"What angels, Pearl?"
"In the beam of the Master's glory. They ascended and descended like the angels of Jacob's dream. From the holy cup a shining pathway went up to heaven, and now it is gone."
"The shining pathway will be there again at this same hour to-morrow," said Sybil, comforting the girl.
"But it endures only for a little while," sighed Pearl. "Oh, why doesn't the Master take His cup into the bright sunshine where it could grow warm and rejoice in the glory of day? And the sun would make it glitter like a thousand fires, nor would the moon withhold her light."
"It is better here in this sacred place, Pearl."
"The roof shuts out the light, Miss Sybil." And the girl looked at the great cup, now dull and colourless like a dead thing. "Only in the sunshines does the Master put out His hand to grasp His cup."
"It is not the real cup, Pearl," said Sybil, incautiously.
"How dare you say so?" shrieked the girl, tearing herself away from Sybil's grasp. "The vicar said it was the cup of the Master. I doubt you are one of the evil things its presence makes to fear," and with an indignant look Pearl moved swiftly down the aisle, murmuring as she went. At the door she broke into a jubilant chant, and Sybil gathered that she was recalling some lines of Tennyson which the vicar had repeated in his lecture:—
"Oh, yet methought I saw the Holy Grail,
All palled in crimson samite, and around
Great angels, awful shapes, and wings and eyes."
Half singing, half reciting, she passed out of the door and brushed by Leo, who entered at the moment. Like a shadow she faded out of the church, and left him staring after her. But high and sweet in the distance rose her voice, singing like a lark.