Translation:The High Mountains/73

In the evening, after the meal, the monastery doors were closed with heavy iron bars. But once again the bell rang.

—That's for other vespers, said Mr Stephan to the children. It's Compline.

—We don't have that in our churches, said Phanis.

—It's not practised in the town, said the abbot; but in the monasteries things are regulated differently. We monks, we have a job: prayer.

Once again the monks entered the church, everyone including father Joseph.

In his stall, a monk read some psalms, for a long time...

The church was extremely dark. There was no light inside apart from just one candle, that which the monk held to enable him to see the book.

While he was reading, the children saw his face lit up by the candle, with a bright red light, as if he was burning.