Fabiola : or, The church of the catacombs - Digital Repository Services

astical superior, and put your case before him. I, yesterday,
about an hour before you came to me, received, providentially
I may say, his answer. The first thing you have to do is to get
as strong as possible, for you are sadly shattered, my poor
tell you that you are as welcome as a prince to all that my poor
dwelling can give you, and for the next few weeks you will live
virtually with me not a word ; now, or I will not say another
syllable of what I have to tell you. I say yon will
live virtually with me ; for, thinking that your father might
say that I had entrapped you away did you come to me altogether,
I have thought it better to take for you a nice little
parlor and bedroom in the next street to this, in the house of
a good old widow, one of the most fervent members of my
at the
congregation ; and poor old Mrs. Martin is so proud
can take a Little walk, and come home for our simple dinner,
and if you don't stay to tea with me, why I will go with you,
and give poor old Mrs. Martin an opportunity of bringing out
her best set of china ; and so you see, my child, we shall be
always together, whilst at the same time you will be living in
your own lodgings. Now, dry those tears immediately," continued
Father Eustace, in a very suspicious tone of voice, as Edwin
began to show unmistakeable signs of breaking out afresh,
" or I shall be quite cross, I declare I shall," he added, getting
up and going to the window, which was in itself rather a
strange and suspicious proceeding, as the street outside was
perfectly quiet, and nothing whatever going on to justify him
in looking out so intently. He seemed, too, to experience a
slight return of the sudden cold he had taken the day before ;
for, before he returned to the side of Edwin, he had found it
necessary to make a very noisy use of his handkerchief, and
when he did return at last, his eyes looked quite red and
moist ; but we all know that this is one of the effects of a bad
cold, and so we have no sufficient grounds for concluding that
Father Eustace had been crying again. Perhaps, however,
the angels could tell us ;
and even supposing he had, although
no doubt our good friend, bluff old Mr. Brown, might blame
him for it, we scarcely could.
".Yes, my child," resumed Father Eustace, "you must
spend the next few weeks in quietness and repose. During
this time you can prepare yourself to be formally received into
the Church, and for the great happiness of your first communion.
Then, when yon are quite strong and well, you can go to
the College of which I am authorized to tell , you is
think fit to enter it. You
open to receive you whenever you
can spend a few months there, and if you should find that your
vocation is not for the Church, it will have done you no harm to
have spent some time in the seclusion and retirement of college
life. If, on the contrary, you are called to the service of the
altar, yon can complete your studies there ; and so you see,
my dear child," continued Father Eustace, as Edwin pressed
his hand, and looked all the grateful thankfulness which his
tongue refused to speak, " so you see how Providence has
been watching over you all this time, and lias provided you
THE TWO VH'TOHTEti. 17
your father cnslin.o; you off, should yon become a Cniholio. I
did so advisedly, for I was :um