Cardinal Bonpre folded the telegram, ready to take with him to the
Vatican.
"The Church can excommunicate even the dead!" he said sorrowfully, "If such an extreme measure is judged politic it will doubtless be carried out!"
"Wonderful Christian charity," murmured Sovrani under his breath, "to excommunicate a corpse! For that is all they can do. The Soul of the man is God's affair!"
Cardinal Bonpre answered nothing, for just then the young Manuel entered the room, in readiness to accompany his venerable protector and friend to the Vatican, and the old man's eyes rested upon him with a wistful, wondering trouble and anxiety which he could not conceal. Manuel smiled up at him—that rare and beautiful smile which was like sunshine in darkness—but the Cardinal's sad expression did not alter.
"The Abbe Vergniaud is no more," he said gently, as the boy drew near,
"His sins and sufferings are ended!"
"And his joys have begun!" answered Manuel, "For he set his life right with the world before he left it!"
"Child, you talk as a very wise man might!" said Prince Sovrani, his rugged brows smoothing into a kindly smile. "But the unfortunate Abbe is not likely to be judged in that way. It will be said of him that he scandalized the world before he left it!"
"When truth is made scandal, and right is made wrong," said Manuel, "It will surely be a God-forgotten world!"
"WILL be? I think it is already!" said Prince Pietro. "It is said that the patience of the Almighty is unwearied,—but I do not feel sure of that in my own mind. Science teaches us that many a world has been destroyed before now,—and sometimes I feel as if our turn were soon coming!"
Here the man-servant having completely finished arranging the
Cardinal's attire, made respectful obeisance and left the room, and the
Cardinal himself proceeded into the adjoining salon, where he found his
niece Angela waiting to see him.