"You have indeed made a great journey."
"But it's to help one who needs help. I'd go if it took me to the other side of the world. The errand is sacred."
"Then I wish you Godspeed upon it. You are young, and you have a good face. What you say must be true. I shall pray for you and the happy end of your search."
She uttered words rapidly under her breath. She was a middle-aged and uneducated Austrian woman, but as she prayed and the shadows deepened on the mountains he received an extraordinary impression. A priest had prayed, too, for his success, and the second prayer could not be a mere coincidence. It was one of a chain. His will to succeed was so powerful, and so many others were helping him with the same wish that he could not fail.
CHAPTER X
THE FAIR CAPTIVE
The woman gathered up the remains of the food, crossed herself again before the shrine, and she and her sons prepared to resume the descent of the mountain.
"I thank you for your good wishes," said John. "They may go far."
"And so may yours," she said. "Farewell!"