Page 171 (1/2)

"I am not sure that I remember," he said politely, and went out

56

CONFESSIONS OF THE FLESH

He woke a little before dawn It was still black dark, but the air had changed; the embers had burned to staleness and the forest’s breath one He lay alone under the tattered deerskin, very cold

"Alexandre?" he whispered hoarsely "Père Ferigault?"

"I a priest’s voice was soft, soer rose up on one elbow, squinting Once the sleep had left his eyes, he could see diht, his face turned up to the square of the smokehole overhead

"Are you all right?" One side of the priest’s neck was stained dark with blood, though his face--what Roger could see of it--seeer sat up, clutching the deerskin to his chest He was already cold; the calh to clear his throat of soot "No, they won’t"

Alexandre didn’t bother contradicting hi air, looking up At last he lowered his gaze, and turned his head toward Roger

"Will you hear er scrambled to his knees and scuffled across the floor, the skin held aardly before him "Here, you’ll freeze Get under this"

"It does notcold didn’ta priest didn’t matter He laid a hand on Alexandre’s bare shoulder Whether it er sat down next to Alexandre, as close as could be er could feel his own skin ripple into gooseflesh where the other man’s icy skin touched hiently to give Alexandre some of his oarmth

"Your father," Alexandre said He had turned his head; his breath touched Roger’s face, and his eyes were dark holes in his face "You told me he was a priest"

"A minister Yes, but I’esture of dismissal

"In time of need, any ers touched Roger’s thigh, briefly "Will you hear my confession?"

"If that’s--yes, if you like" He felt aard, but it couldn’t hurt, and if it helped the other at all…The hut, and the village outside, were quiet around them There was no sound but the wind in the pine trees

He cleared his throat Did Alexandre h the sound had been a signal, the Frenchht sold hair of his crown

"Bless me, brother, for I have sinned," Alexandre said in a low voice And with his head bowed, hands folded in his lap, he made confession

Sent out from Detroit with an escort of Hurons, he had ventured down the river as far as the settlement of Ste Berthe de Ronvalle, to relieve the elderly priest in charge of the mission, whose health had broken down

"I was happy there," Alexandre said, in the half-drea voice that o "It was a wild place, but I was very young, and ardent in ? The priest couldn’t bethe past

"I spent two years with the Huron, and converted roup of the of the tribes of the region There I o, a war chief of the Mohawk He heardmoved of the Holy Spirit, invited e"

The Mohaere notoriously wary of conversion; it had seeault had traveled down the river by canoe, in coo and his warriors

"That was er to Roger, as though suggesting that he keep count "Still, God iththe recent French and Indian War, and wereFrench priest He had persevered, learning the Mohawk language, that he ue

He had succeeded in converting a nu his converts was the war chief, so he was protected froe opposed his influence, and there was continued uneasiness between Christian and non-Christian in the village

The priest licked dry lips, then picked up the water jar and drank

"And then," he said, taking a deep breath, "then I committed my second sin"

He had fallen in love with one of his own converts

"Had you had woer choked off the question, but Alexandre answered quite simply, without hesitation

"No, never" There was a breath there, not quite a laugh, of bitter self-ht I was immune to that temptation But man is frail in the face of Satan’s fleshly lures"