III
Dayshowedtheocean’ssurfacenolongerglassy,butlyinglikeamirrorbreathedupon;andtherebetweentheshortheadlandscameasail,grayandplainagainsttheflatwater。Thepriestwatchedthroughhisglasses,andsawthegradualsungrowstronguponthecanvasofthebarkentine。
Themessagefromhisworldwasathand,yetto—dayhescarcelycaredsomuch。Sittinginhisgardenyesterday,hecouldneverhaveimaginedsuchachange。Buthisheartdidnothailthebarkentineasusual。Books,music,palepaper,andprint——thiswasallthatwascomingtohim,someofitssavorhadgone;forthesirenvoiceofLifehadbeenspeakingwithhimfacetoface,andinhisspirit,deepdown,theloveoftheworldwasrestlesslyansweringit。YoungGastonshowedmoreeagernessthanthePadreoverthisarrivalofthevesselthatmightbebringingTrovatoreinthenickoftime。Nowhewouldhavethechance,beforehetookhisleave,tohelprehearsethenewmusicwiththechoir。Hewouldbeamissionary,too:aperfectlynewexperience。
\"AndyoustillforgiveVerdithesinsofhisyouth?\"hesaidtohishost。
\"Iwonderifyoucouldforgivemine?\"
\"Verdihaslefthisbehindhim,\"retortedthePadre。
\"ButIamonlytwenty—five!\"exclaimedGaston,pathetically。
\"Ah,don’tgoawaysoon!\"pleadedtheexile。Itwasthefirstunconcealedcomplaintthathadescapedhim,andhefeltinstantshame。
ButGastonwastoomuchelatedwiththeenjoymentofeachnewdaytocomprehendthePadre’ssoul。Theshaftsofanother’spainmighthardlypiercethebrightarmorofhisgaiety。Hemistookthepriest’sentreaty,foranxietyabouthisownhappyspirit。
\"Stayhereunderyourcare?\"heasked。\"Itwoulddomenogood,Padre。
Temptationsticksclosertomethanabrother!\"andhegavethatlaughofhiswhichhaddisarmedsevererjudgesthanhishost。\"BynextweekI
shouldhaveintroducedsomesinorotherintoyourbeautifulGardenofIgnorancehere。ItwillbemuchsaferforyourflockifIgoandjointheotherserpentsatSanFrancisco。\"
SoonafterbreakfastthePadrehadhistwomulessaddled,andheandhisguestsetforthdownthehillstogethertotheshore。And,beneaththespellandconfidenceofpleasant,slowridingandthelovelinessofeverything,theyoungmantalkedfreelyofhimself。
\"And,seriously,\"saidhe,\"ifImissednothingelseatSantaYsabel,I
shouldlongfor——howshallIsayit?——forinsecurity,fordanger,andofallkinds——notmerelydangertothebody。Withinthesewalls,beneaththesesacredbells,youlivetoosafeforamanlikeme。\"
\"Toosafe!\"TheseechoedwordsuponthelipsofthepalePadrewereawhispertoolight,toodeep,forGaston’sheedlessear。
\"Why,\"theyoungmanpursuedinaspiritthatwasbuthalflevity,\"thoughIyieldoftentotemptation,attimesIhaveresistedit,andhereIshouldmisstheverychancetoresist。YourgardencouldneverbeEdenforme,becausetemptationisabsentfromit。\"
\"Absent!\"Stilllighter,stilldeeper,wasthiswhisperthatthePadrebreathed。
\"Imustfindlife,\"exclaimedGaston,\"andmyfortuneatthemines,I
hope。Iamnotabadfellow,Father。YoucaneasilyguessallthethingsIdo。Ihavenever,tomyknowledge,harmedanyone。Ididn’teventrytokillmyadversaryinanaffairofhonor。Igavehimamereflesh—wound,andbythistimehemustbequiterecovered。Hewasmyfriend。Butashecamebetweenme——\"
Gastonstopped,andthePadre,lookingkeenlyathim,sawtheviolencethathehadnoticedinchurchpasslikeaflameovertheyoungman’shandsomeface。
\"That’snothingdishonorable,\"saidGaston,answeringthepriest’slook。
Andthen,becausethislookmadehimnotquiteathisease:\"Perhapsapriestmightfeelobligedtosayitwasdishonorable。Sheandherfatherwere——amanowesnofidelitybeforeheis——butyoumightsaythathadbeendishonorable。\"
\"Ihavenotsaidso,myson。\"
\"Ididwhateverygentlemanwoulddo。\"insistedGaston。
\"Andthatisoftenwrong!\"saidthePadre,gentlyandgravely。\"ButI’mnotyourconfessor。\"
\"No,\"saidGaston,lookingdown。\"Anditisallover。Itwillnotbeginagain。SinceleavingNewOrleansIhavetraveledaninnocentjourneystraighttoyou。AndwhenImakemyfortuneIshallbeinapositiontoreturnand——\"
\"Claimthepressedflowrer?\"suggestedthePadre。Hedidnotsmile。
\"Ah,yourememberhowthosethingsare!\"saidGaston:andhelaughedandblushed。
\"Yes,\"saidthePadre,lookingattheanchoredbarkentine,\"Irememberhowthosethingsare。\"
Forawhilethevesselanditscargoandthelandedmenandvariousbusinessandconversationsoccupiedthem。Butthefreightforthemissiononceseento,therewasnotmuchelsetodetainthem。
Thebarkentinewasonlyacoasterlikemanyotherswhichhadbeguntofilltheseaalittlemoreoflateyears,andpresentlyhostandguestwereridinghomeward。Sidebysidetheyrode,companionstotheeye,butwideapartinmood;withintheturbulentyoungfigureofGastondweltaspiritthatcouldnotbemoreatease,whilerevoltwassteadilykindlingbeneaththeschooledandplacidmaskofthePadre。
Yetstillthestrangenessofhissituationinsucharemote,resourcelessplacecamebackasamarvelintotheyoungman’slivelymind。Twentyyearsinprison,hethought,andhardlyawareofit!Andheglancedatthesilentpriest。Amansoevidentlyfondofmusic,oftheaters,oftheworld,towhompressedflowershadmeantsomethingonce——andnowcontentedtobleachuponthesewastes!Notevendesirousofabriefholiday,butfindinganoldorganandsomeoldoperasenoughrecreation!
\"Itishisage,Isuppose,\"thoughtGaston。Andthenthenotionofhimselfwhenheshouldbesixtyoccurredtohim,andhespoke。
\"Doyouknow,Idonotbelieve,\"saidhe,\"thatIshouldeverreachsuchcontentmentasyours。\"
\"Perhapsyouwill,\"saidPadreIgnacio,inalowvoice。
\"Never!\"declaredtheyouth。\"Itcomesonlytothefew,Iamsure。\"
\"Yes。Onlytothefew,\"murmuredthePadre。
\"Iamcertainthatitmustbeagreatpossession,\"Gastoncontinued;
\"andyet——andyet——dearme!lifeisasplendidthing!\"
\"Thereareseveralwaystoliveit,\"saidthePadre。
\"Onlyoneforme!\"criedGaston。\"Action,men,women,things——tobethere,tobeknown,toplayapart,tositinthefrontseats;tohavepeopletelloneanother,’TheregoesGastonVillere!’andtodeserveone’sprominence。Why,ifIwasPadreofSantaYsabeldelMarfortwentyyears——
no!foroneyear——doyouknowwhatIshouldhavedone?Somedayitwouldhavebeentoomuchforme。Ishouldhaveleftthesesavagestoapastornearertheirownlevel,andIshouldhaveriddendownthiscanyonuponmymule,andsteppedonboardthebarkentine,andgonebacktomypropersphere。Youwillunderstand,sir,thatIamfarfromventuringtomakeanypersonalcomment。Iamonlythinkingwhataworldofdifferenceliesbetweennaturesthatcanfeelasalikeaswedouponsomanysubjects。Why,notsinceleavingNewOrleanshaveImetanyonewithwhomIcouldtalk,exceptoftheweatherandthebruteinterestscommontousall。Thatsuchaoneasyoushouldbehereislikeadream。\"
\"Butitisnotadream,\"saidthePadre。
\"And,sir——pardonmeifIdosaythis——areyounotwastedatSantaYsabeldelMar?Ihaveseenthepriestsattheothermissions。Theyare——
thesortofgoodmenthatIexpected。Butareyouneededtosavesuchsoulsasthese?\"
\"Thereisnoaristocracyofsouls,\"saidthePadre,againwhispering。
\"Butthebodyandthemind!\"criedGaston。\"MyGod,aretheynothing?Doyouthinkthattheyaregiventousfornothingbutatrap?Youcannotteachsuchadoctrinewithyourlibrarythere。Andhowaboutallthecultivatedmenandwomenawayfromwhosequickeningsocietythebrightestofusgrownumb?Youhaveheldout。Butwillitbeforlong?Areyounevertosaveanysoulsofyourownkind?Arenottwentyyearsofmescladosenough?No,no!\"finishedyoungGaston,hotwithhisunforeseeneloquence;\"Ishouldridedownsomemorningandtakethebarkentine。\"
PadreIgnaciowassilentforaspace。
\"Ihavenotoffendedyou?\"askedtheyoungman。
\"No。Anythingbutthat。YouaresurprisedthatIshould——choose——tostayhere。PerhapsyoumayhavewonderedhowIcametobehereatall?\"
\"Ihadnotintendedanyimpertinent——\"
\"Ohno。Putsuchanideaoutofyourhead,myson。YoumayrememberthatIwasgoingtomakeyouaconfessionaboutmyoperas。Letussitdowninthisshade。\"
Sotheypicketedthemulesnearthestreamandsatdown。
IV
Youhaveseen,\"beganPadreIgnacio,\"whatsortofamanI——wasonce。
Indeed,itseemsverystrangetomyselfthatyoushouldhavebeenherenottwenty—fourhoursyet,andknowsomuchofme。Fortherehascomenooneelseatall\"——thePadrepausedamomentandmasteredtheunsteadinessthathehadfeltapproachinginhisvoice——\"therehasbeennooneelsetowhomIhavetalkedsofreely。InmyearlydaysIhadnothoughtofbeingapriest。Byparentsdestinedmeforadiplomaticcareer。Therewasplentyofmoneyand——andalltherestofit;forbyinheritancecametometheacquaintanceofmanypeoplewhosenamesyouwouldbelikelytohaveheardof。Cities,peopleoffashion,artists——thewholeofitwasmyelementandmychoice;andby—and—byImarried,notonlywhereitwasdesirable,butwhereIloved。ThenforthefirsttimeDeathlaidhisstaffuponmyenchantment,andIunderstoodmanythingsthathadbeenonlywordstomehitherto。Tohavebeenahusbandforayear,andafatherforamoment,andinthatmomenttoloseall——thisunblindedme。Lookingback,itseemedtomethatIhadneverdoneanythingexceptformyselfallmydays。Ilefttheworld。InduetimeIbecameapriestandlivedinmyowncountry。Butmyworldlyexperienceandmyseculareducationhadgiventomyopinionsaturntooliberalfortheplacewheremyworkwaslaid。Iwassoonadvisedconcerningthisbythoseinauthorityoverme。AndsincetheycouldnotchangemeandIcouldthem,yetwishedtoworkandtoteach,theNewWorldwassuggested,andI
volunteeredtogivetherestofmylifetomissions。Itwassoonfoundthatsomeonewasneededhere,andforthislittleplaceIsailed,andtothesehumblepeopleIhavededicatedmyservice。Theyarepastoralcreaturesofthesoil。Theirvineyardandcattledaysareapttobelikethesunandstormaroundthem——strongalikeintheirevilandintheirgood。Alltheiryearstheyliveaschildren——childrenwithmen’spassionsgiventothemlikedeadlyweapons,unabletomeasuretheharmtheirimpulsesmaybring。Hence,evenintheircrimes,theirheartswillgenerallyopensoontotheonegreatkeyoflove,whilecivilizationmakeslockswhichthatkeycannotalwaysfitatthefirstturn。Andcomingtoknowthis,\"saidPadreIgnacio,fixinghiseyessteadilyuponGaston,\"youwillunderstandhowgreataprivilegeitistohelpsuchpeople,andhowthesenseofsomethingaccomplished——underGod——shouldbringContentmentwithRenunciation。\"
\"Yes,\"saidGastonVillere。Then,thinkingofhimself,\"Icanunderstanditinamanlikeyou。\"
\"Donotspeakofmeatall!\"exclaimedthePadre,almostpassionately。
\"ButprayHeaventhatyoumayfindthethingyourselfsomeday——
ContentmentwithRenunciation——andneverletitgo。\"
\"Amen!\"saidGaston,strangelymoved。
\"Thatisthewholeofmystory,\"thepriestcontinued,withnomoreoftherecentstressinhisvoice。\"AndnowIhavetalkedtoyouaboutmyselfquiteenough。Butyoumusthavemyconfession。\"Hehadnowresumedentirelyhishalf—playfultone。\"Iwasjustalittlemistaken,yousee——
tooself—reliant,perhaps——whenIsupposed,inmyfirstmissionaryardor,thatIcouldgetonwithoutanyremembranceoftheworldatall。IfoundthatIcouldnot。AndsoIhavetaughttheoldoperastomychoir——suchpartsofthemasarewithinourcompassandsuitableforworship。AndcertainofmyfriendsstillaliveathomearegoodenoughtorememberthistasteofmineandtosendmeeachyearsomeofthenewmusicthatIshouldneverhearofotherwise。Thenwestudythesethingsalso。Andalthoughourorganisamiserableaffair,Felipemanagesverycleverlytomakeitdo。Andwhilethevoicesaresingingtheseoperas,especiallytheoldones,whatharmisthereifsometimesthepriestisthinkingofsomethingelse?Sothere’smyconfession!Andnow,whetherTrovatoreiscomeornot,IshallnotallowyoutoleaveusuntilyouhavetaughtallyouknowofittoFelipe。\"
Thenewopera,however,haddulyarrived。AndasheturneditspagesPadreIgnaciowasquicktoseizeatonceuponthemusicthatcouldbetakenintohischurch。Someofitwasreadyfitted。BythatafternoonFelipeandhischoircouldhaverendered\"Ah!sel’errort’ingombra\"
withoutsliporfalter。
ThosewerestrangerehearsalsofIlTrovatoreuponthisCaliforniashore。
ForthePadrelookedtoGastontosaywhentheywenttoofastortooslow,andtocorrecttheiremphasis。Andsinceitwashot,thelittleErardpianowascarriedeachdayoutintothemissiongarden。There,inthecloistersamongthejessamine,theorangeblossoms,theoleanders,inthepresenceoftheroundyellowhillsandthebluetriangleofsea,theMisererewasslowlylearned。TheMexicansandIndiansgathered,swarthyandblack—haired,aroundthetinklinginstrumentthatFelipeplayed;andpresidingoverthemwereyoungGastonandthepalePadre,walkingupanddownthepaths,beatingtimeorsingingnowonepartandnowanother。AndsoitwasthatthewildcattleontheuplandswouldhearTrovatorehummedbyapassingvaquero,whilethesamemelodywasfillingthestreetsofthefar—offworld。
ForthreedaysGastonVillereremainedatSantaYsabeldelMar;andthoughnotawordofrestlessnesscamefromhim,hishostcouldreadSanFranciscoandthegold—minesinhiscountenance。No,theyoungmancouldnothavestayedherefortwentyyears!AndthePadreforboreurginghisguesttoextendhisvisit。
\"Buttheworldissmall,\"theguestdeclaredatparting。\"Somedayitwillnotbeabletospareyouanylonger。Andthenwearesuretomeet。
Butyoushallhearfrommesoon,atanyrate。\"
Again,asuponthefirstevening,thetwoexchangedafewcourtesies,moregracefulandparticularthanwe,whohavenottime,andfightnoduels,findworthaman’swhileatthepresentday。Forduelsaregone,whichisaverygoodthing,andwiththemacertaincarefulpoliteness,whichisapity;butthatisthewayintheeternalprofitandloss。SoyoungGastonrodenorthwardoutofthemission,backtotheworldandhisfortune;andthePadrestoodwatchingthedustaftertheriderhadpassedfromsight。Thenhewentintohisroomwithadrawnface。Butappearancesatleasthadbeenkeptuptotheend;theyouthwouldneverknowoftheelderman’sunrest。
V
TemptationhadarrivedwithGaston,butwasdestinedtomakealongerstayatSantaYsabeldelMar。Yetitwasperhapsaweekbeforethepriestknewthisguestwascometoabidewithhim。Theguestcouldbediscreet,couldwithdraw,wasnotatfirstimportunate。
Sailawayonthebarkentine?Awildnotion,tobesure!althoughfitenoughtoenterthebrainofsuchayoungscape—grace。ThePadreshookhisheadandsmiledaffectionatelywhenhethoughtofGastonVillere。Theyouth’shandsome,recklesscountenancewouldshineout,smiling,inhismemory,andherepeatedAuber’soldremark,\"IsitthegoodLord,orisitmerelythedevil,thatalwaysmakesmehaveaweaknessforrascals?\"
Sailawayonthebarkentine!Imaginetakingleaveofthepeoplehere——ofFelipe!Inwhatwordsshouldhetelltheboytogoonindustriouslywithhismusic?No,thiswasnotimaginable!Themerepartingalonewouldmakeitforeverimpossibletothinkofsuchathing。\"Andthen,\"hesaidtohimselfeachnewmorning,whenhelookedoutattheocean,\"Ihavegiventothemmylife。Onedoesnottakebackagift。\"
Picturesofhisdeparturebegantoshineandmeltinhisdriftingfancy。
HesawhimselfexplainingtoFelipethatnowhispresencewaswantedelsewhere;thatthanwouldcomeasuccessortotakecareofSantaYsabel—
—ayoungerman,moreuseful,andabletovisitsickpeopleatadistance。
\"ForIamoldnow。Ishouldnotbelonghasinanycase。\"Hestoppedandpressedhishandstogether;hehadcaughthisTemptationintheveryact。
NowhesatstaringathisTemptation’sface,closetohim,whiletheninthetriangletwoshipswentsailingby。
OnemorningFelipetoldhimthatthebarkentinewashereonitsreturnvoyagesouth。\"Indeed。\"saidthePadre,coldly。\"Thethingsarereadytogo,Ithink。\"Forthevesselcalledformailandcertainboxesthatthemissionsentaway。FelipelefttheroominwonderatthePadre’smanner。Butthepriestwaslaughingsecretlytoseehowlittleitwastohimwherethebarkentinewas,orwhetheritshouldbecomingorgoing。
Butintheafternoon,athispiano,hefoundhimselfsaying,\"Othershipscallhere,atanyrate。\"Andthenforthefirsttimeheprayedtobedeliveredfromhisthoughts。Yetpresentlyhelefthisseatandlookedoutofthewindowforasightofthebarkentine;butitwasgone。
Theseasonofthewine—makingpassed,andthepreservingofallthefruitsthatthemissionfieldsgrew。Lotionsandmedicineswasdistilledfromgardenherbs。Perfumewasmanufacturedfromthepetalsofflowersandcertainspices,andpresentsofitdespatchedtoSanFernandoandVentura,andtofriendsatotherplaces;forthePadrehadaspecialrecepit。Asthetimeranon,twoorthreevisitorspassedanightwithhim;andpresentlytherewasawordatvariousmissionsthatPadreIgnaciohadbeguntoshowhisyears。AtSantaYsabeldelMartheywhispered,\"ThePadreisnotwell。\"Yetherodeagreatdealoverthehillsbyhimself,anddownthecanyonveryoften,stoppingwherehehadsatwithGaston,tositaloneandlookupanddown,nowatthehillsabove,andnowattheoceanbelow。Amonghisparishionershehadcertaintroublestosoothe,certainwoundstoheal;ahomefromwhichhewasabletodrivejealousy;agirlwhomhebadeherloversetright。Butallsaid,\"ThePadreisunwell。\"AndFelipetoldthemthatthemusicseemednothingtohimanymore;heneveraskedforhisDixitDominusnowadays。
Thenforashorttimehewasreallyinbed,feverishwiththetwovoicesthatspoketohimwithoutceasing。\"Youhavegivenyourlife,\"saidonevoice。\"And,therefore,\"saidtheother,\"haveearnedtherighttogohomeanddie。\"\"YouarewinningbetterrewardsintheserviceofGod,\"
saidthefirstvoice。\"Godcanbebetterservedinotherplaces,\"
answeredthesecond。AshelaylisteninghesawSevilleagain,andthetreesofAranhal,wherehehadbeenborn。Thewindwasblowingthroughthem,andintheirbrancheshecouldhearthenightingales。\"Empty!
Empty!\"hesaid,aloud。AndhelayfortwodaysandnightshearingthewindandthenightingalesinthefartreesofAranhal。ButFelipe,watching,onlyheardthePadrecryingthroughthehours,\"Empty!Empty!\"
Thenthewindinthetreesdieddown,andthePadrecouldgetoutofbed,andsoonbeinthegarden。Butthevoiceswithinhimstilltalkedallthewhileashesatwatchingthesailswhentheypassedbetweentheheadlands。Theirwords,fallingforeverthesameway,beathisspiritsore,likeblowsuponfleshalreadybruised。Ifhecouldonlychangewhattheysaid,hewouldrest。
\"HasthePadreanymallforSantaBarbara?\"askedFelipe。\"Theshipboundsouthwardshouldbehereto—morrow。\"
\"Iwillattendtoit,\"saidthepriest,notmoving。AndFelipestoleaway。
AtFelipe’swordsthevoiceshadstopped,asaclockfinishesstriking。
Silence,strainedlikeexpectation,filledthePadre’ssoul。Butinplaceofthevoicescameoldsightsofhomeagain,thewavingtreesatAranhal;
thenitwouldbeRachelforamoment,declaimingtragedywhileahousefuloffacesthatheknewbynamewatchedher;andthroughallthepanoramarangthepleasantlaughofGaston。ForawhileintheeveningthePadresatathisErardplayingTrovatore。Later,inhissleeplessbedhelay,sayingnowandthen:\"Todieathome!SurelyImaybegrantedatleastthis。\"Andhelistenedfortheinnervoices。Buttheywerenotspeakinganymore,andtheblackholeofsilencegrewmoredreadfultohimthantheirarguments。Thenthedawncameinathiswindow,andhelaywatchingitsgraygrowwarmintocolor,untilsuddenlyhesprangfromhisbedandlookedatthesea。Blueitlay,sapphire—huedanddancingwithpointsofgold,lovelyandluringasacharm;andoveritstrianglethesouth—boundshipwasapproaching。PeoplewereonboardwhoinafewweekswouldbesailingtheAtlantic,whilehewouldstandherelookingoutofthissamewindow。\"MercifulGod!\"hecried,sinkingonhisknees。\"HeavenlyFather,Thouseestthisevilinmyheart!Thouknowestthatmyweakhandcannotpluckitout!Mystrengthisbreaking,andstillThoumakestmyburdenheavierthanIcanbear。\"Hestopped,breathlessandtrembling。
Thesamevisionswasflittingacrosshisclosedeyes;thesamesilencegapedlikeadrycraterinhissoul。\"Thereisnohelpinearthorheaven,\"hesaid,veryquietly;andhedressedhimself。
VIItwasstillsoearlythatfewoftheIndianswerestirring,andoneofthesesaddledthePadre’smule。Felipewasnotyetawake,andforamomentitcameinthepriest’smindtoopentheboy’sdoorsoftly,lookathimoncemore,andcomeaway。Butthishedidnot,noreventakeafarewellglanceatthechurchandorgan。Hebadenothingfarewell,but,turninghisbackuponhisroomandhisgarden,rodedownthecanyon。
Thevessellayatanchor,andsomeonehadlandedfromhaandwastalkingwithothermenontheshore。Seeingthepriestslowlycoming,thisstrangerapproachedtomeethim。
\"Youareconnectedwiththemissionhere?\"heinquired。
\"I——am。\"
\"PerhapsitiswithyouthatGastonVillerestopped?\"
\"TheyoungmanfromNewOrleans?Yes。IamPadreIgnacio。\"
\"Thenyou’llsavemeajourney。Ipromisedhimtodelivertheseintoyourownhands。\"
Thestrangergavethemtohim。
\"Abagofgold—dust,\"heexplained,\"andaletter。Iwroteitathisdictationwhilehewasdying。Helivedhardlyanhourafterward。\"
Thestrangerbowedhisheadatthestrickencrywhichhisnewselicitedfromthepriest,who,afterafewmoments’vainefforttospeak,openedtheletterandread:
MydearFriend,——Itisthroughnoman’sfaultbutminethatIhavecometothis。Ihavehadplentyofluck,andlatelyhavebeencountingthedaysuntilIshouldreturnhome。ButlastnightheavynewsfromNewOrleansreachedme,andItorethepressedflowertopieces。UnderthefirstsmartandhumiliationofbrokenfaithIwasrendereddesperate,andpickedaneedlessquarrel。ThankGod,itisIwhohavethepunishment。Bydearfriend,asIliehere,leavingaworldthatnomaneverlovedmore,Ihavecometounderstandyou。Foryouandyourmissionhavebeenmuchinmythoughts。Itisstrangehowgoodcanbedone,notatthetimewhenitisintended,butafterward;andyouhavedonethisgoodtome。Isayoveryourwords,\"ContentmentwithRenunciation,\"andbelievethatatthislasthourIhavegainedsomethinglikewhatyouwouldwishmetofeel。
ForIdonotthinkthatIdesireitotherwisenow。Mylifewouldneverhavebeenofservice,Iamafraid。Youamthelastpersoninthisworldwhohasspokenseriouswordstome,andIwantyoutoknowthatnowatlengthIvaluethepeaceofSantaYsabelasIcouldneverhavedonebutforseeingyourwisdomandgoodness。Youspokeofaneworganforyourchurch。Takethegold—dustthatwillreachyouwiththis,anddowhatyouwillwithit。Letmeatleastindyinghavehelpedsomeone。Andsincethemisnoaristocracyinsouls——yousaidthattome;doyouremember?——
perhapsyouwillsayamassforthisdepartingsoulofmine。Ionlywish,mustmybodymustgoundergroundinastrangecountry,thatitmighthavebeenatSantaYsabeldidMar,whereyourfeetwouldoftenpass。
\"’AtSantaYsabeldelMar,whereyourfeetwouldoftenpass。’\"Thepriestrepeatedthisfinalsentencealoud,withoutbeingawareofit。
\"Thosearethelastwordsheeverspoke,\"saidthestranger,\"exceptbiddingmegood—by。\"
\"Youknewhimwell,then?\"
\"No;notuntilafterhewashurt。I’mthemanhequarreledwith。\"
Thepriestlookedattheshipthatwouldsailonwardthisafternoon。
Thenasmileofgreatbeautypassedoverhisface,andheaddressedthestrange。\"Ithankyou。Youwillneverknowwhatyouhavedoneforme。\"
\"Itisnothing,\"answeredthestranger,awkwardly。\"Hetoldmeyousetgreatstoreonaneworgan。\"
PadreIgnacioturnedawayfromtheshipandrodebackthroughthegorge。
WhenhehadreachedtheshadyplacewhereoncehehadsatwithGastonVillere,hedismountedandagainsatthere,alonebythestream,formanyhours。Longridesandoutingshadbeenlatelysomuchhiscustomthatnoonethoughttwiceofhisabsence;andwhenheresumedtothemissionintheafternoon,theIndiantookhismule,andhewenttohisseatinthegarden。Butitwaswithanotherlookthathewatchedthesea;andpresentlythesailmovedacrossthebluetriangle,andsoonithadroundedtheheadland。
WithitdepartedTemptationforever。
Gaston’sfirstcomingwasinthePadre’smind;and,asthevespersbellbegantoringinthecloisteredsilence,afragmentofAuber’splaintivetunepassedlikeasighacrosshismemory。
[Musicalscoreappearshere]
ForthereposeofGaston’syoung,world—lovingspirit,theysangallthathehadtaughtthemofIlTrovatore。
Afterthisday,FelipeandallthosewhoknewandlovedthePadrebest,sawserenityhadreturnedtohisfeatures;butforsomereasontheybegantowatchthosefeatureswithmorecare。
\"Still,\"theysaid,\"heisnotold。\"Andasthemonthswentbytheywouldrepeat:\"Weshallhavehimyetformanyyears。\"
Thustheseasonrolledround,bringingthetimefortheexpectedmessagesfromtheworld。PadreIgnaciowaswonttositinhisgarden,waitingfortheship,asofold。
\"Asofold,\"theysaid,cheerfully,whosawhim。ButRenunciationwithContentmenttheycouldnotsee;itwasdeepdowninhissilentandthankedheart。
OnedayFelipewenttocallhimfromhisgardenseat,wonderingwhytheringingofthebellhadnotbroughthimtovespers。Breviaryinlap,andhandsfoldeduponit,thePadresatamonghisflowers,lookingatthesea。Outthereamidthesapphire—blue,tranquilandwhite,gleamedthesailsofthebarkentine。Ithadbroughthimanewmessage,notfromthisworld;andPadreIgnaciowasslowlyborneinfromthegarden,whilethemission—belltolledforthepassingofahumansoul。