The Abbot, the Ambassador and the FBIDom Clem woke in his Washington bedroom, aware that his dreams had taken him back to his arrival in the quad at Downside a few years earlier. He got out of bed and followed his usual routine, designed to mirror that of the abbey.
His alarm would go off at 5.40am, the same time as in the abbey, but of course there was one main difference, the shrill battery-operated bleeper being a poor substitute for the large bell, suspended hundreds of feet above the Somerset countryside in the abbey tower. After a quick shower and shave, Clem would be ready for Vigils – a combination of Bible reading and meditation conducted in complete silence. He would finish his version of the Vigil at 7am, when traditionally the abbey bell would ring for the Angelus.
Breakfast
