24. _Peace of Mind_.--The soul reconciled with Jesus Christ. Jesus of
Nazareth comforting the soul and opening His arms to receive her: "Come
my Beloved, my Bride."

25. _The Soul_.--A lovely maiden, modestly clad, with precious gems on
her bosom and a garland of white roses on her brow: "My Beloved is mine
and I am His."

26. _The Joy of the Angels_.--They appear as nymphs and sing a hymn of
glory to God and of welcome to the repentant sinner.

27. _The Holy Cross_, decorated with flowers and rays of glory, carried
on high by a seraph.

28. _The Holy Virgin with the Cross_.--It is partly wrapped in a
precious cloth and the Madonna, full of joy and lovingkindness, invites
the people to kiss the holes from which the nails have been drawn.

29. _Calatafimi_.--A handsome, smiling youth in Trojan attire devoutly
offering his heart to the crucified Saviour with these words: "Thy
blessing be upon us evermore."

* * * * *

A stranger had arrived at the albergo and Donna Maria did not know how to
manage unless he supped with me; I was delighted to make his acquaintance
and to have his company, especially as he turned out to be an ingenious
French gentleman with a passion for classification. He had come from
Palermo and spent the morning at the Temple of Segesta which had pleased
him very much and given him no difficulty. It was architecture--a branch
of painting. His plans were upset by the rain and, instead of returning
to Palermo, he had come on for the night to Calatafimi, where he arrived
in time for the procession of _The Prodigal Son_ which had interested him
very much but puzzled him dreadfully. He could not classify it.

"Why not procession--a branch of drama?" I inquired.

He said it was perhaps not so simple as I thought, and that he had been
trying unsuccessfully to work it in with his scheme. I begged him to
expound his scheme, which he was so ready to do that I suspected he had
intended me to ask this.

"There are," he said, "three simple creative arts. In the first, ideas
are expressed in words; this is literature. In the second, ideas are
expressed in the sounds of the scale; this is music. In the third, ideas
are expressed in rigid forms either round, as in sculpture, or flat, as
in painting. We may call this third art painting, that being its most
popular phase."

"I see your difficulty," said I. "If drama is not one of the arts, the
procession c