"Oh, well what could I do, if I had thought More clearly than I did that things were wrong. You can't uproot the confidence of years Because of dreams. And as to brandy blossoms I knew his face was red, but didn't know, Or think just then, that brandy made it red. And so I went up to the house he lived in-- A mansion beautiful, and we sat down. And he sat there bolt upright in a rocker, Hands spread upon his knees, his black eyes bigger Than I had ever seen them, eyeing me Silently for a moment, when he said: 'What money did you bring?' And so I told him. And he said quickly 'let me have it.' So I took my belt off, counted out the gold And gave it to him. And he took it, thrust it With this hand in this pocket, that in that, And sat there and said nothing more, just looked! And then before a word was spoke again I heard a step upon the stair, the stair Came down into this room where we were sitting. And I looked up, and there--I rubbed my eyes-- I looked again, rose from my chair to see, And saw descending the most lovely woman, Who was"-- "A lovely woman," sneered the wife "Well, she was just affinity to the bishop, That's what she was." "Affinity is right-- You see she was the leader in the choir, And she had run away with him, or rather Had gone abroad upon another boat And met him in Montreaux. Now from this time For forty hours or so all is a blank. I just remember trying to speak and choking, And flying from the room, the bishop clutching At my coat sleeve to hold me. After that I can't recall a thing until I saw A little cottage way up in the Alps. I was knocking at the door, was faint and sick, The door was opened and they took me in, And warmed me with a glass of wine, and tucked me In a good bed where I slept half a week. It seems in my bewilderment I wandered, Ran, stumbled, climbed for forty hours or so By rocky chasms, up the piney slopes." "He might have lost his life," the wife exclaimed. "These were the kindest people in the world, A French family. They gave me splendid food, And when I left two francs to reach the place Where lived the English Consul, who arranged After some days for money for my passage Back to America, and in six weeks I preached a sermon here in Pleasant Plains." "Beware of false prophets was the text!" she said.