Page:Dellada - The Woman and the Priest, 1922.djvu/144

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
THE WOMAN AND THE PRIEST

He is back in his hut and has expressed the wish to see you again and to receive extreme unction. In my humble opinion…"

"Good heavens!" exclaimed the priest impatiently, but the next instant he was filled with childish joy at the thought of going up to the mountain plateau and by physical exertion banishing for a time the perplexities that tormented him.

"Yes, yes," he added quickly, "and I shall want a horse. What is the road like?"

"I will see about the horse and the road," said the keeper, "that is my duty."

The priest offered him a drink. On principle the keeper never accepted anything from anyone, not even a glass of wine, but on this occasion he felt that his own civil functions and the priest's religious functions were so much each a part of the other that he accepted the invitation; so he drank, and emptied the last drops of wine on the ground (since the earth claims her share of whatever man consumes), and expressed his thanks with a military salute. Then the great dog wagged

138