Christianity, Conversion to -- Fiction; India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947 -- Fiction
It was one of those bright autumn days, when the sun touched every
object with a golden light. Even the city of smoke and fog was
rendered beautiful in its dress of grey and gold. The streets,
thronged on week-day with traffic, were empty except during the
half-hour before service. Church-bells rang out their call in all
directions, summoning their eclectic congregations to the morning
services. The sound of the great cathedral chimes dominated them all.
Wenaston stood for a minute or two on the steps of St. Paul's
listening, that he might retain the echo in his ears and carry it away
into exile. Temple-bells might clang around him, and the
ding-ding-ding of the Christian Church bell call him on Sunday; but
nowhere throughout the East would a melody like that sent forth from
the dome of St. Paul's ever ring in his ear.
He entered the cathedral and moved swiftly up the centre aisle. The
space under the dome was filling fast. He turned to the right and
found a seat near the pulpit.
The chimes ceased, and the big bell monotoned the final invitation to
the increasing crowd. Before it stopped the organ pealed forth the
first chords of the voluntary.
If the truth is to be recorded, Wenaston had not gone to church with
any conscious desire to humble himself in prayer, nor to lift his soul
to God in praise. The melody of the choir succeeded the song of the
bells. He listened passively, revelling in the perfect harmony and
abandoning himself to the soothing, almost sensuous feeling of peace
and contentment brought by the music and environment. He knelt and
stood, following mechanically the example of his neighbours; and when
the organ ceased and the preacher entered the pulpit, he rested
motionless in his chair, yielding himself to the luxury of the
sensations that had been roused by the music.
At the conclusion of the sermon, eager for more of that which so soon
would be unattainable, he determined to remain to the end of the
service. A large number of people left the cathedral, and he moved up
nearer to the choir, with the object of securing a better seat, but
with no intention of communicating.
When the departing congregation had cleared away, his eyes were drawn
towards a kneeling figure in front. Something in its outline was
familiar. The head, with short abundant black hair, was bowed in
silent prayer. The worshipper was no idle visitor; nor had he come to
have his ears tickled or his senses steeped in superb harmonies. The
music that echoed through arch and aisle was unheeded in the effort to
raise the spirit to God. The man was there to pray, and his prayerful
attitude was unchanged until the first chords of the _Gloria_ were
struck. As prayer passed into a glorious song of praise, the
worshipper lifted his head and Wenaston caught a glimpse of the
features. Astounded beyond measure--he could not have explained
why--he recognised Ananda.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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