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

fortmiritely, this at length became of daily occurrence.
Du Casso was alarmed at the bad turn his son hud takeu. and
like many other fathers iu his walk of life, could think of u )
other method to reclaim him than a harsh severity. Whenever
Bruno was sent to his gnrret, as a punishment, -without any
supper, a meaning look would pass between the two brothers,
and Joseph would adroitly manage to drop half of his portion
into his pocket, and take it up to Bruno when he went to bed.
But there was another less laudable feature in these children's
attachment: Bruno very often took advantage of the innocence
of Joseph, and of his devoted affection, to implicate him
in some of his evil deeds. As he knew himself to be iu his
father's black-books, and that Joseph was the favorite, he
trained him to accomplish many little pilfering feats, and made
a complete "cat's-paw" of him; not from any treacherous motive,
for they equally shared the profits arising from the transaction:
Bruno merely sought to divert the channel of his
father's wrath from himself, and that was all he cared about.
Aud so it chauc d that a whole string of potargos disappeared
from the chimney-corner, one by one, cut away, in fact, by
Master Joseph; and when, after a month, the misdemeanor
was discovered, poor Bruno became the sole sufferer, and a
whole shower of blows fell thick and fast upon his luckless
head. They used to get up in the night to forestall their pa-
ternal inheritance, as represented by the hams in the shop;
they devoured jars of gherkins, to which Joseph's tiny fingers
could alone gain entrance through the narrow aperture; they
treated the whole establishment as a conquered country; they
levied taxes on their father's territory, and declared open war
whithersoever they penetrated; they even went so far as to
melt a pewter dish upon a shovel, for mere wanton amusement.
Imagine to yourself, if you can, the devastation carried on by
tUese two children, impelled as they were by ignorance and
love of mischief.
Joseph, with his childish consciousness of right and wrong,
would be frequently tormented with scruples; but when his
brother had determined on a thing, he dared not resist him.
Often the poor child had to suffer in consequence of their great
inequality of strength, and often he became the victim of his
brother's superior physical advantages. If they played to-
gether Joseph's blows were little more than caresses, whilstthose
of Bruno were wounds, from which the blood flowed, where the
elder would lightly jump with his legs tied, Joseph would fall
down flat on the ground. It is true that after any of these
disasters, Bruno would run towards his brother, pale as death,
and tearing his hair, on which poor Joseph would restrain his
tears, unable to bear the sight of such passionate remorse and
despair.
Old Du Casse became more and more perplexed as his sons
grew older. Bruno's circle of evil acquaintances had increased;
he no longer condescended to play with his younger brother,
feeling it beneath his dignity to be seen amusing himself with
such a child. His father had apprenticed him out two or three
times, but he was always turned off in a great hurry, and
thrown again on the old man's hands, who was utterly at a loss
to know what to do with him.
At this juncture, an old canon, who lodged in Du Casse's
house, took pity on Joseph; the good priest instructed him in
Latin and in the Church chant, and gained him admission into
a religious community. The child had very good natural
parts; he soou showed himself to be studious, devout, and full
of intelligence. But what result did all this produce between
I], but his prayers and entreaties, as well as the most in-
genious devices that his affection could suggest, proved utter-
I:I:TJU-:I; ,/O.VAV//.
these brothers, BO attached to one another ?
Joseph became painfully conscious of the terrible disorders
that reigned in the paternal abode, and his devoted affection
for his eldest brother was an additional incentive to endeavor
to arouse him by gentle remonstrances to a sense of his unworthy
conduct. Bruno, however, repulsed them at first with
a sort of rough brotherly bluntness. He defended himself,
denied the accusation, and blamed his father. Joseph was in
no way discouraged; he returned to the charge again and
heavy
ly unavailing. If Bruno appeared touched fora moment, ho
speedily betook himself to hiHwor:: nanions, nn