The Ball and The Cross

tied the tradesman neck and heels, and they had left the police behind. As far as their own feelings went they had melted into a monstrous sea; they

terest is not that things should happen well or happen badly, should happen successfully or happen unsuccessfully, should h

wer of terror and mystery, a man, is still abroad upon the earth. That the man has not fallen off a scaffolding is really more sensational; and it is also some thousand times more common. But journalism cannot reasonably be expected thus to insist upon the permanent miracles. Busy editors cannot be expected to put on their posters, "Mr. Wilkinson Still Safe," or "Mr. Jones, of

agistrates ought to mention religion. The Daily Mail in its dull, sensible way, headed the events, "Wanted to fight for the Virgin." Mr. James Douglas, in The Star, presuming on his knowledge of philosophical and theological terms, described the Christian's outbreak under the title of "Dualist and Duellist." The Daily News inserted a colourless account of the matter, but was pursued and eaten up for some weeks, with letters from outlying ministers, headed "Murder and Mariolatry." But the journalistic temperature was steadily and co

ference among our readers or among all truly English and law-abiding men touching the, etc. etc." The Daily Mail said, "People must learn, in the modern world, to keep their theological differences to themselves. The fracas, etc. etc." The Daily News started, "Nothing could be more i

knew what, to prevent the window being broken. An enormous subscription was started to reimburse Mr. Gordon, the man who had been gagged in the shop. Mr. MacIan, one of the combatants, became for some mysterious reason, singly and hugely popular as a comic figure in the comic papers and on the stage of the music hall. He was always represented (in defiance of fact), with red whiskers, and a very red nose, and in full Highland costume. And a song, consisting of an unimaginable number of verses, in which his name was rhymed with flat iron, the British Lion, sly 'un, dandelion, Spion (With Kop in the next line), was sung to crowded houses every night. The papers

the other, because he know more what the scene signified, that quite indescribable sense as of a sublime and passionate and heart-moving futility, which is never evoked by deserts or dead men or men neglected and barbarous, which can only be invoked by the sight of the enormous genius of man applied to anything other than the best. Turnbull, the old idealistic democrat, had so often reviled the democracy and reviled them justly for their supineness, their snobbishness, their evil reverence for idle things. He was right enough; for our democracy has only one great fault; it is not democratic. And after denouncing so justly average modern men for so many

we ask if

en thee

rise up r

hyself and

ciple's to

'st take ou

er sunrise, and sunrise had been no such great thing after all. Turnbull shivered again in the sharp morning air. MacIan was also gazing with his face towards the city, but there was that about his blind and mystical s

sort of stupidity. "I

nmeaning silence, and

fill God's infinity, and the big sea that goes to the end of the world. But then these things are all shapeless and confused things, not made in any familiar form. But to see the plain, square, human things as large as that, hous

Brobdingnagians," sa

is that?" s

a book," and the silence fel

grass at random, like two idle walking-sticks. Some provisions they had bought last night, at a low public house, in case of undefined contingencies, were tossed about like the materials of an ordinary picnic, here a basket of chocolate, and there a bottle of wine. A

us," he said. "Do you

I mind?" a

man who did not understand any of the verbal courtes

ngland. I am a journalist, and I know. For the first time, perhaps, for many generations, the English are

wrong thing,"

guage. If I did not suspect that you were a genius, I should certainly know you we

s, or strapping it on to his back. As he thrust a tin of canne

I are the most prominent pe

t?" asked MacIan, opening

" said Turnbull, stooping t

d and picked

have read what they have to say. But t

f what?" ask

violently, and planted the steel point

nbull, grimly, "that we wil

tely to himself with string; and then spoke, l

because two gentlemen, from private feelings of delicacy, do want to die, they will mobilize the army and navy to prevent them. For half a year or more, you and I, Mr. MacIan, will be an obstacle to every reform in the British Empire. We shall prevent the Chinese being sent out of the Transvaal and the blocks being stopped in the Strand. We shall be the conversational substitute when anyone recommends Home Rule, or complains of sky signs. Therefore, do not imagine, in your innocence, that we have only to melt away among those English hills as a Highland cateran might into your god-forsaken Highland mountains. We must be eternally on our guard; we must live the hunted life of two distinguished criminals. We must expect to be recognized as much as if

at the horizon with

id, "at the world being against us

said Tu

," said MacIan. "I ha

y, on your stomach, we may be able to get ten miles out of London, literally without meeting anyone at all, which will be the best possible beginning, at any rate. We have provisions for at least two days and two nights, t

an, like a soldi

der that third bush and so down into the val

not following. Evan MacIan was leaning on his sword with a

atter?" asked Turnbull,

ade no

gain, his face slowly growing as red as his beard; then he said

Highlander, witho

bull, walking forward hurriedl

strange way. "The pain has come into my mind. A ve

e you talking abou

t with a queer

me, and I know it must be now and here. I must kill you here," he cried, with a s

diot," bega

hour God meant for it. Quick,

m furiously, and stood with the s

hat thing up again, you ass; people will come ou

y come," said the other, hoarsely,

losing all patience. "And I think less now. Never mind what God mea

now, now that I must nail your blaspheming body to the earth-now, now that I must aven

ull, with frantic composure, "o

now," said the fa

," said Turnbu

have begun

behind it; and his features seemed still carved into a cold stare. But when he spoke again he seemed

volous speech to pieces with a violent voice. "Do not trouble to talk like that," he said. "You kno

the fierce sunlight, but his att

me be permitted in my heavy Lowland way to understand this n

hining sword-point towa

mean the same yourself. W

ull, staring at him with

all," answered Evan, and the end of

gage; then planting it point downwards for a moment,

tiently, but wi

did not fight now, we might not want to fight at all. How would y

you had drawn your sword, and I had run away from it. I shoul

le, "but we are talking about your feelings. And wh

Oh, Nominalism," he said, with a sort of sigh

her, firmly. "Do you really mean that if you came

you a green elephant," answered MacIan, "but have I not the r

it would be wrong to like me?" as

be the devil, it may be some part of God I am not meant to kno

te gently, "that you and I know all ab

a man driven back and

ut, outside the Cardinals and the Pope. They belong to it, but it does not belong to them. If we all fell dead suddenly, the Church would still somehow exist in God. Confound it all, don't you see that I am more sure of its existence than I am of my own existence? And yet you ask me to

s or that, you imply that there is a part of yourself that you trust even if there are many parts which you

of me which is divine," he answered, "a part that can be trusted,

teem me the esteem would be wholly animal and idle?" For the first time MacIan s

een something deeper...something strange. I cannot understand the thing at all. But understand this and understand it thoroughly, if I loved you my love might be divine. No, it is not some trifle that we are fighting about. It is not

wore an indeciph

we fight no

dden contraction of his black

ch combatant that the heart of the other was awakened. It was not in that way that the swords

Turnbull suddenly and calmly dropped his sword. Evan stared round in an unusual bewilderment, and