And she had
been wise and had vexed him no more; there had been no arguments on this
or any other theme. And then the days of strain had come and the labors
of the Council had absorbed him. Now he saw that she had been too proud
and strong to subject herself to repeated insinuations of inferiority of
understanding, as she had been too loving and dutiful to prolong the
contest. And so--he groaned aloud as his mistake revealed itself to him
in those long, unhappy hours--he had lost the dear opportunity of
leading her aright; for he contemplated but one possible issue of such
an attempt on his part; he had scorned her entreaty when she came to him
for understanding of a mystery that was killing her, and he had driven
her to take up the study alone, with the help of her father confessor,
who knew but one side of the vexed question, and that _not_ the side of
Venice!
He was sure that it was a matter of conscience and not of contest with
Marina, therefore she _must_ know; he should have realized that! How had
Fra Francesco met her questions? Had he told her it was a matter beyond
the comprehension of women? Or had he been patient with her difficulties
and solved them with terrible positiveness? Was it he who had brought
her these manuals on "Fasts and Penances," "The Use and Nature of the
Interdict," "The Duty of the Believer," which completed for her the
pictures of horror her faith had already outlined? Marcantonio had taken
in all their dread meaning in rapid glances.
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