The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-05-20
Continued from page 81
THE HOUSE OF RECONCILIATION.

most famous SuTS0Ou VI tAC SouAtIy,
was summoned from his Boston home,
to be driven in his auto at reckless
speed on that blowy March night, &C
companied by a nurse, to the old Per-
kins house, where the little Cecilia
was lying in great agony. The priest
had prepared her, but had been unable
to give her viaticum.
1t was Mrs. Perkins herself who
went to the door as the machine rolled
up to the house. 1t was blessed
sound to her who had been counting
the minutes from the time Doctor
Walsh had telephoned to the city.
"You are the surgeon, of course"
she said quickly. "You-Doetor
Grant,"
"My God! You!" said the Doctor.
Lady Graham!"
"Don't use that name here she
said in subdued voice, glancing at
the nurse, who was still standing in
the doorway. IT am Mrs. Perkins now.
will explain later. have good rea-
sons. But go-go to my little girl.
Doctor Walsh is with her. Thank God
it is you who have come!"
It was some hours later when Doc
tor Grant and Doctor Walsh came
from the sick-room, leaving the little
Cecilia still under the effects of the
ether, in the care of Miss Shea, the
nurse.
at is over?" said the mother, eager
ly grasping the hand of the specialist
Yes said Doctor Grant, "and I feel
she is going to recover"
THANK God!" she exclaimed. cit
was God that sent you. May I go in
to see herr"
"For a moment, just to look at her.
I know you will understand that you
cannot remain"
81 do" she said gratefully. 81 will
Join you in the drawing-room. Doctor
Walsh will kindly show you the way"
Doctor Grant was pacing up and
down the floor when the mother en-
tered the room, after the brief space
allowed her to gaze at the face of her
unconscious child. But the short time
had given the doctor ample oppor-
tunity to think seriously and to come
to a decision.
ct am sure she will be BETTER" she
said. cit is all due to you, Doctor
Grant. I could not live without her.
"Yet others have had to-" he said
quickly.
''You mean?" she said, blushing.
'Your husband-Arthur. Forgive
me, Lady Graham, if I seem severe at
this time, and especially to one who
was ever so kind and gracious to me
during those happy days in England.
But to us who admired Arthur-well,
we felt for him, that you had left him
and taken away his child, hiding your
self"
"You will not understand, doctor"
she said. tfYou cannot. You are a
Protestant, and naturally you will side
with him. But my conscience tells me
I am right We were happy-you know
how happy-till she, my little girl,
began to grow up. He had promised,
had sworn to me, that she, that what
children God sent us would be edu-
Gated as Catholics. Otherwise I would
not have married him. He broke his
promise, insisted that she accompany
him to Protestant service, and placed
her under Protestant governess. [
rebelled He ignored my plea. And
then, in desperation, when I saw my
pleading was useless, rather than see
my child deprived of her faith and be
brought up to hate my religion, I left
and came to this foreign country to
hide her."
cit was wild notion" said the
doctor.
"To those who have faith" she said,
"to whom religion is everything, moth
ing is wild that tends to preserve it. "
"And you have not considered his
hearth" asked the doctor; This roam
ing the world to find you and his
daughter. Dear Lady Graham, don't
think me heartless at this moment, but
should she die and he not see her-yet
she is his child as we'll as yours
''But she will not die. You say the
operation was successful"
Eyes, but no one knows. I was
panied for you both when he told
me"
"He told your" she said. "You have
seen him?'
81 have. He dined with me tonight.
He is in Boston. He has been quietly
seeking you all these months. You
said it was God that sent me tonight,
and now believe it,
"But you will not tell him. she ex-
claimed, alarm showing in her voice.
eve have been safe here. l beg you,
doctor, beg you on my knees to keep
all this secret. He would take her
away and break my heart. God alone
knows how I have suffered in doing
my duty You will not tell him?"
BE reasonable, Lady Graham said
the doctor pleadingly Arthur wor-
ships you. He had suffered. Let me
bring him to YOU" /.
"No-no-he cannot love me. But
I adored him, and I believed in him"