Chapter the Second
Visitors

Brother Matthew Arrives


Brother Joseph was already sitting by the fire when Mendel entered his quarters. The two men nodded to each other, but did not speak. Comfortable in their working relationship, they did not need to make small talk. Mendel went to his accustomed place at the table and pulled out the notes from yesterday's talk. He wanted some time to go over them and find any additional weaknesses. Brother Joseph was not reading science. Heavy on his lap was an old German translation of Eusebius - History of the Church, an area of study in which Brother Joseph was something of an expert.

Their comfortable moments of study did not last long. A slapping of sandalled feet in the corridor and a perfunctory knock on the door announced the arrival of Brother Matthew.
"Dobre rano, hrachova," he said bursting into the room. Even with his poor knowledge of Czech Mendel recognized the words for 'Good morning' and the affectionate nickname 'pea soup' that Klacel had devised for him. "No parish work today?"
This comment provoked a second grin from the monk at the table. All three were very aware that Mendel had no avocation for the pastoral life. On completing his theological studies in 1849, Mendel had been assigned duties as curate of the monastery parish, including the spiritual care of the sick in a nearby hospital. The conditions he found there had caused him great distress and, in a moment of weakness, he had fallen for yet another of Brother Matthew's crusades against 'the burial places of constitutional liberty'. After signing one of Klacel's petitions, he had fallen ill and had to be treated, at considerable cost, by the local Brothers of Mercy. From that time on Abbot Napp had recognized in Mendel a tendency to nervous illness, brought on by stress, and taken him away from the spiritual side of the monastery business.

"I am too old to know everything," he announced to the room, waving one had in a grand manner. Aware of Klacel's debating tactics, Mendel and Lindenthal ignored him and continued trying to do their own studies. Unfazed, Brother Matthew continued, "Only the young think they know everything, by my age I know that I don't." He turned and addressed the two men directly. "Deliberate university is the goal of all love and science. Remember that, I want those words carved on my tombstone."

Mendel sighed, he was not going to be allowed to study this morning. "You know that our Abbot hates your pantheistic Naturphilosohie," he said calmly, well aware that Klacel had been in trouble with the Catholic authorities more than once for trying to spread Hegelian ideas, in direct contradiction to the official faith.