n Felix again listened
his brother was depicting the punishment of the other world. "They will
be tortured through all eternity, says the Scriptures. How long is an
eternity?" he then asked with as steady a look at his congregation as
if he required of them a positive answer. "Let us suppose that this
high lofty mountain lying towards the east, be made of polished steel
and that every thousand years a bird came and pecked with its little
beak this steel mountain and then flew away. How many thousands of
years would it require ere the mountain was pecked to pieces? Or let us
suppose that a large lake stretches from these hills here to yonder
Haardt mountains, and that every thousand years a gnat came and sucked
up through its little trunk as much water as it required to still its
thirst, how many thousands of years would this little insect require to
suck up the whole lake? When the bird has picked away the mountain, and
the gnat drunk up the lake, that will not even be a millioneth part of
an eternity, the Scripture however says: they will be tortured
throughout all eternity."

"Humbug," murmured Felix to himself and for the first time in his life
he felt a sort of repugnance towards his brother, for whom he usually
had had only the tender feelings of a friend and father; he looked up
with a sort of displeasure at the tall young figure which with bowed
knee almost disappeared within the pulpit, then again rose up quickly
with outstretched arms, and sank backwards as if he had been stricken
to the heart with a deadly blow, only to repeat once again with
uplifted hand "Only the Church, preaching, and the word."

"That comes from having done away with organ, colored windows, and male
choirs, they must crack up with immoderate praise the excellency of
wares for which no mouth now waters, whilst in the Church, as we adorn
it, the heart draws up men with it." As finally the speaker with a
thorough knowledge of his subject produced a final homiletic storm, and
the entire fullness of his voice reached its highest developement,
Felix awaited his Amen with impatience and when the congregation after
a song of praise left the Church without the usual organ accompaniment,
but amidst the hasty trot and shuffling of the school-children and the
loud remarks of the men, the Italian felt himself colder and less
satisfied than at any time when leaving after Vespers.

As he came out of the door of the Church into the court filled with th