ngs, through which a tantalizing glimpse might be had of the
fine things that were going on within. Had they but known it, it
might all have been seen, holy of holies, head-wagging priest, idle
yawning assistant, with legs stretched out, half asleep, mumblement,
jumblement and all, from a little back window in a passage opening
from that Calvary gallery upstairs. From thence at least did these
profane eyes look down and see all the mumblement and jumblement,
which after all was little enough; but saw especially the idle
clerical apprentice who, had that screen been down, and had he been
called on to do his altar work before the public eye, would not have
been so nearly asleep, as may perhaps be said of other clerical
performers nearer home.

But Bertram's attention was mainly occupied with watching the
devotions of a single woman. She was a female of one of those strange
nations, decently clad, about thirty years of age, pleasant to the
eye were she not so dirty, and had she not that wild look, half way
between the sallow sublime and the dangerously murderous, which seems
common to oriental Christians, whether men or women. Heaven might
know of what sins she came there to leave the burden: heaven did
know, doubtless; but from the length of her manoeuvres in quitting
herself of their weight, one would say that they were heavy; and yet
she went through her task with composed dignity, with an alacrity
that was almost joyous, and certainly with no intentional
self-abasement.

Entering the church with a quick step, she took up a position as
though she had selected a special stone on which to stand. There,
with head erect, but bowing between each ceremony, she crossed
herself three times; then sinking on her knees, thrice she pressed
her forehead to the floor; then rising again, again she crossed
herself. Having so done somewhat to the right of the church, but near
the altar-screen, she did the same on the corresponding stone towards
the left, and then again the same on a stone behind the others, but
in the centre. After this she retreated further back, and did three
more such worshippings, always choosing her stone with an eye to
architectural regularity; then again, getting to the backward, she
did three more, thus completing her appointed task, having crossed
herself thirty-six times, and pressed her head with twenty-seven
pressures upon the floor. And so, having finished, she quickly
withdrew. Did any slightest prayer,