the church was profusely lighted. the flood of light which fell from the altars glanced from the rich jewels of the great ladies, who, kneeling upon velvet cushions placed before them by pages, and taking their prayer-books from the hands of female attendants, formed a brilliant circle around the chancel lattice. standing next that lattice, wrapped in their richly colored and embroidered cloaks, letting their green and red orders be seen with studied carelessness, holding in one hand their hats, the plumes sweeping the floor, and letting the other rest upon the polished hilts of rapiers or the jewelled handles of daggers, the twenty-four knights, and a large part of the highest nobility of seville, seemed to be forming a wall for the purpose of keeping their wives and daughters from contact with the populace. the latter, swaying back and forth at the rear of the nave, with a noise like that of a rising surf, broke out into joyous acclamations as the archbishop was seen to come in. that dignitary seated himself near the high altar under a scarlet canopy, surrounded by his attendants, and three times blessed the people.
it was time for the mass to begin.
nevertheless, several minutes passed before the celebrant appeared. the multitude commenced to murmur impatiently; the knights exchanged words with each other in a low tone; and the archbishop sent one of his attendants to the sacristan to inquire why the ceremony did not begin.
"maese perez has fallen sick, very sick, and it will be impossible for him to come to the midnight mass."
this was the word brought back by the attendant.
the news ran instantly through the crowd. the disturbance caused by it was so great that the chief judge rose to his feet, and the officers came into the church, to enforce silence.
just then a man of unpleasant face, thin, bony, and cross-eyed too, pushed up to the place where the archbishop was sitting.
"maese perez is sick," he said; "the ceremony cannot begin. if you see fit, i will play the organ in his absence. maese perez is not the best organist in the world, nor need this instrument be left unused after his death for lack of any one able to play it."
the archbishop nodded his head in assent, although some of the faithful, who had already recognized in that strange person an envious rival of the organist of santa ines, were breaking out in cries of displeasure. suddenly a surprising noise was heard in the portico.
"maese perez is here! maese perez is here!"
at this shout, coming from those jammed in by the door, every one looked around.
maese perez, pale and feeble, was in fact entering the church, brought in a chair which all were quarrelling for the honor of carrying upon their shoulders.
the commands of the physicians, the tears of his daughter—nothing had been able to keep him in bed.
"no," he had said; "this is the last one, i know it. i know it, and i do not want to die without visiting my organ again, this night above all, this christmas eve. come, i desire it, i order it; come, to the church!"
his desire had been gratified. the people carried him in their arms to the organ-loft. the mass began.
twelve struck on the cathedral clock.
the introit came, then the gospel, then the offertory, and the moment arrived when the priest, after consecrating the sacred wafer, took it in his hands and began to elevate it. a cloud of incense filled the church in bluish undulations. the little bells rang out in vibrating peals, and maese perez placed his aged fingers upon the organ keys.
the multitudinous voices of the metal tubes gave forth a prolonged and majestic chord, which died away little by little, as if a gentle breeze had borne away its last echoes.
to this opening burst, which seemed like a voice lifted up to heaven from earth, responded a sweet and distant note, which went on swelling and swelling in volume until it became a torrent of overpowering harmony. it was the voice of the angels, traversing space, and reaching the world.
then distant hymns began to be heard, intoned by the hierarchies of seraphim; a thousand hymns at once, mingling to form a single one, though this one was only an accompaniment to a strange melody which seemed to float above that ocean of mysterious echoes, as a strip of fog above the waves of the sea.
one song after another died away. the movement grew simpler. now only two voices were heard, whose echoes blended. then but one remained, and alone sustained a note as brilliant as a thread of light. the priest bowed his face, and above his gray head appeared the host. at that moment the note which maese perez was holding began to swell and swell, and an explosion of unspeakable joy filled the church.
from each of the notes forming that magnificent chord a theme was developed; and some near, others far away, these brilliant, those muffled, one would have said that the waters and the birds, the breezes and the forests, men and angels, earth and heaven, were singing, each in its own language, a hymn in praise of the saviour's birth.
the people listened, amazed and breathless. the officiating priest felt his hands trembling; for it seemed as if he had seen the heavens opened and the host transfigured.
the organ kept on, but its voice sank away gradually, like a tone going from echo to echo, and dying as it goes. suddenly a cry was heard in the organ-loft—a piercing, shrill cry, the cry of a woman.
the organ gave a strange, discordant sound, like a sob, and then was silent.
the multitude flocked to the stairs leading up to the organ-loft, towards which the anxious gaze of the faithful was turned.
"what has happened? what is the matter?" one asked the other, and no one knew what to reply. the confusion increased. the excitement threatened to disturb the good order and decorum fitting within a church.
"what was that?" asked the great ladies of the chief judge. he had been one of the first to ascend to the organ-loft. now, pale and displaying signs of deep grief, he was going to the archbishop, who was anxious, like everybody else, to know the cause of the disturbance.
"what's the matter?"
"maese perez has just expired."
in fact, when the first of the faithful rushed up the stairway, and reached the organ-loft, they saw the poor organist fallen face down upon the keys of his old instrument, which was still vibrating, while his daughter, kneeling at his feet, was vainly calling to him with tears and sobs.
