opened, he looked up with scared eyes, and rose.

"Courage!" exclaimed Don Matteo, patting his shoulder just as he had
done before going out. "I have seen his Eminence."

Don Teodoro looked at him in mute and resigned expectation, and wondered
at his cheerful face. But his friend made him sit down again, and told
him all that had taken place, and then, before Don Teodoro could recover
his astonishment and emotion, he found himself kneeling on the floor and
heard the words of absolution spoken softly over him. A moment later he
felt upon his head the laying of hands and heard those still more
solemn words pronounced over him, which, he had never hoped to hear
said for himself.

When he rose to his feet at last, he saw Don Matteo wrapping up the
bishop's cross and chain and ring in the same piece of clean white paper
in which he kept the old stole.

But Don Teodoro went to his little room, which was ready for him as
usual, and he was not seen again on that day. Several times Don Matteo
went softly to the door. Once he heard the old man sobbing within as
though his heart would break, all alone; and once again he heard his
voice saying Latin prayers in a low tone; and the third time all was
very still, and Don Matteo knew that the worst was past.

On the next morning very early Don Teodoro came out of his room. Neither
of the two spoke of what had happened, but the clear light was in the
old priest's eyes again, clearer and happier than before, and little by
little the lines smoothed themselves from his singular face until there
were no more there than there had been for years. All that day they
talked together of books and of Don Teodoro's great history of the
Church. But they were both thoughtful and subject to moments of absence
of mind.

It was not until the evening of the third day that Don Teodoro asked his
friend a question.

"What do you advise me to say to the princess?" he inquired, when they
were alone together.

"Tell her that you have consulted an ecclesiastical authority and that
there was an irregularity about the marriage with Don Gianluca so that
you must solemnly marry them again before they can consider themselves
man and wife. And tell the Baron of Guardia that the same authority is
sure that he was not married to the princess, but is a free man. It is
very simple, and there can be no possible mistake, now."

"Yes," said Don Teodoro. "It is very simple."

And so it was, for Cardinal Campodon