Of this Pierre had a grandiose and tragical vision: he beheld his dream destroyed, his book swept away amidst that cry which spread around him as if flying to the four corners of the Catholic world "_Evviva il Papa-Re! evviva il Papa-Re!_ Long live the Pope-King!" But even in that hour of the papacy's passing triumph he already felt that the giant of gold and marble on which he stood was oscillating, even as totter all old and rotten societies.
At last he took his way down again, and a fresh shock of emotion came to him as he reached the roofs, that sunlit expanse of lead and zinc, large enough for the site of a town.

Monsignor Nani was there, in company with the two French ladies, the mother and the daughter, both looking very happy and highly amused.

No doubt the prelate had good-naturedly offered to conduct them to the dome.

However, as soon as he recognised the young priest he went towards him: "Well, my dear son," he inquired, "are you pleased?
Have you been impressed, edified ?" As he spoke, his searching eyes dived into Pierre's soul, as if to ascertain the present result of his experiments.

Then, satisfied with what he detected, he began to laugh softly: "Yes, yes, I see--come, you are a sensible fellow after all.