaves the table</em>).</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Mr. James.</em> The Signorina Mora will not be -left alone. There is a respectable woman with -her—</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>2d Lady.</em> A nurse!</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Mr. James.</em> —a very respectable woman with -her who has been here since her mother died, two -years ago. She is an elderly woman of very pleasant -appearance and manners. Some one has said -that she belongs to some charitable order that -nurses the sick.</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>2d Lady (in a stage voice).</em> “Juliet! Where’s -the girl? What, Juliet!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Gentleman.</em> Ahem!</p> - -<h3 class='c012'><span class='sc'>Scene III.</span></h3> - -<p class='c010'>In the church of Saint X. the half of the Chapter -on duty that week had just come out of choir, -and were taking off their vestments and laying -them away, each in his proper drawer in the wall -of the sacristy. The sound of alternate singing -and praying yet came from the church. A Novena -was going on; and Monsignor Scalchi, the -old <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">canonico</span></i> for whose place Monsignor Loredan -waited so impatiently, officiated.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Some of the clergy hastened away, others lingered, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>chatting together. One stood watching the -gloomy way in which Monsignor Loredan flicked a -speck of dust from his broad-brimmed hat.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well?” said the young man, aware of the other’s -gaze, but without looking at him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I was wondering how Monsignor Scalchi is,” -his friend said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When he sees me, he coughs,” said the coadjutor.</p> - -<p class='c011'>At that moment the person of whom they spoke -entered the sacristy, with a priest at either hand. -A rustling cope of cloth of gold covered his whole -person, his eyes were downcast, his hands folded -palm to palm, and he murmured prayers as he -came.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The young men stood respectfully aside as he -passed, his garments smelling of incense, and went -to disrobe at the other end of the sacristy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t lose courage, Don Enrico!” said one of -the group. “He looks feeble. He can scarcely -lift his feet from the floor.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Poh!” exclaimed Don Enrico. “He is as -strong as I am. He buys his shoes too long, so -that they may drag at the heels and make him -seem weak in the legs.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He yawned, saluted with a graceful wave of the -hand, and sauntered out into the silent piazza.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don Enrico is out of temper about his brother’s -affairs, as well as his own,” one of his friends said -when he was out of hearing. “They say that -Claudio is in love with Tacita Mora, and is making -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>a fool of himself. If he should offend the -Sangredo, Don Enrico will lose the cardinal’s -patronage. Professor Mora was as blind as a bat. -He thought that Tacita was a child, and that Don -Claudio was enamored of the Chinese language.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But the nurse never leaves the girl,” some one -said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh! the nurse is dark!” said one of the sacristans.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Yes; they all agreed that the nurse was dark.</p> - -<p class='c011'>One after another they dropped away, till only -Monsignor Scalchi was left kneeling at a <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">prie-dieu</span></i>, -and an under-sacristan going about his work, filling -a silver lamp for the shrine of Saint X., shaving -down the lower ends of great yellow wax torches to -set in triple-footed iron stands for a funeral, counting -out wafers for the altar. There was silence -save for a light lapse of water against the steps -outside; there was a sleepy yellow sunshine on -the marble floor, and a smell of incense in the soft -air.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As Monsignor Scalchi rose from his knees, a -second under-sacristan entered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Here are the books from San Lazzaro, Monsignore,” -he said. “But the translations from the -Turkish are not yet ready. The illness of Professor -Mora delayed them. He was to have looked -them over.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did you learn how the professor is?” asked the -prelate, glancing over the books given him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I went to ask, Monsignore. Gian says that he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>is failing fast. The Marchesa Loredan has been -to see him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ah!” exclaimed Monsignor Scalchi, looking -up from the volume in his hand.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes; and Gian says that the nurse watches -over everything.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The nurse seems to be a dark one,” monsignore -remarked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” said the sacristan, “the nurse is dark.”</p> - -<h3 class='c012'><span class='sc'>Scene IV.</span></h3> - -<p class='c010'>The mistress of Palazzo Sangredo sat in one of -her stateliest salons talking with her cousin, the -Countess Bembo. At some distance from them, -half enveloped in the drapery of a great window, -Bianca Sangredo peeped out into the Canal.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I saw him myself!” said the countess in a vehement -whisper. “I saw him go into the house, and -I saw him come out. And he was there again this -morning, and stopped half an hour. You ought to -have an explanation with the marchesa. Everybody -knows that the families wish for a marriage -between him and Bianca. If Sangredo would stay -at home and attend to his duties, Don Claudio -would not dare to behave so. But Sangredo never -is at home.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, yes, he is!” said Sangredo’s wife languidly. -“He is always at home in Paris. But -the marchesa declares that Claudio goes to Ca’ Mora -to study, and that he already speaks Arabic -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>like a sheik. Professor Mora is famous. Papadopoli -says that since Mezzofanti no one else has -known so many languages.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” said her cousin sharply. “And the professor’s -granddaughter will teach him to conjugate -<i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">amore</span></i> in every one of them.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Mamma,” said Bianca from the window, “Don -Claudio’s gondola is at the step.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Come and sit by me, child!” her mother said -hastily.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When their visitor entered the salon, the two -elder ladies received him with the utmost cordiality. -Bianca only bent her head, and did not leave her -mother’s side; but her childlike dimpling smile -was full of kindness. She had a charming snow-drop -stillness and modesty.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have already seen you to-day, Don Claudio,” -said the Countess Bembo. “I passed you near the -Giudecca; and you did not look at me, though our -gondolas almost touched.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I beg your pardon!” he said seriously. “I had -been, or was going, to the house of Professor Mora, -and I saw no one. He lies at the point of death. -It is a great grief to me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The ladies began to question and sympathize. -After all, things might not be so bad as they had -feared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He will be a loss to the world, as well as to his -friends,” Don Claudio said. “His knowledge of -languages is something wonderful. Besides that, -he is one of the best of men. His mode of teaching -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>caught the attention at once. ‘Sometimes,’ -he once said to me, ‘you may see protruding from -the earth an ugly end of dry stick. Pull it, and -you find a long root attached. Follow the root, -and it may lead you to a beautiful plant laden with -blossoms. And so a seemingly dry and insignificant -fact may prove the key to a treasure of hidden -knowledge.’ That was his way of teaching. -However dry the proposition with which he began -a discourse, it was sure to lead to something interesting.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You must feel very sad!” the young girl said -compassionately.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is sad,” he answered, and let his eyes dwell -on her fair, innocent face. Then, the entrance of -other visitors creating a little stir, he bent toward -her and murmured “Thanks!”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span></div> -<div class='chapter ph1'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div>SAN SALVADOR.</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER I.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>It was a still night, and all eastward-looking -Venice, above a certain height, was enameled as -with ivory by the light of a moon but little past its -full. Below, flickering reflections from the water -danced on the dark walls. The bending lines of -street lamps showed in dull golden blotches in that -radiant air. The same golden spots were visible -on gun-boat or steamship, and on a gondola -moored at the steps of Casa Mora.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Above this waiting gondola a window stood wide -open to the night. It seemed to be the only open -window in Venice. All the others had their iron -shutters closed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Seen from without, this open window was as -dark as the mouth of a cave. But inside, so penetrating -an effulgence filled the room, one might -have read the titles of the books in cases that lined -all the walls.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The wide-open, curtainless window admitted a -square of moonlight so splendid as to seem tangible; -and in the midst of it, on a pallet, lay the old -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>professor, his face, hair, and beard almost as white -as the pillow they rested on. A slender girl knelt -at his right hand, her head bowed down. One -could see that her thick knot of hair was floss-fine -and gold-tinted, and her neck white and smooth. -At the opposite side of the couch a young man was -seated, bending toward it. In an arm-chair near -the foot, with her back to the light, sat a woman. -Her cheek resting on her hand, she gazed intently -at the dying man.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After a prolonged silence he stirred, and -stretched a thin hand to touch the girl’s head.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Go and rest awhile, my Tacita!” he said. “I -will recall thee. Go, Elena. I will recall thee.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The two rose at once and went out of the room, -hand in hand, closing the door.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I charge thee to let the girl alone!” Professor -Mora exclaimed the moment they were gone.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The young man started.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This is no time for idle compliments,” the -other pursued with a certain vehemence. “I know -that thou hast taken a fancy to Tacita because she -is beautiful and good. She is of a tender nature, -and may have some leaning toward thee. I should -have been a more jealous guardian of both.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I know that my mother has been here to-day,” -Don Claudio said bitterly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Thy mother is a worldly woman,” the old man -replied. “But in this she is right. Marry the -girl they have chosen for thee. It is not in thy -nature, boy, to be immovable and persistent in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>rebellion even against manifest injustice. Thy -protest would be the passion of a moment. They -would wear out thy courage and endurance. But -even with their consent, Tacita is not for thee. I -forbid it! Dost thou hear, Don Claudio Loredan? -I forbid it!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You seemed to like me!” Don Claudio exclaimed -reproachfully.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The professor moved his hand toward the -speaker. “I love thee, Claudio. But that makes -no difference. He who would have Tacita must -live even as I have, without luxury or splendor, -striving to learn what human life means, and following -the best law that his soul knows.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The young man sighed. He had no such plan of -life.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It will be a moment’s pain,” the other went on. -“But thy honor and her peace are at stake. I -charge thee”—he half rose in his earnestness—“I -charge thee to let the girl alone! Remember that -one day thou wilt have to lie as I lie here now, -all earthly passion burned to ashes, and only the -record of thy conscience to support, or cast thee -down.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Be tranquil!” said Don Claudio faintly, and -bowed his face into his hands. “I will obey.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The old man sank back upon his pillow with a -murmured word of blessing, and looked out at the -violet sky. For a while he remained silent. Then -he spoke again, as if soliloquizing.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The unfathomable universe! The baffling -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>problem! Only the shades of night and of life -reveal something of the mystery to us. For eighty -years I have studied life from every side. I was -hungry to know. And the more I learned of any -subject the more clearly I perceived the vastness -of my own ignorance. I tried in vain to grasp the -plan of it all. I built up theories, fitting into them -the facts I knew. Sometimes the mosaic grew to -show a pattern; and then, just as I began to rejoice, -all became confusion again. I was Tantalus. -Again and again the universe held its solution -before my soul. Only a line more, and it was -mine! Yet it was forever snatched away.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He was silent a little while; then resumed: “In -one of those moments of disappointment I recollected -a text of the Hebrew Bible taught me in -my childhood: <em>The fear of the Lord is the beginning -of wisdom</em>. When I learned it, two paths -of life were opening out before my mind. One -was like a hidden rivulet, flowing ever in lowly -places, seeking ever the lowest place, refreshing, -beneficent. The other was like a mountain path, -and a star shone over it. I chose the mountain -path. It was often steep and hard, and the star -recedes as you climb. But the air on those heights -is sometimes an elixir. We had a song at home:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘Sweet is the path that leads to what we love.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>How many a time I sang it to keep my courage up!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“In that moment of recollection I asked myself -if I might not have more surely attained to what I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>sought by taking the lowlier way, if the supernatural -might not have aided material science, as imagination -aids in the mathematics. What means -the story of the tree of knowledge and the tree of -life? Many of those old tales contain a golden lesson. -We do not study the past enough; and therefore -human life becomes a series of beginnings -without visible results. There are a few centuries -of progress, something is learned, something -gained, a clearer light seems to announce the -dawn of some great day, and men begin to extol -themselves; and then a shadowy hand sweeps the -board clean, and the boasters disappear, they and -their achievements. Perhaps out of each fading -cycle God gathers up a few from destruction. -<em>Many are called, but few chosen</em>, said the King. -For the others the story of Sisyphus was told.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Again there was a pause; and again he spoke:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I was tossed hither and thither. I had such -failures that life seemed to me a mockery, and -such successes that I would fain have lived a thousand -years. Of one thing in it all I am glad: I -never complained of God in failure, nor glorified -myself in success. I give thanks for that!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He closed his eyes and seemed to pray.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After a moment he spoke again.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have known one perfect thing on earth,” he -said, and clasped his hands. “I have found in -life one beauty that grows on the soul forever. -One being in touching the earth has consecrated it. -There is no flaw in Jesus of Nazareth.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>The pause that followed was so long that Don -Claudio bent to touch the cold hands.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The dying man roused himself.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Farewell, my beloved pupil!” he said. “God -be with thee! Go in peace! And tell them to -come to me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The young man knelt, and weeping, pressed his -lips to the cold hand that could not lift itself.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Farewell! God be with you!” he echoed in a -stifled voice; and rose and went out of the room.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A light shone through the open door of an adjoining -chamber, and Tacita and the nurse could -be seen each lying on a sofa inside. They started -up at the sound of Don Claudio’s step.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He wants you,” the young man said, and -pressed the hand of each as they passed by him, -then went down to his gondola. A moment later -they heard the ripple of his passage across the -lagoon.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita knelt beside her grandfather and took his -hand in hers. He drew her, and she put her face -close to his.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dost thou remember all, my child?” he whispered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I remember all!” she whispered back.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Thou wilt be strong and faithful?” he asked -in the same tone.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will be strong and faithful,” she answered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He said no more. His breath fluttered on her -cheek, and seemed to stop.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Elena!” she cried.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>After bending for a moment over the bed, the -nurse had gone to the window, and stepped out into -the balcony. She returned at that frightened call, -and knelt by the bed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In the silence that followed, a gondola slipped -under the balcony; and presently there rose from it -a singing voice, low toned, but impassioned and -distinct. It sang:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in6'>“San Salvador, San Salvador,</div> - <div class='line in12'>We cry to thee!</div> - <div class='line in10'>Danger is in our path,</div> - <div class='line in10'>The enemy, in wrath,</div> - <div class='line'>Lurks to delude our souls from finding thee!</div> - <div class='line in4'>We cry to thee! We cry to thee!</div> - <div class='line in12'>San Salvador,</div> - <div class='line in12'>We cry to thee!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The dying man, half sunk into a lethargy, -started awake.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The mountains!” he exclaimed, looking eagerly -out at the dark outline of housetops against the -eastern sky. “The mountains and the bells!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He panted, listened, sighed at the silence, and -sank back again.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The singer recommenced more softly; but every -word was so distinctly uttered that it seemed to be -spoken in the chamber:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in6'>“San Salvador, San Salvador,</div> - <div class='line in12'>We turn to thee!</div> - <div class='line in10'>All mercy as thou art,</div> - <div class='line in10'>Forgive the erring heart</div> - <div class='line'>That wandered far, but, weeping, homeward flies.</div> - <div class='line in6'>We turn to thee! We turn to thee!</div> - <div class='line in12'>San Salvador,</div> - <div class='line in12'>We turn to thee.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>“The mountains!” murmured the dying man. -“The curtain and the Throne!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Again the voice sang:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in8'>“San Salvador, San Salvador,</div> - <div class='line in14'>We live in thee!</div> - <div class='line in4'>’Tis love that holds the threads of fate;</div> - <div class='line in4'>Death’s but the opening of a gate,</div> - <div class='line'>The parting of a mist that hides the skies.</div> - <div class='line in4'>We live in thee! We live in thee!</div> - <div class='line in14'>San Salvador,</div> - <div class='line in14'>We live in thee!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>There was one more sigh from the pillow. A -whisper came: “We live in Thee!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My dear,” said the nurse, laying her hand -softly on Tacita’s bowed head, “Professor Mora is -no longer an infirm old man.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER II.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Professor Mora was buried in the cemetery of -San Michele, with the rites of the Roman Church, -though he had not received the last sacraments. -That he had not, was supposed to have been the -fault of the nurse. It was known, however, that -he had made his Easter Communion; and those -who had seen him before the altar at San Giorgio -on that occasion spoke of his conduct as very edifying.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Many of them would doubtless have been puzzled, -and even scandalized, could they have read -his mind. That he was, in soul, prostrate at the -feet of his Creator, there could be no doubt. He -had often, of late years, spent an hour in some -church, kneeling, or sitting in deep thought. He -found it easier to recollect himself in the quiet of -such a place, surrounded by religious images.</p> - -<p class='c011'>On this last Easter he had questioned:—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Shall I confess my sins to a priest? Why -not? It can do me no harm, and it may do me -good. I will declare what I know of my own -wrong-doing, addressing God in the hearing of this -man. He uses many instruments. Perhaps the -forgiveness of God may be spoken to me by the -lips of this man. Shall I tell this man that I do -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>not know whether he has any authority, or not? -No. I am doing the best that I can; and his -claim that he has authority will have no weight -with me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was the same with his communion.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is it true that the Blessed Christ, the Son of -God, is mystically concentrated and hidden in the -wafer which will be placed upon my tongue, and -that he will pervade my being, as the souls of a -thousand roses are concentrated in a vial of attar, -and scent all the house with their sweetness? I do -not know. Nothing that God wills is impossible. -If I cry out to him, O my Father, I search, and -grope, and cannot find my Saviour! Send him, -therefore, to meet my soul in this wafer, that I -may live! At this point let me touch him, and -receive help, as the sick woman received it from -his garment’s hem!—he could meet me there, if it -were his will, and pour all heaven into my soul -through that channel. Does he will it? I do not -know. But since it is not impossible, I will bow -myself as if he were here. Is there a place where -God is not?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Such was Professor Mora’s Easter Communion; -and many a formal communicant was less devout.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It is true that he had bent in heathen temples -with an almost equal devotion; but it was always to -the same God.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Show me the path by which the instinct of worship -in any people, or individual, climbs to what -it can best conceive of the Divine,” he said, “and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>there I will find the footsteps of God coming to -meet that soul. A sunbeam falls on limpid water -and a lily, and they shine like jewels. The same -beam, turning, falls unshrinkingly on the muddy -pool, that brightens also after its manner, and as -well as it can.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>To him the Indian praying-wheel, so often denounced -as the height of material superstition, -might be made to indicate a fuller conception of -the infinity of God than was to be found in much -of the worship that calls itself intelligent and spiritual. -Written over and over on the parchment -wound about this wheel is the one brief prayer, -“O Jewel in the Lotos, Amen!” Their Divine -One was as the light of the morning embodied and -seated on a lotos-flower. Their prayer confesses -nothing and asks nothing; yet it confesses and -asks all. It is a dull longing in the dull, and a -lark song in the spiritual. It expresses their despair -of being able to tell his greatness, or their -need of him. It repeats itself as the flutterings of a -bird’s wings repeat themselves when it soars. The -soul says, “As many times as it is here inscribed, -multiplied by as many times as the wheel revolves -when I touch it, and yet a million times more, do -I praise thee, do I implore thee, do I love thee, O -thou Divine Light of the world! Even as the -planets whirl ceaselessly wrapped about in the -hieroglyphs of obedience to thy laws, so does this -wheel, encircled by the aspirations of our worship, -speak to thee for us.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>He entered one of their temples with respect, and -kneeling there, remembered what their Hindu -teachers had said to him:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Owing to the greatness of the Deity, the One -Soul is lauded in many ways. The different Gods -are the members of the One Soul.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>And also: “One cannot attain to the Divine Sun -through the word, through the mind, or through -the eye. It is only reached by him who says, ‘It -is! It is!’”</p> - -<p class='c011'>As he meditated then with the door of his soul -wide open, it had seemed to him that all the gods -and all the worships of men had gathered themselves -before him, and mingled, as mists gather -into a cloud, and that from turbulent they had -grown still, and from dark they had gathered to -themselves light, growing more golden in the centre, -as though their divers elements were purifying -themselves to form some new unity, till the crude -and useless all melted away, parting to disclose an -infant seated on a lotos-flower, and shining like the -morning sun. And the lotos-flower was the figure -of a pure woman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is! It is!” he had said then. And that -wide essential faith had survived, though for details -of dogma he had gone out of the world with -the same word with which he had begun his studies: -“I do not know!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>A funeral gondola came and took his body away, -several gentlemen, Don Claudio among them, accompanying.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>Tacita, wrapped in the window curtain, watched -them till the gondola disappeared under the Rialto -bridge, then threw herself, sobbing, into her companion’s -arms.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The nurse persuaded her to seek some occupation. -“Come and help me make out the list of -books that Don Claudio is to have,” she said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Professor Mora had given a large part of his -choice library to Don Claudio.</p> - -<p class='c011'>This woman, Elena, had an interesting face. -There was something noble in the calm, direct look -of her eyes, and in her healthy matronly figure. -It would be difficult to describe her manners, except -by saying that there was nothing lacking, and -nothing superfluous.</p> - -<p class='c011'>One sees occasionally a great lady whose character -is equal to her social position, who has that -manner without mannerism. A certain transparency -of action follows the outlines of the intention. -When this woman spoke, she had something to -say, not often anything brilliant, or profound, but -something which the moment required.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita at once busied herself with the list, and -found comfort in it. She needed comforting; for -she was of a tenderly loving nature, and her almost -cloistered life had confined her interests to -that home circle now quite broken up. Her father -had died in her infancy. Her mother, not much -older than herself, had been her constant companion, -friend and confidant. The loss of her had -been a crushing one; and the wound still bled. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>But she and her grandfather had consoled each -other; and while he lived the mother had seemed -near. Now he, too, was gone!</p> - -<p class='c011'>And there was yet another pain. Some little -tendrils of habit and affection had wound themselves -about her grandfather’s favorite pupil, and -they bled in the breaking. For they were to separate -at once. Nor had she any wish to remain in -Venice. She well knew that she would not be allowed -to see Don Claudio, except at her peril, and -that jealous eyes were already fixed upon them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Yet how slight, how innocent their intercourse -had been! She went over it all again in fancy as -she took down book after book.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She and Don Claudio had always saluted each -other when he came; at first, with a ceremonious -bow, later, with a smile. They seldom spoke.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The table, piled with books, at which the professor -and his pupil sat, was placed before the lagoon -window, where, later, the old man’s deathbed -had been drawn. Her place was at a little -casement window on the <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">rio</span></i> that ran beside the -house. They spoke in languages which she did -not understand, and she had often dropped her -work to listen.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Sometimes, in going, his eyes had looked a wish -to linger; but she did not know how he had longed -to stay, nor how many glances had strayed from -the piles of books to her face. The graceful contours -of her form, her delicate whiteness, her -modesty, her violet eyes, the golden lights in her -hair—he had learned them all by heart.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>“Tacita. Yes,” he had thought, “that is the -right name for her. She stays there in that flickering -light and shade as silent as any lily!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Their world had been the world of a Claude -landscape, all floating in a golden haze.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Once they had all gone out into the balcony to -watch a steamship from Cairo move up the lagoon -that was all radiant and red with the setting sun. -Another time a thunder-storm had darkened about -them, so that they could scarcely see each other, -and Don Claudio, coming to her table, had asked -softly,—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Are you afraid, Tacita?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Another time he had brought her some roses -from his mother’s garden.</p> - -<p class='c011'>And now, everything was ended!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He will come to-morrow for his books,” she -thought; “and, after that, we shall never see each -other again. But we shall be alone together once, -and speak a word of the past, and say farewell, -like friends.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was all that she expected, or consciously -wished for, a friendly and sympathizing word, a -clasp of the hand, the first and the last, and a -“God be with you!” It would have sweetened -her sorrow and loneliness.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After the visit of the Marchesa Loredan, Tacita’s -grandfather had talked with her; and the girl -had assured him that there was nothing between -her and Don Claudio but the calmest good-will. -Her naturally quiet disposition had not been disturbed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>in his regard. But the thought that this -was to be their last meeting, and that for the first -time they would be alone, could not fail to agitate -her somewhat; and when morning came, her expectation -became a fluttering.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The books were all sorted, the house all ready -for their departure. She and Elena would leave -Venice the next morning. She was alone in the -room where her grandfather had studied, taught, -and died.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was a sound of oars that came nearer. -She listened, but would not look. “What can it -mean?” she thought. “There are double oars; -and he has but one gondolier.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Gian, the man-servant, entered and announced -the Marchesa Loredan and Don Claudio; and at -the same instant Elena slipped hastily into the -room, that her charge might not be found alone.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita’s heart sank heavily. She greeted her -visitors with an equal coldness, though Don Claudio’s -face implored her pardon.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Your books are all ready, Don Claudio,” she -said, when she could speak. “Professor Mora -said that you were to have those that are marked -with a white star. Gian will take them down. -Here is the list.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She gave him the paper, and he received it, -blushing with shame. He could not utter a word. -But the Marchesa’s voluble condolences and compliments -covered all defects in the conversation.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She was glad that the signorina was going to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>travel for a time. Nothing distracted one from -sorrow like traveling. Was there anything that -the Marchesa could do for her? She would send -her maid to the railway station the next morning -with a basket of luncheon for the travelers. If she -could help them in any other way, the signorina -might speak freely.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita recollected the reply of Diogenes when -Alexander asked: “Is there anything that I can -do for you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Only stand a little out of my sunshine,” said -Diogenes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Marchesa was most grateful for Professor -Mora’s gift to her son; and with the signorina’s approval, -Don Claudio proposed to erect a memorial -tablet in St. Michael’s to his honored preceptor.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The proposal pleased and touched the desolate -girl, and she tearfully thanked Don Claudio.</p> - -<p class='c011'>From her own point of view the Marchesa Loredan -had been very kind. Her visit would put -a stop to any serious gossip about her son and -Tacita; and she had shown a gracious regard and -respect for the dead <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">savant</span></i> and his family.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She had a very comfortable sense of having done -her duty, and been prudent in her own affairs at -the same time. That both Tacita and her grandfather -would have regarded such gossip with loathing -and contempt, and that they set no very high -value on her approval, she did not dream.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don Claudio should have been the one to tell -me this,” Tacita thought.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>The books were carried down, the laborious visit -came to an end, the orphan was alone again, her -sweet, sad hope crushed like a fragile flower.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Elena, take me away from here!” she exclaimed. -“No one has any heart. Take me -away!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t cry, dear! We will go in the morning,” -her friend said soothingly. “Don Claudio -will come to take leave of you at the station. He -found a chance to tell me so. He said that he -could not get away alone this morning.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“She is cruel, and he is weak,” said Tacita. “I -like not a weak man.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena shook her head. “Ah! my dear, a man -is usually weak before a strong-willed woman who -loves herself better than she does him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Don Claudio was, in fact, waiting at the station -when they arrived there the next morning.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I could not let you go without a word,” he said -in an agitated murmur. “I shall always remember, -and regret. Oh! the sweet old days! Tacita, -do not you see that my heart is breaking?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dear friend,” she answered gently, “we will -remember each other with a tender friendship. -Your heart will not break. It must not. A loving -wife will console you. <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Addio!</span></i>”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“To God!” There could be no more perfect -parting word. They clasped hands for one trembling -moment, then bowed their heads, and turned -away.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER III.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Among those who were on the steps of San Michele -when the funeral gondola of Professor Mora -reached them was a man who seemed to be waiting -to assist at his burial. He followed to the chapel, -and went away as soon as the service was over.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He was a young man, scarcely more than thirty -years of age, a little taller than medium, slender, -but athletic, and of a dark complexion. In the -light, his dark hair had an auburn tinge, and his -dark eyes a violet shade. His fine serious face had -a look of high intelligence, and in the church, -something even exalted, in its expression. He had -brows to which Lavater would have ascribed great -powers of observation; and his look was steady and -penetrating. It recalled the old story of disguised -deities who were recognized by their moveless eyeballs. -He was quiet, and his dress was conventional, -neither fine nor coarse. Both face and manner -expressed refinement. It could be seen that his -hands bore the marks of labor. If you had asked -what his trade was, he would have said that he was -a carpenter. Those who looked at him once with -any attention, looked again.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the funeral was over, this young man -crossed the Laguna Morta, and landed at the steps -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>behind San Marco. He went round into the -church, looking at every part of it attentively. -He did not appear to be either an artist or a worshiper, -still less a tourist.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He might have been taken for an artisan who -examined intelligently, but without enthusiasm, to -see how the work was done. A closer view of his -luminous dark eyes revealed a second expression, -something mystical and exalted, as though he looked -through the object his glance touched, and saw, -not only the workman who had wrought it, but his -mind and intention.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He made one slow circuit of the church, uttering -not a word till he went up stairs and looked at the -Judas hanging to a tree, the fresco half hidden in -a corner of the gallery.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“<i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Absit!</span></i>” he exclaimed then, shuddering.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As he went out of the church, an old man seated -on the step tried to rise, but with difficulty, being -lame. The stranger aided him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You suffer,” he said kindly. “Are you very -poor?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I do not suffer much,” the old man replied in a -cheerful tone. “But my joints are stiff. And I -am not poor. I have a son who earns good wages, -thank God!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>A sweet smile lighted for an instant the stranger’s -face. “Addio, brother!” he said, and went -on, out through the piazzetta, and down the Riva -degli Schiavoni.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Near a <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">rio</span></i> along which stretched a garden, several -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>boys were engaged with some object around -which they were crouched on the pavement. It -proved to be a little green lizard which they had -caught on the garden wall. They were trying to -harness it to a bunch of leaves. The little thing -lay on its back, gasping.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The stranger, with a quick, fiery movement, -pushed the boys aside, and released their captive. -He took the nearly dead creature in his hand, and -carried it to the garden wall, then returned to the -boys, who had been surprised into a temporary -quiescence.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Boys,” he said, “when some strong, cruel person -shall make you suffer for his amusement, remember -that lizard. If you should some day be -helpless and terrified and parched with thirst, remember -it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He left them speechlessly staring at him, called -a gondola, and gave the direction of the railway -station. As he passed Ca’ Mora, he looked earnestly -at the window over the balcony. Elena -stepped out and saw him. He raised his hand -above his face in salutation, and she replied, raising -her hand in the same way.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When he reached the railway landing, two gondoliers -were standing on the steps, confronting each -other in loud and angry dispute. They gesticulated, -and flung profane and furious epithets at -each other.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The stranger paused near them, and looked at -one of the disputants with a steady gaze that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>seemed presently to check his volubility. The -man grew uneasy, his attention was divided, he -faltered in some retort, then turned abruptly away -from his still menacing antagonist, and began to -fumble with the oars and <i><span lang="de" xml:lang="de">felse</span></i> of his gondola.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The stranger went into the station and bought -his ticket. As he stood waiting, the gondolier he -had observed came in and accosted him respectfully, -and with some embarrassment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I suppose you thought I was behaving badly, -signore,” he said. “But Piero has got three passengers -away from me to-day, and I couldn’t stand -it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have not condemned you, friend,” said the -stranger mildly. “What does your own judgment -say?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The man’s eyes fell. “I needn’t have used -certain words,” he said in a low tone.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Your judgment decides well,” said the stranger. -“It has no need of my interference. Addio, Gianbattista -Feroli.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Addio!” the gondolier echoed dreamily, and -stood looking after him. “He has a saint’s face,” -he muttered. “But how did he know my name!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER IV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>On leaving Venice, Tacita Mora’s ultimate destination -was to go to her mother’s relatives, after -some months spent in travel. Elena was to be her -companion and guardian on the journey.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Who her mother’s relatives were, and where they -were, she did not know. She had once asked her -mother, who replied,—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My child, it is better, for many reasons, that -you should not know till you see them. They are -quiet, respectable people. You have nothing to -disturb your mind about on their account. They -know of you. They will keep track of you, and -seek you at the proper time.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But, as I do not wish others, who would be unfriendly, -should know of them, it is better that you -should remain ignorant for the present. People -may ask you questions, and you will thus be spared -the trouble of evading, or refusing to answer. -Confide in no one. Absolutely, confide in no one, -as you value your life! The person who displays -curiosity concerning your private affairs is the very -last person whom you should trust. Curiosity is -a tattler, or an insinuator. Do not talk of your -personal affairs outside of your own family. I -will give you a sign by which my people are to be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>recognized. You are never to give that to any -one, even to them, nor to intimate that you know -such a sign. They will give it to you, anywhere, -if there should be need. If no trouble should occur, -it will be given you by the side of a rock. To -such a person you may trust everything.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>This conversation had taken place on their last -visit to the Lido, as they walked on the sands, -picking up shells, and dropping them again.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Professor Mora had given his granddaughter the -same charge, adding,—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Some one may solicit you artfully, suspecting a -secret, and pretending to know it. Beware of the -curious. For your life, remain firm and silent! -And now, forget it all till the time shall come to -remember. Do not let your imagination dwell -upon the subject.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was with this prospect that the orphan set out -on her travels.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Never was there a better companion than hers -proved to be. The nurse had traveled extensively, -and was guardian, friend, and courier in one. She -had all the firmness and courage that a man could -have, with the more ingratiating ways of a woman. -And she was an intelligent guide.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita was to remain under this woman’s protection -till her friends should claim her. She would -then place herself entirely under their guardianship, -and remain with them, if contented, five -years. If she should desire to leave them before -that time should expire, they were to find a retreat -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>for her. Her fortune was invested, and the -income regularly paid; but how it was placed she -did not ask. She only knew to whom she was to -look for money, and to whom she was to appeal in -case of accident. These persons were rather numerous, -and were scattered over the greater part of -Europe. None were of any special distinction, and -none were bankers. There was a musician of repute -among them, and a public singer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena was also to join friends of her own whom -she had not seen for years, when she should have -placed her charge in safety. Who and where these -friends were, Tacita took good care not to inquire. -They were people who lived in a small mountain -city, Elena volunteered to tell her. “And perhaps, -dear, you might like to go there with me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I would go anywhere with you!” Tacita said -warmly. “I do not dare to think of a time when -I must lose you. I will not anticipate trouble; -but when we have to part, you may be sure that I -shall insist on an appointment for a meeting not -far distant in time.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Traveling was a delight to Tacita. She had all -that curiosity to see the world that a child has to -whom the world is fairyland. The names of some -places were to her like roses, or music, or like rolling -thunder. She had read of them in prose and -song. When she looked at them, in their possibly -unimpressive features, she still found traces of -their story, like the furrows left in a face by some -tragical experience.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>“Oh, the waterfalls!” she exclaimed, as their -train rolled through the Alps. “So white above, -so green and white below! Where can I have seen -a white scarf like that wavering down from a -height! Perhaps I passed this way with my -mother when first we came to Venice. It is such -a fresh wild place!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She stood to look down at the torrent foaming -among gray rocks below; then leaned back on the -cushions, and fixed her eyes on the snow-peaks that -seemed almost in the zenith.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I remember so much that my grandfather used -to say, though I seemed often to listen carelessly,” -she said. “He sometimes made such an odd impression -on my mind. It might be he would talk -half to me and half to himself, as if thinking -aloud. He would seem to open the door of a subject, -look in curiously, find it unpromising, and -come out again. Or he would brighten as if he -had found a treasure, and go on talking beautifully. -When some astronomer had discovered a new star, -he said the Te Deum should be sung in the -churches, and he gave an alms and kept a lamp -burning all night in honor of it, and we had ices in -the evening. And before we separated to go to -our rooms, he read the Gloria, and said three -times over the sentence, ‘We give thee thanks for -thy great glory.’ Listening to him, I sometimes -felt as though people’s minds were, for the greater -part, like the tossing waves of a stormy sea. He -said once of a crowd, ‘They do not think; some -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>one has set them swinging. I wonder what sets -them all swinging! There is God, of course. -But what instrument does he use? The stress of -circumstance? Or is the tidal wave that gives the -impulse some human mind fully alive?’ I think -the human mind was his idea. He said that some -people were cooled off and crusted over like planets, -and others all alive, like suns. He used to -speak of reflective men and light-giving men. He -was light-giving.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They visited Germany and the North, France, -Great Britain, Spain and Algiers; and Tacita was -getting very tired, though she did not say so. -Elena had acquaintances in all those countries, and -appeared to have errands in some. A year passed. -It was spring again when they reached Seville from -Africa, saw the Holy Week processions, and laid -in a store of fans, silver filigree buttons, sashes, -and photographs. Already a large number of -boxes had been sent “home” from the different -countries they had seen.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The evening before setting out from Seville to -Madrid, Elena, for the first time, asked Tacita -concerning her mother’s relatives.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you do not know them, nor where they are,” -she said, “how can you communicate with them?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Both my mother and grandfather told me to -give myself no uneasiness,” Tacita replied. “I -thought that it was all settled with you. We are -soon to visit your home. After that, they will probably -come, or send for me. Are you impatient?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>“Certainly not, my dear! I would most willingly -keep you always with me. But you have -money, and some dishonest person might attempt -to deceive you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh! I have no fear,” said Tacita with a reserve -that savored of coldness. She was surprised -that the subject had been introduced, and astonished -at her companion’s persistence. It seemed -to have been avoided by mutual consent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Tell me how you will know them, and we will -seek them together,” said Elena.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have not to seek them,” said Tacita with decided -coolness.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is there, then, a secret?” asked her companion, -with playful mockery.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita looked at her steadily, and grew pale. -“I thought that I knew you; and I do not,” she -said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena resumed her dignity. “If you really object -to telling me, then I will not ask,” she said. -“You had not mentioned the fact that it was a -great secret.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Nor have I said so now,” answered the girl -with a look of distress. “My mother talked with -me of our affairs just before she died, and my -grandfather gave me some directions. What they -said to me is sacred, and is mine. I do not wish to -talk of it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You swear that you will not tell me?” said -Elena, looking at her keenly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will not swear to anything!” exclaimed Tacita. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>“And I request you not to mention the subject -again.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We will then dismiss it,” said her companion, -and rose to leave the room. “I presumed on what -I thought was a confidential friendship, and on the -fact that your family confided you to me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita said nothing. Her head drooped. All -her past sorrows seemed to return upon her. This -woman, heretofore so dignified and so delicate, had -appeared to her in a new light. She had sometimes -fancied that Elena understood something of -her affairs; but, apparently, she did not. That -she should show a vulgar and persistent curiosity -was shocking.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After a while Elena came into the room, and -standing at a window, looked out into the purple -twilight starred with lamps. The crowd that in -Seville seems never to sleep was flowing and murmuring -through the plaza and the streets.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita was weeping silently.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My dear child!” exclaimed the woman, going -to embrace her. “Are we not friends?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You made me fear that we were not,” said -Tacita.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dismiss that fear! I will never so offend you -again.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER V.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>One morning shortly after their arrival at Madrid, -the two went to the great picture-gallery, of -all picture-galleries the most delightful.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When you shall have seen Murillo’s Conceptions,” -Elena said, “you will see the difference between -a sweet human nature and a supernatural -creature. Raphael has painted good and beautiful -women full of religious feeling; Murillo has -painted the miraculous woman. The Spaniard had -a vision of the Divine.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You have been in Madrid before?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“For two years,” said Elena quietly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They entered the large hall. It was early for -visitors; but two artists were there copying. One -had had the courage to set his easel up before one -of Murillo’s large Conceptions.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita seated herself before that heavenly vision, -and became absorbed in it. It was a revelation to -her. The small picture in the Louvre had made -but a slight impression on her, weary as she was -with sight-seeing. But here was a reflection of -heaven itself in the exquisite figure that floated before -her supported on a wreath of angels, the white -robe falling about her in veiling folds, and the long -cerulean scarf full of that same wind that shook -<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>the house wherein waited the Apostles and the -Marys when the Holy Ghost descended upon them. -The two little hands were pressed palm to palm, -the long black hair fell down her shoulders, her -large black eyes, fixed on some dawning, ineffable -glory, were full of a solemn radiance, her delicate -face was like a white lily in the sunshine. The -figure was at once childlike, angelic, and imposing.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita had not removed her eyes from the picture -when Elena came to touch her arm, and whispered: -“Do you know that you have not winked -for half an hour?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita roused herself. “I scarcely care to look -at anything else now,” she said. “I will glance -about the room there, and then go home.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She went into the Isabella room, and walked -slowly along the wall. Nothing dazzled her after -that Murillo. Even Fra Angelico’s angels looked -insipidly sweet beside its ethereal sublimity. The -“Perla” kept her but a moment. Those radiant -black eyes of the “Concepcion” seemed to gaze at -her from every canvas. She was about leaving the -room, when something made her turn back to look -again at an unremarkable picture catalogued as “A -Madonna and Saints.” Of the two catalogues she -saw, one ascribed it to Pordenone, the other to -Giorgione. She glanced at it without interest, -wondering why she had stopped. The Madonna -and Child, and the woman who held out to them a -basket of red and white roses might just as well not -have been painted for any significance they had; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>and she was about turning away when she caught -sight of a face in the shadowed corner of the canvas -behind the kneeling woman.</p> - -<p class='c011'>This was no conventional saint. The man -seemed to be dressed in armor, and his hand rested -on a sword-hilt or the back of a chair. The shadows -swathed him thickly, leaving the face alone -distinct. One guessed at a slight and well-knit -figure. The face was bronzed, and rather thin, the -features as delicate as they could be without weakness. -Dark auburn hair fell almost to the shoulders, -a slight moustache shaded the lip, a small -pointed beard the chin. The brows were prominent, -and strong enough to redeem a weak face, -even; and beneath them were the eyes that go with -such brows, penetrating, steady, far-seeing, and -deep-seeing. Those eyes were fixed on the Madonna -and Child, not in adoration, but with an earnest -attention. He stood erect, and seemed to be -studying the characters of those two beings whom -the woman before him knelt to worship. Yet, -reserved and incisive as the look was, something -of sweetness might be discerned in the man’s -face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita, half turned to go away, remained gazing -at that face, fascinated. What a fine strength and -purity! What reserve and what firmness! It -was a face that could flash like a storm-cloud. -Would anything ever make such a man fear, or -be weak, careless, or cruel?</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena came and stood by her, but said nothing.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>“Behold a man,” said Tacita, “whom I would -follow through the world, and out of the world!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Her companion did not speak.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why was I not in the world when he lived in -it!” the girl went on. “Or why is he not here now! -Fancy that face smiling approval of you! Elena, -do the dead hear us?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The living hear us!” replied the woman. “Is -the air dead because you cannot see it? Is it powerless -because it is sometimes still? It is only the -ignoble who go downward, and become as stones.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She spoke calmly and with a sort of authority.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They went out together.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We are late for our luncheon,” Elena said as -they got into their carriage. “We must lose no -time, if we are to see the king and queen go out -to drive. Are you decided to leave Madrid to-morrow?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I don’t know,” Tacita replied absently.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I shall want to know this evening, dear; so try -to make up your mind. I want to send for some -of my people to meet us. I hope that you will like -my people.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If they are like you, I shall love them,” Tacita -said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How long will you be content to stay with us?” -the woman asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How can I say, Elena? You have told me -that your people are quiet, kind, and unpretending. -That is pleasant, but only that is not enough for a -long time. I want to see persons who know more -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>than I do, who can paint, play on instruments, -dance, sing, model, write poetry, speak with eloquence, -and govern with strength and justice. I -think that my heart would turn to lead if I had -to live forever with people who were uncultivated. -But if your people are like you, they are not -merely simple. You know a great deal more than -I do; and you are always <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">simpatica</span></i>.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“By simplicity, I do not mean ignorance,” her -friend said. “Professor Mora was simple. Some -barbarous persons are very involved and obscure.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh! if you speak in that sense”—</p> - -<p class='c011'>They ate their luncheon, stepped into the carriage -that was waiting for them, and drove to the -Plaza del Oriente. A good many persons were -standing about the streets there waiting to see the -young king and queen, Alfonso and Cristina, drive -out. It was a gathering of leisurely, serious-looking -people, with very few among them showing -signs of poverty. The sky was limpid above the -trees; and in the square opposite the corner at -which our travelers waited, a bronze horseman -seemed leaping into the blue over their topmost -boughs.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita glanced about her, at the people, the palace -gate from which the royal cortége would issue, -at the bronze horseman in the air; and then, turning -a little to the other side, saw a man leaning -carelessly against the trunk of a tree—saw him, -and nothing else.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She felt as though she had received an electric -<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>shock. There before her was the face of the Giorgione -picture, every feature as she had studied it -that morning, and the very expression of which she -had felt the power. He was gazing at the palace -gate, not as though waiting to see, but already seeing. -One would have said that the walls were -transparent to him, and that he was so absorbed in -observing that king and queen whom no one else -saw as to be oblivious to all about him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>His dress was some provincial or foreign costume. -Black velvet short-clothes were held at the -waist by a fringed scarf of black silk. His short -jacket of black cloth was like a torero’s in shape. -He wore a full white shirt, black stockings and -sandals, and a scarlet fez on his dark hair in which -the sunshine found an auburn tint.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita gazed at him with eyes as intent as his -own. The smileless lips, the brow with its second -sight, the pointed beard and faintly bronzed skin—they -were the same that she had but an hour or -two before engraven on her mind in lines as clear -and sharp as those of any antique intaglio.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The stranger had not seemed aware of her observation; -and the distance at which he stood from -her gave no reason for his being so. But presently, -when she began to wonder if he would ever -stir, he went quietly to a poor woman who, with a -child in her arms, leaned against the fence behind -him, and took the child from her.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She looked surprised, but yielded in silence. -The infant stared at him, but made no resistance. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>He had not looked directly at either of them, nor -addressed them. He brought the child to the carriage, -and held it out, his eyes lowered, not downcast, -nor once looking at its occupants.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Both Tacita and Elena silently placed a silver -coin in the child’s hand.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The man retreated a step, respectful, but not -saluting, and carried the child to its mother. She -showed in receiving it the same silent surprise with -which she had yielded it to him. The stranger returned -to his former position under the tree. He -had not looked at any one, nor spoken a word; yet -he had displayed neither affectation nor rudeness. -A winged seed could not have floated past with -more simplicity of action, nor yet with more grace.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was a stir among the people. Two horsemen -had issued from the palace gate, and an open -carriage followed, behind which were again two -other cavaliers. Tacita descended hastily from the -carriage. In doing so she glanced at the tree -against which the stranger had leaned; but he was -no longer to be seen.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The royal carriage passed by, its occupants bowing -courteously to the young traveler who courtesied -from her post on the sidewalk. The queen was -pale and sad-looking, the spirited face of the young -king had something in its expression that was almost -defiant. The spectators were cold and merely -civil. At such a sight one remembers that kings -and queens have also hearts that may be wounded, -and that they sometimes need and deserve compassion. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>Few of them, indeed, have willfully grasped -the crown; and on many of them it has descended -like a crown of thorns.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The king gives the queen the right hand, -though she is queen consort only,” Tacita said as -they drove away. “In Italy the king regnant must -absolutely have the right; and etiquette is quite as -imperative in placing the gentleman at the lady’s -left hand. Consequently, the king and queen of -Italy do not drive out together. Gallantry yields -to law, but evades a rudeness.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She was scarcely conscious of what she was saying. -Her eyes were searching the street and -square. “What is his name?” she exclaimed suddenly, -without any preface whatever.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“His name is Dylar,” answered Elena. “He -will make a part of the journey with us.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He is from your place?” Tacita asked. She -could not have told whether she felt a sudden joy -or a sudden disenchantment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, he is from our place.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The child was not his?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, no!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why did he bring it to us?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Probably he saw that they were poor.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Does he know them?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He must know that they are poor, or he would -not have asked charity for them.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He asked nothing,” said Tacita.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yet you gave.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is true; he did ask and seemed sure of receiving. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>Why does he make a part of the journey -with us?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He knows the way and the people. He will -meet us when we cross the mountains.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wonder if they are the mountains that my -grandfather remembered!” thought Tacita, and -asked no more. Some feeling that was scarcely -fear, but rather a sense of coming fate, began to -creep over her. She had entered upon a path -from which there was no retreat, and something -mysterious was stealing about her and closing -her in.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dylar is here,” Elena said as they drove into -the gardens of the Ritiro. “Shall we stop and -speak to him? I want to tell him when we will -leave Madrid. What shall I say?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We will leave to-morrow morning,” Tacita -said, looking eagerly around. Already it seemed -to her a wonderful thing to hear this man speak.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He was walking to and fro under the trees, and -came to the side of their carriage immediately. -He glanced at Tacita, and slowly bowed himself in -something of an oriental fashion. One might have -hesitated whether to compare his manner to that of -a perfectly trained servant come to take orders, or -to the confident reserve of a sovereign about to hear -if his orders had been obeyed. “The signorina -has decided to set out to-morrow morning,” Elena -said to him. “We shall not stop anywhere.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will meet you at the orange-farm,” the man -answered quietly.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>The voice was clear and low, the enunciation -perfect.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He looked at Tacita with a reassuring kindness. -“Elena knows all that is necessary,” he said. -“Trust to her, and have no fear.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She felt herself in the presence of a superior. -“I have no fear now,” she replied; and thought, -“How did he know that I was afraid!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He drew back, and they went on their way, -neither speaking of what had occurred.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER VI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Tacita resumed her journey in a dream, and -pursued it in a dream. She asked no questions, -and observed but little, though at times it seemed -to her that the line of their progress was a zigzag. -Did they cross the water a second time? Why did -they travel so much by night, and sleep by day? -She did not care. Her mind became dimly aware -of these questions rather than asked them. Had -she taken hashish? No matter. All that she -wanted was rest. Her very eyelashes and fingernails -were weary. Oh, for the mountains, for a -place to call home, and rest!</p> - -<p class='c011'>She received the impression that a part of the -country through which they passed was like a -burnt-out world, all sand and black rocks, so that -the limpid rivulet that met them somewhere was a -surprise. She wondered languidly that it was not -dried up. Was it a week, or a month, since Dylar -had said, “Have no fear”? No matter. She had -no fear; but she was, oh, so weary! Fortunately, -nothing was required of her but passive endurance -of fatigue. She was borne along, and tenderly -cared for.</p> - -<p class='c011'>One day she roused herself a little, or something -was done to rouse her. They were in an easy old -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>carriage drawn by mules. It had met them at a -solitary little station of which she had not seen nor -asked the name; and they had been driving through -a dry plain, and were now in pine woods.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena gave her some little cakes of chocolate and -slices of lemon. “We are almost out of provisions,” -she said; “but in an hour you shall have -a good dinner; and then to bed with her, like a -sleepy child.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena was smiling brightly. Tacita gave a languid -smile in return, and leaned back, looking out -the window. The pines had ceased, and there was -a rice-field at one side, and orange-trees heavily -laden with ripe fruit at the other.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The oranges reminded her of Naples, which she -had visited when a child. The blue bay and blue -sky seemed to sparkle before her, the songs bubbled -up, there was the soft splendor of profuse flowers, -the fruits, the joy in life, the careless gayety; -and, crowning these delights, that ever-present -menace smoking up against the sky, telling of boiling -rivers from a boiling pit of inextinguishable -fire ever ready to overflow, bearing destruction to -all that beauty.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The utmost of earthly delight has ever its -throne on the edge of a crater,” she thought.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The orange-trees pressed closer, right and left, -there were blossoms with the fruit, and the western -sun shone through both. The air was fresh -and sweet. She saw nothing but glossy foliage and -golden balls, and a green turf strown with gold.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>“It is Andalusia, or the Hesperides!” she said, -waking, and sitting up.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Even as she spoke, the green and gold wall came -to an end, and at a little distance a whitewashed -stone house was visible.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look!” exclaimed Elena; and leaning toward -her, pointed upward out of the carriage window.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Behind the house, showing over its roof like a -crown on a head, was a curve of olive-trees on a -hill-top. Above the trees rose wild rocks in fantastic -peaks and precipices, and above the rocks, -closely serrated, was a range of Alp-like mountains -upholding a mass of snow and ice that glittered -rosily in the sunset.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is it your home?” asked Tacita eagerly. “How -beautiful!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not yet,” her friend answered, her eyes, filled -with tears of joy, fixed on those shining heights. -“But from my home those mountains are visible. -To-morrow night I shall sleep under my own blessed -roof!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The door of the house stood open, but no one -appeared in it. At some distance were several -persons, men and women, gathering oranges. They -paused to look at the travelers, but made no movement -to approach them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We do not need any one,” Elena said. “You -shall go directly to your chamber; and after supper -you shall sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They entered a vestibule from which a stair ascended. -The inner doors were closed. They went -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>up to a pleasant chamber that looked toward the -mountains and the south. At their left, toward -the east, twilight had already come under the -shadow of those heights and the pines beneath. -But shafts of red gold still shot over their heads -from the west, and all the shadows had a tinge of -gold. An orange-tree that grew beneath their window -lifted a crowded cluster of ripe fruit above the -sill, as if offering it to the travelers.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Thank you!” Tacita said, and detached one -from the bunch where they grew so close that each -one had a facet on its side.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena, who seemed to feel perfectly at home, left -her resting and went down stairs for their supper. -She had made no mistake in saying that it would -be a good supper. An hour later, the shadows -had lost their gold, and Tacita was asleep.</p> - -<p class='c011'>How sweet is the deep sleep of weariness that -hopes and trusts! It is not alone that every nerve -and muscle lets slip a burden, that the heart gives -a thankful sigh, and the busy brain grows quiet. -The pleasure is more than negative. Such sleep -comes as the tide comes in calm weather. Transparent, -yet tangible, it steals over the tired senses, -its crest a whispered lullaby. Deeper, then, smoothing -out the creases of life with a down-like touch. -Yet deeper, and a full swell submerges the consciousness, -and you lie quiescent at the bottom of -an enchanted sea.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER VII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Are you prepared for mountain climbing?” -Elena asked the next morning when Tacita woke.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am prepared for anything! I have had such -a refreshing sleep! How long has it been?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Nearly twelve hours, my dear. Your ancestors -must have come from Ephesus. I thought that I -knew how to sleep; but the singleness of purpose -with which you lay yourself away is something entirely -your own. It is a gift. It arrives at genius. -Now, who do you think that I can see coming over -a rocky path above the olives?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Can it be Dylar?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is Dylar. He will be here in fifteen minutes.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The people of the house paid as little attention -to their guests in the morning as they had the -evening before. Elena brought the breakfast, -if she did not prepare it. Probably they were -all out picking oranges. Children were visible -at a distance gathering the fruit up from under -the trees. The orchard was a good many acres in -extent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When Tacita, prepared for her journey, went -down to the door, their driver of the day before -stood there with two donkeys girded with chair-shaped -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>saddles, with high backs and foot-rests. -Not far away there was another donkey. Beside -it stood a man who uncovered his head, and looked -with an eager smile at the young traveler when she -appeared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He is one of my people,” Elena said. “I have -been talking with him. You should salute him in -this way,” lifting her hand above her face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita imitated her with a smiling glance toward -the guide, who responded.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Away under the trees talking with the farmers -was a third man, who as soon as Tacita appeared, -came to meet her.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was Dylar; but Dylar in a conventional dress -such as any gentleman might wear in traveling; and -with the dress, he had assumed something of the -conventional manner. Had he lost by the change? -she asked herself, while he made courteous inquiries, -and looked to see if her saddle was firm. No: -the face was the same, and could easily make one -forget the costume; and there was sincerity in the -tone of his inquiries.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We cross this angle of the mountains, and go -back almost in the direction from which you came -yesterday,” Dylar said. “I am sorry that it was -necessary to take you by the longer way. Late in -the afternoon we shall reach a house where you -and Elena will sleep. It is a solitary place, but -more comfortable than it looks at first sight, and -it is quite safe. To-morrow you will have but -three hours’ ride.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>They mounted, and took the path that led backward -over the heights. They rode singly, Elena -with her guide leading. Tacita followed with a -man at her bridle, and Dylar came last.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The air grew cooler and finer. It was the air -that makes one wish to dance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita asked herself what it could be in all these -faces,—Dylar’s, Elena’s, the two guides’, yes, -and in her own mother’s and grandfather’s,—which -made them resemble each other in spite of -different features and characters. It was a spiritual -family resemblance. Ingenuous was not the -word. It was not dignity alone. Strong and gentle -did not describe it. It was the expression of a -certain harmonious poise and elastic firmness of -mind indicating that each one had found his -proper place, and was content with it; indicating, -too, a mutual complaisance, but a supreme dependence -on something higher.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Their way led deeper into the mountains. Now -and then, in turnings of the path, Tacita lost sight -of her companions. She looked backward once for -Dylar. When he appeared, he smiled and waved -his hand to her encouragingly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He smiled!” she whispered to herself, but did -not look back again.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The sky was blue and cloudless, and pulsed with -its fullness of light. Somewhere, not far away, -there was a waterfall. Its infant thunder and lisping -splash pervaded the air. The scene grew more -grand and terrible. One moment they would be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>shut into a narrow space from which exit seemed -impossible, dark stone grinding close without a -sign of pathway; then the solid walls were cleft as -in an instant. In the near deeps lurked a delicate -shadow; far below was revealed from time to time -a velvety darkness.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita’s mind, floating between present contentment, -a half-forgotten pain, and a mystical anticipation, -confused the scene about her with others -far away. Clustered windows, crowded sculptures -and balconies, seemed to emboss the cliffs at either -hand, or float in misty lines along their surfaces. -The sound of the haunting cascade became the dip -of oars, or the swash of the lagoon ploughed by a -steamboat. She saw their time-stained old Venetian -house; and the last scenes she had witnessed -there rose before her. A wreath of mist that had -risen from some invisible stream and paused among -the rocks recalled a narrow bed with a white-haired -old man lying on it, peaceful and dead. -The hymn sung as he died seemed only that moment -to have ceased on the air. Why had it -sounded familiar? Perhaps it might have a phrase -in common with some song she knew. How did it -go? She hummed softly, feeling for the tune, -found a bar or two, and sang in a low voice.</p> - -<p class='c011'>To her astonishment, her guide at once took up -the strain, and from him Elena and her guide, and -then Dylar. They sang:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“San Salvador, San Salvador,</div> - <div class='line in12'>We live in thee!</div> - <div class='line in2'><span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>’Tis love that holds the threads of fate;</div> - <div class='line in2'>Death’s but the opening of a gate,</div> - <div class='line'>The parting of a mist that dims the sky.</div> - <div class='line in4'>We live in thee! We live in thee!</div> - <div class='line in12'>San Salvador,</div> - <div class='line in12'>We live in thee!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita held her breath to listen. Was she indeed -riding through mountain paths and morning -air, or lying in a dream in some strange land? -Dylar’s was the voice that had sung beneath their -window when her grandfather was dying!</p> - -<p class='c011'>The way grew wilder. The rocks were black -and frowning. Sometimes their path was but a narrow -shelf along the face of a precipice. Once the -guide made her descend, and fastened a rope from -iron hook to hook set in the rock for her to hold in -passing.</p> - -<p class='c011'>At noon they reached a little plateau,—a few -feet of short turf, some tiny vines and spotted -lichens, and a blue flower, all of which seemed miracles -in that place. Here they dismounted and ate -their luncheon.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What a wonder a flower would be, if there were -only one in the world!” Dylar said, seeing Tacita -bend over this.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She smiled, and continued to examine it carefully, -without touching. It seemed something sacred. -Who drew the little lines on its petals, and -scattered the gold dust in its heart, and gave it all -that seeming of innocent faith and courage? The -grass-blades, too, with their fine serrated edges, -and sharp points thrust upward, then curving over, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>as if they were spears changing to pruning-hooks,—what -beautiful things they were when there were -but few!</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dylar and Elena talked with their guides in a -language that she had never heard before, yet -which she could almost understand.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was a clear-sounding and sonorous language, -with a good deal of accent, and it almost sang.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You will soon learn it,” Elena said. “It is -the flower of all languages, not yet rich, but -pure.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They mounted, and pursued their way. After -some hours the path began to broaden and descend. -They entered a pine wood, and the sun deserted -them, showing only on the tops of the highest trees. -The way was dim and fragrant, long brown aisles -of gloom stretched away at their left. But only a -fringe of trees stood between them and the crags at -their right.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The path turned with a long curve, and they -were at the door of a dark old house, built of rough -stones, and set against a cliff. Opposite the door -a road went down into the pines, and disappeared. -The road by which they had come continued past -the door, descended gently, and disappeared around -the cliffs.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The house had a sinister, deserted look. The -door was off the hinges, and set against an inner -wall. The rude shutters of an upper window hung -half open. Where the masonry of the house ended -and the natural rock began was not apparent. Nature -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>had adopted the rough stones, and set her -lichens and grasses in their interstices.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A rivulet fell from the heights into a trough near -the door, twisting itself as it fell, and braiding in -strands of light. From the trough the water -overflowed, and followed the road.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is not so bad as it looks,” Elena said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dylar came to assist Tacita. “I think that you -will be able to rest well here, unpromising as it -looks,” he said. “Do not be anxious. You will -be well guarded. And to-morrow your journey -will come to an end.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>As they entered the house, a man came hastening -down the stairs. He saluted Dylar with reverence -and Elena with delight. They spoke together -in the language the guides had used. The man -bowed lowly before Tacita, and smiled a welcome.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The room had no door but that by which they -had entered, and no furniture but a rough bench -and table. There was a cavernous chimney. The -floor was strown all about with twigs and pine-needles.</p> - -<p class='c011'>One of the guides brought in some boughs, and -kindled a fire on the hearth.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dylar took leave of Tacita, and pursued his way -down the carriage-road leading by the rocks. In -parting he said,—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“After to-morrow I will see you, if the King -wills.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>A stair led directly from the room to a landing. -Two doors opened on this landing. One was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>closed. The other stood wide open into a chamber -that was in pleasant contrast with the room below. -A wide white bed, a deep sofa, a commode and -mirror, a table set with covers for two drawn up -before the sofa, and a second table holding roasted -fowl, salad, wine, and fruit promised every necessary -comfort. The room was rough but clean. -A gray muslin curtain was drawn back from one -side of the window, and there was a glazed sash in -a sliding frame at the other.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Isn’t it cosy!” said Elena, who seemed to be -overflowing with joy at finding herself so near -home. “Now, lie down on the sofa, dear, and you -shall have some soup as soon as it is hot. We -shall fare well. Our supper has been prepared by -the housekeeper at the castle, and sent in good -order.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I must not ask what castle?” Tacita said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, Castle Dylar, of course!” Elena said, -and went down stairs for the soup.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was a sound from below of the door being -set on its hinges and barred, and the shutters were -closed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The guides will sleep below,” Elena said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Elena,” said Tacita, “what did Dylar mean -when he said ‘if the King wills?’ Who is the -king?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Christ Jesus,” replied Elena, bowing her head.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“<i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Evviva Gesù!</span></i>” exclaimed the girl with pleasant -surprise. “And is Dylar the master of Castle -Dylar?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>“He is sole master!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Am I allowed to ask if he has any title of nobility?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He is a prince,” said Elena.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She asked no more.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Later, when half asleep, she became aware of -strange sounds from below, as of a heavy weight -falling, and grating hinges.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t be afraid,” Elena said. “The men are -putting the donkeys in their stable. And our -chamber door is strongly barred.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER VIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>The sun was high when Tacita woke the next -morning. The chamber door was open, and an -odor of coffee came up the stair. The window sash -and curtain had been drawn back, admitting the -pine-scented air and a rain of sunshine that fell -over everything in large golden drops.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was late. “But that does not matter,” Elena -said, coming up with the coffee. “We could not -have started sooner. My brother had to come for -us; and it takes three hours. There were other -things to do besides. And when they were all done, -we talked over the incidents of a five years’ separation. -How glad I was to see him!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tears were shining in her eyes. “There is no -haste. My brother has to prepare some things. -We go by an inner path, not the one Dylar took. -We travel in a southwesterly direction across the -mountains; and you will reach your chamber long -before sunset. I have thought that you would not -care to see any strangers to-night. Am I right? -Well, now we will go down. But first, I have a -word to say to you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was something in her face that arrested -attention, an excitement that was almost a trembling. -“Tacita, do you remember all that your -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>mother and grandfather told you, which you refused -to repeat to me?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita made no reply in words. Already she -divined.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The nurse leaned to whisper a word in her ear, -and give her a sign.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita looked at her with a mild surprise.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The nurse went to look out the window, and returning, -repeated her pantomime and whisper.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well?” said Tacita wonderingly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dylar reproved me for having tried you in -Seville,” the nurse said, and again repeated the -whisper and the touch.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I might have known!” Tacita exclaimed joyously, -embracing her. “I did almost know. It is -all that was needed to make me perfectly happy! -And now, let us start for home. At last I can -call it home! ‘By the side of a rock,’ my mother -said.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They went down stairs. There was no one visible, -and the door was still barred. Elena led her -companion into the niche under the stair, and -tapped on the stone wall. Immediately, as though -her light touch had pushed it, a part of the wall -receded a few inches, was lifted a few inches, and -swung slowly backward. It was a door of small -stones set in a plank frame, the irregular edges -fitting perfectly into the masonry about them. A -narrow, dim passage was visible, leading downwards.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They descended, hand in hand, passing by a man -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>who stood there in the shadow; and the door was -closed and barred behind them. It was hung on -iron hooks that were round at the top, and square -below. When the bars were removed, and the -door freed from the wall, a pulley lifted it from the -square to the round iron on which it swung.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The incline led to a small cave, scarcely larger -than the room above. It was all open to the west, -and an abyss separated it from a precipice, leaving -only a narrow shelf of rock outside the cave’s -mouth. Beside this shelf, no other egress was visible.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The place showed signs of having been recently -used as a stable. For the rest, it might not have -been visited for years. There was an old chest -with rusty hinges, an old box full of pine-needles, -and some discolored blocks of wood that might have -served as seats.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is Arone, my brother!” said Elena, when the -man came down to them after fastening the door.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He had a sunny face, and he resembled his sister -so closely that an introduction was scarcely necessary. -His dress set off a fine manly figure. It -was a gray cloth tunic reaching to the knees, and -girded with a dark blue fringed sash. Long gray -stockings and a gray turban-shaped cap with a blue -band completed his costume. The band of the cap -was closed over the left ear with a small silver -hand.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The shelf of rock proved to be their path. Holding -by a rope fixed in iron hooks, they followed its -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>curve to a small platform of rock. From this, a -bridge of two planks, over which the rope was continued, -crossed the chasm to a second shelf. This -was more dangerous than the first; for it was wet, -and the sheer rock it followed was dripping. Beyond, -in a wider path, were their guides of the day -before, and the donkeys.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Holding the rope, Tacita passed the wet rock, -not daring to look downward, and was received by -her companions with a “Brava!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The worst was over. She sat down to get her -breath, and Arone returned to remove the ropes -and plank.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You are going to see, in a little while, why our -path is wet,” Elena said. “Meantime, look about -you. Do you see that window?” pointing to a fissure -in the rock above the cave. Ropes extended -from this point to another not visible to them, but -in the direction of their pathway. “The closed -door you saw next to our chamber leads to that -room, and those ropes carry signals to a station -that is visible to a second station farther on. From -there they are repeated to a third, and that third -station we see at home. Anything that takes place -here can be known there in a few minutes. They -must know already that we have passed the bridge. -The house is not such a ruin as it appears, nor so -far away from everybody. There are several decent -rooms above; and it is only five miles round -by the road to Castle Dylar. There are always two -persons in the house as guard; and they are changed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>every week. From an upper window, like this, -hidden behind a fissure in the rock, all the roads -outside are visible. There are tubes leading to the -lower room through which the guard can converse, -or listen.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita did not reply. She disliked mysteries, -having had reason to mistrust them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We have no more secrets than we must, dear,” -her friend said, perceiving the signs of distaste. -“All that you have seen is necessary for the protection -of good people who have not strength to defend -themselves, and would not wish to use force, -if they could.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Arone, who had come back to them, looked at -the window over the cave, and blew a whistle. Instantly, -a bunch of long, colored streamers ran -along one of the ropes, and disappeared. While -they waited, Elena gave her charge a first lesson in -her mother’s native language, telling the names of -their guides, their animals, the rocks, lichens, and -the sky, with its light and sources of light. Then, -pausing, she raised her hand, and listened. There -was a stir, faint and far away, but coming nearer. -It became a rushing sound, and a sound of waters. -A huge white feather showed above the wet rock -underneath which they had passed, and a foaming -torrent leaped over its brink, plunged with a sharp -stroke to the shelf, and fell into the abyss. Their -whole path from the cave’s mouth to within a few -feet of where they stood was covered with the wild -rush of a mountain torrent.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>“That is our beautiful gate,” Elena said. “It -needs no bolt. Now we will go. From here the -way is all plain.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They rode for two hours over a hard mountain -path, where nothing but dark rocks, pine-trees, -and snow was visible. Then through a gap in the -mountains an exquisite picture was seen, lower -down, and not so far away but its features could be -examined. There was a green hill with sheep and -lambs, and a little cottage. Outside the door, under -the shadow of an awning, sat a man and woman. -The man was carving pieces of wood on a table before -him; the woman had some work on her lap -which kept her hands in constant motion. A -young girl came out of the cottage and brought her -mother something which they examined closely together. -They were all dressed in gray with bright -girdles.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The man carves little olive-wood boxes and -bowls,” Elena said. “The woman and her daughter -make pillow lace. The girl is our very best -lace-maker. Her work brings a high price when -we send it out.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The three continued tranquilly their occupations, -unconscious of being observed; and an interposing -mountain slope soon hid them from sight.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita began to feel that she had rested but superficially -the two past nights. She scarcely cared -to look at the changing views where distant snow-peaks -and occasional airy distances seemed to intimate -that before long they might emerge from their -mountain prison.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>The path descended gradually; there were -glimpses of pine-groves and olives. Suddenly they -made a sharp turn, and entered a cave much like -that they had started from.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“At last!” exclaimed Elena, and slipped from -her saddle.</p> - -<p class='c011'>From the cave they went into a long corridor -that led them to an ante-room with a curtained -glass door at each of the four sides. There was no -window. One of the doors stood open into a charming -bed-chamber.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The one large window of this chamber was covered -with a curtain of white linen in closely crowded -flutings that shone with a reflected sunshine. The -color of all the room was a delicate gray, with -touches of gilding everywhere. They glimmered -in a broad band of arabesques that ran round the -walls at middle height; on a bronze vase with its -long slender pen-sweep of a handle; on the lance-ends -of the curtain-rod; on the railing around three -sides of a little table that held a candlestick, bottle, -and glass at the bedside. There was a glistening -of gold all through the light shadow-tint.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Welcome! A thousand welcomes to San Salvador!” -exclaimed Elena, leading Tacita into the -chamber and embracing her with fervor. “May -all happiness and peace attend you here; and may -the place be to you the gate of heaven!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And now, dear, your fatigues are all over,” she -added. “You are at home!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“San Salvador!” repeated Tacita, looking about -her.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>“Do you wish to see and know more now, at -once?” the nurse asked smilingly. “There are no -more secrets for you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, no! Just now I appreciate too well our -Italian proverb: ‘The bed is a rose.’ And that -sofa seems to speak.” She went to sink on to its -soft cushions. “Go to your friends, Elena.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Presently. You must first be attended to. -There is a woman here who will serve you in everything. -She speaks French, and her name is Marie. -What are your orders?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My wish is to rest on this motherly sofa an -hour or two, without having to utter a word. -Then I would like a little quiet dinner, all alone, -after which I will go to bed and sleep as long as -nature wills. Those are my wishes. My sole -command is that you go to your friends at once, -and do not return to me till to-morrow morning. -My poor, dear Elena! What a care I have been -to you! Now let me see you take some care of -yourself. I have all that I want.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The woman, Marie, appeared with a cup of broth -on a tray. From her glad excitement, the tray -trembled in her hands.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, welcome home, Elena!” she exclaimed. -“Welcome to San Salvador, Tacita Mora! You -are a thousand times welcome! May the place be -to you the gate of heaven! I am so glad!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She set the tray before Tacita, but could spare -her only a glance as she uttered her hasty and -tremulous welcome. Then she ran to embrace -<span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>Elena. “Oh, welcome! welcome! You are looking -so well. You come laden with good news. -Stay with us! We will not let you go again. We -will give the moon in exchange for you!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, I should miss the moon,” Elena said laughingly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After a little while they went out together, leaving -Tacita to rest.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What, then, is San Salvador?” she wondered, -sinking among the sofa-pillows.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Perhaps she might learn by lifting that sun-lighted -curtain. But she did not wish to lift it. -There was pleasure in tasting slowly the unfolding -mystery. So far, each revelation had been brighter -than the preceding. She slept content, and waked -to see on the curtain the deep hue of sunset.</p> - -<p class='c011'>For a little while she lay looking about her, recollecting -herself, and examining her surroundings. -The floor was of yellow tiles, all the furniture and -bed-covers were of pale gray linen as glossy as -satin, the wicker chairs were graceful in shape, and -the tables gave a restful idea of what tables are -meant for, undefeated by sprawling legs and impertinent -corner-twiddlings. They were of fine -solid wood, dignified and useful, and set squarely -on strong legs.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Glancing at the band of arabesques around the -walls, Tacita perceived that it had a meaning. It -was all letters—but letters run to flower or to -animal life. They budded, they ended in tendrils, -they were birds and insects, but always letters; and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>as she studied them, they became letters that made -words in all the languages that she knew; and -doubtless those which she could not decipher were -words of languages unknown to her. And of all -those which she could read, every one repeated the -same words, over and over, whole, or in fragments, -each phrase held up as a honey-dropping flower:</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; and -sorrow and mourning shall flee away.</em></p> - -<p class='c011'>It was set down in clear text. Then a bird flew -with a part of it in his beak. <em>Like a shepherd, -Like a shepherd.</em> And the word <em>shepherd</em> stood -alone, all bloomed out with little golden lilies. -Dragon-flies and butterflies bore the promise on -their wings; and where it bore roses, every rose -had a humming-bird or bee sucking its sweetness -out. The quick squirrel ran with what seemed a -vine hanging from his upturned mouth; and the -vine was a promise.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was the Moorish idea. She had seen among -their arabesques the motto of Ibn-l-ahmar: “There -is no conqueror but God,” so interwoven with ornamentation. -But that solemn Moorish reverence -and piety did not touch the heart like this consoling -tenderness.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dinner was served on a table set before the window. -It was a charming little dinner: a shaving -of broiled ham; a miraculous soup; a bit of fish in -a shell; a few ribs, crisp and tender, of roasted kid; -rice in large white kernels; an exquisite salad of -some tender herbs with lemon juice and oil that was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>like honey; a conserve of orange-blossoms, rich and -thick; a tiny flask of red wine from which all acrid -taste of seed and stem had been excluded; and -lastly, a sip or two of coffee which defied criticism.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Evidently the cook of San Salvador was nothing -less than a <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">cordon-bleu</span></i>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The dinner done a healthy justice to, and praised, -Tacita was once more left to herself. But first -Marie brought a vase of olive oil and water with a -floating flame, and set it in a little glazed niche in -the wall that had its own pipe-stem of a chimney; -and she drew back the window curtain. The lower -part of it had lost the sun; but a bar of orange -light crossed the top.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita waited till the door closed, then looked -out eagerly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There were still mountains in a rugged magnificence -of mass and outline; but the color left no -room for disappointment. They faced the west -with the kindled torch of a snow-peak above a tumult -of gold and purple and deep-red. There -were pines along the lower heights, and olives, and, -lower still, fruit-trees. A rock protruding close to -either side of the window narrowed the lower view. -But only a few rods distant, a wedge of smooth -green turf was visible, with a crowd of gayly-dressed -children playing on it, tossing grace-hoops, -chasing each other, and dancing.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Presently the air was filled with a sweet, tinkling -music. The children ceased their play at the -sound, and formed themselves in procession, with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>subsiding kitten-like skips, and passed along the -green, and out of sight.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As she watched them, it occurred to Tacita for -the first time to think that youth is beautiful. It -is a thought that seldom occurs to the young, youth -being a gift that is gone as soon as recognized. -Her aching languor and weariness taught her the -value of that elastic activity, and her sorrow suggested -the charm of that unclouded gayety. Yes, -it is beautiful, she thought, that evanescent blush -of life’s morning forever hovering about the sterner -facts of human existence.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She sat and looked out till the color faded from -the heights, leaving only a spot of gold aloft; and, -thinking that she must not go to sleep in her chair, -fell sound asleep in it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was about midnight when she waked, and with -so vivid an awakening that to sleep longer seemed -impossible. In place of the languid quiescence of -the evening before, there was a consuming impatience -to know all without an hour’s delay. Close -to her was the unsolved mystery of her mother’s -birth and of her own fate. She could wait no -longer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She lighted her candle, and went softly out into -the ante-room. All was still. She tried the door -opposite her own. It opened on a broad stair that -descended between two blank walls.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Closing the door noiselessly behind her, she went -down, candle in hand, and reached a corridor and -a second stair. Across the foot of this second -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>stair shone a soft light. It was the same light that -shone outside her window above,—a passing moonlight -that had gathered to itself all the star-beams -in the air and all the frosty reflections of its own -crescent splendor from snow-clad heights and icy -peaks, and fused them in a lambent silver.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita set her candle on the stair, and went down -into a long hall, of which the whole outer side was -an arcade, and beyond the arcade was a piazza -open to the night, and with a wide space beyond -its parapet. As in a dream, she passed the arcade; -and before her lay San Salvador, the city of the -Holy King!</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER IX.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>San Salvador was built on a plain that might -once have been the bed of a lake formed by mountain -torrents partially confined. It was an irregular -oval, two miles in length from north to south, and -a mile and a half wide. As large an exact paralellogram -as the space would allow was surrounded -by a deep canal, or river, shut in by balustrades -on both sides, and having its outlet southward -through the mountains. This space was the town, -as compactly built as possible.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Across the centre, from east to west, ran a wide -avenue that expanded at middle length to a square. -Seen from a height this avenue and square looked -like a huge cross laid down across the town. Narrow -streets, alternating with single blocks of houses, -ran north and south, only an open space of a few -feet being left all round next the river. The cross-streets -did not make a complete separation of the -houses, but cut away only the basement and floor -above, so that one looked across the town through -a succession of arches.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The houses were all of gray stone, three stories -high, with a <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">patio</span></i>, a flat roof, and two fronts. -There was no sign of an outbuilding, nor was -there a blade of grass in the gray stone pavement -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>that covered every inch of ground inside the river. -But there were plants on the roofs. At each end -of the avenue a bridge as wide crossed the river; -and there were four narrow bridges at each of the -four sides of the town.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In the southern half of the square was a building -called the Assembly, from its use, or the Star-house, -from its shape. It had three triangular stories set -one over the other in the shape of a six-pointed -star, the protruding angles forming vestibules below -with their supporting columns, and terraces -above. These columns restored the symmetry of -the structure, and gave it grace and lightness.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In the northern square was a low bell-tower with -a pulpit built against its southern side. The first -floor was an open room surrounded by arches.</p> - -<p class='c011'>With the exception of these two structures, nothing -could be more monotonous in form and color -than the whole town; while nothing could be more -varied than its setting.</p> - -<p class='c011'>That part of the plain outside the river, called the -Cornice, had a straight edge next the river and an -outer edge that showed every wildest caprice. -Sometimes it ran into the mountains in bays, in -curves and rivers, and sometimes the mountains -crowded it to within a few feet of the river. All -around rose the mountain wall, lined with hills, -gentle, or abrupt; and, inundating all, a flood of -verdure was thrown up on every side, like the -waves of a sea. The ragged edges of the plain -were heavy with wheat, rice and corn; higher up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>were orchards, vineyards, and terraced gardens, -and a smoke of olives curling about everywhere, and -groves of trees crowded into sunny hollows, and -wedges of pines thrust upward, diminishing till the -last tree stood alone beneath a gigantic cornice-rim -of rock, snow and ice,—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Where the olive dare not venture,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And the pine-tree’s courage fails.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Around the middle distance of this garden-zone -was a wavering path, now visible to the town, now -lost, with frequent dropping paths, half stairs, to -the plain. This path was called the Ring. Here -and there was a glistening watercourse, or cascade; -and the whole garden-circle was sparsely dotted with -little cottages, some of them scarcely more than -huts.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Two great masses of rock detached from the -mountains were connected with them by bridges. -That at the southwest was covered with a building -containing a school for boys, that at the northeast -had the hospital.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Directly opposite the eastern end of the avenue -was the largest building in the town, called the -Arcade. Here was the girls’ school, and a hotel -for women.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was here that Tacita Mora stood, in the long -wide veranda that followed the whole irregular -front of the building, and looked for the first time -on the city of her birth. But of all this scene, -splendid by daylight, in that midnight hour she saw -only a bold mountain outline high against the stars, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>with an embroidery of shadows beneath, and lower -yet, a gray bas-relief that as it approached nearer -became houses.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Presently, the waning moon came up over the -mountains behind the Arcade, and set a snow-peak -glistening opposite, and half unveiled a ghostly -sheeted avalanche, and penciled here and there a -clearer outline, and showed the embossed surface -of the plain cleft smoothly across from beneath the -veranda where she stood to something far away -that seemed like a white wavering cascade, with a -fiery sparkle above it as the moon rose higher.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The desire to know more, to see nearer, to assure -herself by actual touch that this was not all a twilight -<em>mirage</em> became irresistible.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Be free as in your father’s house,” Elena had -said to her.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was no sign nor sound of any one abroad. -The soft rustle of running waters alone moved the -silence.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita found the last stair and went out. In -that delicate airy illumination the avenue disclosed -itself before her, and the white object far away -became stationary. But the sparkle above it had -disappeared. She went forward timidly, pausing -to listen, turning to retreat, and again advancing, -at once resolute and afraid.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A few silvery bird-notes floated through the silence; -a white network of cloud, like a bed of -anemones, veiled the moon’s crescent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita, gathering courage and excited by the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>spirit of adventure, hastened till she reached the -Square, paused there but a moment, and then hurried -on toward that white object which was her -goal. It was a little above the level of the town; -it took shape as she drew nearer, and became the -façade of a white building with a fragmentary glimmering -across it and above; it showed a background -of dark rock, and a plateau in front surrounded -by a white balustrade. In all the town -there was nothing white except this building and -the balustrade raised and overlooking every other -building. In a Christian community only a church -would be so enthroned.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita crossed the bridge, and went to kneel on -the steps leading from the level to the inclosed -terrace. There was a smooth façade with a great -door in receding arches in the centre, above a flight -of white steps, five rose windows following the -arched line of the roof, and something like a gilded -lettering across the middle height.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As the anemone-cloud drew away from the moon, -the letters grew distinct, and the text shone out -full and clear:—</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>I am the Light of the World.</span></p> - -<p class='c011'>At sight of that shining legend aloft, something -stirred in the girl’s memory. A thick curtain of -years parted, showing a distinct fragment of the -past. Once, long ago, she had looked up at that -white expanse and seen upon its front the line of -shining figures. Her hands held the soft fold of a -dress, and a hand rested lightly on her head. In -<span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>her memory the bright figures were associated with -the idea of a great golden lamp, softly luminous, -swung by a golden chain down from the skies, and -of a face all radiant, and a sweet voice that said: -<em>Of such is the kingdom of heaven</em>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I must have stood on this very spot with my -mother while she explained the words to me, and -told how he blessed little children.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the bee has gathered all the honey that -it can carry, it flies home.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita’s heart was full. She wanted no more -that night.</p> - -<p class='c011'>But there was no timidity in her return. The -place was walled in as by a host of angels. The -fold of her mother’s dress seemed yet within her -grasp, and the flowing water was a song of peace.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The candle, burnt low, was where she had left -it on the stair, and all was silent and deserted on -the way up to her chamber.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER X.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“You have taken the edge off the surprise I -meant for you,” Elena said when Tacita told her -of her midnight walk. “But there still remains -something to please you with its novelty. Go and -see the Basilica. The door is open all day. You -can go alone, and will enjoy it more so than with -company. When you come back I will have your -new room all ready for you. It is in front, over -the great veranda, a little to the right.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Shall I meet many people in the street?” Tacita -asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You will see very few; and they will all be on -some business. We are an industrious community, -and there is no one who has not something -to do in the morning. It is only toward evening -that we walk for pleasure.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Will any one speak to me?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Probably not; but they will bow to you. You -have only to bow and smile in return.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Can I smile to everybody?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If the smile wants to come.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, Elena, that is the best of all!” Tacita exclaimed. -“Sometimes I have met strangers whom -it seemed impossible to pass without notice. Perhaps -the person appeared to be in trouble, or was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>uncommonly <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">simpatica</span></i>; or for the moment I happened -to feel strongly that we are all ‘poor banished -children of Eve.’ It was an affection that I cannot -describe, as though it were heaven to sacrifice -your life in order to save or console another. I -gave, perhaps, a glance that rested a moment, or a -faint—oh, so faint!—hint of a smile; and I was -always pained and mortified, the person would look -so surprised. It showed me plainly that the earth -is indeed accursed when our kindest impulses are -so misunderstood.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>While speaking, she put on a new dress that -Elena had brought her. It was a long robe of thin -dark blue wool, bound at the waist by a silken sash, -a lighter tint of the same color. The wide straight -sleeves fell over the hands, or were turned back, -such sleeves as may be gathered up under a brooch -at the shoulder. A long scarf of the woolen gauze -served to wrap the head and neck, if necessary. -There were gloves of fine white kid and russet -shoes with silver buckles.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena wore the same style of dress in gray.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Gray is our working color,” she explained. -“Sometimes it is worn with leathern belts, or -sashes of another color. Gray alone, or with -black, or white, is mourning. White is our highest -gala. The very old wear white always. It -gives that look of cleanliness and freshness which -age needs. The children are our butterflies. -They wear gay colors. We never change the -form of our dress. The only variation is in color -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>and material. I think that you will scarcely find -anything more graceful, modest, or convenient.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It’s the prettiest dress I ever had,” said Tacita. -“And now—and now”—</p> - -<p class='c011'>They went down stairs and stepped out into the -veranda, and the full splendor of what she had -seen but in shadow burst upon Tacita’s view.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was every shape and shade of verdure, and -every shape of barren rock and gleaming snow. -There were mists of rose, blue, and gold that were -flowers. There was every depth of shadow, from -the tender veil as delicate as the shadow of eyelashes -on the eye, to the rich dusk lurking beneath -some wooded steep or overhanging crag. -The houses were of a silvery gray, bright on the -roofs with plants and awnings. Wherever there -was water, it glittered. The façade of the Basilica -was like snow, and its five windows blazed in the -morning sun. The wavering path that threaded -the gardens was yellow, and shone with some -sparkling gravel.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita leaned over the balustrade and looked -right and left. At every turn some lovely picture -presented itself.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There is no one in the avenue,” Elena said. -“But the archways will be cooler.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita chose the deserted avenue, and walked -timidly, almost without raising her eyes, till the -second bridge was passed, and the Basilica rose before -her, standing out from a mass of dark rock -that almost touched the tribune.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>Nine steps of gray stone led up to the white -balustrade. Within, at either side was a square -of turf, thick and fine, separated and surrounded -by a path of yellow gravel, sparkling with little -garnets. Three white steps above led to the double -door, now wide open. There were inscriptions on -the fronts of the steps. The upper one bore in -Latin that most perfect of all acts of thanksgiving, -<em>We give thee thanks for thy great glory.</em> The -vestibule was one third the width of the Basilica, -two narrow side doors, unseen from the front, having -vestibules of the same size. This was entirely -unadorned, except by the two valves of the carved -door of cedar and olive-wood shut back against the -wall, and the shining folds of a white linen curtain -shutting an inner arch of the same size.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Lifting the linen band that drew these folds -aside, Tacita was confronted by another curtain, a -purple brocade of silk and wool, heavily fringed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She dropped the linen behind her, and stood -cloistered between the two for a moment; then, -lifting a purple fold, stood before a screen that -seemed woven of sunshine. A gold-colored silk -brocade with a bullion fringe that quivered with -light closed the inner edge of the arch.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Two contrary impulses held a momentary soft -and delightful conflict in her mind: an impatient -desire to see what was beyond that veil, and a restraining -desire to let imagination sketch one swift -picture of what was so delicately guarded.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Then, holding her breath, she slipped past the -scintillating fringes and stood in the nave.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>Flooded with the morning sunshine, the place -was as brilliant as a rainbow. Even the white -marble footing of the walls, and the two lines -of white marble columns, overhung with lilies instead -of acanthus leaves, caught a sunny glow from -that illumination. The walls, frescoed with landscapes -of every clime, showed all the rich hues of -nature. The blue ceiling sparkled with flecks of -gold, there were golden texts on the white marble -of the lower walls that condensed the whole story -of Judaism and Christianity. On the pedestals -of the ten lower columns were inscribed the Ten -Commandments. The pavement of polished green -porphyry reflected softly all this wealth of coloring, -and as it approached the tribune was tinted like -still waters at sunset. For the Basilica of San -Salvador was simply the throne-room of its Divine -King; and the throne was in the tribune.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A deep alcove rising to the roof was lined with -a purple curtain like that of the portal; and raised -against it, nine steps from the pavement, was a -throne made of acacia wood covered with plates of -wrought gold. From the arch above, where the -purple drapery was gathered under the white outspread -wings of a dove, suspended by golden chains -so fine as to be almost invisible, hung a jeweled -diadem that quivered with prismatic hues. The -footstool before the throne was a block of alabaster; -and on its front was inscribed in golden letters:</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy -laden, and I will give you rest.</em></p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>The white marble steps were in groups of three, -each surmounted by a low balustrade of alabaster -hung with golden lilies between each snowy post. -A broad purple-cushioned step surrounded the -lower balustrade. Otherwise there was no seat -nor resting-place but the pavement.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita sank on her knees and gazed at that -throne that shone full of sunshine, half expecting -that the light would presently condense itself into -the likeness of a Divine Face. The crown hung -just where it might have rested on the brow of an -heroic figure enthroned beneath. And was there -not a quiver in the jewels as if they moved, catching -and splintering the sunrays on diamond points, -or drinking them in smooth rubies, or imprisoning -their fluttering colors in white veiled opals, or -showing in emeralds a promise of the immortal -spring of Heaven! And was there not a whisper -and a rustling as of a host preceding the advent -of some supreme Presence?</p> - -<p class='c011'>She put aside her fancies, and made a heartfelt -thanksgiving to him who was truly there, then -rose and slowly approached the throne. The -work was all beautiful. The fluting of the columns -was exquisite, and every milk-white lily that -was twined in their capitals was finished with a -loving hand. On the fronts of the steps were -names of prophets, apostles and saints, highest of -all and alone, the name of Abraham surrounded by -the words he spoke to his son, Isaac, as they went -up the mountain in Moriah:—</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span><em>My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a -burnt-offering.</em></p> - -<p class='c011'>Lower down were names of beneficent gods and -goddesses, all names which the children of men had -lovingly and reverently worshiped, each light-bearing -god or goddess with a star to his name.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita remembered her grandfather’s declaration: -“Show me the path by which any human soul -has climbed to worship the highest that it could -conceive of the Divine, and I will see there the footsteps -of God coming down to meet that soul.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Her heart expanded at the thought. It seemed -the very spirit of the Good Shepherd gathering all -into his fold—all who lifted up their hearts in -search of something above their comprehension, but -not above their love.</p> - -<p class='c011'>With a deep sigh of utter contentment she turned -aside, and walked down one aisle and up the other, -looking at the frescoes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The wall of the three vestibules extended quite -across the Basilica with a wide gallery above; and -from the golden fringe of the portal to the purple -fringe of the apsis, one scene melted into another -with such artful gradations that there was no break -in the picture; and all ended against the ceiling -in mountain, or tree-top, or vine, or in a flock of -birds, so that it did not seem an ending.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A glimpse of polar sea with an aurora of the -north and icebergs began the panorama; and then -came full streams overhung by dark pine-trees that -presently showed green mosses and springing delicate -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>flowers under their shadows. The scene softened, -and grew yet softer, till a palm-tree was -over-brushed by the purple curtain of the apse, -and a line of silvery beach, and a glimpse of sea -and of a far-away misty sun-steeped island just -escaped its folds. There were sunsets shining -through forest-reaches, brooks dancing over stones, -the curve of a river, the violet outline of a mountain -faint against the sky, lambs sunk in a green -flowery meadow and half submerged, looking like -scattered pearls. There were gray streaks of rain, -and a glimpse of a rainbow; there was sunrise -over bald crags where an eagle stood black against -its opal background. The butterfly fanned its capricious -way with widespread wings, the bee and -humming-bird dived into the flower, the stag stood -listening with head alert, the elephant pulled down -the fruit-laden branches, the dragon-fly spread its -gauzy wings; but nowhere was there any sign of -man, nor of the works of man.</p> - -<p class='c011'>From one aisle to the other Tacita went, wondering -more and more of what famous artist this -could have been the crowning work. From the -portal at both sides the scenes were arctic; but -their procession was infinitely varied. The small -doors entering from the sides were scarcely visible -in rocks and arching trees. A heavy grapevine -climbing to hang along the ceiling seemed to hide -all but the tiny cove of a pond spotted with lilies, -amid which floated a pair of swans.</p> - -<p class='c011'>At the left side, burning the jungle from which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>he issued, a tiger stood and stared intently at the -Throne.</p> - -<p class='c011'>But in all there was no sign of man, nor of the -works of man.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When Tacita reached the Arcade on her return, -Elena was waiting for her at the lower entrance, -and uttered an interrogative “Well?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have no words! Don’t ask me about the -Basilica. I met some people coming back. How -well they stand and walk. Standing and walking -must be taught here. Every one understands it so -well. I kissed my fingers to a little girl, and she -came and touched my girdle, then brushed her -fingers across her lips, and ran away again before -I could stop her. Oh, it is all so lovely!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They went up to a pleasant chamber that looked -across the town. “This is your room, dear,” Elena -said. “The dining-room is just across the corridor. -We will have our dinner at our own little -table before the school-girls come in; and you can -be served in your own room any time you like. It -is but a step more to take. And here is the salon, -just beside you. It is but little used; for except -when a stranger comes, we do not visit in San Salvador. -Our houses are for our private life. We -meet frequently, may meet almost every evening at -the assembly-room in the Star-house; and as it is -open every day, and there are a good many nooks -and corners there beside the chief rooms, there is -always a place for a tête-à-tête, or a little company. -But some people will come here to see you. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>You will like to make some acquaintances before -going to the assembly. I hope that you may feel -rested enough to go to-morrow night.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The salon was simply furnished, and had no need -of other ornament than the view seen from its windows. -There was a single picture on the wall, representing -a young woman of a noble figure standing -erect, her arms hanging at her sides, and one hand -holding a scroll. She wore the costume of San -Salvador of a tawny brown with yellow sash and -scarf. Under one foot, slightly advanced, lay a -Cupid sprawling face downward, the fragments of -his bow and arrows scattered about. The face was -of a somewhat full oval, olive-tinted, with heavy -black hair drawn back from the temples, a delicate -rose-color in the cheeks, and sweet red lips. The -large dark eyes looked straight out with a lofty and -thoughtful expression. The whole figure was instinct -with a fine animal life, such life as sustains -a strong soul full of feeling and intelligence. All -the curves of the face were tender; but they were -contradicted by an assumption of reserve almost -too severe for beauty. It was the picture of a loving -nature that had renounced love.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That is our Iona,” Elena said. “She is the -Directress of the girls’ school, and she is the -women’s tribune. All classes have with us their -tribune, or advocate. Iona has traveled and -studied in both continents. She has advanced so -far in astronomy that she teaches it even in the -boys’ school. Would you like to have her teach -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>you our language? She has offered herself as -your teacher.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If she will take the trouble, I shall feel honored. -What a noble-looking creature! Is she a -native of San Salvador?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes; and she has a brother here who has never -been outside. Ion is one of the cleverest boys we -have. Their parents died when they were very -young.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Later, when they had eaten their dinner, and -Tacita was alone, there was a tap at the door, and -she rose to meet the original of the portrait. Iona -had tapped with her ivory tablets, and was pushing -them into the folds of her sash as she entered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was something electric in the instant during -which the two paused and looked at each other -without speaking. Then Iona stepped forward, -gentle, but unsmiling, laid a hand on Tacita’s arm, -and, bending, kissed her lightly on the forehead.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You are welcome to San Salvador!” she said -with deliberation, in a melodious, bell-like voice. -“I hope that you will be contented here. Does -the place please you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am enchanted!” Tacita said. “I ask myself -continually if I have not found the long-lost garden -of Eden.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The two contemplated each other with something -more than curiosity. Tacita was conscious of a -certain restraint and something akin to disappointment -while talking with this woman, who was even -more beautiful than her portrait. The form, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>teeth, the mass of hair were the most superb that -she had ever seen; and though the skin was dark, -every faintest wave of color was visible through it. -While she talked, the color deepened in her cheeks -till she glowed like a rose.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The blue dress with its silver clasps might have -been too trying to her olive skin but for this lovely -blush.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona proposed herself courteously as teacher, and -Tacita thankfully accepted, offering herself in return -for any service she might be able to perform.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Be quite at ease!” her visitor replied, not unkindly. -“You will soon have an opportunity. I -have already thought that you might be willing to -assist in the Italian classes. You speak the language -beautifully. But for some time yet you will -have employment enough in seeing the place and -becoming acquainted with the people and their customs. -Of course Elena has already told you that -there need be no restraint on your wanderings. -Every one you meet will be a friend, whether he -can tell you so or not. The language most useful -to you will be French, though there is scarcely a -language, living or dead, which some one here does -not speak.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita begged to know something of the government -of San Salvador.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We have a few general principles which give -form to every detail,” Iona said. “For personal -disorders in the young, parents and teachers are -held responsible; for any social disorder, our rulers -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>are held responsible. Probably, all blame is -finally laid on the father and mother, and more especially -on the mother. The training of the child -is held to be of supreme importance, and there -is no more dignified occupation. We say, ‘The -mother of children is the mother of the state.’ No -diseased or deformed person is allowed to have -children. You will not hear any mother in San -Salvador complain of her child as having a bad -temper, or evil dispositions. She would be told -that the child was what she made it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The children stay at home till they are about -four years of age. Then their whole day is spent -at school, where all their meals are taken. The -mothers take their turns, all who have not infants, -as matrons of the schools, a week at a time. Their -sole duty is to see that the food is good and sufficient, -that the little ones have their nap, and that -their health is thought of. I suppose you know -that we have public kitchens where all the cooking -is done. The kitchen for the children is by -itself, and so is that for the sick. Here also the -ladies serve their week in a year or thereabout, as -matrons. They make the bill of fare, and have an -eye to the sending out of all but the food for the -children and the sick, these having their special -matrons.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We do not lay much stress on the form of -a government. The important thing is personal -character. A republic may be made the worst of -tyrannies; and an absolute monarchy might be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>beneficent, though the experiment would be a dangerous -one. The duty of a government is to obey -the laws and compel everybody else to obey them. -That is literal. We have no sophistries about it. -Of course, Dylar is our chief, and in some sense -he is absolute. Yet no one governs less than he. -We take care of the individual, and the state takes -care of itself. Moreover, the Dylar have always -been the first to scrupulously obey our laws and -observe our customs. There is a council of elders; -Professor Pearlstein is president. No one under -sixty years of age is eligible. Each class has a tribune -chosen by itself. I hold a sinecure as tribune -for the women. I fancy”—looking at her companion -with a smile of sudden sweetness—“that -you may be our long looked for tribune for the -children.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Surely it should be a mother to hold that -office,” Tacita said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Think a moment!” said Iona, her smiling eyes -lingering on the sweet face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is true,” said Tacita slowly. “Parents do -not always understand their own children.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They are sometimes cruel to them when they -think themselves kind,” Iona said with energy. -“They sometimes ruin their lives by their partiality. -They sometimes tread as with the hoofs of a -beast on the feelings of the most sensitive of their -flock. How often are children mute! The finer -they are, the more isolated are their puzzled and -often grieving souls. They sometimes suffer an -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>immense injustice without being able to right themselves, -or even to complain; and this injustice may -leave them morally lame for life. Children should -be shielded from pain even as you shield a young -plant from the storm. When the fibres of both -are knit, then give them storm as well as sunshine.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I see that the boys and girls are kept apart both -in their education and socially,” Tacita remarked. -“I have heard that point discussed outside.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It will never be discussed here,” said Iona with -decision. “All have equal opportunities; but they -do not have them in common. The result justifies -the rule. When the boys and girls approach a -marriageable age they are allowed a free intercourse -and free choice. In questions concerning the honor -of the state we have no theorizing; and the state -has as much interest in the child as the parent has. -It has more. The parent suffers from the sin, or -gains by the honor of his child for but a few years; -the state may suffer or profit from the same cause -for centuries. Besides, a well-organized and orderly -government is of more importance to the -well-being of every individual than any other individual -can be. The love of no individual can -console a man in the midst of anarchy, or when he -is the victim of a tyrant. You have to thank your -parents for human life, if you hold it a boon; and -you have to thank your government for making that -life secure and free.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And if you have not security and your reasonable -degree of freedom?” asked Tacita.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>“Then the greater number of your people are -bad, and the few have an opportunity to be heroic.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My grandfather had no respect for the opinions -of majorities,” Tacita said. “He said that out of -a thousand persons it was quite possible that one -might be right and nine hundred and ninety-nine -wrong. He said that the history of the world is a -history of individuals.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>As Iona rose to go, the door opened, and Elena -came in followed by Dylar.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita went with some agitation to meet this -man, who was still, to her, a mystery. Nor was he -less a mystery when she found him simply a dignified -and agreeable gentleman, with nothing strange -about him but his costume of dark blue cloth, a -sort of cashmere of silk and wool, soft and softly -tinted. It was made in the Scottish, or oriental -fashion, with a tunic to the knee and a silken sash -of the same color. He wore long hose of black -silk, silver buckles to his shoes, and on his turban-shaped -cap, made of the same blue cloth, was a -silver band, closed at the left side by a clasp of a -strange design. A hand pointing upward with all -its fingers was set inside of a triangle that was inclosed -in a winged circle.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Seeing Tacita’s glance touch this symbol more -than once, Dylar explained it. “We have all some -badge, according to our occupation,” he said. -“The hand is manual labor. I am a carpenter, -and have served my apprenticeship, though I seldom -do any work. The triangle is scientific -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>study, and the winged circle is a messenger. All -those who, having their home here, go out on our -errands, wear this winged circlet. It is the only -badge I really earn; but I wear the three as Director -of all.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I hope that I may be allowed to earn one,” -Tacita said, trying to settle her mind into a medium -position between the strange romance of her -first impressions of this man and the not unfamiliar -reality of their present meeting. The penetrating -eyes were there; but they only glanced at her -kindly, and did not dwell. A slight smile, full of -friendliness, illumined his face as he spoke to her; -but between it and her there floated a shadow-face, -having the same outlines and colors, but fixed in a -gaze of intense and self-forgetful study.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am not clairvoyant,” he said presently, his -eyes laughing; “but I fancy that your thought has -made a flight to Madrid during the last few minutes.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Could I help it?” she said blushing. “I could -not venture to ask; but”—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You can ask anything!” Dylar said. “If you -show no curiosity, I shall think you indifferent. I -am told that the resemblance is striking. Of -course I cannot judge. The original of that portrait -was the founder of San Salvador, and a -Dylar, my ancestor. But, my lady, I had already -seen something more than a picture resembling you -when we met in Madrid. I had seen yourself, not -alone in Venice, but years before, in Naples. -You spoke to me. Do you remember?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>“Oh! I could not have looked at you and forgotten,” -she answered with conviction.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Pardon! You looked and spoke. And you -gave me an alms.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He searched in the folds of his sash for a coin, -and showed it to her. It was an Italian <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">baiocco</span></i> -polished till it looked like gold.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You went to Naples ten years ago with your -mother and grandfather,” Dylar said. “You visited -the Museum. Two men were seated side by -side on the steps as you went up, a young and -an old man; and the old man stretched his hand -out for alms. Your mother gave him something. -The young man did not ask, but you gave him this -<i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">baiocco</span></i>, and you said, ‘My brother, I am sorry -that it is not more.’”</p> - -<p class='c011'>For a moment she could not speak. Then she -said,—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I was taught to call the poor brother and sister. -I could not know that I was taking a liberty.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The liberty of heaven!” said Dylar. “Well! -I thought that you would come here some day. -And you are here!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He rose, looking down, as if to temper somewhat -the joyousness of his exclamation.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ask all the questions you choose,” he said. -“Do in all things as if you were in your father’s -house. Farewell, till we meet again.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>All the social life of San Salvador centred in -the Star-house, or assembly rooms, in the Square. -This was open at all times to all classes, with certain -restrictions. No one should go there in a -working dress, nor except by appointment to meet -some one, nor when any other convenient rendezvous -was available, and no one should enter a room already -occupied. It was on no account to be used -as a lounging place. The result of these regulations -was that all but the library and reading-room -were usually deserted by day.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The lower floor was the music and dance-room, -and was so constructed, the floor being supported -entirely from beneath, and detached from the -walls, that no jar was communicated to the rooms -above. The only vestibule to this room, entered -directly from the Square, was that formed by the -pillars supporting the protruding angle of the story -above. Inside, the corner opposite the door was -railed off and raised for an orchestra. The angle -at the right was curtained off for a dressing-room, -and the third, entered from the outside, contained -the stairway. The two upper floors were divided -in nearly the same way; a large, hexagonal room -with a supporting cluster of columns in the centre, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>and three small rooms walled or curtained off in -the angles, one containing a staircase.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The salon on the second floor was reserved for -conversation, the third floor was a library and -reading-room, and there was a terrace on the roof.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The structure was solidly built, and, for the -greater part, very plainly finished. There was a -cluster of columns in the centre of the two upper -rooms inclosing a slender fountain jet in a high -basin. The lights were all placed around these -columns, and from each of them an arch vaulted to -a pilaster in each of the six angles of the room. -In the upper floor the walls were covered with -book-cases, in the lower they were tinted a dark -red with a fresco in each side of a Muse or dancer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The partitioned angles were draped with curtains -colored like the walls.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The second floor, the salon <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">par excellence</span></i>, was -more brilliant. The walls were lined with small -faceted blocks of white glass set in an amber-colored -cement, the curtains of the angles were of -amber-colored silk, the chairs, divans, sofas, and -<i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">amorini</span></i> were covered with an amber-colored linen -that looked like satin, the floor was of small alternating -amber and dark green tiles, the heavy rugs -were amber colored. It was a room all light, except -the dark green divan that surrounded the -cluster of pillars.</p> - -<p class='c011'>These rooms were lighted till ten o’clock every -evening but Sunday, and were free to all; but the -inevitable law of selection had made it a tacit custom -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>for certain persons to go on certain evenings. -To meet a stranger, it was considered proper to -give place to those who had been outside.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena brought out a beautiful lace dress that -Tacita’s mother had left behind her on going out -into the world. It was of pillow lace woven in -stripes, and made over a soft silk in broad stripes -of rose and cream-color. Dressed in it, Tacita -looked like a blush rose.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They set out for her first assembly at early twilight. -Lights in the houses showed them the way, -there was a sound of violins in the dewy air, and -figures flitting in the dance-room, and outside a -number of persons were dancing gayly in the light -that shone from the building.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Our people are much given to dancing,” Elena -said. “And we have the most beautiful and complex -fancy dances in the world.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They went up a winding stair, that started in a -lower angle and ended in a terrace, from which a -wide arched door opened into the salon, showing the -glittering walls, the full light, the tossing fountain -in its lightly shadowed seclusion, the silken curtain -of the opposite boudoir, and a company almost filling -the room.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The music came softened from below, allowing -the voices to be heard.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dylar and Iona met the two as they entered, and -Tacita found herself in the midst of the most cultivated -and charming company she had ever seen. -But for their costume, they would not at first have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>seemed different from any other gathering of well-bred -people who meet with pleasure a welcome -guest; but the stranger soon felt in their greeting -the difference between mere courtesy and sincere -affection. It was a repetition of the heart-warming -phrase that told her she was “in her father’s -house.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The costumes gave an air of romance and unreality -to the scene. As Tacita looked about with a -pleased wonder, these figures suggested Arcadian -groves, Olympian slopes, or some old palace garden -shut in by high walls, with fragrant hedges of -laurel and myrtle over-showered by roses, with a -blush of oleanders against a mossy fountain, the -dim stars of a passion-vine hung over a sequestered -arbor, and crumbling forms of nymphs, lichen-spotted -in the sunshine. These figures would have -harmonized with such scenes perfectly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>On the green velvet divan sat several old men -and women who wore long white robes of fine wool -with silken girdles. All the younger ladies wore -the same straight robe, made in various colors, -with silken fringed sashes, and fine lace at the neck -and wrists. Some wore lace robes like Tacita’s. -A few had strings of pearls; but no other jewels -were visible.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The gentlemen, on the contrary, seemed much -more gayly dressed than in any other modern society. -Their costumes were all rather dark in -color and without ornament; but the silver buckles -on their shoes and the silver badge on the turban -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>cap which each one carried in his hand, or under -his arm, brightened the effect, and they all wore -lace ruffles at the wrists and laced cravats. Dylar -wore violet color, and a silver fillet round his -cap.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Of the more than a hundred persons present, all -but the youngest had been outside, and spoke other -languages than their own. Some were natives of -San Salvador living outside, and returned but for a -time. Tacita found herself charmingly at home -with them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After a while Dylar drew her apart, and they -seated themselves in a boudoir.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You will observe the absence of jewels in our -dress,” he said. “This is only our ordinary way -of meeting; but there is no occasion on which -gems are worn here as elsewhere. With us they -have a meaning. Diamonds are consecrated to the -Basilica. Other stones are used as decorations for -some distinguished act or acquirement. The ruby -is for an act of heroic courage, the topaz for discovery, -the emerald for invention. Pearls are -worn only by young girls and by brides at their -wedding. When you marry, we will hang pearls -on you in a snow-drift.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He bent a little and smiled into her face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita blushed, but made no reply immediately. -A feeling of melancholy settled upon her. Could -it be that she would be expected to marry?—and -that he would wish to select a husband for -her?</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>“Elena does not marry, and Iona is not yet married,” -she said after a silence.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, there is perfect freedom,” said Dylar. -“But Iona is only twenty-six and Elena scarcely -over forty years of age. Both may marry yet. -Now there is a gentleman coming in who wishes -very much to see you. He has just come from -England, and will return in a few days. Shall I -call him?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She consented cordially, and Dylar beckoned the -young man to them, and having presented him, retired -and left the two together. A moment later -she saw him go out with Iona by the way leading -upstairs. They were going either to the library -or terrace.</p> - -<p class='c011'>How well they looked together, though Iona was -almost as tall as Dylar. She wore amber-color that -evening, which became her, and her cheeks were -crimson, her eyes brilliant. For a little while -Tacita had some difficulty in attending to what her -new companion was saying, and in making the -proper replies. Then something in his manner -pleased her, and drew her from her abstraction.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He was simply a well-bred young Englishman in -a sort of masquerade, which, however, became him -wonderfully. He had hair as golden as her own, -and he wore dark blue. While talking with him, -Tacita, woman-like, looked at the wide lace ruffle -that fell back on his sleeve. It had a ground of -fairy lightness, a <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">vrai reseau</span></i> as strong as it was -light, with little wide-winged swallows all over it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>in a fine close <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">tela</span></i>, with a few open stitches in the -head and wings. She wondered where she had -read of swallows that</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>—“hawked the bright flies in the hollows</div> - <div class='line in6'>Of delicate air.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>“You are admiring my ruffles,” the young man -said with the greatest frankness. “They were -made here, and belonged to my father. I have -refused a good deal of money for them. Of course -you have learned that they make beautiful lace -here. I think it the finest lace made in the world, -taking it all in all. Look at that dress of yours, -now. How firm and clear it is! That’s pillow -lace, though, and this is point. There’s a kind -of cobweb ground to some rare Alençon point that -is wonderful as work; but you don’t dare to touch -it. I’ve seen a fine <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">jabot</span></i> belonging to one of the -Bonaparte princes, and worn by him at a royal marriage. -You’ll sometimes see as good a border of -medallions as that had, but not such a centre, lighter -than blonde. It was scattered over with bees that -had only alighted. Each wing was a little buttonhole-stitched -loop with a tiny open star inside. As -a <em>jabot</em> it could be worn; but as ruffles, you would -have to keep your hands clasped together over the -top of your head.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The young man proposed after a while that they -should go up and see the library, and Tacita somewhat -shrinkingly consented.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If Dylar should be there, I hope he will not -believe that I followed him!” she thought.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>He was not there. The large room was quiet and -deserted. Shaded lamps burned on the green-covered -tables, folds of green silk were drawn back -from two lofty windows closed only with casements -of wire gauze. Globes, stands of maps, movable -book-rests, and cases of books of reference were all -about. From the stairway and through the open -windows the hum of conversation came softened to -a hum of bees, the sound of viols from the dance-room -was a quivering web of silver, and the feet of -the dancers did not make the least tremor in the -firmly set walls.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The library is not a very large one, you see,” -said Tacita’s guide. “It is nearly as much weeded -as added to. It is surprising how much literature -thought to be original is found out to be only a -turn of the kaleidoscope. I won’t quote Solomon -to you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My grandfather,” Tacita said, “used to say -that one folio would contain all the thoughts of -mankind that are worth preserving, and ten all the -commentaries worth making on them.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This is the way they condense here,” said her -companion. “For necessarily San Salvador must -be a city of abridgments. Say that ten authors -write on some one subject worthy of attention. -The best one is selected and then interleaved with -extracts from the others. To this is added a brief -notice of the authors quoted. It’s a good deal -of work for one person to do; but it saves the time -of everybody else who has to read on the subject.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>Returning to the Salon they found that Dylar -and Iona had come down from the terrace, and some -boys were carrying about cups of a pleasant drink -that seemed to be milk boiled, sweetened, and delicately -spiced.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Iona must take you up to-morrow night to -look at Venus,” Dylar said. “It is very beautiful -now.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The bells rang ten o’clock, the signal for going -home, and they went down stairs. Dylar took -leave at the door; but the young Englishman asked -permission to accompany Tacita and Elena to their -door. The music had ceased in the dance-room, -and the lights were half extinguished; but the last -couples came out still dancing, humming a tune, -and, hand in hand, danced homeward.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You will like to see our fancy dances,” Elena -said. “Some of them are very dramatic. There -is a good deal of grace and precision in them, but -no parade of agility. I know nothing more disgusting -than the flesh and muscle exhibition of the -ordinary <em>ballet</em>. Some of our dances require quite -as much command of muscle, but there must be no -effect of effort. To see a woman gracefully draped -float like a cloud is quite as wonderful as to see her -half naked and leaping like a frog. We have a -Sun-dance, with the whole solar system; and I assure -you the moons have to be as nimble-footed as -the <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">chulos</span></i> of a bull-fight. The Zodiac dance is -more like a minuet in time. There are twelve -groups which keep always the same position with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>regard to each other; but the whole circle slowly -revolves, having two motions, one progressive. It -is a science, and requires a good deal of practice. -Iona used to be the lost Pleiad, and wandered about -veiled, threading the whole maze, but never finding -her place. Of course all are in costume; and it is -an out-door dance, occupying the whole Square. -Her part was like some little thing of Chopin’s, -plaintive, searching, and unanswered.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the two had gone up stairs, Elena said: -“Do you think that you would ever be willing to -marry the young man who came home with us to-night?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, no!” Tacita exclaimed. “What should -put it into your mind?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He wished me to ask you. I thought that it -was vain; but I promised to ask. If there is the -least chance, he will stay longer. If not, he will -go to-morrow. He has long known you by reputation, -and he admired you at sight.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There is not the least chance,” Tacita said decidedly, -and wondered why she should feel so angry -and pained.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>The next day they went to visit the girls’ school.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Arcade was built around and above a promontory -of rock, the stories following it in receding -terraces, and the wings following backward at -either side, so that the effect from a little distance -was that of an irregular pyramid with a truncated -top.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was a narrow vale and a green slope behind -one side, where the children played on that -first evening of Tacita’s in San Salvador; and here -they had their gardens cultivated by themselves, -their out-door studies and recitation-rooms and -play-ground. Thick walls, sewing-rooms, quiet -study-rooms, and rooms where the little ones had -their midday nap interposed to keep every sound -of this army of girls from that part of the building -used as a hotel, or home, for single ladies.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Going from her quiet apartment to that full and -busy hive was to Tacita like going into another -world. In its crowd and bustle and variety it was -more like the outside world than anything that she -had yet seen.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In one room two or three children were lying in -hammocks asleep. Out on the green a group of -them seated on a carpet were picking painted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>letter-blocks out of a heap, and discussing their -names. A girl a few years older, sitting near -them with her sewing, corrected their mistakes. -One lovely girl had a little one on her knee who -was reading a pictured story-book aloud. A larger -girl sat apart writing a composition, dragging out -her thoughts with contortions, like a Pythoness on -her tripod. In some rooms were young ladies -engaged in study, writing, or recitation. There -was a printing-room, with type-setters and proofreaders, -where one of the girls gave Tacita a little -book of their printing and binding.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Everywhere were texts and proverbs on the -walls and doors, white letters on a blue ground; -and there was a throne-room where the little gilded -chair was filled with flowers for the children’s infant -king. Underneath was a picture of the three -Magi kneeling to the Child Jesus. This was in a -little temple on the hillside with a laburnum-tree -bending over it full of golden flower-tassels.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When they have acquired the rudiments of -learning,” Iona said, “we give them a touch all -round, almost as if without meaning it, to find -the keynote of their powers. It is done chiefly by -lectures. Ladies and gentlemen who have read -much, or traveled much, write short essays which -they read in school. If no child shows a special -interest in the subject, we let it go. Our object is -to give talent an opportunity, and also to waste no -time and effort where they will meet with no return.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All the accounts of the town are kept in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>schools, and well kept. It saves a great deal of -work. The kitchen accounts, for instance, are immense -and complicated; yet they are gleefully and -painstakingly smoothed into order by those busy -young brains and fingers. Promotion from one -class of these accounts to another is taken great -pride in. For instance, the girl who is ‘in the -salt,’ as they say, looks with admiring envy on the -girl who is in the wheat, the fruit, or the meat. -They are also taught to cook a few simple dishes. -For that they go to the kitchens. They all dress -alike, as you see, and there is no difference made -in any way. Even the genius, if we find one, is -not taught to set her gift above that of the most -homely usefulness.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>As the visitors went away, a golden-haired girl -of ten or twelve years shyly offered Tacita a white -rose half opened, touched the fringes of her sash -with timid finger-tips and touched the fingers to -her lips.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Her delicate homage was rewarded with a kiss -on the forehead. And, “Please tell me your name, -dear child!” said Tacita.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The little girl blushed all over her face with a -modest delight, as she whispered “Leila!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My recollections of school are all pleasant, -with the exception of a few sharp lessons given -me there,” Elena said. “I well remember one I -received from Dylar the Eighth, father of our -Dylar. I was one day sent on an errand which -obliged me to go through the large dining-room -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>where we eat now, and I saw a magnificent peach -there on the sideboard. I could not know that it -was the first and finest of a rare sort, and that -Dylar himself, who was in another part of the -house, had left it there in passing, and was coming -again to take it out for exhibition. But I did -know that we were never to help ourselves to anything -to eat without permission, and that I had -no right ever to take anything there. The peach -tempted me, and I did eat. I was looking about -for some place where I might hide the stone, when -the Prince returned. He went at once to the sideboard, -then turned and looked at me. No words -were needed to show my guilt. I stood speechless -in an agony of shame.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The Prince looked at me one awful moment in -silence. Then he took me by the hand quite gently, -and led me to the room that has the commandments -of God on the walls, and pointed to the words, -‘Thou shalt not steal.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He stood a moment beside me while I trembled, -and began to sob, then laid his hand, so -gently, on my head, and went away without a -word. My dear, it was the most effective sermon -I ever heard. You observe there was no sophistry -used. It was <em>stealing.</em> It was many a long day -before I could eat a peach without feeling as if I -had swallowed the stone.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The next time the Prince came, I ran weeping -to kiss the fringe of his sash, and he kissed my -cheek, and whispered, ‘Don’t grieve so, little one! -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>Forget all about it!’ From that day to this I -loved Dylar above all earthly things. He was -forty years old and I was ten; yet he was the one -man in the world to me from that day.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>While talking they had gone out, and were -walking northward in the outside road on their -way to see the kitchens. It was a paved street of -very irregular width. One side was bounded by -the straight line of the river parapet. The other, -narrowed to ten feet in width between the Arcade -and the bridge, widened sometimes to a rod or -two. And everywhere above were gardens, cottages, -steep paths and stairs, down-falling streams -and trees single, or grouped, or scattered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In one of the amphitheatres thus formed was a -semicircle of small shops, each with a wide awning -covering an outside counter. The goods were kept -inside, and brought out as called for. A man or -woman sat under the awning before each shop. -One was knitting, another was making pillow lace; -the man was making netting, and having but his -right hand, the peg had been fastened to his left -wrist, and he threw the cord in position for the -knot as rapidly as if the air were fingers to hold it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The kitchens were set high above the plain on -the eastern side of a deep ravine running northward. -Long buildings of only one story with attics -were surrounded by orchards, gardens, and -poultry-yards. There was a laundry, and countless -lines of clothes out in the sun. There was a bakery. -Beneath these buildings were the wine-caves, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>and the rooms for pressing the grapes. Farther -up, on a rapid stream that came down and disappeared -under the pavement, was a little mill.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It looks small,” Elena said; “but all the wool -that makes our dresses is woven there. Our silk -webs we bring from outside, though we have a -small silk farm; but we raise all our own wool. -The silk we use for sashes and for hosiery. We -send out silk hose, lace, and carved olive-wood.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And now, my dear, you are to see the folly of -individual domestic cooking, and the wisdom of -having public kitchens, if they are properly conducted. -And at this moment you see coming to -meet us one of the chief supports of our system. -If we had not a lady of good taste and administrative -capacity to matronize our kitchens, they might -deteriorate, or fail. If even such a lady were always -there, she might sometimes grow weary and -careless; but with a short term for each, there is -always the sense of novelty and emulation to keep -them up to the mark.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was a very pleasant presentation of a lady who -stood in the door to receive them, with a square of -white net tied, turban-wise, around her head, and -a snowy bib-apron over her cotton dress.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You do not remember me,” she said, smiling -at Tacita’s intent gaze. “No wonder. You saw -so many strangers last night. Besides, my hair -was not covered then, and I wore a silk dress.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was one of the most accomplished ladies whom -she had met at the assembly.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>They went through the buildings that constituted -almost a village. It was the very paradise of a -cooking colony, in plenty order, and cleanliness. -There were no silver saucepans tied with rose-colored -ribbons; but Marie Antoinette might have -gone there and made a cup of chocolate or cooked -an omelette, without soiling her fair fingers, or her -dainty high-heeled shoes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The economy, too, was perfect. There were -central roasting fires on elevated hearths, with a -tunnel-shaped sheet-iron chimney let down over -them where a circle of tin kitchens and spits could -surround them, losing no heat; and there were lines -of charcoal furnaces set in tiles under great sheet-iron -hoods.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We do not waste a bit of coal as large as a walnut, -nor a twig of wood that a bird could alight -on,” the Directress said. “For the food, not the -least important part of our establishment is the -fragment kitchen.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Elena, when shall I come and learn to cook -something?” Tacita asked as they went away.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Her friend laughed. “You find it fascinating, -then! I shall have to make you begin at school. -You did not see the preparatory department there. -It is a sight, when they are busy for an hour every -morning, chopping meat, picking raisins, husking -corn, shelling peas, picking over coffee or rice, -doing, in short, any preparatory work that the -cooks might need. Sometimes they have half an -hour of such work in the afternoon. It would, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>perhaps, interest you more than to see them at -their books.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have often thought,” Tacita said, “that if -we could sometimes stop and watch the artisan at -his work, we might find it interesting. They know -so many things that the idle do not suspect. I especially -like builders of houses and monuments. -There is so much of poetry and religion in their -work.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The artists who painted the <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">affrescos</span></i> in the -Basilica learned cooking first,” Elena said. “It is -recorded of them that they were very promising -cooks, and came near spending their lives in the -kitchens. One day a gentleman observed them -arranging some fruit and vegetables with a very -artistic sense of color, and one of them showed -him a butterfly he had painted with vegetable -juices and bits of mica. One thing led to another. -Paint-boxes and paper were given them, and they -took fire. They were sent out to study. The -landscape painter had a fame in the world, and -died there. The one who painted the insects, flowers, -and animals, returned to San Salvador after a -few years, and never went away again. He taught -here. The schools were then started. Did you -see the ant-hill in those frescos? It is in the lower -left corner, just above Solomon’s text: ‘Go to the -ant, thou sluggard!’ An acanthus leaf half covers -it. But there are the little grains of sand perfect, -and the ants running with their building materials. -In one place two ants are carrying a stick, one at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>each end of it. It is a little gem. They recorded -of this man that it was his delight to search out -microscopic beauties that no one else had seen. -One said that he could intoxicate himself with a -drop of dew. Ah, how many a Psyche of beautiful -wings withers away in a dull imprisonment because -no Love has sought her out! It does not even -know why it suffers, nor what it wants. What an -escape little Giotto had! What would have been -his after-life if Cimabue had not paused to see -what the shepherd boy had drawn with chalk on -that rough piece of slate!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Only a little before coming here,” Tacita said, -“I came upon a sentence in a book regarding -Giotto and the little church of Santa Maria dell’ -Arena, of which he was both architect and painter. -The writer said: ‘Dante lodged with Giotto while -the works were in progress.’ Dante lodged with -Giotto! If I had been there, I would have put -rose-petals inside their pillow-cases. I once saw -an old picture with a portrait of Giotto in it. He -was dark-haired and bright-eyed, and he was -dressed all in white and gold, with a hooded mantle. -The hood was up over his head, showing only -a profile. He looked like a rose, and seemed full -of spirit and gladness. I hope that the picture was -authentic.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” said Elena with a sigh, “give them rose-petals, -those whom the world showers with laurel. -It is well. They also need sympathy. But my -thought turns ever backward to the uncrowned, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>the unpraised! My dear, I have gone among the -unknown of many lands, and I have found among -them such vision-seeing pathetic eyes in persons -whose lives were condemned to the commonplace -and the material that I hold him who can express -himself at his best to his fellow-man to be happy, -even if he has to die for it. True, to the second -sight, there is much of beauty in common things. -But a person born with an ideal sense of beauty, -and a vague longing to be, or to enjoy something -excellent, naturally does not look for it in poverty -and ignorance. Let us observe our contemporaries, -my dear. Perhaps we may discover where we least -expect it the motionless eyeballs of some imprisoned -and disguised immortal. How happy we, if -ours should be the first voice to hail such with an -Ave!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>When Tacita was alone, she examined the little -book given her at the school. It was only a behavior -book for the pupils; but it contained some rules -not found elsewhere.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When you are in the street, do not stop to -speak to any one you may meet without an errand -which makes it necessary, if it should be before -supper, and do not stop at all unless your first -movement toward the person should be responded -to with an appearance of welcome.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do not go to any person’s house unless an errand -compel you to; go and then, your business -done promptly, take leave at once, but without -hurrying, even if invited to stay.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>“If at the assembly you see two or more persons -conversing apart, do not approach them unless -called, nor look at them as if expecting a call. -It is proper to pass them without saluting. Never -approach an alcove which is occupied.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When kissing the sash of one whom you wish -to salute, be sure that your hands are quite clean, -and then touch only the fringe, which is easily renewed. -To touch the fringe and then carry your -fingers to your lips would be better.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>A page called “The Five Classes” reminded the -reader somewhat in its style of that high-minded -and gentlemanly, if rather Turveydropish philosopher, -Confucius:—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“1. We begin our studies by acknowledging that -our teachers know more than we, and that we have -much to learn; and then we have the wisdom of our -age, and may be agreeable to the well-instructed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“2. We acquire the rudiments of a few studies, -and begin to think that we may soon know a great -deal; and we are still tolerable to the well-instructed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“3. We progress till we have a superficial knowledge -of several subjects; and then we are liable -to think ourselves so wise that we become disgusting -to the well-instructed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“4. We go a great deal farther, and if we -have good sense, we perceive our own ignorance, -and are ashamed of our past presumption; and -then we begin to win the respect of the well-instructed.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>“5. We progress farther and deeper, studying -with modesty and assiduity; and after many years -we learn that there is an ocean of wisdom to which -all that we could acquire in a thousand years is as -a drop of water; and then we are ourselves on the -road to be one of the well-instructed.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It isn’t a useless lesson for any one to commit -to memory,” she thought, closing the book.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“It would be a great help to me if I could hear -the language spoken in a longer discourse, so as to -get the swing of it,” Tacita said one day to Iona, -after having taken a lesson of her. “In conversation -all my attention is occupied in listening to the -sound of the words, and thinking of their meaning.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You can have to-morrow just what you want,” -her teacher said. “Some of the college boys go -up to Professor Pearlstein’s cottage with their compositions. -He criticises both style and thought. -Some of the compositions, if not all, will be in San -Salvadorian. They will go up at eight o’clock in -the morning. When you see them come across -the town, follow them. You can do so freely. My -brother Ion is one of the boys; and I sometimes go -up to hear them. The cottage is a little above the -Arcade, toward the north, and has a red roof. -Half way up, the pathway branches. Turn to the -right, and you will come to a little boudoir in the -rocks from which you can hear perfectly.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The next morning, therefore, Tacita followed the -boys as directed, and presently found herself in a -charming mossy nook with a roof, and a thick -grapevine hanging between her and the little -terrace where the professor sat before his cottage -<span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>door with half a dozen boys in a semicircle before -him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Professor Pearlstein was a striking figure. His -handsome face was calm and pallid, his hair and -beard were white; and he wore a long robe of -white wool with a scarlet sash, and a scarlet skull-cap -like a cardinal’s. He was carefully dressed, -even to the scarlet straps of his russet sandals; and -an air of peace and orderliness hung like a perfume -about him and his small domain.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita, screened by her vine-leaves, listened for -half an hour, eager to catch the thoughts through -the veil of this beautiful language which was so -sonorous and so musical, and was spoken with little -motions of head, throat, and shoulders, like a -singing bird.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Then a boy addressed his master in French.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I considered the ways of a tree,” he said, holding -his manuscript in hand, but without looking at -it. “As soon as the seed wakes, it sends out two -shoots. One goes down into the dark earth, seeking -to fix itself firmly and find nourishment. The -other rises into the light, putting up two little -leaves, like praying hands, laid palm to palm. -The root searches in that chemical laboratory, -which is the earth, and is itself a chemist, and the -tree sucks up its ichor, and increases. The tree -also searches for food and color in sun and air. -The root feels the ever increasing weight which -rests upon it, and clings hard to rocks, and strikes -deeper when it feels the strain of a storm in its -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>fibres. It does not know what the sun is, except -as an unknown power that sends a gentle warmth -down into the dark, and calls its juices upward. -It does not know that of the particles of air which -here and there give it such a delicate touch as -seems a miracle, a fathomless and boundless sea -exists above where all its gatherings go to build the -tree. It does not know what beautiful thing it is -building there, all flowers and fruit and rustling -music. It crawls and gathers with the worm and -the ant, obedient to the law of its being, and draws -sweetness out of corruption, and clasps a rock for a -friend.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Master, I could not be content to think that -there is no more than this visible tree to reward -such labor, and that anything so beautiful as the -tree should be meant only to please the eye, gratify -the palate, and then return to chaos.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“May there not be yet a third stage of this creature, -some indestructible tree of Paradise, all ethereal -music, perfume, and sweetness? That beauty -would be not in its mere existence, but in the good -that it has done; in the shade and refreshment it -has given to man; in shelter to nestling birds, and -to all the little wild creatures which fly to it for -protection; in the music of its playing with the -breeze and with the tempest.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When it drops off the perishable part which -was but the instrument of its perfection, the humble -instinct in the root understands at last for what -and with what it labored.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>“I remembered, O my master, that we in the -flesh are but the root of our higher selves, our sense -feeding our intelligence, which works visibly; while -above the body and the studious mind rises some -quintessence of intelligence which the spark of life -was sent to elaborate out of the universe on which -it feeds, a being all pure, all beautiful, which at -last gathers itself up into the light of Paradise, -dropping off corruption.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The picture-book of nature has given thee a -fair lesson, Provence,” said Professor Pearlstein, -smiling kindly on the boy; and then, with a few -suggestions and verbal corrections, allowed him to -resume his seat.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita did not need to be told that the boy who -rose next was Iona’s brother. He was graceful -and proud-looking, with an oval olive face, black -eyes and dark hair tossed back in locks that had -the look of plumes. He spoke in Italian, which he -pronounced exquisitely, with fullness and deliberation.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have been haunted by a circle and a whirling -and a wheel,” he began, looking downward, his -head slightly bowed, as if in confusion. “I meant -to draw a lesson from the life of water. But when -I had followed a drop only half its course, a great -machine, all wheels and whirling, caught me up -and tore my thoughts to fragments.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I remembered having read somewhere that men -and women are but the separated parts of wheelshapes, -or circles which had been their united form -<span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>in a more perfect state of being. Then I saw the -Hindu walking seven times around the object of -his sacred love, as the Mohammedan at the Cordovan -<i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Ceca</span></i>, till his footsteps wear a pathway in the -stone. I remembered Plutarch’s story of the siege -of Alesia. When the city had to capitulate, the -general came out on his finest charger and dressed -in his finest armor, to surrender it. He rode round -and round the tribune on which sat Cæsar with his -officers, circled round and round them, then dismounted, -disarmed himself, and sat down silently at -Cæsar’s feet. That revolution had some meaning. -I remembered the whirling dervish, a clod with a -planetary instinct, and the Persian hell peopled -with beings which whirl forever in a ceaseless circle, -whirling and circling, the right hand of each -pressed to his burning heart. That naturally recalls -to mind the strange idea that the planets are -sentient beings, whirling forever with their hearts -on fire, like those accursed ones in the Hall of -Eblis.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The planetary idea is in all this circling and -whirling.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“All the old nations have a legend of some great -supernatural battle in the past, where rebel and -loyal angels, gods and Titans, good and evil spirits -fought with each other. Those legends must -all be the reflection of a real event. I have wondered -if Chaos may not have been the crash and -ruin of such a combat, and Creation, as we have -read its story, a restoration only, instead of being -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>the original establishment of order. Is not all this -whirl the search of scattered fragments for their -supplementary parts?</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It might be, then, that there is no absolute evil, -but only an evil of wrong associations. There -are substances, as chemists know, which are deadly -in some combinations and wholesome in others. -There is the brute creation, which, perhaps, is but -a false humanity unmasked. Look at the trees. -Cut down an oak-tree and a pine-tree grows in its -place. Why not say, cut down a cruel man and -a wolf is born? And from that wolf downward -through fierce and gnawing generations, each losing -some fang and fire, what wore the shape of man -may become mud again. What if the real grandeur -of Christ’s mission may have been to release -all <em>men of good-will</em> from this primeval expiation. -First comes the figure, then the substance. <em>Let -there be Light!</em> said the Creator. And said -Christ, <em>I am the Light of the world.</em> Shone upon -by the sun, the foul and hateful may produce the -exquisite. From mud and dung we have the lily -and the rose. From this divine sun shining on <em>men -of good will</em>, we have the perfect man released from -a long captivity. The hell we hear of, the <em>outer -darkness</em>, of which the King’s Majesty spoke, -might be this going downward in the scale of being -of creatures which had arrived at humanity, but -were unworthy of it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Here, then, would begin another movement, -the Divine way of heaven.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>“It is all a whirl! Master, it makes me dizzy!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Half laughing, the boy pressed his hands to his -temples.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ion,” said the master quietly, “it is well to -observe natural phenomena with the hope of drawing -some guidance from them in the supernatural. -Nature is like our sweet-toned bell in C. The material -stroke at the base brings out the keynote; -but if you listen higher up where the band of lilies -runs, you will hear the dominant whispering. This -is our limit. If the universe should propound its -riddle to me, I would lay my hand on my mouth -and my mouth in the dust.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I would die guessing, or knowing!” cried the -boy. Then, with a quick change of expression, he -bowed lowly, and said in a quiet tone:—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I considered the ways of water. It springs out -of the dark earth, is a rivulet, a brook, a river. It -labors, and never ceases to be useful till, laden with -impurities which are not its own, it falls into the -ocean. It has wet the lips of fever, washed the -stains of labor, helped to bear malaria from the -crowded city, revived the drooping plant, quenched -the devouring flame, sung its little song along the -roof and eaves, stretched its little film to soften a -sunbeam in the hot noon. It rests. No, it rests -not. It climbs into the sky only to return, and go -over it all again. It was depressing to think that -we may come again to go through the same round. -But who knows that the drop of water makes the -same round a second time? The variety may be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>infinite. And so, I thought, the soul may come -and come, till it learns to sympathize with all. -May we not guess who has made many upward-growing -circles by saying, he can sympathize with -people in circumstances which have never surrounded -his apparent life, he can be compassionate -where others condemn, he can stand firm where -others fail, he is not moved by clamor?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Who can say?” said the master, passing his -hand across his forehead. “It is wiser not to ask.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is it forbidden to speculate?” asked the boy in -a low tone.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is not forbidden, Ion. But to spend the -present in speculating on the unrecallable past and -the unknown future is to throw away a treasure. -What happens when you try to look at the sun at -midday? You see nothing but a palpitating fire -that scorches your brain. Turn your eyes to earth -again, and do you see it as it is? No: everything -is discolored, and over it all are floating livid -disks that mimic the sun’s shape and slander his -color, the only souvenirs of an attempt to strain a -power beyond its limits. Do not try to read the -poetry and philosophy of a language till you shall -have learned its alphabet and grammar.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yet I learned German so, and was at the head -of my class,” said Ion boldly. “I opened a book -with Goethe’s name on the title-page, and turned -the leaves till I saw a poem that was as clearly -shaped for music as a bird is. I took the first letter -and learned its name and sound, and then the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>next and the next, till I had a word. I learned -that word, and the next in the same way, till I had -a verse and a thought. O master, what delight -when the dark shadows slid off that thought, and -it shone out like a star from under a cloud! -When, thought by thought, I had got the whole -poem out, every phrase perfect, and each delicate -grace with its own curves, then I knew German! -I plunged into the sea and learned to swim!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He laughed with joyous triumph, and lifting his -arms, crossed them above his head, bending backward -for a moment, as if to draw a full breath -from the zenith.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The old man smiled.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Thou hast an answer ever ready,” he said, -“and thou art not all wrong, boy. I would not -clip thy wings. I like thy life and courage. But -I would that thou hadst something also of Holy -Fear.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I like not the name of fear,” the boy said, -clouding over.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes; if a man fear to do right,” said the master. -“But there is a noble fear of presumption, -and of setting a bad example. You have quoted -from our highly-honored Plutarch. Do you remember -what he tells of Alexander on the vigil of -the battle of Abela? He stood on the height and -saw over against him Darius reviewing his troops -by torchlight. They marched interminably out of -the darkness into the glare and out into darkness. -Those moving shadows on the morrow would become -<span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>to him and to his army showers of arrows and -shock of spears, and trampling hoofs, and crushing -chariot-wheels, an avalanche of fierce death to -bear them down.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then Alexander called his soothsayer, and they -set up an altar before the king’s tent; and there, -with the torch-lighted hosts of the foe before them, -they sacrificed to Holy Fear.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When the hour of battle came, did Alexander -therefore fail? No! The next day’s sun shone on -his victory; and ere it set poor Darius was a fugitive, -and his conquerer proclaimed Emperor of -Asia.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ion, thy danger is in rashness and in passion. -Guard thyself, boy! To-night, I pray thee, ere -thou sleep, go out alone on to the topmost terrace -of the college, and there in silence gaze for a little -while into the cloudless sky and consider the torchlights -of God’s great invisible encampment, cycles -and cycles of being, a measureless life of which we -know not the figure nor the language. And when, -so gazing, the fever of thy soul shall be somewhat -cooled, do thou also sacrifice to Holy Fear!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ion listened at first with downcast eyes, then looking -earnestly at the speaker; and when the exhortation -was ended, before taking his seat, he went to -kiss respectfully the fringe of the master’s sash.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Into the pause that followed there broke a sudden -clash of bells all struck together.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The master and pupils glanced at each other and -all rose, uncovering their heads.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>Tacita recognized the familiar <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">à morto</span></i> of Italy. -It signified here that some one was dying.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The clash changed to a melody, and they all sang -together the hymn that had been sung that night in -Venice:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“San Salvador, San Salvador,</div> - <div class='line in4'>We cry to thee!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>singing the hymn through.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When it was ended, Tacita, perceiving that the -lesson of the boys would not continue longer, hastened -down the path before them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She had scarcely reached the level when Ion overtook -her.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“May I speak to you, Tacita Mora?” he asked, -cap in hand. “The master gave me permission to -follow you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Surely!” she answered, blushing. “But tell -me first for whom the bells were ringing.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It must be Leila, one of the school-girls. She -was very sick last night. And this morning her -brother did not come to the college, so I knew that -she must be worse.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did not I see you at the assembly?” asked -Tacita. “I had but a glimpse; but I think that -it was you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” said Ion. “It was my first admission. -I was sixteen years old the day before. We go -there at my age, and the ladies teach us politeness. -It is proper and kind for any lady to tell us if we -commit a <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">gaucherie</span></i>. They tell us gently in a -whisper. Pardon me if I still am awkward. I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>am but a school-boy. I wanted to kiss the fringe -of your sash that night, and did not dare to.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He bent to take her sash end, kissed it lightly, -and still held it for a moment as they walked. -There was something caressing and fascinating in -his voice and manner.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Looking down at the silken fringe, and letting -it slip tuft by tuft, he asked suddenly, “Do you -love my sister?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I admire her,” Tacita replied. “I have a sense -of subjection in her presence which forbids me to -use such a familiar word as love.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“She builds up that barrier in spite of herself!” -the brother exclaimed. “She wishes to see if any -one will throw it down in order to get nearer to -her. She would sometimes be glad if it were -down. I know Iona.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You can approach her nearly,” Tacita said. -“But who else would push down a barrier that she -raises round herself?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I want you to,” Ion said earnestly. “I want -Iona to have some one to whom she can unveil her -mind more than she would to me even. Her relations -with our people are fixed. Half by her own -motion, and half with their help, she has been got -on to a pedestal. She is on a pedestal even to -Dylar. And there she must remain till some one -helps her down. See why I am so anxious about -it now.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He took her sash end again, and held it, his fingers -trembling as he went on with growing passion.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>“Next year some of our young men are going -out to take their places in the world. They are -all two or three years older than I; but I am a -century more impatient than all of them put together. -Naturally I should be expected to wait. -If I insist, I can go; only I am afraid it would give -pain to Iona. But if you love her, you can take -my place to her. She is sure to love you. I feel -your sweetness all about you in the air. At the assembly -a lady quoted something pretty about you:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘Why, a stranger, when he sees her</div> - <div class='line'>In the street even, smileth stilly,</div> - <div class='line'>Just as you would at a lily.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>Don’t let this barrier grow up between you and -Iona! Try to get inside of it, and help me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will do what I can, Ion,” Tacita said, beginning -to feel as if she had found a brother. -“May I speak of it to Dylar? I think that she -would show her mind more freely to him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I leave it all to you, and thank you,” the boy -said, warmly. “I shall die if I do not go! But -don’t tell them that I said so. I have such a longing! -Last year I climbed that southern mountain -we call the Dome. From the top I caught a -glimpse between the higher mountains of the outside -world. Oh, how it stretched away! Our -plain was as the palm of my hand compared with -that vast outspread of land. There were small -blue spots, so small that if I held two fingers up at -arm’s length, they were hidden. Yet they were -mountains like these. There were trees so distant -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>that they looked a mere green leaf dropped on the -ground. I saw where the sun rises over the rim of -the round earth, and where it sinks again. How -I breathed! This is a dear home, I know. I -have seen men and women fall on their knees -and thank God, weeping with joy, that they were -permitted to return after having been long away. -But I cannot love San Salvador as it deserves till -I have seen something different.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita took in hers the boy’s trembling hand.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Be comforted!” she said. “I will do all that -I can, and you are sure to go. It will not be long -to wait. Now, when you go about, look at San -Salvador and all that it contains with the thought -that you are taking leave of it. On the eve of saying -farewell, even a mere acquaintance seems a -friend.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They were at the door of the Arcade. Ion took -a grateful, graceful leave.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Addio, O Queen of golden Silence!” he said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Poor little Leila is dead!” said Elena, coming -in later. “I was with her. It was she who gave -you the white rose when we were at the school. -You can now give one back.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XIV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Leila’s funeral took place the next day, the -lovely waxen figure carried on a bier strown with -flowers. The family surrounded their dead, a procession -of friends preceding and following. The -child’s home had been in one of the smaller apartments -of the cross-streets, reached by stairways -under the arches; and as it was the custom for -funerals to approach the Basilica by the avenue, -they came across to the eastward through alternating -light and shadow, and, reaching the outer -street, returned by the bridge in front of the Arcade, -the bells ringing <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">à morto</span></i> as they passed -through the avenue. But it was not the clash of -all the bells together. It was a plaintive dropping, -a tone or a chord, like dropping tears.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Will they not enter?” Tacita asked in a whisper -of Elena when she saw that not only those preceding -the dead spread themselves around the outside -of the inclosure of the Basilica, but those who -followed were also remaining outside.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No, my dear. The house of God is no place -for corrupting human bodies.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The bier was set down on the uppermost of the -first steps; two men with gilded staves drew -aside the curtains of the portal, and the lights and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>the Throne shone out on the mourning and the -mourned. A few prayers were said; and then, led -by the chimes, they all sang.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita knew enough of the language now to follow -the sense of their simple and brief appeal.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Thou who didst mourn the friend that silent lay</div> - <div class='line in2'>In the dark tomb, behold our eyes that weep</div> - <div class='line'>A lifeless form that loved us yesterday.</div> - <div class='line'>Mourning, we lay its silence at thy feet,—</div> - <div class='line in10'>Thou who didst weep!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Help of the sorrowful! Help us to say</div> - <div class='line in2'>Of this dear treasure which we may not keep,</div> - <div class='line'>The Lord hath given, and he takes away,</div> - <div class='line'>And still thy name with fervent blessings greet,—</div> - <div class='line in10'>Thou who didst weep!</div> - <div class='line in10'>Thou who didst weep!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The windows of the Basilica had all been darkened -and the lamps doubled; and to those standing -opposite the portal the two long rows of columns -and the climbing lights and upper glow might have -seemed like Jacob’s vision of the angelic stairway -stretching from earth to heaven, from shadow to -light.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The hymn ended, they took up their dead and -went on in silence. The road that led to the cemetery -led nowhere else. It turned from the plain -at the south side of the Basilica, hidden by the elevation -of the little rock plateau on which the structure -was set, and passing along the side of it, entered -a deep and narrow ravine at the back. This -ravine was nearly half a mile long and walled with -precipitous rocks that shut out everything but the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>line of sky above and the topmost point of one -white snow-peak, serene against the blue.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Entering the ravine was to be reminded infallibly -of the “valley of the shadow of death.” Here -the prayers began. A single voice in the centre -of the procession exclaimed:—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken -away,” and like waves the response rolled to front -and rear and back again,—“Blessed be the name -of the Lord!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Miserere was repeated in the same way, and -the Psalm “The Lord is my Shepherd.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The sun entered the ravine with them. There -was only one hour of the day when a direct beam -shone in, and that, except when the days were -longest, scarcely reached the foot-way. It shone -along over their heads now; and as the road near -its end made a turn further inward to the mountains, -it shone on a great golden legend set high -above on an arch springing from cliff to cliff:—</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>I am the Resurrection and the Life!</span></p> - -<p class='c011'>Some men on the natural bridge that made the -archway stood outlined against the sky, looking -down at the procession. To them the gray robes -and black sashes could have been scarcely distinguishable -from the dark rocks; but the form of the -little maiden thus taking its last journey, and those -of the eight bearers, all in white, would shine out -of the shadows.</p> - -<p class='c011'>No perfumed garden flowers grew on that high -land where they were working when they heard the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>bells’ <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">à morto</span></i>; but they gathered snowy daisies, -scentless and pure, and made a little drift of their -petals; and as the dead approached and passed -beneath, they dropped them down in a thin shower -as fine as any snow-crystals.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The ravine opened beyond the arch to what had -been a torrent-bed circling round a cone-shaped -mountain almost destitute of verdure. The whole -mass of this mountain was a cemetery. Wide -stairs and galleries outside led to iron-bound doors -at different heights. One of these doors was open. -The procession, crossing a bridge over dry stones, -went up the graded ascent to what might be called -the second story. Here was a full sunshine. The -bearers set their burden down in it before the open -door. And here, at last, grief was allowed to have -its way for a moment. The mourners fell on their -knees beside their dead. A choir of men and -women broke out singing:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Look thy last upon the sun!</div> - <div class='line'>Eyes that scarcely had begun</div> - <div class='line'>To distinguish near from far,</div> - <div class='line'>Star from lamp, or lamp from star;—</div> - <div class='line'>Eyes whose bitterest tears were dew</div> - <div class='line'>That a swift smile sparkled through.</div> - <div class='line'>Lift thy white lids once, before</div> - <div class='line'>Darkness seal them evermore!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Speak, and bid the air rejoice,</div> - <div class='line'>Music of a childish voice!</div> - <div class='line'>One more word our hearts shall hail</div> - <div class='line'>Sweeter than the nightingale!</div> - <div class='line'>Smile again, O lips of rose!</div> - <div class='line'>Break the pitiless repose</div> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>That is builded like a wall</div> - <div class='line'>Where in vain we beat and call.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Nevermore! Ah, nevermore!</div> - <div class='line'>Till we touch the heavenly shore,</div> - <div class='line'>Voice or smile of hers shall bless</div> - <div class='line'>Our heart-bleeding loneliness.</div> - <div class='line'>Jesus, King, and Brother mild!</div> - <div class='line'>Keep her yet a little child,</div> - <div class='line'>That her face we there may see</div> - <div class='line'>As we yield it back to thee!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The parents and the child’s brother sobbed as -they bent over the unanswering dead, if the peaceful -brightness of that flower-like face could be -called unresponsive, and they rose only when some -of their nearer friends bent over and would have -lifted them. Then the bearers took up the bier and -passed out of the sun, and disappeared into what -from the outside seemed a profound darkness.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was a long corridor formed precisely like a -catacomb, except that the greater part of it was -masonry. The roof, floor, and walls were all of -unpolished gray stone with white marble tablets set -in the walled-up niches. Three iron lamps suspended -from the ceiling threw all about a tender -golden light. At the farthest end of the corridor -something white reflected dimly. There were a -few closed niches, but the greater number of them -were unoccupied. Outside one of these, opposite -the second lamp, a smaller lamp, as yet unlighted, -was set in an iron ring fixed in the masonry.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The bier was set down before this niche, which -was lined with myrtle sprigs, and had little lace -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>bags filled with spices in the corners. There were -two silver rings inside attached to cords, one at the -head and one at the foot.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As Tacita entered, she saw the father lift his -child and lay her in her fragrant bed, and the -mother place a pillow under her head. They -crossed her hands on her breast, and slipped one -of the silver rings on to a wrist and the other over -the slender foot. They had been weeping loudly; -but when, their service done, they stood and looked -at the peaceful and lovely sleeper, something of her -quiet came over them. They gazed fixedly, as if -their souls were groping after hers, or as if the wall -of her silence and immobility were not altogether -impenetrable, and intent, with hushed breathing, -they could catch some sense of a light fuller than -that of the sun, and of sweet sounds, beautiful scenes -and loving companionship in what had seemed a -void, and of nearness where infinite distances had -been straining at their heart-strings.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita laid her bunch of white roses at the child’s -feet. Then Elena led her down the corridor and -pointed to a name inscribed on the marble of a -closed niche. It was her father’s.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She kissed the marble, and stood thinking; then -turned away. “God keep him!” she said. “I -cannot find him here.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>At the end of the corridor, in the centre of the -wall, was an open niche, all white marble, with a -gilded cross lying in it, and so many little bags of -spices that all the neighborhood was perfumed by -them.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>This niche was called “The Resurrection;” and -at every funeral the mourners brought their tribute -of perfumes to it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena drew her companion’s attention to the -niches around this open tomb. “You see how -small they are. They are all young infants. It -is the same in all the corridors. The end where -the tomb of Christ is, is called the cemetery of the -Innocents.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Outside, in the gallery, a choir was softly singing:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Thou who didst weep!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>“We will go now,” Elena whispered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As they went, the mourners still stood before -their dead, the husband and wife hand in hand. -The brother, with his hands clasped before him, -gazed steadfastly into his sister’s face, that was -scarcely whiter than his own.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The little lamp had been lighted, the chains attached -to the chain of a bell hung outside the door, -and a plate of glass covered the niche.</p> - -<p class='c011'>People came and went quietly. Some had gone -home; others were seated on the stone benches outside. -Dylar was leaning on the parapet; and when -Tacita and Elena came out, he accompanied them -down and through the ravine. When they reached -the lane behind the church, he asked Tacita if she -would like to go up and see his cottage, which was -just above the college. She assented gladly, and -Elena left them to go up the path together.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The cottage was of the plainest, and contained -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>but two rooms. The front one had a glass door -and two windows overlooking the town. There -was a table in the centre of the room with a revolving -top surrounded by drawers. A hammock hung -at the back, and there were two chairs, a bookcase -and a closet. The floor was of green and white -tiles, and the roughly plastered walls were washed -a dull green.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You see, I have here everything that I need,” -Dylar said. “My living rooms are in the college; -but I often come here. My writing and planning, -especially of our outside affairs, is done here. The -business of San Salvador is all portioned out and -arranged, and can be done without me. But the -outside business requires a good deal of study.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He brought the chairs out, and they sat down, -and Dylar pointed out the larger mountains, and -named them, told where the torrents were and how -they had been or could be deviated, told where -the signal-stations were, and how they could know -from them all that happened at their outer stations. -He showed her her own chamber windows in the -Arcade, the heights behind which, scarcely hidden -from the town, she had entered San Salvador, and, -near the southeastern angle of the opening, a mountain -with a double peak, beyond which stood Castle -Dylar.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The terrace where they sat was covered with a -thin dry turf, and a pine-tree grew at one side and -an olive-tree at the other. The olive was so old -that its trunk was quite hollowed out, and the side -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>next the rock had long since died and been cut -away. The single great outward branch was full -of blossoms. From the parapet one could look -down and see the river of ripening wheat that -flowed quite round the rock on which the college -was built.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This is the only spot in the world that I can -properly call home,” Dylar said. “It is the only -place all mine, and where no stranger comes. If -I am wanted, a signal calls me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You like to be here!” Tacita said with a certain -pensiveness. “You like to be alone!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You think so,” he said, “because I keep somewhat -apart. It is necessary that I should do so in -order to avoid complicating intimacies. Then, I -have a great deal to think of. Besides, I will confess -that when human affection comes too near, and -becomes personal, I feel a sense of recoil. Human -evil and sorrow I do not shrink from; but human -love”—</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita moved backward a step, and clouded over.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not so!” Dylar exclaimed. “It is precisely -because your friendship is as delicate as a mist that -I seek you, that I follow you. See that white -cloud on the pine-tree yonder! It is like you. -The tree-top, the topmost tree-top has caught and -tries to hold it. Do you think that it would like -to stay?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It stays!” she murmured; and a faint rose-hue -over her face and neck and hands betrayed the sudden -heart-throb. “It stays while it is held.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>Dylar looked at her with delight in his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am glad to have here at last the little girl of -the <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">baiocco</span></i>,” he said. “I never forgot her. When -I no longer saw her, she grew up in my mind. I -fancied her saying to me across the world: ‘Why -do you not come? I am no longer a child!’”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita gave him a startled glance, and quickly -turned her eyes away. Love the most ardent, the -most impetuous, shone in his face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Tacita,” he said softly, “I am indeed a beggar -now! But do not fear. I will wait for your answer; -but I could not wait before letting you know -surely that my fate is in your hands. And now, -shall we go down?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She turned to descend before him, but stopped, -looking back over her shoulder with lowered eyes -that did not see his face. “May I have just one -little string of olive-blossoms?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He gathered and gave it to her over the shoulder -her cheek was touching. “Ask me for the -tree!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Let it be mine where it stands,” she said, hiding -a smile, and taking a step forward.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ask me for the castle!” he said passionately, -following her.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will first see the castle,” she said, still going, -her face turned from him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Will you go to-morrow to see it? Elena will -accompany us.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If you ask me, I will go.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They had reached the circle, and some men were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>there on their way to the upper gardens. In the -town they were alone again, and Dylar sketched -their programme for the next day.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You and Elena will talk it over,” he said. -“And if you wish any change made, send me word -this evening.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They parted at the door, and Tacita went upstairs -feeling as though she floated in the air.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>The sun was not yet in the town. Its beams -had scarcely reached the Basilica in their progress -down the western mountains when the two ladies -mounted their donkeys at the Arcade to go to Castle -Dylar. The master of the castle was to meet -them on the mountain path above the college.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They found him waiting for them; and as they -went up an easy serpentine road, and over bridges -binding cliff to cliff, Dylar pointed out hills and -streams where the small flocks and herds of San -Salvador were kept.</p> - -<p class='c011'>From this path could be seen to the best advantage -the rock on which the college was built, and -the way the structure followed its outlines and imitated -them in pinnacles and terraces of every size -and shape. They found the mountains on which -the pine-woods bordered, and, close at hand, the -height from which the first Dylar had discovered -the site of his future city.</p> - -<p class='c011'>San Salvador disappeared; then its gardens -were no longer visible; and then the spaces that -betrayed the presence of a plain, or valley, were -filled in; and they no longer looked backward.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They entered upon a scene like that which had -preceded Tacita’s first vision of San Salvador, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>scarcely a month before; and again she began to -ask herself if it were not all a dream.</p> - -<p class='c011'>But a word from Dylar was enough to chase the -phantom of unreality away. Tacita used every -pretext that enabled her to glance at him. He was -so picturesque and soldierly, he had such an uncommon -figure with his firm profile and auburn-tinted -hair; and the dark tunic and turban cap -with its silver band were so graceful.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She and Elena had each a man at the bridle; -but Dylar was at her side at every rough place or -steep descent. Yet his manner could not be called -lover-like. It was rather that of a kind and anxious -guardian. She asked herself if he had indeed -said but the day before that his fate was in -her hands. It seemed impossible. It was he who -held her fate. Under his guardianship, how sweet -were the dark places, how welcome the giddy cliff -edges!</p> - -<p class='c011'>Outwardly quiet, and with a face almost as colorless -as an orange flower, Tacita was intoxicated -with delight.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Near the end of their journey, they passed across -the opening to a deep and dark ravine.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There,” said the prince, pointing, “was found -the gold which enabled the first Dylar to buy and -cultivate land around the castle, and to found San -Salvador. It was a rich mine; and we still find a -few grains in it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>A little later they reached a small plateau, and -dismounted. Passing a corner of ledge, they came -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>to a long rough stair so shut in as to be in twilight. -It descended and disappeared in a turn, -and seemed to have been cut in the rock. It -ended at a door that opened into a low-roofed cave.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Courage!” said Dylar with a smile, and gave -his hand to Tacita.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He led her through the cave, and up a stone -stair lighted by a hanging lamp to a landing that -had a narrow barred door at one side. Through -this door, masked on its other side by shelves, they -entered a large cellar such as one might expect to -find under an old castle founded upon rocks.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Here were long vistas of vaults supported on -piers of masonry, tracts of thick wall, both long -and short, sometimes taking the place of pillars and -arches. There were glistening rows of wine-hogsheads -diminishing in the darkness; and shelves of -jars gave a familiar domestic look to the place.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dylar pointed out how cunningly the stair from -the cave below was hidden. It was set between -two walls that ran together like a wedge, a wall -starting off diagonally from the point where they -met, and pillars and arches so confusing the outlines -that the wedge-shape could not be suspected.</p> - -<p class='c011'>From the large cellar they entered a small one -surrounded by shelves of bottles.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am sorry to welcome you to my house by -such a rough way,” Dylar said. “But it is, at -least, an ascending one.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You are giving me a charming adventure,” -Tacita said brightly. “I have entered many a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>palace and castle by the <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">portone</span></i>, but never before -by a cavern and a masked door.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The next stair led to a plainly-furnished study, -or office. Dylar hastened to open a door into a -noble baronial hall.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“At last, welcome to Castle Dylar!” he exclaimed. -“May peace fill every hour you pass -within its walls. Command here as if all were -your own!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They entered a drawing-room of which the walls -were all a rich dimness of old frescos, and the -oaken furniture was upholstered with purple cloth. -The tall windows let in a brilliant sunshine -through the upper panes; but all the lower ones -were covered by shutters. Here the housekeeper -came to welcome the ladies and show them to their -chambers.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The wide stairway led to a circular gallery -hung with tapestries in which was woven the story -of Alexander the Great. There was nothing modern. -But the two connecting chambers they entered -were bright with sunshine, and fresh with -green and white draperies. The windows were -swathed with a thin gray gauze.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita went eagerly to look out.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We must not show ourselves,” Elena said. -“You can look through the gauze.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The first glance, vaulting over a mass of tree-tops -and a great half-moon of verdure, saw a plain that -extended to a low ripple of pale-blue mountains on -the horizon. A few stunted groves were visible -<span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>on this wide expanse, and a few abrupt hills which -seemed to be protruding ledges, the crevices of -which had been gradually filled by the dust-bearing -winds.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita recollected Ion’s description of this -scene, which had appeared to him so beautiful that -San Salvador, compared with it, had seemed a -prison.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Poor boy!” she thought. “He will find nowhere -else such freedom as that which he is so -eager to leave.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The near view compensated by its richness for -the sterility of the distant. It was a vast fenceless -garden radiating two miles, or more, in every -direction from the front of the castle, and every -foot of it was cultivated to the utmost. There -were blocks of yellowing wheat, there was every -green of garden, orchard, and vineyard; and -through them all the ever-present olive-trees which -gave the place its name. They were planted -wherever a tree could go. Around the foot of the -castle they were clustered so thickly that they hid -even from its windows the green turf and gray -steps of its semicircular terraces. The large -houses of whitewashed stone with flat roofs were -scattered about irregularly. By some of them -stood groups of palm-trees; or a single tree waved -its foliage above the terrace.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The visitors had their dinner in a quaint boudoir, -cone-shaped, and frescoed to look like a forest -aisle from the pavement to the apex of its ceiling. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>One could recognize the artist of the Basilica -in those interwoven branches, those leaping squirrels, -and the bird’s-nests with a gaping mouth or -downy head visible over the rim.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will give you a more fitting service when you -come here by way of the Pines,” Dylar said. -“But on these stolen visits from below we live -with closed doors and a single servant.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He eats,” thought Tacita. “Therefore he is -human.” And she felt no need of puzzling over -a major proposition, nor, indeed, of anything but -what the painted cone contained.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It should be a communicable thought which -provokes that amused smile,” Dylar said when he -caught her expression.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita blushed. “I was telling myself that it -is a real plate of soup before you, and a real spoon -in your hand; and that therefore I need not expect -to find myself presently in the Madrid gallery, -and see you disappear into a picture-frame.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Shall I tell you something of that man’s history -by and by?” asked Dylar. “It may help to lay -his ghost.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, yes!” she exclaimed. “And, oh, yes!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When you shall have taken some repose, -then,” he said, “come with me to the terrace of -the tower. There, with the scene of my ancestor’s -labors before our eyes, I will show you how to distinguish -between him and me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I cannot sleep, Elena,” said Tacita, when they -were alone. “Yet a nap is just what I want. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>What a shame it is that our rebellious bodies do -not know their duty better, and obey orders.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I fancy,” said Elena, “that the body could retort -with very good reason when accused of being -troublesome, and that it understands and does its -business as well as the mind understands and does -its own. Why should not body and soul be -friendly comrades?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My respected friend and body,” said Tacita -with great politeness, as she leaned back in a deep -lounging-chair, “will you please to go to sleep?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She closed her eyes, and was silent a little -while, then opened them, and whispered, “Elena, -it won’t!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was no reply. Elena had gone to sleep -in the adjoining chamber.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita sat looking out over the wide landscape. -The nearest house visible over the olive-trees had -a flame of nasturtium flowers on its lower walls, -and a palm-tree lifting its columned trunk to hold -a plumy green umbrella over the roof. The foliage -waved languidly to and fro in a faint breeze, -lifting and falling to meet its own shadow that -lifted and fell responsive on the white walls and -gray roof. There was something mesmeric in the -motion; and the silence and “the strong sunshine -settled to its sleep” were like a steadfast will behind -the waving hands.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When Tacita woke, Elena was waiting to tell -her that Dylar was in the drawing-room, and -would show her the castle.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>To one acquainted with old countries there was -nothing surprising in the massive, half-ruined -structure, with its rock foundations, and the impossibility -of finding one’s way unguided from one -part of the interior to the other. The ancient tapestries, -the stone floors with their faded rugs from -oriental looms, the stone stairways where a carpet -would have looked out of place, and was, in fact, -spread only as flowers are scattered for some <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">festa</span></i>,—they -were not strange to Tacita. But they were -most interesting.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A round tower made the centre of the castle; -and there was a wing at either side with a labyrinth -of chambers. This tower formed a rude -porter’s lodge on the ground, a fine hall above, a -gallery by the sleeping-rooms, and the fourth floor -was Dylar’s private study. From this room a -narrow stair went up through the thickness of the -wall to the roof terrace. There were secret passages, -and loop-holes for observation everywhere.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“God knows how many deeds of darkness these -hidden chambers may have witnessed!” Dylar said. -“If it had not seemed possible that they may be -useful in the future, some of them would have -been torn down before this. If any large agricultural -work were attempted, it might be necessary -to lodge the workmen here for a while. When -these houses you see were being built, a hundred -men dined every day in a hall in the eastern wing.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They had stepped out on to the terrace, where -chairs had been placed for them, screened from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>sight by the parapet, so that as they sat only a -green and gold rim of the settlement was visible.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How beautiful it would be,” said Tacita, “if -all that plain were wheat and corn and vines and -orchards, with the hills crowned with small separate -cities, all stone, with not a green leaf, only -boxes of pinks outside the windows.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Just my thought!” Dylar exclaimed, blushing -with pleasure. “Who knows but it may be some -day? We own some land outside our farms, and -have begun by planting it with canes. It is that -unbroken green band you see yonder. It is larger -than it looks.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They were silent a little while. There was no -word that could have added to their happiness. -Then the prince began his story.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Three hundred years ago the name of Dylar -was well known in some of the great cities of -Europe and the East. The family had occupied -high places, and the head of it at that time, whose -portrait you have seen, was a brave soldier. He -was fortunate in everything,—too fortunate, for -he excited envy. He had a beautiful wife and a -young son and a daughter.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“His wife died, and with her departed his good -fortune. While he mourned for her, forgetful of -everything but grief, those who envied him were -busy. I need not enter into details. His life is -all recorded, and you can read it if you will. It -is enough to say that his enemies succeeded in depriving -him of place, and in multiplying their own -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>number. They changed the whole face of the -earth for him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He found himself in that position where a man -sees open before him the abyss of human meanness. -Trivial minds dropped off their childish -graces and showed their childish brutality. Nothing -is capable of a greater brutishness than a -trifler. Fine sentiments came slipping down like -gorgeous robes from dry skeletons. Prudence took -the place of magnanimity, its weazened face as -cold as stone. Ceremonious courtesy met him -where effusive affection had been. In short, he -had the experience of a man who has lost place and -power with no prospect of regaining them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He had no wish to regain them, and would -have refused them had they been offered. To astonishment, -incredulity, and indignation succeeded -a profound disgust. His only wish was to shake -off all his former associations, and seek a place -where he might forget them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He sold his property, and with his two children -abandoned a society that was not worthy of -him. A nurse and a man-servant only clung to -his fortunes, and refused to be separated from him -and his children.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“For a time he was a wanderer, thinking many -thoughts.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He had been noble and honorable, but not religious. -It is probable that now, when humanity -had so failed him, he raised his eyes to inquire of -that Deity of whose existence he had formerly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>made only a respectful acknowledgment. The -Madrid picture must have been painted about this -time. It expresses his state of mind.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Doubtless some of the plans which he afterward -put in execution were already floating in his -imagination when in one of his journeys he came -upon this place, for he immediately resolved to purchase -it. It is recorded that he exclaimed, ‘It was -made for me!’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The place must have looked uninviting at that -time to one who had not already plans which would -make works of improvement a welcome necessity; -for what is now a garden was then a waste almost -as barren as that you see beyond; and in place of -these houses, which, in a rustic way, are fine, -noble structures, were a few miserable huts inhabited -by tenants as ignorant, and even vicious, as -they were poor.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Probably Dylar had that feeling from the first -which has been ever since one of our principles of -action, to take the worst, that which no one else -would take, in men and things, and work at their -reformation.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“At all events, he set out at once to find the -owner of the place, a young man who might be in -Paris, or London, or Rome, but most surely, at the -gaming-table. Found at last, after a long search, -he consented readily to sell, but he did not consent -gladly. He could not hesitate, for he was reduced -almost to living by his wits; but he suffered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dylar had compassion on him. He saw in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>him the victim of an evil education involved in a -life from which he was too weak to escape. But -it was impossible to approach such a man with the -same help which he could give to others. He only -begged that if ever the young man, or his children, -should wish to live in retirement for a while, -they would still look upon the castle of their ancestors -as a home to which they would be ever -welcome.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then he set himself to change the face of his -desolate possessions. He gathered a score of outcasts, -men and women to whom every door of hope -was closed, and brought them to the castle till -other shelter could be provided for them. More -than one of them had crimes to confess; but they -were the crimes of misery and desperation rather -than of malice.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of a different class of the needy, he added to -his own household. There was an elderly lady -who gladly took the place of duenna to his daughter; -and an old book-worm who was starving in unhonored -obscurity became his son’s tutor, and later -an important agent in the success of his plans.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course, agriculture was their first need; -and the tutor was far in advance of his time in -this science—so far as to have been considered a -visionary. Dylar found him able to realize these -visions.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Before long, the land began to reward them. -Huts had been built for the new-comers, and all -worked with a will. Dylar had confided something -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>of his plans to these poor people, and had inspired -them with an ambition to build here a city of refuge, -and to look forward to a time when they -might say to the world which had condemned them, -Behold! a higher judge has absolved us.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Whether the thought occurred first to Dylar, -or to his son’s tutor, we do not know; but they -agreed that gold must exist in large quantities in -the mountains, and they secretly searched for it. -Some grains had been found in a little stream that -issued from the mountains where the river now is. -To guess how difficult it was to get at the source -of this stream you would have to examine the conformation -of the mountains about the castle. In -fact, they were reduced to the necessity of descending -inside by ropes from the castle itself.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You understand that they succeeded, and found -gold in large quantities. You will also understand -that they must have confided their secret to -others.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Here was an immense difficulty. Had this -discovery been made known to his people, Dylar’s -community would have been ruined, his plans overset -forever.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He hit upon a device. He made another visit -to the outside world, and brought back seven men -who might be called desperate criminals. He -asked them to work for him five years, separated -from the world, with no other companionship than -their own, and, the term expired, to go far away -taking oath never to divulge what they had seen -<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>and done. On his side, he would provide for all -their needs, and give them a sum of money which -to them would be riches.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They agreed readily, not doubting but they -were wanted to commit some crime. When the -term of their service was ended, they were no -longer criminals; and among their descendants have -been the most faithful guardians of San Salvador.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“These men lived at first in a cave in the ravine. -Then they built them huts. Later, wives -were found for them, and they made homes for -themselves. Long before the five years were -ended the plain of San Salvador was discovered, -the city planned, and the lower entrance to the -castle begun. Outside, land was purchased and -cultivated, and the houses which preceded the present -ones were built. Many new people had been -brought in, and some sent out to study a handicraft -or science. Building and agriculture were the -chief studies of the people.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You will see that the story can only be touched -here and there.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Everything succeeded, because all were in -sympathy with their leader, and his prosperity was -their prosperity. These men and women who had -found themselves here, perhaps, for the first time -in their lives, treated with respect, had no desire -to withdraw the veil so mercifully let down between -their human present and their infernal past. -They were faithful from self-interest and from a -passionate sense of gratitude.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>“Now and then a new-comer was hard to assimilate; -but indulgence was shown. A mind long -embittered may almost outgrow the possibility of -peace, not from any deformity of character, but -from a profound sense of injustice. A man or -woman of middle age who can remember no happy -childhood, no aspiration of enthusiastic youth which -was not crushed by disappointment and mortification, -has amassed a sense of wrong which help -comes too late then to cancel.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dylar’s conviction, which still holds with us, -was that a person so unfortunate as to have become -an outcast from civilization is most probably the -victim of some atrocious wrong in his birth, or in -his early training, or that some supreme injustice -has been done him later in life. Enlightened by -his own experience and by subsequent observation, -he perceived a wide and cruel barbarism hidden -beneath the fair semblance of what calls itself civilization. -Christianity he recognized as the only -true civilizer; but Christianity was an individual, -not a social fact. There was no Christian society.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“As time passed, some persons of a different -character, though all needy, began to be drawn -into the Olives,—a mourner who desired to spend -the remnant of a blighted life in retirement, or a -hopeless invalid, or some student whose life was -consecrated to study and starvation. He was astonished -to find how many accomplished people in -the world were poor.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He was, therefore, in no want of teachers. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>Some remained for a time; some never left him. -To the latter only the existence of San Salvador -was known.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“In the lifetime of the first Dylar the necessity -for preparing for outside colonies was already felt, -and his successor began them. He made large investments, -and had agents. All young orphans -were sent out, and all beyond a certain number in -families. Sometimes a whole family will go. Their -relatives are their hostages.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It was the third Dylar, called Basil, who built -the Basilica. There had been only a shrine for a -throne of acacia wood. This throne Basil made -with his own hands. It was he also who planned -and began the cemetery; and he was the first one -to be laid in it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Basil went out young into the world. He -made himself first a carpenter, then studied architecture -and mining. He never married. I am descended -from his brother.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Volumes might be filled with beautiful stories -that were told of him, and with legends, half true, -half false, which the people wove about him. His -sudden appearances and disappearances at the -castle after he returned to San Salvador were held -by some to be miraculous. He lived a hundred -years, and was found dead on the summit of the -mountain of the cemetery. There is a grassy -hollow at the top that is called ‘Basil’s Rest.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It would be worth your while to go there some -morning before sunrise, to hear the larks. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>story of his finding there, and of the people bringing -his body down, is like a song.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The first and second Dylars called the unfortunates -they brought here ‘children of Despair.’ -Basil named those he brought ‘children of Hope’!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have told you that the first Dylar made -friendly offers and promises to the man of whom -he bought this castle. His acts were in conformity -with his words. He kept a watch over the -family, especially after he had discovered gold. -He held himself more solemnly bound to them by -that discovery. When any one of them was in -difficulty, he went to the rescue. But it was long -before one of them was admitted to San Salvador. -Then a widow came with her young infant. This -widow married the fourth Dylar. From the little -girl, her daughter, Iona and Ion are descended.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh!” exclaimed Tacita. “Iona!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, Iona! In her and her brother alone we -recognize now the blood of the original possessors -of Castle Dylar. Their presence here satisfies our -sense of justice. The girl I speak of married in -San Salvador, and she and her husband went out -to have the charge of our affairs in France. One -of their sons became a messenger, that is, a person -who keeps a regular communication between all -the children of San Salvador, reports births and -deaths, carries verbal messages, and does whatever -business may be necessary in his province. It is -a messenger who buys and brings all our supplies -and carries out all our produce.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>“The son of this messenger became himself a -messenger. He was Iona’s grandfather. He was -named Zara for a Greek friend of the family. He -was restless and adventurous, like all his race. He -went to the East. This was in the time of my -grandfather. He married an Arab woman—ran -away with her, indeed. But the circumstances of -the escapade were such as to render it pardonable.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He lived but a short time after this marriage, -and his widow with her only child, afterward -Iona’s mother, came to San Salvador. Iona’s -father was a relative of mine.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What Iona is I need not tell you; for you -know her. She is one of Nature’s queens, and of -the rarest; and Ion is worthy to be her brother. -In both that restless fire of him who, for very impatience, -sacrificed his birthright is intensified by -this spark from Araby. But they have reason and -discipline, and will have opportunity.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am telling you too long and dull a story. -But having these outlines, you may afterward take -pleasure in learning many details of our history. -It is full of romantic adventure and Christian heroism.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Have I wearied you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“So far from it,” Tacita said, “that I would -gladly listen longer. But you also may be weary. -Tell me, these details of your history, are they all -written?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Not all. The simple facts are all written. -Our archives are perfect. The rest is left to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>memory of the people. We write no books of adventure, -and no novels; but we talk them; and our -story-tellers are as inexhaustible as Scheherezade. -You have not yet listened to one of them, though -you may have seen an audience gathered about one -in the booths above the Arcade. There is one -whom I must soon take you to hear. He is a gardener, -and understands more about olives and the -making of oil than any other man in San Salvador. -His story-telling is picturesque and poetical. -He does not change the facts, but he transfigures -them. His mind has a golden atmosphere. -There is another, a baker, who will tell you stories -as lurid as the fires that heat his ovens. One -of the elders sometimes tells stories of heroic virtue -in our pioneers, or in historical characters of -the world. When our messengers come in, they -always give a public account, sometimes very prosaic, -of their travels.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Has there never been a traitor in San Salvador?” -Tacita asked timidly, fearing to awaken -some painful recollection.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Never!” was the prompt reply. “In the first -place, even of persons born here of our most -highly-honored citizens, but sent out very young, -no one can know that such a place exists till he has -returned to it. This is your own case. Those -who go out adults are persons who have been tried. -Any notable wealth or luxury of living is forbidden, -or discouraged, in our people; and having -thus nothing which will attract flatterers, they see -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>the world more nearly as it is. Self-interest helps. -Besides, with the training our children have, no -Judas can come out of San Salvador. We will -have no weak mothers here. If a young child -shows vicious dispositions, it is taken from its -mother and carried outside for training. Perhaps -it may never return.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“She cannot go with it?” Tacita asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“She cannot go. Did she give birth to an immortal -creature for her own amusement in seeing -it ruining itself and others? I do not speak of -any mere infirmity of temper in the child, but of -some dishonest propensity which persists.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita bethought her to speak of Ion’s affairs, -as she had promised; and after discussing the subject -awhile, they went down through darkening -stairs and passages to where supper awaited them, -set out in an illuminated corner of the great hall.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I had supper here that you might see the castle -shadows,” Dylar said. “Seen from our little -lighted corner, all this space seems to be crowded -with dusky shapes. Do you see?”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XVI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>They returned to San Salvador the next day. -The sun had set when they reached the town, and -the streets were full. Elena and Dylar dismounted -at the college; but Dylar insisted that -Tacita should ride to the Arcade, and he walked -there by her side. She made her little progress -with a blushing modesty, ashamed of being the -only person in town who was not on foot.</p> - -<p class='c011'>At the door of the Arcade Dylar took leave.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am sure that you will not go to the assembly -this evening,” he said, “and I shall not go. Rest -yourself well, and to-morrow I will take you to -hear one of our story-tellers. To-night I—I want -to remember!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He murmured the words lowly as he lifted her -from the saddle, and she answered them with a little -half sigh. She also wanted to remember.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Supper was over; and she and Elena had theirs -alone in the dining-room, talking quietly over their -journey.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You are happy, child?” Elena asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I never dreamed of being so happy!” Tacita -answered. And they looked into each other’s eyes, -and understood.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Going to the salon, they found Iona waiting -there.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>“I suppose that you are not going to the assembly -to-night,” she said. “But I hope that -you are not too tired to tell me how you like the -Olives.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The little glimpse I was allowed was charming. -I never saw such verdure. The foliage, the fruit, -were in billows, in drifts, in heaps. And how -I longed to go to one of those great white houses, -and sit on the roof under the palm-shadows. I -said to the prince, ‘Why have we no palms in San -Salvador?’ and he is going to have some. I thought -of the Basilica as a proper site; but he doubted a -little. It is not decided. He said, we worship -Christ as King, and shrink from holding the impious -insult of his martyrdom forever before his -eyes. And the palm is for the martyr. But the -palms will grow somewhere, and will be my special -garden; and the first person who dies in the effort -to serve or save San Salvador shall be carried to -his grave with a waving of palm branches, and a -song of hosannas, and a palm-leaf shall be entombed -with him, and one cut in the marble that -bears his name. For that, I would almost wish to -die a martyr.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“For that?” said Iona coldly. “The martyr, -I fancy, is not thinking of the crown when he -throws his life into the breach.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I was thinking of the people’s love,” said -Tacita, faltering, her eyes cast down to hide the -tears that started. She was so happy that she -could not bear a check. Her heart had unclosed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>itself without a thought, a fear, and it shrank at -the little icy breath of Iona’s answer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But why do not you ask me how I like your -castle?” she said, recovering herself quickly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My castle?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes; the prince told me the story.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is very true that the original owner would -never have sold his castle if he had known that -there was a mine of gold within a stone’s throw of -it,” Iona said. “But neither did the purchaser -know. All was done in honor; and the Dylar -have spent time, thought, and money, in compensating -my family. I do not hold that I have -a shadow of a claim; yet if I should to-day ask -Dylar for a house and an independent competence -outside, I should have it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita had already felt more than once that, -however welcome her presence might be to every -one else in San Salvador, Iona regarded it with a -feeling that could scarcely be called by any warmer -name than indifference. To-night her manner was -more than usually stately, though she talked as -much as ever, was, in fact, rather more voluble -than her wont. But her talk was like an intrenchment -behind which her real self was withdrawn.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Presently she began to question Tacita concerning -her first journey to San Salvador, and especially -that part of it made in the company of Dylar. -Where had she first met him? Had she seen -much of him? Were they long in Madrid together?</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>Surprised, Tacita answered with what frankness -she could, and tried not to feel offended. She -said nothing of the hymn under their balcony in -Venice, nor of the picture in the Madrid gallery. -The details of the rest were meagre enough. She -had not realized how little there was to tell when -the story was divested of those glances, tones, and -movements which in her imagination filled out the -gracious and perfect memory. Those few facts had -been to her like the pale and scattered stars of a -constellation which to the mind’s eye vivify all the -blue air between. She tried to think that in the -freedom and confidence of this life such questions -were not intrusive, and that Iona, from her position, -had a peculiar interest, and even right, in -knowing all that concerned Castle Dylar and its -master. But in spite of her self-exhortation a -troubled thought would come. Could it be possible -that Iona would set herself against her friendship -with Dylar? Did she suspect anything more -than an ordinary friendship between them?</p> - -<p class='c011'>Their conversation grew dry, and Iona rose to -retire, with a leave-taking which could have been -kinder, but not more elaborately polite. Looking -out, Tacita saw her go toward the assembly-rooms, -and was glad to remember that Dylar would not -be there. It was twilight, and at the highest point -of the college she saw his light shine out like a -beacon.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Seeing that light made her forget everything -else.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>“Perhaps he will look for my light,” she thought, -and drew her curtain quickly, and lighted a lamp. -“I wonder if he will look!” Blushing, she passed -slowly between the curtain and the light, then -covered her face with her hands, ashamed of herself -as if she had committed a sin. “I hope that -he didn’t see me!” she whispered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Soon after she extinguished her lamp, and sat -down by the open window. At that hour of early -evening San Salvador was as gay and crowded as -it was silent and deserted in the morning. There -was a sound of violins from the Star-house; and underneath -her window two girls were dancing, trying -to keep time to the music that was smothered -by the sound of their steps. There was a murmur -of talk from some of the near housetops, and the -voice of a child singing itself to sleep. Leaning -out the window, she could see a little farther up -the road an open lighted booth where two men sat -playing chess with a group of men and women -watching the game. An old man wearing a scarlet -fez sat close beside the players, intent on the game. -The light on their faces made them look golden, -and the fez was like a ruby.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How beautiful it is! And how happy I am!” -murmured Tacita.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XVII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>The next evening Dylar came for Tacita and -her friend to go with him and hear a recitation of -one of their story-tellers.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The place was a nook of the ravine leading to the -kitchens, and was so completely shut in by high -rocks as to be quite secluded.</p> - -<p class='c011'>An irregular circle capable of admitting fifty persons -had a shoal alcove at one side, and all around -it low benches on which were laid thick straw mats -stuffed with moss. In the alcove was a chair; and -an olive-oil lamp of four flames was set in a niche -of the rock above. These flames threw a strong, -rich light on a score or two of men and women in -the circle, their faces shining out like medallions; -but they touched the man who sat in the chair only -in some fugitive line on his hair, or cheek, as he -moved. His form was scarcely defined. He sat -there, a shadow, with his face bowed into his -hands, splashes of black and of gold all about him. -He seemed to be waiting, and Dylar spoke.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Here is one who waits to hear for the first time -how Basil of the Dylar lived and died.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>At that voice the story-teller lifted his face, -rose, and having bowed lowly, resumed his seat.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How did Basil of the Dylar live and die!” he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>exclaimed. “Ask of the poor and the sorrowing -how he lived. Ask of the men and women who -stood at bay, facing a stupid and dastardly world. -Ask, and they will answer you: ‘He was a dove -and a lion,—a dove to our hidden sorrow, a lion in -our defense.’ Ask of the heart bowed down with -a sense of guilt so heavy it fain would hide in the -night, and follow it round the world; fly from the -light, and hide in the night forever around the -world. They will say, ‘Has the Christ come back? -Can a mercy so overflowing be found in a human -soul?’ Ask of the children who clung to him -when he stood white in the gloaming. He was -white, his hair and heard; his face and his robe, -they were white.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The children coming from school cried out -when they saw, and ran to him. They ran, they -flew, they clung around him like bees or butterflies, -joyous. They held the folds of his robe. They -pressed to hold his hand, and kissed it finger by -finger.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He lifted and tossed the smallest. ‘Reach up -to heaven,’ he said, ‘and pull me down a blessing. -Stretch your innocent hands and gather it like a -star-blossom.’ And then would the little one, all -wide-eyed, reach up and wait till he said, ‘It is -done!’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“‘How did the King come down?’ they asked -him. ‘How was God made man?’ He answered -them: ‘The sweetness of the Godhead dropped -like honey from a flower. The brightness of the -Godhead fell like a star-beam from a star.’</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>“And he would say to them: ‘Ask of your angels -how God looks. How does he smile and -speak? For your angels, said the King’s Majesty, -ever behold his face. Mine has followed me out -into a century’s shadows, walked with me out -through a century’s falling leaves. But ask your -angels to-night to whisper close to your pillow, or -come in a dream and tell you what are his hair -and eyes, his voice and his smile. Ask one time -and ten times. Ask ten times and a thousand. -Ask again till they answer, “His face I behold no -longer; for you are no longer a child.”’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And then their mothers would hear them at -night whispering on their pillows.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How did he die, our prince? How at last did -we lose him?</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There was a thought that hovered, dove-like, -over the people, that Basil would stay till his coming, -stay till the coming of Christ. It hovered, -coming and going, but never alighted in speech. -Quieter grown, but hale, he lived to a hundred years, -lived in the midst of his people, going no more -abroad. He sat in the sun, or the shadow, judged, -and counseled, and pardoned, peacemaking, scattering -blessings.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But when, of the hundred years, the last few -sands were sifting, he girded him for a journey, -and climbed the southern hills. After a week, returning, -‘I bring you a message,’ he said, ‘from -our ancient Mother, the Earth.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He showed them a grain of gold as it comes up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>out of the mine, set in the gray and white of a rock -with clay in the crevices pressed. Pure and -sparkling it lay in its crude and worthless bed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Said Basil, ‘What pay you for bread? Is it -dust? And for raiment, a crumbling stone? For -house and land, and a gift of love, do you offer -dust alone? A careless kiss is easy to give, and -a careless word to say. Will you fling your dust -in the face of God? You have gold in your hearts, -my children. Cast your follies away like dust, and -break your pride like a stone. Dig for your gold, -my children, says Earth, your Mother. Deep in -your hearts it lies hidden.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That gold that he brought is set at the foot of -the throne, and the words that he spoke there engraven:—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“‘Dig for your gold, my children, says Earth, -your Mother. Deep in your hearts it lies hidden.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He went to every house. Not a threshold but -felt his footsteps. Children passed by him in line -for a touch of his hand, and old men knelt for his -blessing.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He went to the house of the King, and walked -with his head bent lowly, walked to and fro in the -rough new building, saying never a word. But, -standing without, he cried: ‘My heart for a step -at the door! and my soul for a lamp at the footstool!’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He entered the dark ravine, he and the sun together. -He was led by the hand by a sunbeam -over the stony way. He went to the place he had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>set for the dead, where as yet no dead were sleeping. -What he did, what he said thenceforth, no -creature knoweth.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Basil, our prince, and the sun went to the ravine -together. The sun went in and came out; but -Basil, our father, lingered. Twilight settled and -deepened; but Basil, the White Father, came not. -The stars came out in the night; the people gathered -and waited. They whispered there in the -dark, and dared not search, nor question. They -whispered and waited and wept: ‘We shall nevermore -behold him! He has bidden us all farewell, -and gone from our sight forever!’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But at the dawn they said: Awake! Let us find -him! Nor food nor drink shall be ours till we -know where his foot has faltered. Homes we have -none till Basil, our father, is found!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The light was faint in the east; they could see -but their own pale faces. They entered, a crowd, -the ravine; they covered its stones like a torrent! -Praying and weeping they went, but softly, not to -disturb him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They reached the Mountain of Sleep that he -had chosen to rest in. Only one hall was finished, -one bed made smooth for slumber. Basil, the -prince, was not there.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But a lark sprang up outside, springing and -soaring upward. They followed his song and his -flight; for he seemed heaven’s messenger to them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They climbed the rough, steep rock; they wept -no more, but they panted. Wide and bright were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>their eyes with a solemn and high premonition. -They climbed to a verdant spot like an oasis in the -granite.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There, like a fountain of song, jetting and -singing upward, climbing from song to song, the -larks were bursting and soaring out of the thick -fine grass all over-floated with blossoms.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And, lo! a beam of the sun shot over the eastern -mountains, touched the grass where he lay, -and seemed to say, Behold him! And beam after -beam shot over, seeming to say, We have found -him! while the larks sang pæans of joy.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The people gathered around, and silently knelt -in a circle; knelt, and folded their hands, but wept -not, spoke not, prayed not. Silent they gazed and -listened, as though on the threshold of heaven.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There he lay, all white, in the hollow top of -the mountain, straight and peaceful and fair, his -hands crossed on his bosom. All white, save an -azure glimmer seen ’twixt the snowy eyelids, he lay -in the deep soft grass with the lark-choir singing -about him,—singing as if they saw the dawn of -the Resurrection.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“As they looked, his silvery whiteness grew -bright in the sun of the morning. Would he melt -like frost, and exhale! Would he rise like a cloud -on the sunbeams!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Thus stayed they an hour, the living as mute -as the dead.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then one, not turning his eyes, spoke lowly: -‘He moves not, neither to rise and speak, as we -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>knew him; nor moves he to float away and be lost -in the air of the morning. Passive he lies, our -prince, in a sweet obedience to death. Passive and -humble he lies, obeying the law of our Maker. -Is it not then that he waits for his people to bear -him downward where he has hollowed his bed, to his -resting-place in the shadows?’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then said another lowly, his eyes still fixed -on the dead: ‘Send we messengers down to bring -what is meet to bear him. And bring the children -to walk closest of all beside him. For their angels -see the face of the Heavenly Father.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then he looked in their faces, and said: ‘We -are fainting with thirst and hunger. For a night -and a day we have fasted and grieved and searched. -Let the strong among us bring bread and meat and -a litter. I, who am strong, will go.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“So they went down, half a hundred, and -brought a litter well woven, hung on staves of ash -wood strong and long and polished. They brought -up meat and drink; and the children, wondering, -followed, knowing not what death is, not being let -to know. They gathered about him softly, seated -themselves in the grasses, decked their heads with -the flowers. And in the folded hands and on the -pulseless bosom of Basil they warily slipped sweet -blossoms of white and blue.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“For the elders whispered them: ‘Hush! he is -sleeping! Hush! he is weary!’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then the people sat in a circle, and ate and -drank in silence, prayerful, as if they ate the Holy -Bread of the altar. Ending, they rose and gave -<span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>thanks; and tender and reverent, laid their dead -on the litter, and took the staves on their shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The children, wondering, ran, lifting questioning -eyes, puzzled, but no wise grieving, and clung -to the edge of the litter. They were close to his -head and his feet, they pressed inside of the bearers, -making a flowery wreath all fluttering round -his whiteness. And where a fold of his garment -wavered over the border, a dozen dimpled hands -proudly bore it along.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“So they went down the mountain, weeping, but -not with sorrow. For they felt a stir within them, -a trembling, an unfolding, a lifting sense in the -temples, a glimmering sense of kindred to clouds -where the sun is calling the rainbow out of the rain.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There was a woman among them, a singer of -songs. Basil had named her the Lark of San Salvador. -As they went down, she made a song and -sang it; and to this day the song is sung by all the -scattered children of San Salvador. Later times -have added penitence and supplication to the one -stanza that she sang to them that day. Our hymn -suits the dark hours of life: hers was all victory -and exultation. She sang:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘San Salvador, San Salvador,</div> - <div class='line in6'>We live in thee!’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>“While she sang, they laid him in the bed that -he had chosen. And when Dylar, the heir, came -home to them, ‘You have done well!’ he said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Behold! Thus lived and died Prince Basil, -the White Father of San Salvador!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XVIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>About a week after, one day when their lesson -was ended, Iona said: “I have seen Dylar to-day, -and he proposed that I should make a visit with -you. Professor Pearlstein, whose class of boys you -will recollect, would have come to see you, but he -is quite lame. He sprained his ankle some time -ago, and cannot yet walk much. He knew Professor -Mora well. They were boys together. -Would you like to go up?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita assented eagerly, and they set out.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You are going to see an admirable person,” -Iona said as they went along. “He is very useful -to the community. He sets the boys thinking, -and guides their thoughts, but not so severely as to -check their expression. He especially urges them -to study what he calls the Scriptures of nature. -He keeps the records of the town, and in the most -perfect way, knowing how to select what is worth -recording. He will make no comment. His idea is -that most histories have too much of the historian -in them.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My grandfather had the same opinion,” Tacita -said. “He held that the province of an historian -is to collect as many authentic facts as possible, -and present them, leaving the reader to draw his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>own conclusions. He did not thank the historian -for telling him that a man was good or was wicked -from his own conclusion, giving no proof. He -preferred to decide for himself from the given facts -whether to admire or condemn the man.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They reached the path leading upward; and -there Iona stopped. She was very pale.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Would you mind going up alone?” she asked. -“I do not feel quite well.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita anxiously offered assistance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona turned away somewhat abruptly. “I need -nothing, thank you. Go in peace, since you are -willing. I am sure that you would have much -more pleasure in a tête-à-tête conversation with -Professor Pearlstein. Present my salutations.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita, feeling herself decidedly rejected, looked -after her a moment. Iona was evidently neither -weak nor faint. She walked rapidly, and, instead -of going homeward, had followed the outer road -northward.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Professor was seated in his little terrace -with a table beside him. He was weaving a basket. -Silvery white roots in assorted bunches were -piled on the table, and strips of basket-wood lay -on the ground in coils. His robe was of gray cloth -with a white girdle and hood, and he wore a little -scarlet skull-cap. Tacita saw now, better than before, -how handsome he was. The face was strong -and placid, the hands fine in shape, the hair -gleamed like frost.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She stood on the edge of the terrace before he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>saw her, and was in some trepidation lest she had -not taken pains enough to make him aware of her -approach.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When he looked up suddenly, secretly aware of -some other human presence, his face lighted with -a smile of perfect welcome, and with a faint, delicate -blush.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He brought out a pretty chair of woven roots -with leathern cushions.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The terrace is my salon,” he said. “And I -have the pleasure of asking you to be the first to -sit in a chair of my own making. Are not the -roots pretty? See the little green stripe running -through the silver. It is second sight, already -dreaming of leaves. Till I began basket-making, -I had not known the beautiful colors and textures -of woods. It is a pleasant employment for my -hands. It enables me to think while working. Is -the chair right for you? I am grateful to you for -coming up. Shall we continue to speak in Italian? -It must come more readily to you; and I -am always pleased to speak the beautiful language. -It is not more musical than San Salvadorian; but -it is richer. Our language grows slowly. It is -limited, like the experience of our people. Every -new word, moreover, is challenged, and tried by a -jury of scholars. We adopt a good many imitative -words, especially from the Italian. You will -hear <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">fruscio</span></i>, <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">ciocie</span></i>, <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">rimbomba</span></i>, and the like.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They spoke of Professor Mora, and Tacita answered -a good many questions concerning him.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>Professor Pearlstein, in return, recalled their -early days together; and she found it delightful to -hear of her grandfather as a boy, leaping from -such a rock, picking grapes in vintage time in the -road below, studying in the college yonder, and -sliding down from terrace to terrace on a rope. It -was charming, too, to hear of her mother as a little -girl, quaint and serious, with golden hair and -a pearly skin, and of her father as master of the -orchards, with eyes like an eagle, and a ready, -musical laugh. He died from a fall in trying to -jump from one tree to another. “Who would -have thought,” he said, “that it is only three feet -from time to eternity!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am glad,” Professor Pearlstein said, “that -my old friend was able to live his own life to the -last. It is not so hard for a student such as he. -In such cases people can understand that they do -not understand, and they let the student alone. -In going out into the world, the most of us feel the -pressure of a thousand petty restraints. I reckon -that I lost five years of my life in wondering what -people would think of things which they had no -right to notice at all.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is like a person trying to run in a sack,” -Tacita said, “or like rowing against the tide a -gondola all clogged and covered with weeds.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The old man brought a little table and placed -on it a dainty refreshment for his visitor, setting -it out with a pleased, hospitable care: a slice of -bread, a conserve of orange-flowers, and a tiny -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>glass of wine; partaking also with her at her request.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I always expected some great discovery from -Professor Mora,” he said, folding his arms and -looking far away to the western mountains. “At -first I thought that it would be in physics. But I -soon found that he looked through, rather than at, -natural objects and phenomena. Visible nature -was to him the screen which hid the object of his -search. I recollect walking home with him one -day in Paris after we had listened to a lecture on -electricity from a famous scientist. ‘What does -electricity mean?’ your grandfather exclaimed. -He held that the greatest obstacle to the discovery -of truth is the insincerity of man.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I liked the same studies that interested him, -though my proficiency in them was small; and -when I saw the way he went, I hoped that he -would set the seal of his guess, at least, on some -grand eclectic plan of creation toward which my -lighter fancy spun blindly its filmy threads. -That terrible ‘I do not know’ of his was crushing! -But later I learned to be thankful for one man -who searched far into psychical and theological -problems, yet spared the race a new theory.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita listened with pleasure to his dreamy talk. -And she told him of the recitation she had heard -the week before.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“That flowery nook, with its larks, is to-day -what it was when Basil laid him down there to -die,” he said. “The mountain is excavated in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>halls that concentrate like the spokes of a wheel, -with a column left solid in the centre. The hollow -called Basil’s Rest may be called the upper hub. -The lower one is in the centre of the earth. -There’s a narrow stair goes up on the outside.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>When Tacita went down, she saw Iona coming -toward her, seemingly quite restored to health. -Her cheeks were crimson, her eyes sparkling.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I feel better,” she said. “Let us go to the -Star-terrace for a view of the sunset.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They went, and she pointed out effects of shadow -in the western mountains and of colors in the eastern.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have sometimes an impulse to go out into the -world again,” she said then, abruptly. “When I -was there, it was during my silence. I was there -to study, not to talk. When we first go out, especially -the young, we are held to a period of -silence as to decisions, opinions, wishes, and plans. -Obeying, we save ourselves trouble and avoid a -good deal of foolishness. The story of Sisyphus -is impressed on us as that of one whose first years -are spent in a foolish effort and his last years in -repenting of it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The only opinion we express from the first and -at all ages is that touching our faith. A child -may reprove a blasphemer, or assert its devotion -to Christ in the hearing of one who expresses doubt. -One subject after another is freed for us, as we -learn what the world means by it. Of course, for -a person of vivacious temper and strong feelings -<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>to remain silent, or to say always, ‘I do not know,’ -gives full employment to the will and the nerves. -I used sometimes to feel as though I should burst.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, if I should go, it would be to speak when -occasion calls, and to act in accordance with my -speech. I could call a falsehood a falsehood, and -a wrong a wrong.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You would have to speak often,” Tacita said -dryly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Should I not!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona began walking to and fro. “I have had -visions of what might be done,” she said, her manner -warming as she proceeded. “The time is past -when San Salvador can be long hidden, when it -should hold itself only a refuge for a few, and a -nursery for a few. I think that the time is come -when it should prepare, prudently, yet with energy, -to practice a Christian aggressiveness. We have -our little circles in every part of the world. They -are silent and true, and they are not poor. We -have no weak hearts. The children of San Salvador -are baptized with fire. The tests of our virtue -and fidelity are severe. Our people have never -occupied public office, because we hold officials responsible; -and by the world they are not so held.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We have capital. It might be spent in acquiring -territory. Concentrated, we should be a -power in the world. It is possible. I have the -whole plan in my mind. I have studied over it -for years. I have settled where our outposts -should be, and how they might be strengthened. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>I would deprive no ruler of his realm; but he -should call himself viceroy, and sit on the footstool -of an inviolate throne. I would mock at no -faith of person, or society; but I would show the -whole truth of which each belief is a fragment, and -I would surround worship with such a splendor as -should satisfy any lover of pageantry; and I would -attack all organized wickedness.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“In the early days of our faith Christians did -not fear persecution; for above the head of threatening -king, or pontiff, they saw the face of an approving -God. Only the spirit of Christ himself, -simple and literal, can reawaken that faith. The -first Dylar said that when he abolished preaching, -and set the words of the King in letters of gold -before the people.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Tell me what to do!” said Tacita, leaning to -kiss Iona’s hand as she passed her by.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona paused. “See what I have thought,” she -said in a softened voice. “San Salvador is in danger, -and the danger increases every day. How -long, with explorers and mountain-climbers everywhere, -can we hope to escape? Already, more -than once, we have escaped but by a hair’s-breadth. -We hide by a miracle. Once discovered, what -rights have we? A vulgar, if not malignant, -curiosity follows you everywhere in the world. -Every kind of science and astuteness would be employed -to invade and subdue us. Every sophistical -argument on the subject of sovereign rights, -and even of human rights, would be quoted against -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>us. Fancy a man educated in the tricks of diplomacy -and the falsehoods of official life coming -here and claiming the right to investigate and command, -and bringing his subordinates to enforce -submission!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Our people are sent out into the world with -every precaution. All are placed above want; but -no one is made rich enough to win the world’s -blinding flatteries. Depending solely on their intrinsic -worth for respect, they are seldom deceived. -But, known as we are, even if force did not invade, -what flatteries! What imitations of our ways -without the spirit! Our realities made theatrical -by their paraphrases—it might be worse than war. -Ordinary society can see no difference between its -own fire of straw and stubble and that primal fire -which, now and then, bursts through some human -soul.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have thought, then, to acquire all the land -possible about the Olives, planting the plain and -peopling the hills. A mile or two distant there is -a group of hills much like those on which Rome -was built. Our people could come, not as one -people, but as if they were strangers to each other. -Those who would, might even come at first as laborers. -We all know how to labor. For wealth, if -we had workmen and engines, the mountains would -be an immense storehouse. There are beautiful -marbles, and there must be more gold. Then what -refuges we could have, not hidden and crowded, -but open!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>“Did you think to go out into the world in order -to stir up the people to this movement?” Tacita -asked, when she paused.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona had stopped with her eyes fixed southward, -as if she saw through the mountain wall that measureless -garden, and the city of her imagination -shining in the setting sun.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She turned quickly, seeming startled to be reminded -that she was not alone.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” she said, almost sharply. “And my -brother has told me that Dylar thought I might -wish to go. He spoke to you and you spoke to the -prince. Ion will go.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ion feared to grieve you,” Tacita said, surprised -at this sudden address.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dylar also had spoken to me of it,” Iona continued, -her brows lowering. “He thought that I -might like to go awhile with Ion. Why did he -think so? I have never spoken of these plans -to him. I waited for other conditions to arrange -themselves. Why should the idea of my going out -occur to him?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I do not know,” said Tacita, more and more -astonished at the tone in which she was addressed. -“He said nothing of it to me. Perhaps he has -some important mission for you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why should he intrust a mission to me instead -of Elena, or of going himself?” demanded Iona. -“Can you think of any reason?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I do not know,” Tacita repeated, and her eyelids -drooped.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>There was a moment of silence, and it seemed -to have thundered. Iona gazed with scrutinizing -and flashing eyes into the downcast face before -her, and seemed struggling to control herself. A -shiver passed over her, and then she spoke calmly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have not told you all my mind. The country -I have planned must have a dynasty, not a -luxurious one secluded from the people, but one -as simple and law-abiding as that which rules us -here. But who will succeed Dylar? While I -planned, that became the difficult question to answer. -He has no child, and seemed vowed to celibacy. -I thought of Ion. He alone, outside the -prince’s blood, might be said to have a certain -prestige, though he has no claim. Ion has force, -and, when he shall have been tried in the alembic, -will have a fine character. He has courage, magnetism, -and enthusiasm. It seemed certain that -Dylar would never marry; and I approved of his -apparent resolution and imitated it. It seemed -fitting that the two highest in San Salvador should -give an example of exceptional lives devoted to its -cause. I had, moreover, a sort of contempt for -that maternity which we share with the beasts, reptiles, -and insects. I almost believed that common -people only should have children and superior people -mould and educate them. In that frame of -mind I had that foolish portrait painted.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Later, I saw my mistake.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have called the portrait foolish, and it is so -in one sense, in the sense that most people would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>give it, but not in the sense which still to me is -true. For I do set my foot on trivial love and -mere fondness for love’s sake alone.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She was walking to and fro again, her brows -lowering. Tacita sat mute and pale, the vision of -a terrible struggle rising before her mind.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How perfectly logical an utter mistake may -be!” Iona exclaimed with a sort of fierceness. “I -reasoned with myself. I made it quite plain to -my mind that the people of San Salvador needed -an example of lofty and laborious lives which set -aside for duty’s sake all the joys of domestic life. -I said, ‘This people was elevated for a century to a -higher plane of feeling by such an example.’ It is -a proverb here that the face of Prince Basil shone -a hundred years after he died.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I was half right. What kept the Israelites up -to that pitch of enthusiasm which preserved them -great so long? Not the goodness of the mass, -which seemed as base as any, but the divine fire -of the few. What made the great republic of the -west something that for a time was equal to its -own boast? The greatness and disinterested earnestness -of the few. The nation which has no heroic -leader is a prey to the first strong arm or cunning -voice which seeks its subjugation. My plan -would have been perfect if another leader had been -growing up, as in the time of Basil, one of unquestioned -right and character. But as I studied -longer, I saw the flaw. Ion has been known here -as a wayward boy, though noble. Besides, there -has always been a real Dylar.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>“Gradually the question readjusted itself in my -mind without my own volition.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dylar and Iona married would unite the actual -right and a shadowy one of sentiment, and the need -of a leader would consecrate the marriage as still -something ideal. Our son could not be a common -one. I would pour all my soul into him. I would -make him enthusiastic, courageous, wise, and eloquent. -He should go down and work beside the -daily laborer, as I have seen Dylar do, till only -labor should seem worthy of a crown. He should -be full of fire, like the old gods. That dead moon-like -calm that people call Olympian is not Olympian. -They were creatures of fire. They trembled -with strong life like flames.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It all flashed upon me. I saw what should be. -But how could I inspire Dylar with my thought! -A woman has limits in such circumstances. Nature -imposes them. I could only wait till my plan -of empire was perfect, then set it before him in all -its splendor. What could he say but ‘Let us -work together for this new Eden! Let the future -viceroy be our son!’ There could be no other -conclusion. It seemed sure, and on the point of -realization. I waited only for his return to lay the -whole before him. And then—and then”—</p> - -<p class='c011'>She choked, and, tearing the lace scarf from her -neck, cast it away.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita was deathly pale.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Iona,” she said gently, “may it not be that -you expect too much of mankind in the mass? -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>Can you hope that any nation will long keep its -ideal state? How many such a bubble has burst! -Human life is not a crystallization, but a crucible. -Your kingdom of Christ extended and prosperous, -would it not become a kingdom of the world, as in -the past? It is the old story of the manna, food -from heaven to-day, and to-morrow corruption. -Your saint in power would become, as in the past, -a sinner, and your trusting people, also as in the -past, a populace first of children, then of slaves, -and lastly, of rebels. Forgive me, dear Iona! -Your vision is as noble as yourself; but all are not -like you. Are not you afraid to be so confident? -Your plan opens such a field to ambition!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I was not ambitious for myself,” said Iona, -writhing, rather than turning herself away. “And -I believe that rulers may be educated to see how -much grander and happier they would be if the -love of their subjects should exceed their fear. I -thought of the future of our people submerged in -a deluge with no counteracting influence. Perhaps -something suggested”—she turned again to Tacita, -and spoke breathlessly—“When Dylar first -saw that portrait, he did not seem pleased. I -asked myself why he should look so dark if he -approved of my renouncing love. It was my way -of silently telling him that I would take no lower -stand than his. I thought that he would be -pleased. He had never said, but had always -seemed to intimate, that he would not marry. -Once, on going out on a long and dangerous journey, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>he said to me: ‘If I should never return, educate -Ion to take my place.’ He trusted me. He -always confided his affairs to me. I never feared -to have him go out. Nothing could seduce him. -I felt sure that he would return even as he went. -To me he was not utterly gone. I told myself that -our spirits communed.” She paused a moment, -then added bitterly: “I thought that they did!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am no queen nor sibyl,” said Tacita faintly. -“I cannot judge of these questions; and I could -never hope to be able to stir a man up to great enterprises. -I am only fitted to be a tender, and in -some small things, a helpful companion.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You think that I could not be a tender companion!” -exclaimed Iona jealously. “I have put -a rein upon myself. I will not make my smiles -and caresses so cheap as to give them to everybody.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I know that you are capable of great devotion, -Iona,” Tacita said tremulously, her eyes filling with -tears. “Yet the hearts of humbler women may -not be cheaply given, though they may be more -accessible. They may be in something like the -Basilica,—I speak with reverence!—no one rejected -who wishes to enter in kindness, but one -alone enthroned above all the rest, one to whom all -who enter must pay respect. And perhaps the -very kindness felt for all may be an outshining from -that enthroned one, a reflection of the happiness -he gives.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is well in its way,” Iona said, trying to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>speak more gently. “But such love is not good -for Dylar when our existence hangs upon a thread. -It is no time for him to think of repose and tender -companionship. It would weaken him. He needs -one who, instead of weeping if danger should -threaten, would send him forth even to death, if -need were, sure that such a death is the higher -safety for him, and for her love the higher possession. -Yet”—she made a haughty gesture and -turned her darkening face away—“it is not that -I love him: it is for San Salvador.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Teach me to be useful, to be strong, Iona!” -said Tacita earnestly. “I would give my life to -the same cause.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Would you give up a fancy for it?” asked -Iona, looking sharply into her eyes. “It is so -easy to offer a world that is not wanted, and refuse -a grain of sand that is asked for.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I would give all that I have the right to give,” -Tacita replied, and felt herself shrivel before this -imperious woman, who stood before her with the -sunset golden on her head and the shadow of a -mountain on her bosom, with her brow made for -a tiara, her lips to command, and her eyes to scathe -with their anger.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dylar has asked you to be his wife?” Iona -said, low and quickly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was something blade-like in the outcome -of this sentence; but it brought help in seeming -to call the conduct of Dylar in question.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita folded her hands, raised her head with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>a dignified gesture, and looked the speaker steadily -in the face without replying.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ah!” Iona turned away with a fierce gesture, -then returned. “It is not a son of yours who will -save San Salvador!” she exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Perhaps God will save it, Iona,” said Tacita -gently, and rising, went toward the stair.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She had descended but a few steps when Iona -followed her. “I hope that I have not been too -rude,” she said. “Pardon me if I have offended -you! The subject is to me of such supreme importance -that I forget all lesser considerations in -it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Her voice, though conventionally modulated, -had something in it which told her heart was beating -violently.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am not offended,” murmured Tacita. “I -respect and appreciate your position, your authority, -your rights.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>At the lower landing they found Dylar. He -looked anxiously at Tacita. “I have been waiting -for you to come down,” he said. “And Elena -has gone to order our supper to be brought here. -We are going to have the sun-dance in the Square. -Do you wish to go home first?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She shook her head, and tried to smile. She -could not speak.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will leave you both in better company,” Iona -said courteously, declining to stay; and bowing, -left them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>For a time, to Tacita, it had seemed as if San -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>Salvador had opened its walls to admit a salt wave -from the outer world; but the gap closed again -while Dylar attended to her with a careful solicitude -sufficiently reassuring as to his regard for -her, but with no suggestion of fondness. He was -a kind friend; and the cheerfulness and decision of -his manner gave her strength.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He is not one,” she thought, “to need the -strength of a woman’s will to keep him in the path -of duty. And she—I am glad that Iona does not -love him. It would break my heart, if she did.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XIX.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Iona went away with a stately step, but with a -brain on fire. It was only when near the Arcade -that she quickened her steps; and when inside the -door, she ran upstairs.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Having found Elena, “I am going out to the -Olives for a few days,” she said, “and I want to -start at once for the Pines. Will you have Isadore -called to go with me? I will meet him at the -water-gate.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She waited for no reply, but hastened to her own -room. In a few minutes she came out dressed in -the gray costume of labor.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Everything is ready,” Elena said, meeting her, -and expressed neither surprise nor curiosity.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The sun had set, and it was night when Iona met -the men who had been sent up to attend her. But -she would suffer them to go no farther than the -water-gate.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I know the road well,” she said, “and am in -no danger. When at daylight you see the signal -that I am at the Pines, you will turn the gate -again. It will be sooner done if you stay here.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They obeyed unwillingly, and she went over the -wild mountain road alone, guiding her donkey with -a careful hand, and conscious only of a dull discomfort. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>It was midnight when she reached the -Pines.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t be alarmed!” she said cheerfully to the -guardian. “I am sorry to disturb you; but I -wish to go to the Olives. Go to bed now, and be -ready at six in the morning to accompany me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The man said no more. They questioned Iona -as little as they did Dylar.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They were in the lower room. Iona went to the -chamber above; but when she heard the upper -door close, she came down again, unbarred the outside -door, and went out into the Pines. Space was -what she wanted,—space and solitude.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was a sultry night, and the still air under the -pines was heavily perfumed, not only with their -branches, but with the oppressive sweetness of little -flowering vines that ran about through the moss underneath -them. A mist that was mingled of moisture -and fragrance hung in the tree-tops, and above -them, dimming the stars. It was stupefying.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona felt her way, step by step, over the slippery -ground, and leaned against one of the great pine-boles, -scarcely knowing where she was. There -was left in her mind only a vague sense of ruin and -a vague impulse to escape. She stood there and -stared into the darkness till she was faint and -weary, then sank down where she stood and sat on -the ground. There was an absolute stillness all -about her. The only motion perceptible was in -the narrow strip of sky between the tree-tops and -the rock, where one dim hieroglyph of stars slowly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>gave place to another. Once from some bird’s-nest -not far away came a small complaining note. -Perhaps a wing, or beak, or claw, of some little -sleeper had disturbed its downy neighbor. Then -all was still again. But the little plaintive bird-note -touched the listener’s memory as well as her -ear. The atmosphere of her mind was as heavy as -that around her body, and the suggestion was dim. -She had almost let it slip when it came of itself, -a Turkish proverb: “The nest of the blind bird -God builds.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was the first whisper of Divine help that had -risen in her soul. Perhaps then it was an angel’s -wing that had disturbed the bird in its sleep.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona glanced upward and saw the pale mists beginning -to quicken with the coming day. “God -help me!” she murmured listlessly, and rising, -went into the house and to her chamber.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The early training of San Salvador was expressly -calculated to give the child a few indelible -impressions. One of these was to do no desperate -nor extraordinary act without first taking counsel -from some disinterested person, or taking a certain -time “to see if the King would interpose.” In -absenting herself for a while from San Salvador, -Iona had obeyed the sudden command of necessity. -But that step taken, her instinct was to do all as -silently and calmly as possible.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will not mention Tacita Mora’s name, and I -will work,” she thought. It was the one step in -advance which she could see.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>Shortly after sunrise she started for the Olives. -Reaching the turn of the road where the green -began, she descended from her donkey to walk to -the castle, and the man went on to make the necessary -gossip concerning her arrival. For some -reason the first step on the greensward under those -gray-green branches awakened her sleeping passion. -Was it grief that the peacefulness of the -scene knocked in vain at her heart for entrance? -She would willingly have thrown herself down in -those quiet shadows and wept. The strong check -she drew on the impulse brought up its contrary, -and she laughed lightly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was no one in the great circular ground-room -of the tower, nor on the grand stairs where -a man might ride up and down on horseback; but -reaching the top, she was met by the housekeeper.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Take my arm,” the woman said. “You must -be very tired. I saw you from the window,” and -she gave no intimation of surprise nor curiosity.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am tired and hungry and sleepy,” Iona said -smilingly, availing herself of the offered support. -“I find that I have not had exercise enough, and -am too quickly fatigued. That is so easy with what -I have to do. But I have come out here to work. -If you will bring me a cup of chocolate, I will then -try to sleep. I reached the Pines very late last -night.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She went to the chamber that was called hers, -drank the chocolate that was brought her, and, -overcome by fatigue, fell asleep.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>“Prince Dylar has sent you the keys,” the housekeeper -said to her when she woke. “He said that -you forgot them. The messenger is waiting to -know if there is any word to take back.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“None except to thank the prince for taking so -much trouble,” Iona said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>If she were more irritated or soothed by Dylar’s -evident anxiety it would not have been easy to say. -The sending of the keys, too, besides giving an opportunity -to learn if she were well, was a reminder -of his confidence in her and of her importance to -San Salvador. They were the keys of his private -apartment, the treasure-vault, and of the door leading -to the ravine where a stream of water still -brought an occasional grain of gold.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She opened the case with a little key of her own, -and looked eagerly to see if there were any written -word, snatching out the slip of paper that she -found.</p> - -<p class='c015'>She read: “I think that the late rains may -have washed out a few grains of gold. I did -not go when I was last at the castle. Will you -look?</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c016'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Dylar.</span>”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Just as if nothing had happened! Iona put her -hand to her forehead and for a moment wondered -if anything had happened.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I must work hard!” she thought. “‘When -nature is in revolt, put her into the treadmill;’” -and she went out to see what there was to do, going -from house to house, greeting the people and welcomed -by them. They supposed that she had just -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>arrived from some distant city, but asked no questions, -knowing that she was one of Dylar’s messengers.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was a field of wheat ripened, and Iona put -on a broad-brimmed hat and thick gloves, and taking -a sickle, went out to it across the vineyards. -“I am to do it all,” she said laughingly. “Let -no one come near me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Had any one in San Salvador seen her speaking -to those people, he would have thought that he had -never seen her so gay; and had he seen her when, -leaving all behind, she went out alone, he would -have wondered at the gloomy passion of her face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She put her sickle into the grain, and bent to -her work like any habitual laborer. In fact, she -had done the same work before in play. Handful -by handful, the golden glistening stalks fell in a -straight ridge across the field; and as the movement -grew mechanical, her thoughts took, as it -were, a sickle, and began to reap in another field. -With a savage strength it cut through the years of -her life, all its golden promise and fulfillment, all -its holy aspirations, all its towering visionary -building which had been, indeed, but a dream of -empire and of love. It cut through the humbler -growth of sweetness blooming like the little blue -flowers she severed from their roots and cast aside -to wither, or trampled under her feet. As she -wrought thus, sternly, with a double blade, the -mental harvest even more real to her mind than this -one that the June sun shone upon, her breath kept -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>time with a sharp hiss to the hiss of the sickle, and -her heart bled.</p> - -<p class='c011'>With no cessation from her labor except to wipe -the perspiration from her face, she reaped till sunset. -Then, after standing a little while in doubt -what next to do, she bent again, and reaped till -the stars came out. Their lambent shining through -the falling dew lighted her back to the castle. The -windows were all open in the houses as she passed -them, and some of the people were seated at supper -in their great basement rooms, as large as -churches, with their rows of arches, instead of -walls, supporting the ceiling.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Let no one touch my work,” Iona called gayly -in at one of the windows, “unless you should wish -to bring in what I have reaped. I have put a cornice -around the field. I would have reaped all -night if there were a moon. Good-night. Peace -be with you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They echoed her salutation; and she hung her -sickle on the outer wall, and took her way to the -castle.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t tell me that you have had your supper!” -the housekeeper said; “for I have taken such pleasure -in preparing one for you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I shall eat it, for I have earned it,” Iona -replied, taking off her coarse gloves and straightening -out her cramped fingers.</p> - -<p class='c011'>But what she ate she knew not, nor what good -fairy suggested to her questions and answers and -remarks that were to her as dry as husks, yet -<span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>which served as a screen to her misery. She -seemed to have a secondary mind which worked -mechanically.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There are certain proverbial sayings which have -an air of such owl-like wisdom and are such a saving -of mental work to those who repeat them that -they seem immortal. One of these is that no person -is fit to command who cannot obey. If it were -said that no person is fit to command an inferior -who cannot obey a superior, a reasonable idea -would be conveyed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Setting aside such cases as the apprenticeship of -Apollo to a swineherd, and the voluntary self-humiliation -of an ascetic who seeks to win heaven -by effacing himself on earth, there is no more murderous -injustice than the enforced subjection of a -lofty nature to a lower one. It is not a question -of pride, nor of fitness; it is a question of individual -existence.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona had been like a queen in San Salvador; -and she had been a wise and gentle sovereign. -She had assumed no authority, and fully acknowledged -that she had none. She was always consulted, -and she had made no mistakes. Her whole -strength had been expended to make herself worthy -of this preëminence, and she had succeeded. Her -powers had risen with the need of them, and she -stood upright, sustained by this pressure from all -sides.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The pressure removed, for to her mind it was almost -removed and would be totally so, she collapsed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>and fell into confusion. With Tacita the wife of -Dylar, she took for granted that her reign in San -Salvador was at an end. For it was her power -in the community, she persistently told herself, -not her power over the heart of Dylar, which she -lamented. “It is not love! I do not love him!” -she had repeated a hundred times.</p> - -<p class='c011'>To her mind, Tacita, however sweet and lovely, -was a girl of limited capacity, but also one who -could assume a dignified and even haughty reserve -when her relations with Dylar were called into -question. As his wife, she might object to any -other female authority in the place; and Iona well -knew that the fair-haired girl, with her charming -grace and caressing manners, would win a greater -affection from the people than she herself would be -able to win by the devotion of a life.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She went to her chamber with the hope of sleeping; -but sleep was impossible. She rose, took her -lamp, and went downstairs, meeting the housekeeper -on the way.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am going out through the cellar,” she said. -“Give me a long roll of wax taper, and the key of -the cellar door. I will take care of all.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She tied the great roll of taper to her girdle, -took a little wallet and a lamp, and went down to -the cellar. But instead of descending the second -stair, she went along under the damp arches, -past the rows of moist hogsheads, to a little stair -that went up to a walled-up door. The stairs had -been utilized as shelves, and rows of jars and little -bottles of olives were set along them.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>Iona cleared them all away from the four lower -steps, and with a deft hand took out two or three -screws from the boards; then, turning back the -three lower stairs like a door, disclosed a steep -stair underneath through a square opening. The -stair ended in a corridor from which was heard the -sound of waters, growing clearer as the passage led -into a cave that had a high opening at one side, like -a round window, almost lost in a long, close passage -that looked as if broken in the rock by an -earthquake, louder again when a door was unlocked -and opened into a roofless passage of which one -side diminished in height and showed a fringe of -little plants and mosses, and the other soared, a -precipice. Here was a little hollow through which -flowed a brook coming through crevices northward -to disappear southward into crevices. Where it -issued from the rock in a fall of a few feet were -two troughs, side by side, turning on a hinge, so -that the water might be made to pass through -either. Both were lined with nets that could be -raised and drained.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona set her lamp on the rock, changed the -troughs, and carefully raised the net in the one -through which the water had been passing, and -with a little wire spade turned over the débris left -there. Where a yellow glimmer showed, she picked -it out and put it into the wallet hanging at her -side.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The night was so still that the flame of the lamp -scarcely wavered; but she swung her coil of lighted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>taper to and fro, and round in a circle, to catch any -glimmer of the precious metal hidden there.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was neither tree nor shrub in sight. -Grotesque peaks and cliffs rose on every side, shutting -her in. Scintillating overhead was the Milky -Way, a white torrent of stars from the heights of -heaven flowing between the black rock-rims that it -seemed almost to touch.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The gold came in glimmer after glimmer, some -almost too small to gather out of the slippery débris, -others half as large as the flame of the lamp, -and brightly glowing.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona’s spirit revived a little. The place, the -time, and the occupation took her out of the track -of her habitual life. She recollected her first visit -to this place, when she and Dylar were children. -They came with his father. The prince had -brought her after her father’s death, hoping to distract -her; and while she and the boy picked out -the shining grains, he sat on a lichened rock beside -them, and told how men had spent their lives -in searching for and compounding the philosopher’s -stone in order to make at will this bright -king of metals which they were gathering from the -sand.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He told how kings and queens had lavished patronage -and treasure on such seekers after hidden -knowledge, and the names by which the magic -stone was called: <em>The daughter of the great secret; -The sun and his father; The moon and her mother</em>. -He told them the legend that St. John, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>Evangelist, could make gold; and young Dylar -paused in his search to learn the verses of an old -hymn to the saint that the alchemists applied to -themselves:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Inexhaustum fert thesaurum</span></div> - <div class='line'><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Qui de virgis faeit aurum,</span></div> - <div class='line'><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Gemmas de lapidibus.</span>”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>He described to them the <em>dry way</em> and the <em>humid -way</em>, the <em>white powder</em>, that changed metals -to fine silver, the <em>red elixir</em>, which made gold and -healed all sorts of wounds, the <em>white elixir</em>, <em>white -daughter of the philosophers</em>, which made silver -and prolonged life indefinitely. He told them -the prediction of a German philosopher that in the -nineteenth century gold would be produced by galvanism, -and become so common that kitchen utensils -would be made of it. “But that,” the prince -added, “will surely be a gift of wrath, and will -come like a thunderbolt. Men will play with fire, -and it will turn upon them. They will laugh in -the face of God when they snatch his lightnings -out of his hand, and he will reduce them to ashes. -But to him who kneels and waits, into his hand -will God put the lightning, and it shall be as dew -to his palm when he smites with it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>As he had talked, sometimes to them, and then -as if to himself, to her imagination all the space -about and above had become filled with watching -faces. There were pale brows over eyes grown -dim and hollow with fruitless study; there were -clustering locks that wore the shadow of a crown; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>there were dreamy faces whose eyes were filled -with visions of the golden streets of the New Jerusalem; -there were the hungry cheeks and devouring -eyes of poverty; there was avarice with human features; -and over the shoulders of these, and peering -through their floating hair or widespread beard, -were impish eyes and glimpses of impish mirth; -all which, with sudden explosion, were wrapped one -moment in flame, and the next, fell in a mass of -gold like a mountain, writhing one instant, then -fixed. And in the place where they had been remained -unscathed one face still gazing in a dream -at the golden streets of the New Jerusalem.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The childish vision rose and fell; but it left a -scene almost as unreal.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There showed no more sparkling points in the -trough, and Iona changed it for the other, glancing -into the second as she withdrew it. At the -bottom of the net was a spark like a star. It was -a little ball of gold that the water had brought -while she was searching. She smiled at sight of -it, scarcely knowing why it pleased her; and instead -of putting it into the wallet, found a dew-softened -flake of lichen to wrap it in, and hid it in -her bosom.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will ask Dylar if I may give it to Ion when -he goes out,” she thought; and the image of Ion -warmed her heart. “Dear boy!” she murmured.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The dew, the darkness, and the silence soothed -her as she walked homeward. Seen from a distance -she might have seemed a glow-worm creeping -<span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>along the face of the rock. Her lamp grew -dim, and she lighted her taper again by its expiring -flame, and went on uncoiling it as it rapidly -consumed in the faint breeze of her motion.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Weary, and in some way comforted, she reached -the castle and her chamber, and was soon asleep.</p> - -<p class='c011'>But anguish woke with her, the stronger for its -repose. The novelty of the change was gone, and -a consuming fever of impatience to return to San -Salvador took possession of her. But she had -come for a week, and she stayed a week, passing -such days and nights as made her cheeks thin and -her eyes hollow.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The morning she had set for her return she was -scarcely able to rise; but at noon she reached the -Pines, and while everybody in San Salvador was -at supper, she quietly entered the Arcade, and sent -for Elena to come to her room.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Give these to Dylar with your own hand,” she -said, consigning to her care the wallet and the case -of keys. “And please send me some supper here. -I am going up the hills this evening, and may stay -all day to-morrow. Whoever comes with my food -can set the basket on the terrace, if I am not in -sight.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena looked at that worn face, and could not -restrain an expostulation.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Iona, dear, you look too tired to go up there -alone to-night,” she said. “Wait till morning, -and no one shall come near you, nor even know that -you are here.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>“I should suffocate here!” Iona exclaimed impatiently.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Elena urged her no farther. “At least, make -me a sign in the morning that you are well,” she -said. “Tie a white cloth to the terrace post.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes, yes! Don’t fear!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She went out. It was twilight, and the windows -were beginning to be lighted. In the Square she -saw Ion going toward the college. She drew the -silver whistle from her sash and blew his name.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boy stopped, then came running back.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am going up the hills to stay to-night,” his -sister said, holding him in her arms. “Don’t tell -any one, unless Dylar should ask you. And see! -I have a gift for you. It is a little ball of pure -gold. Say nothing of it even to Dylar till I tell -you. Keep it as a memento of San Salvador when -you are far away. And now, good-night, my treasure, -my better than gold!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She kissed him tenderly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“O Iona, why do you go up there to-night?” the -boy cried. “What is the matter?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She freed herself from him gently, but decidedly. -“Don’t oppose me, Ion. Do as I bid you, and -say good-night now.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He urged no more, but went away dejectedly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The cottage to which Iona went was a tiny one -with a plot of herbs in front of it and a huge fig-tree. -It contained but one room, across which was -slung a wide hammock. She opened the door, -prepared her hammock and got into it, dressed as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>she was. There was a floating wick in a vase of -oil and water that gave just light enough to faintly -define the objects in the room and show a small -fragment of paper on the floor. As she lay, glancing -restlessly about, her eyes returned again and -again to this paper, and finally with a sense of annoyance. -She was naturally orderly and neat to a -fault even; and now it seemed as if all her characteristics -had become either numbed or fantastic. -That scrap of paper grew to be of such importance -to her that she could not rest while it lay there; -and having risen to pick it up, it was still of so -much importance to her that she could not set fire -to it in the little night-lamp without looking to see -what it was. It was a fragment of an old pamphlet -in which had been an article on mediæval customs. -The few lines remaining referred to a custom -in the isle of Guernsey.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It related that if a sale of property were being -made by heirs, one heir objecting, this non-consenting -one could stop the sale by crying out: “<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">A -l’aide, mon prince! On me fait tort!</span></i>”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She read, then burned the paper. It was an interesting -fact. She thought it over, going to lie in -her hammock again; and thinking of it, dropped -asleep.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There were a few hours of repose. Then she -waked and could sleep no more. The little lamp -had burned out, and the dark dewy night looked in -at her open window. She rose and went out.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The fig-tree before her door grew a single straight -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>trunk to a height of four feet, or a little more, then -divided into two great branches, hollowed out and -widespreading. Iona leaned into this hollow, hanging -with all her weight, and looked over the town.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">A l’aide, mon prince! On me fait tort!</span></i>” she -murmured, recollecting the words that she had slept -repeating. And she stretched her hands out toward -Dylar’s dwelling-place.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They think that she alone has power to charm -you!” she went on. “Blind that they are! And -are you also blind? They see me preside with dignity, -and they think that I am nothing but stately. -Cannot you understand that I am as full of laughter -as a brook? I have come up here alone many -a time and talked with the birds, the plants, and -the wind. I came to give vent to the life that was -bubbling in me. If I had but shown it! If I had -but shown it! The greatest force I ever put upon -myself was to be cool and calm with you. It was -honor made me. I thought you were resolved to -lead the angelic life, and I would not by a smile, -or a glance, or a wile make it harder for you. How -could I imagine that you would surrender yourself -unsought to a lesser woman! Oh, I could have -charmed you! Cannot I call you now? Shall I -submit without a struggle?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona knew in herself a compelling power of will, -without defining it. It had sometimes seemed to -her that when roused by some vivid interest, her -will had flung out an invisible lasso that bound -whomsoever she would; not so much, indeed, here -<span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>in San Salvador as out in the world, where minds -were less firmly anchored. Yet even here, finding -one in a receptive mood, she had more than once -made him swerve as she had wished.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Could she not in this hour of supreme upheaval -send her soul out—all her soul—through the space -that divided her from Dylar, make it grow around -him like a still moonrise, find him where he lay -thinking, or dreaming, perhaps, of that fair-haired -Tacita, reach into, shine into, his heart and blot -that image out, gather all his will into the grasp of -her strong life, and so melt and bend him that he -should turn to her as a flower to the light? Dylar -had a strong will. She had seen him as oak and -iron. But, if she should slip in at unawares!</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona caught herself leaning over, straining over -the inverted arch of the fig-tree, her arms extended -toward the college, the fingers cold and electric, -the very locks of her loose hair seeming to be -turned that way, her whole person having a strange -feeling as if a strong current of some sparkling, benumbing -essence were flowing from her toward the -spot where Prince Dylar lay helpless and unconscious.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She started back. “God forbid!” she cried. -“<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">A l’aide, mon prince!</span></i>” The last words came as -of themselves; and her prince was still Dylar.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yet it would be for his good and the good of -San Salvador,” she said, and began to weep.</p> - -<p class='c011'>And then again, half frightened at her own passion, -her mood changed. After all, was she certain -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>that her fears were well-grounded? What proof -had she? Nothing strong except Tacita’s silence; -and might she not have mistaken the significance -of that? Her nature seemed to divide itself in two, -one weak, wretched, dying, the other seeking to -comfort, reassure, and save this despairing creature -from destruction. Her imagination began to hold -up pictures to divert the weeping child of earth.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She fancied Dylar in the first enthusiasm of knowing -all her plans. He would adore her. But -there should be no silly dalliance. For, “I do not -love him in that way,” she still persisted. When -she should crown herself with the white betrothal -roses that must be gathered by her own hand, it -would be with the thought of authority wearing the -crown of pure justice. When she should assume -the rose-colored robe and veil of a bride, it would -be to her a figure of that charity all over the world -which it would be the aim of her life to promote. -Both she and Dylar would be stronger for this -companionship; and she would be, not only his inspirer, -but his soothing and comforting friend also. -Every lion in his path should become his beehive. -When he was weary of empire she would charm -him with many a folly. For sometimes he would -be depressed, perhaps, even out of temper. It was -delicious to think of him so—as quite a common -man—for a little while. It would be the dear little -flaw in her gem.</p> - -<p class='c011'>All should come as she had planned. Their -colonies should condense in the plain and on the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>hills outside, little by little, stealing in as silent as -mists, not seeming one, but as strangers to each -other. Here at San Salvador should be their -stronghold, as now, and their inmost sanctuary. -But they would live outside, on a hill, or going -from place to place. When all was well ordered -without, they would come back for a while, and she -would lead Dylar to some height, to the summit of -the North Peak, where there should be a mirador, -and pointing to their colonies embossing the whole -circle even to the horizon, she would say: “Behold -the marriage-portion I brought you!” She would -tell him of a time when, their earthly lives ended, -they might be borne, like Serapeon, over mountain -top and plain, while their son—</p> - -<p class='c011'>Their son!</p> - -<p class='c011'>Her fancy descended from its cold mountain -height to a green hollow in the hills, and a cooing -of doves, and a veil of heliotrope shutting them in. -She hung over the face of the child. His cradle -should be formed like a lotos-flower, and there he -should sit enthroned like Horus, the young Day. -As her fancy dwelt on him, he grew,—a youth -with inspiration shining in his eyes, a man, with -command on his brow. He should bring in a -golden age. Peace and brotherly love prevailing -should make men look upon their past lives as the -lives of wolves. He should wear white while -young, and purple when he began to take the reins -of government. The white should have a violet -border.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>Here the dreamer’s fancy seemed to stumble as -if caught in the train of a white robe with a violet -border that brought some disenchanting reminiscence -in its folds.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was the robe that Tacita had worn the last -time they met at the assembly, and she had looked -like a Psyche in it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As that figure floated, smiling, into her dream, -Iona’s empire crumbled, her lover became a mocking -delusion, her shining babe faded to a snow-drop -broken from its stem, her enthusiastic youth shrank -like dry leaves, her purple-robed prince fell with a -crash at her feet.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“A—a—a—i!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was almost like the growl and spring of the -tiger. But the rein was drawn as involuntarily as -a falling person seeks to maintain his equilibrium.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">A l’aide, mon Roi!</span></i>” she cried, and stretched -her hands out, not toward Dylar, but toward the -Basilica, showing faint and ghost-like against the -western mountains. “<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">A l’aide, mon Dieu!</span></i>” and -lifted her face to heaven.</p> - -<p class='c011'>To a strong, high soul, despair is impossible. -However dark the overhanging cloud, it never believes -that there is no help. It has felt its own -wings in the sunshine, and it knows that somewhere -there must be a way for them to lift it out of the -storm.</p> - -<p class='c011'>But where?</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My father told me to do without love, if I -could,” thought Iona, and sank down, and sat leaning -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>against the tree. The time-blurred image of -that father rose before her mind, and the scenes -following his death. Of her life with him, except -that it was happy, she could recollect nothing definite. -With the egotism and ignorance of youth she -had taken a father’s loving presence for granted, -as she had taken sunshine and air. He had died -at Castle Dylar, and she was with him. His illness -was brief, she had scarcely known that he was -ill. For one day only she had not seen him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She seemed again to stand, a child, in the middle -of the great salon, looking at a closed door. The -prince held her hand and murmured words of consolation. -Her playmate, young Dylar, stood at -a distance wistfully gazing at them. She did not -understand for what she needed to be consoled; but -an undefined dread oppressed her.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What is in that room?” asked the child with a -gloomy imperiousness. “They close the door, and -tell me not to open it.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Only a mortal body from which the soul has -fled,” said the prince. “Your real father has gone -to see the King, to see your dear mother; and both, -unseen, will watch over you and your little brother. -Do not you want to go home and see poor little -Ion? He is alone.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I want to see my father’s body,” said the child.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Iona, he sleeps!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Wake him, then!” she cried. “Or, no. I -will be quiet and let him sleep. I will sit by him -till he wakes.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>Dylar looked distressed. “Dear child, no one -ever wakes from that sleep, it is so full of peace -and rest. His heart does not beat. His hands -are as cool as dew.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Wake him!” she cried, beginning to sob; and, -snatching her hand away, ran to beat on the door, -and call “Father! Father!” with an awful pause -of silence between one call and the other. “If he -were warm he would speak. Give him wine! I -can make his heart beat. Let me in! I will go to -him!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Nothing can make the body warm when the -soul has gone out of it,” said Dylar, following her -to the door. “It is like a candle that is not -lighted.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If I kiss him, he will light,” persisted the -child. “He always does.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“His light is in the court of the King,” said -Dylar. “You must not, cannot call it back.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The child stood silent a moment, a statue of rebellious -grief, trying to understand the cold science -of death, now for the first time presented to her. -Then, with something more of self control, she -asked:—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Can I make the King give back his soul, in -any way? no matter if it is not by being good. -Could I by being wicked? I am not afraid.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“By being bad you would only separate yourself -still more from your father. My child, he -was not torn away. He went submissively, obediently. -He bade me love you as my own child, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>I will. The King took him gently by the hand. -Wait a little while, and he will come for you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The child’s head drooped. She leaned against -the door, putting her arms up to it in a vain and -empty embrace. “I want to go in!” she said -faintly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The prince opened the door and led her in.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A white veiled shape lay stretched out on a narrow -bed. The prince folded back a cloth, and the -child’s dilating eyes, startled and awe-stricken, -looked for the first time on death.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is it a statue?” she whispered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is his own body in its long sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have always seen him breathe,” she whispered, -looking up at her guardian with frightened eyes. -“His breast went up and down—so!” she panted. -“I felt it when he held me in his arms. I did not -know that it could stop.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Sobs broke out. She threw herself on to the cold -breast and clung to it. “He spoke; and I thought -that it was a little thing,” she cried, in a storm of -tears. “Sometimes I did not listen. I thought -that I could always hear him speak. Sometimes -he told me to do a thing, and I said no. I did not -think that he would ever be ‘no’ to me. He is -all ‘No!’ Speak one word, father! It is Iona. -Why can he not speak? This is his hair, his face, -his own self,—all but the cold!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He cannot hear you,” said the prince.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The child rose and looked wildly about. “I -would climb over all these mountains, barefoot and -alone in the dark, to hear him say one word!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>And then, in that day of revelations, there was -yet another which startled her for a moment out -of her own grief. For Prince Dylar, raising his -arms and his face upward, exclaimed with passion: -“O Heavenly Father, do we not expiate the sin, -whatever it was!” and for the first time she saw a -man weep.</p> - -<p class='c011'>How vividly it all rose before her! How like -was that child to herself!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How glad I am that I put my arms around him -and tried to comfort him!” she thought.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My heart has been broken once before, and it -healed,” she said, and returned to the present, -where her mind swung idly to and fro, like a pendulum, -counting mechanically the minutes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The dawn began. It was not like the tingling -white fire, alive to its faintest wave, of dawns that -she had seen. It was still and solemn.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">A l’aide, mon Roi, man Dieu!</span></i>” Iona murmured -drearily; and speaking, remembered the -invitation: <em>Come unto me, all ye that labor and -are heavy laden, and I will give you rest</em>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>What did it mean? She understood duty and -obedience toward God; but an ardent worship of -the whole being, a clinging of the spirit through -the sense, she did not understand. It had seemed -to her material and unworthy. She forgot that the -sense also is the work of God. The spirit should -rise above the sense, leaving it behind, despising -it, she had thought; but to lift the sense also, to -bathe it in that fire that burns not, to lead it by the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>hand, like a poor lame sister, into the healing Presence, -that she knew not. Her worship dispersed -itself in air.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will go to him!” she said. “But where? -He is everywhere; therefore he is here.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She knelt, folded her hands, and said, “Help -me, O Lord! for I am in bitter need,” and said -it wearily. The universal affirmation of his presence -had for effect only universal negation. She -did not find him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The dawn grew. She rose from her knees, -weary and faint. “How are we to know when -God helps us? Perhaps when some path shall be -opened for me out of this labyrinth. Is this all -that religion can give me?—the patience of exhaustion, -or the apathy of resignation? Is this -rest? No matter! I will obey. I will ask help -every day, and try to do my duty. What is meant -by loving God? I cannot love all out-doors. If -Christ were here as he was once upon the earth, he -would not make me wait one hour with my heart -all lead. If he were here! Oh, I would walk all -barefoot and alone in the dark over the mountains, -over the world, to hear him speak one word!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The sun rose, and its golden veil was let down -slowly over the western mountains, creeping toward -the Basilica. When it touched, she could see -from where she stood in her door the sparkling of -the crown-jewels. They seemed to rejoice.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will go to his house to ask help,” said Iona. -“Why should he have a house among us, if not to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>give audience there to his children! But now I -must sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She went to tie her handkerchief on the little -balustrade of her terrace for a sign to Elena, and -returning, closed the door, leaving the window ajar. -Getting into her hammock then, she swung herself, -to sleep.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was late in the afternoon when she waked, and -the sun was shining into the room in a long, -bright bar through the window. In the midst of -that light was the shadow of a head. As she -looked at the shadow-head it turned aside in a listening -attitude.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona rose and opened the door, and Ion sprang -up joyfully. He had brought her breakfast and -left it outside the door, and come again with her -dinner, both waiting untasted.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I peeped in and saw that you were asleep,” he -said. “Are you not hungry?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She ate something, not more from faintness than -to please him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I was so tired. I worked hard at the Olives, -and did not sleep till late. And now, dear boy, go -down. I have something to do, and something for -you to do. To-night, after the people are out of -the street, I am going to the Basilica. I wish to -go alone. When the portal is closed, get the key -of the south side door, and leave it in the lock. -Thank you for coming up! You are always good -to Iona!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She kissed him smilingly, and let him go.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XX.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>In a great mental upheaval, to be able to decide, -even on a point of secondary importance, is helpful. -It is like a plank to the shipwrecked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Such to her was Iona’s resolution to go to the -Basilica and watch all night. Christ had said -“Come!” and she would go as near to him as she -knew how. The sense of blind obedience was restful. -She looked across the town, and a certain -peacefulness seemed to hover over the white building -beyond the river. She thought herself like -that river, flowing in silent shadow now after a -wild rush from height to depth, and through dark -and stormy ways.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was no assembly that evening, and the -avenue and square were unlighted. But the roof-terraces -were populous, and a murmur of voices -and of music came from them. They called to -each other across the narrow streets; and when -some one sang to mandolin or guitar in one terrace, -the near ones hushed themselves to listen. It -seemed to Iona like something that she had heard -of long before, it was so far away, and had so lost -its spirit and color.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There are times when to hear laughter gives one -a feeling of terror such as might be felt if it came -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>from a train of cars about to roll down a precipice. -When Dante came up from the Inferno, careless -laughter must have affected him so.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As Iona entered the Basilica, locking the door -behind her, the sweet, true word of an English -writer recurred to her: “Solitude is the antechamber -to the presence of God.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She knelt before the Throne a moment; then, -seating herself on the cushioned step, waited for -some plan of life to suggest itself to her as possible -and tolerable.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It must be outside the mountains,” she began, -then checked herself. “It shall be where God -wills.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>But, oh, the torment of it! The utter collapse -of all spirit and elasticity!</p> - -<p class='c011'>The shadows of the portal came up to fall before -the light of the tribune, and the light went down -to meet the shadows. Darker slanting shadows of -columns crossed the dim side aisles. There were -panels of deep, rich color between, growing -brighter toward the tribune. On the balustrades -were thirty-three lamps, one for each year of the -King’s life. They climbed in a narrowing flame-shape -with the Throne and the tiara. In the jewels -a sleeping rainbow stirred.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona rose and wandered about the church. -What more could she say, or do? Was she to go -out as blind and unconsoled as she had entered? -The silence was terrible. It occurred to her that -having had no conscious and pressing need of God, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>she had gone on fancying herself in communion -with him when there had been no living communion.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do we, indeed, know that God whom we profess -to believe in?” she asked herself. “Have I -not as ‘ignorantly worshiped’ him as did the -Athenians of St. Paul’s time? Oh, if I find him -not to-night, I shall die!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Passing up a side aisle, she paused before the -picture of a tiger there, which stood in a strong -light, and stared at the Throne. She lifted her -hand to pat his head, and whispered, half smiling, -“Have you found the secret, brother?” Then she -went on and knelt again before the tribune, questioning:—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Who, then, have I come here to seek, and -what? A glorious and triumphant Deity? Something -more, indeed! I seek one who knows sorrow, -poverty, and betrayal. Where is he? Where is -the compassion, the power, the voice of him? I -must find him, meet him! Where is he?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She set herself to call up some image of him as -human creatures had seen him face to face in their -need. She recalled other vigils of knight, crusader, -mourner, and sinner. Above all was the supreme -vigil of Mary Magdalen. Ah, what a night -of anguish! Ah, what a rapturous morn! To hear -him speak her name as he uttered that “Mary!” -on the first Easter morning would be better than a -thousand princes of her blood ruling through ten -thousand years, would be better than to have -Dylar look at her with love’s delight.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>She evoked that scene out of the past,—the -chill, dewy garden, the lonely sepulchre, the dull -hour before dawn. The present faded from her -view. Gleam of gold and sparkle of jewel, she set -them aside. Blotting out the glow of lamps and -the glimmer of marble, it came. She was in the -garden with Mary Magdalen. The stone was -rolled away, she heard the woman’s bitter outcry: -<em>They have taken my Lord away, and I know not -where they have laid him!</em></p> - -<p class='c011'>Darkness, sorrow, and desolation reigned. Even -the Magdalen, weeping bitterly, departed. She -was alone before an empty sepulchre.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Said faith: “He is here even as he was there, -the same. He is invisibly here in this place, even -as he was there. If he be God, he is here. Hush, -my soul! He is here! He is here!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>A Presence grew in the place, felt by her whole -being, a sense of life, gentle and potent. Seen -by her soul, Christ stood there looking at her, and -waiting to hear what she might say.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She stretched her hands out to him with a wild -burst of tears. “What shall I do?” she sobbed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>And, oh, wonder of wonders! A voice “still and -small,”—the voice that was heard by Elijah,—a -voice more distinct to her soul and her senses than -her own sobbing question had been, answered her!</p> - -<p class='c011'>The angel of truth guides the pen with which I -write these words!</p> - -<p class='c011'>The voice came not from the shadows where she -had evoked his image by the mystical incantation of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>faith. It spoke at her right side, each word let fall -like a pearl, so that she turned her head to listen.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Were they words of compassion, or counsel? -Did they propose a plan, or commend her obedience?</p> - -<p class='c011'>No. They only repeated the Divine invitation: -<em>Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy -laden, and I will give you rest</em>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>But as they fell softly on her ear, the darkness -that had enveloped her parted, and slipped down -like a tent, and a flood of light entered and illumined -her soul. Her hands were still outstretched; -but they were clasped in ecstasy: her tears still -flowed; but they were tears of rapture.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, why did I not think of it!” she exclaimed; -and in that first inflowing of heaven did not remember -that she <em>had</em> thought, and <em>had</em> come, and -that the words were but a reminder that she had -done her part, and there remained only that he -should fulfill his promise.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She was in heaven!</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was no thought of explanation, no study -of phenomena. She knew at last what sort of -miracle Christ came on earth to perform, and what -his kingdom is.</p> - -<p class='c011'>How was her life to proceed? It mattered not. -Whatever might happen, all was well, was more -than well, was best! Should she go, or stay in San -Salvador? No matter. She was blest either way.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And this heaven,” she thought, “lies just outside -the door of every human heart!</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>“<em>Behold, I stand at the door and knock.</em>”</p> - -<p class='c011'>How simple is a spiritual miracle, after all! It -is but the substitution of harmony for discord, the -finding the keynote of the universe.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Not the least marvelous part of her change was -that she recognized this state as her true one; as -one who has long been cramped and bowed down -breathes deep with relief, the pressure removed, -and knows that he was made to stand upright.</p> - -<p class='c011'>No earthly storm clears so. Even when the sun -bursts forth, he shows a rack of flying mists. But -Iona no longer thought of a shadow, even as past. -Trouble had no longer any existence, even as fugitive. -<em>In the twinkling of an eye</em>, says Saint Paul.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was early dawn when she issued from the Basilica. -Some one was pacing one of the paths in -the green above, but came running down as soon -as she appeared.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why, Ion! What brings you here?” his sister -exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I could not sleep,” the boy said, trembling. -“Oh, Iona, what is the matter with you? What -has happened? Let us both go away from here!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She put her arms around him. “Dear Ion,” she -said, “the brightest, the sweetest, the most glorious -thing has happened! Some time I will tell you, -but not now. Your hair is wet with dew, and -your cheeks with tears, my dearest. Do not fear. -All is well! All is well! Do not I look happy?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Your face shines!” said Ion, his own growing -brighter. “I was afraid.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>“You are to fear no longer. You must go to -rest, and then wake happy. But first let us kiss -the panels of the portal; for they have been to me -the gate of heaven.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They went, hand in hand, knelt on the upper -step, and kissed the panels of the door, then walked -in silence across the town. In the dawn, the face -of Iona could be seen radiant with a light that was -not of the sky. It was the outshining of an illuminated -soul.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Brother,” she said, pausing at the door of the -Arcade, “what the King said is not a figure of -speech, but literal truth. When he commands, or -invites, do not stop to question. To him there are -no impossibilities. Do not forget him, nor disobey -when life is bright; but he is a star, best seen in -the dark. If you should ever be in great anguish, -set your soul searching for Christ, and do not leave -off till you find him. He is near! He is always -within call!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She went upstairs, planning. First sleep. Then -this duty, then that, quite as usual. And every -duty, even those heretofore most nearly irksome, -had a new face, smiling and peaceful. Every little -weed and brier of life put forth its blossom.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Reaching Tacita’s door, she stopped; and hearing -a movement within, she whispered:—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Tacita Mora! O Tacita!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita was awake. Her heart had been sorely -troubled by Iona’s talk the week before; and her -sudden absence had increased the pain. She -<span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>opened the door, wondering at that whisper, and -shrank on seeing who was there. “What do you -wish for?” she asked, fearing some new and more -violent scene.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“To restore you the peace I have disturbed,” -said Iona. “To ask your forgiveness. All the -wild things I said that day were a dark delusive -cloud which has been driven away by sun and -wind. I was wrong, and you right. It is the -Holy Saviour himself who will save the refuge -they have named for him. I hope, dear, that you -and Dylar will marry, and be happy; but it would -be presuming in me to ask of your intentions. -Peace!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She went swiftly away before Tacita, astonished, -could answer a word.</p> - -<p class='c011'>To be in heaven while yet upon earth, what is -it? It is to have a sense of security which extends -to the bounds of conception,—and beyond, a sense -which no peril can disturb. It is to be steeped in -a silent contentment which no words can express. -It is to call the bird your sister, and the sun your -brother. It is to study how you may serve those -whom you have hated. It is to say farewell to -those who are dearest to you, and know that they -are not lost. It is to see the sorrows of earth as -motes in a sunbeam, yet be full of compassion for -the suffering. It is to know for what purpose you -were created.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Early in the autumn Iona was to go out into -the world, having instructed Tacita thoroughly and -lovingly in all her work, and seen with what a modest -dignity the girl she had thought almost childish -could preside in her place.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She was in haste to go, but solely from a conviction -that she was needed elsewhere.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Wherever I am not absolutely needed, I am -lost,” she said. “My life here is, and has been -for a long time, that of a Sybarite. I am terrified -when I think of a longer waste.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Stay till after the vintage,” they all urged her.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will stay on one condition,” she said to Dylar. -“And that is that I may plan, and help to prepare -a house for you and your bride. Once outside, I -may not be able to come back and see you married; -and it would be cruel if I could have no part.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But, Iona, Tacita has not promised to marry -me,” Dylar said, smiling. “However, do as you -please. May I ask what your plan is?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She pointed to the college. As we have said, -the building was large and irregular, crowning a -mass of rock that broke roughly toward the town, -and fell sheer on the mountain side, the narrow -space spanned by a bridge from the college gate to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>the Ring. A small part of the structure toward -the town was detached, a point of rock rising -sharply between it and the main building. The -only mode of communication between the two was -by means of a stair at either side to a mirador built -on the top of this point of rock, and a narrow gallery -hung over the steepest fall of the rock. This -semi-detached portion, containing but four rooms, -was Dylar’s private apartment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“With two large rooms in addition,” Iona said, -“that would make you a charming apartment. -There is yet space enough on the rock if we fill up -that narrow interstice with masonry solid from the -plain. The two rooms will be large, one a few -steps higher than the other. They will be very -stately, with the steps and curtain quite across one -end. Where the stone breaks to right and left, a -stair can start, double at the top, and meeting over -an arch midway, to separate again below. There -will be space also for a small terrace outside the -door. It can be made something ideal. You use -but two of the four rooms now. The little museum -in the other two can be removed to the college. -There is plenty of room. This work should be -begun at once, masonry takes so long to dry well. -But as your living-rooms would be the old ones, -you need not put off your marriage till it is quite -dry. There is no time to be lost.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No one plans like you,” Dylar said. “It will -be charming. Do as you please. I will see if I -can find a bride for your pretty house.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>He took his way to the library, where he had -seen Tacita enter. She was there alone, lighting -up a shadowed corner with her fair face and golden -hair.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was a very studious face at that moment. -Her arms stretched out at either side of a large -volume, she read attentively. Other books were -piled at right and left. Now and then she put -her hand to her forehead, then made a note on a -long strip of paper, writing with a serious carefulness.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She was preparing a lecture on history for the -youngest class of girls in that study.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It must be to the great complex subject what a -globe with the great circles only is to the whole -geography of the earth. It must be as though, on -that globe with its few lines, you should draw at -one point a little black circumflex, and say: ‘Here -is found the asp of the Nile. The monarchs wore -it in jewels on their diadem. One laid it alive on -her breast, and died. And here, where this black -line goes past, and never stops, but always returns, -the Wise Men of the East found the Infant Christ. -And here grow roses, oh, such roses! in full fields, -to make the precious attar of. And here grows the -pink coral, like that coral rose Iona wears. No; -the lesson must not be dry, nor yet too rich. It -must make them wish for more. Only a few -sparse sweetnesses. O land of France, what noblest, -fairest deed for children to hear was ever -done on your soil since you were France?’”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>So the young student was thinking, deep buried -in her study, when she heard a voice say:—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“O Minerva, may I come in? Is there a gorgon -on your shield of folios?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She looked up with a glad welcome. “Not for -you. You are come in good time, perhaps, to -check my wild ambition. Do you know, prince, -that I aspire to become an historian?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then I come indeed in good time,” he said. -“For it is a history which I wish you to write.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She looked inquiringly; but he did not meet her -glance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Will you come out to the terrace?” he said, -indicating the one near them toward the college.</p> - -<p class='c011'>And as they went, he said reproachfully: “You -hide yourself from me. I find you always surrounded. -You seem to like me less and less every -day.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita’s lips parted. “Shall I tell him that I -like him more and more?” she thought. “No. -Yet he must be satisfied.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I do not know what reply to make,” she said, -somewhat breathlessly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you know what to think?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, yes!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Would it pain me to know?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, no!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He smiled, even laughed a little; she had said, -in fact, so much more than she was aware.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Look at the college,” he said. “Iona has a -plan of a house there for me.” He explained it. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>“She will remain till vintage time to see it well -started. Will you go there and live with me, Tacita, -when it is done?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes!” she said quietly, her eyes on the college.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Will you go next Easter?” he asked, after a -pause.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes!” she said again.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“God’s blessing on you!” he exclaimed fervently.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They stood a moment longer in silence.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Then: “Shall I go back to my writing?” asked -Tacita, looking at Dylar with an expression of -entire contentment and confidence. And when he -answered her smile, and bowed assent, she left him -there, to build up his house with one swift flash of -fancy, to bring his bride home rose-veiled, to draw -from her reluctant lips all that they now refused to -tell, to tear himself away presently with only a few -gentle words, and not even a pressure of the hand.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You have made me very happy, my Tacita!” -he said. “I leave you now only because I must!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>In San Salvador engagements were very brief, -as they could well be between persons who had -known each other from childhood; and whatever -friendly intimacy there might have been between -them before, it ceased in a great measure during -that time. It might be said that courtship was -almost unknown; and between the betrothal and -marriage the couple did not meet alone. Tacita’s -promise, therefore, remained a secret between herself -and Dylar.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>And so the summer passed with no apparent -change in their relations.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Autumn was always a stirring time in San Salvador. -The whole town was given up to the labors -and pleasures of harvesting. Every one had some -task. Even the children were made useful. The -vintage, as in all grape-growing countries in times -of peace, was a season of gayety, and all its picturesque -work, except the grape-gathering, was done in -that part of the outside road, or cornice, between -the Arcade and the kitchens. A crowd of children -were seated here in groups on straw mats, with -awnings over them. Boys and men brought huge -baskets of grapes supported on poles over their -shoulders. In the centre of each group of six or -seven was a large wooden tray heaped high with -the fruit which they picked from the stems into -basins in their laps. Women, girls and boys went -about and gathered from these full basins into pails -for the wine presses. Dressed in the stained cotton -tunics of former vintages, their hands dyed -a deep rose-color, the children chattered like magpies. -Even little lisping things, under the guidance -of their elders, were allowed to take a part in -the business, or fancy that they did. Some of the -boys had taken a little two-years-old cupid and -rubbed grape-skins on his hands, face, legs and -feet, till they were of a bright Tyrian purple, -and set a wreath of vine tendrils on his sunny hair; -and he went about from group to group vaguely -smiling, not in the least understanding the mirth -which his appearance excited.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>The boys capered about like goats when free from -their burdens. One of them ran to the Arcade, -turning summersaults, walking on his hands, running -backward, went up the stairs, like a cat, and -appeared in the veranda, cap in hand.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita was seated there by a little table, making -notes of the harvest as reports were brought her. -The boy delivered his message like a gentleman, -bowed himself out, and became a monkey again.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Not far from the noisy grape-pickers, under another -awning, were women sorting nuts and olives. -They suspended their work as Iona came down the -street and paused to speak to them. All looked up -into her face with an earnest and reverential gaze. -They had not ceased to wonder at the change in -her, nor had they learned to define it; for while, -in her gentleness and simplicity of manner she was -more like one of them, they were yet conscious of -a superiority which they had never before recognized -in her. It was as though a frost-lily should in -a single night be changed to a true lily, fragrant -and still.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She spoke a few words to them, and then went -up to the veranda to Tacita.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Stay with me a little while!” said Tacita -eagerly, bringing her a chair. “I think of you all -the time, and cannot keep the tears out of my eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona embraced her. “The same hand leads us -both, dear. Do not grieve. For me, I am in -haste to go. You have yourself made me more -eager with your munificent gift.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>For Tacita, with Dylar’s approval, had given all -her little fortune to Iona to be disposed of “not in -doing charity,” she said, “but in doing justice.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>And Iona had replied: “Yes, justice! For -though charity may move us to act, that which we -do of good is but a just restitution.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My heart is in anguish for the world’s poor,” -she said now. “And not for the beggar alone. I -think of those who can indeed escape physical starvation -by constant labor, but whose souls starve in -that weary round that leaves them no leisure to -look about the fair world in which they exist like -ants half buried in sand. I think of homeless men -and women, oh! and children, eating the bread of -bitterness at the tables of the coarse and insolent; -of artistic souls cramped by some need that any -one of a thousand persons known to them could -supply, could understand without being told, if they -had a spark of true human sympathy in their -hearts, but which they behold with the insensibility -of stones. Your fortune, my Tacita, will be a -heaven’s dew to such. For your largess will be -given only to the silent, who ask not. I do not -know the world as well as many of our people do; -but those who have had most experience say that -the almost universal motto acted on, if not confessed, -is the saying of Cain: ‘Am I my brother’s -keeper?’ Now, I wish to have as my motto that I -am my brother’s keeper whenever and wherever -one has need of me. I will have nothing to do -with agents nor organizations. I will see the suffering -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>face to face. Wherever I see the eyes of -the Crucified looking at me through a human face, -there will I offer help. The King shall send me to -meet them.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There are those,” said Tacita, “who will affect -anguish in order to move you. They rob the real -sufferer, and they create distrust and hardness in -the charitable.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I shall sometimes be deceived,” Iona said. -“Who is not? Sovereigns are deceived by their -courtiers, husbands by their wives and wives by -their husbands, and friends deceive each other, and -children deceive their parents. I go with no romantic -trustfulness, I assure you.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The hour for her departure hastened to come.</p> - -<p class='c011'>On the last evening she went to the assembly, -passed through all the rooms, saying a few words, -but none of farewell. Then she went to the Basilica.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The rapture of her vigil had subsided; but the -seal of it remained stamped on her soul, never again -to be overwhelmed in darkness. Doubt and fear -were gone forever, and she went on cheerful and -assured, if not always sensibly joyous.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It had seemed to her that on this last visit she -should have a good deal to say; but no words came. -What she was doing and to do spoke for her. She -walked about, looking at the temple from different -points, to impress its features on her memory, and -sat an hour before the throne in quiet contemplation.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>What her leave-taking was of that sacred place, -we say not.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Early the next morning she was seen walking -along the mountain path with Ion at her side. At -the last visible point of the path she turned, -stretched her arms out toward the town, then went -her way.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ion came back an hour later, his eyes swollen -with weeping. “I shall see her in the spring, in -the spring, in the spring,” he kept repeating, to -comfort himself. And when Tacita came to meet -him with both her hands held out, “O Lady Tacita, -I shall go out to her in the spring, in the -spring!” he said.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>The short southern winter drew to a close. -Everything that could fade had faded. The vines -stretched a network of dry twigs, the olive trees -were ashen, the pines were black. The gray of -crags and houses looked bleak under the white dazzle -of the mountain-wreath, and the dazzling blue -of the sky. Sometimes both were swathed in -heavy clouds, and the town was almost set afloat -in floods of rain.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was the time for in-door work, and closer domestic -life.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The last days of this season were given up to -penitential exercises similar in intention to the -Holy Week of the Catholic church, though different -in form,—having, in fact, only form enough, -and that of the simplest, to suggest the spirit. -Like all the instruction given in San Salvador, its -object was less to act upon the passive soul than to -set the soul itself in action.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The admonition to these devotions was brief: “At -this time, while Nature sits in desolation, mourning -over her decay and trembling before the winter -winds, let us invite those veiled angels of the Lord, -sorrow and fear, to enter our hearts and dwell awhile -with us. Let us read and ponder in silence the life -<span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>and death of the Divine Martyr. Let us remember -that while we have rejoiced in peace, plenty, -honor and justice, thousands and tens of thousands -of our kind in the outer world have suffered starvation -of body and mind, have been hunted like wild -beasts, and branded on the forehead by demons -disguised as men; and let us remember that that -same Divine Martyr, our King and our Lord, said -of these same children of sorrow and despair: <em>Inasmuch -as ye have done it unto them</em>—whether -good or evil—<em>ye have done it unto me</em>.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The exercises began on Saturday night, and continued -eight days, ending on the second Monday -morning. There was a visit at night to the cemetery -by all but the children, the sick, and the very -aged. On Saturday the children would visit the -Basilica to commemorate the blessing of the children -by Christ, and, strewing the place with freshly -budded myrtle twigs, would ask his blessing before -the Throne. Mothers would take their infants -there and hold them up, but would not speak. “For -their angels shall speak for them,” they said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Sunday was kept as Easter, and was a day of -roses; and on Monday morning the whole town, -all dressed in white, would go to the Basilica in -procession, tossing their Easter lilies into the tribune -as they passed, till the sweet drift would -heap and cover the steps and upper balustrades, -leaving only the Throne, gold-shining above a pyramid -of perfumed snow.</p> - -<p class='c011'>For up through the dark soil and out of the prevailing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>grayness, already a wealth of unseen buds -were pushing their way out to the broadening sunshine, -to burst into bloom before the week should -be over. The gardens had their sheltered rose-trees -and lily-beds, and every house its cherished -plants, watched anxiously, and coaxed forward, or -retarded, as the time required.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The first Sunday was called the Day of Silence; -for no one issued from his house after having entered -it on returning from the cemetery, and each -head of a family became its priest on that day, reading -and expounding to his household the story of -the passion of Christ, the Divine Martyr.</p> - -<p class='c011'>On Monday morning, after the procession of lilies, -Dylar and Tacita would be publicly betrothed; and -a week later their marriage would take place.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I do not know, Tacita,” he said to her, “if our -form of marriage will satisfy you. It has nothing -of that ceremonial which you are accustomed to -see, though we hold marriage to be a sacrament.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was Saturday morning of their Holy Week, -and the two were walking apart under the northern -mountains. They had already assumed the mourning -dress of gray and black worn by all during -that week, and the long gray wool cloaks with fur -collars worn in the winter were not yet discarded. -But their faces were bright, Tacita’s having a red -rose in each cheek.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Elena has told me something,” she said. “And -how could I be otherwise than satisfied? For so -my father and mother were married, and so—you -will be!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>“Our position in regard to a priesthood, if ever -to be regretted, is still unavoidable. Our foundation -was a beginning the world anew, all depending -on one man, with the help of God. No authority -whatever was to enter from outside; but all was to -conform as nearly as possible to the word of Christ; -and as if to atone for any omission, he was elected -King. Our people were of every clime and every -belief; yet they were all won, by love,—not by -force, nor argument, nor fear,—to accept Christ, -and to live more in accordance with his commands -than any other community in the world is known to -do. When any of them go out into the world they -choose the form of Christian worship which suits -them best; and some, returning, have wished to -see a priesthood introduced here. But that question -brought in the first note of discord heard in -our councils since the foundation. Some wanted -one form, and some another. The subject then -was forbidden, and we returned to the plan of our -founder: to live apart, a separate and voiceless -nation, waiting till God shall see fit to break down -our boundaries. On Easter Sunday we lay our -bread and wine on the footstool, opening the gates, -and with prayer and song ask him to bless it, our -invisible High Priest. Then each one, preparing -himself as his conscience shall dictate, goes humbly -up the steps his foot can touch at no other time, -and takes of the sacramental bread, touches it to -the wine set in a wide golden vase beside it, and -comes down and eats it, kneeling. The little square -<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>of snowy bread looks as if a drop of blood had fallen -on it where it met the wine. I think that many -a heart is full of holy peace that day.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well they might be,” said Tacita. “But of -the marriage, tell me. What have we to do? I -am half afraid.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“First, then,” said Dylar, “On Saturday you -lead the girls to the Basilica for the Blessing, as -Iona used to do, Ion leading the boys. On Sunday -you do only as the others. On Monday morning a -company of matrons go for you and take you to the -Basilica for the lilies. All are in white and all -wear veils of white, you like the rest. But you -alone have a lily on your breast. All come out. -You, surrounded still by your guard of matrons, -remain in the court just outside the portal, at the -right, and I, with the Council, at the left. All the -others are below, outside the green. Professor -Pearlstein, as president of the council, then asks -in a loud voice if any one can show reason why I -should not demand your hand in marriage. He -waits a moment, then says: ‘Speak now, or forever -after hold your peace.’ No sound is heard. I -forbid the wind to breathe, the birds to sing!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And then?” said Tacita, smiling, as he stopped -and flashed the words out fierily.</p> - -<p class='c011'>His eyes softened on her blushing face, and they -stood opposite each other under the lacelike -branches of an almond-tree where minute points -thick upon all the boughs betrayed the imminent -blossom-drift.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>“And then,” said Dylar, “I shall come forward -into the path where the lamps of the sanctuary -shine out through the portal, and I shall say: ‘If -Tacita Mora consents willingly to promise herself -to me this day as my betrothed wife, in the presence -of God and of these my people, let her come -forth alone and lay her hand in mine.’”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He pronounced the words with seriousness and -emphasis. His tones thrilled her heart.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And then?” she said, almost in a whisper.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He smiled faintly, but with an infinite tenderness. -“And then, my Lady, if even at so late a -moment you doubt, or fear, you need not answer.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How could I doubt, or fear!” she exclaimed, -and turned homeward.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They walked almost in silence, side by side, till -they reached the Arcade, where they were to separate -till they should meet in the scene which he had -just been describing. And there they said farewell -with but a moment’s lingering.</p> - -<p class='c011'>That evening all retired as soon as sundown; but -they rose again at midnight and assembled in the -avenue and square, from whence, in companies of -a hundred, each with its leader, they started for -the cemetery.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As they went, they recited the prayers for the -dead by companies, the Amen rolling from end to -end of the line.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Entering the ravine was like entering a cavern. -But for the sparse lamps set along the way they -could not have kept the path. They went in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>silence here, only the sound of their multitudinous -steps echoing, till a faint light began to shine into -the darkness before them from where, just out of -sight, every letter had been outlined with fire of -that legend over the arch:—</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>I am the Resurrection and the Life.</span></p> - -<p class='c011'>Then from the midst of the long procession rose -a single voice reciting the psalm: <em>The Lord is my -Shepherd</em>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>No one, having once heard it, could mistake the -voice of Dylar for any other. It was of a metallic -purity, and gave worth to every word it uttered.</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Yea, though I walk through the valley of the -shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art -with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.</em></p> - -<p class='c011'>As they listened they felt not the stones under -their feet. Solemn and buoyant, into their souls -there entered something of that spirit which has -made and will make men and women march singing -to martyrdom.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They passed under the arch, and in at the lower -door of the cemetery. All the doors from top to -bottom were open, and the lamps shed a dim radiance -through the long, hushed corridors of the dead; -but their flames caught a tremor as the breathing -multitude went by, two by two.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They ascended inside, by ways that seemed a -labyrinth, to the upper tier just under the grassy -hollow of Basil’s Rest. Issuing there, they descended -by the outer stairs, filling all the galleries -on the eastern side of the mountain. The waning -<span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>moon, rising over the eastern mountains, saw a -great pyramid of pallid faces all turned her way, -a dim and silent throng that did not move,—as -though the dead had come forth to look at the rising -of some portentous star, long prophesied, or to -watch if the coming dawn should bring in the Day -of Judgment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Presently a murmur was heard. All were reciting -in a whisper the prayers for the dead, each -striving to realize that they would one day, perhaps -not far distant, be said for himself.</p> - -<p class='c011'>This multitudinous whisper, the chill of the -upper air, the solemn desolation of the terrestrial -scene and the live scintillating sky with that gleaming -crescent unnaturally large between the eastern -mountain-tops, all made Tacita’s hair rise upon her -head. Into what morning-country did it mount, -like mists from the earth at sunrise, this cloud of -supplicating sighs from out their earth-bound souls? -Were these shadowy forms about her, indistinguishable -from the rock save for their pallid faces, -were they living men and women? or would they -not, at the first hint of dawn, reënter, mute and -slow, those cavernous doors, and lie down again in -the narrow beds which they had quitted, for what -dread expiation!—for what hope long deferred!</p> - -<p class='c011'>Not much of earthly vanity can cling to such a -vigil. The ordinary human life, slipped off so like -a garment, would be assumed again, freed for a -time, at least, from dust and stain.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When, at length, a faint aurora showed in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>east, a choir of men’s voices sang an invocation to -the Holy Ghost as the Illuminator.</p> - -<p class='c011'>That song dispelled all fear, and life grew sweet -again:—life to be helpful, joyful, and patient in; -life in which to search out the harmony and worth -of life;—life to grow old in and wait after work -well done;—life to feel life slip away, and to -catch dim glimpses and feel blind intuitions, in the -midst of creeping shadows, of a sure soul-rise in -some other sphere!</p> - -<p class='c011'>As they went down, Tacita heard a whisper from -Elena close to her cheek: “‘Dig for your gold, -my children, says Earth, your Mother. Deep in -your hearts it lies hidden.’”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>The week of commemoration passed by. On -Saturday the children went in procession for the -King’s blessing, the Basilica all theirs that day. -No one else might enter save Tacita and Ion as -leaders, and the mothers with their infants. Going, -they left the place fragrant with their strown -myrtle-twigs.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Easter came and went with its blush of roses -everywhere, its rose petals mingled with the children’s -myrtle on the pavement, roses between the -lamps, and roses in the girdles of the people. The -bread and wine, on silver trays borne by Dylar and -the elders, was set at the foot of the Throne, and -after prayer, and music sweet as any heard on -earth, the people made their communion as the sun -went down, having fasted all day since sunrise.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When it was over, Ion walked to the Arcade -with Tacita.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If only Iona were here!” she said. “And now -we are to lose you also. Truly, our joy is not -without a cloud.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What joy is cloudless longer than a hour?” -the boy exclaimed. “For me, it is now hard to -go. Only the thought that my sister is there attracts -me. You were right, Lady! At the point -<span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>of leaving San Salvador, each little stone of it becomes -precious to me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do not forget that love, dear Ion!” said Tacita. -“And remember, too, that you have left behind -you something tenderer than stones.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dylar will bring you to England,” he said. -“I imagine myself running to meet you; and that -comforts me. I cried so when Iona went. I was -like a baby. She made me almost laugh describing -our next meeting. She would appear to me in a -London street. She would be dressed in those -fashions we laugh so at. I must not speak to her. -If I should speak, she would call a policeman. I -told her that I would run and kiss her in the street -if I had to go to prison for it. How glad I shall -be!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He wiped his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The next morning all the people, all in white, a -white wreath round the city, went with their lilies -to the King, till they were piled, a fragrant drift, -up to the very gold, and the lamps shone through -them like stars through drifted snow.</p> - -<p class='c011'>All came as Dylar had said, and Tacita was -betrothed to him before God and his people, the -lights shining on them through the open portals -which they reëntered then, but only with a few -chosen ones, to repeat their vows before the Throne.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The people waiting outside strowed the way with -flowers; and Dylar led his betrothed to her own -door, and left her there. There was music in the -afternoon, and at twilight the sun-dance in the -Square.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>At last the bride-elect was alone in her chamber, -all the lights of the town extinguished. The -shadows were soothing after the excitement of the -day, and she was glad to be alone. She had refused -to take a candle, and had even blown out -the little watch-light. Yet sleep was impossible, -though she felt the languor of fatigue. A tender -melancholy oppressed her heart. Never had she -so loved Dylar as at that moment. To be able to -dream over his looks and words had been almost -more pleasant than to be with him; for, gentle as -he was, there was something in his impressive quiet -and almost constant seriousness which made her -sometimes fear lest she should seem to trifle. But -now she longed for his presence.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If I could see him but a moment!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She watched a glow-worm coming up her balcony, -its clear light showing the color and grain -of the stone, itself unseen.</p> - -<p class='c011'>How lovely had been her betrothal! She went -over it again in fancy, catching her breath again as -when, her guard of matrons parting to disclose her, -she had walked out before the whole town to place -her hand in Dylar’s, and heard the simultaneous -“Ah!” of the whole crowd set the deep silence -rustling. “Why had he not come one step to meet -her? Her eyes were downcast after the flashing -glance that met her own when he had called her -forth. She had not looked once in his face; and -it had seemed to her that, had there been one step -more, she could not have taken it, but must have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>fallen at his feet. True, his hands, both tremulous, -had gathered hers most tenderly; but why -had he not taken at least one step? Could it -have been coldness that kept him fixed to that -square stone he stood on? It was a smooth gray -stone with little silvery specks in it, and a larger -spot at one corner. Dylar’s right foot was a little -advanced to that spot, a neat foot in a black shoe -with a silver buckle, and the edge of his long white -robe, open over the shorter tunic, just touched the -instep. She had not raised her eyes above that -white hem and the border of her own veil.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, why is he not here for one moment!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She recollected Italian lovers. There were -young men in the provinces who, late on the night -before their marriage, went to scatter flowers from -the door of their beloved one to the church door; -and rude people even who went abroad at early -morning would step carefully not to disturb a blossom -dropped there for her feet to pass over. And -then, the stolen interviews, the whispered words, -the sly hand-pressure!</p> - -<p class='c011'>Ah! Dylar would never love in that way. Perhaps -he had no ardor of feeling toward her. And -yet—and yet—</p> - -<p class='c011'>She smiled, remembering.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was the sound of a step below, and some -one stopped underneath her window. Her heart -gave a bound, half joy and half fright, and she ran -to lean over the railing. No; it was not Dylar.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am the college porter,” said a voice below. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>“I bring you a note. Drop me a ball of cord, and -I will send it up.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She flew to find the cord, dropped it, holding an -end, and in a minute held the note in her hand.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will come back in fifteen minutes to see if -there is any answer,” the man said. “The prince, -my Lady’s betrothed, told me to wait.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>After all, it was better so. His presence would -have agitated her. Besides, he was obeying the -rules of the place.</p> - -<p class='c011'>But the light to read her letter by! For the -first time in her life, it seemed, she had no light at -hand, and this of all times in her life when most it -was needed. Neither was there a match in her -chamber, nor match nor candle in the ante-room, -nor in the dining-room. “Fool that I was!” -she cried desperately, and ran to the balcony -again. The porter would be sure to have a taper -with him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She spoke; but there was no reply. The man -had gone away.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was no reply from him; but was this a -reply, this little lambent shining at her hand? -The glow-worm she had seen was on the rail. As -it lightened, a spot of light like sunshine lit the -stone.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita in breathless haste brought a large sheet -of card-board and set it in the blessed little creature’s -path; and when she had enticed it, carried -the sheet to her table, cut the silken thread that -bound her letter, and slipped the page along -<span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>toward the spot of light that, ceasing for a while, -began again.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Turning the paper cautiously, her heart palpitating, -her lips parted with quick breaths, she read -her letter, word by word, till the whole message -was deciphered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I cannot sleep nor rest for thinking of you,” -he wrote. “I have to put a strong force on myself -not to go and speak from under your window. I -am drawn by chains. I have a thousand words of -love to say to you. How can I wait a week to say -them! I have been whispering them across the -dark to you. How you came to me to-day, my -own! I know just how many steps you took, and -I shall set a white stone in place of the gray one -where you stopped.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Dylar.</span>”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>She found pencil and paper, and aided by the -same fitful lamp wrote her answer.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My Love, like you I could not sleep nor rest. -You have made me happy. I have only a glow-worm -to read and write by. Sleep now, and love -your</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Tacita</span>.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The man came, and she gave him her note; then, -finding her love’s lamp-bearer, she set it carefully -on the railing of the balcony.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dearer than Sirius, or the moon, good-night!” -she said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The marriage differed but little from the betrothal. -It was the only marriage possible in San -Salvador, a solemn pledge of mutual fidelity made -in the presence of God and of the people. Dylar -<span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>came to the Arcade for his bride, and led her over -the flower-strown path to the Basilica, which they -were the first to enter.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was a white day, all being dressed as on the -Monday before, except the bride, who was in rose-color, -robe and veil, and the bridegroom, who wore -dark blue.</p> - -<p class='c011'>That afternoon they set out for the castle, going -through the Pines.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The preparations at the Olives were not less joyous. -It was long since a Dylar had brought a -bride home to them; and they looked on Tacita, -with her white and golden beauty, as an angel.</p> - -<p class='c011'>For a time the bride and bridegroom lived only -for each other. They had all their past lives to -bring in and consecrate by connecting it with the -new. It seemed to them that every incident in -those lives had been especially designed to bring -them together.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Then, after a fortnight, they returned as they -had come, and walked over flowers to their new -abode, to finish which half San Salvador had been -like a beehive while they were gone.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The two new rooms were noble and picturesque, -the difficulties of approach had been cleared away, -and the background of the college-buildings gave -a palatial air to their modest home. Whatever -defects of newness there were were covered artfully, -and the whole was made a bower of beauty.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Then began their quiet home-life, and the brief -stir of change subsided to the calm of a higher -level.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>The week after their return Elena was to go -out. A dozen little children had been sent out to -different houses, and she would gather and take -them to their new homes. A day or two later, -twenty young men, Ion among them, would go.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXIV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>It was the day before that fixed for the departure -of the students, and all the town was gathered -in the Square, now changed to an amphitheatre, -and roofed with canvas. Professor Pearlstein was -to give the young men a last charge, repeating admonitions -which they had already heard, indeed, -but which in these circumstances would make a -deeper impression.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The speaker began gently:—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“When a father sends his child on a long journey -in foreign lands, he first provides for his sustenance, -furnishes him with suitable clothing, and -tries to secure friends for him in those far-off countries. -He tells him all that he knows, or can learn -concerning them, warns him against such dangers -as he can foresee.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Having done all this, his anxious love is still -unsatisfied. He follows to the threshold of that -parting, and beyond, trying to discover some new -service that he can render, looks again at the traveler’s -equipments, repeats once more his admonitions, -gives lingeringly his last blessing, his last -caress; till, no longer able to postpone the dreaded -moment, he loosens his hold upon the loved one, -strains his eyes for the last glance, then sits down -to weep.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>“But even then, when the first irrepressible -burst of grief is over, he forgets himself anew, and -sends out his imagination in search of the wanderer—in -what vigils! with what fears, what -prayers for his well-being!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“While the child, amused and distracted by the -novelties of this foreign life, forgets sometimes the -parent he has left, those sad eyes at home gaze -down the empty road by which he disappeared, or -weep with longing to see him once more. Would -the wanderer’s song and laugh displease him if he -knew? Oh, no! He would rejoice in that happiness. -The only inconsolable anguish that he could -feel would be in knowing that the virtue with -which he had labored to fortify that child’s soul -was cast aside and forgotten.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But I did not mean to make you weep. I wish -you to think, resolve, remember, and persevere.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Once more I warn you of the dangers of that -life which you are about to enter. Let not your -minds be swept away by the swift currents everywhere -rushing they know not whither, all human -society rising in great waves on some tidal throe -which may land it on a higher plane, or may cast -it into the abyss, one leader with a blazing torch -striving in the name of Liberty to shut the gate of -heaven, and the other, his unconscious accomplice, -in the name of Order, setting wide the gates of -hell.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Trust not the visionary who will tell you that -science everywhere diffused will bring an age of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span>gold. Trust not the bigot who will say that knowledge -is for the few.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Trust not those orators who, intoxicated by the -sound of their own voices, proclaim that from the -platform where they stand gesticulating they can -see the promised land. Long since the Afghan -heard just such a voice, and made his proverb on -it: ‘The frog, mounted on a clod, said he had seen -Kashmir.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Wait, and examine. Look at both sides of a -question, before you form an opinion.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“See what children we were but yesterday. -We thought that we knew the Earth. Complacently -we told its age, and all its story. We told -of a new world discovered four hundred years ago, -of its primeval forests and virgin soil, of its unwritten -pages on which we should inscribe the opening -chapters of a new Genesis. And, lo! the new -world, like the old, is but a palimpsest! Under -the virgin soil is found a sculptured stone; through -the unlettered seas rise the volcanic peaks of lost -Atlantis. The insulted spirit of the past lifts -everywhere a warning finger from the dust. It -points to the satanic promise: <em>Ye shall be as -gods</em>. It points us to the tower of Babel. It underlines -the haughty Jewish boast: <em>Against the -children of Israel shall not a dog wag his tongue</em>. -Samples every one of arrogant pride followed by -catastrophe sudden, utter, and inevitable.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“In the face of such a past, can we make sure -of our stability? We cannot. Beware of pride. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span><em>Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain -that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he -watcheth in vain that keepeth it.</em></p> - -<p class='c011'>“Hold yourselves aloof from any party that excludes -your King. Bind yourselves by no oaths, -and have no fellowship with him who has taken an -oath.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If a man sin, and hurt no other knowingly, be -silent and save your own souls. If he sin in -wronging another, speak for his victim, or bear -the guilt of an accomplice. Do not sophisticate. -You are your brother’s keeper, or his Cain.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do not bid a sufferer be calm, nor talk of reason -to him while he writhes in anguish. The man -of cold blood may be as unreasonable as the man in -a passion. There is a reason of flame as well as a -reason of snow.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Remember that freedom means freedom from -criticism as well as from force.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Never allow yourselves to think or speak of -the poor, of condemned criminals, or social outcasts -as the dangerous classes. Your nativity forbids. -Justice and mercy forbid. If there is a class -which can truly be called dangerous to heavenly -order and all that is noblest in life, it is that great -stall-fed, sluggish, self-complacent mass which -makes a god of its own ease and tranquillity, shuts -its eyes to wrongs that it will not right, and cares -not what power may rule as long as its own household -is protected. It praises the hero of a thousand -years ago, and is itself a skulking coward. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>It calls out a regiment if its sleeve is but brushed -against, and steps upon a human neck to reach -a flower. Seek not their friendships, nor their -praises, and follow not their counsels. Be courteous, -sincere, and inflexible. Be loyal, and fear -not!</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘<span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Non è il mondan rumor altro che un fiato</span></div> - <div class='line'><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Di vento, che or vien quindi ed or vien quinci,</span></div> - <div class='line'><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">E muta nome perchè muta lato.</span>’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>“Do right, and trust in God. Remember that -Christianity is heroism. <em>We are not given the -spirit of cowardice</em>, says Saint Paul. An Arabian -proverb goes farther. ‘There is no religion without -courage,’ it says.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This life of ours is woven as the weaver makes -his tapestry. He stands behind the frame, seeing -the wrong side only of his web, and having but a -narrow strip of the pattern before him at a time. -And with every strip the threads that it requires -are given. It is all knots and ends there where he -works; but he steadily follows the pattern. All -the roughnesses that come toward him testify to -the smoothness of the picture at the other side.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“So we see but a few steps in advance, and the -rough side of our duty is ever before us. But -weave on, weave faithfully on in the day that is -given you. Be sure that when, your labor done, -you pass to the other side, if you have been constant, -you will find the most glowing and beautiful -part of your picture to be just that part where the -knots were thickest when you were weaving.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>“I wish to tell you a little incident of to-day -that clings to my mind. It is but a trifle; but you -may find a thought in it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“As I sat aloft at dawn, thinking of you and of -what I would say to you, I saw an ant in the path -at my feet carrying a stick much longer than himself. -He ran lightly till he came to two small -gravel stones, one at either side of his path. The -stick struck on both stones and stopped him. He -dropped it, and ran from side to side trying to drag -it through.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“For a while I watched the little creature’s distress; -then with a slender twig I carefully lifted -the stick over the obstacles, and laid it down on -the other side.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The ant remained for a moment motionless, as -if paralyzed with astonishment, then ran away as -fast as he could run, leaving the stick where I had -placed it; and I saw him no more.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Can you not understand that I was grieved and -disappointed? The labor, the loss, and the fear of -that little insect were as great to him as ours are -to us. I was so sorry for him that if I had had -the power to change my shape, as fairy stories tell, -and take it safely back again, I would have run -after him as one of his own sort, yet with a tale -marvelous to him, would have reassured him of my -good-will, promised him a thousand timbers for his -dwelling, and a store of food and downy lining for -his nest, when I should have resumed my proper -form and power.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>“Oh! would the ants have caught and crucified -me in the shape I took from love, and only to -serve them!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Children, it is at this very point that the world -will fight with you its most demoniac battle.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There have been, and there are, men and -women whose lives shine like those pure flames in -the long, dim corridors of our cemetery, making a -circle of holy light about them, some tranquil and -hidden, some in constant combat. But for the -majority of the race, all the primal Christian truths -have become as worn pebbles on the shores of time. -It is not long since there was yet enough of public -sanity and faith to compel a decent reverence; -but now they utter their blasphemies, not only -with toleration, but with applause. They have an -infernal foolishness that sounds like wisdom to -the ignorant unthinking mind. This spirit puts on -the doctor’s cap and robe and reasons with you. It -twists up a woman’s long hair, and breathes out -brazen profanities and shameless mockeries.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Or some being, half saint and half siren, will -praise the beauties of our faith as you would praise -a picture or a song, and smooth away its more austere -commands, so covering all with glozes and with -garlands that there would seem to be no other duty -but to praise and poetize; and you might believe -yourself floating painlessly toward the gates of -Paradise when you are close to the gates of hell.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will tell you some of the arguments of these -people.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>“They say that Christ taught nothing new, that -his moral lessons had been taught before, and even -in heathen lands.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He did not pretend to teach a new morality. -He fulfilled the law already given by making -Charity the consort of Justice.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is it to be believed that the Father of mankind -left his children, all but a favored few, in total -darkness during the ages that preceded Christ? -‘Teste David cum Sibylla,’ sings the ‘Dies Iræ.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They will tell you that the miraculous circumstances -of Christ’s birth are but a parody on old -heathen myths, that a woman with a Divine Child -in her arms was worshiped by the Indus and the -Nile, and that many an ancient hero claimed a divine -paternity. They will go to the very root of -revelation and tell you that Vishnu floated on -primal seas even as God moved on the face of the -waters; that while the Norse Ymir slept, a man and -a woman grew out from under his left arm like Eve -from sleeping Adam’s side. The fragmentary resemblances -are countless.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Our God be thanked that not the Israelite alone, -but even those step-children of the Light had some -sense of his coming footsteps! They had caught -an echo of the promise, for it was made for all. It -was moulded into the clay that made their bodies. -It aspired in the spark that kindled their souls.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have seen the nest of a swallow all straightly -built of parallel woven twigs, except in one corner. -In that corner, in a shoal perspective, was an upright -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>end of pale brown stick shaped like an antique -altar. Two tiny twigs were laid on top as -for a fire, and from them rose a point of bright -yellow leaf for a flame. A pencil could not draw -the shapes in better proportion, nor color them -more perfectly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Above the leaf-flame was hung a cross like a -letter X, which is a rising or a falling cross. This, -floating in the air above the altar, seemed a veiled -interpretation of the sacrifice. Larger, inclosing -all, was an upright cross, the beam of which formed -one side of a triangle, the figure of the Trinity.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“These figures were laid, one over the other, increasing -in size from the altar outward, the victim -announced, the mode of his sacrifice hinted, and -his divinity proclaimed,—all the emblems of Christianity -plainly and chronologically set. What -breath of the great all-pervading harmony blew -these symbols to the beak of a nesting bird!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“From the first records that we possess of human -life, a divine legend or a divine expectation looms -before the souls of men, vague as to time, sometimes -confused in outline, but ever striking some -harmonious chord with their own needs and aspirations, -and with the visible world about them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“See those southern mountain-tops half hidden -in a fleet of clouds just sailing over! Even we -who know those heights from infancy can scarce be -certain what is rock and what is mist in all those -outlines. A cliff runs up in shadow, and masses -of frowning vapors catch and carry its profile almost -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>to the zenith. There is a rounded mountain -where the snow never lingered; and a pile of snowy -cumuli has settled on its grayness, and sharpened -itself to a fairy pinnacle to mock our ice-peaks, and -sifted its white drifts into crevices downward, and -set its alabaster buttresses to confuse our knowledge -of the old familiar height. Yonder where the -White Lady has stood during all the years of our -lives, pure and stainless against the blue southwest, -a dazzling whirl of sun-bleached mists has usurped -her place, leaving visible only her pedestal wreathed -about with olive-trees.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But if you watch awhile the slowly moving -veil, gathering with care each glimpse of an unchanging -outline, you can build up again the solid -mountain wall.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“So the heathen, yes! and the Jew also, saw -the coming Christ. Anubis, Isis, Osiris, Buddha, -Thor,—they had each some inch-long outline, some -divine hand-breadth of truth running off into fantastic -myth.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Were they content with their gods, those puzzled -but reverent souls? No; for they were ever -seeking new ones, or adding some new feature to -the old. Their Sphinx, combining in herself the -forms of woman and lion, dog, serpent, and bird, -seemed set there to ask, What form will the Divine -One choose? Are these creatures all the children -of one primal mother? Of what mysterious syllogism -is the brute creation the mystical conclusion?</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The German Lessing has well said that ‘the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>first and oldest opinion in matters of speculation -is always the most probable, because common sense -immediately hit upon it.’ And, converging to the -same conclusion, an English writer, borrowing, -however, from the Greek, has said that ‘both Philosophy -and Romance take their origin in wonder;’ -and that ‘sometimes Romance, in the freest exercise -of its wildest vagaries, conducts its votaries -toward the same goal to which Philosophy leads the -illuminated student.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The early ages of the world were ages of romance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“In this supreme case, Imagination, with her -wings of a butterfly and her wings of an eagle, -soared till her strength failed at a height that was -half heaven, half earth. To this same point philosophy -climbed her slow and cautious way. They -found Faith already there, waiting from the beginning -of time at the feet of the God made Man.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Again, these apostles of skepticism will tell -you that the superstitions of the time, and the -prophesies concerning Christ, favored his pretensions.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“If Christ had been an impostor, or self-deceived,—the -King’s Majesty pardon me the supposition!—in -either case he would have striven to -conform as much as possible to the prejudices of -that expectation; and he would have taken advantage -of the popular enthusiasm, as impostors and -visionaries do. Instead of that, he set up a pure -spiritual system and acted on it consistently, <em>obedient</em> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>(the Scripture says) <em>unto death</em>. He flattered -no one. He boldly reproved the very ones whose -support he might naturally have desired. In the -height of his fame he predicted his martyrdom.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Nor was that time more superstitious than the -present, nor the followers of Christ more credulous -than people of to-day, and not among the ignorant -alone. It is, in fact, notable how many proofs -they required. I should say that the Apostles were -hard to convince, considering the wonders they had -seen. How many times had Jesus to say to them, -<em>O ye of little faith!</em></p> - -<p class='c011'>“When the women went to the sepulchre, it was -not to meet a risen Lord, but to embalm and mourn -over a dead one. When Mary Magdalen went to -tell the Apostles that Jesus had risen, her words -<em>seemed to them an idle tale, and they believed it not</em>. -But Peter went to see. <em>He ran</em>, Saint Luke says. -He saw the empty grave, the linen cloths laid by; -and he went away <em>wondering</em>, not yet believing, -though Magdalen had testified to having seen and -spoken with Jesus, and had given them a message -from him, though he had predicted his own resurrection, -and though Lazarus and the ruler’s -daughter were still among them. Does this look -like credulity?</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is not for the present to reproach the past -with superstition, now when every wildest fantasy -flourishes unchecked. Some turn their longing -eyes back to the old mythologies. Like the early -Christian gnostics, they like to flatter themselves -<span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>by professing an occult worship which the vulgar -cannot understand, and building an inner sanctuary -of belief where chosen ones may gather, veiled from -the multitude. It is scarcely an exaggeration to -say that the day may not be far distant when, in -lands called Christian, temples and altars may -again be erected to Jove, Cybele, Diana, Osiris, -and the rest.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The mind, like the body, may, perhaps, feel -from time to time a need to change its position. -But the body, in all its movements, seeks instinctively -to keep its equilibrium. The equilibrium -of the soul is in its position toward its Creator.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The paganism of to-day has this evil which the -earlier had not: it is a step in a descending scale. -In those other days mankind seemed to be rising -from the abyss of some immemorial disaster, of -which all nations have some fragmentary tradition. -In Christ the human race reached its climax. He -was the height of an epoch which now, perhaps, declines -to a new cataclysm.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Again, the skeptic tells you that there were -and are no miracles. Presumptuous tongue that -utters such denial! How do they know that there -are no miracles?</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But what is a miracle? Is it necessary to set -aside a law of nature in order to perform a miracle? -Was not he who made the law wise enough to so -frame it that without infringement he could perform -wonders? The miracle of one age is the -science of the next. Men do to-day without exciting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>wonder what a few centuries ago would have -consigned them to the stake as magicians.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The miracles of Christ were the acts of one -having a perfect knowledge of the laws of the universe, -and are a stronger proof of his divinity than -any invasion of those laws could be. It was miraculous -that a seeming man should have such -knowledge.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Another criticism of religious teachers in both -the old and the new law is their ignorance of physical -science, evident by commission as well as by -omission. Whether they knew or not, common -sense alone should teach us that if any one announcing -a new religious truth should disturb the -preconceptions of his hearers regarding physical -truths he would in so much distract their attention -from that which he wished to teach them; and -their credulity, under this double attack, might fail -to accept anything.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Juvenal’s dictum, ‘bread and games,’ for the -government of a people, is true of all mankind in -a higher sense. Physical science is man’s <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">circenses</span></i>. -It exercises his intellect, amuses him and -his kind, and every new discovery should excite in -him a higher admiration of the Creator. It was -not necessary that the Son of God should become -man, or rise from the dead in order to teach the -movements of the starry spheres, or the secret -workings of terrestrial powers. <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Circenses!</span></i></p> - -<p class='c011'>“What matters it to the interests of man’s immortal -soul if the earth is a stationary platform, or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>a globe rolling through space with a double, perhaps -a triple motion! What cares the dying man -for the powers of steam, or electricity, or the laws -of the ways of the wind! <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Circenses! Circenses!</span></i></p> - -<p class='c011'>“Christ came to bring the bread of life, the -heavenly <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Panem</span></i>, without which there is no life -nor growth for the spirit.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My children, you are counseled to patience and -gentleness. But listen not in silence when any one -reviles your King. Say little to them of the God, -lest they blaspheme the more; but say, <em>Behold -the man!</em> It is not pious people alone who have -lauded him, nor theologians only who have borne -testimony to him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Napoleon I., a warrior, an eagle among men, -said of Jesus Christ: ‘I know man, and I tell you -that Christ was not a man. Everything about -Christ astonishes me. His spirit overwhelms and -confounds me. There is no comparison between -him and any other being. Alexander, Cæsar, -Charlemagne, and I have founded empires; but on -what rests the creation of our genius? On force. -Jesus alone founded his empire on love.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You will find no peer of Napoleon I. among -those who can see no greatness in Jesus Christ.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Carlyle says of Christ that he was ‘the highest -soul that ever was on earth.’</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Such names will more impress the mocker -than will the name of saint or apostle.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Bid them look at his humility when he was personally -criticised, and at his sublime assumption -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>when proclaiming his mission. <em>I am the Light -of the world. I am the resurrection and the -life. All power is given unto me in heaven and -on earth.</em></p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did any other teacher of men ever utter such -words? See him with the scourge in his hand! -See him with the lily in his hand!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“O happy blossom! to be so looked at, touched -and spoken of. Did it fade away as other blossoms -do? Does its seed yet live upon the earth? -Does the Syrian sunshine of to-day still paint the -petals of its almost nineteen hundredth generation?</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How dare these preachers of destruction try -to rob the human race of such a teacher? What -have they to give in exchange for him? Who -among them all has a message that can gild the -clouds of life, and make of pain and of obscurity -a promise and a crown? Never in our era as now -has there been such temporal need of the softening -influences of Christianity. The poor and the oppressed -of all the world, maddened by suffering -and insult, outraged by hypocrisy and deceit, are -rising everywhere with the desperate motto almost -on their lips, <em>Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow -we die</em>. A Samson mocked at by fools and fiends, -their arms grope blindly out, searching for the pillars -of a corrupted state.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And this is the moment chosen to dethrone the -Peacemaker of the universe! Verily, whom the -gods would destroy they first make mad!</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>“Will teachers like these incite men to heroic -deeds? They destroy honor and heroism from off -the face of the earth! They forge their chains and -lay their traps for anarchy; yet there is no preacher -of anarchy so dangerous, even for this life, as he -who seeks to dethrone in the hearts of men their -martyred Lover, Jesus of Nazareth!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The old man paused, and, with his eyes fixed far -away over the heads of the audience to where the -sky and mountains met, lifted his arms in silent -invocation. Then, drooping, he came feebly down -from the pulpit.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boys for whom his address had been especially -meant pressed forward to receive him, and -conduct him to a seat.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Then the chimes began softly, and they all sang -their last hymn together:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c007'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Let veiling shadows, O Almighty One,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Hide from thy sight the dust wherein we lie!</div> - <div class='line'>Look, we beseech thee, on thine only Son:</div> - <div class='line in2'>No other name but Jesus lift we on high!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Fallen and alien, only him we boast</div> - <div class='line in2'>Strong to defend from Satan’s bonds of shame:</div> - <div class='line'>Jesus our sword and buckler, Jesus our host,—</div> - <div class='line in2'>No other name, Creator, no other name!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“No other name, O Holy One and Just,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Call we to stand between us and thy blame:</div> - <div class='line'>Jesus our ransom, our advocate and trust,—</div> - <div class='line in2'>No other name, Dread Justice, no other name!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“No other name, O God of gods, can rise</div> - <div class='line in2'>Pure and accepted on thine altar’s flame:</div> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>Jesus our perfumed incense and our sacrifice,—</div> - <div class='line in2'>No other name, Most Holy, no other name!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“No other soul-light while on earth we grope,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Only through him eternal light we claim:</div> - <div class='line'>Jesus our heavenly brother, Jesus our hope,—</div> - <div class='line in2'>No other name, Our Father, no other name!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its -usual life, too happy to have a history. A messenger -went out and a messenger came in once a -month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of -all their delicate far-stretching web.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona before going had obtained his approval of -some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and -the first messenger from her went directly to the -Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do not seek now to preserve a compact territory,” -she said. “You may find yourself hemmed -in. Buy some of the rising land southward along -the river, and let the next purchase connect it with -the Olives. Let that connection be made as soon -as possible.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Iona has force and foresight,” Dylar said. “It -is well. I sympathize with her impatience. But -I know my duty to be more one of conservation -than of enterprise.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>After leaving his wife for a week, which he spent -at the castle, “I have bought land all along the -river for two miles,” he told her; “and our friend -has bought a tract crossing mine, but not joining -it. It is sand and stones; but planted first with -canes, can be coaxed to something better. Water -<span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>is going to be as important a question with us as -it was with the Israelites. I thought of them as I -walked over my parched domain, and it occurred -to me as never before, that a spring of water is one -of the most beautiful things on earth, to the mind -as well as the eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am glad that you have gratified Iona’s first -expressed wish,” his wife said. “Naturally, the -first wind of the world in her face fanned the idea -to a flame. She is now occupying herself with -other thoughts.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona was occupied with other thoughts.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Let us take two or three glimpses of her through -a clairvoyant’s mind.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It is a wretched-looking street in an old city. A -lady and a policeman stand on the sidewalk at an -open door, inside which a stair goes up darkly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Said the man:—</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You had better let me go up with you, lady. -She’s always furious when she is just out of jail. -We find it best to let her alone for a while.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I would rather go up alone,” the lady said. -“Is the stair safe?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There’s no one else will touch you,” said the -policeman. “It is the room at the head of the last -stair. I will stay round till you come down. But -you must be careful. She doesn’t like visitors, -especially missionaries.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The lady went upstairs. There were three dirty, -discolored flights. She tapped once and again at -the door of the attic chamber; but there was no -response. She opened the door.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>There was a miserable room where everything -seemed to be dirt-colored. In one corner was a -bed on the floor. There was not a thread of white -about it. From some rolled-up garments that answered -for a pillow looked out a wild face. The -dark hair was tangled, the face hollow, dark circles -surrounded the eyes. “What do you want?” came -roughly from the creature as the door softly opened.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Let me come in, please!” said a quiet voice. -“I have knocked twice.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What do you want?” the voice repeated yet -more roughly.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The lady came in and closed the door behind -her. She stood a moment, hesitating. Then, -hesitating still, approached the bed, step by step, -saluted again fiercely by a repetition of the question, -“What do you want?” the woman rising on -one elbow as she spoke.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The visitor reached the side of the pallet. She -was trembling, but not with fear. She fell on her -knees, uttering a long tremulous “Oh!” and leaning -forward, clasped the squalid creature in her -arms, and kissed her on the cheek.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The woman tried to push her away. “How dare -you!” she exclaimed, gasping with astonishment. -“Do you know what I am? How dare you touch -me? I am just out of jail!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You shall not go there again, poor soul!” the -lady said, still embracing her. “Tell me how it -came about. Was not your mother kind to you -when you were a child?”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>The woman looked dazed. “My mother!” she -said. “She used to beat me. She liked my -brother best.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ah!” said Iona.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Another scene. It is a fine boudoir in a city in -the New World. A coquettishly dressed young -woman reclines on a couch. Before her, seated in -a low chair and leaning toward her, gazing at her, -fascinated, is a young man scarcely more than half -her age. At the foot of the couch is a tall brasier -of wrought brass from which rises a thread of incense-smoke. -Heavy curtains half swathe two long -windows opening on to a veranda that extends to -the long windows of an adjoining drawing-room. -In one of these windows, nearly hidden by the curtain, -sits another lady with a bonnet on. She looks -intently out into the street, as if watching some one, -or waiting for some one. The curtain gathered before -her head and shoulders, leaves uncovered a fold -of a skirt of dark gray, and a silver chatelaine-bag.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I hope that you will conclude to choose journalism,” -said the lady on the lounge, continuing a -conversation. “It so often leads to authorship. -And I have set my heart on your being a famous -poet.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I, madam!” exclaimed the young man, blushing. -“I never attempted to write poetry. It is -true that when with you I become aware of some -mysterious music in the universe which I know not -how to express.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>The lady smiled and made a quick, warning -signal to remind him of the other occupant of the -boudoir.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am, then, stirring your ambition,” she said. -“I have done more. I have spoken of you to a -friend of mine who is connected with a popular -magazine. That would allow you leisure to cultivate -your beautiful imagination.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“How kind you are!” her visitor exclaimed. -“But my principal depends on me; and I think -that I can be useful to him.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The lady made a pettish movement.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He can get others to do his humdrum work. -I heard him speak once, and did not like him. -They call him ‘broad.’ Oh, yes! he is very -broad. He reminds me of one of my school-lessons -in natural philosophy. The book said that a single -grain of gold may be hammered out to cover—I -have forgotten how many hundreds of square -inches. Not that I mean to call your principal a -man of gold, though. Yes, he is broad, very broad. -But he is, oh, so very thin!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The young man looked grave. “I am pained -that you do not esteem him. Perhaps you do not -quite understand his character.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now, you,” said the lady, fixing her eyes on -his, “you seem to me to have great depth of feeling -and profound convictions.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was an abrupt rustling sound at the window. -The lady there had risen and stepped out -into the veranda. They could hear her go to the -drawing-room window and enter.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>“She is so much at her ease!” said the lady of -the lounge. “She was recommended to me by a -friend as a companion with whom I could keep up -my French. We speak no other language to each -other. But she does not act in the least like a dependent. -I must really get rid of her.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>A servant opened the door to say that the carriage -the gentleman expected had come.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Must you go?” the lady exclaimed reproachfully.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I promised to go the moment the carriage -should come. I don’t know what it is for; but it -is some business of importance. I am sorry to go. -When may I come again?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“To-morrow.” She held out her hand.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He took it in his, hesitated, bent to kiss the delicate -fingers, blushed, and turned away.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She looked smilingly after him, bent her head -as he turned and bowed lowly at the door, and -when it closed, laughed softly to herself. “Beautiful -boy!” she murmured. “It is too amusing. -He is as fresh as a rose in its first dawn and as -fiery as Pegasus.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The young man entered hastily the close carriage -at the step before perceiving that a lady sat there. -She was thickly veiled.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I beg your pardon!” he began.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Without taking any notice of him, she leaned -quickly, shut the door with a snap and pulled the -curtain down, and left a beautiful ringless, gloveless -hand resting advanced on her knee. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>looked at the hand, and his lips parted breathlessly. -He tried in vain to see the face through that thick -veil.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The lady pushed the mantle away from her -shoulders and arms, so that her form was revealed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The young man made a start forward, then recoiled; -for, hanging down the gray folds of the -lady’s skirt was the silver chatelaine-bag he had -seen in the boudoir. What did her companion -want of him?</p> - -<p class='c011'>The lady flung her veil aside.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, Iona!” he cried, and fell into his sister’s -embrace.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After a moment she put him back, looking at -him reproachfully.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, Ion, so soon in trouble! I heard of you -in the hands of a Delilah, and I left everything. I -obtained the place which would enable me to know -all—her guile and your infatuation. She amuses -herself with you. She has said to me that you are -in love with her, and do not know it. Her husband -is angry, and people talk. So soon! So soon! -Oh, Ion!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“She said it!” he stammered, becoming pale.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“She said it to me laughing. She described you -gazing at her. She laughs at your innocence.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The boy shuddered. “I will never see her -again!”</p> - -<p class='c013'>Again the clairvoyant.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It is a bleak November day in a city of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>North. Pedestrians hurry along, drawing their -wrappings about them. Standing close to the walls -of a church in one of the busiest streets, an old man -tries to shelter himself from the wind. He is thin -and pale and poorly clad, but he has the air of a -gentleman, though an humble one. There is delicacy -and amiability in his face; his fine thin hair, -clouded with white, is smoothly combed, and his -cotton collar is white. On his left arm hangs a -small covered basket, and his right hand holds a -pink wax rose slightly extended to the passers-by, -with a patient half smile ready for any possible -purchaser.</p> - -<p class='c011'>For a week he had stood there every day, cold, -weary and tremulous with suspense, and no one -had even given him a second glance. But that he -did not know, for he was too timid to look any one -in the face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The afternoon waned. People were going to their -homes; but the old man still stood there holding -out the pink wax rose. Perhaps the most pitiful -thing about him was that what he offered was so -worthless, and he did not know it. Some, glancing -as they passed, had, in fact, laughed at his flower -and him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>At length a lady, walking down the other side of -the street, caught a glimpse of him. She stopped -and looked back, then crossed over and passed -him slowly by, giving a sidelong, searching look -into his face. Having passed, she turned and -came back again.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>“Have you flowers in the basket also, sir?” she -courteously asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He started, and blushed with surprise and agitation.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” he said, and opened the little basket with -cold and shaking fingers, displaying his pitiful -store.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What is your price for them all?” the lady -asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He hesitated, still trembling. “If you would -kindly tell me what you think they are worth,” he -said. “I do not know. My daughter made them -when she went to school.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Does she make them now?” the lady asked, -taking both rose and basket from his hands.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A look of woe replaced his troubled smile. “She -is dead!” he said with a faint moan.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Have you other children?” was the next question.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No. My daughter left a little girl who lives -with us, my wife and me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Will you be satisfied with this?” the lady -asked, and gave a larger sum than the old man -had dreamed of asking. “If you think they are -worth more, please tell me so.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I didn’t expect so much,” he said. “It was -my child’s hands that gave them their value to -me.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tears ran down his cheeks. He tried to restrain -them, and to hide that he must wipe them -with his sleeve.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>The lady slipped a folded handkerchief into his -hand. “Farewell, and take comfort,” she said -hastily. “God will provide.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She turned to a man who had followed, and -paused near her.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Find out who he is, what he is, and where he -lives, and tell me as soon as possible,” she said in -a low voice.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The same evening, in a suburb of the city: a -little unpainted cottage, black with age, set on a -raw clay bank. A railroad has undermined the -bank and carried away the turf.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A faint light showed through one window. In -a room with a bed in one corner an elderly woman -was making tea at a small open fire of sticks. In -the adjoining kitchen Boreas reigned supreme. All -the warmth that they could have was gathered in -this room, where the child also would sleep on an -old lounge.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She sat in the corner of the chimney now, wistfully -watching the preparations for supper.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In the other corner sat her grandfather. He -had taken a blanket from the bed and wrapped it -round him. He was shivering.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It was hard to part with the flowers,” the man -was saying. “They were all that we have left of -her! But to a person like that,—a lady, a Christian, -an angel!—it seemed like giving them to a -friend who will keep them more safely than we -can.” He choked, and wiped his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Well,” said the wife drearily; “we must economize -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>the money she gave you for them. We have -nothing else to sell.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They were silent, trying not to think, and daring -not to speak. They had once been in comfortable -circumstances; and now beggary stared them -in the face, and the horror of the almshouse loomed -before them, not for themselves alone, but for the -child. If they found a home for her, she might not -be happy there; and they would see her no more.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Suddenly the old man burst out crying. “I -can’t stand it!” he sobbed. “I can’t stand it! I -almost wish I hadn’t seen the lady. I was growing -hardened. I was forgetting that any one had ever -addressed me as a gentleman. It was becoming -an ugly dream to me, all this downfall! And she -has waked me up!” He sobbed aloud.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don’t! Don’t!” said the woman. “And there -is some one knocking. Nellie, take the candle, and -go to the door.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The old man got up, throwing the blanket from -his shoulders; and the two stood in darkness, holding -their breath.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was a murmur of voices at the door, and -the candle came shining into the room again, and -steps were heard, both light, as if two children -were about to enter.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Then a lady appeared on the threshold, looking -in eagerly with bright eyes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ah, ’tis you, sir!” she said. “I am sure that -you expected me. I am so glad to have found you! -Your troubles are all over!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>One more glimpse through space.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A train of cars is going through the Alps, from -Lugano southward. Four persons occupy one of -the easy first-class compartments. There are two -talkative ladies in the back seat who seem quite -willing to dazzle the gentleman sitting opposite -them. He has an interesting face, an athletic -frame, and gray eyes that are at once enthusiastic -and laughing. When serious, the face is very serious, -and the attitude changes a little, assuming -more dignity. He is evidently enchanted with -the scene, for he smiles faintly when lifting his -eyes to the snowy heights with their cascades, or -leaning close to the window to see the green waters -below dashed into foam among the rocks.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Once he glanced at the ladies before him as if -for sympathy, but perceiving none, restrained some -expression of admiration which he had seemed -about to utter.</p> - -<p class='c011'>More than once he glanced at a lady who sat in -the farthest corner of the compartment, looking out -in the opposite direction. She had a somewhat -dusky oval face, dark eyes with long lashes, and -black hair heavy about the forehead. She looked -like a grand lady, though she was traveling alone. -She wore a simple costume of a dark dull purple -and a full scarf of yellow-tinted lace loosely tied -around her neck.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She took no notice of her traveling companions. -The wild grandeur of the scene was reflected in her -uplifted eyes, and woke an occasional sparkle in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>them; but she seemed not strange to the mountains.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Once, when the rock wall shut close to her side -of the carriage, she turned toward the other side, -just skimming the three strangers with a glance. -At that moment their progress unrolled an exquisite -mountain picture, and the gentleman turning -toward her quickly, they exchanged an involuntary -smile.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I never was so enamored of the Alps as some -people are,” said one of the other ladies to her -companion. She had caught this sign of sympathy. -“They are so theatrical.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Her friend laughed. “You remind me,” she -replied, “of the man who said that there was a -good deal of human nature in God.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The stranger lady started.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Madam!” she exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The one who had spoken shrugged her shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The gentleman changed his seat for one opposite -the stranger.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Madam,” he said, removing his hat, “if you -will not allow me the liberty of expressing to you -the delight I have in these mountains, I shall be -forced to soliloquize. I find it impossible to contain -myself.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Speak freely, sir!” she said with a pleasant -look, but some stateliness. “If I were not a -daughter of the mountains, I think this scene would -force me to speak, if I had to soliloquize.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have never been here before,” the gentleman -said. “I had not known that Mother Earth could -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>be so beautiful, so eloquent. Does she not speak? -Does she not sing? Who will interpret to us her -language, her messages?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Once upon a time,” the lady said, “a saintly -ruler showed his people a grain of gold that had -been dug out of a wild rough place in the earth; -and he told them that where he found it the earth -had given him a message for them. It was this:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“‘Dig for your gold, my children! says Earth, -your Mother. Deep in your hearts it lies hidden.’”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The gentleman looked out of the window in silence -for awhile. Then he opened a hand-bag that lay -on the seat by his side, and wrote a few words in a -note-book there. The book was a little red morocco -one, with the name Ludwig von Ritter in -gilt letters on the cover.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They spoke of the scenery as they went on, and -presently approached a station.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I shall in future take my recreation in traveling,” -the gentleman said. “I have heretofore taken -it in the social pleasures of Paris or Vienna. One -spends time very gayly in either of those capitals.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The lady was silent a moment, then murmured -as if to herself:</p> - -<p class='c011'>“<i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">E poi?</span></i>”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He looked at her with a smile. “Why, then,” -he said, “it is true that one sometimes has a headache, -and is willing to resume one’s duties.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The train drew up. The lady called a porter, -and, with a courteous but distant salutation to the -gentleman, departed.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXVI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>When spring came round again, Tacita was a -mother, having given birth to the tenth Dylar.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“And now we say a <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Pater Noster</span></i>,” she said. -“Is there more than a decade without change?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Becoming a mother, it seemed as if she had ceased -to be anything else. The most that the people -saw of her was when she sat under the awning of -her little terrace with some work in her hand and -her foot on the rocker of the cradle, her eyes scarce -ever straying beyond the one or the other, and -thinking, thinking.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dylar had removed her decidedly from all outside -duties. It was the custom in San Salvador for the -mother to leave all for her child; and more depended -on this sunny-faced infant than on any -other. It was enough for her to train the child, to -note every manifestation of character, to watch -with dilating eyes every sign of intelligence, to cry -out with delight at every mark of sweetness, or -tremble at what might be a fault.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He was sometimes astonished at her far-sightedness, -but never at her strength. He had seen the -steely fibre in her gentle nature even when, a child, -she had mistaken him for a beggar and called him -“brother.”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>That strength manifested itself now in the firmness -with which she faced the necessity of soon -giving the child into the hands of others for the -greater part of his education. Dylar had not the -courage to remind her of this necessity in the first -rapture and tremor of her motherhood. There -were times when he even asked himself if it might -not be evaded.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was Tacita who spoke first, one evening, as she -sat with the child in her arms.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have fought a battle, and conquered,” she -said, smiling. “I looked forward to the time when -my son must go to school, and I was jealous. To -miss him all day, and know that others are listening -while he lisps his first little lessons! I counted -the weeks and days. I searched for some way of -escape. His birthday is in April, and in April it -is too early in the year to have a grief.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then—would you believe it, dearest?—I -meditated a dishonesty! The school is dismissed, -I said, for the harvest, and does not open again till -the last week of October. It would be a pity for -him to begin study and his little industries, his infant -carpenter-work and his small gardening, and -then forget, and have to begin all over again. He -had better not go till after harvest-time. I had -my excuses all planned, when I discovered the -little wriggling serpent in my mind. Oh, Dylar! -What if I should have given the boy a taint of that -blackness which I did not know was in me! I am -not worthy to train him!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>She did not raise her eyes; but her husband knelt -and surrounded both mother and child with his -arms.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“You say that you have conquered, Tacita. I -had the same battle to fight and had not conquered. -Dear wife, how a spot shows on your whiteness! -What did you resolve upon?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“This,” she said. “On the very morning of his -birthday, instead of making holiday at home, we -will take him by the hand and lead him to the -school, and his <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">festa</span></i> shall be to meet for the first -time all the dear brothers with whom he is to go -through life, whom he is to help and be helped -by when his father and mother shall be here no -longer.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They embraced, and Tacita wiped two bright -tears from her husband’s eyelashes. “I am impatient -for Iona to come and see the boy,” she said -more lightly. “Nearly all her letter was of him, -and she comes only to see him. She thinks that -his hair will grow darker. I want it to be like -yours by and by; but this gold floss looks well on -a baby. You must read her letter. She wishes -me to have a little oil portrait of him taken that -she can carry away with her. The messenger who -came yesterday is an artist, she writes, and makes -lovely pictures of infants. She chose him for that -reason.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona appeared to them suddenly on one of those -June days. She came laden with gifts, letters and -photographs, and had so many messages to deliver, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>and so much to tell, that for several hours of every -day for a week she sat in the dance-room at the -Star-house, to talk with any one who might wish to -come to her. The rest of her time was spent at -the school, or hanging over the infant Dylar.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Those who had never been outside could not tire -of hearing her talk, and looking at the photographs -and prints she had brought. These pictures had -been carefully chosen. The sunny beach was contrasted -with the storm-tossed sea; the stately ship, -all sails and colors, with the lonely wreck and its -despairing signal; the beauty of luxury with the -deformity of poverty; the dark street and unclean -den with the palace and garden.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She had faces made terrible by crime, despair, -sickness, shame and sorrow. These to a people -who made health and strength a virtue were her -most effective antidote against any allurements of -that larger life that held such perils.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is worse than I thought, my friends,” she -said to Tacita and Dylar. “Perhaps the world -never was any better; but it is worse than I thought. -It is not so much the wickedness of the smaller -number, but the carelessness of the majority. Nothing -but a calamity stirs them up. Nothing but -a danger to themselves sets them thinking of others. -The prosperous seem really to believe that -prosperity is a virtue and misfortune a vice. Oh, -if they only knew the delight of helping the needy, -and helping in the right way, not thinking that by -a gift you can buy any person’s liberty, or that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span>gratitude for any assistance whatever should bear -the strain of any assumption the helper may be -guilty of, but giving outright, helping outright, -and forgetting all about it. There is no pleasure -like it. Much is said of ingratitude: far more -should be said of the coarseness of fibre in those -who impose a sort of slavery on the recipients of -their favors.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But, much as I wonder at the living, I wonder -yet more at the dying, or those who are looking -forward to their own death. There are men and -women who leave fortunes to the already rich, or -to institutions which are not in need, or to found -or endow libraries which bear their names, while -all about them reigns an earthly hell of poverty to -which they never give a thought.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Now and then one hears of something lovely. -I remember a man in America who, dying, left -money to give a house, an acre of land, and a pension -sufficient to live on modestly, to a number of -homeless women, single or widows. The only notice -I ever saw of that tender and sympathizing -remembrance of the homeless called it ‘eccentric.’ -Most people who give wish to herd the unfortunate -together, making a solid and permanent exposition -of their benevolence which they can describe in the -newspapers.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What are women doing?” Tacita asked. -“Some things I saw gave me a troubled feeling. It -was so different from our women here, so noble, -harmonious and restful as they are!”</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>“It is, perhaps, inevitable,” Iona said. “I do -not like to find fault with my sisters when they -strive to be something better than dolls. Every -transition state is disagreeable. I hope that, having -made the circle, they may come back to a -higher plane of the same hemisphere they have occupied -in the past. At present many are ruining -what they propose to regenerate. Boasting that -they will bring back the lost Paradise, they go no -farther than Cain, the serpent, and partial nakedness. -Woman as a law-maker is meddlesome and -tyrannical. She goes too much into detail. There -is a pertness and shrillness in their way of bringing -in the millennium which irritates my nerves. They -won’t let you alone. They nag at you. With some, -you cannot speak in their presence without repenting -of having opened your mouth. You deplore -the evils of society, and they call you a pessimist; -you praise the beautiful, the sublime, and discern a -rainbow somewhere, and they dub you optimist; -you venture to touch on some half possibility of -intimations reaching the living from the dead, and -they pin ‘Spiritist’ on your shawl; you surmise -that we cannot be sure that we are to live only one -life upon the earth, and they discover that you are -are a Theosophist, and make remarks about your -Karma. They have a mania brought from their -jam-pots for labeling things. It is a relief to -turn from them and talk with a sensible man whose -ideas are more in the <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">affresco</span></i> style, and do not -scratch.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>“And then, on some happy day you meet a -woman, <em>the</em> woman, noble, judicial, kind, courageous, -modest and sympathizing, and you fall at -her feet.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I think that something ideal may result from -this uprising of women,” said Dylar. “It is crude -now, as you say. But when they shall have shown -what they can do, they will voluntarily return, the -mothers among them, to their quiet homes, and say -to man, ‘As we were before, we could not help making -many of you worthless. Now we are going to -make a race of noble men. We will rule the state -through the cradle.’”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Like our Tacita,” said Iona with a smile. -“Elena always said that she was fit to rule a -state.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Dear Elena!” said Dylar’s wife. “I am so -impatient to see her. It will be delightful to have -you both here together, if but for a day.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>For Elena was on her way to San Salvador, -and near; and they meant to keep her. She had -had enough of travel and unassisted labor; and -she was needed at home.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Do you see how our little palm-trees grow?” -Tacita asked. “We are going to have them set -in the green of the Basilica, after all. They will -be ready in the autumn.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona looked at the young trees thoughtfully.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I would like to earn a leaf,” she said.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXVII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>While they were speaking, three visitors whom -they did not expect were approaching San Salvador.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A German, a Frenchman, and an Italian, who had -known each other many years, meeting occasionally -in the society of different European capitals, -had met in Paris that spring, and weary of a round -of pleasures which led to nothing but weariness, -had started off on a long rambling journey.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They made no plans except to go to places they -had heard but little of, and to be ready to stop at -a moment’s notice.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was the German who had discovered that their -pleasures led to weariness alone; but his friends -readily agreed with him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I am inclined to think,” said the Italian, “that -the only refuge of civilization is in barbarism.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Or in a truer civilization,” said the German.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Or in a more robust physical health,” said the -Frenchman. “So many of our moral impressions -proceed from the stomach, or the nerves.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Though the German had given expression to the -unrest of his companions, he was indebted, and perfectly -aware that he was indebted to another for -his own awakening. It was but a word uttered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>by a stranger whom he had met in travelling -through the Alps; yet the word had often recurred -to his mind. How many times when contemplating -some act, not dishonorable, indeed, yet worldly, -as he had studied and doubted, a lowly murmured -word had stolen up in his memory: “<em>E poi?</em>”</p> - -<p class='c011'>In preparing for some reception or fête like a -hundred others, in returning from some dissipation, -in looking forward in his career and planning out -his future life, with what a solemn impressiveness -the quiet interrogation had been heard in the first -pause of excitement: “<em>E poi?</em>”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Their holiday was almost ended for the three -friends, and they were now on their homeward way, -the line of their travels forming a long loop, now a -little past the turn. The Italian had a young wife -who might be pouting at his absence; the Frenchman -was a banker, and his partners were getting -impatient; the German was an official on leave, -and his term was nearly out.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Yet when their train drew up for a few minutes -at the lonely station of the Olives, and the Frenchman, -usually the leader in all their enterprises, -exclaimed, “Once more, my friends! I am sure -that no one ever stopped here before,” the other -two hailed the proposal, and snatching their valises, -they stepped from the carriage just as the -train was about to start.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Italian, one of whose nicknames was Mezzofanti, -or Tuttofanti, was always spokesman when -they were likely to encounter a <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">patois</span></i>; but somewhat -<span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>to their surprise, this simple-seeming station-master -spoke both French and English passably.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was an orange-farm twenty miles northward, -he said, but no means of reaching it at that -time. Fifteen miles southward was a castle, and a -hamlet called the Olives. The man with the donkey-cart -just leaving the station was going there.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A castle! It sounded well.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Mezzofanti called the man and entered into negotiations -with him; and he, after looking the travelers -over with a somewhat critical expression, consented -to take them to the Olives on condition that -they would take turns walking each a part of the -way. He himself would walk half the distance. -His donkey would not be able to carry them all.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He further told them that they could not stop at -the castle, the master being absent; but they could -stop at his house, and could have donkeys to return -to the station the next day. They would want a -number of donkeys there, as they were expecting -supplies. He could give them three good ones, so -that they could ride all the way.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was a certain calm dignity about this -man, though his dress was that of a laborer, and his -French imperfect, which won their confidence; and -they accepted his offer. He had learned French, -he said, from his mother, who came to the Olives -from France before he was born. He was called -Pierre at home. It was the name his mother gave -him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The first part of their road was over an arid -<span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>plain, dull thin grass and a few parched shrubs -spotting the sandy soil; but in the distance was a -mass of rich dark green foliage with keen mountains, -black and white, rising into the splendid -blue above them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The German remembered one who had said: -“I am a daughter of the mountains.” He never -saw one of those masses of rock and snow rising -into the air without wondering if it might not be -there she drew her first breath.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The man, Pierre, did not know the names of the -mountains. Some of them had their own names. -That highest peak at the left was called the White -Lady, and was beyond the castle. The castle was -very ancient, and one part in ruins. There were -many stories about it. His mother knew them. -For him, he was content with the present. The -past interested him but little. The castle was set -on a spur of the mountains, and quite close to them. -The inner wall of the court was a cliff. Their -road would lead them ten miles straight to the -mountains; then they turned southward, and after -five miles would reach the Olives, which was south -of the heights and just round a turn. At the -first turn was a fountain where they could water -the donkey, and rest a little while, if they liked. -There was an old ruined house there where they -usually stopped, going to and from the station.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Did the prince live much at the castle?” one -of the gentlemen asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“No; he came occasionally. He lived abroad, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>now here, now there. He had spent a fortnight the -year before at Castle Dylar with his bride.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, there is a bride!” said the Frenchman. -“What is she like?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The man had spoken in a serious and matter-of-fact -way; but at the question a smile flitted over -his face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“She is tall and slender, and white and golden-haired,” -he said. “She is very silent; but when -she smiles, you think that she has spoken.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Italian changed color. “Do you know her -name—her maiden name?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“We call her Lady, or Princess,” the man said. -“I know no other name.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Where is she from?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, far away!” he replied with a vague gesture.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Italian asked no more; but his face betrayed -excitement.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Their road had begun to rise and to be overshadowed -by trees. After a while they reached -the ruined house built up against the rock, and -they alighted to rest, or look about them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The German exclaimed: “Did you ever see such -a green atmosphere! I do not think that you will -find such a pine-steeped dimness even in your Italy, -Loredan.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Beside the house a small stream of water from -the heights dropped into a trough. Dropping, it -twisted itself into a rope. Overflowing the trough, -it rippled along beside the road they were to follow.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>Pierre drank, washed his face and hands, and -watered his donkey. The three travelers went to -look at the house. Everything betokened desertion -and ruin. The door and shutter hung half off -their hinges, and only an upper shutter was closed. -A stone stair went up from the one room below; but -a heap of brushwood on it barred the passage.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They pursued their way; and as they went, the -scene softened. A narrow space of rising grassy -land, planted with olive-trees, interposed between -them and the rocks, which only here and there -thrust out a rude sentinel; and their road, having -risen gradually to the house in the pines, began to -descend as gradually. The afternoon sun had -been excluded; but now it shone across their way. -Olive-trees quite replaced the pines, and allowed -glimpses of an illuminated landscape to be seen between -their crisped-up leaves. They rounded a curve -and entered the village. At their right, under -thick olives that hid all above them, grassy terraces -rose to the castle; at their left were the farms with -great white houses sunk in luxuriant vegetation.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The travelers were enchanted. It was a picture! -It was a paradise!</p> - -<p class='c011'>Pierre conducted them to his house, and the -whole family came out to welcome them with a -rustic frankness and an urban courtesy. There -was the mother of their host, a woman of eighty, -his wife, two tall boys, a girl and a baby. From -the roof terrace another girl parted the long palm-leaves -to peep down at them.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>Entering the wide door was like entering a -church. The only partition of the whole ground-floor -was made by square pillars of whitewashed -masonry which supported the floor above on a succession -of arches. But the pillars were so large -that they gave an effect of different rooms. Over -some of the arches curtains were looped to be used -when greater privacy was desired.</p> - -<p class='c011'>One corner next the door seemed designed for a -parlor. Far to the right in another direction could -be discerned a hand-loom and spinning-wheel, and -a stone stair. Far to the left was a kitchen where -something was being cooked at an open fire, and -nearer, between the white arches, a table set for -supper.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Pierre led his visitors up the nave of this strange -house, and up the stair to their chambers. They -were whitewashed rooms with green doors and -small casement windows, over which hung full -white linen curtains. Green wooden shutters -were opened outside. There were no carpets, -only straw mats; yet there was no sign of poverty. -The simplicity was artistic.</p> - -<p class='c011'>One of the boys went up with them to the castle. -The sun was low, and sent long lines of orange -light across the greensward under the trees. Three -flights of stone steps led them to the lower hall, -where they waited till their guide obtained for -them the readily accorded permission to see the -castle.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There is very little to see,” the housekeeper -<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>said. “But what there is I will show you with -pleasure.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They questioned her as they went from room to -room, and by secret passages to the upper terrace. -Was there any pass through the mountains? Her -replies made them wonder that so intelligent a -woman should feel so little interest in her immediate -neighborhood.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She knew of no pass except one far to the northward; -but as the mountains were a group and not -a chain, it did not matter. Climbing in the vicinity -of the castle had proved so dangerous that the -prince had forbidden it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Italian spoke of the prince and princess, but -learned no more than he already knew, though the -housekeeper showed no unwillingness to enlighten -him. She was enthusiastic in her admiration for -the princess, but did not hear him ask what the -lady’s maiden name was,—did not or would not.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Before going away, the three gentlemen laid -their cards on the drawing-room table; and when -they were gone, the housekeeper looked at them. -She read:—</p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Don Claudio Loredan, Venice.</em></p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Vicomte François de Courcelles, Paris.</em></p> - -<p class='c011'><em>Herr Ludwig von Ritter, Berlin.</em></p> - -<p class='c011'>“These must be sent in early to-morrow morning,” -she said. “A gentleman from Venice! Perhaps -he may have known the princess.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>After supper the travelers went out to smoke -their cigarettes under the palm-tree, and the old -<span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>woman, knitting-work in hand, followed them. She -evidently expected their request that she would tell -them something of the history of the castle, and -complied with it with the eagerness of a professional -story-teller.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The origin of Castle Dylar is wrapped in mystery. -It is believed that an army of builders once -went from land to land building churches, castles, -and monuments of various sorts. They built fortresses, -and walls for cities, too, and had means -unknown to us of moving great stones and fitting -them cunningly together. It is believed that Castle -Dylar was built by them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“As for its owner, we will say no evil of the dead. -His few poor tenants lived in huts, and knew not -how to cultivate the land. They raised a little, -which they and their beasts shared; and when their -provisions failed, they killed and ate the beasts, -being the stronger and more intelligent. When -the owner—I know not his name—when he came -here from time to time, often with a number of -companions, they fared better. But, from father -to son, the master came less and less, till one was -left who came not at all, but sold the castle and -land to a Dylar.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, then were the people cared for! Then -were they lifted out of their misery! Then did -the land bloom! The first tree planted by Dylar -was an olive-tree. ‘I dedicate the land to peace and -light,’ he said; and, gentlemen, peace and light have -dwelt in it to this day. The stupid children of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>tenantry were taught. Men came and built these -houses to last a thousand years, and then another -thousand. They dug a hole to let the river through -the mountains. They cultivated land. Men did -great works, and went away when they were paid; -but other men and women came in, one by one and -two by two, and dwelt here. They were children -of sorrow chosen out of the world to come here and -live in peace. We have all that we want, and we -know not drouth. The sun and the snow-peaks fill -our cups to overflowing. When the land grows -dry, our men set donkeys to turning the great wheel -you see yonder, with a bucket at every spoke; and -they fill a tank that sends out little rivulets running -over all the land. They go to every plant -and tree, like mothers giving drink to their children. -We know not drouth; and Christ is our -King.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“There have been nine Dylars with the present -one. Each Dylar uses his number to his name, or -sometimes alone. If a written order had the figure -nine alone, or nine straight lines signed to it, that -order would be obeyed. We put it on all things -for them, too. When our prince was here last -year with his bride, we sent everything up in nines, -nine jars of olives, nine boxes of oil; and the child -who could find a bunch of nine cherries, or a sprig -of nine strawberries to send up to the princess’ -table was a happy child. We sent her a box of -olive-wood to put her laces in. It was fluted in -groups of nine all round, and had nine lilies on the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>cover, and a border made of the figure interlaced -and flowering out. And in the centre of the cover -were the initials J. C., with a crown above them; -for Christ is King of us all. I found on the jasmine-tree -on our terrace a flower with nine petals, -which was a wonder; for they have usually only five -or six, sometimes only four. The princess pressed -the flower to keep, and said it was the prince’s -flower.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The Dylar made it a virtue for their people to -be healthy and clean and cheerful. They gave -them games and pleasures as well as labor. And -whenever they find a young man, or a girl who has -a gift for some airy kind of work that needs a nicer -study, they send them out to learn. They seldom -come back to stay; but they come, sooner or later, -to see their old home before they die.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“For us, we do many things. We spin thread -of linen and silk, we weave and embroider and -make laces. We make wine and preserve olives -and make oil. We knit hose that a queen has -worn, and would have more. For we have a silk -farm, and a silk that reels off like sunshine. And -Christ is our King.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Who governs you?” asked the vicomte. “Of -course your prince, and the housekeeper told us, -three of your oldest men. But is there nothing -else?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, now and again, some people come from far -away, and ask some questions, and get some taxes, -they call them. They have need of money, those -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>who send. I know not. They come and they go. -We welcome them, and we bid them godspeed.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But if two of you should disagree?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Then each tells his story to the Three, and they -decide. And if they cannot decide, they write to -Dylar, whose messenger comes.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“But if some one accuse you, have you no one -to see that no damaging truth, or no lie, is proven -against you? Have you no one to speak for you?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Why should another tell my story for me? -And is it not the truth which all wish to have -proven? Are we children? or bees? See, now: -if I prove a lie to-day, and gain a pound of silk by -it, or a gallon of oil like honey distilled, then the -spirits of peace in the air about me are disgusted -with the evil scent of my vice, and they fly away, -and evil spirits, who love an evil deed, come near; -and of three pounds of silk they weave a chain that -binds my thoughts all down to that sin I have committed, -or of three gallons of bad oil they kindle -a lamp in my heart that burns: and the only way -to have peace is to go to him I have robbed, and -say: ‘I lied; and here are three pounds of silk for -the one:’ or, ‘I lied; and here are three gallons of -pure oil for one.’ Moreover, the King, when I do -evil, is no longer my king; but the Dark One rules -over me. What have I gained, though the silk or -the oil were like Basil’s gold?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Who is Basil?” asked the German, smiling. -“And what was Basil’s gold?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Basil was a Dylar, one of the first. It is said -<span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>that he was as wise as Solomon, and could understand -the language of all growing things; that he -knew what the curl of a leaf meant, or the sob of -the wind. He came and went. There are wild -stories, that he was borne over chasms. I know -not. But he gave his people a message from the -earth that he read in a grain of virgin gold.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The German was shaken by a strong tremor. -“The message! The message!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The old woman smiled at his eagerness. “Listen!” -she said. “‘Dig for your gold, my children, -says Earth, your Mother. Deep in your hearts it -lies hidden.’”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Is there any other settlement near of the -Dylar?” the German asked impetuously.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“None, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“One has gone forth into the world from this -place, a woman, tall, dark-eyed, with black hair -heavy about the brows, and a soft voice. She is a -lady. Who is she? Where is she?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I know no such. There is one abroad who -sings. She is famous, and she returns no more. -I do not know where she is, nor what name she -sings by. There are others who are married. -There are two young girls who study. I know no -such lady. It might be one of Dylar’s messengers; -but she is away.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Could I learn at the castle?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Ah, no! we do not keep their track. They -come and they go. There was one who came last -year. She was something like your lady. She -<span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>stayed a week; and she reaped a field of wheat. -She is strong to work in the fields.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The German sighed, and said no more.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The present Dylar is young, is he not?” asked -the Italian.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Oh, yes; but little over thirty. But he is very -serious. His father was gay till he lost his wife. -Then he never smiled again. But when our Dylar -came here with his bride last year he was different. -His eyes followed her everywhere.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What did he call her?” asked the Italian.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“He called her Love; nought else. We called -her princess. How fair she was! If you should -tell her a story, when you had ended, it would seem -to you that she had been the one who talked, and -not you. She has changes of expression, and little -movements, so that she seems to have spoken when -she has not uttered a word. At the castle they -saved all the hairs that were in her combs and -brushes, and I have a little lock of them that coils -round so soft and shining!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>When they went in, the Italian lingered behind -his companions, and detained the old woman. -“Show me the lock of hair you told us of,” he said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She brought it with pleasure, and carefully unfolding -a paper by the light of a lamp hung against -one of the pillars just inside the door, showed a -glossy golden ring, and lifting it, let it drop in a -long coil.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I will give you a gold piece for one hair!” said -Don Claudio.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>“I do not want the gold,” she said; “but you -shall have the hair.” She drew out two or three -of the shining threads and gave them to him; and -he laid them inside a clasped fold of his pocketbook.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXVIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Pierre was to go to the station the next morning -to meet Elena; and in consultation with his -advisers it was decided that he should set out early -and alone. He could then warn her of the presence -of these strangers. A considerable quantity -of provisions would come by the same train; but -as a part of them were to be left at the Pines, they -would be brought later in the day.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The strangers could therefore go at any hour -they might choose, needing no guide, and leave the -donkeys at the station.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The gentlemen set out as soon as they had eaten -their breakfast, and half way to the Pines met -Pierre coming back on foot.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He had been taken sick on the way, he said, and -a friend whom he had fortunately encountered -would go to the station for him. It was a sickness -he sometimes had, and it would last him several -days. He declined their offer to return with him; -and they took leave of each other, and went on -their separate ways. But Pierre had not gone -many steps farther before doubts began to assail -him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I might have waited there till these men had -gone by,” he thought.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>He turned the situation over in his mind.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Alexander and his wife were the guardians of -the week. There was no woman in San Salvador -better able to take care of the house than Alexander’s -wife. She knew every signal, was prompt -and courageous. Above all, she would do exactly -as she was ordered to do if the skies should fall on -her for it. And both he and her husband had -charged her not to leave her signal-post a minute, -and to give instant notice to San Salvador of anything -that might happen.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I wish I had asked if the door was unbarred,” -he thought uneasily. It occurred to him that the -men inside would have left San Salvador early in -the morning, before it was known that these strangers -were at the Olives. Alexander and his wife -had not known it till he told them that morning. -“When he passed the evening before, stopping purposely -that they might observe well his companions, -they had been occupied in receiving orders -from San Salvador, and had not known that he -was not alone.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He grew more uneasy every moment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Of course they wouldn’t unbar the door till it -was needed,” he muttered. “And of course Alexander -spoke to them before he started. But I -might have waited.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>In fact, Alexander had called to the men; but -they were out of sight and hearing. They had retired -to a more convenient place to wait, knowing -that they would not be needed for several hours.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span>“I wish that I had waited!” Pierre repeated over -and over. “I could have waited.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He recollected stories of men who had been faithful -even to death to interests committed to their -charge; and when had greater interests been at -stake than this of the secret of San Salvador!</p> - -<p class='c011'>Texts of gold wrote themselves in the air all about -him, and on the dark earth under his feet.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“<em>He that endureth to the end shall be saved.</em>”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“<em>Well done, good and faithful servant.</em>”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“<em>Watch and pray.</em>”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The guardianship of the house in the Pines was -in the hands of a hundred men, each of whom -served a week at a time, with any one whom he -might choose as a companion. Dylar himself took -his turn. The rules were strict. Pierre remembered -them when it was too late.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the three travelers reached the house, -therefore, there was a woman alone on guard, with -strict orders to signal everything, but on no account -to allow herself to be seen nor heard; and -the hidden door was unbarred, and the torrent that -shut the road to San Salvador was turned away.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They alighted and tied their donkeys to a post, -where they could drink or browse at will.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My opinion,” said the viscomte, “is that this -old building was not always so innocent as it probably -is now. It was perhaps a hiding-place for -plunder or prisoners, used by the wicked old family -which preceded the Dylars at the castle.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They hung their basket of luncheon to a pine-branch, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>set their bottle of wine in the running water, -and looked about them. To men accustomed to -the luxuries of civilization, and for a time, at least, -weary of them, there was something delightful in -this superb solitude of rock and tree, this silence -stirred only by the sweetest and most delicate -sounds of nature. It seemed but a day since a -pushing crowd had surrounded them, the paving-stones -of a city had been beneath their feet, and -the Gleipnir cord of social etiquette had bound -them; and to-morrow again all that world would -possess them, and this scene become as a fairy -dream in their memories.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They wandered about a while under the trees, -explored a few rods of the northward road, and -came back to eat their luncheon, sitting on the moss -and pine-needles.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The Frenchman looked up at the beetling rock -that overtopped the house before them. “I have -a vision,” he said. “I am clairvoyant. I see -through the rock yonder into a long succession of -low caves where you must walk stooping. At the -entrance of these caves sits ‘<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">une blanche aux yeux -noirs</span></i>,’ and all the floor is strewn with ingots of pure -gold. As you look along the windings for miles, -that gold lights the place up like a fire.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I also am clairvoyant,” said the Italian. “I -see beyond those mountains a happy country where -ambition never thwarts true love, and partings are -unknown. It is the promised land of the heart.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I see farther yet,” said the German. “Beneath -<span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>that cliff is your El Dorado. Beside it is -your Love’s paradise. But farther yet, hemmed in -by precipices, is a great black castle of which Castle -Dylar is but an offshoot. There dwells a princess -held in bonds by a fierce giant. He wishes to -marry her, would give her all the gold you see, and -make her queen over your paradise; and she will -not. If I could pass this wall, if I could thread -the labyrinth of gorges leading to that castle, I -should find her there, dark and splendid and stately. -She is as free and fierce as an Arab. She is as -tender as a dove. She looks like a goddess. Her -name is—is—Io.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They ate their luncheon in the green fragrant -shadows. The viscomte went into the house while -the other two smoked their cigarettes, dreaming -with half-closed eyes, till they were startled by an -excited call from the house: “Come here! Come!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>They hastened to obey.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I have found a secret door!” said the Frenchman’s -voice from under the stair. “It is surely a -door! The wall moves. See! it retreats an inch -or two without displacing a stone. Let us get -sticks and pry it open. We are on the eve of a -discovery!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXIX.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Meantime, San Salvador, unconscious of danger, -was all joyful expectation. The coming home -of Elena was always a holiday for them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>True, Iona was to go out again the next day; -but Iona had never taken the hold on their familiar -life that Elena had always maintained. Besides, -they had this pleasure connected with her going, -that she would take messages to their friends. -Many were busy preparing letters and little gifts.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dylar was busiest of all. He had gone up to -his cottage, which might still be called his study, to -prepare letters of direction, and plans which would -be supplemented by Iona’s word.</p> - -<p class='c011'>In the little terrace of their house sat Tacita and -Iona with the child.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Spare yourself a little for our sakes,” the princess -was saying.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Never fear, my princess!” said Iona with a -smile. “I have a presentiment that I shall come -back here at last to die. It is the only thing that -I ask for myself. If I should not be so happy, I -know that you will bring my body back. It is -pleasant to think of lying asleep in our great quiet -dormitory when one can work no longer.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“The whole earth should not hide you from us, -nor keep you back!” was the fervent reply.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>“Inaction, or even moderate action, is impossible -with the vision that I have of the world,” Iona -went on. “You think that you know it. Ah, -you do not know a thousandth part! You were -safe in your family, guarded and protected. What -if you had been poor and friendless? I tell you -that to such human society is sometimes a society of -wolves and tigers. Nor is an active and conscious -malignity necessary. Narrow sympathies, self-complacent -egotism and conventional slavery suffice. -Why, who shall say that a tiger may not rend a -man, or a child, with an approving conscience, if -conscience he have!</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Life has become like a cane-brake duel, where -two men enter, each from an opposite side, creeping -and searching for each other with the dagger-hand -drawn back, and the blade up-pointed for the -<i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">stoccata</span></i>. Ah! Let us not think of it. For the -work needed to-day, the soul must not stop to -think, but must march straight on in the name of -God. I will think of my coming back and of my -rest at last. It is sweet. Carry me up at sunrise, -and give me a rose in my hand. I would that I -could have a palm. But a rose is the flower of -love; and whether it has seemed so, or not, I have -loved so much! I have loved so much!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She bent, and softly kissed the sleeping infant; -and rising to go away, glanced back toward the -unseen cemetery.</p> - -<p class='c011'>As she looked, a swift change passed over her -face, a keen present interest took the place of her -<span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>forward-looking. Her raised brows fell and were -drawn together. She was facing the signal-station -connected with the Pines, and it changed as she -looked. Already they knew by signals from the -castle that three strangers had passed the night at -the Olives, that a messenger was coming in to give -them details, that Pierre was on his way to the station -to meet Elena, and that the strangers had also -gone. From the Pines they knew that all was prepared -for Elena’s entrance.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“What does this mean?” said Iona. “Can it -be that Alexander’s wife is alone at the Pines! -Tacita, will you call Dylar?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita went to the gallery from which she could -see her husband’s cottage, and him sitting at -a table covered with papers inside the open door, -and she blew a trilling note on a silver whistle she -carried in her girdle.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He looked up quickly, and came out. It was -the first time she had ever called him down.</p> - -<p class='c011'>She waved her hand toward the signal-station, -and he understood, and turned that way. Another -signal had been added.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Yes,” said Iona. “Pierre has returned home, -and Alexander gone to the station, against the -rules. Pierre has sometimes severe attacks of -sickness, and he feels them coming on. But why -did not they call one of the men from inside, and -send him to the station?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She was talking to herself. Tacita glanced up -the hill, and saw Dylar standing on his terrace -<span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span>watching intently the signals. They changed -again. The strangers were at the Pines, and the -men from San Salvador were not there.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Without a word, Iona hastened down and went -to the Arcade. Half way across the town she -turned to look again. The whole situation was signaled -now. The torrent was off, the door unbarred, -the men out of sight and hearing, and three -strangers were at the Pines.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Impossible!” she exclaimed, and began to run.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When Dylar reached his house and read the signals, -which had been hidden from him as he came -down, he looked across and saw Iona coming out -on to the mountain path above the Arcade. This -road ran for half a mile along the rock in sight of -the town. Then it turned backward and out of -sight, joining the road from the Pines, and that -lower one by which Tacita had come to San Salvador. -Near this junction of the roads was the -water-gate by which the torrent was turned.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Impossible!” Dylar also had exclaimed on reading -the signals. To escape for almost three hundred -years, and fall to-day! So many accidents -and incidents, so many items of neglect coinciding -to form a crime and a supreme calamity, were incredible! -It was impossible that accident could -do so much. A vision of treachery rose before his -mind.</p> - -<p class='c011'>He ran down to the town where people were -gathering on the housetops and in the streets. He -called for two of the swiftest runners and climbers -<span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>to follow Iona to the water-gate; and they sprang -out like greyhounds. It was useless for him to go. -There was nothing to be done but turn the torrent -on again. He stood silent and white, watching -with a stern face the signals, and glancing across -the town to the mountain path along which moved -Iona’s flying feet.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The people gathered about him; but no one spoke. -A vague alarm, mingled with, or alternating with -incredulity, showed in every face.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The gate was turned by a beam acting as windlass, -and two men were always sent to turn it on -at the Pines. It was less difficult than to turn it -off; for when the beam was once started, and the -water got a wedge in, it carried the gate round of -itself.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona remembered this as she fled along. She -had not seen the men who were sent to follow her. -They had taken the inner road, which was a little -shorter.</p> - -<p class='c011'>From all the road she followed and from the -water-gate, the signals were visible; and running -breathlessly, she yet kept them in view.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They changed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The strangers were searching the house!</p> - -<p class='c011'>They changed. The door was discovered!</p> - -<p class='c011'>Even at that distance it seemed to Iona that she -heard a sharp outcry rise from the town as that signal -slid out, the first time that it had ever been run -out in San Salvador.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Their secret was gone!</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>But her hope was not gone. In ten minutes she -would be at the gate; and it must turn for her. To -have discovered the door was not infallibly to open -it; or, opening it, there must be some delay.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Moreover, the cave was prepared to detain the -strangers a few minutes, at least.</p> - -<p class='c011'>And then an awful question presented itself to -her mind. Should she turn the gate if the strangers -were on the bridge? What were the lives of -three intruders to the existence of San Salvador! -An insinuating whisper made itself heard in her -heart: “Run and turn the gate. You need not -look at the signal!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>It was the voice of the world, the voice of the -serpent.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">A l’aide, mon Dieu!</span></i>” she panted. “I will do -no evil. If we fall, we fall!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>Was it the heavenly voice once heard, or but an -echo of it in her memory, which now seemed repeating -those words of miracle: <em>Come unto me</em>—the -<em>well done</em> that had accepted and rewarded her -plea for help! Her fleet feet skimmed the mountain path, -her panting lungs drew in the mountain -air; but her mind saw once more the golden dusk -of the Basilica, the rich molten coloring of the -walls, the words of God sparkling out here and -there in letters of gold, the Throne and the tiara; -and her soul felt the coming of that Presence which -had filled the sacred cloister. Half unconscious -of her body, she seemed to be borne along by wings -set in her fluttering temples.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>Then the path turned, and the water-gate was -before her. One swift glance over her shoulder -told that the door was not yet open.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Iona ran to the beam, and leaning on it, pushed -with all her strength. It did not stir. As she -leaned, she saw the signal-station on the opposite -mountains. It had not changed. The door was -discovered; efforts had been made to open it; but -it was not open.</p> - -<p class='c011'>With a frantic effort she pushed. The beam -trembled, but did not move.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">A l’aide, mon Roi!</span></i>” she whispered, and threw -her whole being against the beam, while her ears -rang, and her temples ached with the strain.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It started, moved; the water caught the gate. -Iona was carried along, her glazing eyes fixed on -the signal.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The course of the beam ended against a mossy -bank. When it stopped, Iona’s failing form rested -as if kneeling on the moss, her arms on the beam, -her cheek resting on the moss above it. And over -her lips, and over the wood, the moss, and the rock -flowed a stream of bright red blood.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Her head drooped slowly, and she fell asleep!</p> - -<p class='c011'>So intense had been that flash and strain of soul -out through the flesh, it might be said that the cry -she had uttered was not more on earth than in -heaven, as she sank and rose upon its threshold, -having earned her palm!</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXX.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>The whole town, gathered below, waited in an -awful silence. The shock of this danger had come -upon them like a day of judgment.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dylar stood apart, gazing alternately at the signals -and at Iona’s form, the blue flutter of her -garments like a puff of smoke on the mountain side.</p> - -<p class='c011'>No one ventured to approach him.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There was a struggle in his mind. What should -he do with these men? A fierce rage was boiling -in his heart toward them. It was of their own -seeking—the meddlers!</p> - -<p class='c011'>A hand was laid on his arm. Professor Pearlstein -stood beside him. They were in the Square -near the pulpit, on the front of which were letters -of gold. His hand still pressing Dylar’s arm, the -old man stretched his staff out and drew it along -the words: <em>Thou shalt not kill</em>.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dylar turned away, and began to walk to and -fro. He became aware of his people all about him, -and of Tacita, her child in her arms, crouched on a -mat at his feet. She gave the infant to a woman -near her, and went to link her arm in his.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My Love,” she said, “the torrent is turned. -It was turned before the door was open.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>He stopped to look at the signals. He had not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>looked for half an hour. The door was open; but -the road had first been closed.</p> - -<p class='c011'>A murmur of prayer rose trembling. The shock -had been too great. The strain was yet too great.</p> - -<p class='c011'>And then again the signals changed. All danger -was over. The strangers were gone on their way.</p> - -<p class='c011'>And yet the people waited, only whispering their -thanksgiving.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Soon came the signal that all was well, and -Elena at the Pines ready to enter.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Then the bells were rung and they sang “Te -Deum.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>But no one went indoors. Not till Elena had -come, till all was explained, could they think of -anything else.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The messenger from the castle arrived with his -story, and the cards of their visitors.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don Claudio Loredan!” exclaimed Tacita, -looking at her husband.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXXI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Is it our business if there should be something -concealed?” the German asked when called upon -to help pry the masked door open. “The house is -not ours.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>His companions, full of excitement, broke out -upon him. Where was his enterprise, his romance, -his courage! It was a deserted house. -Perhaps its owners knew nothing of this door.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Their excitement was contagious; and he went -with them in search of a lever. They found saplings -that bent and dry sticks that broke. But -their determination increased with the obstacles; -and at last the right touch was given, the door was -on the hinge and rolled slowly back, disclosing a -dim descent between walls, with a light shining -across from below.</p> - -<p class='c011'>All three recoiled a moment at their own success. -“We enter at our risk,” said the German. “We -have no right here.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The other two went down cautiously, and after -a moment called to him, and he followed. They -had pried open an old chest from which the lock -dropped almost at a touch, and were eagerly pulling -out the twigs and dry leaves with which it -was filled. All had the same thought. Surely -<span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>such pains would be taken only to conceal a treasure. -And it must have been there a very long -time.</p> - -<p class='c011'>One of them went up to keep watch while the -other two worked, changing hands; for the chest -was large, and the débris could be removed only in -sifting handfuls.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When the bottom was reached, a chorus of somewhat -bitter laughter rose; for there was nothing -there but a few rough stones. It had evidently -been prepared as a mockery, probably long years -before.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They prepared to go on their way. But first -they went to the mouth of the cave, and outside on -the narrow ledge. There was no passage. Only -chasms, precipices, and a dashing torrent that -sprinkled them as it fell, met their eyes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>They went up, leaving the door open, mounted -their donkeys, and started for the station.</p> - -<p class='c011'>At a little distance down through the pines they -met a man and woman coming up. The woman’s -face was covered with a veil, the man only nodded -in passing them.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Don Claudio Loredan!” said Elena to herself -when they had passed. “What in the name of -heaven brings him here!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>At the turn of the path the three travelers -paused to look back at the old house with its background -of mountains.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“Farewell, El Dorado!” said the Viscomte de -Courcelles.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>“Farewell, my Promised Land!” said Don -Claudio Loredan.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The German paused a moment when the others -went on, looking back dreamily. “Farewell, Io!” -he said.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is strange,” he said, rejoining his companions, -“that sometimes on leaving a place or person -one scarcely knows the name of, there comes a feeling -of sadness, almost of irreparable loss.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>“I suppose,” said the Frenchman, “that the -veiled lady we have just met is one of the exiles -from the Olives. I wonder if they expect her at -home.”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She was expected. She was looked for joyously -and longingly. The people of San Salvador remained -watching all the afternoon. The men sent -up to follow Iona had not returned. Doubtless all -three were waiting to accompany Elena. They -watched the turn of the mountain path, sure that -they would take the outer one next the town. Spyglasses -were ready to catch the first glimpse of their -coming.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“They are coming! They are coming!”</p> - -<p class='c011'>The flutter of a garment was visible around the -rock.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Tacita looked through a glass that rested on a -man’s shoulder. Her other hand was in her husband’s -arm.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“It is Elena!” she said, “She comes first, and -is on foot. She holds her handkerchief hanging -straight down at her side. Now she stops and lifts -<span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>both her arms, then drops them again. It must -mean grief for the peril we have been in. The -men follow with the donkeys. They seem to carry -heavy baggage, or something— What are they -doing? There is no one else. What do they -carry? O Dylar, where is Iona?”</p> - -<p class='c011'>She gave him the glass, her face losing its light, -and growing pale and frightened. The little company -on the heights was now plainly seen.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Dylar took the glass, looked through it, and -took it away from his eyes. His face was livid.</p> - -<p class='c011'>“My God!” he said. “Where is Iona!”</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c006'> -</div> -<div class='tnotes x-ebookmaker'> - -<div class='chapter ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div>TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - - <ol class='ol_1 c005'> - <li>Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in spelling. - - </li> - <li>Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed. - </li> - </ol> - -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN SALVADOR ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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