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

182 THE SIX SISTERS OF THE VALLEYS.
dimples in the glass seven times a day,
instead of praying ? And yet yon would
flatter me!"
" Jndge not so harshly, daughter. But
have yon anything to confess ? any sins to
blot ont ? any good deeds to place to your
credit? anything to win the approval of your
uncle the Marquis, who is now at La Tour ?"
" I think," said Iolande, with hesita-
tion, " that I have a clue to something that
will bring forth fruit.'
'
" Let me hear it, in the name of our
model Pope Alexander VI."
" But, Father, I had to swear by the
Holy Virgin, that I would keep it secret,
and now I am violating my conscience."
"It's only to your spiritual father, and
it' s in the way of confes sion .
not deal hardly with you ;
The Virgin will
but to make you
happy I will absolve you at once. By Pope
Clement VII. , who absolved Cellini from
the blood of Bourbon, kneel down, and we
will free you from the fault."