"Wait--wait. This story of yours has yet to be concluded."
"Is it my fancy," said Vanbrugh, "or is it a real sound I hear? The ringing of a bell--and now, a beating at the gates without, and a man's voice calling loudly?"
Without hesitation, the Advocate went from his study into the grounds. The fury of the storm made it difficult for him to keep his feet, but he succeeded in reaching the gate and opening it. A hand grasped his, and a man clung to him for support. The Advocate could not see the face of his visitor, nor, although he heard a voice speaking to him, did the words of the answer fall upon his ears. Staggering blindly through the grounds, they arrived at the door of the villa, and stumbled into the passage. There, by the aid of the rose lamp which hung in the hall, he distinguished the features of his visitor. It was Father Capel.
"Have you come to see me?" asked the Advocate, "or are you seeking shelter from the storm?"
"I have come to see you," replied Father Capel. "I hardly hoped to find you up, but perceived lights in your study windows, and they gave me confidence to make the attempt to speak with you. I have been beating at the gates for fully half an hour."
He spoke in his usual gentle tones, and gazed at the Advocate's white face with a look of kindly and pitying penetration.
"You are wet to the skin," said the Advocate. "I must find a change of clothing for you."
"No, my son," said the priest; "I need none. It is not the storm without I dread--it is the storm within." As though desirous this remark should sink into the Advocate's heart, he paused a few moments before he spoke again. "I fear this storm of Nature will do much harm. Trees are being uprooted and buildings thrown down. There is danger of a flood which may devastate the village, and bring misery to the poor. But there is a gracious God above us"--he looked up reverently--"and if a man's conscience is clear, all is well."
"There is a significance in the words you utter," said the Advocate, conducting the priest to his study, "which impresses me. Your mission is an important one."
"Most important; it concerns the soul, not the body."