Chapter 21 five quiet

Bienvenu, after saying good-night to his sister, took a silver candlestick from the table, and handing the other to his guest, said: "Sir, let me show you to your room." The man followed him. We have already spoken of the structural form of the house, and the way to and from the alcove was through the bishop's bedroom. As they passed through the room, Madame Magloire was stuffing the silver cups into the cupboard next to his bed, the last thing she did every night before going to bed. The bishop lodged his guest in an alcove.There was a clean white bed.The man put the candlesticks on a small table.

"Well," said the Bishop, "get a good night's sleep. To-morrow morning, before you set off, have another glass of warm milk from our house." "Thank you, Monsieur Priest," said the man. As soon as he said those extremely calm words, he suddenly added a strange movement. If the two saintesses saw it, they would be stupefied with fright.Until now, it is still difficult for us to be sure what kind of force he was at the time.Is it to give a warning or to intimidate?Or was he driven by an instinct that even he could not understand?He turned suddenly to the old man, folded his arms, looked at his host with a savage look, and cried out in a rough voice:

"Yah! Really? You let me sleep so close to you?" He followed up with a ferocious laugh and said: "Have you thought it all out? Who told you I never killed anyone?" The bishop raised his head, looked at the ceiling, and replied: "That's for God's business." Then, moving his lips solemnly, like a man praying or talking to himself, he stretches out two fingers of his right hand, and blesses the man, who does not bow his head, does not turn his head nor look back, I went back to my house. When someone lives in the alcove, he always draws back a large serge curtain to cover the sacred seat.The bishop walked up to the drapery, knelt down and said a short prayer.

A little while later he was in his garden, and walked, meditated, meditated, with heart and mind upon the great mystery which God revealed in the evening to all who had not closed their eyes. As for the man, he was so sleepy that he didn't even enjoy the white sheets. He blew out the candle with his nostrils (this is the way prisoners do), threw himself on the bed with his clothes on, and immediately fell asleep. The clock was striking twelve when the Bishop returned from the garden to his house. In a few minutes everything in the little house fell asleep.