As John was coming out of the Father"s room, he met Brother Andrew going into it, with clean linen over one arm and a ewer of water in the other hand. He threw on his bed in the alcove the book which the Father had given him, and sat down on the form at the door and tried to strengthen himself in his purpose.
"The man is dying for the sight of his sister. He can save her soul if he can only see her. It can not be displeasing to the Almighty."
When he lifted his head the house was silent, except for the wind that whistled outside its walls. Presently there was a scarcely perceptible click, as of a door closing, and Brother Andrew came from the direction of the Superior"s room. John called to him and he stepped up on tip-toe, for the monk hates noise as an evil spirit. The sprawling features of the big fellow were all smiles.
"Has the Father gone to bed?" said John.
"Yes."
"Just gone?"
"No; half an hour ago."
"Then he will be asleep by this time."
"He was asleep before I left him."
"So he doesn"t lock his door on the inside?"
"No, never."
"Does the Father sleep soundly?"
"Sometimes he does, and sometimes a cat would waken him."
"Brother Andrew----"
"Yes."
"Would you do something for me if I wanted, it very much?"
"You know I would."
"Even if you had to run some risk?"
"I"m not afraid of that"
"And if I got you into trouble, perhaps?"
"But you wouldn"t. _You_ wouldn"t get anybody into trouble."
John could go no further. The implicit trust in the simple face was too much for him.
"What is it?" said Brother Andrew.
"Oh, nothing--nothing at all," said John. "I was only trying you, but you are too good to be tempted, and I am ashamed. You must go to bed now."
"Can I put out the lights for you?"
"No, I"m not ready yet. Ugh! what a cruel wind! A cold night for Brother Paul in the church."
"Tell me, Brother Storm, what is the matter with Brother Paul? He makes me think of my mother, I don"t know why."
John made no answer, and the lay brother began to go upstairs. Two steps up he stopped and whispered:
"Won"t you let me do something for you, then?"
"Not to-night, Brother Andrew."
"Good-night, Brother Storm."
"Good-night, my lad."
John listened to his footsteps until they stopped far overhead, and then all was quiet. Only the whistling of the wind broke the stillness of the peaceful house. He slid back the grating and looked out. All was darkness except for the tiny gleam of coloured light that came from the church, where Brother Paul sat to say his Rosary.
This fortified his courage, and he got up to put out the lamps in the staircase and corridors. He began at the top, and as he came down he listened on every landing and looked carefully around. There was no sound anywhere except the light fall of his own deadened footstep. His superst.i.tious fears came back upon him, and his restless conscience created terrors. The old London mansion, with its mystic cells, seemed full of strange shadows, and the wind howled around it like a fiend.
One by one he extinguished the lamps. The last of them hung in the hall under the picture of Christ in his crown of thorns. As he put it out he thought the eyes looked at him, and he shuddered.
It was now half-past ten, and time to carry out his project. The back of his neck was aching and his breath was coming quick. With noiseless steps he walked to the door of the Father"s room and listened again.
Hearing nothing, he opened the door wide and stepped into the room.
The fire was slumbering out, but it cast a faint red glow on the ceiling and on the bed. A soft light rested on the Father"s face, and he was sleeping peacefully. There was no sound except the wind in the chimney and a whistle sounding from a steamer in the river.
To reach the key, where it hung above the bed, it was necessary to step between the fire and the sleeping man. As John did so his black shadow fell on the Father"s face. He stretched out his hand for the key and found that a bunch of other keys were now hanging over it. When he removed them they jingled slightly, and then his heart stood still, but the Father did not stir, and he took the key of the gate off the hook, put the other keys back in their place, and turned to go.
The dog began to howl--somebody was playing music in the street--and the open door made the wind to roar in the chimney. The Father sighed, and John stood with a quivering heart and looked over his shoulder. But it was only a deep human sigh uttered in sleep.
At the next moment John had returned to the corridor and closed the door behind him. His throat was parched, his eyelids were twitching, and his temples were beating like drums. He went gliding along like a thief, and as he pa.s.sed the picture of Christ in the darkness the wind seemed to be crying "Judas!"
Back in the hall he dropped on to the form, for his knees could support him no longer. Love and conscience, humanity and religion clamoured loud in his heart and tore him in pieces. "Traitor!" cried one. "But the man"s dying!" cried another. "Judas!" "She is hovering on the brink of h.e.l.l and he may save her soul from death and d.a.m.nation!" When the struggle was over, conscience and religion were worsted, and he was more cunning than before.
Then the clock chimed the three quarters, and he raised his head.
The streets, usually so quiet at that hour, were becoming noisy with traffic. There were the shuffling of many feet on the hard snow and the sharp crack of voices.
He opened the great door of the house with as little noise as possible and stepped out into the courtyard. The bloodhound started from its quarters and began to growl, but he silenced it with a word, and the creature came up and licked his hand. He crossed the court with quick and noiseless footsteps, lifted the latch of the sacristy and pushed through into the church.
There was a low, droning sound in the empty place. It ran a s.p.a.ce and was then sucked in like the sound of the sea at the harbour steps.
Brother Paul was sitting in the chancel with a lamp on the stall by his side. His head leaned forward, his eyes were closed, and the light on his thin face made it look pallid and lifeless. John called to him in a whisper.
"Paul!"
He rose quickly and followed John into the courtyard, looking wild and weak and lost.
"But the lamp--I"ve forgotten it," he said. "Shall I go back and put it out?"
"How simple you are!" said John. "Somebody may be lying awake in the house. Do you want him to see that you"ve left your penance an hour too soon?"
"True."