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together reveal a large secret.'
Miller appeared troubled at this. 'Religious secrets?' he asked anxiously.
'Not wholly,' James replied. 'The library also contains a collection of the earliest scientific, mathematical and medical books, including William Harvey's De Motu Cordis, which identified the circulation of the blood for the first time. They were bequeathed by Seth Ward, who became bishop in 1667. But before that he'd been Professor of Astronomy at Oxford and a founding member of the Royal Society.'
'I thought scientists and the religious were always at each other's throats,' Mallory said.
'Apparently not in the old days.' James' smile was enigmatic.
At the top of the stairs they were confronted by two men installing large locks in the door that led to the library; through the opening they could see the stacks of ancient books and smell the warm atmosphere of dusty paper. The workers were being overseen by a man in his late fifties, overweight beneath his black robes, with a balding pate and a goatee beard. His eyes were dark and piercing and instantly fell on the new faces.
'Good morning, Stefan,' James said brightly. 'What have we here?'
'The library is now off limits, on the orders of the bishop.' Stefan tried to return James' smile, but it was an awkward attempt that looked out of place on his face. The shadows under his eyes suggested a saturnine nature, and he quickly returned to a gloomy countenance.
'Oh?' James said, puzzled. 'I can't understand that. The library is a vital resource for everyone here.'
'Nevertheless, the decision has been made. Requests for specific books can be presented to the librarian who will put them to the new library committee for consideration.'
'That sounds like an unwieldy process. How often does the committee meet?'
'We haven't yet reached agreement on all the details, but as chairman of the committee I will certainly do my best to expedite matters.'
James nodded and smiled, but as he moved Mallory and Miller on, he was plainly uncomfortable with what he had heard.
'Looks as if your back-to-basics approach is gathering speed.' Mallory couldn't resist prodding. 'What next - services in Latin?'
'I think I'll raise this with the bishop myself,' James said. 'Those books are so important in these days when knowledge is at a premium. The people here need—' He waved a hand to dismiss his thoughts, though they obviously lay heavily on him.
'Stefan's another big-shot?' Mallory said.
'He's the chancellor. He looks after the education of everyone here. Like all the Principal Persons, he was instrumental in bringing the Church to Salisbury.'
     
As they exited the cathedral, it was as if some tremendous gravity was reluctantly releasing them. Outside, there was an ethereal quality to the bright morning sunlight. James took them into the sprawling mass of houses, now fully alive with men of all ages cutting wood, feeding cattle and chickens and cleaning out pigsties. 'This is where we house all those who have come to us since we established our new base,' James noted. 'As you can see, we've just about reached the limits of occupation. Quite what we're going to do from here is open to debate, though we are loathe to allow our own to live beyond the walls for fear of victimisation.'
'Is there much of that?' Miller asked apprehensively.
'Not a great deal, though there have been several severe incidents. There are some that see us as a threat, others who feel our time is done. In the light of all that has happened, it appears everyone has their own peculiar belief system to try to make sense of the upheaval. I think they feel let down by the Church because we did not explain the events, or care for them in their hour of need, or simply because they feel what we offer has no relevance to the difficult times we all live in. What need a hidden, mysterious God when solid, physical gods have walked amongst us? Obviously the answers to that question are easy for us to voice, but who has the time or