The tears came into his eyes,
and rolled down his cheeks, and after a while he took the sexton's oar,
literally to relieve himself from having to speak.
"It is not he work alone that has upset me," said he after a while, "but
the poor people seem so callous. We have worked hard these two days, as
the young gentleman knows, and all for charity, and yet till this moment
we have not had a kind word. They urge us on to the work, and when we
land them at the shore, they do not even thank us as they go away; then
we turn back with a heavy heart for another load."
They reached the shore of Brittany in safety, and when de Lescure was
placed in the carriage which had been provided for him, he desired that
the poor priest might be begged to accompany them on their journey. He
declined, however, saying that he had found a sphere in which he could
be useful, and that he would stick to the work till it was all done, or
till his strength failed him. De Lescure pressed his hand, and begged
his blessing, and told him that if there were many such as him in the
country, La Vendee might still carry her head high, in spite of all that
the Republic could do against her.
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