In the same way the silence began to be broken now and again by strangemuffled sounds--the suggestion of sounds rather than actual vibrations.These were all at first of the minor importance of movement--rustlings,creakings, faint stirrings, fainter breathings. Presently, when I hadsomewhat recovered from the sort of hypnotic trance to which the darknessand stillness had during the time of waiting reduced me, I looked aroundin wonder.
The phantoms of light and sound seemed to have become real. There weremost certainly actual little points of light in places--not enough to seedetails by, but quite sufficient to relieve the utter gloom. Ithought--though it may have been a mingling of recollection andimagination--that I could distinguish the outlines of the church;certainly the great altar-screen was dimly visible. Instinctively Ilooked up--and thrilled. There, hung high above me, was, surely enough,a great Greek Cross, outlined by tiny points of light.
I lost myself in wonder, and stood still, in a purely receptive mood,unantagonistic to aught, willing for whatever might come, ready for allthings, in rather a negative than a positive mood--a mood which has anaspect of spiritual meekness. This is the true spirit of the neophyte,and, though I did not think of it at the time, the proper attitude forwhat is called by the Church in whose temple I stood a "neo-nymph."
As the light grew a little in power, though never increasing enough fordistinctness, I saw dimly before me a table on which rested a great openbook, whereon were laid two rings--one of sliver, the other of gold--andtwo crowns wrought of flowers, bound at the joining of their stems withtissue--one of gold, the other of silver. I do not know much of theritual of the old Greek Church, which is the religion of the BlueMountains, but the things which I saw before me could be none other thanenlightening symbols. Instinctively I knew that I had been broughthither, though in this grim way, to be married. The very idea of itthrilled me to the heart's core. I thought the best thing I could dowould be to stay quite still, and not show surprise at anything thatmight happen; but be sure I was all eyes and ears.
I peered anxiously around me in every direction, but I could see no signof her whom I had come to meet.
Incidentally, however, I noticed that in the lighting, such as it was,there was no flame, no "living" light. Whatever light there was camemuffled, as though through some green translucent stone. The wholeeffect was terribly weird and disconcerting.
Presently I started, as, seemingly out of the darkness beside me, a man'shand stretched out and took mine. Turning, I found close to me a tallman with shining black eyes and long black hair and beard. He was cladin some kind of gorgeous robe of cloth of gold, rich with variety ofadornment. His head was covered with a high, over-hanging hat drapedclosely with a black scarf, the ends of which formed a long, hanging veilon either side. These veils, falling over the magnificent robes of clothof gold, had an extraordinarily solemn effect.
I yielded myself to the guiding hand, and shortly found myself, so far asI could see, at one side of the sanctuary.
In the floor close to my feet was a yawning chasm, into which, from sohigh over my head that in the uncertain light I could not distinguish itsorigin, hung a chain. At the sight a strange wave of memory swept overme. I could not but remember the chain which hung over the glass-coveredtomb in the Crypt, and I had an instinctive feeling that the grim chasmin the floor of the sanctuary was but the other side of the opening inthe roof of the crypt from which the chain over the sarcophagus depended.
There was a creaking sound--the groaning of a windlass and the clankingof a chain. There was heavy breathing close to me somewhere. I was sointent on what was going on that
I did not see that one by one, seemingto grow out of the surrounding darkness, several black figures in monkishgarb appeared with the silence of ghosts. Their faces were shrouded inblack cowls, wherein were holes through which I could see dark gleamingeyes. My guide held me tightly by the hand. This gave me a feeling ofsecurity in the touch which helped to retain within my breast somesemblance of calm.
The strain of the creaking windlass and the clanking chain continued forso long that the suspense became almost unendurable. At last there cameinto sight an iron ring, from which as a centre depended four lesserchains spreading wide. In a few seconds more I could see that these werefixed to the corners of the great stone tomb with the covering of glass,which was being dragged upward. As it arose it filled closely the wholeaperture. When its bottom had reached the level of the floor it stopped,and remained rigid. There was no room for oscillation. It was at oncesurrounded by a number of black figures, who raised the glass coveringand bore it away into the darkness. Then there stepped forward a verytall man, black-bearded, and with head-gear like my guide, but made intriple tiers, he also was gorgeously arrayed in flowing robes of cloth ofgold richly embroidered. He raised his hand, and forthwith eight otherblack-clad figures stepped forward, and bending over the stone coffin,raised from it the rigid form of my Lady, still clad in her Shroud, andlaid it gently on the floor of the sanctuary.
I felt it a grace that at that instant the dim lights seemed to growless, and finally to disappear--all save the tiny points that marked theoutline of the great Cross high overhead. These only gave light enoughto accentuate the gloom. The hand that held mine now released it, andwith a sigh I realized that I was alone. After a few moments more of thegroaning of the winch and clanking of the chain there was a sharp soundof stone meeting stone; then there was silence. I listened acutely, butcould not hear near me the slightest sound. Even the cautious,restrained breathing around me, of which up to then I had been conscious,had ceased. Not knowing, in the helplessness of my ignorance, what Ishould do, I remained as I was, still and silent, for a time that seemedendless. At last, overcome by some emotion which I could not at themoment understand, I slowly sank to my knees and bowed my head. Coveringmy face with my hands, I tried to recall the prayers of my youth. It wasnot, I am certain, that fear in any form had come upon me, or that Ihesitated or faltered in my intention. That much I know now; I knew iteven then. It was, I believe, that the prolonged impressive gloom andmystery had at last touched me to the quick. The bending of the kneeswas but symbolical of the bowing of the spirit to a higher Power. When Ihad realized that much, I felt more content than I had done since I hadentered the church, and with the renewed consciousness of courage, tookmy hands from my face, and lifted again my bowed head.
Impulsively I sprang to my feet and stood erect--waiting. All seemed tohave changed since I had dropped on my knees. The points of light abouttime church, which had been eclipsed, had come again, and were growing inpower to a partial revealing of the dim expanse. Before me was the tablewith the open book, on which were laid the gold and silver rings and thetwo crowns of flowers. There were also two tall candles, with tiniestflames of blue--the only living light to be seen.
Out of the darkness stepped the same tall figure in the gorgeous robesand the triple hat. He led by the hand my Lady, still clad in herShroud; but over it, descending from the crown of her head, was a veil ofvery old and magnificent lace of astonishing fineness. Even in that dimlight I could note the exquisite beauty of the fabric. The veil wasfastened with a bunch of tiny sprays of orange-blossom mingled withcypress and laurel--a strange combination. In her hand she carried agreat bouquet of the same. Its sweet intoxicating odour floated up to mynostrils. It and the sentiment which its very presence evoked made mequiver.
Yielding to the guiding of the hand which held hers, she stood at my leftside before the table. Her guide then took his place behind her. Ateither end of the table, to right and left of us, stood a long-beardedpriest in splendid robes, and wearing the hat with depending veil ofblack. One of them, who seemed to be the more important of the two, andtook the initiative, signed to us to put our right hands on the openbook. My Lady, of course, understood the ritual, and knew the wordswhich the priest was speaking, and of her own accord put out her hand.My guide at the same moment directed my hand to the same end. Itthrilled me to touch my Lady's hand, even under such mysteriousconditions.
After the priest had signed us each thrice on the forehead with the signof the Cross, he gave to each of us a tiny lighted taper brought to himfor the purpose. The lights were welcome, not so much for the solace ofthe added light, great as that was, but because it allowed us to see alittle more of each other's faces. It was rapture to me to see the faceof my Bride; and from the expression of her face I was assured that shefelt as I did. It gave me an inexpressible pleasure when, as her eyesrested on me, there grew a faint blush over the grey pallor of hercheeks.
The priest then put in solemn voice to each of us in turn, beginning withme, the questions of consent which are common to all such rituals. Ianswered as well as I could, following the murmured words of my guide.My Lady answered out proudly in a voice which, though given softly,seemed to ring. It was a concern--even a grief--to me that I could not,in the priest's questioning, catch her name, of which, strangelyenough,--I was ignorant. But, as I did not know the language, and as thephrases were not in accord literally with our own ritual, I could notmake out which word was the name.
After some prayers and blessings, rhythmically spoken or sung by aninvisible choir, the priest took the rings from the open book, and, aftersigning my forehead thrice with the gold one as he repeated the blessingin each case, placed it on my right hand; then he gave my Lady the silverone, with the same ritual thrice repeated. I suppose it was the blessingwhich is the effective point in making two into one.
After this, those who stood behind us exchanged our rings thrice, takingthem from one finger and placing them on the other, so that at the end mywife wore the gold ring and I the silver one.
Then came a chant, during which the priest swung the censer himself, andmy wife and I held our tapers. After that he blessed us, the responsescoming from the voices of the unseen singers in the darkness.
After a long ritual of prayer and blessing, sung in triplicate, thepriest took the crowns of flowers, and put one on the head of each,crowning me first, and with the crown tied with gold. Then he signed andblessed us each thrice. The guides, who stood behind us, exchanged ourcrowns thrice, as they had exchanged the rings; so that at the last, as Iwas glad to see, my wife wore the crown of gold, and I that of silver.
Then there came, if it is possible to describe such a thing, a hush overeven that stillness, as though some form of added solemnity were to begone through. I was not surprised, therefore, when the priest took inhis hands the great golden chalice. Kneeling, my wife and I partooktogether thrice.
When we had risen from our knees and stood for a little while, the priesttook my left hand in his right, and I, by direction of my guide, gave myright hand to my wife. And so in a line, the priest leading, we circledround the table in rhythmic measure. Those who supported us moved behindus, holding the crowns over our heads, and replacing them when westopped.
After a hymn, sung through the darkness, the priest took off our crowns.This was evidently the conclusion of the ritual, for the priest placed usin each other's arms to embrace each other. Then he blessed us, who werenow man and wife!
The lights went out at once, some as if extinguished, others slowlyfading down to blackness.
Left in the dark, my wife and I sought each other's arms again, and stoodtogether for a few moments heart to heart, tightly clasping each other,and kissed each other fervently.
Instinctively we turned to the door of the church, which was slightlyopen, so that we could see the moonlight stealing in through theaperture. With even steps, she holding me tightly by the left arm--whichis the wife's arm, we passed throug
h the old church and out into the freeair.
Despite all that the gloom had brought me, it was sweet to be in the openair and together--this quite apart from our new relations to each other.The moon rode high, and the full light, coming after the dimness ordarkness in the church, seemed as bright as day. I could now, for thefirst time, see my wife's face properly. The glamour of the moonlightmay have served to enhance its ethereal beauty, but neither moonlight norsunlight could do justice to that beauty in its living human splendour.As I gloried in her starry eyes I could think of nothing else; but whenfor a moment my eyes, roving round for the purpose of protection, caughtsight of her whole figure, there was a pang to my heart. The brilliantmoonlight showed every detail in terrible effect, and I could see thatshe wore only her Shroud. In the moment of darkness, after the lastbenediction, before she returned to my arms, she must have removed herbridal veil. This may, of course, have been in accordance with theestablished ritual of her church; but, all the same, my heart was sore.The glamour of calling her my very own was somewhat obscured by thebridal adornment being shorn. But it made no difference in her sweetnessto me. Together we went along the path through the wood, she keepingequal step with me in wifely way.