Volume 2, Chapter 37: The Catacombs of Saint Sebastian

⁠​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​​⁠In his whole life, perhaps, Franz had never before experienced so sudden an impression, so rapid a transition from gayety to sadness, as in this moment. It seemed as though Rome, under the magic breath of some demon of the night, had suddenly changed into a vast tomb. By a chance, which added yet more to the intensity of the darkness, the moon, which was on the wane, did not rise until eleven o’cl