Page:Twelve Years in a Monastery (1897).djvu/41

Rh who invaded England forty or fifty years ago had the misfortune to pitch their tent at Sclerder in Cornwall. After a few years of barren struggle and discomfort they sailed over to the more hospitable sister isle and settled at Gorey in the County Wicklow, whence they were soon invited to the cathedral city of Killarney. Warmly welcomed by Bishop Moriarty and generously assisted by the people, they soon erected the plain but substantial building of rough limestone which catches the eye of the tourist on issuing from the station. The friary enjoyed an uninterrupted prosperity from its foundation, with the inevitable consequence that its inner life soon became much more remarkable for comfort than for asceticism. However, one or two small scandals, the advent of a hostile bishop, the impoverishment of the country, and frequent visits from authorities brought about a curtailment of the friars’ little amenities. And when the place was finally chosen as convent of the novitiate the good friars put their house in order, tightened their girdles, and resigned themselves to a more or less regular discipline; for one of their most sacred principles is that novices must not be scandalized.

The first impression which the place produced upon me when I entered it at the end of May 1885 was one of profound melancholy and discontent. There was an extensive and well-cultivated garden attached, and before us was ever outstretched the lovely and changeful panorama of the mountains.