Part 3 (1/2)
At that moment the door was flung open, and Monsignor Del Fortis was ceremoniously ushered into the presence of his Majesty. At the first glance it was evident that De Launay had reasonable cause for a.s.sociating the mediaeval priestly torturer pictured in his early lesson-book with the unprepossessing personage now introduced. Del Fortis was a dark, resentful-looking man of about sixty, tall and thin, with a long cadaverous face, very strongly p.r.o.nounced features and small sinister eyes, over which the level brows almost met across the sharp bridge of nose. His close black garb b.u.t.toned to the chin, outlined his wiry angular limbs with an almost painful distinctness, and the lean right hand which he placed across his breast as he bowed profoundly to the King, looked more like the shrunken hand of a corpse than that of a living man. The King observed him attentively, but not with favour; while thoughts, strange, and for him as a const.i.tutional monarch audacious, began to move in the undercurrents of his mind, stirring him to unusual speech and action. Sir Roger, retiring to the furthest end of the room stood with his back against the door, a fine upright soldierly figure, as motionless as though cast in bronze, though his eyes showed keen and sparkling life as they rested on his Royal master, watching his every gesture, as well as every slightest movement on the part of his priestly visitor.
”You are welcome, Monsignor Del Fortis,”--said the King, at last breaking silence.--”To save time and trouble, I may tell you that I need no explanation of the nature of your business.”
The Jesuit bowed with an excessive humility.
”You wish me to grant to your Society,” continued the monarch--”that portion of the Crown lands named in your pet.i.tion, to be held in your undisputed possession for a long term of years,--and in order to facilitate my consent to this arrangement, your Vicar-General has sent you here to furnish the full details of your building scheme. Am I so far correct?”
The priest's dark secretive eyes glittered craftily a moment as he raised them to the open and tranquil countenance of the sovereign,--then once again he bowed profoundly.
”Your Majesty has, with your customary care and patience, fully studied the object of my errand”--he replied in a clear thin, somewhat rasping voice, which he endeavoured to make smooth and conciliatory--”But it is impossible that your Majesty, immersed every day in the affairs of state, should have found time to personally go through the various papers formally submitted to your consideration. Therefore, the Vicar-General of our Order considered that if the present interview with your Majesty could be obtained, I, as secretary and treasurer for the proposed new monastery, might be able to explain the spiritual, as well as the material advantages to be gained by the use of the lands for the purpose mentioned.”
He spoke slowly, enunciating each word with careful distinctness.
”The spiritual part of the scheme is of course the most important to you!”--said the King with a slight smile,--”But material advantages are never entirely overlooked, even by holy men! Now I am merely a 'temporal' sovereign; and as such, I wish to know how your plan will affect the people of the neighbouring town and district. What are your intentions towards them? Their welfare is my chief concern; and what I have to learn from you is,--How do you propose to benefit them by maintaining a monastery, church and schools in their vicinity?”
Again Del Fortis gave a furtive glance upward. Seeing that the King's eyes were steadily fixed upon him, he quickly lowered his own, and gave answer in an evidently prepared manner.
”Sir, the people of the district in question are untaught barbarians. It is more for their sakes,--more for the love of gathering the lost sheep into the fold, than for our own satisfaction, that we seek to pitch our tents in the desert of their ignorance. They, and their children, are the prey of heathenish modern doctrines, which alas!--are too prevalent throughout the whole world at this particular time,--and, as they are at present situated, no restraint is exercised upon them for the better controlling of their natural and inherited vices. Unless the gentle hand of Mother Church is allowed to rescue these, her hapless and neglected ones; unless she has an opportunity afforded her of leading them out of the darkness of error into the light of eternal day--”
He broke off, his eloquence being interrupted by a gesture from the King.
”There is a Government school in the town,”--said the monarch, referring to one or two doc.u.ments on the table before him.--”There is also a Free Public Library, and a Free School of Art. Thus it does not seem that education is quite neglected.”
”Alas, Sir, such education is merely disastrous!” said Del Fortis, with a deep sigh,--”Like the fruit on the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, it brings death to the soul!”
”You condemn the Government methods?” asked the King coldly.
The Jesuit moved uneasily, and a dull flush reddened his pale skin.
”Far be it from me, Sir, as a poor servant of the Church, to condemn lawful authorities,--yet we should not forget that the Government is temporal and changeable,--the Church is spiritual and changeless. We cannot look for entire success in a scheme of popular education which is not formulated under the guidance or the blessing of G.o.d!”
The King leaned forward a little in his chair, and surveyed him fixedly.
”How do you know that it is not formulated under the guidance and blessing of G.o.d?” he asked suddenly--”Has the Almighty given you His special opinion and confidence on the matter?”
Monsignor Del Fortis started indignantly.
”Sir! Your Majesty----”
De Launay made a step forward, but the King motioned him back.
Accordingly he resumed his former position, but his equable temperament was for once seriously disturbed. He saw that his Royal master was evidently bent on speaking his mind; and he knew well what a dangerous indulgence that is for all men who desire peace and quietness in their lives.
”I am aware of what you would say,” pursued the King--”You would say that the Church--your Church--is the only establishment of the kind which receives direct inspiration from the Creator of Universes. But I do not feel justified in limiting the control of the Almighty to one special orbit of Creed. You tell me that a government system of education for the people is a purely temporal movement, and that, as such, it is not blessed by the guidance of G.o.d. Yet the Pope seeks 'temporal' power! It is explained to us of course that he seeks it in order that he may unite it to the spiritual in his own person,--theoretically for the good of mankind, if practically for the advancement of his own particular policy. But have you never thought, Monsignor, that the marked severance of what you call 'temporal' power, from what you equally call 'spiritual' power, is G.o.d's work? Inasmuch as nothing can be done without G.o.d's will; for even if there is a devil (which I am inclined to doubt) he owes his unhappy existence to G.o.d as much as I do!”
He smiled; but Del Fortis stood rigidly silent, his head bent, and one hand folded tight across his breast, an att.i.tude Sir Roger de Launay always viewed in every man with suspicion, as it suggested the concealment of a weapon.
”You will admit” pursued the King, ”that the action of human thought is always progressive. Unfortunately your Creed lags behind human thought in its onward march, thus causing the intelligent world to infer that there must be something wrong with its teaching. For if the Church had always been in all respects faithful to the teaching of her Divine Master, she would be at this present time the supreme Conqueror of Nations. Yet she is doing no more nowadays than she did in the middle ages,--she threatens, she intimidates, she persecutes all who dare to use for a reasonable purpose the brain G.o.d gave them,--but she does not help on or sympathize with the growing fraternity and civilization of the world. It is impossible not to recognize this. Yet I have a profound respect for each and every minister of religion who honestly endeavours to follow the counsels of Christ,”--here he paused,--then added with slow and marked emphasis--”in whose Holy Name I devoutly believe for the redemption of whatever there is in me worth redeeming;--nevertheless my first duty, even in Christ, is plainly to the people of the country over which I am elected to rule.”
The flickering shadow of a smile pa.s.sed over the Jesuit's dark features, but he still kept silence.