The romance of a ritualist Author:Vincent Brown Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Ill (Sylvester writes to Denis from Imberminster) . . . Yes, he has forsaken the Brotherhood, and I know not where he may be. I cannot think he would go to... more » Drum : he would be more likely to seek refuge in a great city. He will go to and fro on the earth crying, " Peace, peace," and there will be no peace for him till he walks again in the only true way. All seems lost : I am tempted, in the sorrow and wonder in which he has thrown me, to despair of him almost; but indeed we must not give up hope, dear Denis. Of his most lamentable apostasy I am unable fully to tell you. I cannot understand it, his sudden failure when wethought he was so wholly with us, the dreadful confusion of darkness and light in which he broke from us. It happened on the third night after my trembling fear of him, when, as I have told you, I held my breath in apprehensive amazement as he knelt—not in prayer, but under the spell of a great temptation, the temptation of a beauteous face. The room was full of people, and although in the afternoon, when we had a serious talk and I began to suspect him, he said he would take no part in it that night, but would be at the door; yet at the last moment he declared his intention to speak, and asked me to let him be alone on the platform. In his excited state, and remembering how his imagination gets beyond his control and makes him do unseemly things, I tried to persuade him to silence; but you know how self-willed he is,how imperious sometimes. Even when he insisted on having the lights turned low down I scarcely opposed his wish, fearing to intensify his nervous distemper. Denis, you must not call him Judas again ; I think the reproach harsh and unjust, and unworthy of you. I am sure he is not so in intention at least, and it is more charitable to re...« less