But at that moment she broke down utterly, and the Pope, who had returned to his seat, rose again to comfort her.
"Calm yourself, my daughter," he said. "What you are going to do is an act of heroic self-sacrifice. Be brave and Heaven will reward you."
She grew calmer after a while, and then Father Pifferi made arrangements for the visit to the Procura. He would call for her at ten in the morning.
"Wait!" said Roma. A new light had come into her face—the light of a new idea.
"What is it, my daughter?" said the Pope.
"Holy Father, there is something I had forgotten. But I must tell you before it is too late. It may alter your view of everything. When you hear it you may say, 'You must not speak a word. You shall not speak. It is impossible.'"
"Tell me, my child."
Roma hesitated and looked from the Capuchin to the Pope. "How can I tell you," she said. "It is so difficult. I hadn't meant to tell any one."
"Go on, my daughter."
"My husband's name...."