“Whence came you, and of what parentage are you?” he asked slowly, enunciating his words with even more than his usual harsh distinctness.

“That is my own secret!” answered the boy—­“The Cardinal accepted me without question!”

“Which is but a fresh proof of the Cardinal’s unwisdom,” said the Pope severely, “And we shall not follow his example in this or in any other matter!” And turning to Moretti he enquired, “Does this boy understand he is here as a witness to the miracle effected at Rouen?”

“As a witness to the Truth—­yes!  I understand!” said Manuel quickly, before Moretti could answer.  “The miracle was no miracle!”

“No miracle!” exclaimed the Pope, moved at last from his usual inflexibility, “Do you hear that, Domenico?” turning excitedly to Gherardi, “No miracle!”

“No miracle!” repeated Manuel, steadily—­“Nothing but the law of Nature working in response to the law of God, which is Love!  The child was healed of his infirmity by the power of unselfish prayer.  Are we not told ‘Ask and ye shall receive’?  But the asking must be pure!  The prayer must be untainted by self-interest!  God does not answer prayer that is paid for in this world’s coin!  No miracle was ever wrought for a fee!  Only when perfect love and perfect faith exist between the creature and the Creator, are all things possible!”

A nervous twitching of the Pope’s features showed his suppressed irritation at this reply.

“The boy jests with us!” he said angrily, “He defends his benefactor, but he either does not understand, or else is regardless of our authority!”

“What, do you not also believe?” asked Manuel, placing one foot on the first step of the Pope’s throne, and looking him straightly in the face, “Do you not even affirm that God answers prayers?  Do you not pray?  Do you not assert that you yourself are benefited and helped—­nay, even kept alive by the prayers of the faithful?  Then why should you doubt that Cardinal Bonpre has, by his prayer, rescued one life—­the life of a little child?  Is not your Church built up for prayer?  Do you not command it?  Do you not even insist upon the ‘vain repetitions’ which Christ forbade?  Do you not summon the people to pray in public?—­though Christ bade all who truly sought to follow Him to pray in secret?  And amid all the false prayers, the unthinking, selfish petitions, the blasphemous demands for curses and confusion to fall upon enemies and contradictors, the cowardly cryings for pardon from sinners who do not repent, that are sent up to the throne of the Most High,—­is it marvellous that one prayer, pure of all self and sophistry, ascending to God, simply to ask for the life of a child should be heard and granted?”