'May God bless you. I clasp your hand in friend-
ship.5
The Cure carefully read over his letter, after which
he carried it down to the post box.
clf she will only consent . . .5 he mused, sighing.
Then, although he no longer felt love for this
woman, his thoughts of her became very limpid and
sweet —as limpid and sweet as a stream from 'the
mountains. And he visualized Genevieve as Jan5s
mother, and himself, for the first time, as Jan's
fleshly father. And this he did without guile and
without sin — unless the paternal instinct be sinful.
Ten days later the Comtesse de Berac replied: * It
made me very happy to receive your letter, and yet
sad. It was all a long time ago but I have never
forgotten our friendship, nor have I forgotten you
in my prayers. But do not let me dwell too much on
myself, for I, like you, belong to the past, whereas
your Jan belongs to the future.
'How could you have imagined that I would refuse?
Of course, my dear Antoine, you shall have the money
— all the money you require to educate Jan and to fit
him worthily to enter the priesthood.
'I myself will drive out to Versailles next week and
will have a long talk with the Superior who, by the
way, is related to my husband. From him I shall
learn just how much you will need; but you might
let me know the age of the boy. I gather from your
letter that he is still quite young. Nevertheless we
will prepare things at once; I believe in the saying:
"There is no time like the present.55
'I would greatly have liked my own son to be a
priest, but that privilege God has seen fit to deny
me. However, my Fernand is a good and charming
man — I have always much wished that you could
meet him.
'When I have been to the Grand Seininaire I will
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