And, these matters being settled,
the sick ones had nothing further to trouble about, they became but so
much suffering flesh, food for miracles, in the hands of the hospitallers
of either sex.
"But you need only have applied to your parish priest, madame," Pierre
explained. "This poor child is deserving of all sympathy. She would have
been immediately admitted."
"I did not know it, monsieur l'Abbe."
"Then how did you manage?"
"Why, Monsieur l'Abbe, I went to take a ticket at a place which one of my
neighbours, who reads the newspapers, told me about."
She was referring to the tickets, at greatly reduced rates, which were
issued to the pilgrims possessed of means. And Marie, listening to her,
felt great pity for her, and also some shame; for she who was not
entirely destitute of resources had succeeded in obtaining
/hospitalisation/, thanks to Pierre, whereas that mother and her sorry
child, after exhausting their scanty savings, remained without a copper.
However, a more violent jolt of the carriage drew a cry of pain from the
girl. "Oh, father," she said, "pray raise me a little! I can't stay on my
back any longer."
When M. de Guersaint had helped her into a sitting posture, she gave a
deep sigh of relief. They were now at Etampes, after a run of an hour and
a half from Paris, and what with the increased warmth of the sun, the
dust, and the noise, weariness was becoming apparent already. Madame de
Jonquiere had got up to speak a few words of kindly encouragement to
Marie over the partition; and Sister Hyacinthe moreover again rose, and
gaily clapped her hands that she might be heard and obeyed from one to
the other end of the carriage.
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