But, after the marriage, they were still children. It was
necessary for the priest to explain to my father why it is that the good
God ordained marrying. And look at him now!"
She laughed gayly, and the old man, who could speak only a _patois_ from
over the frontier, cackled without understanding what his daughter said.
He guessed well that he was the subject of the conversation, and
jokingly he reproved the middle-aged Madonna with a few toothless
mutterings more like Latin than Italian, more Arabic than either.
"And now, Messieurs," Filomena finished, "we must be hurrying on, or the
_dejeuner_ will be late. That would make me so angry, I should poison
all the fishes if I were thrown into the sea! How Monsieur the Prince is
handsome, and like my _patron_--yet different, too! Ah, it does seem to
me, begging Monsieur the Cure's pardon, that now-a-days the good God is
becoming more experienced and therefore fashioning finer men. When He
first began, He was but young and had no practice, so it is not strange
if He made mistakes."
"You people of this country are very free with the great name of your
Creator," remarked the cure, but not too sternly. "Think, Principino, I
have heard this very Filomena saying that after Christmas it is safe to
sin a little, for the enfant Jesus is so very small He takes no notice;
and between Good Friday and Easter He is dead, so then again there is a
chance. It is well that I know you mean no sacrilege, Filomena, or I
should have to scold--and to-day that would be a pity, for it is a day
of good omen for us all.
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