II
Mabel, seated in the gallery that evening behind the President's chair,had already glanced at her watch half-a-dozen times in the last hour,hoping each time that twenty-one o'clock was nearer than she feared. Sheknew well enough by now that the President of Europe would not behalf-a-minute either before or after his time. His supreme punctualitywas famous all over the continent. He had said Twenty-One, so it was tobe twenty-one.
A sharp bell-note impinged from beneath, and in a moment the drawlingvoice of the speaker stopped. Once more she lifted her wrist, saw thatit wanted five minutes of the hour; then she leaned forward from hercorner and stared down into the House.
A great change had passed over it at the metallic noise. All down thelong brown seats members were shifting and arranging themselves moredecorously, uncrossing their legs, slipping their hats beneath theleather fringes. As she looked, too, she saw the President of the Housecoming down the three steps from his chair, for Another would need it ina few moments.
The house was full from end to end; a late comer ran in from thetwilight of the south door and looked distractedly about him in the fulllight before he saw his vacant place. The galleries at the lower endwere occupied too, down there, where she had failed to obtain a seat.Yet from all the crowded interior there was no sound but a sibilantwhispering; from the passages behind she could hear again the quickbell-note repeat itself as the lobbies were cleared; and from ParliamentSquare outside once more came the heavy murmur of the crowd that hadbeen inaudible for the last twenty minutes. When that ceased she wouldknow that he was come.
How strange and wonderful it was to be here--on this night of all, whenthe President was to speak! A month ago he had assented to a similarBill in Germany, and had delivered a speech on the same subject atTurin. To-morrow he was to be in Spain. No one knew where he had beenduring the past week. A rumour had spread that his volor had been seenpassing over Lake Como, and had been instantly contradicted. No one kneweither what he would say to-night. It might be three words or twentythousand. There were a few clauses in the Bill--notably those bearing onthe point as to when the new worship was to be made compulsory on allsubjects over the age of seven--it might be he would object and vetothese. In that case all must be done again, and the Bill re-passed,unless the House accepted his amendment instantly by acclamation.
Mabel herself was inclined to these clauses. They provided that,although worship was to be offered in every parish church of England onthe ensuing first day of October, this was not to be compulsory on allsubjects till the New Year; whereas, Germany, who had passed the Billonly a month before, had caused it to come into full force immediately,thus compelling all her Catholic subjects either to leave the countrywithout delay or suffer the penalties. These penalties were notvindictive: on a first offence a week's detention only was to be given;on the second, one month's imprisonment; on the third, one year's; andon the fourth, perpetual imprisonment until the criminal yielded. Thesewere merciful terms, it seemed; for even imprisonment itself meant nomore than reasonable confinement and employment on Government works.There were no mediaeval horrors here; and the act of worship demandedwas so little, too; it consisted of no more than bodily presence in thechurch or cathedral on the four new festivals of Maternity, Life,Sustenance and Paternity, celebrated on the first day of each quarter.Sunday worship was to be purely voluntary.
She could not understand how any man could refuse this homage. Thesefour things were facts--they were the manifestations of what she calledthe Spirit of the World--and if others called that Power God, yet surelythese ought to be considered as His functions. Where then was thedifficulty? It was not as if Christian worship were not permitted, underthe usual regulations. Catholics could still go to mass. And yetappalling things were threatened in Germany: not less than twelvethousand persons had already left for Rome; and it was rumoured thatforty thousand would refuse this simple act of homage a few days hence.It bewildered and angered her to think of it.
For herself the new worship was a crowning sign of the triumph ofHumanity. Her heart had yearned for some such thing as this--somepublic corporate profession of what all now believed. She had soresented the dulness of folk who were content with action and neverconsidered its springs. Surely this instinct within her was a true one;she desired to stand with her fellows in some solemn place, consecratednot by priests but by the will of man; to have as her inspirers sweetsinging and the peal of organs; to utter her sorrow with thousandsbeside her at her own feebleness of immolation before the Spirit of all;to sing aloud her praise of the glory of life, and to offer by sacrificeand incense an emblematic homage to That from which she drew her being,and to whom one day she must render it again. Ah! these Christians hadunderstood human nature, she had told herself a hundred times: it wastrue that they had degraded it, darkened light, poisoned thought,misinterpreted instinct; but they had understood that man must worship--must worship or sink.
For herself she intended to go at least once a week to the little oldchurch half-a-mile away from her home, to kneel there before the sunlitsanctuary, to meditate on sweet mysteries, to present herself to Thatwhich she was yearning to love, and to drink, it might be, new draughtsof life and power.
Ah! but the Bill must pass first.... She clenched her hands on the rail,and stared steadily before her on the ranks of heads, the open gangways,the great mace on the table, and heard, above the murmur of the crowdoutside and the dying whispers within, her own heart beat.
She could not see Him, she knew. He would come in from beneath throughthe door that none but He might use, straight into the seat beneath thecanopy. But she would hear His voice--that must be joy enough forher....
Ah! there was silence now outside; the soft roar had died. He had comethen. And through swimming eyes she saw the long ridges of heads risebeneath her, and through drumming ears heard the murmur of many feet.All faces looked this way; and she watched them as a mirror to see thereflected light of His presence. There was a gentle sobbing somewhere inthe air--was it her own or another's? ... the click of a door; a greatmellow booming over-head, shock after shock, as the huge tenor bellstolled their three strokes; and, in an instant, over the white facespassed a ripple, as if some breeze of passion shook the souls within;there was a swaying here and there; and a passionless voice spoke half adozen words in Esperanto, out of sight:
"Englishmen, I assent to the Bill of Worship."