Dear Mother of God, I love
him, and I would lose my life for his sake. Sweet Mary, comfort thy
child, and out of thy own sorrow be good to my sorrow. Hear me and pray
for me, divine Mary. Amen."
Her whole nature had been emptied out, and there came upon her a calm, a
strange clearness of brain, exhausted in body as she was. For an instant
she stood thinking.
"Madame Degardy! Madame Degardy!" she cried, with sudden inspiration.
"Ah, I will find her; she may save him with her herbs!"
She hurried out of the house and down through the village to the little
hut by the river, where the old woman lived.
Elise had been to Madame Degardy as good a friend as a half-mad creature,
with no memory, would permit her. Parpon had lived for years in the same
village, but, though he was her own son, she had never given him a look
of recognition, had used him as she used all others. In turn, the dwarf
had never told any one but Valmond of the relationship; and so the two
lived their strange lives in their own singular way. But the Cure knew
who it was that kept the old woman's house supplied with wood and other
necessaries.
Pages:
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180