Liberi Sursum Coeli Read online

  “Robinson, you could have warned us before bringing in stray clergymen,” squire said smiling and reached vicar with his hand, “Welcome, vicar. I take it, this honour comes from my invitation to pleasant weather?”

  “Yes, though I'm a bit at loss about your demonstrations to God's poor servant? I hope it is nothing from your late predecessor's collections,” vicar Godwinson replied as he sat down by squire's gesture.

  “God help me, no. Yet it is no surprising to anyone that there are some regrettable resemblances within our practices; separated only by my purely scientific methods against his worshipping of superstitions with the aid of celestial bodies. Before we bury them, I must tell you that those some of those shelves now hide some unholy wall paintings; in the ceiling there is a celestial map, exact by stars but very incorrect by constellations which represent the baron's religion, whatever it was. In other words, this space used to be his 'sanctuary', if that word is allowed. But he was not quite unaware of celestial movements; he just seemed to pursue them with totally infidel ways. The village out there must be most fortuitous one if children were not inexplicably lost.”

  Vicar Godwinson shivered but replied from his memories:

  “I recollect the constable going around the county and questioning after some people who were not local but lost and their last whereabouts were recorded on these roads.”

  Mr Tollerson looked gloomy for a moment but decided to open a bit of the Grange's wretched past to the vicar:

  “Yes, I'm afraid we found couple of them from the vaults; poor souls. Rest assured that how ever strange and odd my applications may look to you, they are instruments of scholars and science. That is one of the reasons I want you to see my practices; so you can tell anyone with poor recollections of my predecessor, that our ways are exactly opposite.”

  Vicar took a courteous position.

  “At your service, of course but in this matter the emphasis is more upon your self-promotion and manners; into which I personally do not have any prejudices,” vicar concluded resolutely but not quite honestly; yet there hid an urge to have faith.

  “A fair attitude. But certainly you have seen all the papers I have sent your way, all that needed funding is now taken care of; not at least the repairs of mills and your old church?”

  “True, and I am grateful. But I heard you visited the village; I must make a remark for not taking me with you for my congregation's faith upon you is still at move.”

  “Yes, we did,” squire smiled,”Anna put me in a confusing position there; she went playful with children and also pulled Robinson there, leaving me sitting in my solitude in carriage. And at first a couple of these children were hastily called home but returned by sheer gaiety of the rest. By my Anna there was no hostile face, have faith. I think we are ready.”

  “It is joy to hear. But…What is this readiness, are you talking about your designs about the hill?”

  “Indeed I am. And I feel great joy to reveal you my plans to educate these children by practices within putting the design in effect. They shall be the most prolific youngsters of celestial sciences when we have finished.”

  Mr Tollerson's eyes gleamed upon his proclamation but vicar Godwinson went pale.

  “But sir, what is this? First you told that we were fortunate not to lose any children due baron; now you declare you shall take some advantage of them?”

  “No. I ask you to keep faith. Or, shall I admit there is some benefit to my part but I am merely talking about running errands upon devising and building,” squire took a reassuring position, “and Anna for her part has promised to explain the matters, the mechanisms to the children, if not to the very infant ones. If classes are needed, she will arrange it. It will form the children's own Invisible College! This will be our ultimate contribution to the country that allows us to ascend within celestial sciences!”

  Mr Tollerson's zealous outburst did nothing to ease vicar Godwinson's position. He started to mutter something but at the same moment Anna's voice was heard from the hall end of the library:

  “Ahoy! James, you there?”

  “We are here, dear Anna! Please join us. How did it go with the clockwork?”

  “My dear James,” Anna begun with exultant tone as she approached from dark corridor of shelves, “I am afraid you owe me a guinea; you shall need a new escape wheel.”

  Vicar stood up but as Anna entered from shelf corridor into the light, the countenance of lady-of-the-house was unheard of: She wore tattered working clothes and apron with dark greasy stains and she had just taken her maid's cap and used it to rub grease from her hands, from whence the sleeves were rolled up revealing uncommonly strong arms for a lady; this countenance was crowned with black stains on cheek. Vicar Godwinson made a slight courteous gesture, as if not being aware whom he was addressing. Anna let out a laugh and dropped a curtsey.

  “Ah, Father. Pardon me but as my dear husband wastes his precious time with numerical poetry and trigonometry, someone has to attend the practical side; which will then be me and poor Robinson who almost broke his back with the pendulum,” Anna explained to confused clergyman and then to her husband, “teething is awfully worn and cut in so short a time.”

  “Yes, yes. But the mold is intact and correct; we shall strengthen the alloy and let it set a bit longer,” squire replied with a slight frustration but continued, “but dear, once you have cleaned your hands and the door knobs, could you tell Robinson or maids to deliver port or tea to our bored guest?”

  “Tea please,” vicar added hastily and had an inquiring expression on his face which the squire translated quite correctly:

  “We shall have a look upon celestial wonders soon enough; you can see modest examples by my hand on the walls. They are painted as seen through my telescope.”

  Vicar took a new look to some of the paintings as Anna exited and closed the doors in the far end.

  “They are very odd to my eye, but well painted. I dare ask if the more earthly landscapes in the hall are your work?”

  “Indeed, I got another present of nature--of God--at birth and while I was struck by our universe, I decided not only to make rough drafts like other scholars but to capture the whole glory. What you are seeing is the Roman god Jupiter with smaller bodies that circle him and other bodies more far away. The left is the painting of another body named by Roman god, Saturn. My architect described it a 'ball in a bowl'. A few minor bodies around Saturn, too and my far advanced competitor Herschel says he has found more.”

  “Herschel? I have read about him. He is in favor of His Majesty and also an able composer.”

  Mr Tollerson looked a bit frustrated upon these notions.

  “Yes, he has now the title 'Royal' with his practices; but I have something that, should the God allow, will drop the jaws at Royal Society with such a clamor that it resonates as far as in the Court. It has very much to do with my design, here.”

  Having declared this, Mr Tollerson pulled a large sheet from under his calculations and drawings. It made vicar Godwinson to adjust his spectacles. The design was quite odd to him: It was an arrangement of two walls and a barrel as large, attached to some wheel machinery between them and pulleys above. Squire pulled another drawing, which had more artistic attitude; drawn by his excellent hand, the arrangement was clearly standing on the highest hill behind the manor. For some reason vicar felt sudden cold.

  “This is the design you are inquiring the assistance of my poor herd with?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I must note that should you show them drawing of a garden building or chapel or something else that average manor carries in its surroundings, they would not doubt for a second. But this—-you must be aware of the level of superstitions around here; and you are asking them to build something that looks like--pardon me--an odd temple; in a spot where they will be reluctant to enter?”

  “They do not need to see the result beforehand; only when it is nearly ready. By that time we have suppressed their superstition
s. Nothing to worry, we will explain them that the place was worth even for our ancestors to observe celestial movements, nothing more. Neither cursed stones nor some unholy sepulchre. You, Father, are our best tool to explain your congregation that any cultivator of the lands needs to follow the heavens; true, is it not?”

  Vicar had nothing to add but nodded; yet he knew that there would be lot of contemplating behind changing the local primitive philosophies to enlightenment. Squire knocked impatiently his fingers to desk couple of times and then noted with impatience:

  “Well, no port or tea. I am afraid we have to begin without them. After you, Father,” he gestured towards hall doors far away.

  Vicar stood up and walked away from the lighted desk, into the half dark corridor of flanking bookshelves where gilded letters of Copernicus' De Revolutionibus Orbius Coelestium, Flamsteed's Atlas Coelestis, Newton’s Principia Mathematica and Cartesian philosophies glimmered; names Ptolemy and Hipparchus amidst some more odd Arabic names stood out from papers. Vicar then kept his eyes down and reached for recollection of some Evensong from his early days; and in the spiritual sanctuary he created, vicar Godwinson of Dainsdale listened his childhood choir singing with angels' voice in his head.

  ~~~~

  Although being a lesser scholar, vicar Godwinson's experiences that night in Scyllaclough Grange left him with an impression of grandeur; such was new squire's mastery over his applications and lecturing. The impression was bolstered even further by the majestic sights offered by squire's telescope, which vicar had presumed something of maritime style and size; hand-held glass or table application. Thus the barrel with six-inch aperture and length of seven-foot caught him off-guard, as did the Newtonian practice of looking into it from the side, not behind. The telescope was standing high on a balcony behind the house, upon a peculiar diagonal assembly, which squire explained to be the arrangement to 'keep the universe halted in sight'; and which, as Anna had earlier declared, lacked the faulty escape wheel which resonated to the fact that squire had to explain the usage of guiding wheels, 'in order to capture the celestial bodies in sight with their grandeur'. When intact, he explained, the clockwork would be ticking the telescope around without need of touching the wheels, once correctly adjusted and celestial body acquired into sight. This was the application which squire used to paint the celestial landscapes, having his both hands in disposal of the painting. To vicar's inquiry about similarity to oncoming grand design on the hill, Mr Tollerson replied that its lateral movement was very limited, the field of vision and magnitudes sufficient in such a way that his work would be accomplished without further movement. After his goal would be achieved, universal theories would change for ever and an invitation to Royal Society in his pocket, he would pursue greater mechanisms. At this point vicar raised his eyebrow upon squire’s obvious ambitions but dismissed them as a standard for all scholars; after all, every God's child was subject to most mundane rapacity, regardless of nobleness of the purpose. This was something vicar took a distant pride for his position being above such thinking. Yet there remained some nameless fear in vicar's mind upon squire's attitude. It hid itself during the gazing of the moon's mountain ranges and their shadows; the red face of the God of War, Mars himself; and the great nebulae, celestial clouds in far greater distances 'than our fluffy buckets of water in the sky' per squire's expression. Finally, when vicar expressed being exhausted by all the wonders, Mr Tollerson inquired him about 'the obvious question, which he had faced more than once: Could these applications offer a sight to true Heavens; to perished loved ones, to angels, to God himself and the paradise?' Anna Tollerson seemed very touched as vicar's answer was nothing aside his devotions: He explained with all his piousness that 'he did not think those things were visible for poor mortals, not now and not with the strongest applications nor most wise beholders. Loved ones gone away should remain a beautiful memory; a faint feeling of something missing the rest of one's life'. The rest of any biblical observations vicar did not wish to discuss, but begged pardon and with sexton's carriage rumbled into the night.

  ~~~~

  The works begun with constant commotion of carts running stones from distances and workmen built two thick walls, despite the season which demanded every and each man and woman to their crops as well. The children ran errands, messages and provisions between manor and hill and stopped sometimes to gather around Anna, who taught them about the movements of the sun and moon; and soon they were off again. Squire spent much of his time standing on site with shirt sleeves rolled up and comparing the attitude of the walls to his drawings. Hardly did the masonry dry enough when the smiths arrived with gears, pulleys, spars and struts and started to create a setup between walls. When finished, they left behind two stone walls with intertwined support machinery between them and room for something large and adjustable. Thus, as winter approached Dainsdale, this most peculiar setup was covered with great canvas and left alone to awake the curiosity of any passer-by. The Tollersons withdrew inside manor, where vicar Godwinson never met them idling during late autumn days; although Robinson informed vicar that at least squire slept long mornings after some nocturnal procedures and Anna was rather busy working with weights and pinions during daytime, and had great gaiety to teach village children who dropped in quietly through the scullery; which squire dismissed as if unaware. At last Tollersons agreed to spend some idle time after Christmas. The frame for telescope was already ordered and would arrive with first leafs to the trees; the stage would be ready for the next chapter. Vicar Godwinson was moved when passing the manor as he saw two middle-aged shapes in the snowy yard, playing in and with the white cold substance like they were a couple in their twenties and younger; into which sexton McNally muttered something about the “squireless dignity with heads in the clouds”.

  However, where the skills would not dissipate, goddess Fortuna had given her best; misfortune got opportunity via a rather innocent looking omission and set up a tragedy behind the next corner.

  ~~~~

  The winter time did not mean dismissal of the observatory, vice versa: Squire had initially built a foundry with two large furnaces to rear basement facing the great hill, in the space that was previously unused room right below the balcony. This arrangement was for casting the most precious of the instruments, the speculum or the mirror. It would be the most finely adjusted work: The speculum mixture of copper and tin would be molten in the furnaces and then poured into the mold carefully devised by squire Tollerson himself. The village children had their part of joy in this process; under their slightly reluctant parent's eyes they executed the process of pounding horse dung in mortars and sifting it through most fine sieves, to produce a mixture with loam, to be formed into a mold, an open womb for the speculum. Once in the mold, the speculum metal would cool down, ready for grinding polishing into a mirror.

  During a cloudy mid-winter day, vicar Godwinson arrived amidst the heavy snow to Grange and the basement, which had already Anna and a few villager's children and of course the squire himself, standing next to the mold between the furnaces and beholding the temperatures, sweaty in his shirt and sleeves rolled. He turned for a moment to wave his hand to vicar as a sign to keep still; then after a short minute, he gestured to a boy, whom vicar had not noticed and who was squatting in a shallow shelf inside the wall behind the furnaces, apparently to avoid the floor in case of leaks. The boy put his hand to a lever, and after another sign from the squire pushed it and molten speculum started to pour into the great mold. Squire held his palm in level, sometimes lifting or lowering it, marking the correct velocity of pouring the metal. The children, to whom the work of smith was not unknown but to whom this process was something more than just horseshoes, were standing as quiet as in church. This was marked by vicar Godwinson, just seconds before the disaster struck: The frame holding the pot gave up from the other side, the pot swung a bit and squire stepped briskly forward but Robinson caught his sleeve and pulled him back; and while squire glimpsed madly to
Robinson, the frame gave up and molten speculum metal poured onto the floor. There were short but loud shrieks from children, Anna was starting to soothe them and squire Tollerson had a face of contemplation until he started and bellowed for all to get out as the red thick substance settled onto the flagstone floor. The boy jumped and ran from behind the furnaces. It was too late: The floor literally blew up with a horrible bang and clamor, both furnaces were split and part of the balcony overhead collapsed into the room, which any outside observer would have described as a shortly glowing inferno.

  Vicar rose from the snow and shook his head; he had flown outside through the doors by a large piece of stone hitting him into the chest. His heart was taking jumps and he was aching, still he felt fortunate for there was no pain from any broken ribs. He started to hear shrieking and sobbing from the ruins of furnace room. Vicar slowly got to his feet; but before he entered, the squire staggered out, mumbling strangely with bloody face, arms burned. Inside the ruined room he saw Anna sobbing and trying to move rubble in one corner and Robinson next to her, throwing the rubble away furiously; to his horror, vicar saw tiny, horrible burned arms moving about among rubble. Spilled speculum was mostly cooled but here and there vicar saw glowing spots and his shattered mind recollected Dante’s inscriptions. He kneeled next to the slabs of collapsed balcony floor, tried to move the weight but remained weeping, cursing his weakness. From under the pile extended crippled, lifeless feet of another child. On the spot near the wall stones were having a slight movement. Vicar entered the spot very carefully and moved the top stones with great effort; to his great relief he saw little girl's crying face and comforted her until Robinson was freed by Anna as they revealed a badly burned small body in the other corner. Robinson then proceeded to carefully remove the heavy rubble holding the little girl; most amazingly she was physically intact apart from couple of wounds and dust, a slanting slab had formed a space around her, into which no other rubble had entered. By this time the scullery maids had arrived and after initial shock they nursed the two alive children. The speculum burned did not survive one hour. The surviving girl was bandaged and taken to scullery and fed. Robinson followed a trail of steps and some blood on snow and found his master under a large, snowy tree, where squire was kneeled and mumbling, a gaping wound across his forehead and other in his foot. Later Robinson revealed to vicar that squire Tollerson had just kept repeating “How could I...So careless..? God, the floor stones...The cold, cold stones...God...Liberi...” and the rest perhaps some Latin.