As she spoke it creaked under
a violent movement that he made.
"How could--what could there be that was horrible connected with that?"
he asked, speaking slowly.
"It was made by a monk, a Trappist--"
He got up from his chair and went to the opening of the tent.
"What--" she began, thinking he was perhaps feeling the pain in his head
more severely.
"I only want to be in the air. It's rather hot there. Stay where, you
are, Domini, and--well, what else?"
He stepped out into the sand, and stood just outside the tent in its
shadow.
"It was invented by a Trappist monk of the monastery of El-Largani, who
disappeared from the monastery. He had taken the final vows. He had been
there for over twenty years."
"He--he disappeared--did the priest say?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"I don't think--I am sure he doesn't know. But what does it matter?
The awful thing is that he should leave the monastery after taking the
eternal vows--vows made to God."
After a moment, during which neither of them spoke and Androvsky stood
quite still in the sand, she added:
"Poor man!"
Androvsky came a step towards her, then paused.
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