Peter's?--its bronzes, its marbles, its colossal statues of dead
gods, its glittering altars, its miserable dreary immensity, its
flaring gilding and insolent vulgarity of cost! Oh, what a
loneliness is that of Christ in this world! What a second Agony in
Gethsemane!"
The sweet voice broke--the fair head was turned away,--and Cardinal
Felix, overcome by such emotion as he found it impossible to
explain, suddenly sank on his knees, and stretched out his arms to
the young slight creature who spoke with such a passion and
intensity of yearning.
"Child!" he said, with tremulous appeal in his accents, "For God's
sake'--you who express your thoughts with such eloquence and fervent
pain!--tell me, WHO ARE YOU? My mind is caught and controlled by
your words,--you are too young to think as you do, or to speak as
you do,--yet some authority you seem to possess, which I submit to,
not knowing why; I am very old, and maybe growing foolish in my age-
-many troubles are gathering about me in these latter days,--do not
make them more than I can bear!"
His words were to himself incoherent, and yet it seemed as if Manuel
understood them. Suffering himself to be clasped for a moment by the
old man's trembling hands, he nevertheless gently persuaded and
assisted him to rise, and when he was once more seated, stood
quietly by his side, waiting till he should have recovered from his
sudden agitation.
Pages:
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502