There were others, however, who felt it their duty
to interfere in this grim situation, and among them
the Cure who was worried lest Jan should suffer
through fretting about his cousin; he also had left
school and was now engaged upon grave and extreme-
ly important studies.
Jan had suddenly announced: *I would give up the
priesthood if Madame de Berac would be kind to
Christophe and look after his future instead of mine
. . . but yes, I would even give up the priesthood if
Christophe would consent to enter the Church. Mon
pere, do you think we could make him do so? Do you
think we could make him become more submissive
and less foolish about imagining things that he says
have got left out of the Bible?'
The Cure had looked at him very sternly: 'You
have spoken as the young will speak in emotion. No,
Jan, God has chosen you for His priest, and we cannot
decide such matters for God who may well have plans
of His own for Christophe/ But the next day he went
to the Benedit's house, having made up his mind to
speak to Jouse.
clt appears to me,' began Monsieur le Cure, €it
appears to me that it would be better if you let
Christophe look for employment elsewhere. He is
really surprisingly strong for his age, so perhaps he
could get a job at the station, or else on the line be-
tween here and Saint Raphael; I see they are making
extensive repairs. . . .'
Jouse answered: 'My son is a carpenter, he is
neither a luggage-porter nor a navvy.5
The Cure curbed his rising irritation: 'Yet I know
that your son is anxious to earn money in order to do
what he can to help. Christophe, is that not so?'
And he turned to the boy.
'Mais oui, I much wish to earn/ murmured
Christophe.
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