Photo by Carroll S. Aldcn 

 MONKS WITH THEIR BREAD AND WINE". NOTE WINE-SKINS HANGING ON THE WALLS 



puzzled, and I became hopeful as I saw 

 calm following the severe mental effort ; 

 but his answer was the inevitable "Yes. 

 yes indeed; oh yes, oh yes." 



WHY A SI.EKPING-RAG IS A COMFORT IN 

 GREECE 



The bed in the house assigned me had 

 for covering a blanket and one sheet; 

 the latter had grown gray with service, 

 but it compared favorabl}' with accommo- 

 dations elsewhere ; for outside of Athens 

 and three or four other places frequented 

 by tourists, beds in Greece have a bad 

 rejnitation. Whether in hotel or in pri- 

 vate house, they are commonly possessed 

 by small devils. However, a light sleep- 

 ing-bag I had with me kept out intruders, 

 and I have only pleasant memories of 

 slumbers at Megaspek'eon. 



The very atmosphere of the ])lace is 

 sleep, and with my windows flung wide, 

 admitting the cooling breath of the moun- 

 tain. I did not waken till 7 the next morn- 

 ing, when there resounded the pounding 



of a mallet on a heavy vibrant board — 

 the summons to prayers. 



It was Sunday morning, and the half 

 dozen pilgrims who had spent the night 

 at the monastery had been joined by 30 

 peasants from the country near by. The 

 chapel, 30 or 40 feet square, was crowded 

 near the door and the people were stand- 

 ing. This, the nucleus of the monastery, 

 is, as of old, in a cave, only the chapel is 

 so well walled in and roofed over that I 

 did not at first notice the peculiarity of 

 its construction. 



A hundred candles were burning, and 

 the richly jeweled hearts and the some- 

 what garish ornaments with which the 

 altar screen and walls were studded 

 caught up the gleams. The service to the 

 stranger was dreary and monotonous, 

 nor did the harsh, droning voice of the 

 monk who furnished the music make it 

 less so. 



There is at Megaspelseon an object 

 greatly venerated by all devout Greeks, a 

 ])ainting almost black because of its age 



319 



