The Ascent1 to Christ is a struggle thro' one heresy2 after another, River-wise up-country into a proliferation of Sects3 and Sects branching from Sects, unto Deism, faithless pretending to be holy, and beyond,— ever away from the Sea, from the Harbor, from all that was serene5 and certain, into an Interior unmapp'd, a Realm of Doubt. The Nights. The Storms and Beasts. The Falls, the Rapids,...the America of the Soul.
Doubt is of the essence of Christ. Of the twelve Apostles, most true to him was ever Thomas,— indeed, in the Acta Thomae they are said to be Twins. The final pure Christ is pure uncertainty6. He is become the central subjunctive fact of a Faith, that risks ev'ry-thing upon one bodily Resurrection— Wouldn't something less doubtable have done? a prophetic dream, a communication with a dead person? Some few tatters of evidence to wrap our poor naked spirits against the coldness of a World where Mortality and its Agents may bully8 their way, wherever they wish to go—
— The Reverend Wicks Cherrycoke, Undeliver'd Sermons
She had found in her Kitchen, the Kitchen Garden, the beehives and the Well, a join'd and finish'd Life, the exact Life, perhaps, that Our Lord intended she live.. .a Life that was like a Flirtation10 with the Day in all its humorless Dignity...she was at her window, in afternoon peaceable autumn, ev'ryone else in town at the Vendue, Seth too, and the Boys, when They came for her,— as it seem'd, only for her. The unimagin'd dark Men. The Nakedness of the dark and wild men.
Water in a Kettle somewhere was crackling into its first Roll. She risk'd looking at their Faces. The only other place to look was down at the secret Flesh, glistening11, partly hidden, partly glimps'd behind the creas'd and odorous Deer-skin clouts— yet for them to come for her, this far East of Susquehanna, this far inside the perimeter12 of peaceable life, was for the Day to collapse13 into the past, into darker times,— 'twas to be return'd to, and oblig'd to live through again, something she thought she, thought all her Community, had transcended15. Her Lapse14 had been to ignore the surprizing Frailness17 of secular18 Life. By imagining it to be Christian19, she had meant to color it with the Immortality20 of her Soul, of her Soul in Christ, allowing herself to forget that turns of Fortune in the given World might depend upon Events too far out of her Power,...what twig-fall, Prey's escape, unintended insult, might have grown, have multiplied, until there was nowhere else for them to've come, no one else to've come for, even still as she was, and spiritless, before that violent effect of causes unknown—
The further they took her through the Forest, away from her home and name, the safer she began to feel. Sure they would have kill'd her back there, on the spot, if that's why they came? They were moving in a body, yet more slowly than they might have travel'd without her. Not at all angry, or cruel. Like a Dream just before the animals wake up, the Ger?man farms pass'd flowing by, the Towns, Equinox, New Cana, Burger's Forge, until, one morning, loud as the Sea, stirr'd to Apple-Cider turbu?lence from the Rains,— Susquehanna. How had they avoided the Eyes of all the Townsfolk and Farmers between, the gentry23 out riding, the ser?vants in the fields, how had her Party found Darkness and Safety amid the busy white Densities24? And now they'd come to it, how did they mean to cross the River?
There were boats waiting,— at the time she didn't find that as curious as their origins, for they were not Indian Canoes but French-built Bat-toes, fram'd in Timbers, she was later to learn, that grow only in the far Illinois,— And they cross'd then, as simply as the thought of a distant Child or Husband might cross the Zenith of a long Day. She knew the instant they had pass'd the exact Center-line of the River. As she stepp'd to the Western Shore, she felt she had made herself naked at last, for all of them, but secretly for herself....
Over the Blue Mountain, over Juniata, up into Six Nations Country, into the roll of great Earth-Waves ever northward25, the billowing of the Forests, in short-Cycle Repetition overset upon the longer Swell26 of the Mountains,— a Population unnumber'd of Chestnuts27, Maples28, Locusts29, Sweet Gums, Sycamores, Birches, in full green Abandon,— the song?birds went about their lives, the deer fell to silent Arrows, the sound of Sunday hymns31 came from a distant clearing, then pass'd, the days went unscrolling, the only thing she was call'd on to do was go where they went. They did not bind32, or abuse, or, unless they must, speak to her. They were her Express,— she was their Message.
Northing, almost as she watches, trees, one after another, sometimes entire long Hill-sides of them, go flaring33 into slow, chill Combustion,— Sunsets the colors of that Hearth34 she may never again see, too often find her out, unprotected. Early Snowflakes are appearing. Enormous Flights of Ducks and Geese and Pigeons darken the Sky. The terrible mass'd beat of their Wings is the Roar of some great Engine above— 'Tis withal a Snowy Owl22 Year,— the Lemmings having suicided in the North, the Owls35 are oblig'd to come further South in search of Food,— and sud?denly white Visitors from afar are ev'rywhere, arriving in a state of Mis?trustful Fatigue36, going about with that perpetual frown that distinguishes 'em from the more amiably37 be-Phiz'd white Gyrfalcons. At the peaks of Barns, the Tops of girdl'd gray Trees, Gleaners of Voles soaring above the harvested Acres, with none of your ghostly hoo, hoo neither, but low embitter'd Croaking39, utter'd in Syllables40 often at the Verge41 of Human Speech.
The Winds are turning meantimes ever colder, the leaves beginning to curl in and darken and fall. One day, having brought her to the Shore of some vast body of water that vanishes at the Horizon, they tell her she must get into a Bark Canoe,— and for the first time she is afraid, imag?ining them all rowing out together into this Yellow Splendor42, these painted Indigo43 and Salmon44 Cloud-Formations, toward some miraculous45 Land at the other side of what, even with a mild chop, would soon have batter'd the frail16 craft to pieces. Instead, keeping the Shore ever in view, they continue North, till they enter a great River, fill'd with a Traffick of Canoes and Battoes and Barges46, with settlements upon the Banks, smoke ascending47 ev'rywhere, white faces upon the Shore, and a Town, and another.... For many weeks now, she has neglected to Pray. She has eaten animals she didn't know existed, small, poor things too trusting to avoid the Snares48 set for them. Her Captors have told her when and where she may perform ev'ry single action of her life. It is Schooling49, tho' she will not discover this till later.
When they arrive at last in Quebec, the Winter is well upon them. Tho' not as grand as its counterpart in Rome, yet in Quebec, the Jesuit Col?lege is Palace enough. Travelers have describ'd it as ascending three sto?ries, with a Garret above, enclosing a broad central courtyard,— tho' were she ask'd to confirm even this, she could swear to nothing. (Perhaps there are more Levels. Perhaps there is a courtyard-within-a-courtyard, or beneath it. Perhaps a Crypto-Porticus, or several, leading to other buildings in parts of the City quite remov'd.) Her arrival here passes too quickly for her to take much of it in, so deep in the Night, in the snow, with the black nidor of the Torches for her first Incense50, their Light send?ing shadows lunging from corners and crevices51 and window-reveals, the distant choiring like tuned52 shouts, the open looks of the men—
At dawn, separate, she is taken into the Refectory, where at each of the hundred places upon the bare tables is set an identical glaz'd earthen bowl of Raspberries, perfectly53 ripe, tho' outside be all the Dead of Win?ter, and upon each Table a Jug54 of cream fresh from the Shed. An old Indian serving-man, who moves as if wounded long ago, showing not a trace of curiosity, brings in a kettle of porridge,— she is not to have Rasp?berries (she thanks the Lord, for who knows what unholy Power might account for this unseasonable presence, in its unnatural55 Redness?).
The Courtyard produces a constant echoing Whisper that can be heard ev'rywhere in the great Residence, ev'ry skin seems immediate56 to ev'ry other,— into the morning, Scribes carry ink-pots and quills57 and quill-sharpeners, in and out of Cells of many sizes, whose austerities are ever compromis'd by concessions58 to the Rococo,— boys in pointed59 hoods60 go mutely up and down with buckets of water and kindling,— cooks already have begun to quarrel over details of the noon meal,— in his rooftop Bureau, an Astronomer61 finishes his Night's reductions, writes down his last entries, and seeks his Mat,— Vigil-keepers meanwhile arise, and limp down to the ingenious College Coffee Machine, whose self-igniting Roaster has, hours earlier, come on by means of a French Clockwork Device which, the beans having been roasted for the desir'd time, then controls their Transfer to a certain Engine, where they are mill'd to a coarse Powder, discharg'd into an infusing chamber62, combin'd with water heated exactly,— Ecce Coffea!
She is taken, barefoot, still in Indian Dress, into a room fill'd with books. Pere de la Tube, a Jesuit in a violet cassock, speaks to her with a thick French accent, and will not look at her face. Nearby, in smoothly63 kept Silence, sits a colleague whose relentless64 Smile and brightness of eye only the Mad may know. "Our Guest," the Frenchman tells her, "is a world-known philosopher of Spain, having ever taken interest, in heretick Women who turn to Holy Mother the Church. His observations upon your own case will of course be most welcome."
So silently that she jumps, another man now, slighter and younger, in black silk Jacket and Trousers, has appear'd in the room. When she makes out his face, she cannot reclaim65 her stare. As a small current of deference66 flows between the two Jesuits, the Spanish Visitor takes from the messenger a tightly folded sheet of paper, seal'd with Wax and Chops in two of the colors of Blood. The messenger withdraws. She watches for as long as she can.
"You have never before seen a Chinese, child?"
She has assisted at more than one Birth, has endur'd a hard-drinking and quarrelsome troop of Men-Folk,— who is this unfamily'd man in a Frock to call her child? She replies, "No, Sir," in her smallest voice.
"You must call me 'Father.' There'll be more than one Chinese here. You must learn to keep your eyes down."
The College in Quebec is head-quarters for all operations in North America. Kite-wires and Balloon-cables rise into clouds, recede67 into serial68 distances, as, somewhere invisible, the Jesuit Telegraphy goes
ahead, unabated. Seal'd Carriages rumble69 in and out of the Portes-Cochères, Horsemen come and go at all hours. Whenever the Northern Aurora70 may appear in the Sky, rooftops in an instant are a-swarm with figures in black,— certain of the Crew seeming to glide71 like Swifts ever in motion, others remaining still as statuary, the Celestial72 Flickering73 striking High-lights 'pon the pale damp faces. Rumors74 sug?gest that the Priests are using the Boreal Phenomenon to send Mes?sages75 over the top of the World, to receiving-stations in the opposite Hemisphere.
"Twenty-six letters, nine digits76, blank space for zero," a Sergeant's voice instructing a platoon of Novices78, "— that suggest anything to any of you Hammer-heads?"
"An Array seven-by-five of, of—
"Think, Nit-Wits, think."
"Lights!"
"Behold79, ye Milling of Sheep.— " He swings a Lever. Above, against a gray Deck of snow-clouds, a gigantic Lattice-work of bright and very yellow Lights appears, five across by seven down. Briskly stepping along ranks and files of smaller Handles of Ebony, he spells out the Sequence I-D-I-O-T-S in the Sky above their gaping80 faces.
"Visible for hundreds of miles. Ev'ryone beneath, who can spell, now knows ev'rything there is to know about you.— But it's not all Spec?tacle, all Romance of Elecktricity, no, there's insanely boring Drudgery81 a-plenty too, mes enfants, for you're all to be sailors upon dry land," explaining that, as the whole Apparatus82 must stand absolutely still in the Sky, before Weathers unpredictable, it requires an extensive Rigging, even more mysteriously complex than that of a Naval83 Ship...lines must ever be shifted, individual Winches adjust constantly the tension in stays and backstays and preventers, as the changing conditions aloft are signal'd by an electrickal telegraph to those below. A Coordinator84 in a single-breasted Soutane, or Cassock, of black Bruges Velvet85 and lin'd with Wolverine Fur, stands upon a small podium, before the set of Ebony Handles and Indicators86 trimm'd in Brass87, whilst Chinese attend to the Rigging, and specially88 train'd Indian Converts tend a Peat-fire so as to raise precisely89 the Temperature of a great green Prism of Brazilian Tour-
maline, a-snarl as Medusa with plaited Copper90 Cabling running from it in all directions, bearing the Pyro-Elecktrical Fluid by which ev'rything here is animated91. More intense than the peat-smoke, the smell of Ozone92 prevails here, the Musk93 of an unfamiliar94 Beast, unsettling even to those who breathe it ev'ry day.
In that harsh sexual smell, in the ice-edg'd morning, she is led past them, northern winds beneath her deerskin Shift, itching95 to risk raising her eyes, just once, to see who'll be watching. ("Do you think she under?stands?" The Visitor asks in rapid French. The other shrugs96. ''She will understand what she needs to. If she seeks more..." The two exchange a look whose pitiless Weight she feels clearly enough.) Men strain at cables that pitch steeply into the sky, the enormous Rooftops anxiously a-scurry, as before some Invisible Approach. Chinese seem to flit ev'ry-where. Voices, usually kept low, are now and then rais'd. He has her arm. The other priest is behind them. She could not break free,— could she?— reaching with her arms, run to the roof's edge and into the Air, up-borne by Friendly Presences, as by Brilliance97 of Will, away across the Roof-slates and Fortifications, wheeling, beyond the range of all Weapons, beyond the need for any Obedience,...the Sun coming through, the River shining below, the great Warriors98' River, keeping her course ever south-westward. Nor might any left behind on the ground see her again,— would they?— passing above in the Sky, the sleeves of her garment now catching99 light like wings.. .her mind no more than that of a Kite, the Wind blowing through...
"Careful, her head."
She is upon her back, rain is falling lightly, a Chinese is squatting100 beside her, holding her forearm and talking to another Chinese, who is making notes in a small, ingeniously water-proof'd Book. 'Tis he,— the same man she saw in the Jesuit's Chamber.
He smiles. Or, 'tis something in his face she sees, and fancies a Smile.
"God protect us," P. de la Tube is saying, "from all these damnable fainting Novices, Day after Day, it never ends."
The Guest's ears seem to move. "And yet, how many of us, posted upon Missions more solitary101, might find the Event intriguing102, and your Situation here a Paradise of charming Catalepsies,— and wonder,”
his Manner bordering upon the strain'd, "whatever you had to com?plain of."
"Ah of course this isn't like the Field, is it, Father, where occasions of Sin are so seldom met with,— no, here are rather Opportunities without number,— none of which may, of course, be acted upon."
"Wouldn't that depend," baring his teeth in a smile, "upon whether she is to be a Bride of Christ, or stand in some other Connexion?"
"As...?" he hesitates, as if for permission.
"His Widow. A novice77 in Las Viudas de Cristo." Here the Spaniard kisses the Crucifix of his Rosary, and pretends to pray a moment for the success of the Sisterhood. "Have your Indians collected you enough of these White Roses, that you might spare one? Of course, if you have a particular interest in this one,—
"No, who, I? not at all, in fact,— " fingering the Buttons down the front of his Costume like beads103 of a Rosary.
"— I would settle for another,—
"But we wouldn't hear of it, Father,— Las Viudas must have her, no question. I shall do my best to speed the request up through Hierarchy104."
"How very generous. I go to mention you in my next report."
The other inclines his head. She understands that she is being bar-gain'd for, having remain'd all the while upon her knees, disobediently gazing up at the men, waiting as long as possible to see which may be first to notice...
S. Blondelle is a Gypsy, a child of the Sun, whom men keep mistaking for the very Type of the British Doxy, blowsy and cheeky as any who's ever delighted us in Story, or upon the Stage. For a while indeed she worked as a Covent Garden Sprite, finding herself in the company of ev'ry sort of man imaginable and not so, from quivering Neophyte105 to deprav'd old Coot,— it did not take her long to accumulate a great Spoil-Heap of Mis?trust for the Breeched Sex.
Soldiers like Ramrods, and Sailors like Spars, Mechanicks and Nabobs, and Gents behind Bars,
Girls, there's no sort of Fellow I've ever pass'd by,—
Not even those Coolies, out there in Shang-hai—
Tis...
[Chorus]
Men have the Sterling106, and sixpences too,
So be where there's men, and 'tis meal-time for you,
Mind the Equipment as long as you can,
And don't sell yourself cheap, to some cheese-paring Man.
Ever since Adam stepp'd out of Eve's Sight, And didn't get back till the following Night, Men have been lying to Women they bed, Care-free as felons107, yet easy to shed, singing,— [Chorus]
She is accompanied by a couple of Sisters, in close, yet, for those days, advanc'd, Harmonies. Beneath what seems but a tap-room Jig108 lies the same sequence of chords to be found in many a popular Protestant hymn30. (Tho' I was not present in the usual sense, nevertheless, I am a clergyman,— be confident, 'twas an utterly109 original moment musicale, as they say in France.)
"Then," as Blondelle relates it, "just as I was about to give up Men, I discover'd Jesuits." It was like finding Christ at last,— a Bolt of Desire, to find herself, at last, beyond Desire. "Yet not like renouncing110 any?thing,— no, I lov'd the Streets, love 'em ever,— the Excitement, the Tale-a-Minute Scurrying111, even the Bullies112, and despite the Pox,— Girls stricken overnight,— Beauty,— gone.... Sure, Life's a gamble, just a day-and-night Pass Bank, isn't it? Why not look your best whilst the Dice113 yet tumble, 's how I see it, don't you?" She attends to her Hair. "Well. Would you like me to fetch a Mirror, 's what I mean."
"Oh..." For the first time since she was taken, her Voice stirs. She tries to smile but finds herself short of breath. "What must I look like...," whispering.
"Not quite ready for the Ridotto, are you," says Sister Grincheuse, with some Solemnity.
"These are from Berry-Vines?" the quiet and dewy Sister Crosier examining the scratches upon her body, closely.
She nods. "No marks from the Indians, if that's what you mean— They were uncommonly114 gentle with me,— although...”
S. Grincheuse's eyes sparkle like Jasper. "Must we guess, then?"
"I star'd often at the many ways they had inscrib'd their own Skins, some of the Pictures being most beautiful, others arousing in me strange flashes of fear, mix'd with...it perplexes me to say...ow!"
"Speak up."
"...with feelings of Desire—" She sets her Chin provocatively115 and gazes at them.
"Oh dear, just from a couple of Tattoos116? Well, well, girls, whatever are we to do?"
" 'Twill be the Cilice for you, I'm afraid, my dear, and there's the first Lesson already,— Never discuss Desire. Get that one sorted out, you'll be a good Catholic in no time."
"But you bade me—
"Shh. Here it is. Here is what disobedient Novices must wear." The
Las Viudas Cilice is a device suggested by Jesuit practice, worn secretly,
impossible, once secur'd, to remove, producing what some call Discom?
fort,— enough to keep thoughts from straying far from God. "If God were
younger, more presentable," murmurs117 Crosier, "we'd be thinking about
Him all the time, and we shouldn't need this,— " her Gaze inclining to
the Hothouse Rose, deep red, nearly black, whose supple118, long Stem is
expertly twisted into a Breech-clout, to pass between the Labia as well
as 'round the Waist, with the Blossom, preferably one just about to open,
resting behind, in that charming Cusp of moistness and heat, where
odors of the Body and the Rose may mingle119 with a few drops of Blood
from the tiny green Thorns, and Flashes of Pain whose true painfulness
must be left for the Penitent120 to assess Of course, this is all for the pur?
pose of keeping her Attention unwaveringly upon Christ. "Considering
what Christ had to go through," Jesuits are all too happy to point out, "it
isn't really much to complain about."
S. Grincheuse stands behind her, gripping her by the arms. "It could have been worse," whispers little S. Crosier. "Not all Indians are so hon?orable." She kneels at the Captive's feet, holding the Device, her finger?tips already prick'd and redden'd, and cannot keep from directing wide-eyed Glances upward.
"All right, Dear," nods S. Blondelle, "step right in, and mind those long Limbs.”
She should be objecting, loudly if she must, but when has she ever done so before? and to offenses121, it now seems to her, far more grave than this. Instead, her bare feet go creeping, one after the other, like docile122 birds, toward the waiting trap of the Cilice,— and then each, lifting, flut?tering, passes into the Realm of Thorns.
Later they give her soothing123 Gums to rub into the tiny Wounds. The odor rises as the rubbing goes on, a single churchlike odor of incense, ungrounded by candle-wax or human occupancy, meant for Heaven, a Fume124 rising in Transmutation—
She is shorn of all hair, from head to Crux125. "You must begin," they advise her, "absolutely naked. If you're good, if you learn what you are taught, you may someday be allow'd a Wig21, a child's Wig of course, per?haps9 a Boy's, you look enough like one now,—
"Farm work, Madame,— Aahh!"
"Don't be insolent126."
Having already seen other Sisters going about in elaborate Wigs127 that she imagines must be quite in the current Parisian Mode, she is soon wondering how she might look in one of these powder'd Confections. One night she sneaks128 into the Room where, ranked upon Shelf after Shelf, all the Wigs are kept, each upon its elegant Wig-stand made of a strangely shaded Ivory. Mischievously129 she idles away one Cat-hour and then another, prowling, peering, crouching130, hardly daring to touch the White bevortic'd Objects, each more desir'd than the last. When she does at length reach forward, take one to her Breast, slip it onto her own shaven Pate131, and only then think of finding a Mirror, and then some Light to see by, she is flank'd in the Instant by strong Presences, whose faces she slowly recognizes in the Dark as those of Blondelle and Crosier.
"Took her time about it, I must say."
"Sooner or later, they all do it. Mistress Piety132 here's as Vain as any Portsmouth Whore."
"Yet prettier than most," whispers Crosier.
She blushes as they remove the Wig, in the near-Dark, and she sup?poses, with a private Frown, she'll never see it again. Her eyes follow it back to its Wig-Stand,— which, she notices for the first time, with a Chill, is directing at her a socketed133 Stare. She recognizes it belatedly as a human Skull134. Resolv'd never again to be call'd a fainting Novice, she looks about. Yes. Ev'ry gay elaboration in the room rests upon a staring Skull. She lets out her breath in a great Sigh. And refrains from fainting.
"The Model," the Wolf of Jesus addressing a roomful of students, "is Imprisonment135. Walls are to be the Future. Unlike those of the Antichrist Chinese, these will follow right Lines. The World grows restless,— Faith is no longer willingly bestow'd upon Authority, either religious or secu?lar. What Pity. If we may not have Love, we will accept Consent,— if we may not obtain Consent, we will build Walls. As a Wall, projected upon the Earth's Surface, becomes a right Line, so shall we find that we may shape, with arrangements of such Lines, all we may need, be it in a Crofter's hut or a great Mother-City,— Rules of Precedence, Routes of Approach, Lines of Sight, Flows of Power,—
"Hold! Hold!" objects an Auditor136, "is this not to embrace the very Ortholatry of the Roman Empire?— that deprav'd worship of right Lines, intersecting at right Angles, which at last reduc'd to the brute137 simplicity138 of the Cross upon Calvary—
"Padre, Padre! which Rome is it, again, that Jesuits are sworn to?"
A grim smile. "What injury, that we are not in Spain." He is no longer surpriz'd at Impiety139 or Disrespect, having found them only too prevalent upon this side of the Ocean. Yet there remains140 little choice,— too much of Europe is unsafe now for any Jesuit. America is perplexing,— tho' all the world's expell'd and homeless be welcome here, no true soldier of Christ could ever find easy refuge among these People, for whom here?sies flow like blood in the blood-stream, keeping them at the Work of their Day as Blood might keep others warm,— yet "Heresy" loses its Force in these Provinces, this far West, with Sects nearly as numerous as Settlers.— To pursue thro' the American Quotidian141 every act of impiety he might find, would be to fight upon more flanks than any could reckon,— where would time remain, for la Obra?
"Perhaps there is no Disjunction," he has nonetheless continu'd,— "and men, after all, want Rome, want Her, desire Her, as both Empire
and Church. Perhaps they seek a way back,— to the single Realm, as it was before Protestants, and Protestant Dissent142, and the mindless breed?ing of Sect4 upon Sect. A Portrayal143, in the earthly Day-light, of the Soul's Nostalgia144 for that undifferentiated Condition before Light and Dark,— Earth and Sky, Man and Woman,— a return to that Holy Silence which the Word broke, and the Multiplexity of matter has ever since kept hid?den7, before all but a few resolute145 Explorers."
"Hold, hold! Is it a Chinese motif146 we begin to hear?"— an entire Room-full of Students transferr'd here from the University of Hell,— "If Chinese Feng Shui be forbidden, how may we study such Metaphysicks as this, without risk of reprimand?"
"The risk is not so much to your Backside as to your Soul. Can any tell me,— Why must we fight their abhorrent147 Magick?"
A ripple148 of giggling149.
"Pues Entonces...! was a Student once, too. I remember passing around the same wither'd packets of Paper you have been reading in secret, now, unfolded and re-folded an hundred times,— 'Secrets of the Chinese Wizards'? Aha. Even to the Name. Some of you are learning how to paint the Symbols, perhaps even beginning to experiment with com?bining them in certain ways?— I know, Fellows, I know ev'rything that
passes here Another of the thousand or so wonderful things about the
Sacrament of Penance150, is its Utility in group situations like yours. Some?one always confesses. Or in plain Spanish, Siempre Alguien derrama las Judías."
"What's he saying?"
"Something about scattering151 the Jewesses."
"Now 'tis Kabbalism, in a moment he'll be rattling152 in ancient Hebrew, and perhaps we ought to have a Plan."
"For subduing153 him, you mean?"
"Actually, I meant a Plan for getting out of the Room—"
"Why prevent the Chinese from practicing Feng Shui? Because it works," the Wolf of Jesus is explaining.
"How then,— if it works, should we not be studying it?"
"It carries the mark of the Adversary154.— It is too easy. Not earn'd. Too little of the Load is borne by the Practitioner155, too much by some Force
Invisible, and the unknown Price it must exact. What do you imagine those to be, that must ever remain so unreferr'd, and unreferrable, to Jesus Christ? And, as His Soldiers, how can we ever permit that?"
'Twas an earlier, simpler Time, Children, when many grew quite exer-cis'd indeed over questions of Doctrine156. There is deep, throat-snarling Hatred157, for example, as the Wolf of Jesus instructs them. "The Christless must understand that their lives are to be spent in Servitude,— if not to us, then to Christians158 even less Godly,— the Kings, the Enterprisers, the Adventurers Charter'd and Piratickal."
"What of those that we may Convert?"
The Priest makes a dismissive gesture, his knuckles159 flashing pale in the Candle-light. "Conversion160 is no guarantee of a Christly Life. Jews are 'converted.' Savages161, English wives, Chinese, what matter?— once con38?verted, all then re-vert. Each one, at the end of the day, is found some?where, often out in the open, among ancient Stones, repeating without true Faith the same vile162 rituals,— and where is He, where are His For?giveness, His Miracles?"
He is upon his knees, in apparent Consultation163. The Students, after a while, begin to whisper together, and soon the place is chattier than a Coffee-House. The Spanish Visitor continues apart.
收听单词发音 |
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ascent
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heresy
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| n.异端邪说；异教 | |
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sects
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sect
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| n.派别，宗教，学派，派系 | |
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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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haps
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| n.粗厚毛披巾；偶然，机会，运气( hap的名词复数 ) | |
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flirtation
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| n.调情，调戏，挑逗 | |
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11
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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12
perimeter
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| n.周边，周长，周界 | |
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13
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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14
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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15
transcended
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| 超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的过去式和过去分词 )； 优于或胜过… | |
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16
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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17
frailness
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| n.脆弱，不坚定 | |
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18
secular
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| n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的 | |
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19
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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20
immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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21
wig
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| n.假发 | |
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22
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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23
gentry
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| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
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24
densities
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| 密集( density的名词复数 )； 稠密； 密度（固体、液体或气体单位体积的质量）； 密度（磁盘存贮数据的可用空间） | |
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25
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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26
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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27
chestnuts
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| n.栗子( chestnut的名词复数 )；栗色；栗树；栗色马 | |
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28
maples
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| 槭树，枫树( maple的名词复数 )； 槭木 | |
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29
locusts
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| n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树 | |
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30
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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31
hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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32
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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33
flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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34
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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35
owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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36
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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37
amiably
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| adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地 | |
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38
con
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| n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的 | |
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39
croaking
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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40
syllables
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| n.音节( syllable的名词复数 ) | |
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41
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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42
splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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43
indigo
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| n.靛青，靛蓝 | |
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44
salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
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45
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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46
barges
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| 驳船( barge的名词复数 ) | |
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47
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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48
snares
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| n.陷阱( snare的名词复数 )；圈套；诱人遭受失败（丢脸、损失等）的东西；诱惑物v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的第三人称单数 ) | |
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49
schooling
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| n.教育；正规学校教育 | |
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50
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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51
crevices
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| n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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52
tuned
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| adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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53
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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54
jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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55
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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56
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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57
quills
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| n.（刺猬或豪猪的）刺( quill的名词复数 )；羽毛管；翮；纡管 | |
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58
concessions
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| n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权 | |
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59
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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60
hoods
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| n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩 | |
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61
astronomer
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| n.天文学家 | |
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62
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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63
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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64
relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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65
reclaim
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| v.要求归还，收回；开垦 | |
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66
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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67
recede
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| vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进 | |
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68
serial
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| n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的 | |
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69
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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70
aurora
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| n.极光 | |
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71
glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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72
celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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73
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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74
rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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75
sages
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| n.圣人( sage的名词复数 )；智者；哲人；鼠尾草（可用作调料） | |
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76
digits
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| n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾 | |
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77
novice
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| adj.新手的，生手的 | |
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78
novices
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| n.新手( novice的名词复数 )；初学修士（或修女）；（修会等的）初学生；尚未赢过大赛的赛马 | |
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79
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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80
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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81
drudgery
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| n.苦工，重活，单调乏味的工作 | |
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82
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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83
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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84
coordinator
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| n.协调人 | |
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85
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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86
indicators
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| （仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号 | |
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87
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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88
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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89
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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90
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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91
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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92
ozone
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| n.臭氧，新鲜空气 | |
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93
musk
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| n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫 | |
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94
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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95
itching
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| adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 ) | |
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96
shrugs
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| n.耸肩（以表示冷淡，怀疑等）( shrug的名词复数 ) | |
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97
brilliance
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| n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智 | |
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98
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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99
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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100
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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101
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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102
intriguing
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| adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心 | |
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103
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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104
hierarchy
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| n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层 | |
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105
neophyte
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| n.新信徒；开始者 | |
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106
sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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107
felons
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| n.重罪犯( felon的名词复数 )；瘭疽；甲沟炎；指头脓炎 | |
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108
jig
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| n.快步舞（曲）；v.上下晃动；用夹具辅助加工；蹦蹦跳跳 | |
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109
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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110
renouncing
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| v.声明放弃( renounce的现在分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃 | |
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111
scurrying
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 ) | |
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112
bullies
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| n.欺凌弱小者, 开球 vt.恐吓, 威胁, 欺负 | |
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113
dice
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| n.骰子；vt.把（食物）切成小方块，冒险 | |
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114
uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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115
provocatively
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116
tattoos
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| n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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117
murmurs
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| n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕 | |
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118
supple
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| adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺 | |
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119
mingle
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| vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往 | |
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120
penitent
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| adj.后悔的；n.后悔者；忏悔者 | |
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121
offenses
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| n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势 | |
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122
docile
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| adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的 | |
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123
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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124
fume
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| n.(usu pl.)(浓烈或难闻的)烟，气，汽 | |
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125
crux
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| adj.十字形；难事，关键，最重要点 | |
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126
insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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127
wigs
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| n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 ) | |
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128
sneaks
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| abbr.sneakers (tennis shoes) 胶底运动鞋（网球鞋）v.潜行( sneak的第三人称单数 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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129
mischievously
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| adv.有害地；淘气地 | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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131
pate
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| n.头顶；光顶 | |
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132
piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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133
socketed
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| v.把…装入托座（或插座），给…装上托座（或插座）( socket的过去分词 )；[高尔夫球]用棒头承口部位击（球） | |
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134
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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135
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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136
auditor
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| n.审计员，旁听着 | |
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137
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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138
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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139
impiety
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| n.不敬；不孝 | |
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140
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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141
quotidian
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| adj.每日的，平凡的 | |
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142
dissent
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| n./v.不同意，持异议 | |
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143
portrayal
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| n.饰演；描画 | |
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144
nostalgia
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| n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧 | |
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145
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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146
motif
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| n.(图案的)基本花纹，(衣服的)花边；主题 | |
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147
abhorrent
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| adj.可恶的，可恨的，讨厌的 | |
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148
ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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149
giggling
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 ) | |
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150
penance
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| n.（赎罪的）惩罪 | |
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151
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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152
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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153
subduing
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| 征服( subdue的现在分词 )； 克制； 制服； 色变暗 | |
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154
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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155
practitioner
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| n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者 | |
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156
doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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157
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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158
Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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159
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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160
conversion
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| n.转化，转换，转变 | |
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161
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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162
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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163
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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