, took a
peach, ate it, walked on, vanished--_ecco_! The curate rubbed his head,
and tried another boy. Useless: the story was the same. Third boy, same
story. He tucked up his cassock with decision, took his biretta and
walking-staff, and said to the three goat-herds:--
"My lads, all this is matter of miracle. I do not deny its truth--God
forbid it in a simple man such as I am. But I do certainly ask you to
lead me to the scene of your labours."
The boys needed no second asking: off they all set. The curate went over
every inch of the ground. Here lay Luca, Biagio, and Astorre; the belfry
of San Zeno was in such and such a direction, the peach-trees in such
and such. Good: there they were. What next? According to their account,
Madonna had come thus and thus. The good curate bundled off to spy for
footprints in the orchard. Marvel! there were none. This made him look
very grave; for if she made no earthly footprints, she could have no
earthly feet. Next he must see by what way she had gone. She left them
kneeling here, said they, went towards the peach-garden, stayed by a
certain tree (which they pointed out), plucked a peach from the very top
of it--this they swore to, though the tree was near fourteen feet
high--stood while she ate it, and went over the brow of the rising
ground. Here was detail enough, it is to be hoped. The curate nosed it
out like a slot-hound; he paced the track himself from the scrub to the
peach-tree, and stood under this last gazing to its top, from there to
its roots; he shook his head many times, stroked his chin a few: then
with a broken cry he made a pounce and picked up--a peach-stone! After
this to doubt would have been childish; as a fact he had no more than
the boys.
"My children," said he, "we are here face to face with a great mystery.
It is plain that Messer Domeneddio hath designs upon this hamlet, of
which we, His worms, have no conception. You, my dear sons, He hath
chosen to be workers for His purpose, which we cannot be very far wrong
in supposing to be the building of an oratory or tabernacle to hold this
unspeakable relic. That erection must be our immediate, anxious care.
Meantime I will place the relic in the pyx of our Lady's altar, and mark
the day in our calendar for perpetual remembrance. I shall not fail to
communicate with his holiness the bishop. Who knows what may be the end
of this?"
He was as good as his word. A procession was formed in no time--children
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