Page:Life in the Old World - Vol. II.djvu/400

410 More and more candles were lighted on the altar, and at length a number of priests made their appearance, bearing his bust of silver-gilt which was placed upon the altar, and his blood preserved in an oval greenish glass bottle, inclosed by a massive silver ring, fastened to a shaft which a priest held in his hand, and by which he swung, in the view of all, the bottle backwards and forwards in order to let them see that the black-red mass which more than half filled it, was hard set and immovable. A small, mysterious tube passes through the bottle and is held above and below by the thick silver rim, at least, one cannot see any thing, and one involuntarily asks oneself, why not? But one must not be too inquisitive.

The prayers now begin. The priests mutter softly; those who kneel round the altar do the same; the whole chapel rushes into a low chorus of prayer, but the old women, the relations of San Gennaro, lift up shrill, shrieking voices, as they repeat, one after another, Pater Noster and Credo, as well as improvised prayers to their holy great-uncle, or cousin, that he would show them his favor and not let them wait too long. This screaming and noise rises and sinks, and rises again like a storm, but still through it all the priest continues to swing the bottle up and down and from one side to the other, showing it between whiles to the spectators, who see that the dark mass remains still immovable. He shows it also to the gentleman of noble appearance, dressed in black, who stands on his right, in front of the altar, as the representative of the king; he shows it also to a similar gentleman on the left. Both assume a very grave,