d to truly and reasonably hold that the mysterious high and
soaring thoughts of Man were one and the same thing as mere
animalism? they were too obviously of another nature to the merely
bovine, to the solids of the flesh: for one thing, they were free of the
law of gravity which so entirely overrules the rest of Nature--they
must therefore come to their destiny in another world, another
condition of consciousness.

IV

That winter we again spent in Italy, in continuous gaiety amongst a
brilliant cosmopolitan world of men and women who for the most
part lived in palaces, surrounded with art and luxury. Here in Rome
on every side was to be found the Cult of the Beautiful. Wonderful
temples, gems of classical sculpture, masterpieces of colour in oil
and fresco--the genius and the aspirations of men rendered
permanent for us by Art; but the Temples, those silent emblems of
man's worship of an Unknown God, with their surroundings of
lovely nature, affected me far the most deeply: indeed, I do not
pretend that sculptures and pictures affected me at all. I was
interested, I greatly admired--they were a part of education, but that
was all. But in the vicinity of those Temples what strange echoes
awoke in me, what mysterious sadness and longing, what a mystery
of pain! Something within me sighed and moaned for God. If I could
but find Him--if I could even truly Believe and be at peace! But
already I had commenced to Believe.

During the late winter we went to one of the great ceremonies at the
Vatican: we had seats in the Sistine Chapel. It was an especial
occasion, and the number of persons present was beyond all seating
accommodation. To make way for someone of importance I was
asked to give up my seat and go outside into the body of the great
Cathedral; here I was hurriedly pushed into the second row of a
huge concourse of waiting and standing people. Already in the
distance the Pope was approaching. Lifted high in his chair on the
shoulders of his bearers, he came slowly along in his white robes,
his hand raised in a general blessing upon all this multitude. As he
came nearer I saw the delicate ivory face--the great dark eyes
shining with a fire I had never seen before. For the first time in my
life I saw holiness. I was moved to the depths of my being.
Something in my gaze arrested his attention; he had his chair
stopped immediately above me, and, leaning over me, he blessed me
individually--a very great concession du