"It is too late for regret," said Father Rocco, coldly. "Tell me
how she came to leave your house; I have not heard that yet. Be
as brief as you can. I expect to be called every moment to the
bedside of a near and dear relation, who is suffering from severe
illness. You shall have all my attention; but you must ask it for
as short a time as possible."
"I will be briefness itself. In the first place, you must know
that I have--or rather had--an idle, unscrupulous rascal of an
apprentice in my business."
The priest pursed up his mouth contemptuously.
"In the second place, this same good-for-nothing fellow had the
impertinence to fall in love with Nanina."
Father Rocco started, and listened eagerly.
"But I must do the girl the justice to say that she never gave
him the slightest encouragement; and that, whenever he ventured
to speak to her, she always quietly but very decidedly repelled
him."
"A good girl!" said Father Rocco. "I always said she was a good
girl. It was a mistake on my part ever to have distrusted her."
"Among the other offenses," continued the little man, "of which I
now find my scoundrel of an apprentice to have been guilty, was
the enormity of picking the lock of my desk, and prying into my
private papers."
"You ought not to have had any. Private papers should always be
burned papers."
"They shall be for the future; I will take good care of that.
Pages:
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454