Ardath | Page 3

there had set before him an excellent
supper, flavored with equally excellent wine. He had, however,
scarcely begun to converse with them when the vesper-bell had rung,
and, obedient to its summons, they had hurried away, leaving him to
enjoy his repast in solitude. When he had finished it, he had sat for a
while dreamily listening to the solemn strains of the organ, which
penetrated to every part of the building, and then moved by a vague
curiosity to see how many men there were dwelling thus together in
this lonely retreat, perched like an eagle's nest among the frozen heights
of Caucasus, he had managed to find his way, guided by the sound of
the music, through various long corridors and narrow twisting passages,
into the cavernous grot where he now stood, feeling infinitely bored
and listlessly dissatisfied. His primary object in entering the chapel had
been to get a good full view of the monks, and of their faces
especially,--but at present this was impossible, as from the position he
was obliged to occupy behind them their backs alone were visible.
"And who knows," he thought moodily, "how long they will go on
intoning their dreary Latin doggerel? Priestcraft and Sham! There's no
escape from it anywhere, not even in the wilds of Caucasus! I wonder if
the man I seek is really here, or whether after all I have been misled?
There are so many contradictory stories told about him that one doesn't
know what to believe. It seems incredible that he should be a monk; it
is such an altogether foolish ending to an intellectual career. For
whatever may be the form of faith professed by this particular fraternity,
the absurdity of the whole system of religion remains the same.
Religion's day is done; the very sense of worship is a mere coward
instinct--a relic of barbarism which is being gradually eradicated from
our natures by the progress of civilization. The world knows by this
time that creation is an empty jest; we are all beginning to understand
its bathos! And if we must grant that there is some mischievous

supreme Farceur who, safely shrouded in invisibility, continues to
perpetrate so poor and purposeless a joke for his own amusement and
our torture, we need not, for that matter, admire his wit or flatter his
ingenuity! For life is nothing but vexation and suffering; are we dogs
that we should lick the hand that crushes us?"
At that moment, the chanting suddenly ceased. The organ went on, as
though musically meditating to itself in minor cords, through which
soft upper notes, like touches of light on a dark landscape, flickered
ripplingly,--one monk separated himself from the clustered group, and
stepping slowly up to the altar, confronted the rest of his brethren. The
fiery Cross shone radiantly behind him, its beams seeming to gather in
a lustrous halo round his tall, majestic figure,--his countenance, fully
illumined and clearly visible, was one never to be forgotten for the
striking force, sweetness, and dignity expressed in its every feature.
The veriest scoffer that ever made mock of fine beliefs and fair virtues
must have been momentarily awed and silenced in the presence of such
a man as this,--a man upon whom the grace of a perfect life seemed to
have fallen like a royal robe, investing even his outward appearance
with spiritual authority and grandeur. At sight of him, the stranger's
indifferent air rapidly changed to one of eager interest,--leaning
forward, he regarded him intently with a look of mingled astonishment
and unwilling admiration,--the monk meanwhile extended his hands as
though in blessing and spoke aloud, his Latin words echoing through
the rocky temple with the measured utterance of poetical rhythm.
Translated they ran thus:
"Glory to God, the Most High, the Supreme and Eternal!"
And with one harmonious murmur of accord the brethren responded:
"GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER! AMEN!"
"Glory to God, the Ruler of Spirits and Master of Angels!"
"GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER! AMEN!"
"Glory to God who in love never wearies of loving!"

"GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER! AMEN!"
"Glory to God in the Name of His Christ our Redeemer!"
"GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER! AMEN!"
"Glory to God for the joys of the Past, the Present and Future!"
"GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER! AMEN!"
"Glory to God for the Power of Will and the working of Wisdom!"
"GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER! AMEN!"
"Glory to God for the briefness of life, the gladness of death, and the
promised Immortal Hereafter!"
"GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER! AMEN!"
Then came a pause, during which the thunder outside added a
tumultuous Gloria of its own to those already recited,--the organ music
died away into silence, and the monk now turning so that he faced the
altar, sank