The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, Volume 3 (of 3)Le Sage, Alain René
General
The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, Volume 3 (of 3)
Le Sage, Alain René
Adventure and adventurers -- Fiction; Blas, Gil (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
terms his conduct in the administration of our temporalities. What
is most of all miraculous, and shows the hand of heaven in his
conversion, is that, with such an accumulation of business rushing in
upon him in his bursarial department, his regards are inalienably
fixed on the world to come. When business leaves him but a moment to
recruit nature, instead of lavishing the short period in indulgence,
his thoughts wing their way into the regions of devout and holy
meditation. In short, he is the most exemplary member of this body.
At this period of our conversation I interrupted Lamela by an
ebullition of joy to which I gave vent at the sight of Raphael coming
in. Here he is! exclaimed I; behold that righteous bursar for whom I
have been so impatiently waiting. With a leap and a bound did I run
to meet and embrace him. He submitted to the hug with his
newly-acquired resignation; and, without betraying the slightest
shock at meeting with an old companion of his profaner hours, his
words were dictated by the spirit of gentleness and humility: The
powers above be praised, Signor de Santillane, the powers be praised
for this kind providence whereby we meet again. In good truth, my
dear Raphael, replied I, your happy destiny pleases me as much as if
it had been my own good luck; brother Ambrose has told me the whole
story of your conversion, and the tale almost moved me to a similar
change. What a glorious lot for you two, my friends, when you have
reason to flatter yourselves with being among that picked number of
the elect, who have eternal happiness thrust upon them whether they
will or no!
Two miserable sinners like ourselves, resumed the son of Lucinda,
with an air which marked the extreme of sanctified morality, must not
hope that our own merits are of weight enough to save our souls; but
even the wicked one who repenteth findeth grace with the Father of
mercies. And you, Signor Gil Blas, added he, is it not time to lay
in a claim for pardon of the offences which you have committed? What
is your business here in Valencia? Are you not hankering after some
office of devil's deputy, and making shipwreck of your voyage to
another world? Not so, by the blessing of heaven, answered I; since
I turned my back on the court, I have led a very moral sort of life;
sometimes enjoying rural recreations on an estate of mine at a few
leagues' distance from this town, and sometimes coming hither to pass
my time with my friend the governor, whom you both of you must know
perfectly well.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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