OULTON
Next morning we were all motored from our different lodgings to
Euston Station, where we were met by Mr. Nolan, brother of Rev. Dom
Nolan, O.S.B., and at 10.30 we entered on the last stage of our
never-to-be-forgotten journey. We had three reserved compartments at
our disposal, by the kind intervention of a gentleman at Victoria
Station, who had given a signed card to Mother Prioress, telling her to
show it to anyone who should question her. And so we travelled safely
from Ypres to Oulton. How strange it seemed, for more than one of us,
to pass by those scenes which we had thought never more to see in this
life! We had left our country, home, and all, to shut ourselves up
in the peaceful solitude of Ypres Abbey; and here we were, forced to
retrace our steps and to return temporarily to the world which we had
willingly given up. God was, however, preparing us another place of
refuge from the turmoil of Babylon, into which we had suddenly been
thrown.
After changing trains at Stafford, where Lady Abbess experienced the
same considerate compassion which had been shown to her all along,
we arrived at Stone Station. There we were met by some of the pupils
of Oulton Abbey, who told us how everyone was expecting us, and how
they had tried during the past weeks to obtain news of us, but always
unsuccessfully. Two Dominican nuns from the Stone Convent next came
forward to greet us, one being an old Princethorpian school-companion
of Dame Columban and Dame Teresa.
The carriages awaiting us were soon full, and as there was not room
for all, four of us offered to walk. We lost nothing by this; for
passing by Stone, the two Dominican nuns who had so kindly come to the
station to meet us, obtained permission for us to visit their convent.
We went all round the church (the community were singing vespers in
their choir) and then through the cloisters, which reminded us of the
dear Abbey we had left behind. We saw the community room and several
others, and lastly found ourselves in the parlour, where we awaited
the honoured visit of Reverend Mother Prioress. We passed an agreeable
time, till the sound of carriage wheels told us that one of the
vehicles which had already been up to Oulton had returned to fetch us.
Our honoured Lady Abbess and the community were received with open
arms at St. Mary’s Abbey. It was with true motherly affection that
Lady Laurentia opened the doors of her Monastery to receive the Ypres
community. The two communities--Oulton and Ypres--have always been
closely united, and one of the first thoughts of the Oulton nuns, on
the outbreak of this dreadful war in Belgium, was for the Abbey at
Ypres. As early as September 17 the Lady Abbess had written and offered
us a home, in case we had to leave our Monastery; but for some weeks we
had refused to believe that this would ever happen.
When we arrived we found the Lady Abbess and community assembled to
receive us, and also the chaplain, Monsignor Schobel, who was no
stranger, as he had often visited us at Ypres when staying with his
friends at Bruges. We were very pleased to see him again.
By degrees we learned the trouble we had unwittingly caused the nuns;
for a letter which Mother Prioress had written five days before, from
Poperinghe, to announce our arrival had only come that morning, and
the telegram from London had followed almost immediately. Everyone
had been obliged to set to work to prepare for our accommodation. Two
large rooms were placed at Lady Abbess’ service. There were only two
cells free, so one was allotted to Mother Prioress, and the other to
Dame Placid. The rest of the choir dames were comfortably established
in a dormitory of the new building only completed since the month of
October. The lay-sisters found beds in another large room, and so our
wanderings came to an end.
No one save those who have suffered as we have suffered can realise the
joy which we experienced in finding ourselves once more in the calm and
quiet of monastic life, where Holy Mass and Communion, the singing of
the Divine Office, meditation and spiritual reading, succeeding the
varied duties of the day, tend to soften the memories of the scenes of
bloodshed and wretchedness which can never be forgotten.
Yet the echoes of this war of horrors reach us, even in our haven
of rest. As I write, news reaches us from our chaplain (Monsieur de
Seagher, Principal du Collège Episcopal, Ypres) who has returned to
Ypres to find his college entirely pillaged and almost in ruins. He
says that a third of the population has already re-entered the town;
all are in dismay at the heart-rending sight which meets their gaze. As
to our convent, he writes: ‘The state of your Abbey is also deplorable.
The shells have made great havoc there. The French soldiers occupy it
at present. In several places the water is rising in the cellars. God
alone knows what we shall still see, for the bombardment is not yet
finished.’
And now, what has God in store for us? We know not! When shall we
return to brave little Belgium, and how shall we rebuild our monastery
which, as has been said, should this very year celebrate its 250th
anniversary? God, in His own good time, will raise up kind friends who
will come to our assistance--of this we cannot doubt. In confidence,
patience, and prayer we shall therefore await the moment chosen by Him
Who has said: ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things
[_i.e._ temporal gifts] shall be added to you.’
Meanwhile we beg the Father of Mercy and the God of all Consolation
to have pity on the world, and put an end to the dreadful punishment
which weighs so heavily on our unfortunate generation. May He enlighten
our enemies, that, realising the injustice of their cause, they may
be converted, and cease their cruelties. May He also, in His infinite
goodness, purge the entire universe from the crimes which have degraded
humanity and brought it down to the level of ancient paganism, so
that all, seeking only His greater honour and glory, may unite in the
canticle of praise which Holy Church places on our lips during the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and which first resounded on Bethlehem’s
plains round the crib of our common Redeemer:--
‘Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.’
THE END
PRINTED BY
SPOTTISWOODE AND CO. LTD., COLCHESTER
LONDON AND ETON
_New Publications._
_THIRD EDITION._
Paris Waits: 1914. By Mrs. M. E. CLARKE. With 24 Illustrations. Large
Post 8vo. =5s.= net.
_Punch._--‘I have seldom met a volume of more pronounced “heart
interest” than “Paris Waits.” Not only are her pen-pictures remarkably
vivid and realistic, but the camera has also helped.’
_Times._--‘It is a very familiar tale that is told in these pages,
yet it gains a new pathos, a deeper significance from the simple yet
eloquent way it is told.’
A Memoir of the late Very Reverend MONSIGNOR ROBERT HUGH BENSON.
Hugh: Memoirs of a Brother. By ARTHUR C. BENSON, Author of ‘From a
College Window,’ etc. With Portraits and Illustrations. Large Post
8vo. =7s. 6d.= net.
_Punch._--‘A character picture of extraordinary interest and charm.
The story is intimate to a degree very seldom attained in published
writing. A dignified, gentle, and most interesting book.’
_Daily Chronicle._--‘One is reminded of Sir James Barrie’s life of his
mother, “Margaret Ogilvy.” It has the same tender intimacy, the same
sure delicacy of touch, the same spiritual light, and something of the
same power to picture a beautiful soul.’
The Honble. Adelaide Drummond. Retrospect and Memoir. By BASIL
CHAMPNEYS. With Illustrations. Demy 8vo. =10s. 6d.= net.
_Times._--‘Her wide intellectual interests and her charm of character
make her recollections attractive reading.’
_Observer._--‘A sympathetic, broad-minded and lovable personality.’
_SECOND ENLARGED EDITION._
The Minor Horrors of War. By Dr. A. E. SHIPLEY, F.R.S., Master of
Christ’s College, Cambridge. With 64 Illustrations. Large Post 8vo.
=1s. 6d.= net in paper cover; =2s.= net in cloth.
_Punch._--‘Dr. Shipley has such a way with him that he can turn even
the most unmentionable insects to favour and to pleasantry.’
_Medical Officer._--‘A really valuable text-book on the subject of
parasitology. It may be studied with advantage in barracks or billets,
in the tropics or the trenches.’
London: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15 Waterloo Place, S.W.
_Recent Publications._
San Celestino: An Essay in Re-construction. By JOHN AYSCOUGH. Author
of “Marotz,” “Admonition,” “Dromina,” etc. New and Cheaper Edition.
With an Introduction and Notes. Crown 8vo. =2s.= net.
⁂ This edition has been provided by the author with an Introduction
and Notes for the benefit of Students taking the Oxford Local Junior
Examination in 1915, for which it is a set book in English literature.
It is the only work of a living author included in the Syllabus.
Italian Gardens of the Renaissance, and other Studies. By JULIA
CARTWRIGHT. Author of “The Perfect Courtier,” “The Painters of
Florence,” etc. With 16 Illustrations. =10s. 6d.= net.
_Scotsman._--‘The essays are always rich in interest for students of
the atmosphere of the Italian Renaissance.’
In Dickens’s London. By F. HOPKINSON SMITH. Author of “In Thackeray’s
London.” With 24 Full-page Illustrations from the Author’s Drawings in
Charcoal. Super Royal 8vo. =15s.= net.
_Pall Mall Gazette._--‘A book which is delightful in its spirit and
its narrative and altogether original. Worthy of the pen of Dickens
himself. A most companionable and cherishable book.’
The Voyages of Captain Scott. Retold by CHARLES TURLEY. Author of
“Godfrey Martin, Schoolboy,” “A Band of Brothers,” etc. With an
Introduction by Sir J. M. Barrie, Bart. With a Portrait, numerous new
Illustrations and a Map. Large Post 8vo. =6s.= net.
_Field.-_-‘A most attractive volume, which should take a prominent
place among the gift books of the season. This record of one of the
most truly heroic spirits of modern time.’
Freedom: Poems. By GEOFFREY WINTHROP YOUNG. Author of “Wind and Hill.”
Demy 8vo. =5s.= net.
_The Morning Post._--‘A master of the open-air music which can only
be heard by those whose souls are attuned to Nature’s aspirations and
inspirations.’
London: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15 Waterloo Place, S.W.
Transcriber’s Notes
In a few cases, obvious errors or omissions in punctuation have been
fixed.