"I
seem to see her surrounded by a halo of purity." And he thought that a
man who loved this girl could not forget, or love another woman. He did
not lose sight of Vanno's position, or belittle it, in thinking it of
small consequence compared to love: but he said, "This is a girl in a
million. She is worthy of the highest place." And in an undertone
something else was whispering in him, "I may have but a few minutes to
do what I have come for." His spirit rose to the occasion. If the
certain reward had been a cardinal's hat, he could not have determined
more obstinately on success; perhaps he would not have strained toward
the goal with the same energy, for rightly or wrongly the cure had no
temporal ambition for himself. He loved his mountain flock, and had no
wish to leave it. His garden was to him what a boxful of jewels is to
some women. What he had to do in the next few minutes was to secure
Vanno's happiness and the girl's; for it did not occur to him as
possible that she had no love for Vanno.
"I think," began Mary, "that you must be the cure of Roquebrune, and
that it was you who came to see me at the hotel. It was very kind of
you, and so kind to come again. I meant to have gone up to your church,
but----"
"I understand," he put in when she paused, showing embarrassment.
"Still, I want you to come not only to my church, but to my garden. It
will do you good. It is that which I have called to ask you to do. That,
and one other thing."
"One other thing?" Mary looked a little anxious.
Pages:
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336