On they went into the
vestibule, chilly and comfortless, of the Scala Pia;--and so up the
stone stairs to the Cortile do San Damaso, and thence towards the
steps which lead to the Pope's private apartments. Another Guard met
them here and likewise saluted,--in fact, almost at every step of
the way, and on every landing, guards were on duty, either standing
motionless, or marching wearily up and down, the clank, clank of
their footsteps waking dismal echoes from the high vaulted roofs and
uncarpeted stone corridors. At last they reached the Sala
Clementina, a vast unfurnished hall, rich only with mural
decorations and gilding, and here another Guard met them who,
without words, escorted the Cardinal and his young companion through
a number of waiting-rooms, made more or less magnificent by glorious
paintings, wonderful Gobelin tapestries, and unique sculptures, till
they reached at last what is called the anti-camera segreto, where
none but Cardinals are permitted to enter and wait for an audience
with the Supreme Pontiff. At the door of this "Holy of Holies" stood
a Guarda Nobile on sentry duty,--but he might have been a figure of
painted marble for all the notice he took of their approach. As they
passed into the room, which was exceedingly high and narrow,
Monsignor Gherardi rose from a table near the window, and received
the Cardinal with a kind of stately gravity which suitably agreed
with the coldness and silence of the general surroundings.
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