fled? What had happened? Jasper understood nothing
of it. And afterwards, before the funeral, when he looked at the corpse
again, and it was cold and a horrible blackness stained the lips, he
felt sure.

Brother Jasper could not believe in the resurrection of the dead. And
the soul--what did they mean by the soul?

IV

Then a great loneliness came over him; the hours of his life seemed
endless, and there was no one in whom he could find comfort. The prior
had given him a ray of hope, but he was gone, and now Jasper was alone
in the world.... And beyond? Oh! how could one be certain? It was awful
this perpetual doubt, recurring more strongly than ever. Men had
believed so long. Think of all the beautiful churches that had been made
in the honour of God, and the pictures. Think of the works that had
been done for his love, the martyrs who had cheerfully given up their
lives. It seemed impossible that it should be all for nothing. But--but
Jasper could not believe. And he cried out to the soul of the prior,
resting in heaven, to come to him and help him. Surely, if he really
were alive again, he would not let the poor monk whom he had loved
linger in this terrible uncertainty. Jasper redoubled his prayers; for
hours he remained on his knees, imploring God to send him light.... But
no light came, and exhausted Brother Jasper sank into despair.

The new prior was a tall, gaunt man, with a great hooked nose and heavy
lips; his keen, dark eyes shone fiercely from beneath his shaggy brows.
He was still young, full of passionate energy. And with large gesture
and loud, metallic voice he loved to speak of hell-fire and the pains of
the damned, hating the Jews and heretics with a bitter personal hatred.

'To the stake!' he used to say. 'The earth must be purged of this
vermin, and it must be purged by fire.'

He exacted the most absolute obedience from the monks, and pitiless was
the punishment for any infringement of his rules.... Brother Jasper
feared the man with an almost unearthly terror; when he felt resting
upon him the piercing black eyes, he trembled in his seat, and a cold
sweat broke out over him. If the prior knew--the thought almost made him
faint. And yet the fear of it seemed to drag him on; like a bird before
a serpent, he was fascinated. Sometimes he felt sudden impulses to tell
him--but the vengeful eyes terrified him.

One day he was in the cloister, looking out at the little green plot in
the middle