"So there I was in that lonely house in the mountains and the night was growing late," said the priest resuming his story. "You can imagine the situation. I was quite tired of course, yet found it difficult to sleep in such an isolated and lonely house deep in the mountains. In the first place, so many things had already happened to get me excited and keep me awake, but when I went to bed and closed my eyes, I began to feel a bit drowsy. I lay there half asleep waiting for the dawn to come.

"At first, quite unconsciously, I found I was lingering expectantly for the temple bell to toll, but after waiting from moment to moment, there was no sound to be heard, and I began to feel uneasy. At last I remembered there was no temple nearby and I felt the loneliness and isolation still more intensely.