woman first
opened the gates of hell; and, until this day, they are the portresses
thereof. Unhappy boy! What hast thou done?'

'They were but painted on the walls.'

'Ah!' said the abbot, as if suddenly relieved from a heavy burden. 'But
how knewest thou them to be women, when thou hast never yet, unless thou
liest--which I believe not of thee--seen the face of a daughter of Eve?'

'Perhaps--perhaps,' said Philammon, as if suddenly relieved by a new
suggestion--'perhaps they were only devils. They must have been, I
think, for they were so very beautiful.'

'Ah! how knowest thou that devils are beautiful?'

'I was launching the boat, a week ago, with Father Aufugus; and on the
bank,....not very near,....there were two creatures....with long hair,
and striped all over the lower half of their bodies with black, and
red, and yellow....and they were gathering flowers on the shore. Father
Aufugus turned away; but I.... I could not help thinking them the most
beautiful things that I had ever seen....so I asked him why he turned
away; and he said that those were the same sort of devils which tempted
the blessed St. Anthony. Then I recollected having heard it read aloud,
how Satan tempted Anthony in the shape of a beautiful woman.... And
so.... and so.... those figures on the wall were very like.... and I
thought they might be....'

And the poor boy, who considered that he was making confession of a
deadly and shameful sin, blushed scarlet, and stammered, and at last
stopped.

'And thou thoughtest them beautiful? Oh utter corruption of the
flesh!--oh subtilty of Satan! The Lord forgive thee, as I do, my poor
child; henceforth thou goest not beyond the garden walls.'

'Not beyond the walls! Impossible! I cannot! If thou wert not my father,
I would say, I will not!--I must have liberty!--I must see for myself--I
must judge for myself, what this world is of which you all talk so
bitterly. I long for no pomps and vanities. I will promise you this
moment, if you will, never to re-enter a heathen temple--to hide my
face in the dust whenever I approach a woman. But I must--I must see
the world; I must see the great mother-church in Alexandria, and the
patriarch, and his clergy. If they can serve God in the city, why not
I? I could do more for God there than here .... Not that I despise this
work--not that I am ungrateful to you--oh, never, never that!--but I
pant for the battle. Let me go! I am not discontented with you, but