"You must either get your father's permission, or you must wait
until you are of age and your own master."

Now, Stanislaus was quite certain his father would not hear for a
moment of his becoming a Jesuit. On the other hand, he did not want
to wait four or five years until he should come of age. He had that
peculiar courage, which many people cannot understand at all, the
courage to be afraid. He was very much afraid, afraid to trifle with
God's grace, afraid lest if he did not take the favor now when it
was offered him, it might not be offered another time.

He thought of another means of persuading the Provincial. The
Apostolic Legate of Pope Saint Pius V to the court of the Emperor at
Vienna was Cardinal Commendoni. This Cardinal had been Nuncio, and
afterwards Legate, to Poland, and had come from Poland only a year
or so before. He was well acquainted with the Lord John Kostka and
with Stanislaus. When he came to Vienna, Paul and Stanislaus had
visited him, and Stanislaus had made the Cardinal, as he did most
people, his friend.

So he went to Cardinal Commendoni. He figured hopefully that, as
the Cardinal was the Pope's representative, he could easily impose
his will on the Jesuit Provincial; and of course he would do so as
his friend.

Commendoni welcomed the boy, listened to him attentively, marvelled
at his unaffected goodness and at the heavenly favors shown him.
Stanislaus told him of the distressing obstinacy of the Provincial.

"But how about your father?" the Cardinal asked.