"But why should it be evil, Father Jerome? It is permitted; is it not?" "The law permits it, certainly." "And when I am a Jew's wife, may I not go to mass?" "Yes; you may go to mass. Who can hinder you?" "And if I pray devoutly, will not the saints hear me?" "It is not for me to limit their mercy. I think that they will hear all prayers that are addressed to them with faith and humility." "And you, Father, will you not give me absolution if I am a Jew's wife?" "I would ten times sooner give it you as the wife of a Christian, Nina. My absolution would be nothing to you, Nina, if the while you had a deep sin upon your conscience." Then the priest went, being unwilling to endure further questioning, and Nina seated herself in a glow of triumph. And this was the worst that she would have to endure from the Church after all her aunt's threatenings--after Lotta's bitter words, and the reproaches of all around her! Father Jerome--even Father Jerome himself, who was known to be the strictest priest on that side of the river in opposing the iniquities of his flock--did not take upon himself to say that her case as a Christian would be hopeless, were she to marry the Jew! After that she went to the drawer in her bedroom, and restored the picture of the Virgin to its place. CHAPTER XIV Father Jerome had been very mild with Nina, but his mildness did not produce any corresponding feelings of gentleness in the breasts of Nina's relatives in the Windberg-gasse. Indeed, it had the contrary effect of instigating Madame Zamenoy and Lotta Luxa to new exertions. Nina, in her triumph, could not restrain herself from telling Souchey that Father Jerome did not by any means think so badly of her as did the others; and Souchey, partly in defence of Nina, and partly in quest of further sound information on the knotty religious difficulty involved, repeated it all to Lotta. Among them they succeeded in cutting Souchey's ground from under him as far as any defence of Nina was concerned, and they succeeded also in solving his religious doubts. Poor Souchey was at last convinced that the best service he could tender to his mistress was to save her from marrying the Jew, let the means by which this was to be done be, almost, what they might.