Its rhythm, when his voice stopped, continued rumbling dully along the surface of her mind.... Once it wrought a great repenting in that flood of Peter’s tears.... Once it wrought a.... Funny! It was the same rhythm as a Toccata of Galuppi’s....
Oh! Galuppi, Baldassaro, this is very hard to find
Once it wrought a great repenting in that flood of Peter’s....
It would have to be “in that flood of Peter’s mind....” Not very good.... What was he saying now?
“I remember your saying once that the Scotch thought an awful lot about the sinfulness of sin.... I firmly believe that the power of remitting sin has been given to the priests of God ... but are we, like that knight, going to ... well to exploit, that grand expression of God’s mercy to His creatures, the Sacrament of Penance? Well? So you don’t think that knight was a bad man?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said wearily. “Good, bad ... what does it all mean?”
“You know fine what it all means. You wrote that play,” a ghost of a smile came into his eyes. “Well ... I suppose ... it’s getting late ...” he sighed drearily, and then held out his hand.
For a few seconds she stood as if hypnotised, staring at him. Then in a rush, the waste, the foolishness of it all swept over her.
“David! David!” she cried convulsively, seizing his arm. “David! What is it all about? Don’t you see?... there’s you, here’s me. Plasencia’s up there where we’ll all soon be having tea and smoking cigarettes. Oh, it’s a plot! it’s a plot! Don’t be taken in ... why, it’s mad! You’re not going to become a priest!” Then her words were stifled by hysterical gasps.
He took hold firmly of both of her wrists. “Hush, you wee thing, hush! You’re havering, you know, just havering. You—Sister Pilar—you’re not going to try and wreck a vocation! You’d never do that! You know fine that there’s nothing so grand as sacrifice—to offer up youth and love to God. It’s not a sacrifice if it doesn’t cost us dear. I don’t think, somehow, that a bread made of wheat would satisfy you and me long. Remember, my dear, this isn’t everything—there’s another life. Hush now! Haven’t you a handkerchief? Here’s mine, then.”