She had never heard him give utterance to such strong
sentiments and she shrank a little within herself, wondering whether
as a Cardinal of the Roman Church he had not been too free of
speech. She glanced apprehensively at Vergniaud, who however only
smiled a little.
"If you should be disposed to express yourself in such terms at the
Vatican,--" he began.
The Cardinal relapsed into his usual calm, and met the Abbe's
questioning, half cynical glance composedly. "I have many things to
speak of at the Vatican," he answered,--"This matter will probably
be one of them."
"Then--" But whatever Vergniaud was about to say was interrupted by
the entrance of the boy Manuel, who at that moment came into the
room and stood beside the Cardinal's chair. The Abbe gave him an
upward glance of surprise and admiration.
"Whom have we here?" he exclaimed, "One of your acolytes,
Monseigneur?"
"No," replied the Cardinal, his eyes resting on the fair face of the
lad with a wistful affection, "A little stray disciple of our Lord,-
-to whom I have ventured to offer protection. There is none to
question my right to do so, for he is quite alone in the world."
And in a few words he related how he had discovered the boy on the
previous night, weeping outside the Cathedral in Rouen.
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