When Montaniri woke up the next day, Arthur was gone. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoBefore dawn, he went to the pasture in the mountains to "help Caspar herd the sheep".

It wasn't long before breakfast was on the table, but at that moment he trotted into the house. She wore no hat on her head and carried a three-year-old rural girl on her shoulders with a handful of wildflowers in her hands.

Montagneri looked up, smiling. Arthur was not smiling at Pisa and Livo, and it is interesting that he looks like he did then.

"You crazy guy, where are you wild? Running around the mountains and fields, not even eating breakfast? ”

"Oh, Padre, that's interesting! At sunrise, the mountains are truly spectacular. The dew is heavy! Look! ”

He lifted a boot, which was wet and covered in mud.

"We brought some bread and cheese and got some milk from the ranch. Oh, that's what it calls awesome! But I'm hungry again, and I want to give this little creature something to eat. Anita, would you like to have some honey? ”

He sat down, put the child on his lap, and helped her arrange the flowers.

"No, no!" Montaniri interjected, "I can't watch you catch a cold. Go change out of your wet clothes. Come here, Anita. Where did you get her? ”

"It's at the head of the village. Her father, whom we met yesterday, was the village shoemaker. Look how beautiful her eyes are! She had a turtle in her pocket, which she called 'Caroline'. ”

When Arthur returned to dinner after changing his clothes, he saw the child sitting on Padre's lap, talking to him about her turtle. The chubby little hand holds the four-legged turtle, in order to let the "sir" appreciate the endless little feet.

"Look, sir!" She said solemnly in a half-understood dialect, "Look at Caroline's boots! ”

Montaniri sat there teasing the child, stroking her hair, praising her precious turtle and telling her wonderful stories. The mistress of the house came in to clean up the table, and she was taken aback at the sight of Anita rummaging through the pockets of the gentleman with a stern face and a clerical attire.

"God teaches children to discern good people." "Anita was always afraid to deal with people. You see, she saw that the priest didn't squirm at all. It's weird! Get down on your knees, Anita, and ask this good gentleman to pray for you before leaving, it will bring you good luck. ”

"I didn't know you could tease a kid like that, Padre." An hour later, Arthur said as they walked through the sunny pasture. "That kid is always looking at you. You know, I think-"

"What do you want?"

"I'm just going to say - it seems to me that it's almost a pity that the Church forbids clergy from marrying. I don't quite understand why. You know, educating children is an extremely serious matter, and it is especially important for them to be well nurtured from the beginning, so I think that the nobler a person's profession and the purer his life, the more suitable he is to take on the duties of a father. I'm sure, Padre, if you didn't swear not to marry for the rest of your life—if you do, your children will be very—"

"Shh

The sound came so suddenly that the silence that followed seemed extraordinarily deep.

“Padre。” Arthur spoke again. Seeing the other party's gloomy expression, he was very distressed in his heart. "Do you think there's anything wrong with what I'm saying? Of course I may be wrong, but I can only assume that I thought of it naturally. ”

"Perhaps," replied Montagneri softly, "you don't quite understand what you just said. In a few years, maybe you'll change your mind. In the meantime, we'd better talk about something else. ”

They have been in great harmony during this holiday trip, and this is the first time they have had an awkward relationship.

From Chamonix they traveled to Maldini via Tetenoy, where they rested because it was breathlessly hot. After eating, they sat on the balcony of the hotel. There is no sun here, and you can still enjoy a panoramic view of the mountains. Arthur took out his specimen box and discussed botany seriously in Italian and Montagneri.

Two British painters are sitting on the balcony, one sketching, the other lazily talking. He didn't expect the two strangers to be able to understand English.

"Don't paint any scenery there, Willy." He said, "Just draw that young Italian boy who is in a daze tinkering with those sheep's tooth leaves." Look at the line of his eyebrows! All you need to do is change the magnifying glass to the cross, and the tunic and bloomers to the Romanesque robe, and you can draw an early Christian who is both physical and spiritual. ”

"your early Christians! I sat with the lad while I was eating, and he was as fascinated by the roast chicken as he was with these weeds. He was beautiful enough, and his olive complexion was indeed beautiful, but it was far from what his father had painted. ”

"Who's his?"

"His father, the one who sits before you. So you're ignoring him? That's what makes that face wonderful. ”

"What a brainless Methodist you are! Don't you even recognize a Catholic priest? ”

"Priest? Oh my God, he's a priest! By the way, I forgot about it. They are to swear to be virgins forever, and so on. Well, let's do good deeds, assuming that the boy is his nephew. ”

"These people are so stupid!" Arthur whispered, his eyes flickering. "But, thanks to their good intentions, they think I look like you. I wish I really was your nephew - Padre, what's wrong? Your face is so pale! ”

Montaniri stood up, one hand on his forehead. "I'm a little dizzy." The strange thing, he said, was that his voice was weak and listless. "Maybe I've been in the sun too long this morning. I'm going to lie down for a while, dear. Nothing, just that it was too hot. ”

After a two-week stay on the shores of Lake Lusen, Arthur and Monteneri returned to Italy via the San Gottal Pass. Thankfully, the weather has been good and they did a couple of enjoyable hikes. But the original joy is gone. Montagneri was always nervous and wanted to arrange a "more formal conversation", and this holiday was an opportunity for such a conversation.