He raised her sweet face between his two wrinkled hands and looked
at her long and earnestly. "Dear child!" he said, "Dear brave little
child! For you must always be nothing more than a child to me,--tell
me, are you sure you are moved by the right spirit in the painting
of your picture?"
"I think so!" answered Angela gently, "Indeed, indeed, I think so! I
know that according to the teaching of our Master Christ, it is a
TRUE spirit!"
Slowly the Cardinal released her, and slowly and with impressive
earnestness traced the Cross on her fair brows.
"God bless you!" he said, "And God help you too! For if you work by
'the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter', remember it is the same Spirit
which our Lord tells us 'the world cannot receive because it seeth
Him not, neither knoweth Him.' And to testify of a Spirit which the
world cannot receive makes the world very hard to you!"
And with these words he gently leaned on the arm she proffered and
left the studio with her, the rich glow and voluminous folds of his
scarlet robes contrasting vividly with the simple black gown which
Angela wore without other adornment than a Niphetos rose to relieve
its sombreness. As she went with her uncle she looked over her
shoulder and smiled an adieu to Florian,--he, in his turn lightly
kissed his hand to her, and then addressed Prince Pietro, who, with
the care of a man to whom expense is a consideration, was putting
out some of the tall lamps that had illumined the dusk of the late
afternoon.
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