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knew from voice and language that this penitent was of the nobility. He was too old, he thought, to have on his heart whatever sin could drive such a man into his poor church and wring such bitter tears from him. |
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Walter's confession finally came to an end, and he heaved a huge sigh. In his thin, uncertain voice, the priest asked the formal questions, and Walter gave the formal answers. Then, there was a pause. The priest knew he could ask for payment of what would be a fortune to him in penance and that the man would pay gladlyonly he did not speak the penitent's language and the penitent did not speak his. Would the man know Latin? And then in the dark the old man smiled bitterly; he did not know enough Latin himself to make clear what he wanted to say. Sighing, he named the prayers, the Aves, the Paters, that Walter must say and tried to make clear how many repetitions of each how many times each day and how many days. Then he said the words of absolution and turned away. |
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Walter remained crouched on his knees until the rectangle of light that was the doorway was blocked again by the priest's body. He was not suspicious of being seen; he was not really conscious of the old man's retreat. He was only savoring the relief of having exposed his sin to God and having it lifted from him. Walter was still sorry for the misunderstanding that had upset Marie, but the wrenching guilt was gone. |
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He rose to his feet, grunting as his knee reminded him that it was not yet completely healed and did not favor kneeling for long periods on cold stone. As he trudged back up the hill toward Builth keep, Walter conscientiously said the Aves and Paters, hoping that he had understood the priest correctly. To be sure, he said a few extra of each, but he was not worried about that. God would know he had no intention of cheating and would not blame him if he was mistaken. |
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Although his conscience was easier, Walter still felt awkward about meeting either Sybelle or Marie, and instead of reentering Builth, he went to the stables. Just as he was walking up the row of horses to Beau, Simon's voice hailed him. |
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"Where the devil have you been?" Simon asked. |
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"Not with the devil," Walter replied, "at least, not for the past half hour. Why?" |
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