The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-04
IN A CATHEDRAL.


We colonials. on the whole. think. have
more appreciation OF st. PauPs Cathedral
than OF any other of London sights. Coming
over from Australia for six months visit.
one Of the first things | promised myself
was to see 81. PauPs. | felt it impossible
to 60 back and face my friends if could
not say that / had seen the metropolitan
cathedral, First one thing interviewed and
then another, until my last day IN England
had been reached. The last day had kept
clear of engagements purp0sely, but unfor-
tunately telegram arrived in the morning
summoning me to Norwich. and 1t was
O'Clock in the evening before 1 reached
LIVERPOOL street on the return journey.
Now, l was bound TO start for Brindisi the
next day, and it seemed as il It were TO be
my fate 10 miss the last chance OF seeing
St Paul's. Still l was determined, and
fast hanson put me down at the corner Of
St. PauPs Churchyard. AS 1 stood on the
pavement, looking up at the giant doom. the
clock struck 9. The sun had set, and high
overhead the golden ball and cross stood
out against the sky, still FURNISHED by the
evening glow. The traffic had siackened,
there were but few pedestrians and an &C.
casional cab erawled BY. The city seemed
to sleep. and ST. Pauls was fastened up.
Was | doomed TO see only the outside?
Bending my neck and gazing upward, saw
that about the great golden Dali was
tracery as Of eobwebs and men ike flies
were crawling about Stout scaffOidings
and cables there we're, no doubt, but from
the street they appeared but trii1lng. Alter
quickly walking around IN vain search Tor
an open door, l came to the end of the south
transept: | spied light. Presently l heard
door softly closed, and gray-haired cid
yerger opened the iron grille. with all
the elOQuence Of which am master en-
treated him TO let ne into the sacred fame.
He hesiIated and shook his head. " cry
we'll" be said. TT is against the rules. but
as you say, il is long way from Australia;
IN let YOU in il you don't mind stopping IN
side for an hour. l shall return then, but l
must lock the door behind me. Do yeu still
wish to 90 inside?
Thanking him warmly. l said. Ser
tainly, yes"
got under the great dome, which hung
like luminous cloud above, full Of hay,
uncertain shadows. a faint circle of light
fitting around the huge piers-white ig
uTes cleaning here and there is shadowy
Teeesses. marble warriors, heroes and states
men. Under the dome in the vast open
space was a vast crowd Of chairs. rush-b0t-
toned, dashed together In rows looking
eastward. Choosing one Of the mos, central
of these | sat down and began to dream,
.gregatiou. Ia soft. l0Dg-drawn cadence
the bells tolled out the hour of TO- / had
been in the place an hour. | felt chilled
and nnmbed / walked bTiskly up and
down al avenue between the chairs. /
had seen enough and wanted to get away
from the scene of the shadows. Looking
upward a faint circle of light marked the
soaring vault, and Just above ny head l saw
a rope hanging down from the vast height
above. Then | remembered the spider webs
4, f.,,ry hnIt
and as ! stood and listened | heard faint
sounds Of hammeTlng and knocking Men
were at work, hundreds of feet above;
lights shown here and there. twinkling like
stars. In years gone by used TO be IA
nous Gymnast, AMI the sight of the rope
hanging above me put me in mind OF my
former proves. How many times. | won
dered. could /, hanging on to that rope,
draw my chin up TO my knuekes? l leaped
up and caught the rope.
Once. twice, thrice.
Drawing myself up and down until grew
tired, stretched myself, expecting TO reach
the ground with my toes. But 1 could not.
CHANGING below me | saw with horror that
the flooring had vanished from under me.
i was swinging suspended by my hands high
up toward the dome. II l had dropped at
that moment | might have been safe, but |
hesltated and was lost. Slowly ana steadily
q. the rope was being wound up. | shut my
eyes. Was this hideous delusion? No. l
looked down-the floor below me was al
most out-0t sight. There / swung, tiny
human speek, halfway between heaven
and earth. My muscles were wesried
with the load. l made huge efforts
to grasp the rope with my fest also,
but. impossible. / could not do 1t. l
could, therefore, only hold on. l was now
on n level with the plinth that surmoants
the great arches Of the dome; the colossal
fresco figure seemed to mock my agony. l
must be half way up n0w-cOuld hold on
TO the end2 But to my despair | now saw
that-the seeming dome was false one,
above which rose the real conical roof an-
other hundred feet or more, and that
through vast round orifee-ihe sham
dome-the rope was to ascend to the upper
most peak In that moment OF torture /
saw that nv fate was inevitable. LILY mus
cles-were now relaxing, my grasp would
fail and must fall and be dashed to pieces.
Confused thoughts whirled through my
: brain. Voices. thought, were calling me.
was slipping, slipping. and fell.
How do you feel DOW. sir ?" was whis-
pered close 10 my ear.
Was it possible2 Was still alive? Yes,
my brain was conscious. But my frame?
shattered. no doubt: mere human wreck.
j only dared TO use my ears, and yet / had
no feeling of pain. An old man was bend
ing over me, the same who had admitted
me. he had a wineglass in his hand. A
candle by his side formed little chamber
oflight above us.
cam knocked all to pieces? Do say ?"
: / whispered. 81 don't think SO. sir; you
arc not hurt.a Bit. Bless you, sir, you only
fell about three feet" | stretched out my
arms; they were all right, and my leg was
sound. How is this ?'' / said. sitting up
and looking about me. II thought was
carried up into the DOME
And so you were. You'd have been
dead man by this, but just in the nick of
time came back. / dou't suppose should
have noticed you. because of the light. but
caught sight Of your body against the GID
ing, aud then you gave a sort OF moan"
''Says L. There's death here If | don't
think of something at once
..Tben IIecOle3ted hearing that the work
men chaps whistle three times when they
want the rope lowered. so piped away and
the rope began to come down. Shouted to
you TO bolu on and keep your heart up. but
YOU didn't seem to hear anything. When
ronr feet CANA Within q ward Of the floor