ght hand in robes of light and glory, and Mary the Queen
on His left. And above them the Dove with its outstretched wings, the
white bird hovering in a sea of light! And it seemed so near! Brother
Jasper felt in him almost the power to go there, to climb up those massy
clouds of fire and attain the great joy--the joy of the presence of God.

The sun sank slowly, the red darkened into purple, and over the whole
sky came a colour of indescribable softness, while in the east, very far
away, shone out the star. And soon the soft faint blue sank before the
night, and the stars in the sky were countless; but still in the west
there was the shadow of the sun, a misty gleam. Over the rocky plain the
heavens seemed so great, so high, that Brother Jasper sank down in his
insignificance; yet he remembered the glories of the sunset, and felt
that he was almost at the feet of God.

But now, when he looked at the clouds and the sun behind them, he saw
no God; he saw the desert plain, the barrenness of the earth, the
overladen, wretched donkey staggering under his pannier, and the
broad-hatted peasant urging him on. He looked at the sunset and tried to
imagine the Trinity that sat there, but he saw nothing. And he asked
himself,--

'Why should there be a God?'

He started up with a cry of terror, with his hands clasped to his head.

'My God! what have I done?'

He sank to his knees, humiliating himself. What vengeance would fall on
him? He prayed passionately. But again the thought came; he shrieked
with terror, he invoked the Mother of God to help him.

'Why should there be a God?'

He could not help it. The thought would not leave him that all this
might exist without. How did he know? How could anyone be sure, quite
sure? But he drove the thoughts away, and in his cell imposed upon
himself a penance. It was Satan that stood whispering in his ear, Satan
lying in wait for his soul; let him deny God and he would be damned for
ever.

He prayed with all his strength, he argued with himself, he cried out,
'I believe! I believe!' but in his soul was the doubt. The terror made
him tremble like a leaf in the wind, and great drops of sweat stood on
his forehead and ran heavily down his cheek. He beat his head against
the wall, and in his agony swayed from side to side.... But he could not
believe.

III

And for two days he had endured the torments of hell-fire, battling
against himself--in vain. The heavy lines beneath his ey