"Why, you great fool!" cried MacIan, rising to the top of his
tremendous stature, "did you think I would have doubted only for
that rap with a sword? I know that noble orders have bad knights,
that good knights have bad tempers, that the Church has rough
priests and coarse cardinals; I have known it ever since I was
born. You fool! you had only to say, 'Yes, it is rather a shame,'
and I should have forgotten the affair. But I saw on your mouth
the twitch of your infernal sophistry; I knew that something was
wrong with you and your cathedrals. Something is wrong;
everything is wrong. You are not an angel. That is not a church.
It is not the rightful king who has come home."

"That is unfortunate," said the other, in a quiet but hard voice,
"because you are going to see his Majesty."

"No," said MacIan, "I am going to jump over the side."

"Do you desire death?"

"No," said Evan, quite composedly, "I desire a miracle."

"From whom do you ask it? To whom do you appeal?" said his
companion, sternly. "You have betrayed the king, renounced his
cross on the cathedral, and insulted an archangel."

"I appeal to God," said Evan, and sprang up and stood upon the
edge of the swaying ship.

The being in the prow turned slowly round; he looked at Evan with
eyes which were like two suns, and put his hand to his mouth just