But the boy was satisfied; the presence of his stern and learned mentor
sufficed to restore his composure; he did not even see his mother's face
so near him, piteous in its appeal for a single glance to confess his
need of her.
"Nay, have no fear," Don Ambrogio counseled, his face glowing with
pride; "the boy is a wonder."
The good Fra Giulio, turning back from the pulpit stairs, saw the faces
of the two whose hearts were hanging on the words of the child; he went
directly to them and sat down beside Donna Isabella, for he had a tender
heart and he guessed her trouble. "I also," he said, leaning over her
and speaking low, "I also love the boy, and while I live will I care for
him. He shall lack for nothing."
It was a promise of great comfort; for Pierino--she could not call him
by the new name--would need such loving care; already the mother's pulse
beat more tranquilly, and she almost smiled her gratitude in the
large-hearted friar's face.
Then Fra Gianmaria, his mentor, seeing that the boy had gained courage,
came also to a seat beside Donna Isabella, with a look of radiant
congratulation; for he had been the boy's teacher ever since the little
lad had passed beyond the limits of Don Ambrogio's modest attainments.
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