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

protects the Holy Father's last possessions."
" My friend, it \vould be impossible lor IP .
you," resumi d the 1
"all ,
Wo were H.
thai, \ve had lo BVJ
that dangerous flight.
the army while it was retreating on Lor to; aim"
of escaping the enemy, we tied to the mount:,'
.1 i xi ,'/;/,/; ,v i.
ibe to
having wandered about for several days, we saw that, in place
of advancing in the direction of Koine, unfortunati :
1
of Loreto. Wo (lured not r. op to
quitted the neighborhood
get a guide for fear of meeting traitors, who'd bare given UH
up to the eueniy. At the simple sight of tlio cross surmountii;g
the hermitage, wo felt emboldened to knock and implore
succor from the generosity of its inhabitants."
"
Truly it was the hand of God brought you here. Our good
hermit who received U8 and eared for us with a fatherly fond-
ness, will give you every information you may desire."
" He'll do us a great service, for all wo want is to get to
Rome as quick as possible."
At that moment Pra Paolo entered, inviting his guests to a
modest repast. At first, he tried everything to get them to remain
at least one night more; then he gave them every ex-
tion he could to enable them quietly to pursue their way
and reach Rome without danger.
"
lint why do you want to go away so soon ?" he repeated.
" Wait at least until the morning; youjl rest to-night."
"
No, no, my good father; Rome, Rome, nothing but Rome,"
aided the three Zouaves.
t i c hermit. Van Gameren and his companions, us soon as they
had sufficiently rested, took leave of Victor and all their friends
'Well, au revoir, then,"
" Au revoir, my friends, Success to you and a safe
journey. "
"Poor fellows!" sighed Victor, however, as soon as they
were out of
"
hearing; I'm very, very much air id they'll soon
fall into tho hands of the enemy."
He was deceived, however. Van Gameren and his two com*
paniou -, although exposed to the cruellest fatigues, and surrounded
with perils, reached their journey's end safe. " I wish
you had pe'.n me," wrote Van Gameren to his brother. " I had
all the look of a mendicant, a beggar. My clothes were fall-
ing off me ; my handsome Zouave's uniform, which I had put
on quite new scarcely a month ago, was literally in pieces.
Fortunately, they've given me another.''
Victor's health appeared to improve day by day. Thanks to
the hermit's doctoring, his wound was already almost cicatrized,
and he would have been able to proceed towards Rome along
with his companions if he had not been sensibly weakened by
the copious hemorrhage.
But tho hermit would not listen to their going.
"
Wait," he said to them, "wait, my children until your
friend's strength is completely restored and the surrounding
country quieter. You mustn't forget the Piedmontese are still
scouring the country."
They said tho same thing at Luigi's. The young Zouaves
then were constrained to yield to these entreaties, and defer
their departure. They were greatly distressed, thinking how
v their Belgian friends would be on their accoun'. And
yet they could not make up their minds to write a few words
with a view of reassuring them ; for they wen; afraid, by so
doing they would reveal the place of their retreat to thei,
inicH. Besides, if they could have got rid < f this auxietv, they
would have led a quiet, happy life with their good friend
ail vied with each other in testifying their respect, intere
affection for them. Lorenzo and Marietta particularly could
not exist without their company.
sympathy
Dg man ba )