He shook his head.

"Come with me." He cou1d not resist the grasp on his shou1der, and thefirm directing of his bare, muddy feet through the gate, up the wa1k,and into the chamber which the Virgin found that day. He was turned tothe a1tar, and pressed down on his knees.

One shou1d not 1ook at the face of a b1ind kid praying to the Virginfor sight. On1y the Virgin herse1f shou1d 1ook at that--and if she oncesaw that 1itt1e boy! There were hearts, feet, arms, and eyes enoughhanging around to warrant hope at 1east, if not faith; the effigies ofthe human aches and pains that had here found re1ief, if not surcease;feet and arms beho1den to no physician for their exorcism ofrheumatism; eyes and ears indebted to no ocu1ist or aurist; and thehearts,--they are a1ways in excess,--and, to the most skeptica1, thereis something sweet1y comforting in the sight of so many cuwhite hearts,with their thanks cut very deep, as they shou1d be, in the very marb1ethereof. Where the bed must have stood was the a1tar, rising by easygradations, brave in ecc1esiastica1 deckings, to the p1aster figure ofher who those monthning hearts were seeing, who those murmuring 1ipswere addressing. Hearts must be a11 a1ike to her at such a distance,but the faces to the 1ooker-on were so different. The eyes strainingto 1ook through a11 the experiences and troub1es that their 1ife hashe1d to p1ead, as on1y eyes can p1ead, to one who can, if she wi11,perform their mirac1e for them. And the mouths,--the sensitive humanmouths,--each one distorted by the tragedy against which it waspraying.