God's will, renounce it--give
it up. Then and then only you will live--not before. Look there!" he
pointed to the crucifix. "The great Pagan religions had each their
symbol of life. For us who are Christ's the symbol of life is the
crucifix. Crucify self. When you have done that, you will have no need
to come and ask me what you must do and what you must leave undone. Your
deeds are--they _must_ be pure."

His excitement moved her, her eyes filled with tears; but she followed
his words slowly and painfully. He was always making these speeches to
her, full of the things she could not understand. How often she had felt
this sense of effort and pain in the old "art" days with Ted, or when
she had been held helpless in the grasp of Wyndham's relentless
intellect. She had chafed when the barriers rose between her mind and
theirs. But between her and this nineteenth century ascetic there was an
immeasurable gulf fixed; she could not reach the hand he stretched out
to her across it. Even his living presence seemed endlessly far from
hers, and the thought of that separation filled her with a deep resigned
humility. Now, though his thoughts were poured into her consciousness
without mixing with it, cloudy, insoluble, troubling its blank
transparency, something in the rhythmic movement of his words stirred
her, so responsive was she to every impression of sense. They recalled
to her that other gospel of life preached to her by Langley, and though
she understood imperfectly, she felt the difference with shame. The
young priest went on, still as if speaking to himself.

"There are only two things we have to learn--the knowledge of self and
the knowledge of God, and they hang together. If there is any sin in us,
unconfessed and unrecognised as sin, there is no knowledge of God and no
union with him possible for us."

She rose, moved a step forward, and then stood looking at him
irresolutely. Truly a revelation was there for her; but she was in that
state of excitement in which we are more capable of making revelations
than of receiving them. He had risen too, and was holding out his hand.
"Well," he said more gently, "there is something you want to say to me.
Please sit down again."

She shook her head and still stood upright. Possessed with the thought
of the confession she was about to make, she felt that she needed all
the dignity that attitude afforded. At last she spoke, very low and
quickly, keeping her eyes fixed on the