ened the west front was open. With a large gesture he
tipped the watchman a shilling, and they passed in like princes. The
transition to the calm and dusty interior was instantaneous and almost
overwhelming. Immense without, the cathedral seemed still more immense
within. On one side of the nave was a steam-engine; on the other some
sort of a mill; and everywhere lay in heaps the wild litter of
construction, among which moved here and there little parties of aproned
pygmies engaged silently and industriously on sub-contracts; the main
army of labourers had gone. The walls rose massively clear out of the
white-powdered confusion into arches and high domes; and the floor of
the choir, and a loftier floor beyond that, also rose clear.
Perspectives ended in shadow and were illimitable, while the afternoon
light through the stone grille of the western windows made luminous
spaces in the gloom.

The sensation of having the mysterious girl at his elbow in that
wonder-striking interior was magnificent.

He murmured, with pride:

"Do you know this place has the widest nave of any cathedral in the
world? It's a much bigger cathedral than St. Paul's. In fact I'm not
sure if it isn't the biggest in England."

"You know," he said again, "in the whole of the nineteenth century only
one cathedral was built in England."

"Which was that?"

"Truro.... And you could put Truro inside this and leave a margin all
round. Mr. Enwright says this is the last cathedral that ever will be
built, outside America."

They gazed, more and more aware of a solemn miracle.

"It's marvellous--marvellous!" he breathed.

After a few moments, glancing at her, a strong impulse to be
confidential mastered him. He was obliged to tell that girl.

"I say, we've lost that competition--for the Law Courts."

He smiled, but the smile had no effect.

"Oh!" She positively started.

He saw that her eyes had moistened, and he looked quickly away, as
though he had seen something that he ought not to have seen. She cared!
She cared a great deal! She was shocked by the misfortune to the firm,
by the injustice to transcendent merit! She knew nothing whatever about
any design in the competition. But it was her religion that the Lucas &
Enwright design was the best, and by far the best. He had implanted the
dogma, and he felt that she was ready to die for it. Mystery dropped
away from her. Her soul stood bare to him. He was so happy and so proud
that the inten