The Portland daily press., 1875-12-11

moral Signlhcatl0n; and truly there is more
| of moral ''somnos" in the world than there is
of even midnight forgetfulness. However, ]
was fascinated, saying Eyes" to my friend,
and accordingly to the cloisters we went.
| 1t was the very witching hour of 5, which
in winter time means Coming night, and
shadows drear and 6tful. The abbey was
| growing indstinct. As we turned to go, my
| friend still poured on me the stream OF his
| lahorious comments.
"This motley crowd of incongruous mon
| uments casts a weird and Sepulchrai look
| along those desoIate aisles. 1t is difficult to
| ascertain whether one is really in church or
| in some Pagan mausoleum for the dead"
I answered that thought so.
"Ah," he went on, ''for men who think
| this is a very humiliating spot. always feel
inclined, whenever L come here, to take a
| pickaxe and broom and sweep all these
| monuments into the Thames"
/ objected to this.
"What is more vulgar than a marble
| merit, more unmeaning than stone in memo
rams?'
objected again.
81 see" he retorted, with some little con-
tempt, "you are man of the nineteenth CEN
fury. l am not. l detest the present, and
live altogether in the past"
1t struck me that also "detested the pre-
SENT" and would have been glad to get on
into the future. l cannot tell what it was
| that possessed me to accompany this gentle
| man to the cloisters, save that curious and
indefinable fascination to which l have al
ready alluded. The sirens were tabled to
attract poor mariners by sweet voices to in
evitable shipwreck, but this man had not a
sweet voice. There is, too, an allusion in
some natural histories to the "evil eye'' of
the snake, though Mr.. Waterton says this is
Io1I III hat 30 4 10 L.
cannot move. Yet this man had an "evil
eye." There must, then, be charms of the
diabolical kind which admit not of featured
expression. You are conscious in such
charms of neither pleasure nor charms; you
are conscious of nothing but the charm.
Ovid calls certain kinds of witchment, which
are not Of the virtuous kind, ''jucundum
| malum;" but then, though the jucundum'
be present, and the "malum" come later,
you are conscious of both from the beginning.
Yet this man had neither 'jucundum' nor
"malum," at least in his sensible attractive
ness. give it up. Certain it is that, in our
journey through life, more influences for evil
are without clear expression than such as
bear their meaning on the front.
might venture to inquire" asked my
friend at this moment, when we were Just
going out of the abbey, ''f it is not taking
too great liberty, which University you
were at ?'
l conceived the inquiry superfuous; the
more SO as nothing had been said which
brought the subject into parey.
Cambridge" replied rather shortly.
ct thought So" he answered. "Some re-
marks which tell from you in respect to the
monuments, implied that mathematical mind.
was at Oxford myself. though previously at
Dublin. l think Oxford promotes theolo-
gcal turn, Cambridge rather rational"
did not see the drift of this particular
comment, which my friend delivered senten-
niously; but was pleased to think he was
theological and that l was so ostensibly
mathematical.
We had now got out into the open air. The
air was keen and frosty, the wind was blow
ing from the east, and we both put our hand
kerchiefs up to our faces as we issued from
the great west door. Then, entering the
archway which leads to Deans yard we took
the turn to the lett and in the course of a
few moments we stood on the threshold of
the really beautiful cloisters. The porter
might possibly be sanctuariZed in his own lit
tie house hard by; but we saw no sign of life
save the milk boy and very old woman.
1t was just in the interim between the
eclipse Of day and the lighting of the lamps
for the night. The lamplighter would be
round in few minutes. He had not come
yet. l should have hailed his approach with
pleasure. My friend was exuberantly talky,
and ran over with profound cogitation. He
was so glad to have me for companion. An
intelligent acquaintance was an infinite treat
in the world where one met so few.
"You have mind" he said warmly. ga
mind is the luxury of life, to others as well
as to yourself. l should prefer your COM
partnership to that of the canons who inhabit
this comfortable close. They read Greek and
Irip hr,f ~, o.,,I
Could doubt him to be man of observa-
ton?
"NOw domestic this seemsw continued my
friend, as we stood at the entrance to the
cloisters. ''We can hardly imagine that the
home loving clergy who live in these nests of
repose are successors of the men who prayed
half the night for the souls of the living and
the dead. Time change, like cities. Since
the night when, as the legend assures us, the
fishermen, fishing in the Thames, caught
sight of st. Peter and his companions, and
ferIied them across the river to consecrate
the abbey-which then was but partially
built-London is not more changed in char
acter and area than her people in faith and
habit"
This was really too much for a cold after
noon. But before l had time to suggest our
return my friend proceeded to rave.
do you know" Che had constant habit
of saying ''Do you know,'' as though be
would convey real sympathy and an intuitive
apprehension of me, whenever l come here
| always regret that did not live and die a
monk. My father was a clergyman of the
Church of England. He was rector of
Breadstone, in Suffolk, and he wrote the lives
OF some saints, which ! used to read when a
boy. l always believed that to be monk
was the most thoughtful and philosophical
life; but 1 married when 1 only nineteen;
so, you see, was born to be benedict"
Like a good many Others" I replied
who are monks in theory or sentiment, YOU
were eminently connubial in fact. Celibacy
is charming abstraction, but it not unfre-
quently ends in twins"
'Ah, true" he continued. "My brother
wrote book on the blessings of celibacy,
but his wife was the prettiest woman to be
found in the county of Dorset"
And then we stood still in the cloister,
Nor can l tell why did not move away.
scarcely know what it was that aroused
my suspicious in this very remarkable man.
He was gentleman, and evidently educated !;
but there was something unnatural about
him defy man ito act for three-quarters
OF hour without doing something that is
odd. He will stand still, or be will move,
when he should do just the contrary, and he
will speak his words without SOUL A con-
ei1ou ohoO OIL uSh iuO III ILLS u1du Was UQe III
ish and ardor of his language with GOODNESS
of eye and of tone. A man who is an enthusi-
asst will throw about his limbs, and feeling
will geam from his face; but this man spoke
always by Iote, like an actor who has got up
part.
l was about to insist on departure, when
there passed us, very hastily, indeed, stran-
ger dressed apparently in black. What stuck
me about him was the singular fact that
could see him but could not hear any sound
He must have worn Enthusiastically thin boots;
or perhaps he wore slippers-which would be
little unusual on cold afternoon in Deem
Der; Any way, he was totally inaudible, and
gliding like vision, he passed under an arch
way in the direction of Little Deans yard.
did you see that man ." l asked my
friend.
He looked not a little disturbed: then be
said hurriedIy and with obvious effort:
'No-what man? was thinking at the
instant of this interesting passage, which led
to Little Deans yard. 1t was one of the
oldest bits of the abbey. 1t has of course
been spoiled by whitewashed,
like the cathedral piety; but you cannot eff
face the real. Do you know, l believe if YOU
could detach the beauties of London from the
Of OoO6arpicr,,