The Shadow of the Cathedral

g the cloister was Don Antolin, who was looking over his ticket

oth down Silver Stick. "You are preparing for a

doubting his sincerity; but seeing that he was not

ice in our troubles may be satisfied. We live in horrible straits. Our feast of Corpus is worth very little compared with former times;

all Spanish brass coin

gh some extraordinary idea had just occurred to him. At first he frowned as though

e monument in Holy Week you spoke to me of your wish to earn some money for your brother. Now you have an opportunity. It

his proposal; he wished to astound him by acceding to his absurd idea; besides, he thought that this would be a sacrifice worthy of the generosity with which his brother treated h

nts, "you are too 'green,' and your dignity would suffer to

I do wish it, but you must remember

st ten inside the car, and I have chosen all strong men; you would go to comple

e business, Don Antolin

earn a day's wage w

t seen during his seclusion in the cloister, and without anyone being able to take notice of him. Besides, the ironical situation tickled hi

for religion, that obliged His enemies to carry Him on their shoulders. But he himself would look upon it in a different way; inside the eucha

on Antolin. I will com

hed

t him, went down into the Cathedral without saying a word to anyone about t

wheat ears tied with a red ribbon. He had found it in the holy water stoup by the Puerta del Alegria. Every year on the day of C

of this? What does this bunch mean? If at least it had bee

t with delight of the atavic force which had resuscitated in a Catholic church, the pagan of

not come down to the choir and would not assist at the procession. He said he was ill, but those of the household laughed at this excuse, remembering that the evening before he had walked

essed in black, with red or blue stripes according to the colleges to which they belonged; a few officials from the academy, fat and bald, listened to the mass standing, bending their heads over their cuirass. In this scattered assemblage, listening to the music, stood out the pupils from the school of noble

to see the Corpus of Toledo, and they walked through the naves with wonder in their eyes, starting at the sound of their own footsteps, trembling each time the organ rolled, as though fearing to be turned out of that magic palace, which seemed to them like one in a fairy tale. The women pointed out with their fingers the coloured glass windows, the great rosettes on the porches, the gilded warriors on the clock of the Puerta de la Feria, the tubes

were all the canons and beneficiaries in their places, but all the priests of the chapel of the kings,[1] and the prebends o

nons of Toledo Cathedral, and are fine

re grouped about a dozen musicians and singers, whose voices and instruments were completely smothered each time the organ sounded from a

thic shrine, exquisitely worked and chiselled, bright with the shimmering of its gold in the light of the wax tapers

dressed as angels-angels à la Pompadour, with brocaded coat, red-heeled shoes, blonde lace frills, tin wings fastened to their shoulders, and mitres with plumes on their white wigs. The Primacy got out for this festivity all its traditional vestments. The gala uniform of all the church attendants belonged to the eighteenth century, the time of its greatest

iven by Cisneros to the Cathedral. The auxiliary bishop said mass, and his attendant deacons were perspiring under the traditional ma

d shut hurriedly by the various officials and people employed. In that quiet and monotonous life the annual occurrence of a processi

g marshalled in order. Outside the Cathedral the bells were ringing, the band of the academy had ceased playing its quick march, an

ocade, went from one place to another collecting the employees of

post; it

dden wheels. Their only duty was to push it; outside, the two servants in black clothes and white wigs were in charge of the front and back shaft or tiller, which guided the eucharistic car through the tortuous streets. Gabriel was placed by his companions in the centre; he was to warn t

houted Gabriel, obeyi

ite linen mitres without ornament whatsoever. They all knelt around the Custodia. The organ was silent, and, accompanied by the hoarse blare of a trombone, they intoned a hymn in adoration of the Sacrament; the incense rose in blue clouds around the Custodia, veiling the brilliancy of its gold. When the hymn ceased the organ began to play again, and the car once more resume

e different parishes grouped without order round the enormous and extremely heavy banner of the Cathedral, like a huge sail covered with embroidered figures. Beyond, all the centre of the street was clear, flanked on either side by rows of clergy and soldiers carrying tapers, the deacons with their censers, assisted b

ired the streets of the ancient city after his long seclusion in the Cathedral. They seemed to him very populous,

treets were covered with awnings, and the pavement spread thickly with sand, s

re in the movable prison, and the dignity of the march was disturbed by the words of command from the Canon Obrero, who, in scarlet robes with

r. No doubt many of those officials escorting God, in their white trousers, red coats, with swords by their sides and cocked hats would have news of his existence; they would surely have heard some one speak of him, and they probably kept his name in t

ell hymns were ended the canons despoiled themselves quickly of their vestments, rushing to the door on their dismissal without saluting. They were going to their dinners much later than usua

he saw Gabriel emerging

work is not for you. What ca

a turn through the town without being seen, and he could give his brother suffic

taff was

ou? Do I want anything else but that y

t by something which would please him, when he returned to the Claverias h

ely down the tower stairs, dressed in their best clothes; they were going to the bull-fight. Sagrario obliged to be idle in order to keep the feast day holy, had gone to the shoemaker's house, and while he was

rmer days. Luna recognised him by the full pantaloons and the wasplike waist, which made the Tato declare that this particular cadet wore stays-it was Juanito the cardinal's nephew. He often walked in the cloister, hoping for an opportunity to talk with Leocadia

zona-name of th

ys stopped to speak, endeavouring by the platitudes of his conversation to justify his pr

" he inquired. "I thought everyone fr

t direction. No; he did not go to bull-fights. In truth he was an habitué but he had sacrificed himself in order to talk for a whole afternoon with his sweetheart at the door of her house in the silence of the Claverias. The grandmother had gone down into the garden, and "Virgin's Blue" would not be long in going out and leaving

wedding to be?" s

all to bring his uncle to consent, which might not be easy, and to follow the guiding of his good star

h faster. Besides, you know that to be an archbishop of Toledo is not a small thing. My uncle has many friends in the palace, and commands in the ministry of war just as though he were a general. In p

u really feel any vocati

on their horses, with swords in their hands, proud and handsome. Believe me, no one enters on this career without a vocation; many are enter

em as sure of the

ll of us see first of all youth glorified by the uniform, full of adventures (for you know all the women fight for us), by the joy of life, loved and respected everywhere, head and shoulders above our countrymen; and when old age approaches, and we begin to get fat and bald, the gold braid of a general,

as he listene

them or a fat benefice on the other side of the door. It is the influence and attraction still exercised by the gr

harangues of the colonel director of the academy. "For our country,

that almost legendary leader, directing the battalion at Castillejos with his sword. 'I wish to be the same,' say these youths; 'where one man has arrived another may also succeed'; enthusiasm is taken for predestination, and each one thinks himself created by God on purpose to be a famous leader. In the meanwhile you live in Toledo, dreaming of glory, of hairbreadth enterprises, of gigantic battles and noisy triumphs. But when, with the two stars on your arm you go to a regiment, the first thing that comes to meet you at the barrack gate, even before you receive the salute of the sentry, is the ugly and disagreeable reality. He who dreams of covering himself with glory and becoming a great leade

"but without these things there canno

o an end as there is no longer faith; military glory has ended in Spain as there are no longer wars of conquest, and our character as strong fighting men has been lost for centuries. If we have a war, it is either civil or colonial-wars that might be called disasters-without glory and without profit, but in which men die as at Thermopyle or Austerlitz, as a man can only di

east to defend the integrity of Spanish soil, to guard our own homes. Is it that

owing a good front, without flinching, with the stoicism of a Chinaman. But nations do not grow great from their contempt of death, but through their ability to preserve life. The Poles were the terror of the Turks, and some of the best soldiers in Europe, yet Poland has ceased to exist. If any great European power could invade us-you will remark I say could, for

"I presume we must suppress the arm

ain will have one also. It is not for her to set an example; and besides, the example would be of no use, it is as though one hav

n very quietly, noticing the ironical a

conomic world they have made themselves masters of machinery and of all progress, using them as chains to enslave the workman, forcing an excess of production, but limiting his daily wage to what is strictly necessary. In the life of nations the same thing repeats itself-war to-day is nothing but an appliance of science, and the richest countries have acquired the greatest improvements in the art of extermination. They have crowds of recruits, thousands of enormous cannon, they can keep millions of men under arms, with every sort of modern improvement, without becoming bankrupt. But to poor countries, their only remaining course is to hold their tongues, or to rage uselessly, as the disinherited do against those in possession of their property. The most cowardly and

tions there is something more than the warlike sympathies of the monarch and the bravery of

foreign nations do not attack us

believe that Switzerland or Belgium or other small countries live in peace surrounded by great powers because they have an army? They would exist just the same if they had not a single soldier, and the military power of Spain is not greater than that of one of these small countries; the poverty of the country and the scanty populat

it not something? We keep peace at home, and w

in uniform or take a nap in the guard-room. There can be nothing for you beyond a small disturbance at the tax on provisions, a strike, a closing of shops to protest against the taxes, and then to fire on a mob armed with sticks and stones. If at any time in your life you are ordered to fire, you may be sure it will be on Spaniards. The Government do not wish for an army as they know it is useless for the exterior defence of the nation; besides, the nati

the cadet. "I have heard it said by a captain at the academy th

orms! I repeat it, I do not ignore this service, but, believe me, that civil wars between liberty and political absolutism will never be repeated, neither could the guerilla warfare of the Independence with any definite issue. The means of commun

re of some use, and that we r

long years of waiting and of hidden poverty, borne with dignity, until some promotion provides him with a few duros more monthly. You all suffer dragging on this existence of slaves to the sword, the nation who pays grumbles at seeing you inactive, and forgets other superfluous expenses to fix its complaints solely on the military. Believe me, for a modern army, you are too few and badly organised; to ke

the dialogue. He ran in, pale with excite

y under the arch; he wishes to spend the evening in the gar

n the staircase del

unication with th

him there, he feared the cardinal's temper, and fled towards the tower staircase on hi

me. He was enormous; but in spite of his age carried himself erectly; over his black cassock with the red borders hung his gold cross. He was leaning with a martial air on a staff of command, and the gold tassels of his hat fell on the pink skin of his fat neck, which was fringed with wh

ced himself at his orders, shaking with fear. The silence and solitude of the Claverias were undisturbed, it see

the garden gate. A slight gesture from the prelate was sufficient to stop the two servants, and he walked on alone through

d of footsteps, and seeing the

astian!

smile, seating himself on a bench. "It must not be always y

ted a cigarette. He stretched out his legs with the complacency of one who being always ac

dow. "I had thought of coming round to the palace this

in order that they may thoroughly understand my meaning I have come to see you. I wish them all to know that I am quite well, and that what is said about my illness is untrue. I wish all in Toledo t

ke a child to think of the annoyanc

in the Cathedral garden, whereas outside it is as hot as an oven. Ah! Tomasa! how strong I see you! So slim and so active. You wear better than I do; you are not wrapped in fat like this sinner, and you have not the pains that disturb my nights. Your hair is still dark, your teeth are well preserved, and you do not need like this old cardinal to

endly resignation of those advancing towards death. Everything was the same as in

olyte of fifty years before; the blue spirals from his cigarette seemed t

'Archbishop of Toledo.' And the good sacristan would laugh again at the certainty with which I spoke of my hopes. Believe me, Tomasa, I thought much of him when I was consecrated bishop, regre

"that no one is the loser. Friends like I am you can never have; like all the great ones of the earth, you are surrounded by flatterers and rascals. If you had remained a simple mass priest no one would have sought you out, but Tomasa would have always been your fr

d the old woman's f

es would have stuck in my throat and made me ready to cry out, 'Let him have his fill of Eminence and Illustrious, but we have scratched each other thousands of times when we were little, and this big thief could never see a scrap of bread

ction of vuestra me

dered tenderly over the garden, as if each tree or

spurs, a sword on his arm, and a helmet with a tail just like the Jews on the Monument. It was you, Don Sebastian, who had come to Toledo to visit your uncle the beneficiary, and who would not leave without visiting your friend Tomasita. How handsome and smart you were. I do not say it to flatter you, it is truth. You looked like being a rogue with the girls! And I still remember

slow, and in order not to embitter my uncle's last years, I renewed my studies and turned to the Church. One can serve God or one's country as well in one place as another, but, believe me, very often in spite of the pomp of my cardinalate I think with envy of that soldier you saw. What happy times they were! Even now the sw

y, and proudly stretched out his arms wit

who speak of you and criticise you: 'You must not trifle with His Eminence, he is quite capable of goin

ge and my character as a peaceful priest. I am the shepherd of a Catholic flock, not a wolf who tears the sheep in his fierceness. But sometimes I can bear

rden disappeared as he thought of his hostile subordinates. He felt obliged as at other times to confide his troubles to the

st ordained priest stands on what he calls his rights, lays complaints against me and appeals either to the Rota[1] or to Rome. Let us see, am I the master or am I not? Ought the shepherd to argue with his sheep and consult how to guide them in the right way? They sicken and weary me with their complaints and questions. Ther

: Ecclesias

ng from his seat as though he

id the old woman, "you are above th

bles among comrades do not trouble me much after all, for I know in the end I shall see my detested enemies at my feet. But it

close to the gardener's widow, s

. You know what Visitacion is to me, and most certainly you are aware of what those wretches say about her. Do not play the fool; everyone inside and outside the Cathedral listens to th

s cassock with his clenched f

clutching with his hands as though he were trying to grasp invisible

ey only make you ill, and you ought not to have disturbed yourself to

able, and I wish to be good in spite of my faults. I might have separated from my children, I might have deserted them, as others have done to preserve their reputation as saints, but I am a man, and I am proud of them; I am a man with all his defects and all his virtues, neither greater nor less than the general run of humanity. The feeling of paternity is so deeply rooted in me that I would sooner lose my mitre than abandon my children. You remember when Juanito's father, who passed as my nephew, died, how deeply I felt it, I thought I should have died also. Such a fine, handsome man, and with such a brilliant future before him! I would h

ing her rights, opening herself a way by their almost mystical relations, and finally uniting them in a carnal embrace. They had lived faithful to each other in the secrecy of ecclesiastical life, loving each other with scrupulous prudence, so that no rumour of their relations had ever publicly transpired, until she died, leaving two children. Don Sebasti

changed to a courtesan by these wretches! A sweetheart that I have taken for my amusement from the college of Noble La

God is in heaven

f a century removing the stones from my path, leaving my skin and even my flesh on the brambles of the hillside. I only know how I was able to rise from the black mass and obtain a bishopric! Afterwards-now I am an archbishop! now I am a cardinal! At last I can rise no higher! And what is it all? Happiness always floats before us like the cloud of light which guided the Israelites. We see it, we almost touch it, but it never lets itself be caught. I am more unhappy now than in th

ebastian, which terrified all th

one of those who distribute bread at the gate of his palace, nor who seek popularity through almsgiving. I have pasture lands in Estremadura, many vineyards in La Mancha, houses, and above all State stock-much stock. As a good Spaniard I have wished to help the Government with my money, more especially as it bears interest. I do not quite know how much I possess, but certainly twenty millions of reals, and probably more, all saved by myself and increased by fortunate speculations. I cannot complain of f

ere is nothing strange in her love for the Church.

et. There is no lack of religious orders who devote themselves to hunting heiresses for the greater glory of God, as they say. Besides, there are many foreign nuns with great flapping caps travelling about here, who are lynxes for that sort of work, and I am terrified lest they should pounce on my daughter. I belong to the ancient Catholicism, to that pure Spanish religion, free from all modern extravagances. It would be sad

e, a memory of his soldiering days; in the presence of the gardener's widow there was n

d as my enemies suppose? Do I deserve that the Lord should punish me for my faults? You are one of God's

ke all others, neither more nor less; but you are sin

elow we cause admiration for our beauty, but viewed closely we cause horror from the ugliness of the stones corroded by time. However much

by the demon of vanity to increase the asceticism of their lives, thinking of the glory of being on an altar! The priest who succeeds in subduing his f

; but in his irresistible desire to con

ies are anterior by many centuries; they date from Paradise. Whoever crosses this barrier, not from vice, but from irresistible passion, because he cannot conquer the impulse to create a family and to have a companion, fails indubitably towards the laws of the Church, but he does not disobey God. I fear the approach of death; many nights I doubt and tremble like a child. But I have ser

nd her words fell slowly on th

d their family. Believe me, no saints enter here; they are men, nothing but men. You have nothing to repent of in following the impulse of your heart. God created us in His image and likeness, and also planted in us family love. All the rest, chastity, celi