TH E

LA DY ECC LE S IA

AN A U T O B I O G R AP H Y

BY

G E O RG E NI A T H E S O N ,
M A. .
,
D D . .
,
‘ ’
H I N I S TE R O F T H E P A R I S H OF S T . B E RN A RD S , E D I N B U RGH

N EW ’ Y O R!

D O D D ME A D C O .

1 49 — 1 5 1 , F I F TH A VE N UE

1 8 97

6
 PRE FA C E

N this narrati v e tho u gh I ha v e com pressed

,

nations i nto m iles and centuries into weeks ,

I have seldom d eparted from the stream of history ,

nowhere ,
I hope from the stream
, of experience .

I do not think the beauty of an allegory is its

pu zzle but its obviousness
,
As a key therefore .

to these pages let m e state that m ost of the

,

characters are representative even when suggested ,

by i ndi v i d ual n ames E cclesia—the New Testa

.

m ent word for the C hurch—re p resents that inner

life of C hristianity itself which was originally the
flower of J udaism . H e lle n i c u s represents that
phase of the Greek mind which cam e into brief
contact with the flower of J udaism . T he Lord
of Palatine represents the R oman E m peror, but
not any particular em p eror ; C aiaphas , the J ewish
P r i es t hood but not any special p riest
, . Ph oeb e
V
w P RE FA C E

—the letter carrier -

of the Apostles — stands for the
ministrant infl u ence of the new faith ; the captain
of the g u ard figures the imperial system ; while
”
the son of the star in chapter xxiv though
“
.
,

a real historical character represents the false ,

C hrist e v erywhere . I have had some di fficulty

in introducing the person of the true C hrist . I
have felt that to m ake H im speak directly in
broad daylight except in the actual words
,
of

the Gospels ,
might seem irre v erent ; I have
therefore taken frequent refuge under the cover
o f the dream I hav e only to add that there
.

has been a designed exclusion of all local colour

ing i n order to kee p the m ind from dwelling
, on

the accidents . T he framework is historical but ,

the picture ought to be universal —the same

yesterday and to day and for ever
,
-
, .
 C O N T E N TS

CHA P .
PA GE

1 . M Y HOM E

11 . THE L ETTER OF H E LLE N I C U S

III . THE C ON CL A V E OF THE I SL A N D .

IV . TH E D E C I S I ON O F TH E C ON CL A V E

V . TH E I NTER V I E W .

VI . A V I S I O N OF THE N I G HT

VI I . THE S TRU GG L E O F R E A S ON A N D F AI T H

VI I I . IN TH E VA L LE Y .

I X . THE PR I E S T H OO D O F H U M A N I TY .

x . THE L A S T M AD E F I R S T

XI . NOT P E A C E , B UT A S W OR D .

XI I . IN F RONT O F TH E A CC U S ER 1 08

VU
vm C O NT E NTS
CH AP. PAG E

X 1 11 . P H CE B E 1 1 9

XIV . TH E C ON FE SS I ON B EFOR E M EN 1 2
9

XV . I N W A R D W A N D ER I N G S 1 42

XV I . H OUR S O F C ON V A L E SC EN C E 1 54

XVI I . A S E C RET M EET I N G 1 66

X VI I I . M Y N Ew C ORRE S PON D ENT 1 8o

XI X . A L ONE I N TH E S TORM 1 93

XX . T HE D AY OF C R I S I S 206

XX I . THE TR AG E D Y OF THE I NNER S HR I NE 2 20

XX I I . B EFORE THE D EP A RTURE 2 32

XX I I I . OUT S I D E THE GA TE S 24 3

XX I V . THE F I R S T W OR L D LY TEM PT A T I ON 2
56

XX V . THE S E C ON D W OR L D L Y TEMPTA T I ON 2 69

XX V I . P A L A T I NE HOU S E 282

X
'
MI . IN THE H A LL OF ! U DG M ENT 2
94

XX V I I I . THE ! U DG M ENT 30 7

XX I X . TH E T H I R D W OR L D LY TEMPTA T I ON 31 6

XX X . C ON CLU DI N G R EF L E C T I ON S 32 4
 C H A PT E R 1

M Y H OME

RO M the Shores of o ur
islan d n o m an had
ever seen land Far as the eye could reach
.
,

and far as the memory could travel there had ,

never been a hint of anything beyond From the .

dawn O f historic time men had looked o u t o n the

sea and beheld nothing m ore Generation after
.

generation had tried to see more T he eye had .

peered into the distance and had come back

,

without a message T he ear had listened to the

.

moaning o f the waters and had caught no h u m an

,

m u rm u r S hips had gone forth to explore ! some

.

had returned after vain v oyaging ; some had sunk

beneath the w ave ; none had brought tidings o f
l a nd
.

T he s ea was o u r great p roblem Almost the .

first q u estion o f o u r childhood was What is ,

“

”
o p posite ? and the answe r w as ever the same I ,

’ ”
don t kno w . Fre ! u ently we m a d e j o u rneys from
 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

o ne end o f the island to the other ; but it was

always to look at the s e a W e often thought that
'

our pleasure in these journeys lay in the sights

o f the island ; but in this we deceived ourselves .

O u r Search was really for a v oice from the s e a It .

was the hope that some new angle o f the road

might waft a fresh breath from the ocean —a breath
that should bear upon its wings the m u rm u r o f the
shells upon another shore .

This is really the answer to a charge which has

O ften been m ade against the people o f o u r island .

We have been accused o f frivolity o f in ability to ,

rest o f perpetual search for the new After long

, .

experience I s a y it is not so I E cclesi a daugh ter

, .
, ,

o f the island born o f its rulers bred in its customs

, , ,

recipient o f its pleasures with a full knowledge o f

,

its men and women and better still with an

, , ,

adequate knowledge of myself declare that I and ,

my countrymen where we have sought at all have

, ,

never sought but one thing— the secret o f the s e a .

All o u r search for n ovelty is o u r search for the

opposite land I f we flit from flower to flower it
.
,

is because in each flo w er we fail to find what we

sought I t is not that we have found the new
.

thing and grown tired o f it ; it is that we have

‘

never found it T here are those among us who

.

C limb hei g ht after height unsatisfie d ; b u t they

 M Y HOME 3

are not really changeable At every height they .

seek only one thing—a com m anding View o f the

sea I f they found it they would stop
.
, .

I have sai d that I was descended from the rulers

o f the island I have rather e x pressed a claim
.

than indicated a p ossession My father was Moses .

ben I srael H e professed to be the head o f the

-
.

oldest clan in the community H e C laimed to .

hav e received the island by a deed o f gift H e di d .

s o on v ery peculiar groun ds O n e of his ancestors .

,

a n amesake o f his o w n had Spent his life i n the

,

long search . H is eye had rested o n a height

called Pisgah far abo v e the m ist and the haze
, .

H e felt that i f he could get there he might learn

, ,

something o f a world beyon d the s e a O n e day .

,

in a seren e S k y he ascended its sum m it an d r e

, ,

t u rned n o m ore H e was sought for by crag and

.

stream ; b ut he returned no more T here was .

no trace o f his li v ing ; there was no trace o f his

dying ; only o n a C left o f the hill there was
, ,

found a tablet o f stone o n which in clear letters

,

there was graven this inscription ! Moses the “

,

man o f Pisgah ; unto thee and to thy seed will I

”
give this land .

My father held this to be a di v ine beq u es t—a

deed o f gi ft which com mitted the island to him
and t o his hei rs for ever H e had n o doubt abo ut
.
4 TH E LAD Y E CC L E S I A

its supernatural origin Neither had I yet to m e

.

the val u e o f the inscription lay in something very

different . What w a s the lan d o f which this
ancient Moses had received a promise ? Was it ,

as my father thought the island o n which we

,

dwelt ? w a s it not rather the lan d for which he

had been seeking ? D id not the tablet s a y that
though the outer eye had failed — the i nner sight
had been victorious ? D id it not mean to tell
that the Vision o f faith had seen what the vision
of Sense could not and that beyond the waste
,

o f waters there was a home for the spirit O f m an

I remember m aking the suggestion to my father .

I shall ne v er forget how he recei v ed it I t was the

.

fi rst occasion o n which I e ver s a w him angry—the

only subject o n which I hav e e v er seen hi m ruffled .

”
E cclesi a he said
, let us have n o more o f these
,
“

’
fancies I t is b ad enough to be denuded o f one s
.

rights without having it sanctioned by a theory I .

have lived here all my life i n poverty an d struggle .

Families b u t o f yesterday hav e passed me by .

They have patronised m e—me who was i n flower

before they were i n root I have caught the dust
.

from their chariot wheels ; I hav e seen them smile

i n benignant pity B ut I have been sustained
.

thro u gh all ; What i s it that has s u stained me ?

It is the knowledge that this islan d is mine
 MY HOME 5

by right to day and shall b e m ine in fact to

-

morrow Y o u speak o f a land beyond I f it were

. .

only a rom ance I wo u ld let it p ass ; b u t it is

,

a romance that s p oi ls the reality I hav e been .

stri v ing all day to hit the m ark o n a tree an d you ,

tell me that perhaps there is another tree—a tree

beyon d the ocean You are divertin g the strength
.

o f my aim an d I want it all

, My promised land .

is here My d u ty has been bequeathed to me by

.

a hun dred si res an d I shall bequeath it to yo u

,

”
by and by
- -
.

And s o I so u ght to t u rn my mi n d from the

—
great sea from the mystery o f the ocean to the
promise o f the land I t seemed more loyal more.
,

sacred more religious to be prosaic

, I t was
, .

against my n ature and therefore I felt it must

,

be good I had always been taught that Virtue

.

lies in doing what we don t w ish to do I h ad ’

.

always been told that the value o f a deed was

in proportion to its p ain To m e the thought .

o f religion was inseparable fro m the thought o f

sacri fice S u rely religion was here
. My heart .

was i n the murm u r o f the shell and my loathing ,

in the m u rm u r o f the world O ught not my heart .

to yield to my loathing ? S hould not the sec u lar

life by its v ery re pu gnance becom e to m e the
d ivine life ? Why sho u ld I n o t take u p my
6 THE LADY E CC L E S I A

father s quarrel — the trampled honour o f his family ?

’

H e was only a ser v ant in his o w n ho u se He .

paid rent for his s m a ll estate to the lord o f the

island — his island W h o was his m aster ? C aesar
.

o f Palatine H ill — a m an comparatively of yester

, ,

day D id he not well to be angry ? ought n o t I

.

to be angry too ? Was n o t this to m e the first

and great com m andment Thou shalt revi ve the
“
,

glories o f the house o f I srael

T he greatest events o f our li ves are the e v ents
that are purely inward O n e day something
.

happened to me— somethin g known only to m y

self I w a s i n the Sitting room and I was alone
.
-
, .

I was thinking what I could do to bring back

the fortunes o f my race What cou l d I do ? I
.

was a girl of eighteen and had seen little o f life

, .

I was an only C hild I had ne v er known a

.

’
mother s care ; she had died at my birth I had .

been brought u p i n m u ch seclusion ; the family

pride and the family po v erty had combined to
i solate me I felt at this moment the burden o f
.

the lan d to be as heavy as the burden O f the s e a

I was impotent from sheer ignorance S uddenly .

there befell a thing whic h happens periodically

to old furniture ; there w a s a crack i n the wood
behind the m irror I rose m echanically and a p
.

r o a c h e d the direction o f the so u nd I looked

p .
 MY H OME 7

mechanicall y at the polished s u rface I had done .

s o a thousand times before and seen nothing but ,

the com mon p lace All at once I started I f the

. .

heavens had O pened I could not have bee n more

,

surprised A re v elation cam e to m e unsought

.
, ,

undreamed o f I w a s beautiful—distinctly u n
.
,

mistakably bea u tifu l I stood i n the presence o f

.

myself with unveiled face and I admired ,

.

What bo u ndless conceit ! yo u s a y Y o u are .

wrong I t was the most i mpersonal re v elation

.

I ever recei v ed i n my life I said I am beauti

“
.
,

” ”
ful as I wo u ld hav e said T he day i s fine o r
,
“
, ,

”
“
T he fields are green I f yo u ask m e why I
.

said it to day rather than yesterday I cannot tell

-
,

but neither c a n yo u tell why you do the sam e

thing T here i s a time in the life o f every m an
.

and woman i n which he o r S h e first said “

T his ,

”
is beauty I t is a m atter o f sm all conseq u ence
.

’
whether the objec t be one s self o r another ; the
point i s that there is a definite tim e for the
revelation W hen o r how it comes I know not ;
.
,

but this I do know that in the large m ajority

,

o f cases the hour o f its coming is not the hour

o f its first appearing To day the child treads
.
-

ruthlessly o v er the flowers ; to m orrow he comes -

b ack to admi re them A few m inutes ago the

.

m irror si m p ly refle c ted ; it n o w d i d m or e—i t

8 THE LA D Y E CC LE S I A

re v ealed I took the o ld step o ver the o ld stile

.
,

and in the act there came to m e a new world ;

I had stepped from despai r into h O pe .

For standing before that mirror there flashed

, ,

into my heart a great design T here came to me .

an intoxicating moment o f self conscious p ower -

.

I lost sight o f the shore and the waters Fo r .

the first time i n my life there rose before m e a

vision o f em p ire I was n o t the poor creature I
.

had deemed I had a gift ; I had a talisman

. .

What was wanted to restore the glory o f my race ?

Was it not wealth and wealth alone ? I wo u ld
,

bring back the glory ; I wo u ld recall the ancient

splendou r I looked down to the valleys where
.
,

my people were struggling I looked u p to the

.

proud crest o f Palatine H ill where dwelt the lord

,

o f the island And I said I shall draw them

“
.
,

together ; I shall u nite the mo u ntain and the

”
vale. T he i mage o f an earthly kingdom swam
before my eyes ; the ambition o f a h u m an great
n ess leapt within my heart Yet I know that .

e v en t h en it was another form o f the O ld o ld ,

story ; and ever from the lonel y beach came up

the lo w s u rge o f th e se a .
 C H A PT E R II

TH E LE T TE R OF H E LL E N I C US

H E ne x t scene re p roduced by memory is

after three years I am sitting i n the sam e
.

room ; I am looking at the same mi rror ; I am

beholdin g the sam e figu re ; and I am again alone .

I have triumphed — beyond all my dreams I have

triu mphe d I t was no deception this perilous gift
.
,

o f beauty . I t had led me like the i nstinct o f the

,

bee to the m aking o f a great house A letter is

,
.

before me I t is from H e lle n i c u s brother o f him

.
,

who r u les the island — C aesar o f Palatine H ill H e .

o ffers me the alli ance o f his interests — his heart

and his han d F o r three years I have been the
.

m agnet Of the social C ircle I have known my.

power ; I ha v e used it I t has been n o surprise

.

to m e to receive this letter I ha v e seen it coming .

And now it is come and I have conquered o u ght

,

I not to be glad ?
A m I glad ? Y o u who read these m e moirs
, ,
10 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A .

consider the pec u liarity o f my case D o yo u .

i magine that at any tim e m y ambition had been

personal ? D o you think that for a single moment
’
my vision o f empire had been a girl s forecast o f
i ndi v idual wealth o r power ? Ambition there was
forecast there was ; b u t for myself never I t was , .

for my race my people my buried lineage My

, , .

act o f worldliness was to m e an act o f sacrifice .

I t was a consecration a s u rrender an altar fire

, , .

Personal j o y was o u t Of the question ! if I had

wanted personal joy I would have muse d by the
,

sea My lo v e was i n the mystery o f the ocean ;

.

my duty was in the pleasures o f the land To .

m e the spi rit o f the world had becom e the w ill

o f God . I t was the wi ll o f God because it was
contrary to my o w n will I t was the cross which .

I had to take up the penance to which I had

,

to devote myself . I t was my asceticism my ,

solitude my self denial

,
-
I had yi elded my i ndi
.

vidual life to the ser vi ce o f my family and i f , ,

there was any joy for me i t must com e in the ,

glory o f my people .

H ad I reached this j oy ? The letter was before

me What did it say ? All that was luscious all
.
,

that was gushing T here was a picture i n o n e

.

o f o u r room s o f a m an in a garden w h o is allowed

t o eat o f e very t ree b ut o ne w hich was conse c rated ,

1 2 THE LA D Y E CC L E SI A

luxurious couch ; they shall furnish your table ;

they shall row your barge ; they shall dri v e yo u r
C hariot Your sight shall be v eiled from all scenes
.

o f misery Your ear shall be curtained from all

.

cries o f pain Y o u Shall live in the present ; you

.

shall neither antici pate nor remember Yo u Shall .

never look at a grav e never listen to the word ,

’
death Where the shadows gather yo u shall
.
,

call o n the music and the dance to C hase them

away I n the forgetfulness o f all that is s a d y o u
.

”
will learn what it would be to be divi ne .

S o ran the glowing words Were they glorio u s .

as well as glowing ? D i d they express my o w n

ideal of life o f what it would be to be divine
,
“
To
me the divine life had al w ays been the life contrary
to nature— the life which did what it did not wish
to do H ere the divine li fe was nature itself ; it
.

was the love o f all outward things and the power ,

to gratify that love Leave these weeping

.
“

”
valleys ? T hey were the very things I wanted
’
to take with me T hey belonged to my father s
.

grounds ; thei r inhabitants had been the retainers

of his house for centuries I t was for these .

weeping valleys I had taught my eyes to look

upon the hills I t was to lift them up that I
.

wished myself to be lifted up I heard them ever .

saying i n the words o f o n e o f my old songs ,

 T H E L E TT E R O F H E LL E N I C US 1 3

E ntreat m e not to leave thee nor to return from ,

”
following after thee Whoever would take m e
.

m u st take my b u rden too Was it fair that this

.

m an should be deceive d ? Was i t right he should

think me unencumbered ? Was i t well he should
even fig u re m e with an empty heart which he
could fill ? No ; I must speak with him I must ,

tell him H e must know what I had what I had

.
,

not to give H e must take me with my thorn

, .
,

knowing it to be a thorn H e must learn that I

.

co u ld not d ared n o t live for individual j oy H e

, .

must accept me not for myself alone but for the

, ,

s ake o f my people .

H ark ! what was that ? Was the storm rising ?

Was the surge o f the s ea becoming more a cc e n
’
tu a te d ? My father s house was o n the plain
between the v alley and the hill From the region .

beneath there began to ascend a strange murmur .

At first I thought it the voice o f n ature by and by - -

i t was like the voice O f m a n I t rose and swelled

.

like a wave but without its rhythm

, There was .

n o uniformity about it S om eti mes it was quick

.
,

sometimes slow now a dirge o r wail and anon a ,

shout o f anger The noise deepened ; the valleys

.

seemed to be C limbing I grew cold in every limb .

Presently I heard the ap p roach o f footsteps The .

door was h u rriedly o p ened and my father came in

, .
1 4 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

H e w a s deadly pale though maintaining h i s,

habitual calm .

What is wrong father ? I said

, .

”
The plague has broken o u t in the v alleys .

”
The plague ! What plague ?
“

”
T he O ld enemy o f this island .

”
I never heard of it father ,
.

O h ! it i s no new thing ; but its outbursts are

“

only once o r twice i n a lifetime The last was .

before you w ere born We never like to speak o f

.

”
such things .

But what is the clamo u r father ? I s it pain ?

“
,

I S it fear ?
I t i s the strangest thin g that ever entered into
“

the mind of m an T his plague comes in the form

.

o f a black spot o n the heart ; but nobody ever

feels it in himself The first intimation a m an

.

gets that he is a victim is seeing the black

spot in i magination o n the face o f another T he .

a ffected men down yonder believe themselves

to be unaffected T hey s ee thei r o w n disease o n
.

the bodies o f those who have given no Sign o f

it They do not want them to com e near lest
.

they catch the pestilence S ome are shrieking in .

dismay . S ome are shouting threats S ome are .

imploring their brethren to leave them S ome are .

throwing stones to drive them back into the se a ;

 THE LET T E R O F H E LLE N I C U S 1 5

and the children are screaming because they hear

”
others scream .

O h i t is s a d it is heartren ding
, , I cried b u rst ,

ing into tears .

”
“
S adder than yo u deem he said H ow do , .
“

you think it will affect you r prospects ? H ave yo u

”
answered H e l le n i c u s ?
'

I winced O f all the salt drops I had shed not

.
,

o n e had fallen o n acco u nt o f h i m I have not “

.

“ ”
answered him I said ,I am glad I have not
answere d I can release him from any bon d on his
hono u r b y simply refusing him A few min u tes .

ago I wo u ld have given him the alternative o f

taking m e with my burden o r p assing me by B u t .

now I cannot I will bring n o tarnished blood into

”
another ho u se .

”
Tarnished b lood !
“
he cried An d who .
“

tarnishe d it ? H e an d such as he I f we had .

rem ained as Go d m ade u s there is no blood in the ,

’
island so p u re as ou rs I t is the other house .
‘

that has infected us T hese people i n the valleys.

have done as y o u were about to do—intermarried .

I t is from men like H e lle n i c u s that o u r plague has

come I f yo u went to him the sacrifice would be
.
,

”
all on your side .

“ ”
Fathe r I exclaimed
, i f I thought that I ,
“
,

would go I f he had put such a postscript to his

.
I 6 T H E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

letter he would have h a d little to fear I t is the

, .

want o f sacri fice on my part that drives me from

him I t seems to m e that those o f u s who are
.

whole are in debt to those that are sick whoever ,

they may b e— H e lle n i c u s or another I s nothing .

to be done ? Are we to sit here calmly over ,

’
looking the scene o f misery and beholding man s ,

inhumanity to m an ? Are we to allo w men to

lacerate o n e another e x terminate one another , ,

when a soothing word might s ave ? C ome let us ,

go down to them yo u and I together Yo u are , .

their king by right ; you shall be their king in

”
truth when you have won their hearts .

”
“
E cclesia he said I cannot I dare not A
, ,
“
, .

message has arrived from Palatine H ill comm and ,

ing that all the gates be shut which lead to the

valleys There is to be a public meeting to morrow
.
-
,

and it will be followed by a more drastic decree

”
forbidding all c ontact with the infected d istrict .

”
T hen said I I must a p peal to the pity o f
“
,
“
,

”
H el l e n i c u s .
 C H A PT E R III

TH E C ONCLA VE OF TH E I S LA ND

HE n ext d ay within the largest hall in

,

the island there w a s gathered the most

,

august assembly I have ever seen N ever before .

,

never since have I witnessed such a meeting

,

o f man with man I t was sum moned by a

.

succession of tru mpets each repeating at the ,

farthest audible distance the blast of the other ,

until the signal becam e universal T hey came .

from far an d near the representatives O f this

,

little s e a girt world T hey cam e to consider the

-
.

danger i n the valleys — the pestilence and the

tumult . They came from the leading fami lies ,

from the leading professions T here were soldiers .

,

lawyers priests physicians landed proprietors

, , , .

As I s a t beside my father a spectator of the ,

scene I asked myself if there was any interest

,

unrepresented Yes there was o n e There was

.
, .

an extraordin ary om ission T hey had com e to .

1 8 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

legislate for the valleys ; but from these valleys

themselves there was n o representative No .

trumpet had sounded éel o w Not a voice had .

been sum moned from the contaminated district .

T here was every testimony but direct testimony ;

all m anner o f v ociferation round the wounded
’
comrade but n o contact with the comrade s
,

wounds Looking o n that great assembly I felt

.
,

then I feel now that there was a link wanting to

, ,

the brotherhood o f m an .

I n the centre o f the building o n a golden throne , ,

sat the president o f the counci l — C ae sar o f Palatine

H ill I kne w him p ersonally ; I had met him
.

i n the sphere O f social pleas u re But apart from .

,

that I think I s hould have known hi m by i n

,

ference C omm and was stamped o n every linea

.

ment ; his eagle aspect would have revealed him

always and anywhere H is keen eye h i s firm
.
,

mouth his haughty bearing his i mperative gesture

, , ,

wo u ld have marked hi m o u t in a crowd S itting .

im mediately below him was o ne whom I had

also reason to know—his brother H elle n i c u s .

M any men and most women would have said

, ,

that his face was more beautiful Looking at .

the two I formed the opposite opinion I n the

, .

relation in w hich I stood to him it seemed ,

disloyal to say so e v en to m y self I c ou l d .

20 TH E L A D Y E CC LE S I A

a strange fascination I fixed my gaze o n the

occu p ants o f the seat which was highest and r e
m o te s t I never s a w such a peculiar assemblage
.

as o n this topmost bough T hey were all old .

extremely old T hey looked li ke an anachronism

. .

I t was as i f i n walking through the fields o f this

,

spring o n e had seen a leaf of last autumn S ear

,
.

and yellow the leaves indeed were ; and yet i t

seemed to me that i n thei r r u in they were more
m ajestic than anything which I had seen i n its
strength I was disposed to realise the saying
.

which an o ld nurse had taught me concern ing the

”
ancient time ! T here w ere giants i n those days .

” “
“
Father I said who are these men at the
, ,

”
farthest distance and the highest height ?
“ ”
These he answered form the section c alled
, ,
“

’
The C hamber o f the Past T hey are a band o f .

physicians T hey have been sum moned I sup

.
,

pose because o n account o f thei r earlier day they

,

m ay be pres u med to know more o f the origin o f

”
this pestilen c e But h u sh ! the president is rising
. .

”
“
Men o f the island said the Lord o f Palatine ,

“
H ill , I have called you together because the
fulness o f the time has come T he fulness o f .

the time is the fulness o f o u r need A plague .

,

which has been the curse o f o u r v alleys and ,

whose m a nifest a t io n s hav e been from time to time

 TH E C O N C LAV E O F THE I S LA N D 21

s upp ressed has broken o u t agai n with redoubled

,

v iolence H ad it been S i m p ly a q u estion o f human

.

suffering we might have left i t to the priests and

,

the doctors But it is a su ffering which has taken

.

a pec u li ar form E ach m an believes hi s brother

.
,

and not himself to b e the a fflicted party and

, ,

each wants to expel h i s brother I t is therefore .

an en mity o f m an against m an S uc h a thing .

cannot exist in this island o f w hich fate has ,

m ade me o v erseer For the valleys indeed I

.
, ,

care nothing Let the afflicted parties exterminate

.

o ne another T he sooner the better

. I desi re .

that in this island non e Should survive but the

strong I would have every elem ent eli minated
.

which cannot be put to outward use ; I would

have nothing preserved which is incapable o f
active service B ut the question becomes very
.

different when there i s danger o f the valleys

i nfecting the uplands My whole policy i n the .

rule o f this island has been b as ed o n concentra

tion. I have so u ght to bring m an and m an
together by the force o f a com mon interest I .

have studied to unite the conflicting sides o f

hum an n ature by throwing O pen to all capable
men a com mon p ath o f ambition I f the c o n .

ta g i o n O f this pestilence should reach the uplands ,

my work is u ndon e ; the enm ity o f m an with

22 TH E LA D Y E CC LE SI A

m an would in the higher circles spoi l all I was .

not c alled upon by the laws o f this island to ask

yo u r advice o n this m atter I hav e an i nterest .

and I have a duty which I can dep u te to no other .

T here i s no dubiety i n my o w n mind as to the

course which I ought which I am bo u nd to take
,

nor Shall I shri nk from the responsibility which

fate has imposed o n me Yet it seemed good
.

to me before taking any action o n this grave

,

and solemn case to ascertain with perfect accuracy

,

the n ature o f this social m alady I would hear .

first o f all from those who have been nearest to

it and speci ally from those who have been nearest
,

to its beginning I seek my inform ation m ainly

.

from the C hamber of the Past I appeal to those .

e m i n e n t p h y s i c i a n s in the remotest part o f this

.

building whose life has touched the boundary

,

line o f a more primiti v e generation and whose ,

experience i s more in contact with the earlie r

developments of disease H ave they any light to.

”
shed u pon the n ature o f this great catastrophe ?
T hen thro u gh the hall there ran a buzz o f
expectation Presently like a mist fi g u r e o n a
.
,
-

mountain there rose o n the topmost round the

,

form o f a little O ld m an bearing all the decrepitude

,

o f age,
but with an eye which sent forth inter
mittent flashes o f an earlier day He never looked .
 THE C O N C LAV E O F T H E I S LA N D 23

at the president H e addressed his words direct

.

to the assembly ; b u t his v oice for a time was

q u ite inaudible .

”
Who is that father ? I said, .

“
That is the great physician Amos H e has .

long retired from practice but he still rem ains ,

o n e o f o u r foremost authorities H e is a self m ade .

-

m an and he is not ashamed o f it As a boy he

, .

was o ne o f the retainers on o u r estate in the tim e

o f my grandfather B ut listen ; his voice begins
.

”
to catch the building .

And i ndeed it was so I n short jerky sentences

, , .
, ,

’
like the scintillations o f his own eye the o ld m an s ,

words flashed forth I com e as the spokesman

.
“

for the valleys I am proud to be thei r spokesm an

. .

None has a better right to speak for them I am .

myself a child o f the v alleys I am come o f n o .

high degree ; I began life as a herd boy Yo u -

.

will hear to d ay m any voices from the outside ;

-

mine is from within Listen then to my testi

.
, ,

m ony . Y o u have been told that a plague has

risen in the valleys T here has risen nothing
.

anywhere T he plague is n o t in the valleys but

.
,

in m an and it has been in m an Since ever he had

,

’
a history D on t flatter yourselves that the uplands
.

are clean I tell y o u that the pestilence is all

.

round I t i s in the house o f pleasure

. I t is i n .
24 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

the scene o f com merce I t is in the home o f .

kings I t is i n the haunts o f fashion I t i s i n the

. .

camp o f war I m ay say o f it what o n e o f o u r

.

poets has said o f God Whither c a n I flee from ,

‘

’
T hy presence ? Think you that the valleys are
more tainted than other parts ? I tell y o u they
are less s o and less s o j ust by reason o f their
,

unrest I t is the rem aining health i n them which

.

m akes them sensitive to what i s a universal

calamity If they are more punished it is because
.
,

they are more favoured Why should they feel .

specially what every m an endures ? S im ply b e

cause i t is more foreign to their n ature D O the .

dead feel pai n ? D O the blind know darkness ?

I s not the sense o f darkness a proof o f day ? Why
despise ye the valleys ye who dwell i n the upper ,

grounds ? Behold i n them the m i rror o f your

selves T heir pestilence is your pestilence ; their
.

taint you r taint E very m an here is an undetected

.

leper. E very woman here is an u ndiscovered

Victim Y o u are walking in the night ; but the
.

day alone will declare it T he men o f the valley .

are in advance o f you ; they at least have recog

”
n i s e d their Shame .

With these startli ng w ords the o l d man s a t

down . S trong disapprobation w a s expressed o n
the faces o f the audience and some hisses arose ,
!
 TH E C O NC LA V E O F TH E I S LA N D 25

” “
“
S ilence,
cried the president ; there must be
no Sign o f either approval o r disapproval This .

m edical gentlem an has informed us that we hav e

all the plague latently We shall not dispute the
.

point We are here to administer law an d law

.
,

has nothing to do with latency Law can only .

take cognisance o f what c a n be seen heard o r felt , , .

T here i s a pestilence i n these valleys w hich has

made itself Vi sible audible I t has taken the form
,
.

o f the enmity o f m an w ith m an that is the danger ,

and that is the problem It is no answer to this

.

problem to tell m e that others m ay b e as bad

to morrow who are harm less to day ; to morrow
- - -

we shall deal with them T o day I ask i f any

.
-

physici an am ong y o u c a n put his hand upon a

cure o f the distem per as it exists now and here .

”
I appeal agai n to the C hamber O f the Past .

Four O ld men started up simultaneously and ,

began to sp eak together .

”
Who are these ? I said .

My father proceeded to describe them “

T he .

man at the west corner is the famous Plato .

H e too is long retired from practice ; but at o n e

time he was principal o f the C ollege o f S urgeons .

T he m an a little to the east o f y o u is ! oroaster

the proprietor o f that strange building called T he
’
Tower o f S ilence T he o n e farther east still is the
.
26 TH E LA D Y E C C L E SI A

founder of our largest m edical school —Gautam a

Buddha ; while the s hrewd looking man at the -

opposite angle from Plato is C onfucius whose ,

success as a physician has raised the fortunes o f

”
o n e o f o u r wealthiest fam ilies o f tea planters -
.

The o ld men as I have said began to speak

, ,

Simultaneously The president interposed

. I .
“

give the preference to Plato because he has been

the physician to my brother H e lle n i c u s E ach .

shall have his t u rn But I desire abo v e all things

.

that the judgment o f each shall be an i ndependent

judgment neither biassed by the friendship nor
,

dictated by the enmity o f his brother There is .

an agreement which comes from com mon interest ,

and there is a disagreement which flows from

mutual jealousy I want neither I wish each
. .

man to speak i n ignorance o f the sentiments which

hav e preceded him T herefore while Plato gives
.
,

his v oice let his brother physicians retire

,
- Let .

them be kept i n separate rooms awaiting thei r ,

separate sum mons Let there be no collusion no

.
,

comparing o f notes S o shall the verdict i n any

.
,

case be satisfactory
, I f they be agreed their
.
,

unity shall be hailed as the v oice O f nature ; if they

be at variance their disunion Shall be accepted as
,

a proof that the v oice o f nature is i mpotent to

”
solve the problem .
28 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

adequate amoun t O f s e a b athing Yo u m ay ask

-
.

me why then the plague has taken hold o f those

, ,

who are n ea r es t to the s e a J ust because they a r e

.

—
near too n ear to s e e its wonders T he men o f .

the valleys are in the presence O f a great mystery ;

but its very presen ce m akes them blind to it You .

who are farther o ff from the wonder will better

understand me T he men O f the valleys have had
.

their eyes rooted o n the land They have found .

there what they can s ee and taste and handle

what satisfies the needs o f the hour and costs ,

them no trouble i n the gathering Yet it is not .

what we can s ee o r taste or handle that gives us

health ; it is what eludes the eye and the hand .

T here is a mystic element aro u nd y o u S ail has .

never rounded it plum met has never sounded it

m an has never seen what is beyon d it But its .

mystery is its power ; its wonder i s its stimulus ;

it refreshes by being inexplicable I f there were .

more s e a bathing there would be less headache

-
, ,

less heartache B athe I s a y in th e sea S eek

.
, ,
.

more the bosom o f the waters C ultivate the .

element which is foreign to y o u which escapes ,

you and yet surrounds you S urrender yourselves

,
.

to the thought o f the boun dless the fathomless ,

.

Lave your weary limbs in that m ighty deep whose

C ircumference i s every w here w hose limit no w here
,
 TH E DECI SI ON OF TH E C O N C L AV E 2
9

and the weary limbs shall wax strong an d the ,

heart shall grow calm and the head Shall become

,

clear and in all the bounds o f the island plague

, , ,

”
and pestilence shall for ever flee away .

With these words Plato resum ed his seat and ,

the president next called on C onfucius to offer his

s u ggestion H e gave hi m the second place o n the
.

principle o f im partiality H e had selected a voice

.

from the extreme west wing o f the building ; it

seemed good to hear o n e n o w from the extreme
east C on fucius came forward from a side room in
.

utter ignorance o f what his predecessor had said .

H e too entered into a description o f the hum an

frame He too insisted on the necessity o f regi men
.

an d order H e too m aintained the paramount

.

i mportance o f subordinating the lower functions

to the higher B ut when he came to state what
.

w a s the higher and what the lower he quite startled ,

the a u dience by way o f contrast .

”
“
Gentlemen he said there is an element i n
, ,
“

the life o f this island which has received too

much attention to the disparagement o f others ; it
is the s ea T here has been an overplus o f s e a
.

bathing among you Y o u have been attempting

.

to stimulate the min d by a C ontact with the bound

less T here C a n be no contact with the boundless
. .

I f y o u would stimulate either m ind o r body you ,

30 THE LA D Y E CC LE S I A

must st u dy not the water but the lan d

, Yo u , .

must fi x your eyes upon that which can be seen ,

felt measured Yo u must avoid what is abo v e the

, .

senses what carries yo u beyond your depth Y o u

, .

m u st con fine yourselves to the things o f the day ,

the objects o f the hour T here m ay be things .

beyond the d ay beyond e very day ; that passes ,

my knowledge Becau se it passes my knowledge .

,

I r e fu s e to think abo u t it I turn to what I c a n .

comprehend I consider the markets I calc u late

. .

what I can bu y o r sell I s o w see d s I p lant . .

trees I bu ild houses I take my p l ace in so c iety

. . .

I do spec u late at times but it is n ot about land o n ,

the other side o f the sea ; it is abo u t this land

wherein we dwell—its crops its harvests its trade , , ,

its pros p ects o f wind and weather I t is to these .

homely pursuits that I would p oint m y } b r e th r e n _

.

I n them I s e e the secret o f long life Live for the .

p resent and y o u shall hav e a lengthened future ;

,

enjoy to day and yo u Shall possess to morrow ;

-
,
-

n o plague shall come nigh your dwelling if ,

yo u r whole aim shall be to keep yo u r dwelling

”
clean .

As C onfucius concl u ded a murm u r o f applau se

ran through the assembly which however was , , ,

instantly su pp ressed R emote as was his genera .

tion there wa s so m e t hin g i n hi s s peec h w hich

,
 TH E D ECI SI ON O F TH E C O N C L AVE 3 1

exhaled the very atmosphere o f Palatine H ill an d ,

m ade o n e feel that he belonged to modern days .

! oroaster was the next called Knowing nothing of .

previous utterances he de v oted himself to a re v ie w

,

o f contemporary opinion H e said that there were

.

som e who believed in the salutary influence o f

water and others who were m ore favo u rable to an
,

inlan d life F o r his part he d id not belie v e in the

.

benefit o f either land o r water H e criticised at .

length the properties o f both an d he thus wo u nd ,

up Neither o n your sea n o r o n your shore do I

find the secret o f health T O m e the speci fic for
.

health is s u nshine We are saved by fire Not

. .

from the soil n o t from the wave does o u r safety

,

com e ; it is from the light I n the warm glow o f.

the d ay o u r flagging strength is renewed I n the .

divine flame O f heaven o u r weary frame i s recon

structed and m ade strong Ye who are land .

locked s ea locked come u p into the light C ome

,
-
,
.

and bathe i n the beams o f the m orning C ome .

and bask in the brightness o f the noon C ome and .

rejoice i n the warmth o f the midday C ome and be .

kindled at the glory o f the setting Get o u t i nto .

the free space s where the d ay i s n o t cabined nor

confined GO forth into the O pen where the s u n
.

i s still u ntram m elled C limb u p i nto the high

.

pla c es w here t he glow s t rikes fi rst an d fu llest ;

32 T HE LADY E CC LE S I A

and in these towers of silence the elements o f

”
corruption shall be borne away .

T hen came Buddha the last O f the volunteers ,

.

H e said there were four constitu ent parts o f

physical nature — the land the water the light and , , ,

the air . H e proceeded to examine them o n e by

o n e and he summed up in these words the result o f
,

his analysis There is only one possible remedy

“

for the ills of m an and it is the only o n e which

,

has never received recognition in the past T he .

soil is not salutary the water is not salutary ; the

luminous fire is not salutary But there remains a .

neglected element o f which something might be

m ade ; it is the air At present the air is as bad
.

as the others but that is by reason O f the winds .

I f we could lay the winds i f we could m ake the air ,

stormless voiceless i f we could establish in the

, ,

atmosphere a great calm man would be calm too , .

H e would cease to desire D esire is the root o f .

all pain o f all unrest of all disease S how me an

, ,
.

atmosphere without storm and I shall m ake the ,

man to mirror it I have constructed s u ch an

.

atmosphere It is as yet only in my mind ; but

.

the plan is half the battle I have already given it .

a name I have called it the Nirvana — the place

.

where the winds never blo w C ome and inspect .

my plan ye tossers ye toilers C ome and behold

, , .
 T H E D E C I SI O N OF TH E C O NC LAVE 33

in Vision what one day you shall s ee in fact C ome .

”
unto m e and I will give you rest
, .

When Buddha had finished the president rose , .

”
Men O f the island he said you have now
, ,
“

listened to the representatives from the C hamber of

the Past You have heard four O f the oldest and
.

most revered physicians o f that chamber And .

you have marked how sublimely and how elo

quently they have di ffered from o n e another .

E ach has selected as his pan ace a a separate element

of nature O n e has taken the land another the
.
,

water a third the ai r and a fourth the fire I need

, , .

'

not s a y that i n s uch divided counsels I as ruler o f

, , ,

this island can have no confidence When these

, .

gentlemen are agreed among themselves it will be ,

time enough to consider their specific I have .

now to a sk if there is any m an o f the audi ence who

”
has a suggestion to offer different from these .

A buzz o f voices followed but for a long time ,

there was no response At last a form stood up .

whose every lineament w a s familiar to me I t was .

’
C aiaphas my father s head chaplain popularly
, ,

known as the high priest H e addressed hi mself .

direct to the president as if it were a private trans

,

action between m an and m an Lord o f Palatine .

H ill he sai d I have no hum an remedy to propose

,
”
,
.

Y o u have truly obser v ed that the world by wisdom

34 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

has failed to know Y o u have rightly pointed o u t

.

how utterly contradictory have been the efforts to

solve the problem made by the C hamber o f the
Past But my Lord o f Palatine I am the spiritual
.
, ,

servant o f a house which has always professed to

have a m ore Sure word o f prophecy Y o u have .

abandoned the clai ms o f fire air earth and water , , , .

B ut there i s a fifth power ; we call it Go d What .

H e is in H imself I know not any more than I ,

know what in themsel v es land water air and fire , , ,

are B ut I do know that we c a n no more live

.

without H i m than the bi rd can live without the air

o r the fi s h without the s e a I say then Lord o f
.
, ,

Palatine let u s not neglect this element o f life I t

, .

is expedient that a Victi m die for the people Let .

us offer that victi m Let us present to the God of

.

heaven a great sacri fice a gift o f the costliest we c a n

,

find Let us raise a mighty altar and lay o n it the

.
,

choicest o f o u r fold and let the smoke ascend on high

,

”
as ou r intercession for the dwellers i n the valley .

T he president asked ! Where do you propose to

“

offer the sacri fice ? Will you come into contact

”
with the plague stricken ? I f s o I shall forbid it
-
,
.

”
N O my Lord of Palatine answered the chap
, ,

lain C aiaphas “
I propose to present the oblation
o n the top o f one o f the hills not only beyond the ,

”
sight b u t beyond the reach O f the valleys
, , .
 LA D Y E CC L E S I A
'

36 TH E

”
of your m ission But I got no further ; for
.

i mmediately there arose such a storm o f voices

that my o w n voice w a s annihilated T here was .

murmuring j eering hooting Shouting yelling and

, , , , ,

for a few minutes I felt like a small boat tossed by

the great ocean .

T hen rose the president and the loud waves ,

grew still H e said

. We cannot hear the Lady I “

E cclesia. Much as we respect her family and ,

greatly as w e admire her s e x we are constrained ,

to deny her this boon We cannot concede to .

woman the prerogative O f a voice in this assembly .

H er sphere is at home Let her kindle the fires .

o f the household and leave us to put o u t the fires

,

o f the com munity happy is s h e to have a task S O

light And n o w m en o f the island it is plain t hat
.
, ,

your counsel is ex hausted I f you had been able .

to suggest any remedy for this Vile distemper it ,

would have had my best attention ; but you have

—
none none o n which you are harmonious I n the .

absence o f remedy there rem ains only restraint .

I cannot cure the pestilence but I c a n prevent it ,

from spreading I n the right o f my lordship over

.

this island I do prevent i t I make a law for the

,
.

preservation O f the public good I enact that .

there be no communication with the valleys o n

pain o f death I com m and that all the gates be
.
 TH E D E CI SI O N OF THE C O N C LAV E 37

Shut that all the approaches be closed which lead

, ,

from you to them and from them to you I ordain .

that between you and the valleys there be a great

gulf fixed s o that there be no passage from the
,

o n e to the other Whoever shall attempt such a

.

passage whoever shall open the gates or clear the

,

approaches will do so with the forfeiture o f life

, .

I utter it in n o spirit of cruelty o r arbitrary des

p o t i s.m I bi nd myself by my own law S hould I .

transgress that law should I break these boundaries

, ,

let n o power i ntervene to save me S hould my .

brother H e lle n i c u s transgress that la w I would be ,

no respecter o f persons ; he w ould suffer like the

m eanest in the island Let n o man s a y that I
.

exercise with tyran ny the power that fate has

gi v en m e I am a subject not a sovereign I am
.
,
.

master only till the com mand is uttered ; the

m oment it is uttered I am like you its servant , , ,

its slave bound by its O bservance answerable for

, ,

its infringement S uch is the spirit in which I

.

make this law I f it is drastic it is not drastic

.
,

against a class ; y o u and I shall stand equal before

the bar O f an even handed j ustice D oes this
-
.

meet your approval ? have I the support and the

”
cou ntenance o f this assembly ? And through
”
th e delude d a ud ie n ce t here r a n a great Amen .
 C H A PT E R V

TH E I N TE R VI E W

”
HEN yo u refuse to help me ? I spoke to
H e lle n i c u s
. I had summoned him to an
’
interview i n my father s house and he had come
,

the day after the great meeting .

”
“
R efuse to help you ! he said ; is it not to
“

help y o u that I am here ? H ave I not offered to

lift y o u for ever above the sight o f these valleys ?
H ave I not asked you nay i mplored you to
, , ,

Spread your wings and be free ? H ave I not laid

at your feet the fulfilment of all possible ambitions ?
I have offered you wealth luxury rest freedom
, , ,

from care scenes an d sounds o f beauty days o f

, ,

pleasantness and paths o f peace Is there any

, .

”
greater help to life than these ?
“
To some lives there is not b u t to me there i s
”
a jewel missing from your casket .

“
Name it and were it from the other side o f
,

”
the sea it shall be added to your store .

38
 TH E I N T E RV I E W 39

“
It is the lo v e O f W hat I love I do not believe
.

that a mutual affection is a su fficient reason for

marriage I think a love Should be common as
.

well as mutual ; o r rather it should be common

,

first and mutual afterwards I f you and I had

.

begun by lov ing a tree there would ha v e been the

,

basis for a starting point and the agreement i n

-
,

taste might have ripened into a personal attach

ment I see y o u are smiling at such sentiments o n
.

the lips o f a girl T hey are not mine ; I hav e

.

been born in them bred in them I have received

, .

them from a long line o f ancestors T hese all died .

i n the faith that m arriage Should be regulated not ,

by the mutual admiration o f two yo u ng persons for

each other but by the admiration o f both for
,

something o u tside of themselves I received this .

”
as a faith it has now become a conviction .

“
B e it so I accept the terms Let us agree that .

there must be something com mon before there is

something mutual I s there not already such ?
.

Take the tree of which y o u Speak D o not I love .

it with all my heart and soul in all its root and

”
leav es and branches ?
“
But I do not ; that is j ust the difference I .

have ne v er reached that amount o f admiration

for n ature which is entitled to the n ame o f love .

I ndeed I doubt if I c ould admi re the tree a t all

,
40 TH E LA D Y . E CC L E S I A

u nless I believed that somewhere somehow by , ,

som e o n e it was planted I revere above all things .

”
the principle o f life .

“
S O do I that i s the reason that I revere the
tree To m e it is living breathing inhabited by
.
, ,

a conscious spirit T here is nothing to which I

.

am attracted s o much as beauty ; but that is

because I believe beauty to be the highest mani
”
fe s ta ti o n o f life .

My father would agree with you ; but I am

bound to confess that I do not T his is one o f the .

things i n which my faith has yielded to my c o n

v i c ti o n . I like you was brought u p to believe
, ,

that the highest manifestation o f life was physical

beauty and that any defect o r deformity was a
,

devi ation from the divine favour But I have .

lived to change my m ind To m e the noblest .

type o f a hum an soul is a life encumbered with

”
these very i n fi r m i ti es yet refusing to give i n, .

“
Well if the infirmity does not prevent them
,

”
from working they deserve great credit
, .

But I am supposing that it does prevent them

from working that it m akes them helpless hand
, ,

less from an outward point O f Vie w useless I s a y

, , .

that there is a glory in l a de n n ess as well as i n

labour I f these people are able to bear without
.

cry ing they are i n the highest sense heroic l

, .
 TH E I N T E RV I E W 41

think there are men who are not called to act but ,

si mply to be and to su ffer ; if they can do the two

things they are wondrously strong And this brings
,
.

me back to the O ld subject Y o u know that o u r

.

house has always had a special interest in the

valleys . They w ere originally included in the
boundaries o f this estate and although the right
, ,

o f way has
-
long becom e com mon I have never ,

heard that the grant has been repealed But it is .

not o n this ground that I appeal to you I t is n o t .

because the valleys are m ine that I ask your

i ntercession with you r brother ; it is becaus e they
are his H e claims the lordship over this island
.
,

and i n point O f fact he has it I never envied hi m

.

the possession s o much as n o w I think I would.

give all my remaining life to be mistress o f the

island for this single year I would call it the
.
“

”
acceptable year o f the Lord it would be my day
for salvation You r brother o f Palati ne has at
.

this moment in his hands the fate of the most

destitute and forlorn among the C hi ldren of sorrow .

Will he b e true to his trust ? does he know the

nature o f his trust ? H e is a great m an ; in his
deepest soul I believe he i s a noble m an H e has .

bowed his head to the m aj esty o f justice ; will he

bow to pity too ? T he spi rits of just men are not
”
m ade p erfect till the y reach generosity .
42 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

You heard his speech yesterday ! did it leave

“

you i n any doubt as to his mi nd ? Y o u heard with

W hat iron determination he consigned to death

whoever should have contact with the valleys ,

himself included D O you think he is a man likely

.

”
to depart from his o w n law ?
I think yo u have mistaken the spirit of his own
law I t is not contact with the valleys as such
.

that he condemns it is contact with the valleys as

long as they are in a state of plagu e which involves
enmity to m ankind and therefore treason against
,

the laws o f this island D O not i m agine that if

.
,

the valleys were pronounced free from this pesti

lence your brother would not at once repeal his
,

law N O W , I ask how can any o n e know w h en

.
,

the valleys Shall be free from pestilence ? What

is to be the Sign O f their cure ? C an there be any
Sign but the verdict o f a physici an ? S urely the
Lord O f Palatine never meant to enact that the
b anishment o f man from man was to be perpetu al .

S urely he intended it to be only as long as the

’
patients m alady And how shall the length o f
.

that m alady be tested if no medical skill is to be

admitted into the valleys ? I t is for this and this ,

alone that I plead I do not ask that you o r your

, .

brother should touch these affl icted forms But I .

do entreat by all the laws o f the heart that they

44 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

the symbol o f the di v ine is and has always been , ,

the faultlessly fair T herefore it is that I come

.

to y ou As the bee fli es to its flower as the lark

.
,

mounts to its morning even so com e I to you , .

E cclesi a— let me call you s o — why will y o u waste

time over these shadows ? Yours is a dream .

M ine is perhaps also a dream ; but it is a joyous

one C om e i nto my dream E cclesia ; come and
.
,

forget the mist and the rain C om e to the singing .

o f birds and the laughing o f brooks and the

blooming o f roses C ome to the nightless days.

and the endless summers and the careless hours .

I shall deck for you a home in the uplands and ,

I shall call i ts nam e E lysium and o n its doorpost ,

shall be written the words T here shall be no ,

‘

) i)
want here .

—
And shall the people be there the people o f
“

the valleys ? S hall they too have no want ? S hall

they too have the bird and the bee ? S hall they
too have the streams and the roses I f s o I shall ,

”
come .

Nay but the bird would cease its song and the
, ,

flower would lose its perfume and the bee would ,

hu m no more Nature cannot dwell i n the presence

.

o f deformity I nto o u r E lysium there shall enter

.

nothing that i s u nbeautiful not even a memory o f ,

such things U p on the hill y onder we shall forget

.
 TH E I N T E RV I E W 45

all about the valleys their existence thei r very -

,

n ame They shall fade from o u r remembrance

.

like a phantom o f the night and there shall be ,

only day— day for evermore C ome my E cclesia .

,

”
come and forget .

“
Nay it cannot be ; you love not what I love
, .

T here is a barrier between us which no bond c a n

”
join . Yet believe me I conti nued taking his , ,

hand in mine I am not ungrateful to you I feel

,
“
.

that I have gained something from you — bright

n ess Before I knew you my life was too grave
.
, ,

too sombre Y o u have taught me that there i s a

.

loveliness in lustre and a beatitude i n outward

beauty And although I c annot give up my
cause I feel that you have strengthened me for
,

my cause by importing brightness into it I feel .

that sorrow cannot be cured by sadness but that ,

they who serve by night must themselves have

seen the day T herefore I thank you even while
.

I bid you fare w ell We may not meet often i n th e

.

days to come for o u r ways lie apart and there are

, ,

no divergences like the divergences o f mind ; but

m ay the God o f my fathers bless you and in every , ,

hour o f your sorrow m ay you r valley be i llu m i

,

n a te d by the s u n i n hea v en
 C H A PT E R V I

A VI S I ON OF TH E N I GH T

H A D told H e lle n i cu s that I had gained by

his acquaintance a brightness which my
n ature lacked Yet the night which followed
.

the day O f o u r last intervi e w was perhaps the

saddest I had known I t was not the parting with
.

H e lle n i c u s I had told hi m that to m e a mutual

.

a ffection was i nseparable from a common sy m

p athy and it was true I had n o sense of a
, .

lost love ; but I had the very poignant sense o f

a lost hope I felt that an anchor had been
.

lifted to which my ship was moored and that ,

I was once more at sea The weight o f the

.

valleys pressed upon m e as I lay down o n my

nightly pillow and my heart was heavy with
,

thei r load Far into the night I remained awake

.
,

listening in the silence to the sighs that seemed

to ascend . Gradually the i mpressions became
more indistinct T he voices of H e l le n i c u s and
.

46
 A VI S I O N OF T H E N I GH T 47

h is brother began to blend with the plaint

o f the v alleys I found myself wondering why
.

the two men had not been rolled into o ne I .

found myself asking l f Cm s a r had the gaiety o f

,

H e l le n i c u s and H e ll e n i c u s the power o f C aesar

, ,

would it m ake a perfect m an ? I found m yself

answeri ng that it would not that something must ,

be added to both I fo u nd myself inquiring what

.

that something could b e ; and then

Was it morning already ? The light was stream
ing in at the windows I thought how grand the .

sea must look in that light ; I must get up and

gaze on the s e a I rose m ade my toilette and ran
.
, ,

i nto a room whose casement fronted the ocean ,

expecting to behold the usual sight o f water

everywhere S uddenly I stood aghast ; there was
.

land in the midst of the ocean T he space that .

yesterday was a blan k had been filled up in the

night C learly vividly in the morni ng s u n there
.
, , ,

broke upon my sight the Visi on o f this intermedi ate

shore between the waters and the waters And .

hark ! was that only the murmur of the waves ?

No there were voices from the O pposite bank ;
and as the ear has more longing than the eye ,

I strained to listen Nearer and nearer came

.

the v oices until at last they swelled into a chorus

, ,

an d by and by the very words became audible

- - .
48 T H E L A D Y E CC L E S I A

Glory to God i n the highest peace and goodwill ,

”
to men rolled through the liqui d air ; and ever
,

and anon the refrai n seemed to be caught u p by

increasing voices till the whole atmosphere became
,

vocal with benignant song .

A n d as I looked o u t upon the s ea a new wonder

met me .B etween my eye and the land there
was seen the form O f something which had
emerged from the shore What was it ? Was.

it a raft o r a boat or a sail ? S uch things had

, ,

been O ften seen before but not coming from a,

n e w world I ts course was evidently not aimless

. .

I t was crossing from shore to shore I t was .

m aking for a definite point I t seemed to be .

’
coming right in the line O f my father s house .

Nearer and nearer it came ; clearer and clearer

it gre w . At last a revelation broke o n me ; the
form was hu m an A m an was walking on the
.

sea . H e came with fearless step with rapid step ,

.

H is feet seem ed to leave a track o f radiance

behind them such as o n e sees i n the chain o f
moonlight o n the waters I w a s half fearful and .

wholly fascinated I dreaded to look but could

.
,

not withdraw my gaze T he vast ocean was to

.

me concentrated into a single point— the co u rse

o f that m arvellous figure .

S uddenly a m ist fell and the W hole scene was

,
 A VI SI O N OF T H E N I GHT 49

covered The s e a was blotted o u t and the O ppo

.
,

site land and the form o n the waters and the

, ,

radiance that follo wed him I burst into tears

.

because o f the C loud that had robbed me of the

beautiful Vision and I covered my eyes with
,

my hands that in fancy I might see it still A nd .

after I had waited thus a long ti me I began to ,

experience a strange sensation I felt that I was .

not alone in the room T here was a presence

.

beside m e livi ng breathing moving

, ,
I heard
, .

the beati ng o f my heart for fear T hen Slowly .

I withdre w my trembli ng hands from my eyes ,

and I s a w
H ow Shall I describe W hat I s a w ? We can
only describe that to which we have an analogy .

But this had no analogy to anything I had ever

known T here stood before m e an i mage o f
superhu man beauty T he form was that o f a
.

m an — I had almost said that o f a careworn m an

it looked as if it were carrying a burden But .

the face—how shall I speak O f it ? Never in this

island never in my waking ne v er in my sleeping
, , ,

had I seen anything like it I t was perfectly .

,

ravishingly blindingly beautiful

, I think the .

beauty ca m e all from within I t seemed to m e .

that the glory of the outer Vision had been ex

ti n g u i s h ed just to Sho w that it was not indebted
5 9 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

to anything outside I f I had been asked to

define its type I would have been puzzled T he
, .

moment you caught an expression it seemed to ,

turn into something else O ne glance suggested .

my father ; another recalled H e lle n i c u s ; a thi rd

brought to my mind the Lord o f Palatine I t .

was a cou ntenan ce which had in it a blending

O f sunlight and moonlight o f power and gentle ,

ness of all the things which are supposed to be

,

contrary And as I gazed I lost my self posses

.
, ,
-

sion My soul seemed to melt within me ; I fell

.

at his feet with a great cry o f rapturous pain .

I n a moment he had taken me by the hand

and lifted m e up T hen he spoke an d a thrill .
,

went through me Fancy a blending o f all the .

congruous and harmonious instruments i n the

world O f sound each taking the appropri ate part
,

of the sweetest sym phony T he words were .

human words island words ; but the accent was

,

quite foreign unlike what I had ever heard

,

before The strangest thing o f all howe v er was

.
, ,

that he addressed m e by my o w n n ame .

“
E cclesia he said I have heard the c r y o f
,
”
,
“

the valleys and have come o v er the sea to help

,

them I have come to form a band o f mi nistering

.

”
spirits ! will you be o n e o f these ? And I
”
a ns we red Yes Will you go down t o the
,
“
.
“
5 2 THE LA D Y E CC LE S I A

prayer When I presented myself for the morning

.

orison and when the retainers o f the i m mediate

,

domici le were gathered i n the large hall I was ,

painfully im pressed with a strange experience .

I felt that from every side I was bei ng looked

at . I n strangers I might not have wondered ;
I would have deemed it simply i mpertinence .

But why should those look at me who knew every

feature of my face who s a w me daily to whom I
, ,

was as familiar as the light o r the air ? After the

service I was confirmed in my impression My .

father came up to m e and said ! E cclesi a what “

,

i s the m atter with you ? Y o u are looking divine

this morning H av e y o u been using a cosmetic ?
.

I tho u ght you despised such things I never .

s a w you look s o well —ne v er

”
.

I was curious to see what I w a s like

,
I re .

membered the mirror which had been the first

revealer of m e to myself Perhaps it would now
.

be a second re v ealer ; I wo u ld go and try S O .

I went into the room o f my earliest revelation ,

and drew near the messenger which had told

m e the first secret about mysel f I t had made .

m e start before ; it m ade m e start more now .

Whose face did I see ? I t was mine and yet ,

it was not .
—
T he o l d feat u res were there the
O l d win d ows o f t he ho u se ; b u t there seemed to
 A V I SI O N OF T HE NI G H T 53

be a new ten ant within I t was as if my soul

.

had gone o u t in the night an d another soul had

,

entered in its room What was that face I s a w

.

blended with my o w n ? I had seen it before

where ? O n e mom ent an d the truth had broken
,

o n me it was the face o f the m an o f my dream

the m an who had come across the s ea And
.

the more I gazed the m ore the likeness grew

, .

E very instant I was i ncreasingly ri v eted and , ,

ever as I looked the ele ments o f the old c o u n te

,

nance became absorbed i n the light behin d it .

The face o f the dream was vanquishing the face

of the waking cl ay and I beheld myself with
,

speechless wonder transformed i nto the same

i m age from glory to glory .
 C H A PT E R VII

TH E S TRUG GLE 0F RE A S ON A N D F A I TH

I LL you go down to the valleys to night -

The refrain sounded in my ears all

through the d ay Was it a C om mand ? Yes ; a
.

command i n a dream What had I to do with

.

that ? True it had been a powerful dream ; it

had affected my very countenance ! yet all this
could be done from within And were not the .

waking facts against it contrary to it ? H ad not

,

the Lord o f Palatin e sh u t the gates ? Where could

I find admission to the valleys ? Again there
cam e the refrain o f these other words ! I hav e the
keys o f de ath and o f the grave and I have s e t ,

”
before y o u an open door But was not this also
.

a bit o f the dream and therefore a bit o f the

,

delusion ? I knew the gates had been shut with

that measure o f C ertainty with which I knew the
Lord o f Palatine I f a voice should tell m e that
.

o n e o f them had been left open ought n o t that to

,

54
THE ST R UGG LE O F RE A S O N A N D FA IT H 5 5

be a waking v oice ? C ould a sound in the i nner

ear equ al the thunderin g accents o f the Lord o f
Palatine ? S urely I was getting weak ; surely I
’
was verifying the president s j udgment when he
denied my s e x a right to speak in the assembly .

Let me forget this sentimentalism ; let me turn

my thoughts to living things .

”
“
Will y o u go down to the valleys to night ? -

still the words kept sounding sounding

, I have .

”
se t before y o u an open door ; still the promise
kept ringing ringi ng D ay could not drive it out
,
.

work could not weary it ; the com monplace could

not kill it B y and by I began to a sk myself if
.
- -

I had not m isstated my o w n case Was not the .

real question whether Go d speaks at all ? I f H e

does why should H e only speak in the day ?
,

H ad not o n e o f our poets said My reins also

,
“

”
instruct m e in the night season ? H ad not
another said H e giveth to H i s beloved in their
,
“

”
sleep ? Why n o t ? I f the will o f God could
come to m e through the impressions of my waking ,

why Should not it come to me through the i m

pressions of my dreaming ? Was there any more
w eakness in the o n e belief than in the other ? If
a hum an messenger had told m e i n broad d aylight
that I would find an O pen door would I not go ,

an d try ? The thing would be equally u nlikely

56 TH E LADY E CC L E SI A

no less and no more ; yet I would assuredly try .

Why should I n o t try now ? Was not this the real

weakness the true m ark o f a feeble mind — to
,

believe i n nothing that I did not s e e ? Then a

great resolve came Over me and I cried ! , O “

thou beautiful be my reality for o n e day Though

, .

ever after thou shouldst be a delusion this one day ,

be thou my guiding star Be real to me for a few

.

brief hours Put o u t the sun again and shine on

.
,

me with the m atchless radi ance o f yesternight .

T his once I Shall assume thee to be true blindly , ,

unreasoningly but intensely

, Lead o n and I
.
,

shall follow thee ; I shall go down to the v alleys

”
to night
-
.

M any who read these memoirs will be surprised

at the n ature o f this struggle I t will seem to
.

them that I had never yet suggested to myself the

m ain di fficulty T he sole question with me had
.

been whether a gate could have been left open .

S hould n o t the first thought ha v e been What i f ,

“

the gate should be open and yo u should go

”
through ? Was n o t the punishment death ?
H ad not the Lord o f Palatine decreed that who
soever Should transgress these barriers should be
T H E ST RU GG L E O F REA S O N A N D F A I TH 5 7

S trange as it m ay seem the prohibition o f the

,

conclave had never weighed with me I had not .

forgotten it n o t for a m oment ; but i t had paled

,

before another fi r e— the fire o f enthusiasm T he .

sight o f that ideal countenance had not only put

o u t all actual beauties but all actual horrors I f
,
.

I knew that that countenance was real and that in ,

sober truth it had com e from a land beyond the s e a ,

I felt that for m e at least there could be no more

death My struggle was n o t with the weakness
.

o f the heart but with the pride o f the intellect ;

,

when the pride o f the i ntellect was conquered ,

my struggle was over .

I do not know h o w I g o t through that day .

T he worst days to get through are not the darkest

they are those whose interest lies at the end o f
them I know that during the intervening hours
.

I was very uninteresting to my fellow beings We -

.

are all uninteresting when we have a secret which

we cannot share I t was not the fault o f my new
.

faith but o f its unsharedness None the less it

,
.

exposed m e in the m eantime to the reproach o f

aloofness from com mon things My father rallied .

me that my thoughts were s o far away

'

The .

“
chaplain C aiaphas j estingly rem arked that the
Lady E cclesi a must be dreaming o f the sacri fice
”
to be m ade for the v alleys The jest j arred upon
.
5 8 TH E LAD Y E CC L E S I A

me I tho u ght it singularly bad taste i n a minister

.

o f the altar and at another time I would have told

,

him s o B ut anger was overborne by a gri m satis

.

fac tion By the i rony o f fate the m an was Speak

.

ing the truth— a truth dead against himself I f .

my dream was true the sacrifice had already been ,

taken o u t o f his hands o u t o f all hum an hands ,

.

I f my dream was true God H imself had sent a

'

victi m to the altar While m an was meditating .

how he could avoid contagion Heaven itself had ,

plunged into the pestilential stream T he chaplain .

had pronounced his own sentence and he did n o t ,

know it H e had been deposed from his o ffi ce

. .

H e had been superseded by a larger ministry a —

higher holier purer m inistry ; that which was
, ,

perfect had come and tha t which was i n part ,

was do n e away T he words of a condemned m an

.

could not m ake me angry .

At last the shadows began to gather and my ,

heart beat quicker T he hour was coming ; it.

would soon be here I t had been my custom .

,

when the working day was done and no social ,

pleasure called to spend a portion o f the n ight in

,

the library in private reading and still more private

thinking Thither I repaired — not now to study
.

m anuscripts but to observe the s ky

, I watched .

the last survivals o f the February day ; I longed

60 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A
'

to be well guarded And over against this was

.

what ? A voice in a dream .

With trembling footsteps I approached the goal .

I t was the crisis moment o f my life It had all .

the elements o f tragedy i n it yet there was neither

fire n o r wood n o r burnt O ffering I t was a theatre
, ,
-
.

without scenes an act without persons a drama

, ,

without speeches I know now what I did not

.

know then — that the destinies o f this island were

quivering on a thread suspe nded o n the purely
,

inward conviction o f o n e frail soul The tragic .

hours o f God lie below the surface and have never ,

been dramatised Was my ideal living or dead ?

.

— that was the question I f dead no mother

.
,

weeping over the bier O f her child w a s S O bereav ed

as I .

And n o w I was at the gate T here are moments .

in which suspense is dearer than reality I wished .

there had been still a few steps to go I covered .

my eyes with my hands as I had done in my

dream when the s u n went down ; faith was low ,

an d reason was high T hen with a wild despairing

.
,

look I faced my destiny ; and with a great cry

I startled the silent air I t was O pen i t was
.
,

O pen ; the gate o f brass was burst ; my ideal was

ali v e— alive for evermore .

But this was not all A new surprise awaited

.
TH E ST R U G GL E O F RE A S O N AN D F A ITH 61

me Not only was the v alley open it was lighted

.

—lighted in the place of its deepest gloom T hat .

place was the middle The beginning o f the .

descent was easy and the end was easy , But .

the centre was steep precipitous dark m antled by , , ,

overhanging crags I would have greatly feared .

this spot had there been room i n my heart fo r any

,

fear but one Now the danger was over ; it was

.

revealed only as a ship o f sorrow that had passed

in the night as a thing o f horror that n M have
,

been O ver the central and steepest part o f the

.

decline a flaring torch was suspended I t seemed .

as if some hand had attached i t by a stri ng to

the i mpending cli ff an d left it blazing there I .

m ar velled at the mysteries o f Go d Five minutes .

ago any spectator would have said

,
“
To what ,

”
purpose is this waste ? A torch flaring for no
body a light in the descent of a prohibited v alley
, ,

burning for the sake o f nothing —i t seemed a

weapon for the unbelie ver And no w i t was all .

explained vindicated, I t had been waiting for .

m e for me
,
I t had n o m ission for its i m mediate
.

ho u r ; it was useless for the tim e o f its kindling ;

but it was waiting for me I E cclesia latest scion .
, ,

of the O ldest clan youngest survival o f a rac e that

,

was ready to di e had been privileged to explai n

,

the seeming waste o f God had b een p ri vileged ,

62 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

to tell why a flower had blushed unseen why a ,

light had glittered unregarded . I have s e t before

”
you an open door had been the words of my
dream ; they were now the w ords o f my e x p e r i
ence God had prepared a table in the wilderness
.

ere yet were foun d any guests to banquet there ;

but H e knew that the wilderness would in time
break forth into si nging and that the desert would
,

soon be v ocal with the myriad claims o f m an .

 C H APT E R V I I I

I N TH E VA L L E Y

S I approached the C lose o f the descent I

became aware o f the o l d sounds which had
formed s u ch a strange antithesis to the letter o f
H e l le n i c u s .Not that the murmur was any longer
s o widespread and di ffused N ight brings some
.

relief eve n to the despairing and the deepening o f,

the shadows had brought to the valleys partial

repose Yet there were whole masses o f m en and
.

women and particularly in the valley n earest to

,

’
my father s house who had refused to find such
,

rest N ight could not d am p their agony o f fear ;

.

weariness could not exhaust their passion o f

enm ity . T he plague was upon them — upon all
o f them who were in strife but they did not know
it E ach had looked into the face o f his brother
.

and seen it M er e T he illusion would ha v e been

.

—
wonderfully helpful had there been love i t would
ha v e been a source o f ministration ; bu t wh en
03
64 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

there was only fear it became deadly and per

,

n ic i o u s
. E ach had beheld in the other the centre
of his danger ; each had tried to expel the other
from his life As I entered the valley that which
.
,

I had only conceived became a sight ; and the

seeing surpassed the conceiving I shall never.

forget the scene never I t will always rem ain in

,
.

the background o f my memory as the saddest

—
picture in all the gallery o f life a picture lurid , ,

ghastly repellent indelible i n its i mpression o f

, ,

degradedness and deeply humbling to the pride

,

o f man .

S hall I try to describe what I saw ? The

multitude had divided into groups according to
—
the centre o f their interest that is to s a y o f their ,

enmity . T he valley had been brilliantly i l lu m i

n a te d i n order to detect the blemishes Naphtha .

fires blazed lamps o f o i l i mpended and the face

, ,

of every man was revealed There was not a

.

corner o f the expanse which did not light up its

own tragedy O n o n e side was a little band
.
,

united for the m oment in a dreadful enterprise .

T hey were m aking frantic efforts to stone a young

woman o f singularly fair countenance U ndoubt .

e d ly s h e bore o n her forehead the mark of the

pestilence but it was n o t that mark which they

,

saw ; it was the m a rk o f t hei r o wn p estilence .

 IN TH E VALL E Y 65

Th e objec t w hich they were trying to strike was

inside rather than o u t and therefore hitherto they
,

had failed to hit their victim O n another side .

wa s a m an frightfully m arked by the pestilence ;

they called hi m a leper H e had been driven
.

within the walls o f a graveyard by a party hardly

disting u ishable from himself i n extent o f di lapida
tion. T he obj ect was evidently to keep hi m in
q u arantine until starvation relieved them o f their
g u ar d. H ere was a little child with the doo r o f
its o w n house Shut against it I t had no Si gn o f .

the pestilence o n its person but its parents were

infected an d imputed to it thei r disease T here
, .

were two brothers fishermen retainers on my

, ,

’
father s estate who bore o n their co u ntenance clear
,

traces o f the calamity deliberately trying to set

,

fire to a collection O f hamlets W hose i nm ates they ,

believed to hav e ca u ght the contagion But why .

prolong the recital ? It is sickening even to r e

m ember and I ha v e to record diviner things
, .

When I entered u pon the scene my presence ,

was quite unnoticed ; e v erybody was to o busy to

think o f m e .B ut it was im possible I s h ould
r emain a m ere s p ectator I t was a matter o f life
.

and dea t h and there was no time for calc u lation

, .

My eyes t u rned first to the case o f the most im me

—
diate p erso na l d an g er that o f the yo u ng woman
66 THE LA D Y E CC L E SI A

who w a s being stoned I felt she m u st be sa ve d .

at all hazards I dashed forward between her and

.

her assailants and stood confronting the men

,

a hd their missiles
”
D o yo u know m e ? I said
. .

I am the daughter o f Moses ben I srael — the head -

o f yo u r clan som e would say the head o f you r

,

island Look at m e
. I am untouched by the .

pestilence and I shall stand between y o u and this

,

woman Y o u do not need to hurt her as long as

.

I am here You have nothing to dread I shall

. .

be the wall betwi xt y o u I shall keep this woman

in the rear ; I shall part you from a l l contact ;
nothing shall come to you until it has first come
to m e A re you satisfied ?
.

I spoke to gain tim e and to produce a tempor a ry ,

calm For a moment I seem ed to have succeeded

. .

T he group fell back a pace and dropped their

i mplements o f destruction while they kept thei r ,

eyes steadfastly o n me B y and by a voice was .

- -

’
heard “
, S he has g o t the plag u e too ! don t yo u
”
see the black mark ? This was not true in point
o f fact but it soon became a reality i n belie f
, T he .

suggestion was eagerly and instantaneously C aught

u p and the faces again grew m enacing and l u rid
,
.

O nce more the missiles were raised but n o longer ,

for the o ld object I n the place o f the former

.

wo m a n s t oo d I —th e would be mediator I had -

.
68 TH E LA D Y E C C L E SI A

Wken he came how he came I kno w not ; I was

,

under the shadow o f my cloud and did not s ee ,

it But there he stood i n all the radiant beauty

.

o f my dream I would have known him amid ten

.

thousan d ; I could have identi fied hi m in a multi

tude which no man could number I had n ever .

seen him before with the waking eye ; yet my

first sight was not so much knowledge as recog
n i ti o n. I t was quite old to m e familiar almost
, ,

commonplace I t was not the surprise o f entering

.

a palace ; it was the j oy o f reaching home I felt .

that I could have gone up to hi m and said Y o u ,

have com e at last ; I have been waiting for yo u

”
a long ti me .

Then he spoke ; and again the voice was o ld ;

it was the voice o f my dream H e raised it n o
.

higher than he had done i n my dream but it ,

penetrated i n a m oment every corner o f the field .

And instantly it seemed as if a cord had been

thrown round the multitude to draw them i nto one .

T he isolated groups broke up and began to move

towards the voice T he parties surro u nding the
.

graveyard abandoned thei r post and left the leper

free . T he i ncendiary fishermen gave up their
e fforts to s e t fire to the hamlets The house door
.

which had been barred against the little child was

thrown open and the parents came out and the
,
 IN TH E VALL E Y 69

c hild went in B y and by this W hole section o f

.
- -

the valley representi ng the wants o f all the valleys

, ,

an d therefore the radical wants o f m an was ,

gathered aro u nd o n e com mon centre—the object

o f my dream the goal o f my waking hours
,
.

H itherto it had been the m u sic o f his v o ice that

h a d attracted rather than the sense o f his words
,
.

I t was a v oice s o unlike the valleys for that ,

m atter s o unlike the uplands that its power p re ,

ceded its m eaning But now its meaning began

.

to appear I f I attempted a direct repetition o f

.

what he said I would fai l ; but I wo u ld fail not

, ,

for the reason yo u would im agine I would fall .

short not in magni loquence but in si m p licity I f

, ,
.

I had spoken my words would ha v e been too fine

,

they would hav e p assed not i n to but ov er the , ,

valley and would have been heard in the halls o f

,

H e l le n i c u s
’
B ut this m an s voice touched the
.

gro u nd ; it kindled the lily o f the field S hall I .

try to reproduce the spirit o f what he said ? I t

—
was very original as well as very simple should I
not s a y because V ery simple ? I would have ex
p ec te d him to have begun by strains o f com misera
tion H e struck j ust the O pposite k eynote
. He .

told t hem that they had special ad v antages i n

belonging to the v a l l ey s —advantages which the
men o f th e up lands did n o t possess He tol d .
70 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

them they were nearer to the Vision o f the s ky

than those who lived o n the hills H e said there .

were colours that could only be seen by the clo u dy

d ay treasures that could only be reached by the
,

lowly heart banquets that could only be enj oyed

,

by the hungering spirit I t was not more satis

.

faction they required it was more want H e had .

come to cure the pestilence by creating more

want .From the land beyond the s e a he had
bro u ght a draught which increased thirst I f they .

would partake o f it they would s e e a strange

,

thing all the m arks would lea v e the faces o f thei r

comrades an d appear o n his And then there
.

would happen something more wonderful still ,

which he would not tell them yet for he wanted ,

them to find it o u t for themselves I t was the .

constant draught i n the country from which he

cam e ; without it angels themselves would gro w
weary Would the men o f the valley try ?
.

Then from the v ast assembly there rose a great

”
and si multaneous Yes ; and the m ajestic voice
“

resumed H e asked i f there were any men i n

.

that crowd who would volunteer to bear round the

draught to their brethren I t would be very easy
.

for hi m to do i t alone ; but he wanted them to

’
have a part in their brothers c u re Within this .

golden chalice there was a liquid any single d ro p ,

 IN THE VALLEY 71

of which wo u ld transform life and banish ev ery

personal p ain Though the c u p w a s small it
.
,

was am ply s u fficient to supply the whole m u lti

tude ; for unlike other cups its contents did
, ,

not decrease as they were expended I f there .

were any among the m who were willing to be the

fi rst p artakers an d the first distributers let them ,

come to the front .

For a moment there was a silence Then a .

b u zz o f excitement arose Twelve men stood .

forward from the crowd O u r sensational moments

.

are the seasons when others for the first time act
di fferently from ourselves This was a sensation
.

i n the life o f the valleys Twelve men by a .

voluntary act o f in dependen c e had marked them

selves o u t from the m ass I knew them every
.
,

m an T hey were nearly all o f the fisher class and

.
,

had for years supplied n o t only this valley but my

, ,

’
father s house with the fruits o f the s ea and what
I was chiefly struck with was the fact that amongst
them were these very two incendiaries who a few ,

m oments before had been m aking such deadly

,

e fforts to destroy the dwellings o f the plague

stricken .

T hen cam e an i m p osing ceremony T he crowd .

w as agai n parted —this time into twelve grou p s ;

and they were ser v e d i n t u rn b y each o f the
7 2 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

v olunteers E ach carried the c halice through his

.

allotted sphere and then passed it to the nearest

,

i n rotation I confess that my o w n eyes were

.

rive ted o n the central fig u re ; I rather felt than

s a w the ceremony I t was i m p ossible for m e to
.

withdraw my gaze from that face s o d ivinely

bea u tiful ; as the cere mony progressed it became ,

increasingly i mpossible E v er as the C halice

.

moved o n from lip to lip it seemed to m e that ,

the fashion o f that co u ntenance became altered ;

it began to take upon itself the likeness o f the
pestilence E v ery moment it grew m ore marred
.
,

and I wondered And I wondered m ost o f all at

.

the fact that with all the m arring there was no

change i n his beauty I hav e seen men and
.

women whose loveliness was u ndi mmed by the

meanest apparel T his was a stage beyond
. .

H ere was a man whose loveliness was undimmed

even by a marred v isage I think at th a t m oment .

he reached to me his cli max o f beau ty Whether .

the contrast helped it I know not D oes the .

charm o f m oonlight o n the waters lie i n the fact

that there is brightness i n a sphere which ought
to be troubled ? I cannot tell ; let u s leav e it to
the artists and pass o n .

For indeed my o w n heart was ge tting tro u bled

, ,
.

A great fear b ega n to c reep o v er me Wh a t would .

 IN TH E VALLEY 73

the m ultitude s a y when they s a w the marred

V isage ? As yet they were too tremulous to s ee
anything ; the crisis o f the experiment pressed o n
their hearts and blinded their eyes But what .

wou ld it be when the experiment was o ver ?

Had not that m addened crowd seen thei r i n fi r m i
ti es i n the face o f each other e v en when they
were n o t there ? T he divine beauty o f this man
.

had precluded such a deception B u t now with

.
,

o u t tarnishing his beauty the m arks o f the valley

,

were really there What would that crowd s a y if

.

their eyes lighted o n the m arred Visage ? Would

they not cry for his blood as they had cried for
the blood o f the leper as they had cried for the
,

blood o f the spotted w om an as they had cried for

,

the blood o f the suspected Village ? O h if I could ,

only get the marks to come o n m e ! I f by any act

o f will i f by any form o f sympathy I co u ld d raw
, ,

them from that cl ear face to min e h o w gladly how

, ,

proudly would I die ! T hese few m inutes were to

me an eternity as I strove to steal his cross and
hide it in my o w n bosom Never before never
.
,

since hav e I passed through such an agony I .

seemed to be pullin g at the bars o f fate

frantically hopelessly but still increasingly N O
, , .

hum an soul ever prayed for deliverance as I

p rayed for the gift o f death “
Father o f mercies
.
,
74 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

C lothe m e i n his likeness that I m ay die in his

,

room i t was the voice o f my heart it was the

,

c r y o f my soul
. An d still the chalice moved o n
,

and the v isage gre w marred O n e strange thing

.

was p assed ; the stranger thi n g was about to

come .
76 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A
'

we instinctively give the balance to fear I kne w .

this stillness co u ld not last ; it must be broken

either by j ubilee o r by execration I f the latter .
,

what then ? T he passions o f an infuriated crowd ,

m addened by unfulfilled prophecy reckless from ,

deluded hope Nay what was I myself to feel

.
,

i n s u ch a case ? Were there not passions which

I a daughter o f the uplands might well Share
, ,

with the men o f the valleys ? I t was n o t death

from their hands I feared ; i t was life with my
own .T o have my ideal shattered my prop ,

broken my dream a d elusion ; to fin d that after

, ,

all there was nothing higher than myself in thi s

,

island nothing to rest o n nothing to lean o n

, , ,

nothing to hope o n ; to fin d that the land b e

yon d the sea was but a phantom o f the brain ,

the messenger self deceived the help imaginary ;

-
,

to go back once more however u n s e l fi s hly to the

, ,

search for a merely island home —m y Go d sooner , ,

would I die .

S uddenly I was interrupted in my meditation .

A great shout rent the air I t came from the .

back row ; the last were the first I t was caught .

u p by those i m mediately in front I t was r e .

verberated by the group still nearer At length .

the v alley was ringing with o n e common cheer

lo u d long heart mo v ing
, ,
I t shook the silen t
-
 T H E P R I E STH OO D O F H UM A NI T Y 77

night with the breath o f a n ew spirit T he .

fires appeared to b laze m ore brightly ; the lamps

seemed to V ibrate to the swell o f an unwonted
breeze B y and by the v oices becam e articulate
.
- -
.

From different sides o f the v alley came a m edley

o f u tterances not s u ccessive b u t si m u ltaneo u s
, , ,

and expressing in v aried forms o n e com mon j oy .

”
“
We are free we are free ,
“
T he bur d en is
.

” ”
lifted . T he pestilence is o v er
“ “
T he m arked .

“ ”
faces have been washed white as snow S ee .

that m an whom we drove into the graveyard ;

”
he looks now as fresh as you “
Look at that .

wo man whom we tried to stone ; I don t s e e a ’

”
spot o n her beyond what nature gives to u s all .

“
There are the two fishermen shaking hands
with the people they wanted to set fire to ; they
”
have found out their mistake and are sorry “
I .

’ ”
don t see a black m ark in all the valley .

”
“
Y es cried a v oice amid the multit ud e an d
, ,

I trembled there is o n e among you who r e

,
“

tains the marks o f the pestilence ; it is the m an

who has healed you ! did he n ot tell you that
”
only by his stripes yo u would be cured ? In
an i nstant every glance was t u rned o n the marred
face o f the stranger The event which I feared
.

seemed to be coming I s a w the streams draw .

tog ether ; I s a w the wa v e roll for w ard For .

 '

78 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

the second time that night I interpose d my frail

person between the m artyr and the storm as if ,

an atom could break the force of a torrent I .

stretched forth my hands i n piteous supplication

”
I raised my voice to c r y S ave him save him
, , .

The words would not come— not from m e But .

they were to come from a most unlikely quarter .

For now there happened that second strange

thing which the night had foretold The words .

which my lips could not utter were taken up by

the very crowd to which I prayed I n a moment .

it all burst upon m e ; I had m istaken the last

mo v ement .T he second advance o f the wave
was no longer from the motive o f the first ; that
was hostility this was compassion
, S ave him
.
,
”

cried a hundred voices “

for he has been o u r
,

saviour Is this m an to die by o u r contagion ?

.

I s he to die by the neglect o f those whom he

has s u ccoured ? S hall we allow hi m to linger
in the open s ky when we have homes and fires
and shelters ? T he night is late and his o w n ,

night is upon him ; let hi m abide with u s u nti l

”
the breaki ng o f the day .

”
Look at him whom you have pierced cried ,

Peter bar Jona one o f the twelve who had helped

-
,

to bear the chalice I s not this t he very picture

“

o f the m an o f w hom o n e o f yo u r poets has s u ng

 TH E PR I E ST H OO D OF HUM A NIT Y 79
’
‘
H e was woun d ed for o u r transgressions ? Are
not these m arks ours o u r v ery o w n ? Are not
,

the scars O f my o w n house there ? D O y o u s e e

’
that wom an i n the front ? T hat is my wife s
mother S he m ay well press toward her deliverer
. .

H alf an hour ago She was covered with the pesti

lence. Look at her now— as pure as the Virgin
snow Why ? H e has taken her wounds This
. .

m an without spot o r blem ish has been m arred

”
for y o u and by yo u .Will you let hi m die ?
T hen there was great sobbing i n the crowd ,

for the peo p le o f the valleys do not restrain

themsel v es as the in habitants o f the uplands .

S trong men were choked with em otion Frail .

women pierced their way through the throng to

administer help to the solitary sufferer S ome.

ran to their ho u ses to fin d restoratives One .

brought a c u p o f cold water ; another bore

arom atic Spices ; a third carried a b o x o f sooth
ing ointment and actually began to apply it to
,

the spots o n the face o f the sufferer At this

.

stage there occurred a stra n g e episode One .

o f the twelve men who had borne the C halice

— J udas I scariot by n ame— uttered a voice o f
”
dissent . T his is going to o far he cried
,
H ere
is a woman actually touching the v ery marks from
which s he has been deli v ered I t is appalling to
.
 '

80 THE LADY EC C LE S I A

see s u ch recklessness I s it not eno u gh for you to

.

be healed without seeking to incur yo u r plague

a second time ? These valleys have borne su ffi
cient pain let them taste thei r new found freedom -
.

We are all I am sure m u ch i ndebted to this

, ,

”
stranger ; tha n k him and let h i m go
, .

A yell o f execration greeted the hapless s p eaker .

T he fu ry o f the crowd was agai n u ppermost— no

longer i n the i nterest o f self but o f sacri fice I was
,
.

glad to see that the cure o f the pestilence had only

transplanted and not uprooted their energy for
, , ,

there is nothing s o hurtful to the valleys as the

spirit o f apathy I t was a fine sight to see these
.

men and women lighted by the anger o f lo v e I t .

was too fine for the object o f thei r obloq u y T he .

fire i n these faces blazed above the n ap htha flames .

T here were muttered curses ; there were omin o us

threats ; there were even indications o f coming
V iolence. T he culprit s a w it and cowered He .

turned his back upon the crowd an d m oved into

the night alone Yet I m arked then and I ,

remembered afterwards t he d ark expression on

,

that brow—a n expression which cast a gloom over

the ho u r o f deliverance and has ever since formed
,

a backgro u nd to eac h moment o f joy .

And n o w there o c c u rr e d a new wonder B eneath .

the touch of the woman who a pp lied the ointmen t

 TH E PR I E ST H O O D O F HUM A NIT Y 81

the m a rks faded from the face o f the solitary

sufferer The expression o f pai n left his c o u n te
.

nance and i n its room there came a gleam o f

,

the most exultant gladness I have ever seen o r

i magined It was to me a new phase o f his
.

strangely diversified beauty I had seen that

beauty already i n varied forms I had seen i t .

i n m ajesty ; I had beheld it i n tenderness ; I had

witnessed it i n calm ; I had Viewed it i n storm ;
'

I had looked o n it in sorrow But to s ee it i n joy

.

was a fresh thing I t was n ot merely that the

.

face had lost all traces of the pestilence There .

was something o n it which was not there before

the traces came T he mystery lay n o t i n what
.
,

the O intment had taken away b u t i n what it had,

left behind S he has wrought a good work i n

“

”
hi m cried the crowd B ut I asked myself i f the
,
.

ointment could have done this Was it not indeed .

a work wrought hi m rather than o n him ? I

felt there w a s something I could not s e e I gazed .

i nto his face and m arvelled .

T hen he s p o k e once more and once more my ,

heart bounded N o music ever equalled that voice

. .

S hall I try to reproduce it ? I might as well try

to reprod u ce the notes o f the nightingale The .

words were like a blaze o f di amonds strung o n

a plain cord they were at once too high and too
82 TH E LA D Y E C C LE S I A

lowly for me to i mitate I shall not try to imitate

.

them I shall not even p ut my o w n words in his

.

mouth as the dramatists do ; I would not like to

i mpute my words to hi m I shall merely e n .

d e a v o u r to state baldly and i n the most indirect

form what seems to me to have been the burden
o f the m ost wonderfully original discourse I have

ever listened to .

H e began by stating that he was sure they all

wanted to know the meaning of that great mystery
which had met them twice that night—the appear
ance o n his person and the disappearance from
,

his person o f the m arks o f their pestilence T he

, .

explanation was very simple Between his heart and

.

thei r heart there was a connecting cord Altho u gh .

they seemed to be separate they were not really so

, .

I t was impossible that M ei r bodies should receive

'

any wound without k zs being wounded it was i m

possible that thei r lives Should receive any healing
without his being Vi v i fi e d I t was true— the u nion
.

was not perfect—they could not yet feel Hi s pains

a n d joys
,
though he could theirs But while the .

completion still lingered there was enough already

,

to m ake them solemn T hey often prayed to God

.

to gi v e them gladness ! did i t ever strike them

that God prayed to M a n —
for gladness stood at
the door o f their hearts and knocked ? A pestilence
84 THE LA D Y E CC LE S I A

Let all who would submit to such an ordeal come

forward and Sign thei r names .

S o saying he unrolled an enormous parchment

, ,

which he called the Book o f Life He bade each .

who should come to the front fill his vi al with the

liquid write his n am e o n the scroll and depart to
, ,

his home A great resolve came o v er m e I had

. .

been only a spectator I would be so no more I .

too would Sign with the valleys ; but because ,

I belonged to the uplands I would mark my ,

humility by Signing last A multitude o f little .

vi als were brought from the houses T he n a long .

procession filed forward ; first eleven of the chalice ,

bearers then an additional seventy I thought the

, .

ceremony would never end My heart beat wildly . .

T hrough all tha t night he had ne ver once seemed

to recognise m e I was hungry for recognition
. .

O h just to hear his voice s a y again as it said in

,

my dream As I s a t o n o n e o f the
,

benches in the valley and watched the procession

move o n I figured in fancy the coming o f my turn
, .

Would he kno w m e ? Would he greet me ?

Would he com mend m e ? I O bserved that to each
who cam e he said a word which nobody else could
hear I thrilled with expectation I too would
. .

have a word all to myself—a little secret treasure

which nobody knew but me and which I wo u ld ,
 TH E PR I E STH OO D O F HU M A NIT Y 85

keep locked u p in my heart for evermore O h .

the joy o f that mo m ent the m addening melting

, , ,

morning j oy—the pict u re o f the d ay that was

yet to be
At last the m oment was come I had waited
.

to the end Was there no trace o f pride i n my

.

humility no wish to be m arked o u t from the

,

common crowd ? Perhaps but it was at least the

pri de o f devotion I was the last remaining o n
.

the ground ; as I mo v ed forward I said I shall ,

“

be alone with Hi m ”
I hurried towards the spot
.

where the open scroll was spread As I w e n t I

.
,

did n o t look at the scroll I kept my eyes o n the

ground through the trem or o f meeting him O nly
,
.

when I had reached the spot did I lift my gaze .

With a glad expectancy I looked u p to the little

eminence from which he had addressed the multi
tude H e was gone ; the chalice was gone ; the
.

scroll was gone ! I was alon e with the night .

D o you know what it i s to get a heart grief at

the end o f a great joy ? I t is not merely that it
counterbalances the j oy it annihilates it Will it
.

be believed my spirit at this moment went down

altogether ? I s a y it with Sham e ; it showed how
far I was from the life I had professed H ad not
.

the v alleys been healed ? S ad to say that was an

,

aggravation of my pai n Why should he have

.
86 TH E LA D Y E C C L E SI A

Spoken to these men and not to me ? Was not I

m ore ripe for hi m than they ? H ad not I seen
him i n a dream ? I n what d ream had m e)! seen
him ? H ad they not bee n w asting the substance
o f their life i n rioto u s living u ntil the pestilence

fell upon them ? Yet for them he had bro u ght

o u t his j ewelled ring and his best robe and for
,

m e there was not a word O h it w as hard hard !

.
, ,

My heart was breaking .

With weary steps I took my j o u rney home I .

was tired and sick and lonely and all things w ere
,

changed . T he way was longer ; the ascent was

steeper ; the torchlight was dim mer . My feet
were impeded by the chill of disappointment ; my
eyes were blinded with tears I had been s a d
.

before but it was with a holy sadness ; this was

,

’
a grief which needed more o f H eaven s hel p for ,

it was the pride o f a wounded spirit .

 C H A PT E R X

TH E LA S T MA D E F I RS T

”
CC L E S I A ,are you ill ? I t was my father
who spoke I had returned in time for
.

the hour o f evening prayer and the household ,

retainers were assembling I assured him I was

.

”
not .
“
Where have yo u been all night ? he said .

“
I have long felt that you spend t o o muc h tim e
i n consecutive study T he beauty yo u had i n the
.

morning has gone o u t o f you Y o u are no more .

”
like what you were than a lamp is like a star .

And when the chaplain C aiaphas came in he said , ,

“
You look tired Lady E cclesia ; I am afrai d the
,

sacrificial Victim for the redemption o f the valleys

”
has not been found to day -
And when the ser
.

vants appeared I again saw that they all remarked

m e but it was no longer with the sam e kind of
,

obser v ation ; there was a touch o f pity in their

glance .

An d n o w I b egan t o q u es t ion m y self Wh y .

87
88 THE LADY E CC L E SI A

was it that this beauty o f the morning had declined ?

Was it grief that had caused i t to fade ? Was
there anything i n j oy that was more favourable to
beauty than sorrow ? H a d I not looked that v ery
night upon the countenance o f a man crushed with
all the sorrows o f the valley and yet supremely ,

beautiful ? I t co u ld not be grief that had changed

m e ; it must be that I was grie v ing for something
wrong . And then it all burst upon me like a
scorching flame Was I o n e whit better than
.

C aiaphas ? Was I not exactly doing what C aiaphas

was doing— seeking a priesthood o f my own ?
Was I n o t as selfish as H e l le n i c u s more selfish ,

than the Lord o f Palatine ? Was I not trying to

have an ideal all for myself and for no other
person ? Was there o n e i n the room so utterly
Vile contemptible mean low despicable as I
, , , , ,

I t was the custom i n o u r house to attach more

i mportance to united than to individual prayer .

F o r the first ti m e in my life I thought otherwise .

When I retired to my room that night there came ,

to me a n e w experience I felt that thi s formal

.

worshi p was no preparation for sleep to suc h a

o n e as I I felt that the voice o f the chaplain
.

C aiaphas could not be the closing impression o f

m y day I felt that my prayer must b e solitary
.
,

p rivate withou t intermediaries —n o t read from a

,
 TH E LA ST M AD E FI R ST 89

book however sacred b u t uttered i n the Silence

, ,

o f the Soul .

I went down o n my knees and prayed T he .

chaplai n C aiaphas would n o t have called it a

prayer . I did not feel the least solemn ; I just
felt my heart throbbing with pain and crying to
b e relieved I did not even address the great
.

God in the hea v ens My cry went down to the

.

m an in the valleys o r whom I had last seen there

,
.

I did not ask myself whether he could hear me ;

—
I prayed not from reason but from i nstinct n o t ,

because I ought but because I must I just cried !

, .

“
O thou beautiful o n e I have done wrong ; and, ,

what is worse I have éeei z wrong

,
I have been .

a poor m iserable selfish creature u nworthy o f

, , ,

even a glance from thee I should have rejoiced .

instead o f weeping ; I should have thanked thee

i nstead o f bemoan ing I thank thee now I. .

thank thee for lifting the pestilence from the valley

and pausing not to look at m e I thank thee that .

last night the m en with most disease had all thy

sympathy and that I who was comparatively
,

whole was passed by Forgive my m eanness and

.
,

”
help m e to love like thee .

T hat was all I said I had never breathed a

.

prayer like it before I t seemed to contradict all

.

m y p ast training as to the nature o f devotion I t .

9 0 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

surely could not be de v otion H ad I not been .

taught that in prayer we sho u ld feel how far

hea v en is distant from the sea girt island where -

we dwell ? But this prayer o f mine was dreadfully

r r ev e r e n t .I t forgot the great God i n the far
heav ens I t forgot to remind H i m o f H is m ajesty
.
,

H is omnipotence H i s undyingness , I t forgot .

about things abo v e altogether I t j u st came o u t .

as i f it were Spoken to o n e o n a le v el with myself ;

nay a little farther down than I co u ld reach I t
, .

was terribly Simple profanely short coming far too

, ,

quickly to the point I was glad C aiaphas did not

.

hear it ; but I did ho p e i t was heard by the m an

i n the valleys .

And somehow I cannot tell h o w there began

, ,

to steal over m e the sweetest peace I had ever

known . I t was not like the raptu re I had felt
either i n the V ision o r in the valley I t was some .

t h i ng which could not come till rapture was past .

There is a great di fference between joy and rest .

! yo m ay com e before the storm but rest alone can ,

follow i t This was not sunlight but moonlight

.
,

n ot rapture b u t re p ose Yet there is a charm i n

, .

moonlight that i s not i n sunlight ; I thi nk for one

thing it i s more re v ealing I hav e no doubt at all .

that peace is more revealing than joy H e gi veth

”
to H is belov ed i n their slee p .
9 2 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

My toi lette completed I h u rried along the

,

corridor I t was unlighted but somehow that did

.
,

not impede me I passed o n without Obstruction

.
,

without pausing till I found myself in the open

,

’
air and i n the grounds o f my father s house
,
.

S omehow their appearance was changed T hey .

had caught a likeness to the valleys T he naphtha .

fires o f the valleys were blazing the lamps o f the

valleys were impending I w ould have thought
.

it a continuation o f the o ld scene but for the

solitude . S tay ! Was I alone ? No ; there he
stood — the m an o f the valleys — i n the very grounds
o f my own dwelling There he stood i n all his
.

peerless beauty Before hi m was a table with

.

writing materials and in front of him was that

,

identical scroll which had been i n the valley the

object o f my glory an d o f my grie f .

I ran across the lawn as I had rushed forward

in the valley . I was determ ined I would not
be disappointed this time I did not look to the
.

ground as before I sped towards the Spot with

.

my eyes fixed o n the goal resolved to keep him , ,

never to let him go I i n dulged i n no fancies ;

.

I drew n o pictures o f anticipation ; I just ran .

Panting I reached his side I uttered no word ; I

, .

made no request ; I only gazed into his beauti

ful face . I w a s struck with something which
 THE LA ST M AD E FI R ST 93

reminded m e a little o f the m arks o f pai n I had

seen in the valleys I said nothing ; but in the
.
,

o l d voice that m ade my heart leap he answered ,

my thought .

“
Are you surprised E cclesia that some o f the
, ,

marks have returned ? D O y o u know what

brought them back ? I t was your pain D o you .

—
remember what I told you that all the sorrow
and all the j oy o f this island is reproduced in me
I caught the gladness o f the valleys and my face ,

mirrored it ; then came you r C loud into my day .

And did you think I had really passed yo u by ?

D o y o u not know it was the very nearness o f your
presence to my heart that m ade m e ou twardly
ignore you ? D o we not s p eak loudest to those
who are farthest away ? I t was meet to m ake
merry and be glad over the valleys for they had ,

been dead an d were alive again ; but I had been

with yo u even in your dreams N ay whence
.
,

these tears ? Let there be no self re p roaches I t - .

is all forgiven it is all forgotten

,
S ee I have
.
,

brought you back the scroll which has been the

cause of s o much weeping I need n o such pledge
.

as your Sign ature for yo u r name i s written in my

,

heart but your testi mony m ay help others c om e

”
and Sign .

T hen I took the pen and was about to p ut my

,
94 THE LA D Y E CC LE S I A

name to the end o f the scroll ; but with the

gentlest o f all touc hes he lifted my hand to the top
o f the parchment An d there I s a w that at the
.

v ery begin ning o f the roll a p lace had been left

v acant T he first name signed was that o f Peter
.

b ar J on a an d between the first an d the last there

-
,

were no intermediate spaces but above the nam e

o f Peter there was an u n appropriated line ; I wrote
”
there E cclesia daughter of Moses ben I srael
, ,
-
.

As I raised my head I caught Sight o f what I

had m issed before ; at the other end o f the table
stood the chalice and beside it a little vial I
, .

”
m ade a mo v ement forward I t is like the scroll
.
,

he said q u ite un req u ired between yo u an d me .

T here are many who are called ; b u t there are a

few who are chosen T hese chosen ones need no
.

chalice for a fountain r u ns i nvisibly from my heart

,

into their heart T hey always appear to be served

.

the last because nobody sees them with the c u p ;

,

yet they are the first o f all But tho u gh you need .

n ot the chalice for my sake fi ll the v ial for yo u r ,

Sisters and your brothers they will not understand

your i n v isible fountain but they will all appreciate
,

what the eye can s ee U nto them which are with

.

”
o u t life m u st be re v ealed in parables
, .

W hen I had filled the v i al and tasted it a ,

strange boldness came o v er me I felt as if all .

9 6 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

order That things were n o t what they seemed to

.

me I do not doubt T hat the thoughts which

.

passed through me were clothed i n very inadequate

shapes I firmly believe But I have proof that the
.

process was not wholly i nward —shall I n o t rather

sa y n o t wholly con fined to myself ?
,
I brought
something o u t o f my dream which I did n o t take
into it ; I was richer this morning tha n I was last
!

night I speak the truth o f Go d ; I li e not I

. .

declare i n the presence o f the All seeing let— -

—
philosophers explain it as they will that in my
hand was the very v i al which I had filled with the
sacred draught and o n my breast was the very
,

cross through which I was to hear the music o f the

other shore .
 C H A PT E R XI

N OT P E A CE , B UT A S W O RD

E
were j ust completing the morning m eal ,

o f which we always partook together—m y

father the chaplain C aiaphas and I My father

, ,
.

was congratulating me o n the return o f my good

looks and was endorsing his Views o n the i n
,

expediency o f m u ch study C aiaphas was i n s i n u a t

.

i ng that the studies would do less harm i f they

were less secular I was listening to both with an
.

averted interest which sprang rather from a sense

,

of duty than from any spirit o f undutifulness .

F o r the first tim e in my life I had the uncom fort

able feeling o f seeming to be what I was not I .

was not troubled in my conscience but I was ,

greatly troubled in my consciousness I was .

deeply persuaded that I was right ; I had C hosen

my p art and I had no regret N one the less I
, .
,

felt that I was keeping a secret from my father

—a father to whom i n the olden times my heart
97
9 8 T H E L A D Y E CC L E S I A

had always been O pen I t was the first barrie r

.

to my household peace the earliest cloud i n my

,

domestic s ky .

S u ddenly words and m u sings were alike c u t

s hort T hrough the morning air there ran the
.

blast o f a peculi ar horn only heard i n the island

,

at ti mes o f great crisis and always con veying ,

the sam e Signal—alarm I t was neve r blown for

.

individual troubles only for cases o f common

,

d anger I t had not sounded when the pestilence

.

had been proclai med in the v alleys for the v alleys ,

were not held to have any necessary connection

with the uplands T his must have been deeme d
.

something more serio u s Like the blast which

.

had s u mmoned the great assembly the signal was ,

p ropagated from one horn to another each taking ,

u p the message where the compass o f its pre

decessor seeme d to be exhausted I t appeared .

to descend from Palati ne H i ll and to increase in ,

’
v olume as it came Presently a horse s hoofs were
.

hear d i n the gro unds T here was e v idently some

.

thing which speci ally concerned o u r family My .

father and C aiaphas started from the table and

hurried into the co u rtyard A messenger rode .

forward to the front o f the ho u se H e handed .

a letter to m y father “
From the Lord o f Pala
.

” ”
tine he said
, . Were yo u to wait for an ans w er ?
1 00 TH E LA D Y E CC LE SI A

forfeit the life o f the O ffende r were i t himself or

,

his brother T hat order has been broken Last

. .

night the valley i n front o f this house was

entered ; this morning the S ympathy Gate was
found open .O n the threshold there are clearly
discernible footsteps ; that which was done in
darkness has been brought to light I hold i n .

my hand a letter from the Lord o f Palati ne It .

breathes deep s u rprise and strong i ndignation .

I t i s not the indignation o f a man who has recei ved

a personal inj u ry but o f a legislator who has seen
,

his law broken H e has heard i n this act the cry

.

o f treason against the govern ment o f this island ,

and he has demanded an expiation T he sacrifice .

”
for the v alleys is likely soon to be m ade .

H e paused and the faces o f the ho u sehold grew

,

ghastly T hen i n gentler words my father took

.

”
u p the strain I would fain ho p e
. he said that
“
, ,

things are not s o bad as the Lord o f Palatine

deems The keys o f the S ym pathy G ate are not
.

i n my hands nor i n yours , Lord o f Palatine

himself holds them I do not believe that any
.

o n e o f you has the ability i f he had the will

,
to ,

m ake a key My own opinion is that by some

.

o v ersight this gate at the first was not properly

locked . I t is deeply to be deplored that s u ch
a thing sho u ld ha v e o c c u rre d o n our side o f the
 N OT PEACE ,
B UT A S W O RD 1 61

v alley b u t I feel convi nced that it does not

,

originate here I s there any man among y o u

.

who can testify that any hour either yesterd ay ,

o r the day p revious he saw the S ympathy Gate

,

”
open ?
But all the testi monies were o n the other side ,

and they were a ffirmed i w i th great positiveness .

O n e m an declared that he had pa ssed the gate

yesterday morning and fo u n d it fast locked
, .

Another said he had seen it at mid day and -

,

marked how com pletely it was closed A third .

a ffirmed that he had passed i t at five i n the

afternoon when the shadows were rapidly deepen
,

ing and the night was falling fast H e was aware .

o f the existing law and he had deeme d it his duty

,

as well a s his interest to s e e that his S i de o f the

v alley w as guarded H e was prepared to take
.

solem n oath that any interference with the v alley

must have been subsequent to that ho u r .

My father looked disappointed H e had n o .

lo v e for the Lord of Palatine and would have been

,

well pleased to ha v e found him tripping o n his

o wn ground But the eye o f C aiaphas lighted
.

with a m align joy H e had always been a s u b

.

servient tool o f the ho u se o f Palatine H e had .

u niformly discou raged those fami ly aspi rations i n

which my father indulged ; in d eed he was an
1 02 TH E LADY E CC LE SI A

enemy to aspi ration o f every kind and greatly ,

feared the leaping o f fences Accordingly I de .

tec te d i n hi m an ill disguised satisfaction i n the

-

’
fail u re o f my father s attempt to shift the blame .

”
Y o u ha v e given
“
“
he said a most candid testi
, ,

mony and o n e which greatly narrows o u r field of

,

i nvestigation Yo u hav e prov ed that this was a

.

deed o f the night Being a deed of the night it is

.
,

a deed of evil I t has been wrought i n the hour

.

when men sleep i n the hou r when men are bli nd

, .

What is worse it has been wrought i n the heart o f

,

this estate i n the v ery centre o f this family tree

, .

A s the C haplain o f this house I am concerned with

its hono u r I feel that you are u nder a clo u d
.
,

that we are all under a cloud A responsibility .

is laid upon m e and I wi ll not shrink from gi ving

,

my advice Listen then to what I propose

. I .

s u ggest that this house O ffer a reward for any

information which shall lead to the arrest o f the
m an who has trespassed in the v alleys I advise .

that the Lord o f Palatine Should be requested to

hav e a placard set u p i n these valleys giving notice ,

o f the reward I propose that the Lord o f Palatin e

.

should suspend the law against comm u nication for

o n e ho u r only — from twelve to o n e to morrow at -

noon I suggest that any m an of the valleys who

.

h a s in formation t o give shall take his s ta n d at that

1 64 THE LA D Y E CC LE S I A

C aiaphas . H e turned to my father For nearly .

“

”
twenty years he said I have been the chaplain
,
“
,

o f this house and o f this clan and as law and , ,

religion here are o n e I have been in these ,

years the legal adviser o f your family Before I .

came into your service yo u were my m aster ;

when I took your service I became yo u rs for he ,

that m inisters in holy things is the lord o f all By .

the irony o f fate it has been reserved for your

daughter to be my first traducer N ever before .

have I been addressed in s u ch insolent terms I .

am accused of persecuting a hero when I am

prosecuting a criminal I call upon you to exercise
.

”
your paternal authority .

” ”
E cclesia said my father
,
“
y o u forget yourself , .

B ut his voice was not thunder ; I think he was

more troubled than angry .

”
“
Bethink y o u father I sai d not deigning to
, , ,

address the chaplain the m an who has gone down

,

to these valleys has gone with a motive What .

m otive but benevolence could induce any m an to

go ? I t is some one who has heard the cry o f the
weary and to bring them aid has brav ed pro
, , ,

h i b i ti o n law death
, ,
I t is som e one who feels for
.

yo u r people what you and I ought to feel I t is .

some o n e who in defi ance o f popular opinion and

,

in s p ite o f legal ena c tme n t has b een c onstrain ed ,

 N OT PE AC E BUT , A SW O R D 1 0
5

by the sheer lo v e o f m an to seek him at his lowest

ebb and in his most fallen fortunes Who knows .

but Go d H imself has interposed to stretch an

arm o f deliverance across the great sea Let us .

beware father lest haply we be found to fight

, ,

”
against God .

”
“
D reams dreams dreams cried C aiaphas still
, , , ,

addressing my father “
the dreams which this
,

yo u ng lady used to foster o n the s e a Shore and -

,

which cling to her as a pen alty I s a y this is not .

,

the arm o f the Almighty but the arm o f treason , .

I t is the arm o f o n e who has lifted his hand against

the laws o f this island and has sought to rouse the
,

valleys into enmity with the u plan ds I f any man .

might legiti m ately desire a C hange o f govern ment ,

it is you sir You have claims to be the head of

, .

a clan which was the origi nal source o f all the

families in the island ; if s o you are ideally the ,

’
island s king But I ask i f such an event as
.

happened last night is in favour o f your interest

any more than that of the Lord o f Palatine T he .

rousing o f the v alleys m ay be adverse to Hi m but ,

is it ad v antageous to you ? I f a nameless a d v e n

turer has gone down to the valleys i n a moment
o f popular frenzy if he has gone down i n defiance
,

o f law in order to i mpress the populace with the

superiorit y o f n ee d to law if as the result o f that

, ,
1 06 TH E LA D Y E C C LE SI A

impression he has gathered around himself the

,

sym p athy o f the multit u de an d if that sympathy ,

should take final Shape in rising an d re v olt will ,

n o t that be more adverse to your claims than any

domination o f the Lord o f Palatine ? I t will break

your i nfluence in the o n e sphere in whic h yo u have
—
been paramount the attachment o f the lower
”
orders .

H e had struck my father o n his weak point and ,

I saw he had made an im pression I hastened to .

counteract it o r rather to turn it into a new

,

“ ”
channel “
Yes father I said he is right ; he
.
, , ,

has spoken truly Yo u r influence has always been

.

paramo u nt among the labouring and the laden ,

among those who toil and spin I t is this whic h .

m akes yo u different from H e l le n i c u s di fferent ,

from the Lord of Palatine—I would say greater

than they I ask will you sacri fice this i nfluence ?
.
,

Will y o u stand before this island b efore all ages ,

as the cham pion o f those who would O ppress the

v alleys ? Wi ll you allow it to be said by con
temporaries by posterity that Moses be n Israel
, ,
-

offered a reward for the apprehension o f the man

who had tried to help the helpless ? I t is not the
bribe that I deprecate I have no fear that any .

man i n the valleys would be s o mean as to take it

’
I acce p t to the full the cha p lain s test ; I sh a ll
 C H A PT E R X I I

IN F R ON T OF TH E A CC US E R

’
T was the n ext day at noon and all my father s
,

house had gathered i n the grounds The .

Lord o f Palati ne had accepted the p r O po sa l o f

the C haplain ; the reward had been placarded i n
the v alleys My father was there and C aiaphas
.
, ,

and I ; all the domestic retainers were there ;

there was a full representation o f o u r family tree .

I t will surprise the reader o f these memoirs to

learn that o f all the party I was the only u n
concerned spectator . T he reverse might have
been expected I alone knew the secret I alone
. .

knew certainly that these valleys had something

to disclose I alone had evidence that the scene
.

o f the pestilence had been actually i nvaded Nay . ,

I was myself o n e o f the v ery parties for whom

the l a w was in search ; i f any o n e was g u ilty I ,

was Yet there was not in my mind a tremor

.

o f an xie t y as to the futility of the result I had

.

1 08
 I N F R O NT O F THE A C C US ER 1 09

no fear that the v alleys would betray the m an

who had been their benefactor ; and i f they did ,

I had no fear that one s o great cou l d be betrayed .

To associate hi m with the danger o f death was

im p ossible . I could think o f hi m as su ffering ;
i t w a s there I had seen his highest beauty But .

suffering was a form o f life ; the very greatness

o f his pain might be meas u red by the great
ness o f his Vitality D eath was a negative thing
.
,

a powerless thing a thing remote from either

,

pain o r j o y My hero cou ld not die ; he could

.

feel he could weep he could groan in spi rit ;

, ,

but he could not die I laughed in my heart

.

at the attempt to track him .

And here while we are waiting at the fence

, ,

and my narrative is for a space s u s p ended let ,

me answe r a question which I am s u re m u st , ,

be pressing o n the mind o f all who shall read

these pages .D oubtless it will seem to m any
that my cond u ct throughout this episode has
been pre eminently unsatisfactory
-
T hey will .

say ! Knowing yourself to be o n e o f the agents

in this revolt from existing law and professing , ,

as you do to be an ad mirer of the deed why did

, ,

”
y o u not confess it ? I answer Because I w a s
“
,

”
an a d mirer o f the deed Looking back on e v ery
.

ho u r o f that and the p re v io u s day I p rotes t ,

1 10 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

solemnly that there was not a moment i n whic h

I was not prepared to lay down my life for my
convictions I declare before God that in the
.

white glow o f my emotion I wo u ld like one o f ,

my ancestors have forgotten the pain even o f a

,

fiery fu rnace But what then of the valleys ? what

.

o f the work of that m an who had to me taken

the place of the divine ? Was his bene v olence

to be interrupted by a premature disclosure that ,

I might enjoy the luxury of self s a c r i fi c e ? Was -

I to be allowed the selfis h pleas u re o f expressing

my devotion when by its expression the gates
,

o f charity would have been shut for evermore ?

My confession would have exploded the mine

of latent love Ye who talk o f the dread o f
.

martyrdom I would have you to remember that

,

’
love s greatest m artyrdom is the prohibition to
sacrifice .I would hav e yo u to know that the
most drastic moment the heart has to bear is
the moment o f its o w n restraint and that i ts ,

tears are never s o bitter as when it is com

p e l l e d to swallow them My ti me
. o f deepest
sacrifice was prec isely the moment when I
made n o Sign .

A quarter o f an ho u r had p asse d T he eyes of .

C aiaphas were straining towards the gate o f the

v alley My thoughts were far away I w as so
. .
1 1 2 THE LADY E CC LE S I A

threatened betrayal o f him whom I idolised I .

had no fear that he co u ld be taken even S ho u ld

he be disclosed What I did fear was that m y
.

discovery my arrest Should strike terror into

, ,

the v alleys and paralyse o n the v ery threshold

,

the influence o f that beautiful life whose c o n

tact had promised them the dawning o f a new
day .

”
Y o u have answered the placard s aid C aiaphas , ,

addressing the slouching figure not without an ,

accent o f contem pt .

”
Yes he replied I have obeyed the summ ons
, ,

”
o f yo u r most holy o ffice .

“
Y o u hav e inform ation to give as to the
valleys
”
“
I have .

“
Were yo u the night before last i n the presence
, ,

”
o f any man who was a stranger to you ?
”
A m a n ? I doubt if it was a m an .

No quibbling F o r your o w n safety you have

.

already confessed too much without confessing

all What stranger did you see i n the valley the
.

”
night before last ?
“
I have no wish to conceal ! out how can I
tell ? I know nothing like him by which I can
”
describe him .

What name did he give ?

 IN F RO NT O F T H E A CCU SE R 1 1 3

“
H e gave no nam e b u t the valleys hav e gi v en
,

hi m a n ame they have called hi m their deli v erer ,

their saviou r ; they have called hi m Jesus ; there

’
are some who s a y King Jesus ‘
.

“
H a ! We begin to s e e light at last At last .

the Lord o f Palatine wi ll know his friends and

reward the m And what has this man done that
.

they Should call hi m king

“
A S I said I doubt if he be a man ; he has
,

!
c u red the pestilence .

”
C ured the pestilence ? H o w ?
“
By the power of his own presence I have .

ne v er seen such a presence The Lord o f Palati ne .

is like a child beside it ; his brother H el le n i c u s i s

”
like an a p e beside it .

“
S ilence miscreant or you are a dead m an
, , .

You are come here not as his herald b u t as his ,

acc u ser H aving told so m u ch y o u must tell more

.
, .

When this rebel had persuaded the men o f the

v alley that he had healed them what did he ask ,

by way o f recompense
”
T he Signature of a bond .

“
H a ! A bond o f allegiance ; the light is
broadening deepening And what did yo u Sign
, .

”
in this bond ?
”
“
I refused to Sign .

“
Very g ood yo u w ere a fraid of the p u nishment
1 1 4 TH E LA D Y E C C LE S I A

of treason A nd what was the compact which you

.

were asked to Sign which others did Sign ?

,

I t was a promise to band together for the

”
ministration to the wants of the valley .

A treasonable guild in other words H ad you , .

any weapons with you ?

”
None .

Were yo u fu rnished with any ?

“

”
None .

“
D id yo u take anything a way from the secret
”
meeting which y o u did not bring into it ?
”
I did not some did .

What ?
E ach who signed the bond recei ved a little v ial
”
with a mysterious liquid .

I see a quicker remedy than the sword som e

deadly poison Now comes my crucial question
. .

Look round the retainers o f this house ; scan

their features carefully an d tell me if yo u recog
,

n ise any face to day as o ne which was present

-

”
there .

I drew a free breath S ome people overshoot .

the m ark C aiaphas had aimed too low I t had .

never occurred to hi m to look higher than a

retainer Would Judas keep strictly within the
.

compass o f the question ? C ould I trust him to

answer just s o much and no m ore ? No God had
,
1 1 6 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

these retainers I have reason to know that e v ery

.

o n e of those servants was elsewhere in that

eventful hour and had no participation either in
,

its j oy o r in its pain T hat is my pledge H ave

. .

you ever known me to be untrue ? Will yo u not

”
tr u st me till the time comes ?
“
Be it said C aiaphas and the sooner it “

”
comes the better Turning to Judas he said
.
, ,

C an you give m e any indication when and where

”
this man is to be fo u nd ?
There is a thanksgiving service to night for the -

c u re o f the v alleys and at the close he has asked

,

Peter bar Jon a and the two sons o f ! ebedee to

-

”
meet him in the O i lpr ess Garden .

”
And could you undertake to identify hi m ?
”
I n a crowd o f m illions .

“
Then the pestilential v alleys must be braved
for once .B e at the garden gate at the close
o f the hou r o f evening song I shall myself .

hasten to bear the tidings to the Lord o f

”
Palatine .

The result o f t he meeting had been to m e more

fav ourable than I had reason to e x pect I had .

passed through the fire and had come o u t unh u rt

,
.

I had escaped without Shame without meanness , ,

without denial of my convictions I had not only .

averted the b low from m y self whi c h m eant th e ca u se

,
 I N F RO NT O F T H E AC CUS E R 1 1 7

I professe d ; I had succeeded i n vindicating even

against C aiaphas the protective power of law over
the meanest subject True the m an o f the valleys
.

had been betrayed tracked purs u ed ; but I had

, ,

n o fear for lz i m My hero could not die ; it was

.

n o t possible that death should hold him ; I told

myself again and again that it was impossible .

Above all I had done something to express my

,

de v otion I n words which none but myself could

.

u nderstand I had pledged myself to m ake the

,

’
ho u r o f this man s arrest the signal o f my o w n
s u rrender I had prom ised to my heart that I
.

would make the disclos u re o f my part i n thi s

transaction contingent o n the success o r failure o f
the m ovement o f J udas And all the time Go d
.
, ,

was preparing a totally different solution and was ,

leading m e by a way which I kne w not to the

adven t o f the crisis hour I was saying proudly
.

' '

to myself I shall die for lz z m for Izz m for lz z m

’
“ ”
, , , .

And Go d was saying ! “

Your love for him ,

E cclesia would be more devoted if it were less

,

rom antic You r o ffer o f surrender is beautiful !

.

but is it perfect ? Y o u will com e if the sun goes

down ; very good B ut what if only the ca n d l e
.

shall go o u t ? what if merely the ta p er shall be

exting u ished ? H av e y o u realised that s u rrender
is not complete when it is given on ly to the
1 1 8 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

highest ? I nasmuch as you shall do it unto the

least you shall do it u nto him
, You have
.

a chapter o f the Book of Life yet to learn ,

E cclesia ; I shall lead yo u into the palace by

”
another door .
1 20 TH E LADY E CC L E SI A

who had no s u ch emotion no such lining against ,

the storm .I ought to have remembered how

m uc h m ore t oilsome the m ar c h is when there is
no music I ought to hav e thrown myself down
.

into the position o f those b elow me to have seen ,

with their eyes and felt w ith their hearts I might .

try to do it still .

Ph oebe was n ot o f o u r clan I had received .

her into my ser v ice from the hou se o f H e l le ni cu s ,

o n whose estate her ancestors had fo r cent u ries

been retai ners S he had herself cau ght m u ch o f

.

the atmos p here o f that house —its habitual search

fo r sunshine an d its c onstant recoil from p ain
, .

I ha v e often been str u ck in houses with t he

resemblance between ser v ants and their masters .

I was str u ck with it in Ph oebe S he was like .

H e lle n i cu s o n a lower plane B u t Si xteen years .

o f age s h e was yo u nger in mind than i n body

, .

H er characteristic feature was youthfu lness S he .

accepted the sunshine as a right and recei v ed the ,

clo u d as a breach o f faith S he took fine weather .

for granted and looked upon the overcast s ky as

,

a p ersonal i njury T he res u lt was that when the

.

rain did fall it fell heavi ly .

I t fell heavily now I fo u nd her o n the floor

.

i n p aroxysms o f terror wringing her hands de ,

s pa i r i n g ly and sobbing wildly

,
I t u rned o u t all .
 P H CE B E 1 21

her fellow ser v ants who had gathered as spectators ;

-

I knew that at such times the v oice o f one is better

than the m u rm u r o f a multitude I fo u n d She was
.

obli v ious o f everything that h ad happened during

the meeting . Perha p s it wo u ld be more correct
to sa y that s he had never observed anything ,

T here was only o n e i mage i n her m ind — the fig u re

o f C aiaphas as he asked the betrayer to scrutinise

the faces o f the household . S he had com e in a

state o f tremor ; s h e had rem ained in a state o f
v acancy ; she had left i n a state o f nightm are .

I m ade her s i t do w n o n the couch and talked

,

to her soothingly . I had little success S he .

Seemed i nca p able O f being calmed . They wi ll

“

think I hav e been t here ! T hey will b u rn m e they ,

”
will burn m e ! was her constant c r y I t was
.

in vain I told her that s h e had nothing to fear .

I t was in v ain I assured her that I had myself

the p ower to av ert a l l suspicion from her that I ,

ha d evidence to prove s h e was not there There .

are dee p s o f su ffering that lie beneath all nat u ral

comfort and they are by no m eans confined to
,

those sorrows for which there is an adequate

cau se I f yo u let the ner v es go to o lo w a trifle
.
,

will hav e the same effect as a tragedy .

All at once a thought struck m e ; it was the

memo r y o f that little v i al which had c ome to m e
1 22 T H E LADY E C C L E SI A

in my d ream H ad h e not said it would help

.

my sisters and brothers ? had I not felt in myself

’
its power to m ake bold ? I f Ph oebe s mind had
n o t been a blank to what had happened it would ,

have been a dangerous suggestion ; but it w a s a

blank I would try I pressed it to her lips and
. .

m ade her swallow a fe w drops I n an instant .

s h e was calm T he frightened expression left her

.

face ; the intelligence returned B y an d by She .

- -

s a t up and a gleam o f interest shone in her eyes

,
.

“
What did the m an go down to the valleys
”
for ? She said .

“
I believe he went do w n to help people who
were like y o u —i n great distress .
”

And why are they s o angry with him ?

“
Because there was a law m ade that no m an
”
Should go and he has braved the law
, .

“
But why was such a law m ade ? Was it ki nd
to leave the people o f the v alleys without
comfort
”
I think not Ph oebe , .

’
“
And wasn t it good o f him to go down when
everybody else stood back ?
”
I think it was supremely good .

“
And will they punish him for hav ing so m u ch
lo v e
”
“
I f they find him they will pu t him to death
,
.
1 24 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

habitually so m onopolising that I cannot be quite,

sure I was altogether free from such a twinge .

B u t i f it was there i t was at once expelled

, .

”
Ph oebe I said
,
“
I s ee this liquid has done
,

you good Keep it by yo u during the d ay

. .

Use it all if y o u will ; I shall only ask back

the little Vial as it is a gift from a v ery dear
,

”
friend I do hope it will complete your cure
. .

I t was a tri vi al act but since I had seen the

, ,

man o f the valleys it was the most solemn I

,

ha d yet performed H itherto I had only r ecei v ed

.

his influence ; now for the first time I had i m pa r ted

it
. S omething o f his had passed from my hand
i nto the hand o f another Little did I know .

how awfu l thi s m oment really was Little did .

I dream that I was standing o n the brink o f

a tremendous destiny touching the crisis ho u r
,

o f all my life Little did I g u ess that the tiny

.

V ial which I m eant to reclaim in the evening

wo u ld ne v er come back to my hand any more ,

and that when next I should se e it it wo u ld

, ,

be B u t let me not anticipate .

The day wore o n with its ro u nds and duties .

My father and I dined alone C aiaphas had .

gone to carry his report to the Lord o f Palatine .

To me the remo v al o f his presence was always

the lifting o f a clo u d ; to my father it was the
 P H CE B E 1 2
5

changing o f a V ie w I in v ariably remarke d that

.

when C ai aphas was absent he becam e more large

i n his sympathies an d more tender in his j udg
ments . To m e the memory o f this day whose ,

afternoon he and I passed together will always ,

be o n e o f the sunbeams in my life My secret .

did not press upon me with the same intensity

as it did yesterday ; I felt that already it was
half out o f my hands And then the n e w life
i nto which I had entered so far from dimm ing
,

the o l d had lent to the o l d a golden hue I think

, .

I ne ver loved my father so m u ch as that afternoon ,

never came s o near to hi m in the sympathy o f

my heart O h I am glad that o n this day of
.
, ,

all days my sight o f him was fair fo r it was

, ,

the last that he and I were thus to pass together .

The day wore o n and began to wear away .

At nightfall I went o u t to the v illage adjoining

’
my father s house I wanted to call on some o f
.

the cottagers o n their return from daily toil I n .

the o l d d ays this would have been my hour for

study ; but now my heart needed more My .

father wished m e to take P h oebe with me for

company in the night ; but I resolutely refused .

I pointed to her nervous excitement I pointed .

to the clearness o f the heavens — to the stars

sh i nin g i n th eir s tr en g th to t he silvery moo n
,
I 26 THE LA D Y E C C L E SI A

in the s ky and o n the waters I pointed abo v e .

,

all to the love which would com e to the people

,

from seeing they were trusted by their superiors .

And the last arg u ment prevailed ; my father let

me go I cannot but remark here o n what small
.

threads o u r destiny is suspended I f I had taken .

P hoebe with me the sequel would never have

,

been written as it is written I would have entered.

by my o wn door— the door I had planned for

mysel f Go d meant me to enter by H is door
.
,

and He wrought o u t H is purpose by a trivial

’
circumstance O u r threads are God s chains
. .

I made my rounds in the v illage and bent my

steps home w ard I t was a gorgeous night v ery
.
,

unlike that in which I had m ade my descent

i nto the v alleys T here seemed to be a promise
.

in the air We speak almost proverbially o f the

.

calm before the storm I suppose the phrase is .

generally uttered in cynicism to suggest the ,

deceitfulness o f hope To my Vi ew there is

.

nothing in which Go d i s m ore kind I do not .

belie v e that rest is merely o r even mainly valuable

when it comes at the end o f the jo u rney To .

me it is most welcom e when it precedes the

labour o f the day Looking back through the
.

glass o f memory I thank God for this night I t

, .

was a draught o f pure water given to o n e who

1 28 THE LA D Y E CC L E SI A

that he had been baffled .H ow I sho u ld li ke

to hear hi m tell it I ran thro u gh the a venue
.

’
with the step of my last night s dream ; I reached
the house door S uddenly my heart stood still
. .

I t was no longer the hom e which I had left .

T here were torches blazing o n the lawn . The

hall was full o f soldiers and between two o f
,

them stood a prisoner ; it was my little m aid

Ph oebe.
 C HAPTE R XIV

TH E CON F E S S I ON B E F ORE M EN

HEN I recovered from my first start my ,

im mediate feeling was o n e of indignation .

I turned to the captain of the gu ard H ow dare .

”
yo u ,
I said invade the house of a peaceable
,
“

—
C itizen a house whose fam ily tree i s ol d er than
any in the islan d
”
“
W hom have I the honour of addressing ? said
the captain .

“
I am the Lady E cclesi a daughter o f Moses
,

”
h e n I srael ; this is my father
-
an d I pointed to
,

hi m as he stood fronting the group with c o u n te

n ance pale but c alm .

I am sorry that I have been com pelled to Show

to your father an act o f seem ing disrespect but it ,

is my office to O bey com m ands ”

“
Y o u are under com mands to leave this house
”
im mediately .

1 29

9
1 30 TH E L A D Y E CC L E S I A

These are brave words my Lady but there is ,

”
a power in the island higher than yours .

“
Yes a wonderful power a m ilitary power o f
, ,

the first order a power that can enter the defence

,

less home o f one o f its own subj ects a power that ,

can surroun d a g irl o f si xteen with a band o f

soldiers and with resistless might carry her away
,

to prison I always knew that the Lord o f Palatine

.

was great but I never thought him S O strong

,

”
a s this.

T he captain o f the gu ard turned to my father .

”
“
I make allowance he said for the I m pulse o f
, ,
“

youth ; but I am bound to tell you that the .

language o f your daugh ter exceeds either propriety

o r prudence and might be used against you by
,

”
o n e desiring your hu rt .

”
“
E cclesia said my father I am afraid the “
, ,

time has gone by for anger We are in a very .

critical position C ai aphas who has not yet r e

.
,

turned made his report to day W hat im pressed

,
-
.

the Lord o f Palatine beyond e v erythin g else was

the distribution o f the Vials H e fears they m ay .

contai n either a secret poison o r a secret influence ,

and he has given orders to search for them in

every house of the island and to arrest all with ,

whom they may be found T hey have searched .

”
my house and have found o n e .
1 32 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

be her motive ? I n a moment it broke upon m e

it was to Shield m e The instinct o f the heart often
.

makes u s cle verer than the p ower o f the brain .

’
Ph oebe s brain was not strong but her heart had ,

seen it all With the piercing accu racy o f de v otion

.

s h e had put together the scattered threads and

recognised my d anger I had become to her what.

the m an o f the valleys had been to me Shall I not

rather s a y that he had shone to her tkr oug /z m e .

H er first call to sacri fice had com e to her in the

need of a fellow mortal
-
.

And s o had m ine I t was at this awful moment

.

’
that I first learned the divergence between H eaven s
way and my way I had decided i n my heart that
.
,

if ever I sho u ld surrender it would be for h i m ,

— for him personally indivi d ually distinctively , ,

.

Heav en had decided that he should be represented

to m e by another and that other amongst the
,

lowliest I was C alled to give my life not for the

.
,

man o f the va l leys b u t for this humble m aiden

, ,

this servi ng girl this m ost co m monplace and u n

-
,

romantic of all personages N or even for her was .

it a sacrifice that was asked from me I t was .

an act o f common honesty without which I would ,

have been the vilest meanest b asest o f mankind

, ,
.

Truly the gates o f Go d are not all gates o f gold .

All this p assed through the m ind quicker than

 TH E C O NF E SSI O N B E F O RE M E N 1 33

words can tell and m ade no appreciable pause in

,

the stirring scene O n my part there was not

.

’
a m oment s hesitation n o t a breath o f dubiety , .

There was only o n e course to be taken ; it had

all the pain b u t not the merit o f a sacrifice I
, , .

stepped forward to do the on ly thing which honou r

could do E very o n e looked surprised as I a p
.

a h d the captai n o f the guard

p r o c e .

”
I have something to tel l you I said o f great , ,

i mportance B u t b efore I do s o I have an act of

.
,

reparation to perform I s p oke to you j ust now

.

with much rudeness and with m arked discour

tesy I had no idea you had so good a case I
. .

blamed you for discharging your duty Y o u were .

right and I was w rong Accept my apology and

,
.

”
forgive m e .

”
D o not speak o f it my Lady he replied , it ,
“

was all m ost natural o n your part I deeply regret .

that you have been put so much about I can .

assure yo u that no o n e susp e cts yo u or your

estee m ed father of knowing anything o f this dis
grace ful business nor shall any expressions used
,

in the heat o f excitement ever be retailed by m e .

”

D id I wince as he uttered these words ? I f I

d id it was not from shame but from the sense of
, ,

being an unconscious deceiver I t is v ery painful .

t o b e r ece iv e d u n d e r a fal se ideal H ow ab solutely .

1 34 THE LA D Y E C C L E SI A

this m an had m istaken my position was known

only to myself and the fact pressed upon me with
,

the weight o f a solitary burden I believe nothing .

hurts a m an o r a woman like the i mpression o f

having been deceived .

”
“
An d n ow I said I must ask you to release
, ,
“

this poor little girl Perhaps you think the calm

.

n ess and coolness of the demand m ore aggravating

than the angry heat Nay but never fear ; I shall
.
,

not send you back empty handed to the Lord o f -

Palatine I f I ask you to release this girl it is not

.
,

because I would rob the law o f its penalty I t .

is because I have the proof o f her innocence ; it is

”
because I have discovered the guilty party .

A thrill o f sensation ran through the hall ;

my father looked startled ; every servant looked
ghastly . S he knows nothing about it cried the
prisoner ! what should s h e know ? H av eyou not
proof enough that it w a s I ? H ave you not fo u nd
the Vial in my hands ? H ave I not refused to tell
where I got it ? W ho else in this house could
have been with the man of the valleys
”
D ear Ph oebe I said those who h ave been
“
, ,
“

with the man o f the valleys dare not sacrifice truth

”
even for love .

”
Lady E cclesia said the captain I am aware
“
, ,

w hat a p ainful thing it must be for y ou to im p licate

1 36 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

lift their burdens I s a w the weeping made to

.

laugh and the sighing m ade to sing I heard .

words that man n ever spoke to man —s o simple

were they s o hum an I beheld the foremost of
,
.

the healed write their names in his roll book and -

bind themselves to the service of the s a d I saw .

them fill the Vials with that mysterious draught o f

which unconsciously yo u are the bearer
, , He .

would n ot let me Sign he would not let m e taste ,

within the valleys for I was a child o f the uplands

, ,

and the burden o f the vale was all its o w n But .

when I lay within these walls he came to me ,

again in a second dream H e brought me the .

scroll ; he brought me the elixir ; and I gave him

my name and he gave me his c u p and I was
, ,

”
bound to him for evermore .

T he sensation produced by these words was

appalling but it was very different in nature from
,

what I had expected I had expected cries o f .

astonishment voices o f reproach perhaps even

, ,

expressions o f personal alarm I n any case I .

expected that the interest would centre in my

'

n a r r a l zv e To my utter bewilderment I alone was

.
,

the object o f solicitude T here was only o n e .

impression and it found v oice i n my father H e

,
.

put his arm round me an d addressed the captain o f

,

’ ”
the guar d D on t y ou S ee he cried m y poor
.
“
, ,
 THE C O NF E SSI O N B E F ORE M EN 1 37

C hild is m ad H er nerves have got above her body

. .

E ver si n ce the d ay o f the conclave s h e has had the

v alleys on the brain S he has thought o f nothing
.

else dreamed o f nothing else

,
S he was always .

imaginative this child of m ine

,
When a very .

little girl She used to look o u t upon the sea and

figure a lan d beyond it ; I hav e heard her Say that
voices came to her from an opposite shore I have .

had great trouble i n getting her to see the a d v a n

tages o f this island hom e ; but for her lo v e to
myself S h e ne v er wou ld have seen it An d n o w .

this story o f the v alleys has s e t her altogether o n

fire and made every fancy real Whoe v er heard o f .

an actual Vial being given in a dream ?

”
“
Y es ,
said Phoebe S h e must be m ad T he
,
“
.

Vial was g o t from my hands S he says She gave .

it to me Where then did S h e get it ? I t could

.

”
never have come as s /ze says .

”
“
T he prisoner has hit the point said the ,

captain . I f a Vial containing a suspected liquid

“

w ere fo u nd in the possession o f the Lady E cclesia ,

an d if S h e asserted that She obtained that liquid

from the suspected source I would be bound to ,

arrest her o n the charge however incongruo u s her

,

o wn n arrati v e m ight be B ut in the present

.

instan ce the v ial is not found i n the possession o f

th e Lad y E c clesi a I t is foun d i n the ha n ds o f a
.
1 38 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

serving maid -
T he Lady E cclesia professes to
.

have given it to her but she has failed to Show ,

that it ever could have been hers I have no .

alternative therefore but to consider a preliminary

case established against the serving m aid and to -

”
take her into my custody .

’
The smile o n Ph oebe s face was positively
radiant My o w n nerves were in a Violent state
.

o f te n sion T hose who called m e m ad had nearly

.

mad e me so I n the meantime the excitement .

rather sharpened than blunted m e I saw that my .

line o f self prosecution had from a worldly point

-
,

o f View been weak and I sought another

,
I was
, .

determ ined at all hazards to save this girl .

”
Listen I said addressing the captain o f the
, ,

guard ; I shall produce the evidence o f a sane

“

wom an . I shall give you a proof beyond all

controversy that I speak the words of truth and
soberness T here is one who both c a n and will
.

tell you that I was in the valley that night There .

are hundreds who could but would n o t this m an ,

c a n and will
,
None o f yo u r band will dispute his
.

testimony you have taken him for your ally your ,

detective guide H e has gone to night to help .

-

C aiaphas in his fruitless searc h H e shall never .

find the m an he seeks ; but he c a n find m e A s k .

J ud a s I scario t whether he di d o r d i d no t see me

1 49 THE LA D Y E CC LE S I A

the honour o f his family and such a conviction ,

of the link bet w een honour and liberty that to ,

interfere with the independence o f his house was

to him the calamity o f calamities I think he was .

about to speak From h i s point o f V iew there

.

was indeed something to s a y ; if there was not

evidence to arrest there was surely as little to
,

restrain But all fut u re discussion was c u t short

.

by the sound o f hurriedly approaching footsteps .

I kne w them ; they were those o f C aiaphas H e .

had come hom e at last come home to tell that he

was baffled beaten ousted ; come hom e to say
, ,

that the object o f his search had esca ped him as

the chariot o f o n e o f my ancestors is said to have
esca p ed the pursuit of death S o I told myself s o .
,

I had always told myself T here was n o t in my .

m ind there was not in my heart one shadow of

, ,

doubt .There are som e m inds e v en in common

life whom we cannot for a moment associate with
the thought of death We c a n think o f them as .

labouring as heavy laden as doing any amount o f

,
-
,

work o r bearing any amount o f pain ; but not as

,

losing power not as passing i nto negation S o in

,
.
,

an intensely exaggerated form was it with my ,

thought o f fi l m I could believe i n anything about

.

hi m that involved life howeve r painful however , ,

t ear fu l it might b e Bu t t o think o f hi m a s c easin g

.
 THE C O N FE SSI O N B E FOR E M EN 1 41

to be to associate hi m with something which was

,

neither pleasure nor pain neither work nor weari

,

n ess to imagine him as Simply passive inert

, , ,

pulseless a harp with strings unswept by any ba n d

,

— i t was a thing i m possible .

The steps drew nearer T hey were n o t s o Slow

.

and languid as I wo u ld have expected from a

disappointed man ; but I remembered that rage
often gives o n e the power o f cheerfulness H e .

entered with flushed face and gleam ing eyes .

”
“
Well said the captain o f the guard
, what ,
“

”
success have y o u had ? C aia p has waved his
”
hand . T he sacrifice fo r the valleys he cried
“
, ,

”
“
has at last been fo u nd he is taken he is taken , .

I t was the last weight o n an already overburdened

brain The ground shook beneath me ; my limbs
.

trembled ; the faces grew di m ; the lamps went

out o n e by o n e ; there was a sound in my ears
like the rending o f rocks ; I uttered o n e long loud , ,

despairing shriek and I knew n o m ore

, .
 C H APT E R XV

IN WA RD WA N D E RI N GS

H E R E am I ? Where is anybody ? I am
all alone lying o n the hall floor ; the
,

very lights are out O h I remember ! my G o d.

, ,

I remember ! C aiaphas brought the news and I ,

fainted I hear the words still ! He is taken he

.
“
,

”
is taken I did not think he co u ld be taken but
.

i s he less beautiful to me for that ? O h no It .

was not for being supernatural I loved him but ,

for being more natural than other people Who .

should be with hi m n ow if not 1 ? H e told me

that my trouble made a mark o n him why should
n o t his trouble m ake a mark on me ? An d it
does I hear him c alling through the night
.
“
Ec .

”
c le s i a
,
could you not watch with me o n e hour ?
The words come clearly vividly I must go I , . .

know the guard house ; I know where they have

-

taken him I must leave at once I f my father

. .

comes back he w ill n o t let me go ; he will say I

,
1 44 THE L A D Y E CC L E S I A

memory the refrai n o f words familiar ! I have the “

keys of death and the grave and I have s e t before ,

”
you an open door .

I am speeding now through the night with rapid

step I am impatient but not weary I t is not
.
, .

the length o f the way that disturbs me ; it is the

Shortness of the time I have read that the s u n .

once stood still in the m idst o f a battle I wish he

wo u ld arrest his j ourney in this battle o f my heart .

I f I cannot arrive before the dawn I m ay be too ,

late I f I could only learn how long I have ! S ee

.
'

who i s this coming ? I s it possible ? Yes ; it i s

Peter bar Jona H e must have escaped from the
-
.

valley when the detective party came o u t ; I

'

remember he was to meet lz z uz after the hou r o f

evening song H e wi ll tell me all about it But
. .

why does he r u n s o fast ? S t 0 p Peter stop but , ,

for a moment ; where have you left the man o f the

”
valleys ? What does he s a y ? H e has not been
with him ? N ot with him ? N o t with hi m at the
evening song ? N o t with him i n the O i lp r e s s
Garden ? And now he is gone ; he seems afrai d
to be q u estioned H e is hurrying back o ver the
.

road by which I have come I w ish I could get .

forward as quick as he gets back .

Whole hours must have gone by ; but there is

no hint of dawn A m an o p ened a window a few
.
 I NWA R D W A N D E R I N G S 1 45

minutes ago and cried Watchman what o f the ,

“
,

”
night ? and I heard the answer clearly The ,
“

”
night is far spent ; the day is at hand Yet I .

see n o Sign o f it R ather it seems to m e as if

.

the dark were deepening T he stars are going o u t .

o n e by o n e just as the lamps went o u t i n my

,

’
father s hall when C ai aphas brought tidings o f the
capture I c a n no longer go so fast ; my steps a r e
.

less clear to me I t is n o t weariness m akes m e

.

go slow but the s lowness m akes me grow weary .

My heart is dragging my whole body after it and ,

the weight is terrible I must take out my little

.

vial O h I forgot ; I have it n o more ; it is with

.
,

the captai n o f the guard .

T he last star is gone ; it is dark — deeply dark .

I can go no farther Let m e li e down on this

.

little bit o f grass o n which I tr éa d I t is no rest .

,
'
for my heart is travelling all the time O Fa ther .
,

my Father help m e !
, I am broken beaten , ,

wounded ; I have none but T hee Aid m e not .

,

to quietness but to m ovement Thou hast myriad

, .

lights in T hy dwelling ; spare me but one S end

me but a flicker but a gleam but a flash o f T hine
, ,

eye across the night My spirit cannot rest just

.

now i n green pastures ; it c a n have no repose but

in the wings of a dove .

But Go d has m a de m e to lie down I have .

1 4 6 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

slept o n the green grass and spite o f myself I feel , , ,

stronger Yet there is no change i n the night ;

.

it is still starless What shall I do ? S hall I try

.

to grope my way until I meet the dawn ? Hark !

I hear footsteps approaching— fi r m clear resolute , ,

footsteps Who c a n it be that walks the night s o

.

quickly that treads the dark with s o little fear ?

,

H e seems to be comi ng from the direction where

I am going Will it be another like Peter bar
.

Jona who has escaped from the garden instead

,

o f following to death ? H e does not appear to

s ee m e ; he is passing m e by No wonder i n .
,

such darkness I shall call to him . .

H e has heard me ; he is coming I say He .

because I am sure it must be a m an ; his step

reveals it “
Pardon me s i r for detaining you ;
.
, ,

but did you hear anything o f a prisoner who was

taken to the guard — house to night -

Why does he not answer ? I listen i n vai n for

his voice I cannot see his fa c e But what i s this .

warmth that is stealing over m e I feel a garment .

thrown around me and i n the comparative heat ,

I learn for the first time that I have been cold .

I won d er what right he has to treat me as a

pauper Am I not the Lady E cclesia ? Am I
.

to be indebted to a stranger for com mon charity ?

A n d i s it not p resum p tion i n this stran g er to give
1 48 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

”
“
E cclesi a !
H e speaks and doubt is gone I f , .

he had spoken two minutes sooner I would have ,

died — died o f ecstasy But the bread o f j oy has .

been broken to me by degrees I have had the .

Sleep and the footsteps and the garment and the

, , ,

hand ; and now I c a n bear the voice S peak .

“

to m e agai n ; s a y it once more that I m ay know ,

I am not dreami ng O h I have been seeking .

,

you s o long so wearily ! C an the moment o f my

,

despair be the moment o f o u r meeting ? I was

com ing to watch with you and you have come to ,

w atch with m e I might have known you could

.

not be taken I m ight have known my first

.

thought w a s the only true one I always said you .

would pass death by like my ancestor E lij ah ,

!

why was I s o foolish as to listen to C aiaphas

H e speaks and with the sound o f his voice
,

“
breaks the long expected d awn -
N ot like your .

ancestor E cclesia this night hav e I com e to you

, ,
.

H e passed death by ; I have passed through it .

Y o u start you tremble ! why ?

,
Are you afraid
to think o f m e as having had a moment o f i m
potence ? E cclesia I had not p erfect power in ,

you r island without that moment Listen ; I will .

tell you a secret U nti l this night there was one

.

thing which I had not learned —what it was to be

absolutely helpless D o you know how I h a ve
.
 I NWA R D W A N D ER I N G S 1 49

struggled for this experience how I have been ,

straitened unti l i t has been accom plished ? No

o n e ever strove to rise as I have striven to descend .

Men fi x thei r eyes o n the height and try to scale

it my aspi ration has been to get down Men are .

in search o f perfect knowledge ; I have sought to

learn what it is to know i mperfectly I have seen .

a great gulf between your island and the land

beyond . Y o u would not be a step nearer to us
if y o u could dry up the sea if you could touch o u r
,

hands with your han ds What was it to your

.

valleys that I stood in the m idst o f thei r sorro w s ?

What was it to them that I bore the m arks o f thei r
pestilence ? I t proved my power ; that w a s the
Very thing which to the valleys m ade m e weak .

They said What is the pestilence to lz i m ? H a s

,

he the dimness o f o u r eye and the dulness o f ,

o ur ear and the faintness o f o u r heart ? C an

,

’
the same m arks m ake the same soul ? And
truly they were right I took their cross but
.
,

not thei r cu p ; their burden but not their weak ,

ness ! my thorn was the thorn o f the rose I felt .

that the rose must die if I would reign over human

hearts I felt that e xcept a corn o f wheat fall i nto
.

the ground it must abide alone E cclesi a I have

, .
,

touched the ground to n i g h t the common ground

- w -
,

the ground where the valleys and the uplands

1 5 0 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

meet I have reached the limit o f hum an help

.

lessness the base o f hum an impotence

, I have .

descended the last height that m ade m e more than

m an I have learned the mystery o f mortal
.

weakness ; I hav e all sympathy and therefore I ,

”
have all power .

And now I am clas p ing hi s hands in the ecstasy

o f possession ; I feel them p ierced with wounds .

O h do not leav e m e do n o t leave m e ! Take m e

, ,

with yo u ; I cannot live without you My soul .

pants for yo u my heart longs for yo u more than

for the m orni n g I have watched for you I care .

not where you lead m e I will go with y o u into .

the meanest hovel I will follow yo u into the most

,

pestilential valley T o be with y o u is to be in

.

’
paradise to be without y o u is to be in my heart s
everlasting fi r e—u n s a ti s fi e d love At however far .

”
a distance only s a y that I m ay follow you
, .

H as he refused ? S o sweetly that I hardly

know it i s a refusal Not yet E cclesia ; not yet
.
, .

The place i s not ready for you yet I have sti ll .

to bind the girdle of sympathy which I have put

round the dust o f your island —to bind i t to the
’
other side o f the sea I n my father s house are
.

m any m ansions and I wou ld not have o n e o f them

,

foreign to yo u E cclesia I would not have you r

, .

eye to rest upon a scene unfamiliar upon a light ,

15 2 T H E L A D Y E CC LE S I A

dawn i s Spreading i ts gold ; the garish day is

coming an d the islan d forms may rouse m e into
,

”
lesser life As I speak there breaks over his
.

countenance a beam before which even the m orning

fades and o n my ear there fall words o f i nfinite
,

”
music C a ll that the dream and this the waking
,
“
, .

”
S hewi ll live sai d a voice by my side
, In .
“

all my profession al career it is the most m arvellous

recovery I have ever known I would have said .

a fe w minutes ago that the boundary o f hope was

past A week o f deli rium preyin g on a physically
.
,

exhausted fram e gave little promise But some

,
.

thi ng too subtle for my analysis has brought back

the life from the grave I t has been a passion .

week o f storm The waves have been beating

.

against a bank of sand and the bank o f sand has ,

”
conquered .

”
I s a w it was the physician H ave I been ill ? .
“

I said — faintly for I felt extremely weak

,
Ah ! .
“ ”

”
said the doctor her mind has ceased to wander
,
.

E xhausted as I was I began to a s k myself why ,

those who wander in mind are s o much less

.

esteemed than those who wander i n body We .

value the testimony o f travelled people if only the

travelling be outside T he m an who has explored .

every c orner o f the isla n d the man who has ,

 I NW A R D W A N D E RI N G S 1 53

gone farther than his neighbours over the sea is ,

held i n great estimation But if the wandering

.

is within if the m ind h a s left the body asleep and

,

has gone to j ourney o n its o w n account if we have

,

been p u t to death in the flesh and only quickened

in the spirit we dee m that o u r experience has
,

reaped no gain Why ? S urely in either case the

.

only question is Where have we been ? I at all

,

events had been o n a road which had brought

me back to life ; n ay which had given m e life to
,

carry back I had experienced a peace that had

.

passed medical knowledge ; my m ind had been

stayed by its o w n wanderings T here had come
.

to me o n my way something which had turned

back the shadow o n the dial which had quickened
,

the pulse o f life and renewed my term o f years .

I t was all from within But was it therefore untrue

.
,

unreal ? M ight it n o t well be that this s o called-

week o f wanderin g w a s indeed the deeper reality ,

an d that the island life to which it had sum moned

m e to return was but a distorted Shado w o f th e
night ?
 C H A PT E R XV I

H O URS OF CON VA LE S CE N CE

E
who shall read these pages whether ye ,

be natives of the island o r citizens of the

land beyond the s e a — for I feel that my record
Shall o n e day be read there — I would ha v e y o u
to know the nature o f that abnormal experience
which during this week o f su fferi n g had befallen
, ,

me T he events o f outer life had been presented

.

to me backwards ; that is to say the later had ,

been revealed before the earlier While I lay on .

that couch prostrate in body and wandering i n

,

spirit the actual life o f the island had been startled

,

by two great surprises T he first was a stroke

.

o f terror T he m an o f the valleys had been taken

.
,

and with hardly even the formality o f a trial had

, ,

expiated with h i s life the infringement of a law

o f sin H e had su ffered a mode o f death whic h
.

had been reserved for cri minals o f the valleys

the cross To me the idea o f a cross had come
.

1 54
1 5 6 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

pestilence in the vale All at once these three

.
,

men were surrounded by crowds — not o f enemies ,

but of auditors T hey proclaimed that the m an

.

o f the valleys was alive that they had seen hi m

, ,

heard his voice received his message to become

,

the ministers to the wants of m an T hey asserted .

that where two o r three met together and partook

, ,

o f the sacred vial in love and loyalty to his

n ame they had reason to believe that he would
,

be in the m idst o f them I n a short time there

.

met not two o r three but five hundred ; and

, ,

it was proclaim ed in the very heart of the uplands

that this large assembly had obtained s i m u l ta
n e o u s ly an d indubitably an apparition o f hi m who

had been dead .

T hese were the incidents o f the outside life .

Now in my s o called wanderings the same i n

-

c i d e n ts had appeared but i n the opposite order

, .

I w as i n search o f o n e whom I believed to be

alive ; I found hi m alive When I met hi m in .

the shadows o f the night it n ever occurred to ,

m e that it was anything m ore than the fulfilm ent

o f my n atural desire .I took it for granted that
he had proved himself incapable o f being slain .

T hen came his o w n startling revelation —that he

had not pa s sed by death but pas sed through it,
.

H ow did that revelation affect me ? With wonder

 H O U RS O F C O N VAL E S C E N C E 1 57

certainly with awe perhaps even with a mystic

, ,

dread — but n o t with depression I had no doubt .

whatever of either o f the facts I believed him .

to be alive o n the evidence o f my consciousness ;

I believed hi m to have su ffered o n the testi mony
o f his o w n word. But the life was the present
fact the i mmediate fact
,
H ow could I be
.

depressed ? I f you were to awake som e morning

from a deep sleep and were to be told that during
,

the night you had been subj ected to a se v ere

physical operation from which y o u had emerged
,

free from pain and full o f vigour how would ,

yo u regard that operation ? C ertainly not as

a subject for tears T he calamity whatever it
.
,

was would be a thing o f the p as t S o was it

, .

with m e The power o f this m an resurrection

.

had to m e preceded the fellowship o f his sufferings .

I had been presented with a leaf o f sum mer before

I was asked to tread the winter snow The .

result was that the winter itself w a s disarmed o f

its sti ng I t was full o f singing birds redolent
.
,

o f the breath o f fl owers The event to whic h

.
,

a week ago I had looked forward with dism ay ,

had ceased to be a prospect o f any kind I t had .

becom e a retrospect seen from the top o f the

,

hill and i nvested with the glory o f the sunlight .

To y ou therefore who shall r ead t hese page s

, ,
1
5 8 THE LA D Y E CC L ES I A

the thing which surprised my nursin g attendants

will be no surprise at all—the calmness with
which I received the tidings T hey were no .

tidings to me I only received them in answer

.

to my o w n questions or rather i n corroboration ,

o f my o w n assertions T he doctor had forbidden

.

any volunteered comm u nication I was still ex .

tr e m e ly weak I was unable to keep my attention

.

long o n the stretch I had lengthened periods

.

of sleep interrupted only by short interludes o f

,

waking I t would be weeks before I was myself

.

again S ometimes my m ind lay passive and left

.
,

the senses to work alone I saw familiar forms .

flit to and fro but I beheld them with a mechanical

,

listlessness My father was in and o u t of the

.

room ; Ph oeb e was my constant attendant ; many

o f the women I had visited in the cottages ga v e

from tim e to tim e a hel p ing hand ; but I was

rarely roused to interest C aiaphas was not a d .

m i tte d ; it was feared to provoke a recurrence

o f the o l d association Medically I think this .

was a mistak e W hat I wanted was opposition

. .

E verything ha d gone to o smooth There was .

an o v er amount o f harmony between the fact

-

and the dream T here was needed something

.

to gainsay to interrupt to im pede something

, , ,

to stim u late p rogress b y sh u ttin g t he d oor a nd ,

1 60 THE LA D Y E CC L E SI A

been repeated by her unless they were first reported

”
to her ?
H ow indeed ? Yet I am not sure that it was
wholly supernatural Who c a n tell the limits o f
.

the ear ? Who c a n s a y whether in certain ,

abnormal states of m ind sounds uttered at a great

,

distance m ay not be carried to the sense The .

medical art beli eves strongly in the laws of nature !

b u t have we measured the reach o f any law o f
nature ? M ay it not be that all which we now call
supernatural m ay yet be included in the domain
o f law ?

But to return from this digression I persisted

.

in my question why the removal o f the only witness

had n ot been followed by the removal o f the
guard I was answered that the reason was
.

u nknown ; it could only be accounted for o n the

supposition that some other evidence had tran
spired T o m e this came like a refreshing gale
. .

There is a strength in the sense that o u r love shall

b e called to prove itself I n my night wanderings
.

I had been merely a recipient ; I had gone to

minister and I had ended by being ministered
,

’
unto I had lost thereby something o f life s
.

stimul u s Premature sum mer i s not good for the

.

soul I had reaped a prem ature sum mer I had

. .

come to the to p o f the hill by a road that involved

 H OU R S O F C O N VAL E SC E N C E 1 61

less than the norm al amount o f climbing I had .

’
seen the power o f this m an s r es u r r ecri ou ; I had
been no real participant i n the fellowshi p o f his
s ufl r i ug s H itherto I had suffered f or him but
.
,

hardly w i t/i him I had seen the beauty o f his

.

face even when it was m arred I had lamented the

sorro w that m arred it but I had never felt that the
sam e thing should m ar m e I had taken his cross
.

i n compassion ; till the night o f my wanderings

I had not perceived its glory I awoke from my .

trance with the feeling o f its glory I came back .

to life with an unemployed energy i n my n ature

an energy that waited for resistance to quicken it
and to quicken me The sense that the cloud was
.

not past was the v ery thing I needed I t gave m e .

what I was losing— a n interest in island li fe .

N o t so thought my father T he thing which I

.

counted gain was Vi ewed by hi m as a very serious

loss D ay by day as he entered my Sick room I
.
-

s a w the C loud deepening o n his brow and I

began my new stage o f promotion by entering into
his soul To this man o f long lineage there had
.

come the sorest o f possible calamities— a blot u pon

his name I t was not the suspicion o f complicity
.

with the valleys that to him constituted a blot ; he

could have borne that with more than equani mity .

I t was the guard round h i s ho u se H is pretensions

.
1 62 TH E LA D Y E C C LES I A

—
had always been high the highest H e regarded .

himself as by divine right the hei r o f all the island .

Who was the Lord o f Palatine that he should

circ u mscribe his liberty ? Was it n o t enough for
him to have lost his birthright his fortune his , ,

strength ? W a s he to lose his personal freedom

also ? Was he to becom e a slave a captive a , ,

household retainer whose every movement was

,

dictated and whose every exit was watched ?

,

S urely the cu p o f his hum iliations m u st now

be full .

And then the disaffection in the v alleys that

, ,
—
too had an i rritating i nfluence o n my father I t .

was not that he disapproved o f thei r attitude ; i t

was his regret that their attitude was n o t occasioned
by Hi m T he a ffection o f the valleys had centred
.

round a stranger They had been attracted by a

.

m an whom they believed to be no native o f the

island at all Why was He not in the place of that
.

stranger ? They were wi lling enough to take the

island from the Lord o f Palatine—but n o t that
they m ight give it to Moses ben I srael they -

wanted it for the stranger And for Moses ben .

I srael it was a hard thing O ught not the o u tcry

.

to hav e been for Hi m ? Why should a stranger

hav e taken the pl a ce which he had always felt him
self born to fill ? Was it not o f this place that he
1 64 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

u nworthy o f their love ; b u t did ba ffled love nev er

pass from the worthy to the unworthy ? When
the dream had faded when even at the call o f
,

fancy the m an o f the valleys came no m ore when ,

expectation had knocked at the gates and knocked

in vain then at last would come his appointed
,

time .Would it not be possible even now to

utilise this reaction to accustom the valleys to the
,

tho u ght that the head o f their clan was by right

the head o f the island ? M ight they not be
brought to believe that the m an o f the valleys had
appeared just for the purpose of awakening thei r
loyalty to the o l d tree and that they could not
,

better express their devotion than by resisti ng the

rule o f the Lord o f Palatine ?
S o my father brooded ; and as he was musing , ,

the fire burned Naturally a calm m an the o n e

.
,

spark in his n ature had been ignited by the

traditions o f his race T ill now it had smouldered
.

and m ade no Sign But now it broke forth with

.

such a gleam as the day often casts at its setting .

I n those hours o f loneliness in which he beheld m e

hovering between life and death there rose within ,

him a red resolve He would raise the standard

.

o f re v olt against things as they were as they ,

ought not to be H e would t u rn the passion o f

.

the v alleys into a n e w chann e l ; nay he wo u ld ,

 H O U RS O F C O N VA L E S C E N C E 1 65

make the waters o f the o l d channel mi nister to the

new Where were those men that had emerged
into the uplands—Peter J ames and John ? H e
.

, ,

must meet them at all hazards H e must tell

.

them that the man o f the valleys had com e to

—
lift them from the valleys not to seek thei r
person al allegiance but to waken their allegiance
,

to thei r family a n d thei r home H e must ask

.

them if a guard round the dwelling o f him who

was the head o f their clan was a spectacle which
they wo u ld tolerate H e must appeal to them by
.

the past—the o l d b u t n o t the dead past—the past

,

which had inspi red their ancestors and would be ,

vindicated by their descendants I t m ight be that

.

the dry bones o f the valley wo u ld live and that ,

from the region o f the Shadow o f death the res u r

rection o f his ho u se would come .
 C H APT E R XVI I

A S E CRE T ME E TI N G

T was night and I sat by the fire o f my Sick

,

room with a bright lam p i n front o f me I .

w a s no longer confined to bed but was still ,

forbidden to leave the apartment D uring the .

fortnight that had elapsed since my r e awaken -

ing to island life I had made strides toward

reco v ery My bodily strength remained weak
.
,

but my mind had regained its balance and ,

my heart had resumed its interest in com mon

things.

All at once the door O pened and my father ,

”
entered accompanied by three men E cclesia .
“
,

he said ,
“
I have brought these physicians to
Visit yo u — a t least it is only o n that pretext
,

that they hav e obtai ned admittance Perhaps .

they may i ndeed prove physicians to you They .

have been men o f these valleys with which y o u

s o strongly s y mpathise Y o u have h e ard thei r
.

1 66
 1 68 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

countenance o f a un iversal man but o f o n e who ,

was a different m an e ach moment T he man .

o f the valleys m ade you feel that he had a

place for all ; Peter m ade you feel that he had
a place for y ou to day but would probably reserve
-
,

it for m e to morro w
-
.

T he tw o brothers had an e xp res s ion more fixed

and definite I t was here and n o w that I first
.

recognised their identity to the two i ncendiaries o f

the valley T here was indeed in the countenance
.

o f each much that suggested fire But it was .

i n each a different kind o f fire James was the .

fire flaring up ; J ohn was the fire kept down .

T he face o f J ames ex p ressed the determ ination

that was ea ger to act ; that o f John indicated
the determ ination that was willing to wait J ames .

was passion outward — passion that must relieve

itself by a blow ; John w as passion inward
passion that did not need to be relieve d but ,

’
was able to feed upon its o w n intensity John s .

was the nobler countenance I t gave the i m

.

pression o f concealed treasures o f ha v ing more ,

i n it than was seen It was full o f p romise

. .

O n e felt in looking at him that though he ,

might begin by kindling fire he would end by ,

suppressing it .

”
“
I have sent for yo u said my father
,
to ,
“
 A S E C RE T M E E T I N G 1 69

propose the terms o f an alliance T his is the .

fitting place for such overtures Y o u are in .

the presence o f two extremes —myself and my

daughter . I represen t the uplands ; the Lady
E cclesia has an affection for the valleys T his .

room the r e fe r e embraces both sides o f the ques

tion . F o r myself I have already m ade the
,

first advances I hav e invited you under my

.

roof at a ti me when the valleys are suspected o f

contagion I have assumed therefore that under
.

the influence o f the m an you reverence you have

really experienced healing power I hav e chosen .

also a fitting opportunity My chaplain C aiaphas .

,

who would never have acceded to this interview ,

is absent o n business You m ay speak freely ; .

”
w e are alone .

”
“
Father I said Since we are alone and with
, , ,

a View to prom ote a perfect understanding will ,

you allow me to begin the interview by asking

your V isitors whether they recognise me as o n e
”
who was i n the valleys that night ?
”
“
Lady E cclesia said Peter bar Jona we are
,
-
,
“

here to m ake no such statement That which .

passed i n the valleys is sacred to u s T he eyes .

o f o u r memory rest but o n o ne form — the man

who was dead and i s alive Would that m ine .

had never rested on another ! Your challenge

1 7 9 THE LA D Y E CC LE S I A

puts m e to shame this night Y o u remind m e .

that I have forgotten his form i n the forms o f

his enemies I have been the v ilest o f cowards ;
.

I have suffered like a thief and not like a m artyr , .

I fled from the O i lpr es s G arden —I was going

to say like a wom an ; but pardon me — unlike
”
you And the strong man burst into a torrent
.

o f weeping .

”
“
Y es said John “
, we left it to that s o n ,

o f perdition Judas to accuse his friends

, We , .

have no wish to be concealed ; but we never

”
betray .

”
This brings m e said my father
“ “
to the , ,

crucial point Why is it that when the only

.
,

m an that could betray is dead and dead with ,

o u t making a Sign I am still a prisoner in my

,

own house ? Why is it that there is a band o f

soldiers round my dwelling when the ground o f the
charge against me i s removed ? M y dwelling did ,

I s a y ? I s it not your dwelling ? H ave not your

ancestors Sheltered themselves un der the branches
of this broad tree ? I s not my house even n ow
the nearest to the valleys ? I s not the S ympathy
Gate almost adjoining my grounds ? Why should
you r quarrel not be mine ? I have not looked
with equani mity o n the closin g o f the vales
shall you look with i ndi fference o n the c losing
1 72 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

of righteousness ; be it so You want to fashion

.

it after the pattern o f him whom you call the

m an o f the valleys ; be it so Let him by all .

means be your ideal king But do you not

.

need o n e to r ep r es en t your ideal ? must not you r

kingdom have a Visible as well as an invisible
head ? T he man o f the valleys has passed away .

You could not have an absent king ; the m an

o f the valleys would not have wished yo u to
have an absent king H e did n ot a s k you to
.

follo w his person but to follow his teaching

, .

If you would please him if y o u would reverence

,

his memory y o u must s e t u p in this i sland a

,

kingdom sacred to the God of your fathers and ,

a king who has descended from your fathers .

I offer myself as such I bri ng yo u no super

.

n atural lineage ; I have no clai m to belon g to

a land beyond the s e a But if it be an advantage
.

to be bone o f yo u r bone and flesh o f your flesh ,

i f there be a bond i n blood and a sym pathy i n

fam ily u nion if the traditions o f the past be
,

dearer than the fancies of the future it i s in ,

m e that your allegiance should centre this night .

Y o u ha v e heard in the valleys the voice o f a

—
man who has called you back back to the fields
o f you r childhood back to the res u rrection o f
,

yo u r home . O bey that voice and you will do ,

 A S E C RE T M EE T I N G 1 73

homage to his cause T hrow in yo u r lot with .

m ine an d yo u will hono u r the m an y o u serve

,
.

I nsti l into the growing crowd which follows you

that the resurrection you proclaim is a type o f
the replanting o f your family tree an d you will ,

”
m ake this night the dawn o f liberty .

”
“
But said Peter we who seek a place in the
, ,
“

kingdom o f o u r Father do not seek more liberty .

What we are i n search o f i s less liberty We .

would be clothed in more humility ; we wo u ld

take the yoke upon us we would tend the Sheep
we wo u ld feed the lambs T he pre eminence we .
‘
-

seek is pre em inence i n serv ing the greatest shall

-

”
be ministers to all .

”
“
Yes cried J ohn ours is not a kingdom o f
,
“
,

mere order not even o f mere righteousness ; it is

,

a kingdom o f love T hey who would S i t at the

.

right hand o f the m an o f the valleys must drink o f

his c u p an d be baptized with his b aptism T heir .

regal robes must be washed i n blood dyed in the ,

tint o f sacrifice T he m en in front o f o u r throne

.

are the sons of tribulation T hey have m a d e their .

red stains white in the glory o f love T hey lead .

the van because they follow the sacri fi ce they are

arrayed in Spotless garments because they serv e
”
day and night .

”
“
B u t said J ames and his eyes fl ashe d in
, ,
1 74 THE LA D Y E CC LE S I A

eagerness are we not sons o f tribulation in o u r

,
“

fight for freedom ? I S not o u r first service to King

Jesus the liberation o f his people ? What is the
object of o u r sacri fice ? I s it not to be the eman
c i pa ti o n o f this island ? I s not this s e a girt home -

the sphere o f the kingdom ? C an we Shed o u r

blood more royally than in the place o f our fathers ,

for the haunts and hearths o f o u r fathers ? Why

d r ea m of sacrifice when the act is before us ready , ,

waiting to b e done ? I sympathise m uc h with

”
Moses ben I srael -
.

”
“
Brother said J ohn,
“
your o w n View is to o
,

s ea girt
-
. H ow know you that this island is the
kingdom for whic h we are to shed o u r blood ?
Listen ; I had a dream last night s o vivid th a t I ,

doubt if it were a dream I thought I stood o n .

the shore and there was no more s e a — only the

,

place where the waters used to be That place .

had become itself a valley steep to descend and ,

ard u o u s to tread yet making a continent withal

, .

T here was no longer a sep aration between o u r

world and the other world Men no longer spoke .

o f this as an island it was a bit o f the mainland .

T hey n o more thought o f God as d welling in a

place beyond the wave T here w a s no wa v e .

nothing to divide it was all o n e region The land .

at the opposite side of the valley was clearly

 1 76 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

to m ed
to call o u r oppressors He has made to
.

him the startling announcement that he has a love

for the house o f H e llen i c u s as well as for that o f
Moses ben I srael H e has com manded him to
-
.

leave to u s the mission o f the valleys and to keep ,

his eye upon the cares and griefs o f that uppermost

region which we despise D oes this look as if he
.

recognised o u r claim to a uni v ersal dominion of

”
the island ?
”
An d does this look like patriotism ? cried my
“

father . Are M ei r claims equal even in point o f

“

sorrow to ours ? Are they trodden down like us ?

Are they circumscribed by li mits like us ? Are
they under prohibition like us ? Look at me the ,

head o f your clan I dare not go o u t o f my

.

grounds without a pass My servants dare not .

leave my grounds without a pass My Visitors .

dare not enter my grounds without a pass Y o u .

are yourselves within my house by the permission

o f the Lord o f Palatine obtained through false
,

pretences And what shall I say o f the valleys

.

the men to whom your leader first appeared ?

Their position is still worse than mine I at least .

can get out o n permission they are told that they

will get no permission Waive the question o f the
.

kingdom ; let it be a question o f com mon sympathy ,

hel p fu lness h u manity I s there the p ossibility fo r

,
.
 A S E C RE T M EE T I N G 1 77

a redeeming power any m ore than a reigning

power when the gates of co m m u n ication are sh u t
that connect m an with man ? H ow Shall y o u
yo u rselves find an entrance back into the valleys ?
H av e you not by yo u r very esca p e to the u p lands
p u t a b arrier between you and yo u r past and c u t ,

away the moorings that bo u n d yo u to the ancient

”
shore ?
A c u rious ex p ression p assed over the face o f
Peter F o r a moment he did n o t speak then he
.

dre w a step nearer to my father an d said in l o w

accents ! H ark ! I will tell yo u a secret Yo u are .

the father o f the Lady E cclesia an d m ay be ,

allowed to kno w what is not known to those

outside o u r com m u nity The valleys are not so
.

forsaken as y o u suppose T hat night in the

.

O i lp r ess Garden the man whom we worshi p took .

me aside and m a d e m e a b eq u est H e gav e m e a .

whole set o f keys to the S ym pathy Gate H e .

gav e me not o n e but m any that I might have

, ,

power not only to go in and o u t myself b u t to

, ,

give that liberty to those whom I thought worthy .

I t is m ine to bind these gates o r to loose them

according as I shall deem o n e ready o r unready
to enter in He who would enter by the S ym p athy
.

Gate must hi mself hav e sympathy Not e ve y o n e .

r

’
that says Lord Lord i s fit to go d own in t o the
, , ,
 1 78 THE L A D Y E CC L E S I A

valleys nor he that makes lordshi p the goal o f his

,

possession He th a t descends thither must go

.

with a droopin g mind — with a heart hungering

with thei r hunger thirsting with their thirst Not , .

”
every m an i s fit to bear the keys .

A gleam shot through the eyes o f my father .

”
“
Will y o u give me he said an opportunity , ,
“

of speaking to the valleys —just o n e half hour -

to tell them o f the relation between them and

”
me ?
”
“
I cannot I dare n o t said Peter ,
for the , ,
“

relation between them and you is not one o f

sympathy Y o u seek not them but theirs — their
.
,

su ffrage their support Your compassion would

,
.

be a c loak your pity a pretence your interest an

, ,

insult Your Search for thei r cross would be the

.

search for your o w n crown no Moses ben I srael ,

-
,

”
I cannot let y o u in .

A S he Spoke his han d had been in contact with

the i nner fold o f h i s garment As he withdrew i t .

something j ingled T he keys o f the valley were .

there then — withi n the room at the distance o f a

, ,

few paces I s a w a strange expression pass over

.

’
my father s face I t was not j oy ; it was not
.

sorrow ; it was the shadow o f a dark resolve .

’ ”
“
My daughter s health he said “
m akes it i n , ,

expedient to prolong the interview ; but I h O pe

 C H APT E R XV I I I

M Y NE W CORRE S P ON D E N T

HEN the guests had retired Ph oebe came ,

’
into my room bearing a letter Ph oebe s .

spirit o f helpfulness had m ade her a favourite with

the guard . Although the origi nally sus p ected
party s h e had perhaps more liberty than any of
,

the household and even at the decline o f day a

,

pass was seldom refused her O n the present

.

occasion s h e had been o u t somewhat late and had ,

been accosted by a messenger who delivered to ,

her an epistle I t was addressed T o the Lady

.
,
“

”
E cclesia H ouse o f Moses ben I srael
, I opened
-
.

it with some curiosity It was written from an

.

, ’
which accoun t} for the fact of Ph oebe s being

letter I had received from this region had been

o n e that had caused me much pain ; i t was the

offer o f marri age from H e l le n i c u s himsel f My .

1 80
 MY N E W C O RRE S PO N D E NT 1 81

eye therefore lighted o n the superscription with

some trem u lo u sness B u t any trepidation I felt
.

was soon turned into wonder T his letter was not .

from H e lle n i c u s but from o n e I had never seen

,

o n e whose name for the first ti me I had heard

- —
to night the m an Paul .

H e began by introducing himself H e said that .

,

tho u gh a stranger to me in the flesh he was united ,

to me by a bond more close than that o f blood

the fellowship i n the cause o f him who was called
the m an o f the valleys H e had heard o f my .

meeting with him in the v alleys o f my zeal o f my , ,

de v otion H e himself could n o t claim the same

.

origin for his faith H e had never met King J esus

.

in the valleys ne v er seen him in the Vicinity o f o u r

,

clan H e did not say it as a m atter o f pride he

.

w a s hi mself descended from our clan and felt ,

proud o f his origin B ut as a matter o f fact h i s

.
, ,

experience had always been outsi de T he m an .

that to me had been associ ated with the valleys

had to him been linked with the uplands H is .

first sight o f hi m had been after death H e had .

received a revelation all by hi mself had entered ,

the service by a pri v ate door T here had com e to .

his ears a new and un heard o f message — that the -

God o f Moses ben I srael had a mission for the

-

Lor d o f Palatine nay that in this very ho u r

, ,
1 82 TH E LA D Y E C C LE SI A
’
the Lord o f Palatine was fulfilling God s mission .

It was a message that at first had taken away his

breath appalled him paralysed him But hou r by
, , .

hour he had become familiarised to it Yesterday .

,

it was his penal ty ; to day it was his duty ; to -

,

morro w it would be his j oy

,
.

An d then with equal originality the letter went

, ,

o n to deliver a sentiment which to any member ,

o f o u r house would have been the most startling

,

o f paradoxes It declared that at the present

.

moment the Lord o f Palatine was the greatest

existing barrier to the submergence o f the island .

W hy it asked were we o f the house o f I srael s o

, ,

eager to get ri d o f Palatin e H ill ? T hat hill was

a moral breakwater It restrained forces which .

otherwise would sweep with relentless violence

over all that hitherto we had deemed cl ear I t was .

’
God s hindrance to the anarchy o f human passions .

Take it away and wickedness would be revealed

,

i n open form I t was the only wall which at the

.

present moment had strength su fficient to stem the

tide o f insubordinate desire I ts premature r e .

moval would be the greatest calamity which could

befall the men o f this island let them beware h o w
they sought to undermine it .

S o ran the letter I t made me v ery u ncomfort

.

able I had a n inner p ers u asion tha t Paul w a s

.
1 84 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

impeding his p resence I t seemed as if a screen

.

were drawn between m e and him I had an u n .

wonted sense o f solit u de a feeling that wo u ld ha v e

,

m ade me c r y o u t but for the fear o f disturbing

others I t was as if I were passing thro u gh an
.

i mp u re medi u m where the air o f heaven was

corr u pted and the breath o f Go d was stifled No .

moment o f my p hysical weakness had to me been

s o p rostrating as this .

H ark ! Was that a step i n the passage ? D id

I know that step ? U ndoubtedly ; there was no
dream this time ; it was the foot o f my father .

H e was moving at m idnight thro u gh his own

house ; but n o t as the m aster moves H is tread .

was stealthy suppressed slo w I t was n o t the

, , .

darkness m ade hi m timoro u s I heard the rattle

o f a lantern as he passed my bedroom door The .

u ncertainty o f his ad v ance must have come from

within H e moved along the corridor with a foot
.

fall s o soft that I belie v e no other ear than mine

co u ld hav e detected it H e m ade his way toward
.

that wing o f the building which we called the

g u est chambers H e paused a t the room o n the
-
.

east Side and my heart pau sed with him I knew

,
.

who Slept there ; it was Peter bar J ona I n the - .

inte n sity o f the moment my hearing seemed preter

natu r a l I hea r d th e la nter n l a i d dow n on t he
.
 M Y N EW C O RRE S P O N D E N T 1 85

outside floor ; I heard the door softly o p ened ; I

heard my father go in T hen followed a silence .
,

broken only by the beating o f my o w n heart I t .

was but a few m inutes yet it seemed to me like

a century T hen the door r e opened and I heard
.
-
,

the tread returning S tep by step the j ourney was

.

retraced through the corridor I heard the feet .

draw nearer pass my room and then fade away

, ,

’
toward my father s room I dre w a long breath .
,

but not o f relief Whatever was to happen had

.

happened My fear had ceased to be a thing

.

o f the fut u re ; it had become a thing o f the

p resent O n e sus p ense had ended ; another was
.

to begin .

What ha d ha p pened ? As long as it was a

future p ossibility I had feared to translate it i nto
words But the prosaic nature o f the facts around
.

me m ade m e bold I began to render into

.

com mon speech What was that hungry look I

.

had seen o n the face o f my father ? I t was the

desire to get an entrance into the valleys What .

was that luri d gleam that had fli tte d across his

counten ance when he learned that the m an beside
hi m had a key ? Was it not the lust o f possession ?
Why had he asked Peter bar J on a to remain all -

night—especially after his deliberate refusal to

tr u st hi m ? W hy ha d h e acce p ted the r efu sal
1 86 THE LA D Y E C C L E SI A
without an argument without a protest without
, ,

e v en a flash o f anger ? Why had he been s o quick

to end the interview he was so eager to begin ?
Why was he treading at midnight and by stealth
in places n o t his o w n ? What took him to that
room o f all rooms ? Was there any escape from
,

the pitiless logic o f the facts ? I f not what then ? ,

An archy bloodshed death my house left unto

, , ,

me desolate I looked into the Vista and I

.
,

shuddered .

T he excitement o f the brain o v erpowered my

yet feeble strength and I slept again When I
, .

awoke it was full daylight but the impress o f the ,

night was still upon me Ph oebe entered my room. .

I inquired if the guests were up T o my surprise .

s h e answered that they were gone that they had ,

left at earliest d awn A gl e am of hope flashed

.

into me H ad I not been premature in my sus

.

p i c i o n s o f my father — u n fi l i a l undutiful u n c,h a r i t ,

able ? D id n o t the facts admit o f an explanation

not less n atural and far more i nnocent ? H ow
knew I that it was m idnight when I first awoke ?
M ight it not equally have been the hour o f dawn ?
H ad I measured the precise intensity of the
shadows Was there such a contrast between the
last moment of night and the fi rst m oment o f day ?
What more fitting what more ex p edient what
, ,
1 88 THE LADY E CC L E SI A

to m e he was i ll at ease and always in a hurry

, , .

H is words o n all subjects were v ague and general .

When I put any q u estion regarding the three

visitors he would answer either by a com monp l ace
,

o r by an e v asion and then wo u ld suddenly r e

,

member that he had an engagement elsewhere .

A girl just returnin g from the gates o f death and ,

w ith the weakness i ncidental to such a condition ,

might well have been crushed by the sense o f

unkindness Will it be belie v ed ? I was crushed
.

by the fear that i t was not u nkindness S tartling .

as yo u m ay think it and u nmaidenly as y o u

,

may deem it it would have been a relief to

,

’
me to know that my father s conduct proceeded
from the fact o f a coldness towards myself .

That could have been explained consistently with

honour for there are states o f nervous debility
,

which cloud the heart and leave it no power .

B u t this fear o f m ine was for my father himself

—for his integrity for his name Looking back
,
.

upon that dark past that tragic past I feel

, ,

bound to endorse this sentiment o f my girlhood .

I t is a very ungirlish sentiment ; but I have

recei v ed it from my meeting with a higher life
than mine .I felt then and I feel now that
, ,

the noblest m anifestation o f love is to desire the

no b leness o f its object There is a joy i n winning
.
 M Y N Ew C O RRE S P O N D E NT 1 89

a heart ; but to m ake a heart worth w inning

should be a j o y dee p er still .

What distressed me most o f all at this time was

the state o f my own m ind to which I have already ,

alluded I have said that for the first time since

.
,

the ad v ent o f my n ew life I had experienced a ,

sense o f interruption i n my comm u nion with the

m an o f the valleys I t was the feeling o f o n e not
.

being i n the room who used to be there No

doubt the contemplation o f a moral s hadow had
much to do with it the m ind like the body m ay , ,

be disturbed by an atmosphere o f whose existence

it is quite innocent After a few days the thought
.

s truck me that I might C onsult my latest corre

s po n d e n t H e was evidently a man o f large mi nd

.

and larger heart full o f human sym pathy and free

, ,

from local prejudice I wrote to him ; I p o u red

.

out my soul to him I told him that altho u gh

.
,

the first outward revelation had com e to m e i n the

valleys the spirit o f the new age had i mpressed
,

m e as it had i mpressed him I had felt from the .

very outset that it was not a q u estion for the Lord

of Palatine nor for H e l le n i c u s nor for Moses
, ,

ben I srael but for the island as a whole I told

-
, .

hi m I could stretch a hand to hi m thro u gh the

dista nc e by reason o f that comm on lo v e i n him
,

and m e which ha d annulled the difference between

1 9 0 TH E L A D Y E CC L E S I A

the mountain and the v alley I told him how a .

sense of communion with that love had been to

me the j oy o f all j oys the compensation for all
,

sorrows T hen I touched o n that which distu rbed

.

—
me the interr u pted sense o f com munion I .

threw myself upon hi s pity upon his counsel , ,

upon his larger experience ; I asked him to tell

me how it was that I felt the former days to be
better than these .

I sent the letter by the hand o f Ph oebe and o n

the second d ay after I received a reply which o n
all my depressed m oments has ever since e x ercised
a healing power I t had all the more force because
.

it was given in the form o f an autobiography .

Paul unburdened himsel f H e tol d me his i nner

.

history H e described the rapture o f his morning

. .

I t had been to him as if the heavens had opened

to reveal what m ortals c an not see T hen there .

had come a cloud o r as he called it a thorn T he

, , , .

flower o f faith had lost its perfume he coul d not ,

tell how H e struggled against the change he

.
,

prayed agai n st it ; but he struggled and prayed

in vain I t always seemed as if there were inter
.

posed a shut gate between him and the heaven

of his morning At last there had come to him
.

—
a strange inner light a light which had fallen
upon the barred gate itself and g ilde d it with its
1
9 2 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

calm soul o f Pau l I n language which no hymn

.

ever ri valled he implored me to believe that the

,

com mon love which grows o u t o f the common

thorn is more unfading than the radiance that
is born o f clo u dless day T he power o f prophecy
.

might fail the memory o f language might cease

, ,

th e forms o f hum an knowledge m ight vanish

away ; b u t lo v e was immortal evergreen without

, ,

beginn ing o f years o r end o f days I t was the

.

greatest even amongst abiding things I t was .

greater than faith ; i t was greater than hope .

Faith c o u ld s ee through a glass darkly ; love

beheld face to face H ope could endure as long
.

as the s u n love could rem ain after the su n went

down —could bear all things believe all things
, ,

end u re all things I t was through the bars o f the

.

shut gate that man touched the hand o f his

brother the crown o f love was a crown o f thorns .
 C H A PT E R X I X

A L ON E IN TH E S TORM

A M now approaching a day of my life which

will rem ain i n my memory as long as life
endures which will remain i n the memory o f the
,

island as one o f the great landm arks of history .

As I look back upon it and o n the d ays whic h,

preceded it I feel now what I did not know then

, ,

— that the change whic h it ushered i n was not

sudden . T hese hours o f seeming com monplace
ness whic h I was passing i n my own room were
i n reality big with portents both within and
without Y o u have seen the flight o f birds before
.

the storm The birds were flying now— fly i n g

.

round my couch o f convalescence flying through ,

the apparently torpid air Beneath that torpor .

there w a s movement Wrapt u p i n the deceptive

.

calm lay the elements o f unrest o f revolt o f , ,

transition I s ee it now clearly u nmistakably

.
, .

T here were Signs o f the times in my heart

I 3
1 94 TH E LAD Y E CC L E SI A

and in my surroundings Let m e try to rea d .

them .

And let me begin with the portent in my o w n

heart D o not think that portent was simply the
.

fear o f which I have spoken N o ; it was some .

thing deeper than that T he flight o f birds that

.

predicted a C hange o f atmosphere was a radical

change in myself I t was quite true what I had
.

said in my letter to Paul — that my sympathy with

the valleys had never origin ated in the fact that
they were adjoining to the house o f I srael ; I had
sympathised with them because I belie v ed them
to be the depressed parts o f the island None the .

less my solicitude had been li mited to M om

,
It .

had never occurred to me that the valleys were not

necessarily the most depressed part o f the island .

I had ever com miserated the thorn ; but I had

always taken i t for granted that the thorn belonged
to the low lying districts T hat it could live i n the
-
.

uplands that it could abound in the region o f s u n

,

light that it could be associated not with cor

, ,

ruption but with nobleness was a thought which

, ,

it had not entered i nto my heart to conceive .

But this strange m an Paul had str u ck a new

chord i n me Here was a m an who himself had
.

never been a resi dent in the valleys who from ,

birth upwards had dwelt i n the region of the

1
9 6 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

I t broke upon me like a revelation i n these hours

of silence and the thought m ade a n e w world to
,

me I had ceased to be the representative o f a class

.
,

the partisan o f a section I had become a h u mani

.

tarian an advocate for man all round — as round

,

a s the island I t was a change purely within but

.
,

it transformed my View o f the theatre o f life old

things had passed away and all things had become
,

new .

And while this was happening in my heart what ,

was befalling outside ? I know now ; I write from

the light o f memory T here was within my o w n
.

house a movement in the opposite direction but ,

still in the direction o f change I f before the eyes .

o f the daughter there swam the Vision of a com mon

love before the eyes o f the father there glittered

,

the i mage of an island dominion I have Shown .

how since that night o f suspicion there had sprung

, ,

up between me and my fa ther a wall o f separation .

D uring my severe illness I had o f necessity been

withdrawn from intercourse with hi m and with
every o n e But the withdrawal had on his part
.

now become voluntary H e began as I have said

.
, ,

by avoiding long interviews and by shunning ,

special subjects o f conversation ; he ended by

preventing all interviews and refusing to converse,

a t all As the days glided o n he seemed i n

.
 AL O N E IN TH E S T O RM 1 97

c r e a s i n g ly
to glide apart from me H is momentary .

presence in my room was replaced by the i n

quiring message and ultim ately the message itself
,

ceased to com e I would hear hi m pace his own

.

apartment for hours together with that slow and ,

me a sured pace which denotes an xious thought .

But it was the nights and not the days that mainly
disturbed me T he most disquieting circumstance
.

was n o t his presence in his o w n room when he

ought not to have been there ; it was his absence
from it when he should have been there I n the .

o l d days he had retired to rest early ; he now came

in late H e took his w alks in the open air by

.

night instead o f by day The guard did not fear

.

him ; they thought him the friend o f C aiaphas ,

an d they knew that C aiaphas was their friend .

T hey feared m e but they deemed m e vanquished

,

and dying T hey had no notion that there was

.

any key o f the valley outside the possession o f

the Lord o f Palatine .

H ad my father such a key ? Was he using

such a key ? Where was he spending these nights
of absence ? Was it in the valleys ? I f s o for
.
,

what and with whom ? Was he seeking to revive

the patriotism o f the clan ? Was he far m ing the
fl ame o f discontent against the Lord o f Palatine ?
I a sked the ! uesti o ns w i th a t rembling heart and ,
1
98 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

the trembling o f my heart seemed to com municate

itself to the ground beneath my feet E verything .

appeared to be shaking vanishing I felt as if my

, .

’
father s house were o n fire as if 1 its last member
, , ,

were being enveloped in destruction T here was .

something awful i n the sense o f solitude I f there .

had been some o n e to dispute with to argue with , ,

to strive with it would have been bearable But

, .

to b e alone so far as companionship was concerned

, ,

in a building which I believed to be condemned ;

to b e the solitary representative o f a house which
I fan cied to be even now i n fl ames to have n o o n e
o f my o wn class to Speak to to c r y to to appeal , ,

to above all to feel that the cause in which I was

,

the Victim was n o t the cause o f the ideal I loved ,

it was the m ost forlorn m oment I had known since

the night o f my disappointment in the valleys .

At last o n e morning I said to myself I Shall ,

“

”
bear it no more C ome what would I resolved to
.
,

speak o u t my dissent to tell my father that the

,

kingdom which I sought was n o t the ki n gdom

sought by hi m I could n o t C harge him with
.

taking the keys ; but I could tell hi m my View

o f the question For once I would have welcomed
.

the presence o f C aiaphas ; for once o u r paths

would have coincided But C aiaphas had n o t
.

r et u rned ; doubtless he felt n o de s ire to be i m

2 00 TH E LADY E CC L E SI A
’ ”
enthusiasm D on t I t was ominous with clo u ds
,
.

i t was restless with winds There were m utterings .

of a storm in the east the birds not alone fi g u r a ,

ti v e ly but literally were flying ; and I heard the

, ,

concentrated lowin g o f the cattle as they crowded

together in the fellowshi p o f the mystery .

Phoe be entered and I told her my resolve

,
.

I bade her s a y to my father that I would be

with hi m at dinner that day S he expostulated .

som ewhat S he said I might choose a milder

.

day in which to set my house i n order ; but I

was resolute I rose I dressed myself i n my
. .

warmest morning garments I was resolved to .

begin the resum ing o f my d uties by passing

through each o f the rooms and m arki ng traces
o f neglect Meantime the gloom outside was
.

deepening T he air was every instant becomi ng

.

more chill T he breeze was fast freshening into

.

a gale The mutterings from the east were grow

.

ing each moment more pronounced and the ,

storm was beginning to speak audibly E very .

C hink and crevice o f the house was becomin g

vocal . Through the doors whistled the wind ;
u p from the front o f the building moaned the
s ea ; and at the back where my room was ,

situated swept the gusts over Palatine Hill

, .

Ph oebe r e turne d S he was d eadly p a le ; and

.
 AL O N E IN TH E ST O R M 20 1

a chill went through m e keener than that o f the

atmosphere My father She said was not i n
.
, ,

his room n ot in the house ; he had n ot slept

,

i n his bed last night My first impulse w a s

.

to utter a cry ; but I checked myself Why .

Should the servants be m ade to feel that there

was anything wrong ? I resolved to make light
o f it
. I said my father had prob ably been called
away o n sudden business ; he would write and
explain .M eanti me I told P h oebe to sum mon
the servants for the hour o f morning prayer I .

wished to Show the household that there was no

loosening o f the o l d ties I n the absence o f.

my father and in the absence of C aiaphas I ,

had taken the resolution o f myself conducting

the service I t was a rare thing i n o u r fam ily
.

for a woman to do ; but o n e o r two o f my female

—
ancestors had done i t notably the distinguished
D eborah I was not anxious for a precedent
. .

I was quite aware that I was o n the borders o f

a new world and I was not sorry that to my
,

o w n household I should b e privileged to be its

pioneer I took therefore in the com mon hall

.

the seat which was usually s et apart for C ai aphas ,

and which in his absence my father was wont

to fill .

Perha p s for the first ti m e since the d ay s o f

202 THE LAD Y E CC L E SI A

D eborah o u r household now listened to an ex

temporaneous prayer I did not read my petitions
.

from a book ; I poured them forth from my o w n

heart I addressed the G o d o f the heights ; but
.

I prayed to the man o f the valleys I spoke to .

hi m as I had spoken in my wanderings —these

blessed wanderings I spoke without literary form
.
,

without even an attempt to b e grammatical I t .

’ ’
was more a child s c r y than a pri est s orison I .

just entreated him not to leave us alone in the

big storms o f this island I told him o u r ship
.

was rocking in the waves ; I asked hi m to come

and take the helm I implored hi m to guide
.

ami d the tem pest I said that the storm w i M

.

hi m would be better than the calm without him ,

that his presence was itself o u r hav en that no ,

wind could blow too strongly if it drove us into

his arms And the servants stared i n astonish
.

ment to hear the O bject o f human worship

addressed in such terms o f endearment .

After the m orning prayers cam e the morning

orders I surveyed the different rooms o n e by
.

o n e ; I gave instructions for what needed repai r .

When I came into the Sitting room which fronted -

,

the sea the spectacle which met m e was sublimely

,

awful T he storm had burst its bounds and was

.
,

Swee p ing all be fore it T h e waters were a she et

.
2 64 THE LA D Y ECC L ESI A

not ; i t is not the heritage I claim The heritage .

I C laim is the home o f my fathers I have asked .

n o i mmortality but the i m mortality o f my house .

I t has been the o n e article i n my creed the o n e ,

faith i n my God My E cclesia your n ame has

.
,

been associated with the valleys I t ought not .

so to be Y o u were born for the mountai n

.

ranges . T he red blood o f the morning su n i s

in you r veins You have sprung from a race
.

whose birth ho u r surveyed from the hillto p the

-

promised land I t was no land o f shadows no

.
,

land at the other side o f the ocean — i f other Side

there be .I t was this island home i n which
—
we dwell the food o f it the good of it Why ,
.

pant you for m ansions beyond the wave ? Your

m ansions are waiting for you here This island .

—
Shall be yours the length o f it the breadth o f ,

it S omethin g tells m e y o u are desti ned to reign

. .

Think you I have been blind to your beauty ,

though I have m ade no Sign ? Think you my

heart has not swelled with unspoken pride as
I have seen you bloom ? Y o u ha ve been my
i mm ortality E cclesia I have seen my race r e
, .

vive i n y o u ; I have seen it cli mb the heights

o f Palatine ; I ha ve seen it bounded only by
the s e a Y o u have been to me what the man
.

o f the valleys has been to you — the star o f a

 AL O N E IN TH E ST OR M 205

n ew empire I follow the star to night

. T his -
.

n ight shall tell whether the house o f Israel shall

o r shall not be free T his night shall s a y whether

.

your hom e the home o f your fathers Shall be

, ,

a prison o r a palace I Shall enter its gates i n

.

freedom o r I shall enter them no m ore I Shal

,
.

return to you Victorious o r I shall never return

,

to yo u You shall be Sharer i n my crown ; but

.

I will not let you Share my cross I f I succeed .

,

I Shall meet you at the gates o f my liberated

dwelling ; if I fai l to conquer and at the same ,

ti m e fai l to die I Shall n o t expose my ho u se

,

to the track o f the pursuer E cclesi a fai r weather

.
, ,

”
o r farewell .
 C H A PT E R XX

TH E D A Y OF CRI S I S

H E letter dropped from my hand D o you .

know what it i s when a long ex pected -

calamity actually ha p pens ? Those who do not

kno w think it must have come without its sting
deadened by the fact o f expectation I t is a
.

grand m istake .Let those who have watched

beside an i nvalid with the sure knowledge that
,

death will be the end tell you of the pain with

,

which they learned that the end had come T he .

previous preparation seemed to go for nothing and ,

the event cam e like the fin al shutting o f a door I .

s u ppose we never really cease to hope until the

fu ture has becom e the present S o at least had it
.

been with m e Great as had been my fear regard

.

ing my father I knew now that i t had been ti nged

,

with hope I learned it from my present despair

. .

Before I received that missi v e my conviction o f

the fact had been almost certain ; but there is a
2 06
208 TH E LA DY EC C L E SI A

to be gathering its folds from o ff the face o f the

s e a that i t might throw them over my dwelling
,
I .

trembled at the omen ; a cloud had always been

i n o u r house the symbol o f an averted heaven .

C loser it drew and closer And gradually as it

.

came there broke Upon m e a revelation I t was .

not self moving ; it was only the mantle o f some

-

o ne . The real mover was underneath ; this was

but a garment Presently it seemed to pass
.

through the window For a m oment everythi ng

.

i n the room was eclipsed o v ershadowed Then

, .
,

all at once it parted asunder and from between

, ,

the folds there emerged a figure I looked and .

uttered a great cry ; i t was the m an o f the

valleys .

I s p r a n g forward ; I tried to fall o n my knees

before hi m ; but he caught me by the hand At .

the touch o f that hand I experienced a thri ll o f

wonder . I n my night wanderings I had felt
wounds on that hand I had not been surprised ;
.

he told m e he had come from death But I was .

surprised to feel them now C ould a wound given

.

in o u r island be s o indelible that the land beyond

the s e a would not heal it ? O r could a wound ,

given in o u r island be s o valuable that the land

beyond the s e a should wish to preserve it ? Be
this as it m ay I declare that as my hand rested
, ,
 TH E D AY O F C RI S I S 269

in his I felt again the print of the scars which I

,

had touched on the night of my w anderings .

”
E cclesia My heart vibrated to the o n e v oice
.

in all the world and tim idly tremblingly I raised , ,

my eyes to the wonderful beauty o f that c o u n te

nance . E cclesia I have com e to you in the
“
,

cloud to day I want y o u to feel that the clouds

-
.

are m y coming— not the coming o f an accident .

B elieve m e I never was nearer to you than n ow

, ,

when the storm is ragi ng roun d your dwelling .

T his night shall men tell how the house o f I srael is

no more T hey Shall ask where your father dwells
. .

T hey Shall seek him i n all the island and i n all the ,

island they shall find him not They shall say .

that he is dead D o not believe it E cclesia he

.
,

Shall be landless but n ot dead He has trusted

, .

only in the possession o f a soil his penalty shall

be to live without a soil H e has had no faith i n .

the sea ; the s ea shall be his preser v er H e has .

reposed his con fidence i n a k ingdom ; he Shall be

a king without a kingdom Men shall look over .

’
the waves and say H e is drowned B ut your
, .

eyes Shall s ee hi m again I n the light of undawned .

days he Shall stan d upon the dust o f this island

’
and lo the island s crown shall be upon the head
,

of his child H e shall return and y o u Shall

.
,

n ourish his old age and make him young once

210 TH E LAD Y E CC L E SI A

more And his o w n dream shall be realised for

.
,

the island itself shall be no more an island and ,

there Shall be nothing beyond the waves S ee ! .

As he spoke he pointed to the place o f the

waters ; and I looked and cried o u t with surprise
,

at the sight before me F o r I s a w what John had

.

seen T he waters were not there They were all

.

dried u p and in their room was a great highway

,

where crowds passed to an d fro and o n the other

side were hills basking in s u n All the storm had .

ceased All the clouds had been withdrawn from

.

the hori zon to envelop the o n e form — the man

of the valleys I t was as i f the creation which
.

had been groaning and travailing in spirit had

caught sight of him passing by and lent him
its burden E verything had burst into bloom
. .

The sky was a fl a m e with glory and the fields with

gold But to me it was all passionless by reason o f
.

a deeper passion My heart was in the cloud

.

with lz i m H e had let go my hand to point m e to

.

the splendour and without his han d the splendour

was nothing I was hungry i n the fulness I was
.

blind amid the glow I turned back to be with

.

h i m — back into the cloud back into the shadowy

,

room I put out my hand to clasp his once more

. .

I t grasped the empty air ; he was gone I called .

on him ; I cried o u t ; my eyes swam with tears .

21 2 THE LADY E CC L E SI A

that I had Simply come back to the o l d storm I .

had come back with a vision in my heart Was .

not that vision an answer to my o w n morning

prayer ? H ad i t not been sent to still me amid
the tempest that in my turn I m ight make others
,

still ? D ream o r no dream was it n o t God s ,

’

message to m e ? T he man o f the valleys had

”
heard my fami ly ser v ice and had sai d Amen
,
“
.

As she spoke there stole i nto my heart a great

calm ; an d I could not but think how s h e and
I had changed places i n the course o f the days .

S he the comforted had become the comforter ;

, ,

I the consoler had stepped down to be consoled

, , .

I had found again the bread which I had cast

u pon the waters .

T hat night came o n early ; except i n my

’
moment s vision it had never been day
, The .

storm raged through the ho u rs u nceasingly At .

’
nightfall there was great rain Nature s tears .

seemed to relieve the tempest at her heart H er .

passion began to subside like that o f a child

exhausted by its o w n excitement Then it becam e .

i ntermittent li ke certain forms o f hum an sorrow

,

a n interval o f calm succeeded by a burst o f feeling .

At last it sank into a sigh as if it were trying to

,

restrai n itself A smothered suppressed wail ran

.
,

through air a nd s ea v aried only by the bitter

,
 THE D AY OF C RI S I S 21 3

weeping o f the rain I thin k it wou l d be more

.

correct to s a y that there was less storm exp r es s ed

than that there was more calm E very o n e felt .

that the p assion and the pathos were there in all

their strength— simply hiding behind the veil and
I am not sure that the sense of tempest is ever so
strong as when we are m ade to feel h o w much
more it could s a y .

S uddenly there was a new note in the voices .

What w a s that noise down by the s e a ? Was it

the roar o f the waves ? There was something m ore
in it than either wave or weather Where when .
,

did I hear that sound before ? I t cam e to m e like

a refrain o f memory ! what song o f my past did
i t si ng ? A h I remembered — a ve r y s a d song
, .

When last I heard it it was in the life o f my

,

yesterday Was not this the very sound that had

.

broken my gir l hood that had m ade a wom an o f

,

me ? D id I not rem ember the d ay o f that letter

from H e lle n i c u s when there swam before me the
,

prospect of a physical crown ? D id I not remember

how in the very m iddle o f my vai n imagi ning
, ,

there had come u p that cry fr om the valleys which

had dispelled it evermore — the cry o f the pesti
lence the wail o f the weary the clamour o f the
, ,

stri cken crowd ? C ould I mistake that sound ?

Would I n o t kn ow it am ong a thousand ? D i d I
21 4 TH E LAD Y E CC L E S I A

not hear it again to night ? Yes ; there was more

-

than n ature i n the voices o f this night The soul .

o f my brother man was speaking through the s e a

-
,

through the wind through the rain The plaint o f

, .

the valleys was rising once more S tay was it .

,

only the plaint that was rising ? Were not the

valleys themselves coming up ? With all the
likeness to the o l d sound there was a difference
,
.

T hat had been a cry o f fear this was like a voice

o f defiance . That had been tragic with despair ;
this was tragi c with the illusion of comi ng trium ph .

T he wail of despondency had been supplanted by

a shout o f expectation I heard and shuddered
.
,

for the shout was more s a d than the wail .

Nearer and nearer came the voices from below .

Was it that the subsiding o f the storm had

heightened thei r i ntensity a s a candle flares
,

brighter when the flare o f the s u n goes down ?

N o it was more than that I heard them dis .

ti n c tly approach ing ; I heard even the di rection o f

thei r approach I n the darkness it seemed to m e

.

as if there were a panoram a addressed to the ear .

I t was a m arch o f voices ; but I could mark their

track as easily as I could have traced by day
the footsteps o n the sand O n they swept these
.
,

myriad voices ever growing in volume ever moving

, ,

toward one central point I could not have per

.
21 6 TH E LAD Y E CC LE SI A

the valley— the path which I had striven to

d escend . T hey were coming up i n the delusion
that there was no night here n o care here no , ,

thorn here dream ing not that hum anity is o n e

,
.

As they drew nearer the voices b eg an to be

articulate T he breeze was blowing in the direction
.

o f the house and i t carried the s o und Ben “

.
,

” ”
I srael ! ben I srael !
-
The home o f our fathers !
“

”
“
T he island for the people ! The promise o f “

”
M oses and Mount Nebo ! Palatine H ill for the
“

valleys — these were among the cries which came

floating through the night up the ascent to the
S ympathy Gate .

T hen cam e a soun d from another quarter I t .

was close at han d —within the walls From the .

’
grounds o f my father s house there came the blast
o f a horn — loud long and penetrating
, ,
T he guard .

had caught the noise and given the alarm T hen .

the sound was taken up by another horn on a

more elevated plane T hat again was reverberated
.

by another on a plan e still higher and s o o n i n ,

ascendi ng series until from the summ it o f Pa l atine

,

there rose that great blast which I knew so well

the blast which had sounded the first alarm over
my Visit to the valleys .

T he house was now in confusion The ser v ants .

had gathered in the hall frantic with terror T he

, .
 T H E D AY OF C RI S I S 21 7

Sign al bore its o w n message and it was always ,

a message o f d anger Ph oebe alone rem ained calm

.
,

and remained with m e Presently there were .

footsteps in the passage and the captain o f the ,

”
guard entered Lady E cclesia he said you
.
“
, ,
“

c a n no longer stay here T he men o f the valleys .

hav e risen they are even now o n the m ain road .

I cannot answer for the safety o f this house .

”
Allow m e to conduct you to a place o f security .

”
I am n o t your prisoner Sir I answered that , , ,
“

”
you S hould rem ove m e from my own house I .

spoke with acrimony for the blood o f my race ,

was u p .

”
“
T his house is under my charge said the ,

”
captain ; I am responsible for it
“
.

”
Guard i t then I said ,
but my person at least “

is free T he C harge o n which I was i mprisoned

.
,

”
though morally true h a s legally broken down
, .

”
“
I have i ndeed n o power to arre s t you he ,

answered ; if I had I would u se it in your

“
, ,

interest But I beseech y o u to consider your

.

position I n half an hour this house m ay be i n

.

the possession o f an infuriated mob to whom you r ,

very rank m ay be your cri me I strongly advise .

”
y o u to seek safety in fl ight .

“ ”
Sir
, I answered I do n o t approve of this
,
“

rising ; non e regrets it m ore bitterly more po i g ,

21 8 T HE LAD Y E CC L E S I A

n a n tlythan I do Y o u have heard me express

.

my sym pathy with the man who in the day o f

pestilence brought succou r to the valleys I t is .

because I profess sym p athy with hi m that I have

none with this cause I feel that it is a movement
contrary to his spirit None the less it is a
.
,

m o v ement o f my people U n i n fl u e n ce d by me
.

up to this day concealed from me this rising i s

, ,

still a rising o f those who count themselves my

clan T he i nfuriated mob o f which you speak has
.

in its veins the blood o f those who centuries ago , ,

were retainers on this estate I do not fear them . .

But if I did what then ? F o r what should I fear

,

—
danger if not for this house the home o f my
fathers ? T hough it is no longer the old house ,

though we hold as tenants what once we ruled

as m asters though there is mean furniture where
,

there once was gorgeous equipment yet poor a s it , ,

is worn as it is dilapidated as it is its very dust

, , ,

to me is dear I shall not abandon it in its

.

desolation ; I shall stand amid the ruins o f the

place which to m e is holy Let the servants go ; .

let the retainers g o — those who grind at the mill

and work i n the field ; I do not forbid them to
leave me M ake them the o ffer you have m ade
.

to me B ut as long as I have li fe and liberty

”
I shall abide within these walls .
 C H A PT E R XXI

TH E TRA GE D Y OF TH E I N N E R S H RI N E

HE last of the crowd had now evidently

emerged from the S ympathy Gate T he
.

sound no longer came from below but from a le v el

, .

I t was clear that they were not immediately

m aking for the gro u nds . T hey were turning
toward the west S omething must have intervened
.

to avert thei r attention from the possession of the

prize which was at once the least guarded and the
nearest .Nor was it hard to detect the ca u se .

C ounter sounds were audible from the hill ; the

uplands were coming down to meet the valleys
I t was as if the s e a o n o n e side of the island were
roaring to the s e a o n the other side I thought
.

o f the words of o n e of o u r great poets ! D eep “

”
calleth unto deep .

As the i mmediate danger seemed to be post

poned I told the domestic s to go and rest awhile
, ,

for I felt that rest is an essential part o f service .

TH E T R AG E DY O F THE INN ER S H R IN E 221

I had great di f fi culty in persuading Ph oebe and ,

only succeeded on the plea that I wished to be

alone . I t w a s indeed strictly true
, , T here are .

hours i n which solitude is o u r best companionship .

T his was one o f them for m e I felt as if all

.

the day I had been defr auded o f solitude The .

elements had roared at me ; the valleys had

C lamoured at m e I longed to have an hour o f
.

quietness — a n hour in which I would be separated

from all distractions o f the ear The subsiding
.

o f the storm had already removed one o f them ;

those o f hum an passion still remained Was there .

any spot where for a brief space I could hide

from these ?
Yes ; I remembered There was at the back
.

o f o ur house a room called the O ratory It .

was a place which for years back had been set

apart for pri v ate de v otion — where any member
o f the household might retire to pour forth the
soul in prayer W ithin this apartment there was
.

a door leading into an inner chamber which was ,

deemed still more sacred and which for genera

,

tions past had been regarded as under the juris

diction o f the chaplain alon e I n this innermost
.

Shrine there were two peculi arities ; I m ark them

carefully in the light o f w hat followed Resting o n .

the floor there was a large box to which C aia p has

,
222 TH E LADY E C C L E SI A

kept the key . I t was filled with gifts — the

offerings o f those who from ti m e to time had
com e to C aiaphas to m ake confession o f their s i n ,

and which were supposed to be the possession o f

the fam ily. O verhanging this box there was
another peculiar object which e v idently had its
,

origin in something symbolic I t was an enormous

.

statue which had been suspended by a cord from

,

the outside roof an d let down through an aperture

,

into the apartment s o as to overshadow the place

,

which held the gifts I am told it was intended

.

to represent the angel o f the clan This inter .

t ti n was borne o u t by the fact that at the

p r e a o

end o f every year it had been the custom to

encircle this figure with a chain by which it was,

designed to indicate that the annual weight o f

’
the people s Sin had been laid upon the angel .

I n the process o f time the ch a ins had accumulated

enormously constituting a weight upon the statue
,

which I often thought dangerous Particularly in .

the storm o f the past day had the idea occurred

to m e What if the cord by which the figure was
,

suspended should be loosened by the friction o f

the elements ?
But for this last fancy I would ha ve selected
,

the innermost shrine as the place o f my retreat ;

there was something i n its symbolism whi c h at
2 24 THE LADY E CC L E SI A

naturally ; my sleep was broken from without .

I heard again the so u nd of Shouting ; but it came

no longer from the valleys but from the grounds , .

I heard the tread of mul t itudinous feet sweeping

’
through my father s premises I heard snatches .

o f songs expressing the j oy o f Victory and I knew ,

where they came from T hese were not the voices

.

o f the valley ; they were the strains o f the men

of Palatine I t all broke upon me in a moment
. .

T he battle was over the Victory was won and i t

’
was won not by my father s house T he men .

—
of my clan had been crushed crushed for ever
more I listened to the hoarse voices i n the courts
.

that were wont to be s o silent I heard the jest .

,

the jeer the sally o f wit and repartee an d the

, ,

laughter o f response ; an d for the first time I felt

that my home was in the hands o f the stranger .

All at once I became aware o f a n earer sound .

Footsteps were coming through the pass a ge were ,

approaching the door T hey were not like those

.

in the courtyard — jubilant and bold They were .

covert stealthy Slow— those o f a man who wished

, ,

to hide himself I was breathless with fear I

. .

have never been greatly afraid o f open violence ,

but have always dreaded that which comes o n

tiptoe I had not long to wait T he door O pened
. .
,

and a m a n entered with a tor c h in his hand H is .

T H E TR AG E D Y O F T H E I NN E R S HRI N E 2 25

face was deadly pale ; but o n e look at him was

enough for recognition . I would have cried o u t
with surprise if fear had not paralysed me ; it
,

was C aiaphas .

H e did not see me ; he looked at nothing in

the room . Hi s eyes were strained o n the room
beyond — the inner shrine T here was something
.

in that inner Shrine which fascinated hi m ri v eted ,

him made him u nconscious o f all beside

,
He .

began to thin k aloud .

“
The time is come for m e Moses ben I srael
.
-

is no more Who remains to represent the family ?

.

E cclesia ? N o ; s h e h a s declined to represent it ;

s h e has taken up an alien interest S hall the gifts
.

locked u p in the sanctuary fall into the hands o f

the Lord o f Palatine ? Not if I c a n prevent it .

Who is b etter entitled to these gifts than I ? H ave

they not been gifts o f the conscience extorted ,

by my o w n services ? H ave they not been wrung

o u t from penitent hearts as a trib u te to my power ?

Are they not all the trophies o f my m inistry to

this ho u se ? H as any o n e such claim to them
as I

A S he spoke he approached the inner room He .

entered he shut the door I heard a key applied

.

to the lock of the trunk T he vision rose before

.

me o f his in c redible me a nness ; it w as li ke o ne

22 6 TH E L A D Y E CC LE SI A

robbing the dead T his m an had been following

.

the skirts of the men o f Palatine to wait the issu e

o f events ; and now when the house he served
,

was mutilated he came to sac k it My heart gave

, .

a great bound o f indignation I had encountered

.

this man before ; I would do it again I would .

confront hi m I wo u ld shame hi m ; I would teac h

him that m ine was no alien interest I rose from .

the steps of the altar ; in another m oment I would

ha v e met him face to face ; but another was
quicker than I .

For suddenly upon the air there came a deafen

I n g crash and a hum an shriek I r u shed to the
.

aperture O n e look was enough

. I shall ne v er .

forget the horror o f the sight T he overburdened

.

statue weighted with the chains o f the people

, ,

had fallen T he hold o f the cord already greatly

.
,

worn had been relaxed by the violence o f the

,

storm and the moment o f its final giving way had

,

been precisely that moment when C aiaphas was

below T here it lay i n fragments o n the floor ;
.

and beneath it there was an awful sight—a

mangled heap that once had been a man .

I could bear no more I screamed ; I ran from

.

the room to shut o u t the vision To get quit o f .

the dead foe I fled to the living o ne I passed .

thro u gh the corridor ; I came into the hall I .

22 8 TH E LAD Y E CC LES I A
”
“
What ! he cried death here ? I thought I ,
“

”
had left him where I came from .

”
“
H e has fallen I said upon o n e o f your
, ,
“

helpers — one who came to spoil the house when he

knew the master was away Go you will find him .
,

in the inner shrine Y o u know me too well to .

”
imagine I shall try to escape .

H e returned quicker than he went H is face .

—
was ghastly pale this really brave m an who had ,

j ust come from a scene o f blood I t is a horrible .

”
Sight he said ! do you believe in retribution
,

”
“
To me I answered , the horror is not the ,
“

r etribution it is the fact that I have missed saving

him D o yo u know it was the casting o f a die
.
,

that put him there instead o f me I too was in .

search o f treasure to night ; b u t it was the u n -

searchable riches I went to pass an ho u r o f

.

devotion ; I decided with difficulty to take the

outer rather than the inner room I f I had taken .

the in ner my hour would have come to night and

,
-
,

”
his hour would have been postponed .

I would have said more but I was startled by ,

the look o f his face I f it was ghastly before there

.
,

was added to the pallor an expression o f the most

acute torture T hen all at once it broke upon me
.
,

as such things do break This m an whose associa

tions with m e had been so ad verse —
.
,

this man who ,

TH E T R AG E DY OF TH E I NN ER S H R I N E 2 29

from the night o f the betrayal had stood in the

—
place o f my gaoler this man whom I had r e ,

c e i v e d with sarcasm invective obloquy ,

— this m an
, ,

whose very n ame I di d not know—loved me It .

was to m e a revelation o f surprise T hat o n e so .

e ffeminate as H e lle n i cu s should hav e felt fo r me

the tender passion was conceivable enough But .

that the rude soldier o f the house of Palatine the ,

m an o f ste m w ill an d strenuous discipline should ,

have Shared the s am e interest with the luxurious

son o f pleasure this was a strange thing To m e
,
.

there could be but o n e explan ation T he diverse .

power o f attraction lay not in m e I t lay in my .

contact with that mysterious m ind which had not

only domin ated but tr a n s fi g u r e d my o w n — a m ind

which seemed to have a hundred doors o f egress ,

by any o n e o f which it could come o u t to capti

v ate I t was n o t I who had taken prisoner two
.

such opposite types as P h oebe and the captain o f

the guard I t was o n e who had first i mprisoned
.

myself and who because his o w n n ature was uni

, ,

versal had brought me into contact with all things

,
.

”
“
W hat of my father ? I said .

” “
“
Lady E cclesi a he answered ,
you r father ,

cannot be found There has been great carnage

.

to night but he i s n o t among the slain I know

-
,
.

h e w a s in t he heat o f th e battle for I s a w him by ,

2 36 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

the light o f the torches and I heard his v oice ,

shouting the war c r y T he Lord o f H osts is with

-
,

’
us ! But we have looked in vain for hi m amid the
broken ranks of his house H e is n o t among the .

dead ; he i s not among the dying ; he is not

among the prisoners ! he must have escaped I .

have sent messengers along the m ain road down ,

the valley up the hill They wi ll tell us whether

,
.

they have found any traces o r tidings Meanwhi le .

you have rightly felt that this house is n o place for

you E ven were it otherwise I have no choice in
.
,

this m atter I am com m anded to lead yo u to the

.

tribunal o f the Lord o f Palatine S ee the dawn .

,

i s spreading ; i n a fe w hours we must begin o u r

ascent I withdraw my men to give you time fo r
.

preparation As a m atter o f form I was bound

.

to take hostile possession o f this house ; there my

hostility ends Believe me yo u have my dee p est
.
,

”
sympathy .

“ ”
“
An d what o f the awful guest I said whom , ,

”
we shall leave in the inner shrine ?
”
“
T hat shall be my care he answered dismiss
,
“

all trouble from your mind o n this account I .

shall leave a party here to superintend the buri al

o f the priest I do not know that I shall ask them
.

to bu ry all his memories I think I shall get an .

ar chite ct t o t ak e a plan o f yo u r i nn er a n d ou ter

 C H A PT E R XX I I

B E F ORE TH E D E P A R T URE

H E R E is no feeling more sad than the break

ing up o f home I do not think it is felt by
.

all fam ilies in an equal degree T here are some

.

who m ake new friends more easily than others .

O u r family had al w ays been distinguished for its

slowness in m aking friends We were said by o u r
.

neighbours to keep within the house We were .

called stiff unsocial e ven unfriendly T he Lord

, , .

of Palatin e an d his brother H e lle n i cu s m ixed

freely with their inferiors ; the house of I srael had
a tendency to stan d aloof All the more o n this
.

account was there precious to us the idea o f hom e .

More than once thro u gh the stress o f fortune had

we been called to break up the old m ansion and
it had always been a moment o f u nspeakable pain .

S uch a moment had now come to my o w n life I .

had recei ved the command to quit the house o f my

father s I was about to leav e the walls that had
.

2 32
 B E F OR E T H E D E P A R TU RE 2 33

sheltered m e from infancy I was to s ee them

.

dismantled o f those retainers that still remained ,

and to be led forth as a captive on a charge

i nvolving life o r death .

I knew by presenti ment that I would ne v er see

these walls again . T he few hours l eft to me o f
possession were like the hours left to us with o u r
dead before b u ri al — when unlike C aiaphas they
, ,

are o u r beloved dead T hey were a last look and

.
,

they had all the bitterness o f such With a burst .

ing heart I went through the o ld rooms to say

farewell T here was n o t a nook o r cranny there
.
,

was not a chink o r crevice outside the scene o f

,

tragedy which I did not visit like a Shrine T here

,
.

was n o t a piece of fu rnitu re whic h I did not water

with my tears A curious temptation cam e over
.

m e to put a m ark u pon certain articles that if , ,

I ever m et them again I might recognise them

,
.

B ut then the thought occurred to m e that God

might hav e fields for my ser v ice i n which it was
desirable to forget the things which are behind .

I said ,
“
Let G o d be the custodier o f our i m m o r
ta l i ti e s ; it is n o t for m e to determ ine what shall
”
be saved from the wreck o f time .

T here is on e thing whic h to the future reader

o f these pages m ay seem strange H e m ay wonder
.

why with such a desire to kee p memorials o f the

,
2 34 TH E LA D Y E C C L E SI A

past I had ne v er during all the days o f my con

,

v a le sc e n c e m ade a single inqui r y regarding the

burial place o f him who had extinguished for me
-

all other loves H e m ay ask why it was that even

.

at this moment I did n o t try to procure from the

captain o f the guard a relic o f the spot were it ,

only a twig o r a stone D id I forget ? N o

. .

S tartling as it m ay sound it was not want o f ,

memory but want o f interest

, R emember my .

peculiar experience I t was n o t merely that the

.

m an o f the valleys to m e was n ot dead ! that was

the V iew held by all his followers B ut it was that .

to me there never had been a time in which I had

”
said to myself T he m an o f the v alleys is dead
“
, .

H is death had been revealed to me as a past fact ,

not a present o n e I had to go and pick it u p

.

from the road I had left behind When I di d pick .

it up it had already been more than half swallowed

,

up in V ictory T o me the tr u e relic of that grav e

.

was the risen m an I had no wish to hav e any

other memorial o f it I c a n u nderstand how others
.

might think di fferently T o Peter J ames and John .

, ,

there had been a moment o f actual berea v ement

a moment in which they had exclaimed T he m an ,

”
o f the valleys is dead But mine had been more
.

like the experience of my correspondent P aul the

n ews o f l i fe r ev iv ed h a d antici pate d the t idin g s o f
2 36 THE LA D Y E CC LE S I A

morn An d s o I kept the big tragedy i n my heart

.

that was lying in the silent room Ye who carry in.

your breast a pain you c a n tell to no one pity me , .

After the m orning service I did a new thing— a

thing newer than the service I asked the domestics
to s i t down with m e at a common meal I put it .

on the ground that the time at o u r disposal was

short ; but o n any ground it was significant O u r .

house had always been kind to its dependants had ,

always C laimed the v alleys as within its original

boundaries B ut it had never for a m oment
.

forgotten the principle o f subordination I had .

been trained in a school supremely conservative I .

had been taught to look upon family descent as

the great ground o f privilege I had always a.

tendency to remind myself that I was the Lady

E cclesia I think it was the last part o f my o l d
.

nature to be conquered That night in the valleys

.

I had seen the vast multitude partake together ;

but I was n o t o n e of them an d they were all o f
,

a class I think my relations with Ph oebe were

.

the first influences that softened m e My days o f .

protracted weakness m ade me dependent o n the

ministrations o f another and that other one whom
,

I was wont to rule B e it as it m ay this m orning

.
,

the Lady E cclesia was dead and the woman

E c clesi a w a s a live .W e w ere sharin g o n e Com m o n
 B E F O RE T H E D E PA RT U RE 2 37

peril—m y servants and I T hose who Shared i t .

with me had elected to do s o S om e had turned .

aside yesternight ; perhaps i f in the days o f the .

past there had been less of the Lady and more o f

the wom an in m e they would have loved me more
, .

At all events my heart went o u t to those who

rem ained T hey had refused to separate their lot
.

from m ine would I at this m oment divide my lot

from theirs ? T he relati on o f m istress and servant
had been shattered by a com mon blow We were .

fellow creatures fellow prisoners fellow sufferers

-
,
-
,
-

we would partake this meal together .

An d before it was o v er there cam e to m e

another strange experience — a deeper stretch o f
charity still T he captai n of the gu ard returned
. .

H e stood i n the hall and sent a message that he

desired to s p eak with m e ! uick as lightning the
.

tho u ght came to me S hould not this m an be asked

,

to partake the repast with his prisoners ? H ad he

not last night been far travelled Was he not to day -

the m ost burdened man i n the ser v ice ? Would it

not be only co u rteous if I i nvited him to Sit down ?
T hen rose up pride and said within me Lady ! “

E cclesia yo u forget yo u rself

, Are y o u not the
.

d aughter of Moses ben I srael ? I s not this m an

-

the enemy o f yo u r father— a fighting retainer o f

the Lor d o f Palatine ? I s it not to him we are
2 38 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

indebted for all this present m isery ? I s it not to

him and to his master we o w e the fact that the
ordained o f H eaven are n o t the possessors o f this
”
island ? T hen I seemed to hear another voice
the refrain o f words that I had read and w h i c h I
now re membered It was that strange message o f
.

my strange correspondent Paul What if the Lord

, .

o f Palatine himself was meantime the ordained of

heaven What if he possessed the island because

at this hour he was the only man fit to possess it ?
What i f Go d had consecrated him to the regency
until the heir was ripe for his inheritance ? I n that
case was he n ot the inj u red rather than the i nj u r
,

ing party ? Were not w e the disturbers o f h i s

’
peace o f God s peace ? Were not his fighting men
,

the unconscio u s servants o f a Providence that loved

order rather than anarchy ? Might not my house
be the real aggressor ?
T hen the last v oice pre v ailed I went o u t and
.

”
met the captain i n the hall S ir I said th e
.
““
, ,

time is so Short at o u r com mand that I have asked

the servants to sit down with me before starting
a n d partake o f a com mon meal I f you deem it .

not degrading to be at the same table with yo u r

”
prisoners I shall be glad that you join us
,
.

”
“
Where the Lady E cclesia is concerned he ,

answered I am the capti v e ; the condes c ension

,
“
24 6 TH E LA D Y E CC LESI A

remembered the vision o f yesterday H ad not the .

man o f the valleys told m e that my father would

live without l and ? D id not that prove that he
was under the protection o f the m an o f the valleys ?
W a s he indeed beyond the sight o f land ? No ;
only beyond the sight o f o u r island Was there .

not land o n the other Side of the sea ? Had

not its existence been guaranteed to m e by evi
dence stronger than Sight ? H ad I not the testi
mony written in my heart that from the farther
’
Shore love s eyes w e re watching ? Were they
not watching now that lonely v essel o n the
great deep ? Would they not keep that vessel
in its desolate wanderings ? Why Should men
s a y when the ship was c u t o ff from the island
, ,

that it was c u t o ff from supply ? Were there

n o supplies from the other Shore ? Were there
not far o u t from o u r island home meetings o f
, ,

ships upon the sea—meetings in which the

transport vessels from the i nvisible land brought
sustenance to the m ariner whose island stores
were exhausted ? S o would it be with my father .

H e would not die U pon the wave ; I felt it I ,

knew it H e would be nourished from another

.

soil till the times o f enmity had passed from this .

H omeless l andless companionless he would not

, , ,

die Without a p l ace left for him o n the m ap

.
 B E F O RE T H E D EPA RT U RE 24 1

of the traveller he wo u ld still be the leader o f

,

a race With his house i n the hands of a stranger

.
,

he would keep his fam ily n am e H e might be .

despaired o f i n the island he might be forgotten

he might be deemed dead but the salt s e a would
preserve him alive and in my heart the words
,

o f the n ight vision would be e v er sounding He

“
,

shall ret u rn and yo u shall nourish his o l d age

, ,

”
and m ake hi m young once more .

”
“
I am grateful to you I said ,
“
for this i n ,

form ation ; it gives me a strange comfort I .

am glad my father is hiding o n the se a and

’
not on the land I think we are more i n God s
.

’
hands on the sea ; less i n m an s T here are always .

—
two currents on the land the h u m an and the
’
di v ine ; b u t the c u rrent o n the sea is all God s .

C ome let us j oin my fellow prisoners at the

,
-

”
morning meal .

And that morning there was exhibited a won

d r o u s s p ectacle T he d ay o n which our house
.

reached its lowest fortunes was the day i n which

it attained its widest charity Whenever I think .

o f that morning there rises before me the fig u re

,

o f a triangle
— narrow at the top and broad at
the base T he progress o f o u r house had been
.

a steady progress downwards ; it had begun at

the zenith o f ho p e and ended in the present
1 6
24 2 TH E LA D Y E C C LE SI A

despair . And yet the present despair had p ro

d u ce d what all the years o f hope had failed to
win . For the first time in the history o f my
home there was displayed within its walls an
act o f free hospitality T here in the last hour
.
,

o f its possession the representati v es o f o u r di v erse

,

island life s a t Side by Side in soci al u nity T he .

servant was at o n e table with the mistress the ,

clansman with the alien the friend with the foe

, .

Branches that had never m et unitedly o n a Single

tree were joined this m orning Th er e w a s the
.

house o f I srael represented by myself— the pro u d

,

E cclesia . T here was the household o f H e lle n i cu s ,

embodied in the presence o f the gentle Ph oebe .

There were the retainers o f the Lord o f Palatine ,

p r e fi g u r e d i n the person o f the m an who had j u st

’
str u ck a blow in defence o f his m aster s claim I t .

was a strange a heterogeneous som e m ay say an

, ,

u nnat u ral group ; yet I do not think I was e v er

more loyal to the hono u r o f my family than when I
made the season o f its de p ression the hour o f its
enlargement . T here are d ays which only get
bright as they near the setting sun Looking back .

to that last moment in the ho u se o f my father it ,

almost seems to me as i f amid its storm and stress

the words of o n e o f o u r poets found their fu l fi l
”
m ent ! At e v enin g time there shall be light .
2 44 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

the Sight o f the ho u se in other hands T he fi rst is .

only a blank the second is a re vu lsion I do not .

wonder that they wept .

We left the village behind We came u pon

.

a path which when l a s t I saw it was the open

, ,

country . But now to my startled eye it was a

m ilitary city S i nce the day o f my illness I had
.

never been o n this road I had left it a solitary

.

com mon I found it a hive o f life I t was cov ered .

’
with soldiers tents it was guarded at every post .

But that was the smallest part o f the change I t .

was not the m ilitary parade that shocked m e ; it

was the survivals o f a scene o f carnage There .

were n o dead bodies but there were m any d i la p i

,

dated living ones In a d dition to the tents o f the

.

soldiers there was a v ery large tabernacle which ,

had evidently been impro v ised for an emergency .

I n front of the door lay a multitude o f wounded

men with eyes eagerly strained u pon the edifice
,
.

They were clearly under medical inspection To .

and fro m oved a company o f men whom I took to

be physicians T hey examined the sufferers o n e
.

by o n e . At the end o f each exam in ation they

m ade a Sign and according to its n ature there
,

was a different result I n o n e case the sufferer

.

was carried into the p av ilion in the other he was

left at the d oor .
 O UTS I D E T H E GATE S 24
5
”
“
What is that tenement ? I Said ad d ressing ,

the captain o f the guard .

” ”
“
T hat he answered is a m ilitary hospital
, ,
“
.

”
“
But I said
,
large as it is it seems quite
,
“
,

’ ”
inade quate to this m orning s dem and .

”
A S i t is merely a stretch of canvas he replied , ,

“
it m ight be extended indefin itely B ut y o u do .

not s u ppose a hospital is m eant to meet all the

”
dem ands for it ?
“
Why not ? I cried in e x treme wonder .

”
You would not he said have those a d mi t ted
, ,

who are not q u alified ?

”
“
But what is the qualification ? I exclaimed .

“
I s not a m an quali fied in proportion as the
”
amount o f his hurt is great ?
”
E xactly the reverse he returned ,
T he more .

deadly the wound the less right has the m an to

,

”
expect care Look now .
! H e p ointed across
. the
field ) .
“
D o you se e those two men whom the
doctors are exam ini ng ? T hey are hurt in very
different degrees O n e o f them is lying prostrate
.

the other has broken an arm Y et I tell you .

, ,

that the m an with the broken arm will get in and ,

the m an with the broken life will be kept o u t .

”
T here ! di d I n o t s a y it would be so ?
And truly he was right H e who was able to .

walk was presently cond u cted into the pavilion ,

24 6 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

and he who was prostrated was passed by Why .

”
is this ? I cried in strong indignation Are the .
“

medical men in the ser v ice of yo u r ho u se intended

only to c u re those who look curable beforehand
E xactly Lady E cclesia you could n ot have
,

e x pressed it better if you had studied the subj ect

for years I t is not e v en a q u estion o f curable
.

o r incurable T he entire consideration i s whether

.

the disease o r injury can be remo v ed to such an

extent as to render the patient fit for active
service I f the doctors thi nk not they refuse to
.
,

take care o f hi m N 0 man amon g the retainers o f

.

”
o u r house has his life v alued for its own sake .

Where had I heard these sentiments before ?

O h yes I remembered ; it was in that last i nter
,

View with H e l le n i c u s i n whi ch I defended the

,

claims o f the valleys I had shuddered at the

.

theory ; but I think there must hav e been i n my

mind a faint hope that H e l le n i c u s was somewhat
rom anci ng I t is the only way i n which I can
.

account fo r the actual horror with which I s a w

it i n practice I felt as if some o n e had struck
.

me Never since the night in which the wom an

.

was stoned in the valley had I experienced such

” “
an emotion “
I t is shameful I cried ;
. it is
,

brutal it is abominable I f things are bad within

”
m y gates they are worse within yo u rs
,
.
24 8 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

I found the object o f my solicitude n o t only

prostrate in body but completely prostrate in
,

m ind T here is a boundary line o f physical weak

.

ness w hich tends to obliterate the distinction b e

tween the coward and the brav e I have always .

been told that the retainers o f the house o f

Palatine were conspicuous for courage T hat .

has not been my experience T he opinion is

.

based upon the fact that when things have come

,

to an extremity the retainers o f this house have

,

preferred to avoid the extremi ty by meeting death

with their o w n hand To my humble judgment
.

the fact w ould seem to p oint to the opposite con

elusion I t appears to me to indicate that the
.

ho u r o f extremity i s to these men insupportable ,

and that they sh u n the foe which they hav e not

co u rage to meet .

B e this as it m ay the m an before m e was

,

i n m ental prostration I have no doubt he w as

.

’
among the bravest in last night s battle ; but that
i s not the ulti mate test o f bra v ery I t is something .

to stand fast in the evil d ay ; but to stan d when

—
the night is come thi s is divine H e was utterly .

unm anned by the denial o f human symp a thy H e .

had been so accustomed to move i n companies

that the solitude ap p alled him H e had not either
.

the m aterial o r the strength for taking awa y his

 O UT S I D E THE GA T E S 249

life ; if he had I have n o doubt he wo u ld have

,

done it As it was he cried like a girl

.
,
.

I took his hand in mine the new life within me

had taken away much o f my reserve had made ,

things honourable to me whic h I once would have

’ ”
deemed i mproper “
D on t think I said
. that , ,
“

all the island has deserted y o u I am the Lady .

E cclesia daughter o f Moses ben I srael ; and I

,
-

’i
have come to comfort you For once it was not
.

pride m ade me use my designation ; it was the

wish to let hi m feel that he was not neglected .

H e looked u p quite startled at the sympathy I .

greatly m issed my little vial at that moment for ,

I remembered the case o f Ph oebe S uddenly it .

occ u rred to m e that I had still a relic o f the night

of vision —the little cross o f gold which the m an o f
the v alleys had given m e I took it from my inner
.

garment and pressed it o n the palm o f his hand .

”
C lasp that for a m oment I s aid “
I am told it
,

”
has great power o f healing T he effect surprised .

even myself I n an instant his pale c heek was lit

.

up with a flus h not unlike the rose of health ; his

languor seemed to vanish and the light o f interest
,

fl ashed from his eye “

I ha v e the oddest sensa
.

”
tion he said
, I feel as if all the weakness and
.
“

pa i n had left my body and passed into the body

o f that other wounded m an opposite I still ha v e .
25 6 TH E LA D Y E CC L ES I A

a sense o f them ; but I feel as if they were his ,

not mine I won d er if y o u could do anything to

.

relieve him I am not speaking q u ite u n s e lfi s hly ;

for I have a sensation as if he were a bit o f
”
m y self .

T he doctor passed and I accosted him ,

“
Would .

”
yo u e x amine this m an again I said ; it seems ,
“

”
to m e he shows sym ptoms of amendm ent He .

answered g r u ffl y that he was not in the habit

of re v ersing his d ecisions ; n one the less he
proceeded to r e examine T he patient hi mself
-
.

protested H e said he had been already pro

.

n o u n c e d too ill to be s u ccoured H e urged the .

doctor to go in quest o f more hopeful cases and

not waste tim e o n him ; he could meet his fate
without a shadow o f fear .

I n a few m inutes the doctor looked up from his

”
work . What is the meaning of this he said
“
, .

T his man is certainly fit for the hospital What .

”
has effected the change ?
”
“
D octor said the patient, this lady has a ,
“

Skill beyond you ; s h e has appli ed an i n s tr u

ment which has probed deeper and cured in the ,

”
probing .

”
“
Let me see it said the doctor H e took the
,
.

cross and examined it He asked me how I had .

a pp lied it and he recei v ed the information with a

,
2 5 2 TH E L A D Y ECC L E S I A

of a brief but searc hing examination the doctor

“
exclaimed with surprise T his m an is also fit for ,

”
the hospital .

T he doctor was now i n a strait betwixt t w o .

O n the o n e hand professional pride prompted him

to get ri d o f me as soon as possible But o n the .

other hand was a more potent agent than p ride

self interest H e knew that e v e r y m an saved to
-
.

the Lord o f Palatine was a step in his o w n

promotion T he recovery o f every patient was a
.

personal gain to him it was property saved from

the wreck I possessed an influence he did not
.

understand But however unintelligible to him he

.
, ,

felt he could utilise it for his o w n i nterest Pride .

died hard H e ask e d me again to let him examine

.

the cross This time he m ade an effort at personal

.

experiment H e tried the effect o f the instrument

.

o n som e o f the patients with his own hand He .

”
returned crestfallen I c a n m ake n othing o f it .
“
,

he said .

T his was a revelation even to myself U p to .

this ti me I believe I had the notion that the little

cross had an efficacy o f its o w n apart from the
han d which held it To m e its value was increased .

rather than diminis hed by the disco v ery that it

required to be united with a phase o f the hu man
”
spirit D octor I said are there no cases in your
“
, ,
 O U TS I D E T H E GAT E S 2
53

profession in which the hand that administers is as

i mportant as the thing admi nistered T hen the
”
pride died altogether You are right he said ;
.
“
,

“
take the cross in your own han d an d do what you
c a n with it
. S o far as I am concerned y o u have ,

”
the liberty o f the field .

I was not slow to take his p ermission ; and the

result amply j ustified and rewarded hi m I do not .

think the m ilitary hospital had ever been s o filled

as i t was that day . I do not thi nk the Lord
o f Palatin e ever received s o m any restitutions o f

seemingly lost property as he did on the m orning

when I m ade my inspection of the wounded T he .

greatest gain o f his li fe came from that very man

o f the valleys whose interest he deemed at variance

with his o w n T o me the main satisfaction was

.

the opportunity I had o f connecting the cross with

the name o f him who had given it I did n o t wish
.

any o n e to thi nk that the so u rce o f the power lay

i n me And yet I am bound to confess that I did
.

not wholly succeed in my efforts at self burial A S -

.

I traversed the field as I was seen ministering in

,

turn to the need of each sufferer a s o n e by o n e the

,

cases acc u mulated in which recovery had come

’
after hope s aban don ment the excitement o f the
,

v ictims hitherto unreached becam e intense T he .

Vision of a b eam o f light pass i ng o ver their c om

25 4 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

rades and the frantic fear that the beam might set
,

ere it reached themsel v es was almost too m uch for

,

them My n am e had been passed from lip to lip

.

thro u gh the sorrowful b and Presently it became .

came a united watch cry or rather a prayer cry

-
,
-
.

”
“
E cclesia ! E c clesia ! rang through the field in ,

accents half S u pplicating half admiring I t was

, .

charmingly irre v erent My title was left o u t ;

.

my design atio n was s upp resse d T here are p auses .

i n music which are m ore eloq u ent than a note

would be S o to m e at that mo m ent was the
.

”
leaving o u t o f the word Lady
“
I think I ne v er .

heard so musical a Silence .

At last the captai n re c alled me “

L ad y .

”
E cclesia he Said
,
“
my sym p athies are w ith yo u
, ,

and if it depended on myself there wo u ld be no

, ,

obstr u ction to your bene v olence But I fear the .

i nterpretation which m ay be p u t upon the act

by the Lord o f Palat ine ; I d read it for myself ,

and I dread it for yo u R emember yo u are

.

ascen d ing to his j u dgmen t seat You an d your

- .

ho u se are under his ban What if it Should be

.

said that you have attem p ted to prejudge his

sentence by winning the popular ear ? I n yo u r
interest and i n my o w n interest I m u st ask y o u
to desist Meantime d u ring this m arch I hav e
.

p laced my p av ilion at y o u r d is p osal fo r res t an d

 C H APT E R XX I V

TH E F I RS T W ORLD L Y TE MP TA TI ON

RO M
’
the mom ent we left my father s grounds
o u r path had been an u pward one but its ,

rise was at first so gentle that i t was practically a

plain After resuming o u r j ourney it showed more
.

symptoms o f climbing . I t was designed o n my

account that the progress Should be effected by
slow and intermittent stages About an hour after
.

noon we reached what m ight be called a temporary

landing in the stair T he estate n amed Palatine
.

H i ll stood o n the top of an eminence T here were .

roads leading up to it from every part of the island ,

as if it had been designed to be the centre o f all

things . N e v ertheless the communication was by
no means easy . T he approaches though m any , ,

were long and winding Palatine H ill like the

.
,

sum mit of every hill looked nearer than it really

,

was ; it tempted by a seem ing facility o f access

which was not there i n fact I n none o f the roads
.

25 6
 THE FI R ST W OR LD LY T E M P T A TI O N 25 7

was the ascent m aintained continuously T here .

were intervals o f flat surfaces i nterposed between

—
the C limbings periods in which the upward pro
gress was suspended and the expectation baffled
which predicted an early goal I t was to o n e o f .

these flats that we attained after the meridi an s u n

and instinctively I paused to survey the prospect .

For the first time since we began o u r j ourney

the form o f Palatin e H ill burst clearly o n o u r View .

O n the lower ground it had been comparatively

hid but the superior elevation brought it into
,

prominence I n the rays of the m idday s u n it

.

looked positively gorgeous I could not help

.

”
expressing my admiration to the captain Y es .
,

“
he said i t is very fine b ut I thin k it has passed
, ,

its full glory I f you were near you would s e e

.
,

Signs o f decay in the building it wants repair I .

have seen the H ouse o f Palatine exhibit a splendour

to which this is as twi light to the day Besides it .
,

”
has suffered much of late .

H ow s o
D id you n o t hear of the great fire some ti me
“

ago when the house was almost burnt to the

,

”
ground ?
“
No ; it must have been during the d ays when
I was i m prisoned in my room and heard nothing .

W a s it an accident ? ”
’
2
5 8 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

T hat is j ust what nobody knows The Lord o f .

Palatine hi mself di d n ot scruple to express s u s

p i c i o n o f some o f your retainers I do not think
.

he has been the same m an since I remember

the time when his solicit u de was for the island ;
I think it has become personal I t is o n that .

ground I am anxious about his meeting with

you .

I was eager to change the current o f the conver

s ation Affection was having i ts in fluence o n this
.

’
m an s mind ; and I could n o t bear that even
i ndirectly I Should be the m eans o f shaking the
loyalty o f a subject o f the Lord o f Palatine I .

therefore asked irrelevantly At what time do

,
“

”
y o u expect we shall arri v e ?
”
“
I think he said
, the setting s u n will be
,
“

there before u s I do not im agine y o u will be in

.

time to s ee it by daylight Meanwhile I have .

m ade every arrangement for you r com fort and

convenience I have d irected that your tent shall
.

follow a s long as the marc h continues ; but I have

arranged that the last part o f your journey which ,

i s the stee p est Shall not b e o n foot At the next

, .

landing in the ascent we Shall dine after which ,

y o u a n d l Shall mount horse and ride forward i n

”
a d v ance the others will follow .

I w as about to tha n k him for h i s ki n d c o n si d era

2 60 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

thing which really happened was the one thing

whic h I never expected .

I entered the tent with a palpitating heart and ,

the sight which m et my eye at once transfixed

me There stood before me a gigantic figure with
.

breadth to m atch colossal in hand and foot and

, ,

coarse i n feature H is countenance betokened

.

above all other things u nrest and it w a s centred ,

i n his eyes which fl ashed wildly incessantly H e

, , .

came forward and at once addressed m e .

Lady E cclesia daughter o f Moses ben I srael

,
-
,

latest scion o f the most royal house in this island ,

I have come again to Visit you D o yo u not .

remember me ?
” ”
No I cried I never s a w yo u before
, , .

H e smiled with great condescension I do not .

”
wonder he said that you have failed to recognise
, ,

m e for I have put o ff all the trappings o f weakness

,

and taken a new form I used to be known as .

”
the man o f the valleys ! I shuddered ) A h ! n o . .
“

wonder you Shrink with disgust That was in the .

d ays o f my flesh I have put away childish things

. .

I have come b ack from heaven with a new body

and a new n ame I am c alled no longer the m an
.

of the valleys but the s o n o f the star —the

,
‘

conquering star foretold in o n e of your poems ,

’
T he S ong o f B alaam And I am come specially .
 TH E FI R ST W OR LD LY T E M P T A TI O N 2 61

to you I am come to raise the fallen fortunes o f

.

your house to make it not only free but m aster

,
.

I s e e you a prisoner in the hands of the Lord o f

Palatine he Shall yet b e a prisoner in your hands .

You shall weave the c hain for him which he weaves

for you You shall give back the sneers to him
.

that he has given to y o u Y o u shall deny the .

privileges to him that he has denied to you Y o u .

Shall put his m en down in the valley and put the

m en o f the valley o n Palatine H ill I am weary .

till the work is done that I m ay get back to my

,

glory Think you i t is a light thing to leave my

.

glory ? Think you I am m ade o f you r common

clay ? N ay Lady E cclesia I have descended a s
, ,

far beneath myself i n coming to y o u as you have

descended beneath yourself i n becoming a servant
o f the Lord of Palatine Truly I am called the
.

so n o f the star I am unused to toil ; I am

.

un practised in sorrow ; I am a stranger to tears .

And I Shall m ake you Lady E cclesia toilless, , ,

sorrowless tearless
, You shall stand upon the
.

hill and dictate to valley and plain You Shall .

make others do your work ; your enem ies Shall

bear your bur d ens You shall d well aloft like
.

my star ; y o u shall shun the b attle an d the strife .

You Shall look down with calm u nconcern upon

the dwarfs beneath you for the spray o f the s e a
,
2 62 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

of trouble shall not to u ch vour feet a n d i ts murmur

,

shall n o t reach your c a r You shall .

”
“
F o r the sake o f all that is g ood I cried be , ,
“

silent and begone ; your c o ntrast to t he m an o f

the v alleys madden s me
T he eyes o f the giant fla s hed An d doe s the
.
“

”
Lady E cclesia deem he said that I am so poor
, ,

as to hav e only o n e vesture ? D oes she think I

am limited to a single form o f appearance ? I S
s h e not aware that I c a n change my garment c o n

t i n u a lly s o that non e c a n detect the o l d covering ?

,

”
S urely she knows little o f the power o f G o d .

”
“
I could detect the m an o f the valleys I said , ,

“
i n any form — e v en in your form I t is not by .

the change in you r v esture that I feel your c o n

trast to him I t is by that which lies belo w you r
.

vesture— your spirit E ven i f y o u came in his

.

very i m age I would know you were not he You .

are nowhere s o unlike him as when you speak .

Y o u talk too grandly to be divine H e never .

addressed m e as the Lady E cclesia he spok e to

m e as a wom an H e n ever called m e the latest
.

scion o f the most royal house ; the most royal

house was to him the servant o f all H e never .

’
s tyled himself the s o n o f the star ; they who
‘

have always dwelt among stars are unconscious

o f their own s ple n d ou r T h ey know l ess about it
.
2 64 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

know that this v oice comes n o t from the vale but ,

from the hill S ee the spaces are a s yet all blank

.
,

i n the n ame o f the Lord o f H ost s I com mand you

to write the first sign ature in the list o f those who
”
elect to follow m e .

H e put writing m ateri als before me and bade me ,

”
Sign . I have already I said signed my name
“
, ,
“

to the roll o f the m an o f the valleys and it was ,

signed af ter the valleys E very m an rises in his .

own order and I dare not alter the order which

,

”
was fi xed by h i m .

”
“
I u n fi x it now he cried ; and his han d was ,

clenched in anger H as not G o d power to reverse

.

H is o w n decrees ? Who are you that you should

’
raise your will against the Lord s anointed Who
are you that you should gainsay the messenger o f
O mni p otence Who are yo u that you should pre
sume to counsel him whom God has sent to lift
your people from the mire ? H eaven can wait no
longer o n the whims o f a m ortal S ign Sign Sign .
, ,

H is attitude was s o threatening that I began to

congratulate m y self o n the precautions taken by
”
the captain Leave me I said or it m ay be
.
“
, ,
“

the worse for you I hav e not come here u n .

’
guarded There is a band o f the Lord of Pal atine s
.

soldiers outside I f you molest me I shall call o n

.

”
them .
 TH E FI R ST W OR L D LY T E M P T A TI O N 26
5

The effect was not what I expected ! uick as .

tho u ght he placed himself between m e and the

door ; and his face becam e absolutely livi d with
”
rage.
“
And has it come to this ? he cried I .
“

always kne w you were a captive o f the Lord o f

Palatine ; I did not know you were an ally I did .

not know that the head o f a clan ordained by God

to smite H is enemies could m ake com mon cause
with these enemies I did not dream that a
.

daughter o f Moses ben l s r a el could call o u t the

-

retainers o f another clan to oppress the servants o f

her o w n I pitied you as a slave galled beneath
.

her chain ; little did I deem that the chain was

dear to y o u I thought you a victim ; I have
.

found y o u a traitor I came to redeem you from

.

another race I find I m ust redeem you r o w n race

from you G od shall remove the candlestick o u t
.

o f its place an d p ut another i n its room There .

are others w h o c a n take u p the cause which the

degenerate daughter o f the old line has betrayed ,

and they shall begin by taking v engeance o n

their betrayer S ay . Lady E cclesia will you
, ,

”
repent or die ?
H e dre w from his side a shining dagger F o r .

the fourth time in my life I was very near to death .

This was the hardest tim e I n the valley in the .

,

sick room in the oratory I would at least have

-
, ,
2 66 THE LA D Y E CC L E SI A
—
had sup p ort that support whic h come s from the
presence o f high emotion Here there was no .

previous height I had been in l o w contact and

.
,

I felt lowered The atmo s phere w a s depressing

.
,

d egrading and it a ffected my courage

, I showed .

m iserable want o f spirit for o n e o f my clan I .

shrank back ; I retreated within the curtain o f

another compartment H e followed me pointing .
,

the glittering blade an d reiterati n g the words

,

”
S i gn o r die !
And now swifter than I can tell the thought
, ,

came to me how in the v ision o f my night wander

,

ings he whom I loved had promised to be n ear

,

me in every hour o f danger in which I called .

I called now— rather with my m ind than with my

lips for I have always felt that the most powerful
,

part s o f prayer are the unspoken parts I fixed .

my inner eye upon his im age— that i mage which

I kept locked u p i n my heart I gazed on my .

fancy s picture with a look so intense that the

’

i mage was burned into my soul I do not kn ow .

whether this inward sight o f m i n e had anything to

do with the strange thing which followed .

The fanatic came o n brandis hi ng his weapon , .

H e stood within an inch o f m e and his eyes ,

”
gl ared D o you accept m e as you r redeemer ?
.

”
he said “
S ign or d i e !
. I kept my gaze stead
2 68 TH E LADY E CC L E SI A

coming nearer still S ave me and y o u shall be

.
,

”
free H elp ! help ! help !
. And with a shriek
that would hav e raised the dead the fanatic made
wildly for the door p assed o u t into the open and
, ,

vanished from my life for ever With his after .

fate I have here n o concern I was glad then

.
,

I am glad now that he did n o t meet his end

,

through me I n my own hear t there was no room

.

for aught but grateful love I poured it o u t in

.

that hour to him whose i mage of beauty painted ,

i n my mind had in som e way to m e unknown

, ,

and perhaps unknowable been communicated to

,

the eye o f another and m ade to testify to the

presence o f a protecti v e power .
 C H A PT E R XX V

TH E S E CON D W ORLD L Y I E M P TA TI O N

OU m ay be surprised to hear that I was

able to r e su m e my j ourney so soon after
~

a scene s o exciting The truth is I felt more

.
,

refreshed after the scen e than I had been before

it I had been refreshed by a presence ; I had
.

been saved by hi m whom I loved I do n o t .

think if I had been rescued by any other m eans

, ,

I would have been ready for the j ourney Mere .

salvation from death would have left a pain b e

hind . But when the hand that rescued was a
hand o f love the weight o f affliction was tran s
,

formed i nto a more exceeding weight— a weight

o f glory .

I n looking back I think the danger was sent

to m e for the sake o f the presence not the ,

presence for the sake o f the danger I think .

what I wanted at that ti m e was another m ani

fe s ta ti o n o f some sort My reason for this belief
.

2 69
2 76 TH E L A D Y E CC L E S I A

i s that when we resumed o u r j ourney o u r road

becam e gradually m ore inland H itherto we had .

kept Sight o f the se a We n ow began to strike

.

into an interior di rection where the Vie w o f the

,

C oast was impeded by foliage and where the ,

murmu r o f the waters did not reach o u r ear .

Now I do not know what the men o f Palatine

might feel but to m e the transitio n from the
,

s e a view to the land vie w has always been spi rit

- -

u a ll
y depressing T he tendency to look over
.

the waves and dream of lands beyond was born

, ,

with m e I could no more help it than I could

.

help thi rst o r hunger And there was m ore

.

than that . T he more I looked at the s e a the ,

better I lived o n the land Nothing to m e ever .

helped the realities of life like its s o called dreams - .

Wherever these dreams were rare wherever the ,

Sight o f the s e a was fai nt and its murmur low ,

wherever the odou r o f the brin e had failed to

reach m e and the breath o f the deep ceased to
penetrate m e I had always felt that my walk
,

was l e s s lofty and my steps less secur e .

T o lose sight o f the s e a therefore w as to m e , ,

no advantage I n the depressed ci rcumstances

.

i n which I stood I required the aid o f every

,

stimulus which natu re co u ld fu rnish ; and the

ab s ence of thi s would hav e be e n a great lo ss i f
2 72 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

pleasure ? S hould I not thank H i m for it praise ,

H i m for it ? And about the s e a itself there

came another thought Was it really lost ? Would
.

it recede farther the farther I advanced ? No .

I t was not the distance which hi d it ; it was the

foliage o f the wood I t was hid only because I
.

was not far enough up the hill When I reached .

Palatine and looked down from the light o f to

’
morrow s s u n I would get it all back again I t
, .

would burst upon me with all its full glory ; i t

would break upon me with all its breezes Palatine .

might take much from m e— name freedom life , ,

itself B ut even if it was my fate to die I would

.
,

have fi rst the consolat i on o f a Sight reminding

of home— that mysterious expanse where my
D ivine Father moved and where my hum an
father sojourned .

We arrived at the second plateau H ere a c .

,

cording to arrangement we pitched o u r tents

,

and dined I had the use o f my o wn tent and

.
,

—
two o f my domestics waited o n m e the very
two whos e merri ment had caused m e such anxiety .

I n the C ircumstances I would have asked them

to partake at the same table ; but I felt they
themselves would be happier elsewhere I there .

fore dispensed with much serving and dismissed ,

them early to the rear I kept Ph oebe with me

. .
 TH E S E C O N D W OR LD LY T E M P T A TI O N 2 73

D uring the meal I experienced a renewal o f

my ascetic feelings .I t was caused by a fresh
outburst o f that roisterin g mirth which had dis
tu r b e d m e o n the m arch. I t was now more
pronounced because i t was m ore general T he .

comforts o f the dining hour the relaxation after

,

fatigue the i nfluence o f compani onship perhaps

, ,

above all the i mpulse to forget tended to make

,

my retainers oblivious o f their care and thei r ,

voices were amongst the loudest The men o f

.

’
Palatine had seen too m u ch of life s comfortable
side to be easily carried away by it ; but to the
servants o f my house the s u pe r fl u i ty was a n ew
thi ng This was in a measure their excuse And
. .

yet I confess that to me it was like the C lapping

of hands over some amusing i ncident at a tri al
for life o r death T he scenes through which they
.

had passed had not been o f a n ature to dispel

gravity i n an ho u r T hey had seen not only the
.

sorrows o f thei r o w n house but the sorrows o f

hum anity . They had just been i n contact with
a hospital where the most prominent feature
Vi sible was the inh u manity o f man to his brother ,

where the weakest were sent to the wall and

only those preserved who had little need o f a
physici an Was this a state of things to m ake
.

o n e smile ? Was this a picture to evoke laughter

2 74 THE LA D Y E CC L ES I A

or leave room for mirth ? I f the end o f the o ld

things had failed to sadden surely there was ,

much to m ake solemn in the aspect o f the new .

After the meal I came o u t upon the plateau My .

eyes rested first U pon those o f my own house I .

was already anxious about them ; I found some

thing to strengthen my anxiety I was startled to .

s e e that every m ember o f the household except ,

P hoebe had undergone a process of physical

,

adorn ment U pon the arm o f each whether

.
,

male o r fem ale was enci rcled a band o f purple

,

silk into which with threads o f gold was woven

, , ,

the form o f an eagle What di d it mean ? I

.

knew well enough to whom the i nsignia belonged

they were badges o f the house o f Palatine T he .

purple was the symbol o f dominion over the

island and the eagle was the family emblem o f
,

unretarded upward flight But why did not the .

house o f Palatine keep its symbols ? What had

they to do with me o r mine ? I sent Ph oebe
to inquire o f her fellow servants ; I thought s h e
-

might get more unreserved inform ation than I .

S he returned i n a few m inutes and said ! They “

s a y they got them as a present from the captai n

o f the guard and they are loud i n his praises

, .

H e gave them i n Sim ple kindness with a Vie w ,

”
to m ake them look well and feel happy .
276 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

”
servants wear Lady E cclesia he said
.
“
w ill , ,

”
you oblige me by putting on this ?
”
“
Why Should I put it o n ? I said “
I t is a .

”
badge o f the house o f Palatine .

”
“
Lady E cclesia he replied let m e speak to , ,
“

yo u ; let m e reason with yo u T he press u re o f .

the time j ustifies my boldness Y o u are i n great .

danger Y o u are hurrying up the hill to an

.

unknown destiny T his n ight o r to morrow at

.
,
-

latest you will stand before the j udgment seat

,
-

o f a m an o f peculi ar sternness — a m an who claims

to have received from fate the sovereignty o f this

island and who c a n brook no interference with
,

his prerogative H e has been much fretted o f

.

late . H e i s suspicious o f his o w n household ;

he is m ore than suspicious of yours Y o u cannot .

deny that your family has given him reason to

be angry your clan was yesterday in open revolt .

With that movement yo u have professed to have

no sym pathy S how that you have none
. Put .

o n this badge o f loyalty to the present system o f

”
things Your servants have already assumed it
. .

”
“
Y o u forget I said that they are no longer
, ,
“

m y servants o r rather the serv ants o f my father ;

,

if they were they would hav e had no choice in

,

this m atter But if I could assume yo u r badge

.

as the servants do it I would n o t scru p le for two ,

 TH E S E C O N D W O R LD LY T E M P T AT I O N 277

minutes I t is to them a simple gew gaw a pretty

.
-
,

thing I f I could thin k it merely pretty I would

.
,

put it o n with pleasure I belie v e I admire beauty

m ore than the house o f Palatine does B ut this .

badge i s n o t merely pretty ; it is v ery solem n .

I t is the statement o f a creed ; it i s a confession

o f faith . I t is the declaration that I have taken
a particular life as the ideal o f all life I have .

done that once and I can do it no more There

, .

”
c a n be n o two ideals i n my universe .

”
“
Lady E cclesia sai d the captain
,
“
you are ,

wrong ; your conscience is leading you m ad It .

is no confession o f faith you are asked to m ake ;

it is no ideal o f life you are pledged to follo w .

Y o u are desired m erely to attest a present fact .

Let me put but o n e questi o n D o yo u o r do.

you not acknowledge that the Lord o f Palatine

”
is now the ruler o f this island ?
“ ”
I n o t only acknowledge it I said but I , ,
“

believe that u p to this time he has been the r u ler

”
o f the island by divine right .

”
Then cried the captain all I ask is that y o u
, ,

should state that fact and that belief by wearing

”
o n your arm the signs o f his dominion .

“ ”
Pardon me I answered to wear these signs
, ,

wo u ld i m p ly v ery much more What is a badge ?

.

I s it n o t a m ark to i n dicate that what I profess

2 78 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

i s the best thing known to m e ? D o you think

the Lord o f Palatine is the best thing known to
me ? D o y o u think he i s the hill to which I lift
u p my eyes for aid A starry night is better than
a starless o n e and he that has n ever seen the
,

day m ay assume a badge in i ts honour But I .

have seen the d ay and I cannot worship the star

,
.

I believe the Lord o f Palatine to be the best m an

for the hour ; but I do not believe the hour will
last for ever Wi ll he outlast i t ? T hat depends
.

o n himsel f . H e i s fit for the old hour ! wi ll he

be adequate to the new ? W ho c a n tell ? S hall
I presume to tell ? S hall I take a pledge o f
etern al fidelity to that whic h to morrow m ay be -

o u t o f harmony with all things ? I cannot ; I

dare n o t. O ver the servants I have no control ,

and what they wear is to them n o badge at all .

B u t in me i t would be an a c t o f treason I have .

already a badge Y o u s a w i t this morn ing at

.

the front o f the m ilitary hospital I cured by .

it then ; I live by it now ; I c an never replace

”
it by another .

”
“
Lady E cclesi a said the captain and he had
, ,

lost his wonted calmness think y o u it i s for the

,
“

sake o f the Lord o f Palatine that I plead with

y o u ? T hink you i t i s to preserve h i s ideal that
I ask y ou to wear this emblem ? No Lady ,
2 80 TH E LADY E CC L E SI A

fearless clinging like the i v y to a ruined wall ;

,

an d I swore a great oath within my heart and ,

cried This is not a life which I shall suffer to

,
‘

’
perish .

I grasped his hand for I was touched And , .

“

”
do yo u know I said “
why your words gratify
, ,

me ? I t i s because I feel that they are not

meant for me T hat which y o u admire in me
.

i s not mine I t is a reflection .I t is what the .

blue is to the sea what the red is to the rose , .

I t has been painted into my heart by a great

light— the light o f love I have seen o n e who .

has transformed me — him whom I followed down

to the v alleys him whom I now follow up the
,

hill M en say that he is dead but it is not true

.
, .

H e is the light o f all my days ; he is the flower

o f all m y ways ; he is the hym n o f all my praise .

I f I could sing from morn to e v e there would ,

be but o n e cadence I love him I love him I ,

‘
, ,

’
love him I am n o t ashamed o f my love
. I .

hide it not ; I blush for it n o t ; I v eil it not in

the face o f the Lord o f Palatine I vaunt it ; I .

am p roud o f it ; I rejoice in it I bear o n my .

breast the badge o f my de v otion and no other ,

”
badge shall ever come near it .

A S I finished speaking I drew forth the little

cross an d kissed it T here were two things I .
 TH E S E C O N D W O RL D LY T E M P T ATI O N 28 1

wanted the captain to feel — that I accepted the

sympathy he expressed and that I had warded
,

o ff the hope he had left unexpressed I felt that .

if to the mind of this m an I myself Should become

a substitute for my c ause it would be b u ilding
,

for him an i m possible aim I wanted to keep

.

him for the cause n o t for m e ; therefore I threw

,

i nto the foreground the preoccupation o f my

heart. For his part I am bound to state that
I think anxiety covered every other feeling “
Are .

”
y o u determ ined then he
,
said “
to refuse this
,

” “ ” ”
conformity ? Absolutely I replied ,
“
T hen .
,

said he with a strange identification o f i nterest

, ,

m ay the God o f your fathers help us

 C HAPTER XXVI

P A LA TI N E H O US E

OU wi ll remember the arrangement was that

after dining o n the second plateau I was
to abandon the foot m arch and mountin g horse , , ,

was to ride forward with the captain i n advance .

This latter part o f the j ou rney therefore though ,

the most di fficult was likely to be that o f the

,

quickest movement I t was like the stages o f

.

life itself The later stages are more arduous

.

than the earlier ; yet I think we move quicker

through them .

As I was n ow within m easurable distance o f the

House o f Palatine I began to contemplate the
,

n ature o f that house O f course I had seen it

.

before D uring the days o f my friendshi p with

.

H e l l e n i cu s I had been more than once within its

courts I was no stranger to its peculiarities either
.

outside o r i nside I t was this very fact which gave

.

m e food for contem plation I f Palatine had been

.

282
2 84 THE LA D Y E C C L E SI A

two stories T hey were both appropriated to the

.

servants— that o n the ground floor for culinary

operations and that immediately above for Sleep
,

ing accom modation The entrance o n the u pper .

road which faced the opposite direction was kept

, ,

exclusively for the Lord o f Palatine and his guests .

T his part o f the building di ffered from the lower

part i n having windows both to the north and
to the south H ere also there were two stories
. .

T he first story consisted o f dining rooms sitting -

,

rooms librari es and the great hall o f j udgment ;

, ,

the second contai n ed a suite of bedrooms .

B etween the lower and higher p arts of this b u ild

ing there ran an inside stai r which formed the ,

channel o f communication for the domestics I .

”
say for the domestics T he only communication .

desired by the Lord o f Palatine was on the part o f

the servants I t was essential that they sho u ld
.

come up to h i m ; but he did not wish ever to go

down to them I n poi nt o f fact he never did go
.

down H e went i n and o u t by a different gate

. .

H e walked on a higher le v el H e m oved o n his .

o w n ground T he voices o f his domestics except

.
,

when they ser v ed him never reached his ear thei r,

laughter and thei r tears were alike i naudible H e .

provided for their wants but he provided at a ,

distan c e H e was to them w ha t the God o f

.
 PALA T I N E H O U SE 28
5

heaven was to u S — a m aj estic power in the air a ,

presence they were bound to obey but which in ,

their o w n sphere they could never meet .

T he house was in fact an architectural d ec e p

, ,
‘

tion Looked at in the distance it presented an

.
,

aspect o f u nity I t seemed to be a gigantic centre

.

for all classes i n the island a place where could ,

meet the representatives o f every order o f men .

O n e felt that he was beholding an u mbrageous

tree beneath whose ample shade the different
,

ranks o f m ankind caught i n a com mon shower

, ,

could gather together for a few moments an d ,

forget their differences i n the sense o f a com mon

protection.

But h o w unlike all this was the fact When the .

traveller came near the illusion vanished which the

,

distance had yi elded H ere was indeed a single

.

building ! but was it really a single house ? I ts

parts were rigidly connecte d s o far as stone and
lime could con n ect them There was even provided
.

a means o f i n w ard com munication between the

lo wer and the higher stories But there was also .

provided a means by which the inm ate o f the upper

—
stories co u ld avoid this com munication a means by
which he could if he liked pass by on the other
, ,

side And he did like ; there lay the barrier N o

. .

in m ates o f any two dwellings co u ld be farther apart

2 86 THE LADY E CC L E SI A

than the occupants o f these two respective stories .

Architecture had provided for their union but the ,

will o f m an had severed them As o ne o f o u r

.

poets would have put it the fire and the wood were
,

there but not the burnt offeri ng All the m aterials

,
-
.

were present for a sacrifice o f human pride ; but

human pride itself refused to be sacri ficed S o far
.

as the descent o f the m aster was concerned the

i nside stai r was useless The house was very like
.

an allegory o f what this island might have been ;

and I have m ore than once caught myself thinking
what a splendid residence i t would be i f the Lord
o f Palatine were to become an adherent o f the man

o f the valleys.

The shades o f evening had already fallen when ,

i n company with the c aptain of the guard I rode ,

into the avenue which led to this remarkable build

ing H e had signalled his arrival by the shrill
‘

blast o f a special instru ment devised for the purpose ,

whose sound carried far A messenger met him at

.

the gate H e told the captain i t was i mpossible

.

the Lord of Palatine could see the prisoner to night -

.

I was to be kept in the state prison till the morn

ing I t was an edifice i n the lower grounds I t
. .

was se t apart exclusively for offenders of the graver

sort— that is to s a y for those whose crime was
,

supposed to hav e not m erely an individual but a

288 THE LADY E CC L E SI A

T here was about to happen a circumstance not ,

only too trivial to be noticed by any history but ,

to o trivial to be pu t in any di ary which was to ,

prod u ce an effect o n this island compared with

,

which all its pageants were but dust and ashes .

At a short d istance from the house we fo u nd

the way blocked . A cro w d o f m ale and female
servants stood ro u nd a hand barro w which held
-

a sack o f provisions Two men were quarrelling

.

violently o v er it and there was evidently the

,

prospect o f a free fight The cause o f the dispute

.

was really the q u estion o f the division o f labou r .

O n e o f the men asserted that to wheel the barrow

farther was beyond his province that the portion
,

o f ground allotted to hi m ended at this particular

spot and that the rest o f the process devolved

,

u pon his neighbour servant The other with equal

.

vehemence m aintained that it was not a question

o f ground at all ,
but o f Speci al work—that this
special work had been assigned to him and that ,

he was bound to finish it o n his o w n account .

Now do not i m agine that in the mind of either

o f these belligerents the grievance was one of hard

work The barrow was s o light that a child could

.

have wheeled it easily T he sack which it carried

.

was long but of no weight whatever The distance

to which it was to be rolled w a s very short—only
.
,
 P A LATI N E H O US E 28
9

to a neighbouring cellar which I had to pass o n,

my way to the prison Neither o f the men would

.

have pretended that i t was a question o f fatigue .

I t was not even a question o f soiled hands though ,

the hands might get a little soiled I t was a .

question o f dignity I t was assumed by both that

.

to work was an u n d i g n i fi e d thing Both had been .

com pelled to work and therefore both were m ore

,

o r less u n d i g n i fi e d But it was better to be less

.

than more E ach felt that the m an who did least

.

work was the nearest to the gentlem an .

A S we came up the wrangling ceased Many .

eyes were directed towards m e I s a w that by .

some at least I was recognised for I heard the ,

”
words pass from lip to li p Lady E cclesia They
,
.

evidently did not think o n e less a lady because

She was going to prison though they deemed one ,
'

no gentlem an who could drive a wheelbarrow .

When I had ascertained what was the m atter ,

and inquired the destination o f the contemned

vehicle I asked the crowd to stand aside and
, ,

offered to reconcile parties I am going just i n .

“

”
that direction I said and shall relieve both o f
, ,
“

”
you . S o saying I stepped forward lifted the
, ,

handles o f the barrow and wheeled it towards

the goal .

T he domesti c s followed T he feeling i n their .

2 96 THE LA D Y E CC LE S I A

minds was not amu s ement not even curiosity ; ,

it was a w e s tr u c k n e s s.They felt as those feel

who are beholding a n e w Sign in the heav ens .

That the Lady E cclesia should go to prison was

i n the order o f things but that the Lady E cclesia
should do common work was something which
took away their breath I spoke to the m as I
.

”
rolled my burden o n D o not think I said
.
“
, ,

“
that I am condescending ; I am educating myself .

H ave you not heard o f the great discovery which

has been made ? After long searching w e have
at last received tidings o f a land beyond the s e a .

We have learned that there i s a country where all

the higher people do the work and all the lower ,

orders are served N o w I am quite sure there

.

is a time coming when the s e a will be dried u p ,

and all the people i n this island will be transported

by land to the other side When we get there .
,

we shall find that the m en an d wom en most fit

to do menial work shall be put at the top And .

as I am the Lady E cclesia and have been accus ,

to m e d to be at the top I would not like to come

,

down . I am therefore training myself to be a

servant S ervants are all the rage there The
. .

fashion o f this island passes away and the fashion ,

o f the O pposite lan d is coming What w e here .

’ ’
call u p will there be c alled down
‘
S hould ‘
.
292 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

was a poor invalid I want to be something more

.

than any o f these H ow am I to get a high place

.

’
in the land beyond the wave if I don t get into
service ? N o no ; you must not r o b m e o f my
,

burden till I reach the cellar door ; and while I

am here yo u must give me every chance o f helping
you I f the steward has any di fficult accounts
.

”
to add up he might send them to me i n prison
, .

R eader what had I done ? ,

“
Made yourself
”
i mmensely popular you s a y “
R econciled two
, .

”
servants thought 1 B oth answers are wide o f
, .

the m ark Little did I know that by the most

.

trivial of all acts I had turned the stream of

history What I had reconciled was not the
.

m inds o f two servants but all service to the heart ,

of man At that moment quite unconsciously

.
,

to myself I was standing in the dawn o f a new

,

day ; looking b a ck I c a n s a y with an o ld writer

, ,

“
S urely the Lord was in this place and I knew ,

”
it not .I have heard much in after years o f the
abolition o f compulsory service ; but the first step
in that abolition had been taken to day By a -
.

stroke whose potency I did not dream o f I had ,

m ade service voluntary for evermore I had made .

it an object o f desire not o f aversion T he real ,

.

chain is n o t o n the body but on the m ind I ,

.

had broken the c hain o n the m ind and without a ,

 PALAT I N E H O U SE 2 93

change o f place I had s e t the prisoner free T hese .

prim itive souls had been captured by a new

association. Work menial work had in their
, ,

imagination been dignified glorified I t was n o

, .

longer the part o f a Slave ; it was the profession

o f Lady E cclesia ,
daughter o f Moses ben I srael - .

I t was no longer a barrier to promotion ; it was

the necess ary training fo r promotion I t was no .

longer a disti nction from the m en and women o f

fashion ; it was itself to b e the fashion o f the age
which was to come I think for the first tim e
.
,

at that moment the words o f an ancient poet

,

began to receive fulfilment ! E very valley Shall be

exalted ; the crooked shall be made straight and ,

”
the rough places plain .
 C H A PT E R X XV I I

IN TH E H A LL OF ! UD GM EN T

T was m orning and my summons had come A

,

message had been sent by the Lord o f Palatine

that he would meet the prisoner at noon i n the hall
o f j udgm ent o n the u pper floor and that i n the first ,

instance he would meet her alone I was struck .

with this latter announcement S urely the Lord .

o f Palatine was becoming more arbitrary more ,

-
.
—
self asserting H e never used to a c t alone never
wished to be thought o f as an autocrat I n the .

conclave where l ast I had seen him he had

laboured to i mpress the assembly with the belief
that he sought their advice and desired their
countenance H e had given a representative voice
.

to every part o f the building and had asked the ,

physici ans o f a past generation to prescribe for

the present nee d Now he had s e t every o n e
.

aside H e was calling n o assembly ; he was s u m

.

moning no conclave H e was acting as if he were

.

2 94
296 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

free permission to come and prepare me with

my toilet for meeting the Lord o f Palatine .

Ph oeb e was very anxious that I should dress

well ; s h e retained even yet the influence o f the
house o f H e lle n i c u s S he wanted m e to m ake an
.

i mpression with a View to my acquittal S he had

, .

put in my trunk som e o f my costliest articles o f

raim ent and they had been brought by o n e o f the
,

waggons which carri ed the cam p b aggage I was .

deeply grateful to the poor girl for her devotion ,

but I firmly refused her advice No clear .

“
,

”
Ph oebe I sai d I shall keep the dress of y ester
, ,
“

—
day the plain travelling dress suited to the dusty
way H ave not I declined to wear the badge o f
.

the Lord o f Palatine ? D o you think I Shall wear

o n e of myself I do not wish to defend myself ;
.

I wish to defend him whom I love I t would be .

n o j oy to m e if he were accepted for my sake ;

it would be the worst pain I have ever know n .

I go to speak for h i m to clear him to glorify

, ,

him . T here is no acquittal for m e which is n o t

an acquittal for him I f he i s condemned I am
.
,

condemned with him if he is absolved I am well ,

”
content to die .

At fi v e minutes before noon I was led forth

by the captain o f the guard I passed through the .

adj oining walk o f the lower gro u nds ; I entered

 IN THE H ALL O F ! UD G M E NT 297

’
Palatine H ouse by the servants door T hey were .

all there crowded in the hall T heir faces were

,
.

all sorrowful som e tearful ; they bowed to me

,

with deep respect I ascended the long stai r

.
,

which was the symbol o f domestic obedience .

T he first room o n the summit was the great hall

o f judgment My heart palpitated as the latch o f
.

”
the door was lifted Now Lady E cclesia said
.
, ,

the c aptain ,
I must leave you ; you are alone ;
“

”
be discreet as well as brave .

I entered and the door was shut behind m e i t

,

was as if I had parted from my past for evermore .

I t was an apartment o f enormous si ze fu rnished ,

chiefly with benches chairs and busts o f the

, ,

Lords o f Palatine I n the centre was an elevated

.

platform with steps leading up to it ; but to day

,
-

it was unoccupied My first i mpression was that

.

the whole room was unoccupied sa v e by the busts ,

o f the dead Presently my eye lighted on a

.

figure seated at a writing table H e looked u p

-

as I entered and I recognised him

, .

D id I H ardly Was that indeed the Lord o f

.

Palatine ? W a s that the m an I had known in past

years as the brother o f H e ll e n i c u s ? Was that the
m an I had last seen presiding with eagle eye over
the conclave o f the island ? I would almost have
i magined that the o ld fami ly had become extinct ,
2 98 THE L A D Y E CC LE S I A

and that the estate had passed into other hands .

H is face was at once m ore i mpetuous and less

comm anding There was the o ld fire but not the
.
,

o l d con fidence H e had an air o f unrest about

.

him as that o f o n e who has lost his way

, .

But i f I was surprised at the change in h i s

appearance s o evidently was he at that in m ine
,
.

H e started v isibly when he looked at me and ,

for a fe w moments he gazed i n astonishment .

Yet he had seen m e before H ad anything .

happened i n the interval to alter m e ? O h yes ;

it all flashed upon m e in a moment I remembered .

that night i n which I had first seen the vision

that becam e the ideal o f my love and o f my
life I remembered the strange increase o f beauty
.

that had come to m e I remembered the fasci

.

n a te d gaze o f the servants next morning at the

hou r o f prayer I remembered the expressed

.

admiration o f my father I remembered the Sight

.

o f my o w n face in the m irror I began to under .

stand how in spite o f my plain attire the Lord

, ,

o f Palatine was attracted .

All this observation and reflection occupied

only a few seconds S uddenly the master o f
.

the island seemed to recollect himself H e re .

placed the look o f interest by an expression o f

haughty disdain H e was evidently determ ined
.
36 6 TH E LA D Y E CC LE S I A

I am proud o f having come u p to you from the

ranks o f your people I am proud to stand before
.

you as o n e whose only claim to recognition is

the possession o f the common want and the
”
sympathy with the com mon weal .

”
H a ! cried the Lord o f Palatine here is a
“
,

refrain o f that n ew e v angel o f which we have

heard so much lately And this reminds me o f
.

the acc u sation o n which you appear before m e .

I n what you call sympathy with the com mon weal

you have sought to subvert my personal dominion ,

and to alter the constitution o f this island as by

law established Y o u have been the ringleader
.

o f a pestilent superstition rooted in the spirit o f

anarchy Yo u have lent you r name to the cause o f

.

a man who has claimed still higher credentials than

yours and claim ed them with the V iew o f s ti m u
,

lating popular revolt T here are charges o f the

.

gravest character labelled on this paper before me ;

and by the house o f my fathers y o u shall answer
, ,

”
them or die !
”
“
And let m e begin I said with that which
“
, ,

yo u have just m ade— that I have been the ring

leader o f a pestilent superstition The superstition .

you spe ak o f was intended to take away pestilence ,

and it fulfilled its design I was never privileged .

to be its ringleader ; I was at first a mere s p ec

 IN THE H ALL O F ! UD G M E NT 36 1

tator ; I hav e at best felt myself to be only a

follower But I have seen what y o u have not
.

seen I have seen this m an o f the valleys giving

.

beauty to ashes the o i l o f j oy to mourning the

, ,

garment o f praise to the spirit o f heaviness I .

have seen him take the burdens o f the weary

and the pains o f the wounded and the crosses of
the careworn I have seen him transform that
.

valley which adjoins the house o f my father from

a scene o f misery into a land of promise I have .

seen
”
“
S top ! cried the Lord o f P alatine ! to what “

end is this harangue ? S hall we j u dge the d ay by

its morning when we have seen its afternoon ? D o
I not know do y o u not kno w what has been the
, ,

outcome o f all this ? Anarchy rebellion the dis

, ,

solution o f social ties the breaking o f old bon ds

, ,

the trampling underfoot o f the established order .

H ave you not yourself come red handed from the -

scene o f revolution ? H ave not you and your

father cherished in your hearts a schem e for su b
verting the government of this islan d H ave you
not devised by secret counsels a plan by which the
ascendency in this com monwealth Shall pass from
my hands to yours ? H ow do you reconcile this
with the ideal o f humility which yo u profess to
follow
302 THE LA D Y E CC L E SI A
”
“
I d o not reconcile it I exclaimed ; , my “

defence is that it is i rreconcilable I say i t is .

i mpossible for any follower o f the m an o f the

valleys to approve o f that rebellion I do not . .

I lament it ; I deplore it My father unknown.

,

to me has been born e down by the stream H e

,
.

has done wrong and I shall plead for his pardon

, .

But m eantim e I plead not for pardon but for ,

justice — not for justice to myself but to hi m ,

whom I love I ask you to believe that none

.

would shed such bitter tears over this rebellion

”
as he whom they call the man o f the valleys .

What right had the m an to be i n the v alleys ?

cried the Lord o f Palatine ; what right had y ou
“

to be in the v alleys ? D id not a conclave o f this

island forbid it ? D i d not I myself give the choice
”
between obedience and death ?
’
“
And he a ccep zea your alternative my Lord o f
‘

Palatine H e did not seek a course between the

.

extremes H e did not slink i nto the valleys by

.

stealth ; he chose to die because he lo v ed s o fondly .

I to o have accepted your alternative I too have .

—
gone down into the valley n o t to avoid your
decree but to receive the fruit o f its violation I
, .

”
have braved death to follow him .

As I uttered these words the face o f the Lord o f

Palatin e again betrayed that appearance of admira
3 4
6 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

spirit But think you that this roll is meant to

.

lessen the roll of your retainers ? Why then did I

labour yesterm orn to i ncrease the number of your
’
m en preserved from war s destruction ? M ay I
a s k if the captain o f th e guard has told y o u what
”
happened ?
H e has sent m e a report this morning but I ,

”
have never opened it .

”
C ould y o u kindly open i t now ?
He obey e d S trange that in circumstanc e s like
.

these I should speak o f the Lord o f Palatine

obeying Yet I had a curious s ensation o f b e
.

coming the active instead o f the passive party in

the interview He bent for som e time over the
.

parchment T he silence was broken by a few

.

involuntary exclam ations o n his part Then he .

looked up an d asked I s this true ,

”
“
My Lord o f Palatine I said you c a n verify
“
, ,

it for yourself Y o u have the com m and o f the

.

'

hospital . S eek inquire investigate , Yo u will , .

find that the wards are full which used to be

”
almost empty I S not this a hopeful Sign ?
.

“
And how has it been don e ? The C aptain
speaks o f a golden cross which your hand alone
could use H ave you the instru ment about you ?
.

”
I would fain exam ine it .

I drew out the little cross and ga ve it to him ,

 IN THE H ALL O F ! UD G M E N T 36
5

In the process my hand for a moment touched his

hand I t was the first outward contact between
.

the valley and the mountain I felt a thrill o f .

vibration i n the hand o f the Lord o f Palatine .

H ad an i n fluence passed from me to hi m ? H e

looked for a long ti me fixedly at the little i n s tr u
m ent T here are children who are s o eager to
.

’
kno w the secret o f their plaything s C harm that
they break it i n pieces to see what is inside o f it .

T he Lord of Palatine looked as i f he would like to

’ ”
do that . Y o u can t break it
“
I said ,
You c a n .
“

’
piece it on to other things if you like but you can t ,

take itself to pieces ; it i s o n e and indivisible ; it

”
will submit to no analysis .

M a y I keep it for a while ?

I started —not at the proposal but at the request , .

“
C ertainly ! but why does the Lord o f Palatine
ask o f his prisoner as a favou r what he c a n dem and
as a right ?
D o not think m e more generous than I am I f .

the cross were o f any use to me without you r aid ,

I would have taken it not asked it S tay this

,
.
,

reminds me there is something in this room which

’
we did take un asked We took from your father s
.

house o n e o f those vials which the man o f the

valleys filled I t was fou nd o n the person o f a
.

servant m aid an d declared by yourself to have

-
,

20
36 6 TH E LA D Y E CC L E S I A

been given her by you That vial i s suspected o f .

containing m atter destructive to life What s a y .

y o u Lady,
E cclesia ?
”
T hat it contains matter vivifyi ng to life .

H ave you any witnesses ?

H undreds among the men o f the valleys only
t w o here —myself and the servant mai d you speak -

of . I shall taste the liquid i n your presence to

”
pro v e its harmlessness .

I am afraid after the experience o f the

“
,

hospital the testi mony would not be deemed

,

altogether conclusive Y o u seem to have a power.

over disease ; perhaps y o u m ay have given it to

”
your maid also .

F o r an instant I felt as if the way was barr e d .

Then flashi n g like an I n s p i r a ti On there cam e to

‘

, ,

m e a great thought a bold thought o n e o f tho s e

, ,

thoughts that rise to us only i n emergencies .

”
“
B e it s o my Lord o f Palatine I said
, I Shall ,
“

produce a witness from whose testi mony there

Shall be no appeal — a witness whose evidence Shall
be undisputed and indisputable and whose a u th o ,

rity shall be paramount even with y o u Bring .

”
fort h the v ial and I shall call the witness
, .
368 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

insanity and believed an unseen help to be in the

,

room which would be made v isible when the time

”
came . Ah Lady E cclesia he said
“
, the aid , ,
“

you seek is not admissible to courts o f law We .

”
require a witness o f flesh and blood .

”
“
And he is here I repeated I bring no
, .
“

ghostly agency to testify to my truth My witness .

”
shall be in the flesh not in the spirit , .

“
And who is this remarkable man who is so
near that he needs n o summoning yet o f whose ,

”
presence I s ee no Sign ?
You my Lord o f Palatine— you yoursel f
, .
”

His face expressed blank amazement For a .

m oment he seemed to doubt i f he had heard

aright I fixed my eyes full u pon him ; I had
.

observed that whenever I did s o the fascination

returned Y o u my Lord of Palatine shall be my
.
“
, ,

witness this day Yours Shall be the testimony

.

which shall go forth to all the islan d and to

all the years that this is not a draught o f
death T he records o f you r house tell how you r
.

ancestors o f o ld time vindicated the honou r

o f woman Y o u shall do it again to day
. You -
.

Shall trust m e ; you shall taste this liquid ; y o u

shall make the plunge o f faith And why shall .

you trust m e ? Because I you r pri soner have , ,

tr u sted you I h a ve put into y our hands the

.
 TH E ! U D G M E NT 3 9
0

dearest p ossession I have ; all the riches of the

island would not m ake u p for its loss I might .

have concealed my possession of the treasure ;

but I trusted y o u I knew y o u to be a man .

a man o f Palatine I felt that however arbitrary

.
,

you m ay be however relentless however i n e x o r

, ,

able you are j ust

, I recognised a stream o f .

blood in your veins as free from the taint o f

m eanness as the red liquid in that vial I trusted .

you. I pai d y o u a more tru e act o f homage

than if I had put o n the badge o f the house
of Palatine T hin k you that chivalry c a n be
.

given only from the strong to the weak ? I t

c a n com e from the weak to the strong I have .

been chivalrous to y o u my Lord o f Palatine ,

.

I have reposed my faith i n y o u in the hour o f

my dependence in the hou r when you have
,

broken my wing Give m e back the trust I gave

.

—
to you not the thing I entrusted but the spirit ,

in which I gave it R epose i n the bird with .

broken wing that faith which even with broken ,

wing the bird has reposed in the honour o f her

,

”
fowler .

’
I ceased T here was a moment s Si lence like
.
,

the pause o f the traveller at the meeting o f two

crossways Before my eyes floated the im age
.

o f him I loved and with my heart I called o n

,
3 1 0 T H E LADY E CC L E SI A

him . Then a soft light swept over the stern

face o f the Lord o f Palatine — a light which
m itigated its sternness without lessening its char
acter . I n that m oment he left h i s brother
H e l l en i c u s far behind even i n the race for
beauty H e poised the vial an instant in h i s
.

hand ; then calmly fearlessly he raised it to h i s ,

lips and said I will be yo u r witness Lady

,
“
,

”
E cclesia .

I t was done With almost any other m an I.

would have awaited the result with som e anxiety .

I t is true I knew that the liquid was harmless ;

but I kn ew also that the most harmless things
may become hurtful i f they are drugged by the
i magination T his vial had been tabooed through
.

o u t the island as a dangerous thing It was .

like the traditional water o f M arah Men had .

called it bitter beforehand and what w e prejudge

as bitter is apt to become s o in its effects A s .

it was I knew the Lord o f Palatine was incapable

,

o f fear W hat would be the i nfluence o f this

.

liquid ? I had seen how it acted o n Ph oebe ;

it had supplied her o n e need — strength o f character .

The Lord o f Palati ne had too much strength

of character already ; what he wanted was a
sense o f de p endence — Shall I not rather s a y the ,

confession that he had it ? N o o n e shall convin c e

 3 I 2 THE LADY E CC L E SI A

you r hand H enceforth I shall reign for yo u

.

”
only for you .

I was now seriously alarmed I had n ever .

’
feared the Lord o f Palatine s power ; I trembled
before his hum ility Those who have seen a
.

strong m an for the first ti m e weep will know

something o f my sensation Never had the .

Lord o f Palatine been to me so awful a s in that

moment o f prostration I felt as i f I had ex
.

t i n g u i s h e d an o a k o f the forest I forgot the .

gulf between the prisoner and the j udge I forgot .

the etiquette between the m an and the woman .

I ran forward I took him by the hand I led

. .

hi m back passively to the o l d place Are y o u .

“

”
ill my Lord o f Palatine ?
,
I said “
D o you .

”
n ot know me ? I am E cclesia your prisoner , .

”
N o he said I am yours the last judgment
, ,

has reversed the first Let m e feel the touch

.

o f yo u r hand ; there is a light in my eyes which

hides the sight o f you D id you not s e e that .

”
presence ?
“
I have seen no presence in the room but
”
yours .

“
There has never been such a form within
the walls o f P alatine I have seen beautiful m en
.

like my brother H e lle n i c u s ; but thei r beauty

’
seemed a reproach to them This man s beauty .
 TH E ! U D G M E NT 3 1 3

wa s —
power invincible power compelling power , .

My pride went down before him like a leaf

before the hurricane H e stood there with the
.

figure o f a m an and the face o f a G o d ; and i n

his hand was a golden c u p which sparkled with
the very liquid in this vial ; and o n his breast
was a golden cross — the very image o f the
cross I hold ; and o n the cross were written
golden letters and the words were these By
, ,
‘

this conquer .

H e rose hurriedly and paced the room as if ,

to dispel sentiment E ven at this hour the Lord

.

o f Palatine was true to himself ; he made a

strength o f his ve r y humility “
An d by this I .

”
s h a ll conquer he said I Shall m ake a n e w
“
.
,

em pire i n this island and the sons o f Palatine

,

shall bow to the man o f the valleys I shall .

have his picture hung in every hamlet that the ,

mothers m ay know what I want thei r C hildren

to b e Lady E cclesia do you know that wondrous
.
,

art by which m en inscribe upon the canvas the

likeness o f what they love ? I t i s not com mon
either to your clan o r mine ; but you are abov e
you r clan and mine Y o u have the lineaments o f
.

’
this m an s face and form painted in your heart .

C ould you express them to the eyes o f the island ?

”
I could get thousands o f i mpressions taken .
3 4
1 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

“
I am an indi fferent artist my Lord o f Palatine ,

and were I great and gifted this form and face ,

would transcen d m e But i f my art is poor ,

my love I think i s almost perfect I t m ay be

, , .

that love m ay lend wings t o soar where the

feet cannot C limb As you S a y I need no creative
.
,

genius ; the lineaments have been painted within

m e C an I express that whic h is withi n m e ?
.

Poorly dimly
, My penci l c a n only follow afar
.

off H is beauty runs before m e and escapes m e

. .

All I could h O pe to catch would be the sight o f

”
hi m i n the distance I tremble but I shall try
.
, .

“
Yes and you shall succeed ; and a new
,

morning shall dawn ; and this aged island Shall

grow young again An d I shall plant the impress
.

o f this picture at the threshold o f every path o f

—
youth i n the m arket place i n the foru m in -
, ,

the camp i n the chapel i n the festive gathering

, , ,

’
i n the servants hall I t shall be to the young
.

men and women o f this island what the bush

was to your ancestor Moses ; it Shall s e t them
o n fire before they go T he mountain shall b e
.

kindled by the rays o f the valley and Palatine ,

”
shall bask i n the light o f the evening sun .

“
And what o f m ature years my Lord o f ,

Palatine ? Y o u speak o f those o n the threshold !

what o f those w h o have passed the threshold
 C H A PT E R XX IX

TH E TH I RD W ORLD L Y TE MP TA TI ON

H AT I am going to relate may be deemed

a psychological absurdity That a judge .

should pass in a brief interview from a conviction

’
o f the prisoner s guilt to a p ersuasion o f the
’
prisoner s innocence is not a strange thing But .

that a man in the course o f a brief interview

’

with a woman should pass I ro n an attitude o f .

v ituperation into the extremest possible opposite

m ay seem contrary to all rule I would remind
.

the reader however whether he be in this island

, ,

o r i n regions yet unexplored that the time passed

,

in this interview was time o n the m ount I was .

conscious all through o f an accelerating process by

which every moment c arried the weight o f a d ay .

There are flowers which Spring u p in a night D o .

you think they are specially privileged ? D o yo u

think they have been allowed to escape a little
bit o f the process of natural growth ? No gentle ,
 TH E THI R D W OR LD LY T E M P T A TI O N 3 1 7

reader a thousand times n o Their process has

,
.

only been quickened not a link has been wanting

which i s found in the ordin ary C hain S o was it .

here There are moments in o u r lives which do

.

—
for us what they do for the fl o w e r s concentrate
much work into a very small Space We measure.

such moments as God measures them — not by

their length but by their largeness I can only
,
.

say that i n the whole course of this intervie w there

was nothing which came to m e with a sense o f
abruptn ess — nothing which seemed to break the
sequence o f the seedtime and the harvest One .

day m ay be as a thousan d years but it will climb

the steps of the years .

The Lord o f Palatine had something to s a y .

H e signed to me to be seated but he placed m e

n o longer opposite to him but beside him Then
, .

”
he uttered o n e word which startled me E cclesia .

H e had never used that form o f address to the

prisoner at the bar ; the handle was dropped and ,

I tr e m bl e d
. E cclesia will you reign with m e ?
“
,

Will y o u help m e to train the youth o f this island

to be followers o f the man o f the valleys ? Are
you surprised E cclesia that I am so prosaic ?
, ,

E very bird has its o w n song and I ha v e m ine

,
I .

have never been a man o f rom ance —never looked

beyond the needs o f the com mon day M y b rother.
31 8 T HE LA DY E CC LE S I A

would have poured forth the note s o f

H e lle n i c u s
the lark ; he would hav e told you of your beauty
and o f his desire .I too kno w you r beauty ; it
has a touch o f the form I saw to day But from -
.

my youth u p I have weighed everything for what

it c a n bring .H e l le n i c u s would s a y What a ,
‘

source of j oy I s a y W hat a power for good

,
I
do not think even your beauty would hav e moved
m e i f I had not seen this power I have beheld .

fair women in my day I have seen them

.

flash through the courts o f H e lle n i c u s ; I have

beheld them sparkle at the board o f Palatine .

B ut never till now have I looked upon her o f

whom I could s a y T his woman would help me to
,

re i gn . N ever till now have I seen the possibility

o f a helpmeet Never till now have I believed
.

that woman has a place in the history o f m an .

You m ay deem m in e a prosaic wooing ; but n o

d aughter o f Palatine has h a d a tribute like yours .

Will you be my bride E cclesi a ? ,

As he ceased the room ran round Never i n .

all my life before or since hav e I felt s o excited .

What ! says the re ader after such a wooden love

,

m aking ? Yes Leaving the daughters o f Palatine

.

o u t o f the questi on it was the greatest tribute I at

,

least had ever received I t was m ore than that

. .

I t wa s the greatest tem p tation which had e v er

32 0 TH E LADY E CC L E SI A

the life of the hill H eaven has put a rod into your
.

hand by which you can force the world into virtue .

Take the rod E cclesia Grasp the reins o f empi re

,
.

and drive the steeds where you wi ll— nearer to

h i m nearer ever to him
, Leave not these n u
tutored lives to choose thei r o w n way C hoose it .

for them E cclesia ; drive them into it refuse to

,

”
let them ponder only reign reign reign , , .

—
Then it all flashed upon m e the utter wrong o f
this seeming right The m ask fell from my eyes
.
,

and I s a w it could not be There was only o n e feel .

—
i ng i n my soul gratitude gratitude for the gift I
,

could not take I threw myself on my knees before

.

the Lord of Palatine I took his hand I bedewed it

”
with my tears O great noble m an !
.
“
I cried ,

“
never s o great n ever s o noble as now ; I could
,

wear your badge to day I never was s o completely

-
.

your captive as at this moment ; your trust has

indeed gone beyond mine And yet I c a n n o t I d are .
,

n o t take the boon you o ffer T o reign with you .

would be to follow your mode o f reigning T hat is .

com mand I dare not com mand T he empire I

. .

follow is an empire o f love not o f l a w I t is an , .

empi re where every o n e feels he is dead to the

—
law living from choice I dare n o t force the .

flower into its bloom the m an of the valleys would

n ot know his o w n garden H e would miss the .
 TH E TH I R D W OR LD LY TE M P TAT I O N 32 1

fr eshness tint and the fragrance o f perfu me

of .

Y o u and I might n o t detect it but he would I , .

think he would rather have the flowers less faultle ss

t han faultless by artifici al power I m ay seem .

deeply ungrateful ; but I know you will under

”
stand I a m sure you wi ll forgive
,
I finished in a .

burst o f weeping .

H e raised m e ; he clasped my hands in his ; he

spoke again “
. E cclesia there is deep truth in
,

what you s a y B e it S O Y o u cannot reign beside

. .

—
m e ; then you will reign after me reign alone
reign as you will Y o u m ay not be my bride
.

b e then my child Listen and I shall tell y o u

.
,

a secret— a thing which the island knows not I .

c ould not have m ade you my bride in ignorance o f

this secret ; I would have told it from honour ; I

tell it now from choice E cclesia my li fe cannot
.
,

b e long I have known it for som e time My

. .

physicians have apprised me that I have a m ortal

d isease . I have not o n e pang o f fear but I am ,

struggling to die i n harness I dread not death .

,

b u t I would n o t have men s ee my failing powers .

I strive to vei l my weakness ; I live to hide my

p ain I
H e was i nterrupted by my emotion T here was .

something so grand s o touching s o C haracteristic

, , ,

i n this man hiding his burden as other men hide

O
32 2 THE LA D Y E CC L E S I A

their treasures that I quite broke do w n

,
T he .

captain had told me I would not see Palatin e in its

former glory I doubt that T o me the solitary
. .

burden was greater than the solitary power I had,

.

chafed at the one I s a nki befo r e the other ‘

.

’
”
“
E cclesia he resumed you have n o cause to
, ,
“

weep yo u have robbed me to day o f half my pain -

.

I looked ro u nd the island to adopt a son I looke d

in vain There was none strong enough to s tand
.

alone I s a w the towers o f Palatine disappearing

.

i n the descendi n g mist and I was sad But th e, .

m ist has lifted this morning and the towers r e ,

appear I have found among the daughters what

.

I have lost among the sons Y o u shall be my .

child my heir E c c l e s I a
, Y o u shall revive th e
, .

glories o f Palatine when my day is done Yours .

shall be the broad lands o f this island bounded ,

only by the sea Yours shall be the s e a itself— th e

.

power to traverse waters once forbidden Yours .

shall be the union o f the present and the past ;

to day Shall clasp hands with yesterday I Shal l
-
.

be your father o n the land and ben I srael shall ,

-

be your father on the se a I shall build for you .

a palace on the hill and I Shall m ake it like you r

,

o l d home and within it I shall put a shrine which

,

”
s hall remind you o f the d ays gone by .

”
“
N o t o n the hi ll I sobbed not on the hill
,
.
 C H A PT E R XXX

CON CL UD I N G RE FLE C TI ON S

E A D E R, here for the present I shall pau se .

Perhaps at some future time either my

hand o r the hand o f another m ay continue this
histo r y
. E very end i s a beginning and the ,

evening o f to day i s the morni ng o f to morrow

- -
.

Yet I have come to a temporary landing place -

,

to a stage which in relation to the past m ay

, ,

be called the evening H ere therefore let u s sit

.

down and look back I t i s the ordinary plan o f

.

writers to put prefatory remarks at the opening o f

their books I am quite sure however that though
.
, , ,

they come at the beginning o f the book they have ,

been conceived at the end o f it We do not really .

know where we have begun till we have got to

the end for it is by the light o f to d ay that we
,
-

read the Skies o f yesterday We all write o u r .

preface last I am going to follow the universal

.

example H ere o n the ridge o f Palatine I shall

.
, ,

32 4
 C O N C L UD I N G RE F L E C T I O N S 32 5

rest awhile ; and casting back my eyes over the

road I have traversed I shall try to estimate the
,

value o f the way .

Perhaps there is a preliminary question —F o r

whom do I design these m emoi rs ? F o r the men
and women o f the island ? Y es undoubtedly but ,

not exclusively I have all along had an i m agi

.

n ary audience I have never accepted the be lief

.

that this island is perm anently isolated I have .

seen somethi ng i n it which never cam e f r o m it ,

a n d whi ch therefore must have come from else

where T he gulf has been bridged once to the

.

outer life o f m an I f i t be so then the distance

.
, ,

however great cannot be infinite I have felt that

,
.

what h a s been done m ay be done I have always .

looked forward to a time when d irectly or i n ,

directly we Shall be united to a m ainland H ow it

,
.

may be when it m ay be I kno w not Whether

, , .

o u r Ships Shall penetrate further than those o f o u r

ancestors whether there shall be n e w modes o f

,

conveyance compared to whic h o u r swiftest Shall

be creeping whether as in my visio n the s e a itself
, , ,

shall be dried up and this island become literally a

continent I cannot tell But I have cherishe d the
, .

expectation o f what I m ay call a g l o r ious ap p ear

—
i ng o f an hour when the waste vacancy Shall be
broken by the sight o f an O pposite shore And .
32 6 TH E LA D Y E CC L E SI A

because I cherish this hope I live for it I write in

, ,

the presence o f it I believe o u r books shall all be

.

opened o n e day I believe o u r records Shall be o f

.

a s great interest to the dwellers beyond t he wave

as their records would be to u s and I try always ,

to keep before m e the solemn conviction that the

history I am writing will be read i n places and
by persons whose very existence i s n o w u n
dreamed o f .

What then has been the course o f this memoi r ?

At a first view it might seem to describe an aimless
circle in which the end repeats the beginning .

Looking back from the place which I have reached

in my narrative there ri se before m e three s u c
,

c e s s i v e scenes I n the first and farthest back I

.

am a girl with a dream o f e mpire in my heart .

I hav e waked to the sense o f my beauty I have .

realised it rather as a gain than as a pri de I am .

rushing into the pleasures o f this island world n o t ,

for the sake o f the pleasures but with a Vie w to ,

the promotion o f my house T hen the curtain .

falls and when it rises again I am a girl no more

, , , .

I am a woman and a wom an in solitude I have

,
.

broken with the island world altogether I have .

cau ght Sight o f something which transcends i t ,

eclipses it I am living in a region o f my o w n

.
,

keeping my o w n counsel holding in my heart an

,
32 8 TH E LAD Y E CC L E SI A

i nspiring as it was was it not a waste o f time i f

, ,

the world were after all my goal ? What need to

be made a child of the valleys if only to be trans
,

form ed a t last into the ! uee n o f Palatine ?

N ay but most inquiring reader there has been
, ,

n o transform ation It is the c hild o f the valleys w ho

.

has becom e the ! ueen o f Palatine D o y o u think .

the vision I met in solitude has ever faded from

my eyes ever lessened its brightness by a single
,

ray D o you think I left h i m to com e to Palatine

Nay ; it was he who brought me to Palatine .

—
Together we cli m bed the great hill together we
—
faced the three temptings together we ascended
the long stair D o you kno w the difference
.

between treading the same road hef o r e and a fter

love ? T o th e common eye it is a monotonou s
repetition to the eye kindled by lo v e it is a n e w
scene I t is not merely that something is added ;
.

it i s that everything has changed its meani ng ;

the twi light has become the dawn S o has it.

been with me . I have passed fr om the world

to the world ; but i n the passage I have m e t

o n e who has i llu mined my days T o outward

.

appearance I have simply come through the

labyrinth to the spot where I used to dwell .

But the labyrinth itself has been the progress .

I went i n alone ; I have come o u t accom p anied ,

 C O N C L UD I N G RE F L E C T I O N S 3 9
2

and that makes all the di fference between the

flesh and the Spirit .

When the Lord o f Palatine s a w i n the glare o f

busy day the cross with that inscription By this ,

”
conquer he s a w the n ew world into which I had
,

come I t was revealed to m e through him that my

.

empire itself was to be my altar I t was proclaimed .

i n letters o f gold that the head o f the stair was to

be the foot now henceforth and for everm ore I t
, , ,
.

was written upon the air o f heaven that the ruler

was to be the servant the k ing the priest the , ,

m aster the menial I was not disobedient to the

.

heavenly Vision I took the crown as a cross

.
,

the sceptre as a sacri fice When the Lord of .

Palatine closed his eyes in death I was called to ,

be a queen I t cam e to m e as a call to servic e

.

serv ice more lowly than I had ever known .

I nstead o f standing at the top o f the stair looking

down I felt myself to b e at the foot o f the stai r
,

looking up I had the sensation o f being the

.

p roperty o f another— bought with a price It .

seemed to me that henceforth I was bound to

take my orders from every o n e E ven the lowliest .

appeared o n e step above m e an d a voice kept ever ,

ringing in my ears E cclesia they are all yo u r

,
“
,

”
m asters n o w .

I n the years that have come this h a s al w ays

330 TH E LADY E C C L E SI A

been my attitude I do not s a y i t has always

.

been the attitude o f the band o f workers whom

I have gathered round me O ften have they .

forgotten themselves O ften have they returned

.

to the pride o f the o l d house o f Palatine O ften .

have they made others weep with the vaunting o f

—
their power but none so bitterly as m e I have .

ne v er varied From m o m to m idday I have been

.

the child o f the valleys W hen my followers have .

lorded it I have hid my face an d blushed I have

, .

never varied and P h oebe has never varied At

, .

the time when others have been Showing pride on

the upper ground She and I have generally been
,

down o n the lower helping the needs o f man

, .

I do not think we have ever p aused in this part

o f o u r work .O ther things m ay have been inter
r u pte d b u t not charity
,
There is o n e work Ph oebe
.

and I are prouder o f than all other i mprovements .

We have planned an d superintended the erection

o f a new and addition al hospital We have written .

o n it the inscription For the benefit o f those who

,

”
are not likely to live I t is to be in all time for
.

the m en women and children who are unfit to

, ,

r u n who give n o hope o f ever being fit to run

,
It .

is just the opposite o f the old building We have .

let them in o n the very spot where the ancient

—
hospital put the m o u t the steps o f despair It is .
332 THE LAD Y E CC L E SI A

B u t my father is not a memory ; he i s a hope .

H e is not behind ; he is before T herefore I feel .

that I am nearest to hi m looking o u t upon the

’
blue waves watching the bre akers foam listening
, ,

to the hum o f waters A S I gaze o n that scene

.

the first joy o f my childhood — i t i s not m y Child

hood that chiefly comes back to me I t is the .

thought o f the day when as a woman I shall meet , ,

him o n the Shore and pointing to the broad fields

, ,

o f Palatine shall s a y Yo u r prophecy was tru e

, ,
“

”
after all .

P r i n ted by H a z el ! , W a ts o n , 6' Vi n ey , Ld .
, Lo n d o n a nd Ay k s bu vy .