“No, Renzo, no! God would not have us do evil that good may come. Leave to him the care of this unfortunate man; our duty is to pray for him. If I had died that fatal night, would not God have been able to pardon him? And if I am not dead, if I have been delivered——”
“And your mother, poor Agnes, who desired so much to see us man and wife, has she not told you it was a foolish imagination?”
“My mother! think you my mother would advise me to break a vow? Would you desire that she should? But, Renzo, you are not in your right mind!”
“Oh! you women cannot be made to comprehend reason! Father Christopher told me to return, and inform him whether I had found you—I will go, and get his advice——”
“Yes, yes, go to the holy man! Tell him I pray for him, and that I desire his prayers! But, for the love of Heaven! for your soul’s sake, and for mine, do not return here, to trouble, to——tempt me! Father Christopher will explain matters to you, and make you return to yourself; he will set your heart at rest.”
“My heart at rest! Oh! don’t encourage an idea of that sort! You have, before now, caused such language to be written to me! and the suffering it caused me! and now you have the heart to tell it to me! As for me, I declare to you plainly, that I will never set my heart at rest. Lucy! you have told me to forget you; forget you! how can I do it? After so many trials! so many promises! Who have I thought of ever since we parted? Is it because I have suffered, that you treat me thus? because I have been unfortunate? because the world has persecuted me? because I have been so long away from you? because the first moment I was able, I came to seek you?”
“Oh! holy Virgin!” exclaimed Lucy, as the tears flowed from her eyes, “come to my help. You have aided me hitherto; aid me now. Since that night such a moment as this have I never passed.”
“Yes, Lucy, you do well to invoke the Virgin. She is the mother of compassion, and will take no pleasure in our sufferings. But, if this is an excuse—if I have become odious to you—tell me, speak frankly——”
“For pity, Renzo, for pity, stop—stop. Do not make me die. Go to Father Christopher; commend me to him. Do not return here—do not return here.”
“I go, but think not I will not return. I would return from the end of the world; yes, I would return!” and he disappeared.