Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-13
XXI.
The Eulfllment.

Father Francis stood alone on the sum-
init of Aran Cawddy and looked seaward
into the blackness. Overhead the stars
twinkled in the blue-black sky. No sound
came to that lonely height save the muir
muir of the wind as it swept inland
through the crags and gullies of the
mountain.
He had lost his hold on the people, He
had been driven out of London by an in
furiated mob, and his life had only been
saved by the intervention of the police
In the country he had met with the
same hostile reception, and his appear
ance had been the signal for disturbances
everywhere. From place to place he and
his few disciples had wandered westward
until they reached Wales. which had once
been the heart OF the new religious move
ment. But even here he found that he
had no power over the few that came to
listen to him.
Father Francis was alone 1t even
seemed that God had forsaken him. He
saw in his defeat proof of the Divine
wrath. He had only been raised up so
that he might fall to the greater depths
The very past had been used against him
as a weapon of destruction. But for Mrs
Lamprthy he would still have been able
to fight with the world With millions at
his disposal he might still have carried
on his crusade and regained the position
he had lost. But he was penniless. starry
ing and discredited. Even his brain and
physical strength were exhausted. The
battle was over and he had fallen. Nor
could he ever hope to raise his head.
Every day the newspapers and public
,:,,f@
into the dust. And God had forsaken
him.
This was the most terrible thought of
all. He sank on his knees and prayed.
but found no comfort in prayer.
After while his bodily strength failed
him and he was unable to kneel any
longer. He lay down on the bare rock.
and closed his eyes and crossed his hands
on his breast. He was worn out with
fatigue and exhausted by hunger And
then all thought and feeling grew numb
and he slept.
When he awoke it was still dark. but
thin bar of gray lay behind the noun
tains to the east of Aran Cawddy. and
the stars were DINNER in the vault of
heaven above his head.
He raised himself to sitting posture
and tried to struggle to his feet. But he
found that he was too weak. His body
was racked with pain. his mouth was
parched with thirst, his teeth chartered
with the cold.
He lay back on the rocks and kept his
eyes fixed on the sky. In spite of his
bodily torment his brain was remarka bly,
clear. The clouds which had obscured
his mental vision during the past few
weeks had been dispelled. His failing
memory suddenly became almost terrible
in its precision. 1t seemed to him that
he had never before been able to view
either the past or present with such Won
derful accuracy. His whole life was
spread out before him like panorama
seen from a great height through a crys-
tai atmosphere. but with this difference,
that the most distant parts of it were as
vivid as those which lay close to him.
And as he looked back. taking. as it
were bird's-eye view of all his life from
boyhood to the present time, he was able
to see clearly the relations of every part
to the whole and understand much that
was previously hidden from him. He
saw that his failure to accomplish his
great work was the natural result of
breaking the oath he had sworn to George
Crawshay. In the fervor of his religious
enthusiasm he had believed that fresh
oath. sworn TO God. had absolved him
from his former vow. He had believed
that it would be wicked to take his own
life when there was so much good work
that he could do in the world. But now
he saw why he had failed. The gigantic
edifice that he had raised so proudly to
the skies had crashed down about his
wished to avenge had been the means of
its destruction.
But God had used other weapons to de-
stroy him. He had used the natural and
moral law. which ordains that the wages
of sin is death. The sins and excuses
of Rakehell Gaunt had done their work
in accordance with the laws of nature.