Part 22 (1/2)

And he left Durtal alone.

He soon made an inventory of the room; it was very high and extremely narrow like a gun-barrel, the door was at one end, the window at the other.

At the bottom, in a corner, near the cas.e.m.e.nt, was a little iron bed, and a small round table in chestnut wood. At the foot of the bed which stood along the wall was a prie-Dieu in faded rep, upon which was a crucifix, and a branch of dried fir below it; on the same side was a table of white wood covered with a towel, on which were placed an ewer, a basin, and a gla.s.s. On the opposite wall was a wardrobe, and by the fireplace, on the mantelpiece of which a crucifix was placed, was a table opposite the bed near the window; three straw chairs completed the furniture of this room. ”I shall never have water enough to wash in,”

thought Durtal, gauging the miniature jug, which held about a pint; ”since Father Etienne shows himself so obliging, I must ask him for a larger ration.” He unpacked his portmanteau, undressed, put on flannel instead of his starched s.h.i.+rt, arranged his toilet things on the was.h.i.+ng-stand, folded his linen in the wardrobe; then sat down, looked around the cell, and thought it sufficiently comfortable, and above all very clean. He then went towards the table on which were laid a ream of ruled paper, an inkstand, and some pens; he was grateful for this attention of the monk, who knew no doubt by the Abbe Gevresin's letter that his business was writing, opened two volumes bound in leather and shut them again. The one was ”The Introduction to the Devout Life,” by Saint Francis de Sales, the other was ”Manresa,” or ”The Spiritual Exercises” of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and he arranged his own books on the table.

Then he took up, just as it came, one of the cards spread on the table and read:--

”Exercises of the Community for ordinary days--from Easter to the Invention of the Cross in September.

Rise. 2.

Prime and Ma.s.s. 5.15.

Work after the Chapter.

End of work and leisure time. 9.

s.e.xt. 11.

Angelus and Dinner. 11.30.

Siesta after Dinner.

End of Siesta. 1.30.

None and work, five minutes after waking.

End of work and leisure. 4.30.

Vespers followed by prayer. 5.15.

Supper and leisure. 6.

Compline. 7.25.

Retire to rest. 8.”

He turned the card, and on the other side was a new horary, ent.i.tled:--

”Winter Exercises, from the Invention of the Cross in September to Easter.”

The hour of rising was the same, but bed-time was an hour earlier; dinner was changed from 11.30 to 2; siesta and supper at 6 o'clock were suppressed; the canonical hours were the same, except vespers and compline, which were changed from 5.15 and 7.25 to 4.30 and 6.15.

”It is not pleasant to drag oneself from bed in the middle of the night,” sighed Durtal, ”but I am inclined to think that the Retreatants are not subject to this rule of wakefulness,” and he took up another card. ”This must be the one intended for me,” he said, reading the head of the card:--

Rules of Retreat from Easter to the Invention of the Cross in September.

Let us look at these rules rather more closely.

He examined the two tables, brought together, one for the morning, and one for the evening.

MORNING.

4. Rise at the Angelus bell.

4.30. Prayer and Meditation.

5.15. Prime and Ma.s.s.

6-7. Examination of Conscience.

7. Breakfast.

7.30. Way of the Cross.

8. s.e.xt and None.