Like Moses, I have seen the Promised Land, and I shall be content." "Talk not of dying, dear father or you will make me sad," said Angela, putting her arms round his neck.
"There are worse things than dying, my child.

But you are quite right; this is no time for melancholy forebodings.

Let us be happy while we may; and since I came to Quipai, sixty years ago, I have had no happier day than this." As the only law at Quipai was the abbe's will, and we had neither settlements to make, trousseaux to prepare, nor house to get ready (the abbe's house being big enough for us all), there was no reason why our wedding should be delayed, and the week after Angela and I had plighted our troth, we were married at the church of San Cristobal.
The abbe's wedding-present to Angela was a gold cross studded with large uncut diamonds.

Where he got them I had no idea, but I heard afterward--and something more.
All this time nothing, save vague generalities, had passed between us on the subject of religion--rather to my surprise, for priests are not wont to ignore so completely their _raison d'etre_, but I subsequently found that Balthazar, albeit a devout Christian, was no bigot.

Either his early training, his long isolation from ecclesiastical influence, or his communings with Nature had broadened his horizon and spiritualized his beliefs.