Where There is Nothing Part 14

_Superior._ Hush! I will hear him to the end.

_Paul Ruttledge._ That is not all. These things may be accomplished and yet nothing be accomplished. The Christian's business is not reformation but revelation, and the only labours he can put his hand to can never be accomplished in Time. He must so live that all things shall pa.s.s away.

[_He stands silent for a moment and then cries, lifting his hand above his head._] Give me wine out of thy pitchers; oh, G.o.d, how splendid is my cup of drunkenness. We must become blind, and deaf, and dizzy. We must get rid of everything that is not measureless eternal life. We must put out hope as I put out this candle. [_Puts out a candle._] And memory as I put out this candle. [_As before._] And thought, the waster of Life, as I put out this candle. [_As before._] And at last we must put out the light of the Sun and of the Moon, and all the light of the World and the World itself. [_He now puts out the last candle, the chapel is very dark. The only light is the faint light of morning coming through the window._] We must destroy the World; we must destroy everything that has Law and Number, for where there is nothing, there is G.o.d.

[_The_ SUPERIOR _comes forward. One of_ PAUL'S Friars _makes as if to speak to him. The_ SUPERIOR _strikes at him with the back of his hand_.

_Superior._ [_To_ PAUL RUTTLEDGE.] Get out of this, rebel, blasphemous rebel!

_Paul Ruttledge._ Do as you like to me, but you cannot silence my thoughts. I learned them from Jesus Christ, who made a terrible joy, and sent it to overturn governments, and all settled order.

[PAUL'S Friars _rush to save him from the_ SUPERIOR.

_Paul Ruttledge._ There is no need for violence. I am ready to go.

_Colman._ [_Taking his hand._] I will go with you.

_Aloysius._ I will go with you too.

_Several other Friars._ And I, and I, and I.

_Superior._ Whoever goes with this heretic goes straight into the pit.

_Bartley._ Do not leave us behind you. Let us go with you.

_Colman._ Teach us! teach us! we will help you to teach others.

_Paul Ruttledge._ Let me go alone, the one more, the one nearer falsehood.

_Bartley._ We will go with you! We will go with you! We must go where we can hear your voice.

_A Friar._ [_Who stands behind the_ SUPERIOR.] G.o.d is making him speak against himself.

_Paul Ruttledge._ No, the time has not come for you. You would be thinking of your food at midday and listening for the bells at prayer time. You have not yet heard the voices and seen the faces.

_Superior._ A miracle! G.o.d is making the heretic speak against himself.

Listen to him!

_Aloysius._ We will not stay behind, we will go with you.

_Bartley._ We cannot live without hearing you!

_Paul Ruttledge._ I am led by hands that are colder than ice and harder than diamonds. They will lead me where there will be hard thoughts of me in the hearts of all that love me, and there will be a fire in my heart that will make it as bare as the wilderness.

_Aloysius._ We will go with you. We too will take those hands that are colder than ice and harder than diamonds.

_Several Monks._ We too! we too!

_Patrick._ Bring us to the hands that are colder than ice and harder than diamonds.

_Other Monks._ Pull them away! pull them away from him!

[_They are about to seize the Monks who are with_ PAUL RUTTLEDGE.

_Superior._ [_Going between them._] Back! back! I will have no scuffling here. Let the devil take his children if he has a mind to. G.o.d will call His own.

[_The_ Monks _fall back_. SUPERIOR _goes up to altar, takes the cross from it and turns, standing on the steps_.

_Superior._ Father Aloysius, come to me here. [ALOYSIUS _takes_ PAUL RUTTLEDGE'S _hand_.] Father Bartley, Father Colman. [_They go nearer to_ PAUL RUTTLEDGE.] Father Patrick! [_A_ Friar _comes towards him_.] Kneel down! [FATHER PATRICK _kneels_.] Father Clement, Father Nestor, Father James ... leave the heretic--you are on the very edge of the pit. Your shoes are growing red hot.

_A Friar._ I am afraid, I am afraid. [_He kneels._

_Superior._ Kneel down; return to your G.o.d. [_Several_ Monks _kneel_.

_Colman._ They have deserted us.

_Paul Ruttledge._ Many will forsake the truth before the world is pulled down. [_Stretching out his arms over his head._] I pulled down my own house, now I go out to pull down the world.

_Superior._ Strip off those holy habits.

_Paul Ruttledge._ [_Taking off his habit._] One by one I am plucking off the rags and tatters of the world.

ACT V.

Scene: _Smooth level gra.s.s near the Shannon. Ecclesiastical ruins, a part of which have been roofed in. Rocky plain in the distance, with a river._ FATHER COLMAN _sorting some bundles of osiers_.

ALOYSIUS _enters with an empty bag_.

_Colman._ You are the first to come back Aloysius. Where is Brother Bartley?

_Aloysius._ He parted from me at the cross roads and went on to preach at Shanaglish. He should soon be back now.

_Colman._ Have you anything in the bag?

_Aloysius._ Nothing. [_Throws the bag down._] It doesn't seem as if our luck was growing. We have but food enough to last till to-morrow. We have hardly that. The rats from the river got at the few potatoes I gathered from the farmers at Lisheen last week, in the corner where they were.

_Colman._ This is the first day you got nothing at all. Maybe you didn't ask the right way.

_Aloysius._ I asked for alms for the sake of the love of G.o.d. But the first place where I asked it, the man of the house was giving me a handful of meal, and the woman came and called out that we were serving the devil in the name of G.o.d, and she drove me from the door.

_Colman._ It is since the priests preached against us they say that. Did you go on to Lisheen. They used always to treat us well there.

_Aloysius._ I did, but I got on no better there.

_Colman._ That is a wonder, after the woman that had the jaundice being cured with prayers by Brother Paul.