Tears
flowed down his cheeks, though he strove to repress them: sobs
burst from him, though he tried to stifle them. He knew that
others besides Perrine were looking at him in astonishment and
alarm; but he could neither control himself, nor move to leave
his place, nor raise his eyes even--until suddenly he felt a hand
laid on his shoulder. That touch, slight as it was, ran through
him instantly He looked up, and saw Father Paul standing by his
side.
Beckoning him to follow, and signing to the congregation not to
suspend their devotions, he led Gabriel out of the assembly--then
paused for a moment, reflecting--then beckoning him again, took
him into the cabin of the ship, and closed the door carefully.
"You have something on your mind," he said, simply and quietly,
taking the young man by the hand. "I may be able to relieve you,
if you tell me what it is."
As Gabriel heard these gentle words, and saw, by the light of a
lamp which burned before a cross fixed against the wall, the sad
kindness of expression with which the priest was regarding him,
the oppression that had lain so long on his heart seemed to leave
it in an instant. The haunting fear of ever divulging his fatal
suspicions and his fatal secret had vanished, as it were, at the
touch of Father Paul's hand. For the first time he now repeated
to another ear--the sounds of prayer and praise rising grandly
the while from the congregation above--his grandfather's
death-bed confession, word for word almost, as he had heard it in
the cottage on the night of the storm.
Pages:
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370