"I entered. A great, beautiful angel, with wings as dark as the night, a robe as radiant as the day, and a diamond key hanging at his waist, was scratching something into a great book even thicker than St.Peter's.... "--Well, what do you want; do you have a question? said the angel. "--Dear angel of the Lord, I would like to know, I am dying to know, in fact, if you have the Cucugnanians here? "--The?... "--The Cucugnanians, the people from Cucugnan.... I am their prior. "--Ah! Abbot Martin, is it? "--At your service, monsieur angel." * * * * * "--Cucugnan, you say.... "The angel then opened his great book and leafed through it, licking his finger to turn the page.... "--Cucugnan, he gave a long sigh.... Monsieur Martin, we have no one here in purgatory from Cucugnan. "--Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! No one from Cucugnan! Oh, Good Lord! So, where, forgive me, in heaven's name, are they, then? "--Well! holy man, they are in paradise. Where on earth did you expect them to be? "--But I've just come from there. "--You've come from there!... And? "--And! They're not there!... Oh, dear Mother of God! "--What can I do monsieur priest? If they're neither in paradise not purgatory, there is no half way house, they are.... "--Holy Cross of Jesus, son of David! No, no, no, can it be?... Could it be that the great St. Peter himself lied to me?... I never heard the cock crow. Oh, we are lost! How can I possibly go to heaven if my flock aren't there? "--Listen, my poor monsieur Martin, as you want to be sure about all this, no matter what, and to see for yourself what you have to do to turn things round, take that footpath, and run along it, if you know how to run.... You will come across a large gate on the left. There, it will all be made clear to you. And by God himself! "And the angel closed the door." * * * * * "It was a long pathway covered in red-hot embers. I staggered as if I had been drinking; I stumbled at every single step; I was covered in sweat, a drop on every single hair of my body, and I was gasping for something to drink.... But, thanks to the sandals St. Peter lent me, I didn't burn my feet. "After stumbling and limping along for some time, I saw a door on the left.... No, it was more a gate, an enormous, yawning gate, like a huge oven door. What a fantastic sight, my children! No one asked my name, even there at the reception area. I went through the cavernous door in batches, my brothers, just like you sinners as you go to the cabaret on Sunday night. "I was sweating profusely, and yet frozen to the spot, I was trembling fearfully. My hair stood on end. I smelt burning, roasting flesh, something like the smell that spread around Cucugnan when Eli, the marshal, burned the hoof of an old ass while shoeing it. I couldn't breathe in that foetid, burning air; I heard a frightful clamour. There was moaning, howling, cursing.