The Woman and the Priest

at some one was kn

on his bed again, for his limbs gave way under him and he felt as if he had been beaten all over whilst he lay asleep. Crouched together with his head sunk on his breast, he could only nod faintly in response to the knock. His mother had not f

arments of his order. He flung open the window, and his eyes were dazzled by the vivid light of the silvery sky; the thickets on the hill-side, alive

im to the quick. The bell went on calling him, but he could not make up his mind to leave his room and he wandered round it almost in a fury. He looked in the mirror and then turned away, but it was us

omething he could not find, and finally sat down at his table and began to write. He began by copying out the verses w

we must cut ourselves loose without delay, if we want to free ourselves and not sink to the bo

his mother, and held out the letter

arsely, "try and give it into her own

is hand and hurried outside, for

their places in front close by the altar rails, the place was filled with the odour of earth and field, and Antiochus, the youthful sacristan, swung his censer energetically, sending out the smoke in the direction of the old men to drive away the smell. Gradually a dense cloud of incense screened the altar from the rest of the little church, and the brown-faced sacristan in his white surplice and the pale-faced priest in his vestments of red

head, and as he raised his hands in consecration his secret prayer was that the offering of his own flesh and

altar and fall asleep like a shepherd on the bare rocks. Dimly through the clouds of incense he saw in her glass-fronted niche the little Madonna which the people believed to be miraculous, a figure as dark and de

lding the old men, now thrusting their bearded faces between the pillars of the altar rails in order to hear better, and the women crouching on the ground, divided between curiosity and fear.

n who have to be at work before the dawn, to come here every morning, but young women and old men and children, such as I shall see now when I leave the church, standing at their own doors to greet the rising sun, all those should come here to begin the day with God, to praise Him in His own house and to gain strength for the path they have to tread. If you did this the poverty that afflicts you would disappear, and evil habits and temptati

church a silence so intense that the stone-breaker could be heard at his work behind the ridge. Then a wom

hear the confession of King N

bered that King Nicodemus was a fantastic old hunter who lived in a hut high up in the

"his relations have broug

ho was in the little sacristy, dis

st and drink your coffe

of both mother and son dwelt upon the same thing, the letter which had been delivered to Agnes, but neither spoke of it. Then he hasten

told him about Nicodemus until he had

gravely, poking his head round the cupboard door, and then he

nderstand a word of the sermon. They sat there with their mouths open, but they understood nothing. I bet you that old Marco Panizza really thinks he ought to wash his face every day, he who

there, her hands clas

ith a strong desire to laugh. Because he was quite sure that nobody could understand these matters as he understood them, he who already knew the

little garden attached to the church, all overgrown with rosemary and as deserted as a cemetery. But instead of going home to where his mother kep

Paul's breakfast. "Perhaps he won't have me as sacristan any longer, perhaps he will take Ilario Panizza. But Ilario can

s all: it is not right to laugh in chu

sleep last night, on account of the

t "perhaps he was angry because he did not sleep last night," only increased her uneasiness. Her heavy footsteps echoed through the silent rooms as she went to and fro: she felt instinctively that although apparently all was over, in reality it was all only just beginning. She had well understood the words he spoke from the altar, that one must awake early and wash oneself and march forward, and she went to and fro, up and down, trying to imagine that she was marching

anguish of the night, and as she drew it off to replace it with a

priests forbi

and how she owned a large house w

ertaining such thoughts, and quickly drawing on th

ent downstairs and sat by the fire beside Antiochus, who had not moved and was determined to wait there all day, if needs be, for the sake of seeing his superior and making

rch, as you do when he is delayed there hearing the

t for in such a hurry? The old man is

chap! I saw him once when I went up into the mountains with my father: he was sitting amongst the rocks in the sun,

s He orde

cultivate the ground, and not to hide

ecause he had been taught by her Paul. It was her Paul who taught them all to be good, wise and prudent; and when he really wished to he succeeded in convincing ev

s to be seen if you will do as you say when you're a ma

keeper and earns pretty well, too. I shall give all I get to the poor: God tells us to do that, and He Himself will provide for us. And the Bible says

is alone he can do that, b

, I shall never have children; pri

rtyard outside; it was a profile of pure, firm outline and dark skin, almost like a head of bronze, with long lashes

e you want to be a

that is G

arry, and suppose that some d

a wife, since God

rbidden it," said the mother, somew

od's represent

ves and families, just as the Prot

the boy, growing warm over the arg

olden times...

themselves held a meeting and decided against it; and those who had no wives or families, the yo

thing about it! And then they may repent, they may even go astray," she add

repenting for having thus evoked it. She did not wish even to think about it, and least of all in connectio

God save us from him! We had best not even think about him!" and he

suppose that he, your son,

trouble, to warn him for the future, yet at the same time she rejoiced at his words, as though

is right for priests not to ma

ould be to see a priest with his wife beside him and a child in his arms! And when he ought to go and say Mass he has to nurse

running about the house, and there was a pang at her heart. Antiochus laughed aloud, his dark

gether they would look from behind like two women! And would she go and c

ther do? Who do

re that your son could marry? The gran

t unfortunate girl in the village, a cripple and an idiot. But he instantly grew ser

er, there is s

"She is ugly, I don't like her,

being overheard by anyone except the boy, while Antiochus, his hands still clasped round hi

ou hear what I say! She is ugly a

and instantly they both were silen