“It is a great trial to be kept in such suspense,” their guide said; “but whatever comes of it you must always feel that it is for the best. I am glad to know that I may perhaps be of a little assistance to you in such a matter. We may never meet again, but I shall be happy if I can give you cause to remember your visit to Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde with the stranger from Rome. I have a very dear friend in New Zealand who may be of the greatest assistance to you in identifying the man in the hospital, or in providing suitably for him if he proves to be your father—as indeed I hope he may. I will give you a line to my friend, and you must not hesitate to use it if occasion arises.”
He took from an inner pocket, as he spoke, a small letter-case with silver clasp and corners, opened it, and with the fountain pen it contained wrote a brief letter, resting the case upon his knee, enclosed it in an envelope which he addressed, and handed it to Kit.
“If you should go to New Zealand to make inquiries for yourself,” he said, “do not fail to present it, or if you send it by mail, write a letter of your own to accompany it, explaining the case. You will find it of use to you.”
“Thank you very much, sir,” Kit answered, as he took the letter. “I cannot tell what will be best to do till we hear from the consul there.”
The letter-case was hardly restored to its place before the priest returned, bringing again several attendants who carried a large tray loaded with silver eating and drinking utensils, a silver urn of steaming tea, bread, meats, cakes, fruit, nuts, and cheese. Again they all went through the kneeling process; and they were shortly followed by several more priests, who were duly introduced to the distinguished visitor.
While they were eating, all the priests and attendants withdrew; and the “they” included the boys as well as the stranger, for he had thoughtfully asked for food for his friends as well as for himself. After a suitable interval the priests returned, kneeling as before, the tray was removed, and the priests, at the stranger’s bidding, drew up chairs, and a conversation followed, sometimes in Latin, sometimes in French.
The boys could easily see that they were as much of a mystery to the priests as the whole thing was to them. Here were two young men, whose dress showed that they were not in holy orders, who did not even speak the language of the country, but who sat and talked and ate with the distinguished stranger as if with an equal; who did not kneel to him, did not even bow when they stood before him, but spoke to him and asked him questions as freely as if he had been their father. If the boys could have understood a few words of the conversation, their situation would have been much less awkward; but it was all as bad as Greek to them, and they could do nothing but sit and listen.
For the next hour or two the priests were in and out, bowing themselves out backwards always as they retired, kneeling always as they entered; and in the intervals the boys enjoyed the conversation of their guide, who had been in many countries and had seen many strange things. He had been in America, much to their delight, and could tell them more than they knew about New York and Boston. He had been in Bridgeport, too; but when they asked whether he had been in Huntington he smiled and shook his head.
There was no need now to make inquiries about the repairs to the ascenseurs, for every priest who entered the room had something to say about the progress of the work, and the visitor kept the boys informed in English. They would be running again in an hour; in half an hour; in ten minutes. Then came the news that they were running, but would make a few trips first to be sure of their safety. It was between eleven and twelve o’clock when they were told that all was in readiness for them to descend.
Outside the door of the little house were two young attendants with lanterns; and the priests themselves were there to take their visitor by the arms and help him down through the stormy darkness to the ascenseurs. And four priests went down with them in the car; and in the pavilion at the bottom the whole four fell upon their knees around the stranger to receive his benediction before he left them. And a handsome carriage was waiting (the priests had taken care of that), in which the stranger insisted that the boys should drive with him into the city.