Quod
avertat dominus." He crossed himself and in a solemn voice added
in English:
"May the Lord forbid! Ah, my son, we priests protect those we
love."
"And I, who am not fit to tie a priest's shoe, do likewise.
Father, I love Alice Roussillon."
"Love is a holy thing, my son. Amare divinum est et humanum."
"Father Beret, can you help me?"
"Spiritually speaking, my son?"
"I mean, can you hide Mademoiselle Roussillon in some safe place,
if I take her out of the prison yonder? That's just what I mean.
Can you do it?"
"Your question is a remarkable one. Have you thought upon it from
all directions, my son? Think of your position, your duty as an
officer."
A shrewd polemical expression beamed from Father Beret's eyes, and
a very expert physiogomist might have suspected duplicity from
certain lines about the old man's mouth.
"I simply know that I cannot stand by and see Alice--Mademoiselle
Roussillon, forced to suffer treatment too beastly for an Indian
thief. That's the only direction there is for me to look at it
from, and you can understand my feelings if you will; you know
that very well, Father Beret. When a man loves a girl, he loves
her; that's the whole thing.".
The quiet, inscrutable half-smile flickered once more on Father
Beret's face; but he sat silent some time with a sinewy forefinger
lying alongside his nose.
Pages:
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319