All round the cold dark began to burn. A
boulder lay athwart his course, and then very strangely he was aware that
his arms had fastened round it with convulsive strength, and brow and
breast were wounded against it. He could not take possession to end this
disgraceful treason; all that was left to him was to rescue integrity at
least by undoing the knot at his neck.

Then prevailed the blessed guile of Lois. The trivial exaction brought
her son face to face with her, with her sorrows, with her prayers, and
the mere communion of love set him praying frantically, and so brought
him to himself again.

We beseech, we beseech, we beseech: Lord God for my unbaptized! Dear
Christ for Christian's Diadyomene! Blessed Trinity and all Saints for a
nameless soul in sore need!

Vile, vile indeed, were he to desert a holy alliance.

There where the token had lain on his breast cross-edges of the boulder
were wounding, and strange human nature turning ravenous to any gross
substitution of fires, seized with wild energy on the ecstasy of pain,
till the rock cut to the bone, while the whole boulder seemed to stir. In
nowise might the cross be cast aside: it was kept against his will in
holy ward; it was printed indelibly in his flesh.

The very boulder had stirred. Then hope rose up as a tyrant, for he had
fallen spent again. Spirit was weak and flesh was weak, and it were task
hard out of measure to heave that boulder from its bed and set it up to
block the low entrance; and useless, when at a sight or a sound
Diadyomene were away fleet foot to the sea.

And yet he felt about, set feet and shoulder for an arch of strength, and
strained with great hefts; and again the mass seemed to stir. He dropped
down, trenched painfully round, and tried again till his sinews cracked.
Nor in vain: with a reluctant sob its bed of sand gave up the stubborn
rock, and as it rolled endlong a devil that had urged excuse went from
Christian. Foot after foot he fought that dreadful weight along the sand,
right up to the cleft, right across the cleft he forced it. Not yet had
he done enough; for he could feel that as the boulder lay, there was
space for a slim body to press across and win the cavern. To better the
barrier by a few poor inches, this way and that he wrung his wearied body
and broke flesh; and to no purpose. 'Except my bones break, I will.' He
grappled strenuously; a little give responded. He set his feet closer in,
and lifted again migh