Flappers and Philosophers Part 38

III

Back in the reception-room Lois met a half-dozen more of Kieth's particular friends; there was a young man named Jarvis, rather pale and delicate-looking, who, she knew, must be a grandson of old Mrs. Jarvis at home, and she mentally compared this ascetic with a brace of his riotous uncles.

And there was Regan with a scarred face and piercing intent eyes that followed her about the room and often rested on Kieth with something very like wors.h.i.+p. She knew then what Kieth had meant about "a good man to have with you in a fight."

He's the missionary type--she thought vaguely--China or something.

"I want Kieth's sister to show us what the s.h.i.+mmy is," demanded one young man with a broad grin.

Lois laughed.

"I'm afraid the Father Rector would send me s.h.i.+mmying out the gate. Besides, I'm not an expert."

"I'm sure it wouldn't be best for Jimmy's soul anyway," said Kieth solemnly. "He's inclined to brood about things like s.h.i.+mmys. They were just starting to do the--maxixe, wasn't it, Jimmy?--when he became a monk, and it haunted him his whole first year. You'd see him when he was peeling potatoes, putting his arm around the bucket and making irreligious motions with his feet."

There was a general laugh in which Lois joined.

"An old lady who comes here to Ma.s.s sent Kieth this ice-cream,"

whispered Jarvis under cover of the laugh, "because she'd heard you were coming. It's pretty good, isn't it?"

There were tears trembling in Lois' eyes.

IV

Then half an hour later over in the chapel things suddenly went all wrong. It was several years since Lois had been at Benediction and at first she was thrilled by the gleaming monstrance with its central spot of white, the air rich and heavy with incense, and the sun s.h.i.+ning through the stained-gla.s.s window of St. Francis Xavier overhead and falling in warm red tracery on the ca.s.sock of the man in front of her, but at the first notes of the "O SALUTARIS HOSTIA" a heavy weight seemed to descend upon her soul. Kieth was on her right and young Jarvis on her left, and she stole uneasy glance at both of them.

What's the matter with me? she thought impatiently.

She looked again. Was there a certain coldness in both their profiles, that she had not noticed before--a pallor about the mouth and a curious set expression in their eyes? She s.h.i.+vered slightly: they were like dead men.

She felt her soul recede suddenly from Kieth's. This was her brother--this, this unnatural person. She caught herself in the act of a little laugh.

"What is the matter with me?"

She pa.s.sed her hand over her eyes and the weight increased. The incense sickened her and a stray, ragged note from one of the tenors in the choir grated on her ear like the shriek of a slate-pencil. She fidgeted, and raising her hand to her hair touched her forehead, found moisture on it.

"It's hot in here, hot as the deuce."

Again she repressed a faint laugh and, then in an instant the weight on her heart suddenly diffused into cold fear... . It was that candle on the altar. It was all wrong--wrong. Why didn't somebody see it? There was something IN it. There was something coming out of it, taking form and shape above it.

She tried to fight down her rising panic, told herself it was the wick. If the wick wasn't straight, candles did something--but they didn't do this! With incalculable rapidity a force was gathering within her, a tremendous, a.s.similative force, drawing from every sense, every corner of her brain, and as it surged up inside her she felt an enormous terrified repulsion. She drew her arms in close to her side away from Kieth and Jarvis.

Something in that candle ... she was leaning forward--in another moment she felt she would go forward toward it--didn't any one see it? ... anyone?

"Ugh!"

She felt a s.p.a.ce beside her and something told her that Jarvis had gasped and sat down very suddenly ... then she was kneeling and as the flaming monstrance slowly left the altar in the hands of the priest, she heard a great rus.h.i.+ng noise in her ears--the crash of the bells was like hammer-blows ... and then in a moment that seemed eternal a great torrent rolled over her heart--there was a shouting there and a las.h.i.+ng as of waves ...

... She was calling, felt herself calling for Kieth, her lips mouthing the words that would not come:

"Kieth! Oh, my G.o.d! KIETH!"

Suddenly she became aware of a new presence, something external, in front of her, consummated and expressed in warm red tracery.

Then she knew. It was the window of St. Francis Xavier. Her mind gripped at it, clung to it finally, and she felt herself calling again endlessly, impotently--Kieth--Kieth!

Then out of a great stillness came a voice:

"BLESSED BE G.o.d."

With a gradual rumble sounded the response rolling heavily through the chapel:

"Blessed be G.o.d."

The words sang instantly in her heart; the incense lay mystically and sweetly peaceful upon the air, and THE CANDLE ON THE ALTAR WENT OUT.

"Blessed be His Holy Name."

"Blessed be His Holy Name."

Everything blurred into a swinging mist. With a sound half-gasp, half-cry she rocked on her feet and reeled backward into Kieth's suddenly outstretched arms.

V

"Lie still, child."

She closed her eyes again. She was on the gra.s.s outside, pillowed on Kieth's arm, and Regan was dabbing her head with a cold towel.

"I'm all right," she said quietly.

"I know, but just lie still a minute longer. It was too hot in there. Jarvis felt it, too."

She laughed as Regan again touched her gingerly with the towel.

"I'm all right," she repeated.

But though a warm peace was falling her mind and heart she felt oddly broken and chastened, as if some one had held her stripped soul up and laughed.