With all the fanciful creature's clothes and jewels and unthinking
way of living her life, she spends not a quarter, nor half a quarter
of her income,--and yet you actually venture to suggest that her
power is so slight over the man who is now her promised husband,
that she would voluntarily allow him to use all that huge amount of
money as he pleased, OUTSIDE the Church?"
Moretti spoke with such passionate insistence that Gherardi thought
it prudent not to irritate him further by argument. So he merely
said,
"You expect her to persuade him to embrace our faith?"
"Naturally!" answered Moretti, "And she can, and will do so. If she
cannot or will not, she must be MADE to do so!"
He bent over his papers again and rustled them impatiently, but his
hand trembled. The pale December sunlight glittered through a
stained-glass window above him, and cast deep violet rays about his
chair,--Gherardi stood where the same luminance touched his pale
face with a crimson glow as of fire.
"This is a busy morning with us," said Moretti, without looking up,
"The excommunication of Denis Vergniaud will be pronounced to-day,--
and, what is even more important,--Cardinal Bonpre is summoned by
His Holiness's command to wait upon him this afternoon, bringing the
boy,--that boy who is always with him--"
"Ah, there is a history there!" interrupted Gherardi, "It should be
remembered that this boy was a witness of the miracle in Rouen, and
he was also present at the Vergniaud scandal in Paris--he should
have been sent for ere now.
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