worthy to be so filled with the Divine Spirit as to heal with a
touch like the better servants of our Blessed Lord. Nevertheless I
firmly believe that if God saw that it was good for you to be strong
and well, He would find ways to make you so. Sometimes sickness and
sorrow are sent to us for our advantage,--sometimes even death comes
to us for our larger benefit, though we may not understand how it is
so till afterwards. But in Heaven everything will be made clear; and
even our griefs will be turned into joys,--do you understand?"

"Yes," murmured Fabien gravely, but two large tears welled up in his
plaintive eyes as the faint glimmer of hope he had encouraged as to
the possibility of his being miraculously cured by the touch of a
saintly Cardinal, expired in the lonely darkness of his little
afflicted soul.

"That is well," continued the Cardinal kindly--"And now, since it is
so difficult for you to kneel, you shall stay where you are in my
arms,--so!"--and he set him on his knee in a position of even
greater comfort than before, "You shall simply shut your eyes, and
clasp your little hands together as I put them here,"--and as he
spoke he crossed the child's hands on his silver crucifix-"And I
will ask our Lord to come and make you well,--for of myself I can do
nothing."

At these words Henri and Babette glanced at each other
questioningly, and then as if simultaneously moved by some
inexplicable emotion, dropped on their knees,--their mother, too
stout and unwieldy to do this with either noiselessness or
satisfaction to herself, was contented to bend her head as low as
she could get it. Manuel remained standing. Leaning against the