The air was full of
light and colour, and the smell of late roses and autumn fruits and the
enchantment of sights altogether new took hold of the young man's
senses. Far before him and, as it seemed, near the end of the central
street, a dome rose above the level of the surrounding city, raising
its golden cross to the deep sky. Without hesitation Gilbert chose that
road and followed it nearly a full hour before he stood at the gate of
Saint Sophia's church.
He stood still and looked up, he had heard much of the great cathedral
and had wished to see it and the treasures it contained; but now, by an
impulse which he followed without attempting to understand it, instead
of going in he turned on his heel and went away. He said to himself
that there would be plenty of time for visiting the church, and
possibly the idea of leaving the beautiful daylight for the dark aisles
and chapels of an ancient cathedral was distasteful. In his change of
intention there seemed not to be that little element of chance that
makes a man turn to the right rather than to the left when there is no
choice of ways. He went on skirting the buttresses and outbuildings and
following the steep descent by the northwest side of the cathedral.
Here, to his surprise, he found the life of the city going on as usual,
and as yet none of the Crusaders had found their way thither. The tide
of business at that hour set toward the great markets and warehouses,
to the north of which one of the Emperor's smaller palaces was built
amid shady gardens that ran down to the water's edge.
Pages:
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184