"No, I see none," she said, blushing. "Ah! wait till we come to Mont Blanc." Mont Blanc was an obsession; his geography was not minute enough to know that the route did not pass within sight of it. He had expected it to dominate Switzerland as a cathedral spire dominates a little town. "Mont Blanc is 15,784 feet above the sea," he said voluptuously. "Eternal snow is on its top, but you will not see that, because it is above the clouds." "It is, then, in Heaven," said Zillah. "God is there," replied Brum gravely, and burst out with Coleridge's lines from his school-book:-- "'God! let the torrents, like a shout of nations, Answer! and let the ice-plains echo, God! God! sing ye meadow-streams with gladsome voice! Ye pine-groves, with your soft and soul-like sounds! And they, too, have a voice, yon piles of snow, And in their perilous fall shall thunder God!'" "Who openest the eyes of the blind," murmured Zillah. "There are five torrents rushing down, also," added Brum. "'And you, ye five wild torrents fiercely glad.' You'll recognize Mont Blanc by that. Don't you see them yet, mother?" "Wait, I think I see them coming." Presently she announced Mont Blanc definitely; described it with glaciers and torrents and its top reaching to God. Brum's face shone. "Poor lamb! I may as well give him Mont Blanc," she thought tenderly. XIV Endless other quaint dialogues passed between mother and son on that tedious and harassing journey southwards. "There'll be no more snow when we get to Italy," Brum explained. "Italy's the land of beauty--always sunshine and blue sky. It's the country of the old Gods--Venus, the goddess of beauty; Juno, with her peacocks; Jupiter, with his thunderbolts, and lots of others." "But I thought the Pope was a Christian," said Zillah. "So he is. It was long ago, before people believed in Christianity." "But then they were all Jews." "Oh no, mother. There were Pagan gods that people used to believe in at Rome and in Greece. In Greece, though, these gods changed their names." "So!" said Zillah scornfully; "I suppose they wanted to have a fresh chance. And what's become of them now?" "They weren't ever there, not really." "And yet people believed in them? Is it possible?" Zillah clucked her tongue with contemptuous surprise. Then she murmured mechanically, "'Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, who openest the eyes of the blind.'" "Well, and what do people believe in now? The Pope!" Brum reminded her. "And yet _he's_ not true." Zillah's heart sank. "But he's really there," she protested feebly. "Oh yes, he's there, because pilgrims come from all parts of the world to get his blessing." Her hopes revived. "But they wouldn't come unless he really did them good." "Well, if you argue like that, mother, you might as well say we ought to believe in Christ."