am not so disinterested as I may seem to be," said Gabriel to
Dagobert, smiling meekly. "If I am deemed worthy, a great recompense
awaits me on high."

"As to all that, my boy," said Dagobert, "I do not understand it; and I
will not argue about it. I maintain it, that my old cross of honor would
be at least as deservedly affixed to your cassock as upon my uniform."

"But these recompenses are never conferred upon humble priests like
Gabriel," said Agricola, "and if you did know, dear father, how
much virtue and valor is among those whom the highest orders in the
priesthood insolently call the inferior clergy,--the unseen merit and
the blind devotedness to be found amongst worthy, but obscure, country
curates, who are inhumanly treated and subjugated to a pitiless yoke by
the lordly lawnsleeves! Like us, those poor priests are worthy laborers
in their vocation; and for them, also, all generous hearts ought to
demand enfranchisement! Sons of common people, like ourselves, and
useful as we are, justice ought to be rendered both to them and to us.
Do I say right, Gabriel? You will not contradict it; for you have told
me, that your ambition would have been to obtain a small country curacy;
because you understand the good that you could work within it."

"My desire is still the same," said Gabriel sadly: "but unfortunately--"
and then, as if he wished to escape from a painful thought, and to
change the conversation, he, addressing himself to Dagobert, added:
"Believe me: be more just than to undervalue your own courage by
exalting mine. Your courage must be very great--very great; for, after
a battle, the spectacle of the carnage must be truly terrible to a
generous and feeling heart. We, at least, though we may be killed, do
not kill."

At these words of the missionary, the soldier drew himself up erect,
looked upon Gabriel with astonishment, and said, "This is most
surprising!"

"What is?" inquired Agricola.

"What Gabriel has just told us," replied Dagobert, "brings to my mind
what I experienced in warfare on the battlefield in proportion as I
advanced in years. Listen, my children: more than once, on the
night after a general engagement, I have been mounted as a
vidette,--alone,--by night,--amid the moonlight, on the field of battle
which remained in our possession, and upon which lay the bodies of
seven or eight thousand of the slain, amongst whom were mingled the
slaughtered remains of some of my old comrades: an