“‘I should like to see the bedrooms.’
“I took him in and showed him one.
“‘All the others are the same,’ I said.
“He glanced round at the white walls, the rough bed, the crucifix above it, the iron basin, the paved floor, then went to the window and looked out.
“‘Well,’ he said, drawing back into the room, ‘I will go now to see the Pere Abbe, if it is permitted.’
“On the garden path I bade him good-bye. He shook my hand. There was an odd smile in his face. Half-an-hour later I saw him coming again through the arcade.
“‘Father,’ he said, ‘I am not going away. I have asked the Pere Abbe’s permission to stay here. He has given it to me. To-morrow such luggage as I need will be sent over from Tunis. Are you—are you very vexed to have a stranger to trouble your peace?’
“His intensely observant eyes were fixed upon me while he spoke. I answered:
“‘I do not think you will trouble my peace.’
“And my thought was: