Part 85 (1/2)
”The one was of heaven, the other of h.e.l.l--that was all the little difference!”
”Did you ever know a bad woman grow better?”
”No, never.--Stop! let me see. I did once know a woman--she was a married woman too--that made it all the worse--all the better I mean: she took poison--in good earnest, and died--died, sir--died, I say--when she came to herself, and knew what she had done! That was the only woman I ever knew that grew better. How long she might have gone on better if she hadn't taken the poison, I can't tell. That fixed her good, you see!”
”If she had gone on, she might have got as good as your mother?”
”Oh, hang it! no; I did not say that!”
”I mean, with G.o.d teaching her all the time--for ten thousand years, say--and she always doing what he told her!”
”Oh, well! I don't know anything about that. I don't know what G.o.d had to do with my mother being so good! She was none of your canting sort!”
”There is an old story,” said Donal, ”of a man who was the very image of G.o.d, and ever so much better than the best of women.”
”He couldn't have been much of a man then!”
”Were you ever afraid, my lord?”
”Yes, several times--many a time.”
”That man never knew what fear was.”
”By Jove!”
”His mother was good, and he was better: your mother was good, and you are worse! Whose fault is that?”
”My own; I'm not ashamed to confess it!”
”Would to G.o.d you were!” said Donal: ”you shame your mother in being worse than she was. You were made in the image of G.o.d, but you don't look like him now any more than you look like your mother. I have a father and mother, my lord, as like G.o.d as they can look!”
”Of course! of course! In their position there are no such temptations as in ours!”
”I am sure of one thing, my lord--that you will never be at any peace until you begin to show the image in which you were made. By that time you will care for nothing so much as that he should have his way with you and the whole world.”
”It will be long before I come to that!”
”Probably; but you will never have a moment's peace till you begin. It is no use talking though. G.o.d has not made you miserable enough yet.”
”I am more miserable than you can think.”
”Why don't you cry to him to deliver you?”
”I would kill myself if it weren't for one thing.”
”It is from yourself he would deliver you.”
”I would, but that I want to put off seeing my wife as long as I can.”