of Jenne Vecchio, shone the two stars which had bean spoken of on the
Selvas' terrace as "holy lights."

They waited for the riders to pass. When they had done so, Benedetto, in
silence, fell upon his master's neck. Don Clemente, full of wonder and
noticing that he trembled and was shaken by convulsive starts, concluded
that the sight of that woman had caused this emotion, and, kept
repeating to him:

"Courage, dear friend, courage; this is a trial sent by the Lord!"
Benedetto whispered to him:

"It is not what you think."

Having controlled his feelings, he begged the master to sit down upon a
ruined wall, against which he himself--kneeling on the grass--rested his
folded arms.

"Since this morning," said he, "I have been warned by certain signs that
the Lord's will concerning me is changed; but I have not been able to
understand in what way. You know what happened to me three years ago in
that little church where I was praying, while my poor wife lay dying?"

"You allude to your vision?"

"No; before the vision--having closed my eyes--I read on my eyelids the
words of Martha: '_Magister adest et vocat te!_' This morning, while
you were saying Mass, I saw the same words within me. I believed this
to be an automatic revulsion of memory. After the communion I had a
moment of anxiety, for it seemed to me Christ was saying in my soul: