The six sisters of the valleys : an historical romance - University Library

. THE HAWK AND THE DOVE. 169
" He who told me ought to know, and
lie had no motives for deceiving me."
"Oh, yon do not know the world; he
must have had some interested motives of
his own for telling you so base a scandal
it would be enough to brand the Church
with eternal infamy.'
'
" "Well, Iolande, you have only to look
back to history, and I fear your Church has
some sad precedents to imitate, as I learned
from grandfather. There is the Bull of In-
nocent about two hundred years ago, which
brought such havoc among our brethren
in Dauphiny, and then even in our valleys
only a hundred years since, look at what
was done by the Comte de la Trinite."
" Oh, Ardoine ! is it kind of you to up-
braid me in this manner with the deeds of
our Church ? I am sure you would not like
these charges, or if I were to rake up his-
tory to blacken your sect ; but I was never
taught to do this."
" Forgive me, Iolande, if I have hurt
;