If
she had, she should probably have been favoured with some direct
vision or communication; whereas, though God had vouchsafed such
direct and visible angelic visits to one of her dear children, yet she
had had none such herself- nor even had Theobald.
She was talking rather to herself than to Ernest as she said these
words, but they made him open his ears. He wanted to know whether
the angel had appeared to Joey or to Charlotte. He asked his mother,
but she seemed surprised, as though she expected him to know all about
it; then, as if she remembered, she checked herself and said, "Ah!
yes-you know nothing of all this, and perhaps it is as well." Ernest
could not of course press the subject, so he never found out which
of his near relations it was who had had direct communication with
an immortal. The others never said anything to him about it, though
whether this was because they were ashamed, or because they feared
he would not believe the story and thus increase his own damnation, he
could not determine.
Ernest has often thought about this since. He tried to get the facts
out of Susan, who he was sure would know, but Charlotte had been
beforehand with him.
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