Rays of sunshine, breaking through
the clouds, gilded the hills, and the little party, remembering the arid
hillside of Jenne, had just started forward again, when they met the
doctor from Jenne, who recognised Maria, having seen her some time
before at the house of his colleague at Subiaco. He bowed, and smiling,
reined in his mule.
"You are on the way to Jenne? Are you going to see the Saint? You will
find many people there to-day." Many people! This was disappointing to
Noemi, who feared she would not be able to speak quietly with Maironi.
The Selvas were curious to know all about it. Why so many people?
Because they want the Saint at Filettino, they want him at Vallepietra,
they want him at Trevi, and the women of Jenne intend to keep him for
themselves.
"And all to give me a rest!" the doctor added. "And to give the chemist
a rest also, for now the Benedictine is the doctor, and his tunic is the
chemist!"
He told them that to-day people were coming from Filettino, from
Vallepietra, and from Trevi, to treat with Jenne concerning some means
of dividing the Saint among all those towns, "Who knows but what they
may come to blows!" At any rate the _carabinieri_ were already stationed
at Jenne.
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