And I have waited in vain.
Nothing has ever come to me. But I seat myself at the organ and seem
wafted at once into realms immortal; my soul awakens and expands; I
feel heaven within me. It is my one happiness and consolation; that and
being alone with nature."

He conducted us back to the screen.

"Then we cannot prevail upon you to be with us this evening?" we said in
a final effort. "You will not give us all the experiences of your past
life, spiritual and otherwise?--all you went through in your transition
state?"

"Tempt me not," returned the monk. "Your voice would persuade me against
my reason. I must not return to the sweets of the world even for an
evening. Think of the going back afterwards. But to-morrow morning
before dawn breaks in the east I will be with you."

He bade us farewell and closed the gate. We watched the solitary figure
glide down the choir until it disappeared. The quiet footsteps ceased to
echo, and we stood alone in the church. The silence was painful and the
building had no power to charm. We passed out to the great quadrangle
and soon found ourselves in a very different scene.

CHAPTER XVII.

SALVADOR THE MONK.

Gipsies--Picturesque scene--Love passages--H. C. invited to festive
board--Saved by Lady Maria's astral visitation--The
fortune-teller--H. C. yields to persuasion--Fate
foretold--Warnings--Photograph solicited--Darkness and
mystery--Night scene--Gipsies depart--Weird experiences--Troubled
dreams--Mysterious sounds--Ghost appears--H. C. sleeps the sleep of
the just--Egyptian darkness--In the cold morning--Salvador keeps
his word--Breakfast by candlelight--Romantic scene--Salvador turns
to the world--Agreeable companion--Musician's nature--Miguel and
the mule--Leaving the world behind--Darkness flies--St. Michael's
chapel--Sunrise and glory--Marvellous scene--Magic
atmosphere--Salvador's ecstasy--Consents to take luncheon--Heavenly
strains--"Not farewell"--Departs in solitary sadness--Last of the
funny monk.

It was the other end of the settlement. All the houses were behind us;
the railway station was in a depression at our left. The plateau
expanded, forming a small mountain refuge, sheltered and surrounded by
great boulders that were a part of Mons Serratus towering beyond them.
Grass and trees grew in soft luxuriance. Under their shadow a picnic
party had encamped; noisy Spaniards who looked