Chapter 6 two religious groups
There are many similarities between Knecht's current situation and his situation in the Latin school after the music master visited the Latin school.Serving Maria Fair was not only an honor, but a meaningful first step on the religious leadership ladder that Joseph had never even dared to contemplate.However, he is now more mature than before, and he has already clearly read the meaning of the mission from the behavior and attitude of his classmates.He had been recognized for some time in the inner circle of the Glass Bead Players as a skilled player, and this extraordinary appointment showed that he was favored by his superiors as a promising young talent.Some colleagues and former game partners, while not outright breaking friendship with him, or showing hostility--in this high-level aristocratic group, the style is refined, never aggressive--have clearly alienated him coldly.Yesterday's colleague is likely to be tomorrow's L-level, and people in this circle express such hierarchical differences and gaps in mutual relations with extremely subtle manners.
Only Fritz de Glarius was an exception.We might call him Knecht's closest friend in life, second only to Carlo Ferromonti.Deglarius was a man of great talent, sure to reach the highest levels, but his poor health, balance and self-confidence seriously hampered his prospects.He was about the same age as Knecht, and he was about thirty-four when he joined the religious group.They met for the first time ten years ago in a glass bead game class, and Knecht had already discovered that he had a strong attraction for this taciturn and slightly melancholy young man.He had noticed, though not very clearly, that he could feel the love of Deglarius at that moment.It was a friendship and admiration of unconditional devotion and obedience at any time and place, imbued with almost religious fervor, but veiled and limited by an inner reserve and a tragic feeling full of foreboding.Back then, their friendship was shaken during Tsignoli's period, and doubts arose out of sensitivity, which made Knecht keep a considerable distance from him for a long time.Although Knecht was also strongly attracted by this well-behaved game companion.In order to give you an idea of the character of Deglarius, we would like to quote a few passages from an internal official report written by Knecht, one of the documents which he often provided to the highest authority of the group in later years.It reads: "Deglarius. He is my good friend. He has won many awards as early as Copperham School. He is good at classical linguistics, loves philosophy, has studied Leibniz, Bolzano, who later specialized in Plato. He was the most outstanding and talented master of the glass bead game I have ever known. He was almost born to be a master of the glass bead game. Unfortunately, his health and weakness of character, So that he is not suitable for this position. Deglarius is absolutely unsuitable to assume any representative, leadership and organizational positions, otherwise it will be a disaster for himself and public affairs. His physical defects are poor energy, suffering from Periodic insomnia and neuralgia.
His mental deficits were occasional depression, a strong desire for solitude, a fear of responsibility, and possibly suicidal thoughts.His situation is so dangerous, but fortunately he is good at meditation, and he is very self-restraining and brave to face the reality, so most people who know him only think that he is too shy and silent, and they have no idea how serious his situation is.
It is a pity that Deglarius is not suitable for an important position, but he still belongs to the precious wealth of the Glass Bead Game Academy, and is an irreplaceable treasure.His game is virtuous, like a great musician playing his own instrument.He can find all kinds of subtle differences with his eyes closed, so he is also a rare and outstanding teacher.
I would have never been able to complete the course without his assistance in the advanced and highest review sessions, not to mention the precious time he often lost in the lower classes for me.He analyzed the students' game experiments so that they would not be discouraged; Finding the source of errors in a game and exposing them is like displaying a well-made anatomical specimen-all of which are beyond the reach of others.
It is this keen and precise analysis and error correction ability that has won him the respect of students and colleagues. Otherwise, he might have been ruined by his unstable and unbalanced personality and excessive shyness.
"I would like to give an example of why Deglarius' talent for the glass bead game is unmatched. It happened early in our relationship when we both felt that we had no skills left in the classroom. Learning, once he let me see his newly conceived game layout - how much he trusts the eyes of others.
I took a quick look at them and found that they were all very good, with a lot of innovative content and a unique style. I borrowed these drafts from him for further study and study. After reading these game ideas, I found that they are all literary works , is simply too wonderful and unique, and I don't think I should keep silent about it.These games are like small drama works, with a dramatic structure similar to a monologue, rather like a remarkable self-portrait, reflecting the author's purely personal spiritual life that is both dangerous and brilliant.The various themes and groups of themes on which each game is based, as well as the connections and confrontations among them, not only have a dialectical coordination full of ideas, but also the synthesis and coordination of various opposing tones are not adopted. The commonly used classical method is pushed to the end, but let this kind of coordination and unity go through a series of splitting processes. Every time it seems to be desperate and close to disintegration, it stops imitatingly, and the doubts and confusion gradually fade away and disappear.Thus each of his games has an exciting quality - as far as I know, no one has dared to try this before.In particular, his play in general expresses a tragic doubt and abandonment, becoming an image display of disbelief denying any spiritual knowledge.At the same time, their spiritual content, together with their playful calligraphic art, is so flawless and beautiful that it brings tears to the eyes.Every game he writes is a search for an answer from the heart, and a noble renunciation of the answer, like a perfect lament, lamenting only the evanescence of good things and the dubiousness of all noble spiritual pursuits. place.
"In addition, as for my colleague Deglarius, as long as he lives longer than me, or is alive during my term of office, I will recommend him as an extremely precious but dangerous wealth. He deserves to enjoy extremely Great freedom, he should be consulted on all important questions that fall within the scope of the glass bead game. But he should not be left to tutor students alone."
In the following years, this strange man became Knecht's bosom friend.Deglarius especially admired Knecht's intellect, as well as his leadership, and showed a touching devotion to him.Many of the information about Knecht's life that we have is preserved by him.De Glarius was perhaps the only one in the elite elite circle of the younger group of Glass Bead Players who did not envy his reuse, and the only one who felt deeply pained and somewhat lost by his unscheduled parting.
At first Joseph felt that the new appointment was like a bolt from the blue, and he suddenly lost the freedom he cherished; but once he got used to the new situation, he was happy again. He felt that he was happy to travel, happy to work, and full of curiosity about the strange world he was going to. Heart.In addition, he had to go through various formalities for going to Mariaferl.
First, he was arranged to stay in the "police station" for three weeks.The so-called "Police Station" was the name given by the students to a small branch of the Educational Authority, which might have been called the Political Department or even the Foreign Office, if not exaggerating--for nothing important after all.Here he was taught the code of conduct of the members of the church when they were stationed abroad, and Du Bois, the director of this small department, personally explained it to him for an hour every day.This serious and reliable man was obviously worried about sending a young man with no work experience and no familiarity with the outside world to do diplomatic work.He made no secret of his disapproval of the decision made by the Master of the Glass Bead, and at the same time redoubled his efforts to teach the young parishioner the dangers of the outside world and the means of preventing them from happening.His fatherly teachings and guidance received obedient responses from the young people. Fortunately, this teacher developed a true love for his students during the period when he was teaching Knecht the rules of foreign affairs, until he finally completely I am convinced that Knecht will be able to successfully complete his mission.He even tried—out of personal goodwill, not political necessity—to give Knecht an extra errand.Mr. Du Bois is one of the few "politicians" in the Kingdom of Castalia, and he is also an extremely important person who is mainly dedicated to researching and maintaining Castalia's economic and legal status, dealing with its relations with the outside world and solving the resulting dependence problems. One of the few officials.The majority of Castalians—officials as many as scholars and students—lived within the Castalian Academy and its organizations, as if in a world of eternal stability.They knew, of course, that neither was born, but was gradually formed through the deep disasters and hard struggles of many ages. They knew that both began at the end of the war years. , The heroic efforts are also based on the bloody, sweaty, and abandoned people's deep desire for order, normal life, rationality, law, and standards.The Castalians understand all this, and that all religious organizations and "educational schools" everywhere in the world have the same function: taboo rule and competition, whereby the spiritual foundation of laws and measures is permanently guaranteed.However, they have not yet understood that the current order is far from reaching the natural goal, but it must be based on a certain degree of harmonious relationship between the secular world and the spiritual world, and this harmonious relationship is constantly being destroyed. Generally speaking, history has not yet developed into such an ideal rational and beautiful situation that people expect, at most there are occasional special circumstances that people can tolerate.Except for a few politically minded leaders like Du Bois, almost all Castalians are basically ignorant of the mysterious question of Castalia's continued existence to this day.After Knecht won Du Bois' trust, Du Bois immediately gave him an overview of the basic political situation in Castalia.
Knecht, like the vast majority of church members, was tired and disgusted by these questions at first, but then he recalled that Plinio once warned that Castalia might be in crisis one day, so he couldn't help but sink into his own thoughts. In the long-forgotten memory of the hard debate with Plinio in his youth.These sudden events of the past became of paramount importance, and a new phase of his awakening to the future took place.
After the last meeting with Knecht, Du Bois said to him: "I think I can let you take office now. You must strictly carry out the tasks entrusted by the respected game master, and you must also strictly abide by our instructions here. Code of Conduct for Accounts. I am glad I was able to help you. You will soon find out that we have not wasted our time in keeping you here for three weeks. If you have any desire to reciprocate my various briefings, I will now point you to one You will go to a Benedictine monastery to stay for a while, and you will try to win the favor of the priests. You may also hear those venerable gentlemen discuss politics with the guests, and perceive the political atmosphere and trends from it. If you I would be very grateful if you could let me know something about this from time to time. Don't get me wrong: I am not asking you to be some kind of spy, let alone abuse the trust placed in you by the priests. You don't have to Inform me of anything that goes against your conscience. I assure you, we are only interested in getting some intelligence concerning our religious and Castalian interests. We are neither real politicians nor real power, but We also need to know the intentions of the secular world, whether they need us or are just tolerating us.
Favorable circumstances may arise, as long as we know that some important person of state is staying in a certain monastery, or that the pope is ill, or that a new candidate has been added to the list of future bishops.Of course we don't rely solely on your information, we have other sources, but it's also beneficial to have a small source.Now go, you don't have to answer yes or no to my advice today.Because your first priority is to fulfill the tasks entrusted to you well, and win some glory for us among those cultivated monks.That's all, I wish you the best of luck. "
Before setting off, Knecht used yarrow to do a fortune-telling according to the divination ceremony, and the hexagram was completed when all six friends got it. What he got was the hexagram "Lv", which means "passenger", and the verdict was: "Lv. Xiaoxiang Lu Zhenji." Knecht looked it up and found the explanation for "June 2".The interpretation is: the journey is the second time, and the capital is cherished, and the virgin servant is born.
Knecht was full of joy. Before he left, he only faced the severe test of saying goodbye to Fritz de Glarius.Frieze tried his best to restrain himself, forcing himself to pretend to be indifferent. For him, all the best things in the world will go with Knecht.Knecht's nature did not allow him to be so enthusiastic.Especially if he is only attached to a friend, he can be friendless if necessary, and at the same time he can easily turn his enthusiasm to new objects of work and people.For Knecht, this parting was not a heart-wrenching pain, but he knew his friend very well at that time, and he understood how deeply shocking and testing their parting was to Frieze, and it was inevitable I was quite worried.He mused over the nature of their friendship, and even asked the music masters for advice.It should be said that he has more or less learned to deal with his feelings and experiences with an objective attitude and a critical eye.In the process of thinking, he has realized that the reason why he is attracted is not because the other party is superior, at least not only for this reason, but because this talent is closely related to such a serious defect and such a fragile personality.Knecht also understood from this that the nostalgia that Deglarius expressed to him not only had a beautiful side, but also had a dangerous force, which tempted him to love someone who was not as capable as himself but loved People who are stronger than themselves occasionally show their own strength, so that Knecht finally has to try his best to regard self-restraint and self-control as his own responsibility.In Knecht's life, perhaps Deglarius was his favorite friend, because he never had such profound meaning in his relationship with anyone else. If this friendship had not educated him, He will not understand his strong adhesion to weaker people who are not as stable and firm as himself.He also saw in it that this ability to attract and influence others, which is basically the gift of the educator, carries with it the danger of requiring a great deal of responsibility from the person.After all, Deglarius was just one of many weak people, and Knecht had seen many begging eyes.
At the same time, since Knecht lived at the Academy of the Glass Bead Players for a whole year, he became increasingly aware of the tension there.Because he belongs to that small circle or class that is not publicly organized but is very influential, a small group of young scholars of the glass bead game who are the best talents. The person in charge's assistant is to assist the masters of various disciplines to teach various courses. I have never heard of anyone who was sent to a middle and low-level position, or served as an ordinary teacher.The characters in the inner circle are all the reserve army of various leadership positions.They knew each other so well that neither of them dared to try to deceive the other, whether it was talent, character, or achievement.Because of this, all of these young candidates who are looking forward to high-level positions have demonstrated their first-class work ability, academic knowledge and various achievements with outstanding and amazing talents.
— This is why the individual characteristics and personality differences of each person are given special attention.More vain or less vain, proper manners, amiability, some influence over superiors and inferiors, and likability are all extremely important here, and determine whether a person wins or loses in competition.And people like Fritz Deglarius can only be an outsider, staying on the fringes; obviously, because of his lack of leadership skills, Knecht belongs to the innermost circle of this small circle.What makes Knecht popular among young people is his exuberant energy and his still-young appearance, which never makes people feel unapproachable or flawed, in addition to his kind of aloofness naive attitude.The flip side of this attitude: an almost total absence of vanity and ambition to climb the ranks.
This is why the superiors like him the most.
This character of his had evidently begun to have an effect in recent times, first on the youth below, and then gradually extended to the upper classes as well.When Knecht looked back from his newfound standpoint, he found that these two lines had run through his childhood: his classmates and younger students embraced him enthusiastically, and his teachers looked after him lovingly.Of course there are exceptions, such as Headmaster Cheppington, but most of the favors he got, such as the master of music, Mr. Dubois, and the master of the glass bead game, although Knecht did not fully accept their offers. Enyu, but the fact is that it cannot be doubted.Obviously, he is destined to walk a path of excellence, whether he is willing or not, he will inevitably be among the elite groups everywhere, and he will meet friends who admire him and teachers who cultivate him everywhere.Everything is so natural, his path obviously does not allow himself to be placed at the bottom of the group, but must continue to rise to the brilliant top that he is now close to.He must not be a retinue, must not be an independent scholar, but must be a ruler.Later facts showed that he wanted something else, which gave him an indescribable charm—an air of innocence.
But why was he so slow in responding, yes, so reluctantly?Because he never seeks or asks for anything, he has neither desire to rule nor interest in commanding others; because he desires more a life of contemplation than activity, which, if circumstances did not dictate, he might have lived contentedly for many years. --if not all his life--in obscurity to be a common scholar, a longing devout pilgrim, to the historical shrines of the ancient ages, the temples of music, and the gardens and forests of myths, languages, and ideals.Now, seeing himself being thrust relentlessly into an aggressive life, he is more aware than ever of the tension of competition, of vanity, of climbing around him, and he feels his purity threatened, Can no longer stick to the same.He saw clearly that he had to accept the mission assigned by his superiors, otherwise he would feel as if he was in prison, and he would painfully miss the past ten years of free life.Since he was not yet fully prepared to stay and work here, he felt that it would be a great salvation for him to leave Waldzell and the Glass Bead Game Academy for the time being to travel to the outside world.
Maria Fell Monastery has been established for many centuries and has experienced various periods of Western history, prosperity, decline, revival and sinking again. It has made brilliant achievements in certain eras and in certain aspects.It was once a center of scholastic philosophy and the art of debate, and today still houses an extensive medieval theological library.After several periods of stagnation and depression, it regained its glory, this time with musical activity, through its acclaimed choir, through Masses and oratorios composed and performed by the monks themselves.Since then, it has maintained a fine musical tradition, with manuscripts of musical works filling six large chestnut chests, and it also has the best pipe organ in the park.Then, Maria Fell Abbey entered a political era, which also left a certain tradition and style.During the period of cruel and savage war, Maria Fell has become an island of reason many times, and people of insight from both sides of the enemy have come here one after another, carefully seeking to coordinate with each other, so as to explore the way of reconciliation.At one point—and that was the last climax of its history—Maria Fell was the birthplace of a peace treaty, which finally assuaged the restless thirst of the common people a little.Then the country faced a new era, Castalia came into being, and the monastery took a wait-and-see attitude, actually hostile, and it was speculated that it might have received a decree from Rome.The highest educational authority once sent a letter to the monastery, asking it to allow a scholar to go to the library of the monastery for a short-term study of scholastic philosophy, but this request was declined; another time was to invite the monastery to send a representative to attend a seminar on music history. the same.It was not until Pius was the abbot of the monastery that he began to have contacts with Castalia. The abbot became very interested in the glass bead game in his old age. Fairly friendly relationship.They exchange books with each other and receive visitors from each other.Even Knecht's mentor, the music master, stayed in Mariaferl for several weeks when he was young, transcribing music manuscripts and playing the world-famous organ.Knecht knew about the teacher's past, of course he was very happy to go to the place that his beloved teacher often talked about for a while.
The courteousness with which he was treated far exceeded his expectations, which made him feel awkward.In any case, it was the first time that Castalia had sent the best of the glass bead game to the monastery for an unscheduled exchange stay.
Du Bois had told Knecht before his trip that he should not regard himself as an individual, but as a representative of Castalia, especially at the beginning of his visit, he could only go as an ambassador of Castalia. Coping, this enabled him to successfully pass the initial restraint situation.
Likewise, he quickly got over the strangeness, apprehension, and mild excitement of his arrival that had kept him awake the first few nights.Coupled with the kind and kind attitude of Dean Gervasius towards him, Knecht immediately adapted to the new environment; the fresh air and the majestic scenery around him made him feel happy.The monastery was situated in the midst of rough mountain scenery, surrounded by a barrier of sheer cliffs, dotted with patches of verdant meadows, where countless fine cattle grazed.
He admired with delight the solid grandeur of old buildings in which one could read centuries of history.He admired the beauty, simplicity and comfort of the two rooms on the top floor of the VIP building where he lived.Knecht wandered through this solemn little kingdom, passing by two churches, the vaulted cloister, the archives, the library, the rector's apartment, and many courtyards. Between the courtyards are scattered stables full of healthy animals, gushing springs, wine and fruit cellars with huge vaults, and the two monastery chambers. , the well-known Great Hall, the innumerable well-tended little gardens, with the workshops of their masters—coppersmiths, shoemakers, tailors, blacksmiths, and other worldly people—all these surround the house in which they live. That large courtyard formed a small village.He had been admitted to the library to consult materials, and the organist had shown him the wonderful organ and let him play it.Those big cabinets attracted him even more strongly, in which a considerable number of ancient century music manuscripts were preserved, not only unpublished, but some were still little known, waiting for people to study and discover.
At the beginning, the monastery did not seem to be in a hurry to start his work, but as time went by, even after several weeks, no one mentioned the purpose of the trip to him.Yes, on the first day he arrived, several monks, especially the abbot himself, chatted with him about the glass bead game with great interest, but no one talked about the game course or the content involving the game system project.In addition, Knecht also noticed that the monks' manners, life style, and interactions with people all had a rhythm that was quite unfamiliar to him, a respectable unhurried attitude, a leisurely and generous patience, that is, Or those monks who are obviously lively and active by nature, seem to have this kind of commonality.This is the spirit of their religious group, the thousand-year breath issued by a religious group that has survived thousands of incidents.Each of them has this spirit, like each bee in a hive, always breathing with the fate of all, sharing everyone's fear, pain and rest.Compared with the life style of Castalia, the Benedictine life here seems to be less knowledgeable, flexible, sensitive and active at first glance, but on closer inspection, they are more calm, firm, sophisticated, and They are better able to protect themselves. It seems that the ideology and spirit here have already reached a state of harmony with nature.
Knecht was not only very interested in the life style of this monastery, but also admired it very much, because the monastery had a history of 1,500 years before Castalia was born, and it had almost reached its current state long ago. level, not to mention that all of these are extremely in line with the side of Knecht's nature that likes to meditate.He is currently a highly respected guest, and the courtesy far exceeds his expectations, but he is very clear: all courtesy is purely formal and customary, neither for him personally, nor for Castalia or the glass ball The spirit of the game.
It is a solemn courtesy shown by an ancient powerful group to a younger religious group.Knecht was only partially prepared for this, so after living comfortably in Mariafell for a while, he felt uneasy and had to ask the authorities for a clearer instruction on the rules of action, written by the master of the glass bead game himself The following text: "You don't have to have doubts, you don't have to worry about time in order to study the way of life over there. Make good use of your time, study hard, and try to make yourself popular and useful to others, even if they Treat you thus always, and do not be hasty, do not be intolerable, do not appear more idle than your hosts. If they treat you for a whole year as a first-day guest, do so as if nothing happened, Let alone a year or two, even ten years are the same. Take it as a test of patience, and practice it carefully! If you feel too free, try to do a few hours of specific work every day, never More than four hours, such as studying scriptures or copying manuscripts. But don't give the impression that you are busy with work, and if someone wants to chat with you casually, you must do so."
Knecht followed these instructions and soon felt much more relaxed.
Since he came to the monastery, he has been obsessed with his teaching job as a tutor to the glass bead game lovers here. This is the ostensible mission he was sent here, but the monks of the monastery received him as a personable emissary from a friendly country. .In the end, Dean Gervasius finally remembered this work, and called several monks who had completed the elementary course of the glass bead game, and wanted them to study the advanced course with Knecht. The result surprised him a lot. At first I was even extremely disappointed that such a hospitable place should have an extremely shallow and amateurish knowledge of such a noble game, especially since they were apparently content with their shallowness.As time passed, Knecht gradually realized another content.His real purpose here was not at all to improve the Abbey's glass bead game.It is so easy to teach a few monks who are slightly familiar with the game a little bit of game knowledge, it can be said that it is effortless.Perhaps some average glass bead player who is far from elite would do the job.It can be seen that teaching game skills cannot be the real goal of his trip.He was beginning to realize that he had been sent here more to learn than to teach.
In any case, his moment of realization of this fact came at an opportune time, precisely to strengthen his confidence in his place in the monastery, since Knecht's role as guest of honor, with all its comforts and advantages, occasionally made him Creates a feeling that job transfers seem punishing.Then one day, when he was talking with the dean, he accidentally mentioned China, which aroused the dean's great interest and asked some questions. He expressed his joy unabashedly.The dean also preferred it, but he did not know Chinese, so he had only superficial knowledge of this divination book and other Chinese mystical theories.However, the wise dean is more experienced and worldly than his guests after all. Obviously, he also really values the way of governing the country and the wisdom of life in ancient China.The two had an extraordinary conversation, and the cheerful and lively atmosphere broke the rigid situation of politeness that had remained unchanged since the meeting between the host and the guest.As a result of the conversation, Knecht was invited to give lessons twice a week to his esteemed master.
When the relationship between Knecht and the dean became more and more vigorous and fruitful, when Knecht and the organist became more and more friendly and at the same time became familiar with the little spiritual kingdom in which he lived, The hexagrams he predicted when he left Castalia were almost fully fulfilled.As a traveler who takes everything he owns, he not only has a place to stay, but also, as the hexagram says, "respects servants".Since all the hexagrams have been fulfilled, the traveler thinks he has reason to regard all this as a good omen, because he really carries all the "precious resources"
Come, because he has come with the spirit and strength of Castalia, though he is far from school, teachers, friends, supporters and patrons, from the loving Castalian family that nurtured him, Now he is leading an active and worthwhile life with the help of this power.
The "boy servant" prophesied by the hexagrams was fulfilled by a young student in a seminary.Although this young man named Anton did not play any role in Knecht's later life, the particularly ambivalent situation in Knecht's early monastic life at that time foreshadowed Knecht's A messenger about to have a greater and new future.Anton was a taciturn young man with a great personality and seemed to be quite talented. At that time, he was close to entering the monk group.Knecht often met this young man who was deeply mysterious about his glass bead game art. At that time, other students were isolated behind a double door of "no visitors". Obviously, the hospital did not allow them to contact guests. Students are not permitted to participate in glass bead games lessons.This Anton, however, was on duty there several times a week as a library assistant.Knecht often met him in the library, and occasionally had a few conversations with him. After a long time, Knecht discovered that this young man with a pair of black eyes under thick black eyebrows had a special enthusiasm for service towards him. This is a student-like emotion with admiration. Knecht is very familiar with this expression. It has been an inevitable and important factor in his life as early as Castalian's life, although he always feels it in his heart. He was happy, but he still tried to avoid it as much as possible, not to mention that he was in another monastery now, so he decided to be more cautious.It would be a great offense to the hospitable host if he had any influence on this young man, still in his religious education.What's more, he also knew that "fidelity" was the strict rule here, so he felt that this childish attachment could develop into a greater danger.He was determined to avoid at all costs such a possibility of offending his master, and to restrain himself.
Knecht met another person in the library where he often met Anton.At the beginning, this man was almost completely ignored because of his simplicity and humility, but as time went by, he gradually got to know him and became a grateful and beloved person for the rest of his life, just like he loved the old music master. Same.这个人就是约可布斯神父，他大概算得上本笃会教派里最杰出的历史学家，当年六十岁光景，瘦小身材，多筋的细长脖子上有一颗雀鹰似的尖脑袋，他的脸从正面看去略显萎靡，因为他很少抬眼张望，但是从他的侧面看去，额头那显示胆量的弯弯线条，尖尖的鹰钩鼻两侧的深深沟纹，还有那稍短却颇为显示亲切的下颚，都在表露他具有一种极深刻极独立的个性。
这位安静的老人——附带提一下，他和亲近的熟人在一起时却又非常热情活跃——还据有一张个人独用的书桌，上面堆满了书籍、手稿、地图等等物品，桌子摆在毗邻图书室的一个小房间里。这座修道院拥有如此大量的珍贵书籍，而他似乎是独一无二的认真从事研究工作的学者。此外，应当说正是这个见习修士安东，引起了克乃西特对约可布斯神父的注意。克乃西特观察到，老学者摆放书桌的小图书室，几乎被视为了私人领地，只有少数人出于工作需要才涉足其中，而且个个都蹑手蹑足，唯恐出声打扰他的工作，虽然潜心埋头的老人完全不像会受外界的干扰。当然，克乃西特也立即注意到这一禁忌，总是设法与这位勤奋工作的老人保持一定的距离。
后来，有一天安东遵命拿一些书籍给老人，克乃西特看到，安东离开小房间时在敞开的房门边停留了片刻，回头凝望着又已埋首工作的老人，脸上露出崇敬和仰慕的神情，流露出一种混杂着某些善良青年乐意体贴照料老弱长辈的温馨情感。克乃西特看见这一情景的第一个反应是高兴，这种景象本身就很动人，安东能够如此热情照料老人，而他们其实并无血缘关系，这确实难得。接着而来的是一个可算是讽刺挖苦的念头，一种让克乃西特几乎感到羞愧的想法：这个地方的治学之风何等稀薄，以致这位唯一认真工作的学者竟被大家当成了一头怪兽，一个怪物。不管怎么说，安东投向老人的那种近于温柔的景仰目光，促使克乃西特睁开眼睛看清了老人的饱学多才。于是他也不时朝老人瞥上一眼，发现老人侧面具有罗马人的轮廓，同时又不断发现这种或那种不同凡响的特点，一切迹象都表明约可布斯神父在精神上和品格上都非同寻常。克乃西特听说他是一位历史学家，在对本笃会教派历史的研究上已无人可与匹敌，这也是尽人皆知的事实。
有一天这位老人开口与他谈话了。老人说话的声调中不带丝毫老前辈式的故示慈爱、故示善意的语气，而那似乎确属这个修道院的风格。老人以一种谦逊的、近乎羞怯的，但却精确合度的语气邀请他在结束晚祷后到他的住处一叙。“您会发觉，”
老人说，“我既不是研究卡斯塔里历史的专家，更也不擅长玻璃球游戏。但是，如今正像人们表面看到的那样，我们这两个截然不同的宗教组织关系正在日益密切。
我不想置身事外，更愿略尽自己绵薄之力，恰逢您光临本院，我愿不时向您请教。 "
老人说话的态度很严肃，但他那种谦逊的语气，加上他那富有睿智的苍老面容，却使他这番过分礼貌的语言产生了某种惊人的多义效果，从严肃到讥讽，从尊敬到嘲笑，从热情参与到游戏打趣，无不有之。那情况就像两位圣贤或者两位教廷贵族相见，以无穷无尽的打躬作揖进行礼貌和耐性的游戏一般。这种混合了尊严和讥讽，智慧和客套的见面礼节，是克乃西特早就从中国人那里领教过的，现在像一杯清凉饮料使克乃西特神清气爽。他记起自己上次听到这种语调——玻璃球游戏大师托马斯也擅长此道——距今已有相当长的时间。克乃西特又感激又高兴地接受了邀请。
傍晚时分，当他来到老人那位于建筑物侧翼尽头的僻静住处时，却不知应该敲哪扇门；忽然听到了钢琴声，令他大吃一惊。他听出是普赛尔的一首奏鸣曲，演奏得很朴实，毫无卖弄技巧之感，听去节奏精确，干净利落。乐曲那深沉、纯净而愉悦的旋律配合着甜蜜优美的三和弦听起来亲切悦耳，克乃西特蓦然回忆起华尔采尔年代曾和好朋友费罗蒙梯用各种不同乐器演奏这类乐曲的情景。他站停住，默默欣赏着，直至乐曲奏毕。琴音在黝暗寂静的走廊里显得那么孤独、脱俗，又那么勇敢、纯真，同时既十分童稚气，又十分老成，就像任何一首优秀乐曲在尚未得救的缄默人世间所发出的音调一样。
克乃西特敲敲门，约可布斯神父高声应道，“进来吧！”老人以自己谦逊的庄严态度接待客人，小小的钢琴上还燃着两支蜡烛。是的，约可布斯神父回答克乃西特说，他每天晚上弹琴半小时，或者整整一小时，天黑以后他就结束每日的工作，睡前几个钟头他不读书不写作。
他们谈论着音乐，谈到普赛尔，谈到亨德尔，谈到本笃会的古老音乐传统，在所有天主教团体中，本笃会是最热衷音乐的教派。克乃西特表示很想知道本笃会的历史情况。谈话便热烈起来，触及了上百个问题，老人的历史知识确实惊人，然而他也坦率承认，对卡斯塔里的历史、思想及其组织情况，他还缺少研究，还没有产生大的兴趣，但是他又毫不掩饰地对卡斯塔里持批评态度，认为其宗教团体组织是对基督教模式的一种仿效，而且归根结蒂还是一种亵读神明的仿效。是的J因为这个卡斯塔里团体既无宗教，又无上帝，也无教堂作为自己的基础。克乃西特恭恭敬敬地聆听着这些批评，只是不时提请对方考虑，不论是宗教、上帝，还是教堂，除去本笃会派和罗马天主教所持的宗教观点之外，还可能有其他不同教派，存在着不同观点，因此无论是否定其宗旨和奋斗的纯洁性，还是否定其对人类精神生活的深刻影响，都可能是不对的。
“完全正确，”约可布斯说道，“您肯定首先想到了基督新教的信徒们。他们虽然未能保存宗教和教堂，却常常表现得非常勇敢，也出了一些杰出人物。我曾花费好几年工夫主要研究各种敌对基督教教派和教堂间试图和解修好的多次不同形式尝试，尤其是一七零零年左右那个时期，我们发现许多著名人物，例如哲学家和数学家莱布尼兹以及脾气古怪的辛岑道夫，都曾致力于使敌对教派重新和好。而整个十八世纪，其精神思想虽常常显露出草率和肤浅，但还是给后人留下了又有趣又意义丰富的思想史。而我对那个时期的新教徒最感兴趣也最下功夫研究。我发现了他们中的一个卓越人物，他是一个语言学家、教师和教育学家，此外还是施瓦本地区一个虔信派教徒，他的道德影响整整两个世纪内都清清楚楚有据可查——不过我们已越出谈论范围，现在让我们回到什么是真正宗教团体的正统性和历史使命问题上来吧……”
“啊，等一等，”克乃西特失声喊道，“请您再讲讲您方才提到的那位教师，我想自己大概猜到是谁了。”
“您猜是谁。”
“我起初以为是哈勒市的弗兰凯，可你说这位教师是施瓦本人，那么我想只可能是约翰·阿尔布莱希特·本格尔啦。”
老人大声笑起来，喜悦使他容光焕发。“你可真让我吃惊，亲爱的朋友，”老人愉快地叫道，“我脑子里想的果真是本格尔。你是从哪里知道他的？或者在贵学区里的人理所当然应熟知这类生僻和已被遗忘的人和事？倘若你拿这个问题去询问本修道院里所有的修士、教师和学生，包括前几辈的人，我敢保证，大概不会有任何人知道这个名字。”
“在卡斯塔里也没有多少人知道他，也许只有我和我的两位朋友。有一段时间，我因个人爱好研究过十八世纪的虔信派思想。对几位施瓦本神学家有深刻印象，也十分景仰，尤其是这位本格尔。当时我认为他堪称一切教师的楷模和青年人的导师。
我当时极喜欢他，以致请人摄制了一本古书里的本格尔画像，在我的书桌上供了很长时期。 "
约可布斯神父又开怀大笑，“我们今天相逢真是吉星高照，”他说道，“多么奇特的现象，我们两人在研究过程中竟然不约而同碰上了这位已被遗忘的人物。更为奇特的也许还是下列情况：这位施瓦本新教徒居然同时影响了一个天主教本笃会僧侣和一个卡斯塔里玻璃球游戏者。顺便说一下，在我的想象中，贵会的玻璃球游戏是一种需要丰富想象力的游戏，因此我很惊讶，像本格尔那样严格而冷静的人竟如此吸引你。”
现在轮到克乃西特开心大笑起来。“好吧，”他接着说，“您若回忆一下本格尔曾多年从事的圣约翰启示录研究工作，以及他对这部书的预言内容所作的体系性阐释，那你就不得不承认我们这位朋友恰是严肃的对立面呢。”
“这话不错，”约可布斯神父愉快地承认说，随后他又问道：“那么您如何解释这种矛盾呢？”
“如果您允许我开玩笑，那么我就要说：本格尔所欠缺的，以及他内心里不自觉地渴求的，正是玻璃球游戏。事实上我已把他列为我们玻璃球游戏的秘密先驱者和老前辈了。”
约可布斯神父又恢复了严肃态度，谨慎地问道：“这似乎有点胆大妄为，竟然把本格尔归入贵会的谱系。不知您对我的见解评价如何？”
“我说过这是一个玩笑，却也是一个有理可据的玩笑。本格尔很年轻的时候，还在他从事那项重大《圣经》研究工作之前，有一次曾向他的朋友们谈起自己的工作规划。他说他希望撰写一部百科全书式的著作，也即是说他想把那个时代的一切知识以综合和对称方式排列组合在一种中心思想之下。这个想法正是玻璃球游戏在做的事呢。”
“归根结蒂这是整个十八世纪都在进行的百科全书式思想游戏。”老人反驳说。
一事实如此，一克乃西特表示同意。一但是本格尔所力图达到的并不仅仅是各种学科和领域的并列研究，而是寻求一种有机的相互关系，他已启程探找一种共同的公分母。而这正是玻璃球游戏最基本的观点之一。现在我还想进一步说说我的看法：倘若本格尔当年曾建立类似我们玻璃球游戏的思想体系的话，他也许就不会误入歧途，不会去换算什么预言数字，不会宣称自己反对基督和反对千年王国了。本格尔未能完全寻找到能够引导自己趋向他所渴求的联合目标之道，却以自己的数学天赋加上哲学才能创造了一种兼具细致缜密和美丽幻想的'时代秩序论'，花费了多年好时光。 "
“就说到这里吧，”老人说，“好在您不是一个历史学家。您实在太过于依据幻想了。不过我懂得您想说的东西。我却只在自己专门领域里卖弄学问。”
这是一场互相获益非浅的谈话，增进了相互了解，也建立起了一种友谊关系。
在这位本笃会学者眼中，事情似乎并非巧合，或者至少应该说是一种非常特殊的巧合，因为他们两人——他在本笃会，那位青年在卡斯塔里——各自作着本领域的工作，却发现了这同一位在符腾堡修道院执教的可怜教师，发掘出了这位既温顺又坚硬，既热情又冷静的人物。老人认为，他们之间必然存在某种连接两人的东西，因为这同一望不见的磁石的吸力实在太强大了。那个以普赛尔奏鸣曲开场的傍晚之后，两人间的无形桥梁已实实在在架起来了。约可布斯觉得和这位颇有修养却柔顺好学的青年交换思想很愉快，这种乐趣对他而言是难得一遇的。而克乃西特则觉得自己在与这位历史学家的交往中，在领受教导的过程中，似乎在成长觉悟的道路上又迈上了一个新的阶段，而他是视成长觉悟为自己生命之道的。简而言之，克乃西特从老人那里学到了历史，学到了历史研究和撰写历史中的法则和矛盾，而在以后的几年中又更一步学会了如何把现实和自己当前生活作为史实来观察的本领。
他们之间的谈话往往发展成一种道地的辩论，有抨击，也有辩护，而且开始时自然总是约可布斯神父首先向对方发难。老人对自己年轻朋友相知越深，就越为对方感到惋惜，这个如此有出息的青年非但没有受到宗教教育培养，反而受到了一种虚假美学思想的熏陶。每当他发现克乃西特思维方式上某些可资非议之处，就将之归罪于卡斯塔里的“时髦”精神，归罪于它的不切实际，以及那种偏爱游戏式抽象化的倾向。而每当克乃西特令人惊异地以近乎自己思维方式的健康观念与见解和他辩论时，老人就不禁狂喜万分，因为自己年轻朋友的健康天性竟能如此顽强地抵御卡斯塔里的教育影响。克乃西特十分平静坦然地承受他对卡斯塔里的种种批评，只在这位老先生对自己过分激昂慷慨时，才冷静地加以反驳。应当说，这位学者卑薄卡斯塔里的种种贬词中，不乏令克乃西特必须承认的正确内容，其中有一点在他逗留玛丽亚费尔期间已使他的观点有了彻底改变。这一点便是卡斯塔里精神与世界历史的关系问题，对此，约可布斯神父认为，卡斯塔里人“完全欠缺历史意识”。
“你们的数学家和玻璃球游戏选手，”老人会这样分析，“已经依照自己的口味为你们蒸馏出了一部世界历史，其中仅有精神思想和艺术的历史，你们的历史没有血肉和现实生活。你们精确地知道拉丁语结构解体于第二世纪或者第三世纪期间，却完全不理解亚历山大，悄撒和耶稣。你们探讨世界历史就像一个数学家探讨数学，其中只有定律和公式，却没有现实，没有善与恶，没有时代，没有昨日也没有明天，只有一个永恒不变的、肤浅的、数学上的当前。”
“可是研究历史而不对其进行次序整理，能写出历史吗？”
“撰写历史当然得进行归纳整理，”老人生气地叫道。“与其他事物不同，任何一种科学全都是一种整理，一种简化，使人类难以消化理解的东西得以消化理解。
我们相信自己业已认识了若干历史法则，我们便可以尝试做一些史实的研究工作。
这么说吧，倘若一位解剖学家解剖一具尸体，一般说来不会碰到令他意外的情况，他会在表皮下层发现一块块的组织、肌肉、韧带和骨骼，与他借以工作的简图一致。
但是，如果这位解剖学家只会照简图工作，而完全疏忽其解剖对象个人独有的特殊真实的话，那么他便是一个道地的卡斯塔里人，一个玻璃球游戏者，把数学法则用到了最不适用的对象身上了。我个人认为，可以容许历史学家将自己最感人的幼稚信念应用于整理历史和研究方法上，但是还有一个最必不可少的先决条件，他必须尊重那不可理喻的真理、现实以及种种现象的独特的一次性。我亲爱的朋友，研究历史不是开玩笑，更不是不负责任的游戏。一个人想从事历史研究，首先得明白自己试图去做的是一种几乎不可能完成，然而却因其重要性而必须去做的最重要工作。
所谓研究历史，亦即是说他会面对一片混沌，然而却得持有维护秩序和意义的信念。
年轻人，这是一种十分严肃的工作，也许还是一种悲剧性的工作。 "
克乃西特当年给朋友们的书信中大量引用了约可布斯神父的言论，有一段最具代表性，原话如下：“在青年人眼中，世界历史上的伟大人物就好像历史大蛋糕里的葡萄于，毫无疑问，他们也属于其实质性主体，但是要想把真正的伟人和表面上的虚假伟人区别开来，绝不像人们以为的那么简单和容易。虚假伟人之能够脱颖而出，在于历史机遇以及他们推测和抓住这个历史关键时刻的本领。有许多历史学家和传记作家，更毋庸说那些新闻记者了，都把他们这种预知和把握某个历史关键时刻的能力称之为：一蹴而就的成功，并说成是伟大人物的一种标记。某个一夜之间变成了独裁者的微不足道的下士，或者某个曾经一度控制了一个世界统治者喜怒哀乐的妓女，都是这类历史学家偏爱的角色。与他们相反，那些耽于理想的年轻人，则大都偏爱悲剧性的失败者，殉道者，在重要历史时刻不是出场稍早就是略迟一步。对我来说，由于我毕竟首先是本笃会的历史学家，因而世界历史中最能够吸引我，令我惊奇，让我觉得值得研究的东西，既不是个别人物，也不是军事政变之类，我不关心他们的兴衰成败，我所关怀喜爱，并且永远具有好奇心的是世界上下述现象：例如我们这类宗教组织得以长存的原因。这类组织长期具有生命力，因为它们的宗旨是试图凝聚、教育和改造人类的精神与灵魂，使他们通过教育而不是通过优生学，通过性灵改造而不是通过血腥手段，变成高贵的人，成为既能统治也能服务的人。阅读希腊历史时，最攫住我内心的并非光辉灿烂的英雄豪杰，也不是在安哥拉广场上的大声呐喊，而是某些精神探索，譬如毕达哥拉斯兄弟会或者柏拉图研究院的研究工作。在中国历史上无与伦比的例子是儒家体系之历久不衰。而在我们西方历史上，首推基督教以及作为其结构而存在并为之服务的教会组织，在我眼中，这才是具有主要价值的历史组成要素。一个幸运的冒险家成功地征服或者建立了一个国家，使之维持了二十年、五十年，或者甚至持续了一百年之久；或者，某个富于高尚理想的国王或者皇帝尝试推行某种比较正直的政治或者努力实践某种文化改革梦想，一度获得成功；
又或者某个国家或者某一团体在重大压力下居然能够承受艰苦并目。取得了令人难以置信的成就。但是所有这一切都未能引起我的兴趣，远不及我们宗教团体始终不渝、全力以赴地工作那么吸引我，在这些工作中，有些已延续了一千年甚至两千年之久。对于神圣的教堂，我不拟说什么，因为这是超越我们信徒之上的事情。我可以谈谈各类教派组织，例如本笃会、多明我会以及后来的耶稣会等，全都持续存在了好几个世纪，尽管时兴时衰，时而侵犯别人，时而适应别人，总算也全都保持了各自的面貌和声音，维护了自己的姿态和独特灵魂，看样子还会延续好几个世纪。
我认为这些才是最可敬佩、最值得重视的历史现象。 "
克乃西特崇拜约可布斯神父，就连他的不够公正的偏激之词也十分赞赏。当时克乃西特其实并不知道约可布斯究为何等样人，因而只把他视为学问渊博的天才学者，克乃西特完全不知道那人正在有意识地参与世界历史事务，正以他那宗教组织政治领袖身份左右着世界政治，四面八方不断有人来向这位政治历史和当代政治专家寻求咨询、忠告，甚至寻求调停。克乃西特就这样过了两年，直至他第一次休假离开修道院。这期间他和老人往来时只把他当作普通学者，除了他的言论，对他的生平、活动、职业以及影响情况一无所知。显然这位学养深厚的老人善于隐藏自己，连友谊之情也不外露，而修道院的修士们也皆深谙此道，比克乃西特所能够想象更为善于隐藏。
过了两年之后，克乃西特就像任何一个客人和局外人都能够达到的一样，完全适应了修道院生活。他不时协助那位管风琴师的工作，使修道院小小圣歌合唱队那一线薄弱却悠久可敬的传统得以适度地延续和发展。克乃西特在修道院的音乐档案馆里发现了若干有价值的材料，便抄了几个副本寄到华尔采尔，尤其是寄给了蒙特坡。他开了一个小型的玻璃球游戏初级课程班，安东现在是班上最用功的学生。他诚然未能教会格尔华修斯院长中文，然而却把使用草茎占卜的技巧以及改进了的静思默修方法传授给了院长。这位院长也熟悉了克乃西特的性格，已经很长时间不曾像客人初到时那样，常常勉强他饮酒了。院长在一年两度公事公办写给玻璃球游戏大师的答复文件中，对约瑟夫·克乃西特在玛丽亚费尔的成绩考核里尽是赞誉之词。
而在卡斯塔里方面，涉及克乃西特课程计划和成绩清单的部分才是他们细细审查的内容。他们认为程度稍浅，但是这位教师为了符合修道院的程度，更主要的是为了适应该院的思想习俗而采取的方法，他们大致感到满意。最令他们高兴，甚至真正喜出望外的事莫过于克乃西特与著名的约可布斯神父有了亲密的频繁交往，是的，甚至建立了友谊关系，卡斯塔里行政当局对此当然只是心照不宣，闭口不谈的。
这种友谊关系结出了形形色色的果实，尽管说出来也许会稍早泄露我们故事的内容，然而还是值得说说，或者我们只把克乃西特最为珍惜的那一个果实在此略作叙述。那果实成熟得非常缓慢，就像生长在高峻的大山上的树种被人们移植到了肥沃的平原里，总是迟迟不愿生长。这些被移植后的种子由于遗传因素，对肥沃的土地和温和的气候总持抑制观望态度，它们仍然保留着祖辈那种慢节奏生长的遗传特点。约可布斯这个睿智的老人，习惯对任何影响尽可能保持小心考核态度，因而凡是这个年轻朋友兼敌对观点者向他灌输的一切卡斯塔里思想，他就是这样犹犹豫豫、一步一步地让它们在自己身上生根的。慢慢地种子总算萌芽生长了。对于克乃西特来说，在修道院多年逗留期间所体验到种种美好而宝贵的经历中，这一件事是最美好的：开始时似乎那么难以出现的信任和坦率在这位世故老人身上总算缓慢萌芽生长了，老人不仅渐渐对这位崇拜自己的青年同行产生了同情心，而且对其身上的卡斯塔里思想烙印也逐渐容忍理解了。这位年轻人——似乎说成学生、听众或者门生更为恰当——一步一步把老人引向了认可另一种宗教的境地：老人最初说到“卡斯塔里”或者“玻璃球游戏”这些字眼时，总采用讽刺语气，往往只用于挖苦谩骂，后来开始容忍理解，而最终完全承认了另一种思想形式的可信性，也承认了另一宗教组织，承认了他们尝试创造精神贵族教育的努力。约可布斯长老不再对卡斯塔里的历史短暂、年少无知吹毛求疵，毕竟成立不足两个世纪，较之本笃会晚了整整一千五百年呢。他也不再把玻璃球游戏视为纯粹的花哨美学玩意儿，也不再否定这两个年龄相差悬殊的宗教团体未来有亲善与结盟的可能。
卡斯塔里行政当局对约瑟夫赢得了约可布斯神父的部分信任看成他玛丽亚费尔之行的最高成就，克乃西特本人却在相当一段时间内对此毫无想象，只看成是自己私生活中的一件幸运事。不过他常常在想：派遣自己来修道院的真正目的究竟是什么，是否像那些竞争对手们最初所妒忌的是一种提升和嘉奖，还是随着时间的消逝，不如说是一种毫无荣誉可言的被遣送坐冷板凳更恰当？如果为了学习，任何地方都可以学习，为什么非在这里？而且根据卡斯塔里的观点，这座修道院并非学习的好园地，也没有可供学习的榜样，唯有约可布斯神父例外。同时，他在此孤陋寡闻，尽与业余水平的人一起从事玻璃球游戏，是否影响了自己的技艺，或者已经僵化退步，克乃西特实在难以断定。此时此刻倒是他一贯不爱往上爬的品性以及他早已日益更能承受命运的心理，帮他渡过了难关。不管怎么说，他作为客人和某项不重要课程的教师生活在这个古老舒适的修道院里，较之离开华尔采尔前一段时间生活在一群勾心斗角人士之间，对他来说是更为愉快的。倘若命运决定把他永远弃置在这个小小的边远地方，那么他想必会设法稍稍改善自己的生活，例如略施手腕把一位朋友调到他身边，或者每年至少去卡斯塔里度一个较长的假期，除此而外，他也想不出有什么要求了。
阅读这部传记的读者也许会盼望读到描述克乃西特修道院生涯的另一方面内容，也即涉及宗教的生活。但是我们只敢于谨慎地稍加暗示。毫无疑问，克乃西特逗留玛丽亚费尔期间和宗教——也即修道院日日修炼的基督教——一有过较深刻的体验。
这不仅是我们的揣测，事实上他日后的许多言论和行为都清楚地说明了这种体验。
然而他是否信奉基督教，或者信仰到何种程度，则是我们无法回答的问题，也不属我们研究的范围。克乃西特除了卡斯塔里所培植的尊敬宗教思想之外，还具有一种纯属个人的虔敬心理，也许我们可以称之谓虔诚性。早在学生时代，克乃西特便已对基督教教义及其古典形式获得过良好教导，尤其是在学习教堂音乐过程中获益更多。首先是他从此熟悉了弥撒的仪式和圣礼的程序。
克乃西特在本笃会修士们身上发现了一种活生生的宗教，这不禁使他感到惊讶和肃然起敬，因为他以往对此只有理论上和历史上的知识。他参加了许多次礼拜仪式。当他熟读了约可布斯神父的若干理论文字，并进行了认真交谈之后，终于看清了这个基督教完整的罕见的面貌：在若于世纪里，它曾许多次被视为过时、老朽、陈旧和死气沉沉，然而每一次都总是汲饮自己的源泉而获得新生，同时把一度显得时髦而占上风的东西统统遗留在后面。克乃西特在同他们交谈时心头总是不断浮现出这样一种想法：卡斯塔里文化也许仅是西方基督教文化的一个俗化了的、暂时的支流，有朝一日会被重新吸收回去。克乃西特对这个想法从不曾认真加以抵制。即使如此，有一回克乃西特仍然对约可布斯神父说明自己的立场总在卡斯塔里一方，而不会倒向本笃会，他必须为卡斯塔里工作，卫护它的利益，而并不考虑自己作为其中一分子的宗教组织是否可能永恒存在，或者是否具有很长的存在期限，改变宗教信仰对他而言只可视为一种不光彩的逃避行为。他们两人都敬仰的那位约翰·阿尔布莱希特·本格尔，当他在世时也曾服务于一个又小又短暂的教派，却也丝毫没有耽误他服务于永恒的神圣使命。什么叫虔诚，也就是一个人忠诚到不惜为信仰奉献自己的生命，这却是不论在哪一阶段和哪一次忏悔中都可能遭遇的。服务和忠诚也是衡量每一个个人是否真正虔诚的唯一有效的检验标准。
克乃西特在本笃会已逗留两年左右时，修道院里忽然来了一位客人，那个人小心翼翼避免与他会面，甚至连最普通的介绍都避开了。这反倒引起了克乃西特的好奇心，他密切关注着陌生来客，其实此人只逗留了几天，这却导致了各式各样的猜测。他最后断定这位陌生人的宗教外衣纯属伪装。这个不知名的客人不断和院长，尤其是和约可布斯神父关起房门进行长时间谈话，同时不断收到紧急信件和发出紧急信件。迄至当时，克乃西特己多少风闻修道院的政治关系和政治传统，便揣摩来客可能是一位肩负秘密使命的高级政府官员，或者是一位微服出行的王公贵族。当他默默思考着自己这些观察时，想起前几个月也曾有过一位和数位客人来访，如今细想起来，似乎也具有同样的神秘性和重要性。于是他回忆起了卡斯塔里的“警察局长”，那位和蔼的杜波依斯先生，回忆起了要他时刻留意修道院内此类活动的请求，虽然他既无兴趣又无责任撰写诸如此类报告，却始终有些内疚，因为自己长期以来从未给这位好好先生写过任何信件，杜波依斯先生想必对他非常失望了。于是克乃西特给他写了一封长信，试图解释自己长期缄默的原因，为了使信件多少有些实质性内容，也略述了自己与约可布斯神父的交往。至于这封信是否有人重视和有人阅读，他就无法知道了。