After a few minutes he turned his fair head towards the Cardinal
with an earnest, scrutinising gaze in his expressive eyes.
"Then, dear friend, you are not angry? You do not reproach me for
what I have done?"
"Reproach you? I reproach no one!" said Bonpre,--"Least of all, a
child! For you speak unconsciously--as genius speaks;--you cannot
weigh the meaning of your words, or the effect of what you say on
the worldly or callous minds which have learned to balance motives
and meanings before coining them into more or less ambiguous
language. No!--I have nothing to reproach you with, Manuel,--I am
thankful to have you by my side!"
His eyes rested again upon the crucifix for a moment, and he went
on, more to himself than to the boy,--
"In the early days of our Lord, He spoke to the wise men in the
Temple, and they were 'astonished at his understanding and answers.'
But they did not reprove Him,--not then,--on the contrary, they
listened. How often in our own days do young children ask us
questions to which we cannot reply, and which they themselves
perchance could easily answer if they but knew how to clothe their
thoughts with speech! For the Spirit of God is made manifest in many
ways, and through many methods;--sometimes it whispers a hint or a
warning to us in the petals of the rose, sometimes in the radiance
of the sunset on the sea, sometimes in the simple talk of a child
younger even than you are,--'Except ye become as little children--!"
He paused in his dreamy utterance, and turned in his chair
listening.
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