FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  
at answer left him weapon-less, for against the armour of a crassness so dense and one-ideaed there are no weapons that can prevail. "Listen," she said, and her eyes, raised for a moment, comprehended both of us in their glance. "There is something that it were best I tell you, that once for all you may fathom the depth of my purpose for Agostino here. My lord his father was a man of blood and strife..." "And so were many whose names stand to-day upon the roll of saints and are its glory," answered the friar with quick asperity. "But they did not raise their arms against the Holy Church and against Christ's Own most holy Vicar, as did he," she reminded him sorrowfully. "The sword is an ill thing save when it is wielded in a holy cause. In my lord's hands, wielded in the unholiest of all causes, it became a thing accursed. But God's anger overtook him and laid him low at Perugia in all the strength and vigour that had made him arrogant as Lucifer. It was perhaps well for all of us that it so befell." "Madonna!" cried Gervasio in stern horror. But she went on quite heedless of him. "Best of all was it for me, since I was spared the harshest duty that can be imposed upon a woman and a wife. It was necessary that he should expiate the evil he had wrought; moreover, his life was become a menace to my child's salvation. It was his wish to make of Agostino such another as himself, to lead his only son adown the path of Hell. It was my duty to my God and to my son to shield this boy. And to accomplish that I would have delivered up his father to the papal emissaries who sought him." "Ah, never that!" the friar protested. "You could never have done that!" "Could I not? I tell you it was as good as done. I tell you that the thing was planned. I took counsel with my confessor, and he showed me my plain duty." She paused a moment, whilst we stared, Fra Gervasio white-faced and with mouth that gaped in sheer horror. "For years had he eluded the long arm of the pope's justice," she resumed. "And during those years he had never ceased to plot and plan the overthrow of the Pontifical dominion. He was blinded by his arrogance to think that he could stand against the hosts of Heaven. His stubbornness in sin had made him mad. Quem Deus vult perdere..." And she waved one of her emaciated hands, leaving the quotation unfinished. "Heaven showed me the way, chose me for Its instrument. I sent him word, offering him shelter h
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Agostino

 

wielded

 

showed

 

father

 
horror
 

Gervasio

 

Heaven

 

moment

 

confessor

 

counsel


planned

 

salvation

 

accomplish

 
delivered
 
emissaries
 
shield
 

protested

 

sought

 

menace

 

perdere


arrogance

 

stubbornness

 

emaciated

 
leaving
 

offering

 

shelter

 
instrument
 
quotation
 

unfinished

 
blinded

eluded
 

whilst

 
stared
 

overthrow

 
Pontifical
 

dominion

 

ceased

 
justice
 

resumed

 

paused


Lucifer

 
strife
 

purpose

 

saints

 
Church
 

asperity

 

answered

 

fathom

 
ideaed
 

weapons