The peasants stood
motionless, their eyes on the speaker, like statues; but Mademoiselle
de Verneuil presently noticed that this universal attitude was the
result of a spell cast by the abbe on the crowd. He had, like great
actors, held his audience as one man by addressing their passions and
self-interests. He had absolved excesses before committal, and broken
the only bonds which held these boorish men to the practice of
religious and social precepts. He had prostituted his sacred office to
political interests; but it must be said that, in these times of
revolution, every man made a weapon of whatever he possessed for the
benefit of his party, and the pacific cross of Jesus became as much an
instrument of war as the peasant's plough-share.
Seeing no one with whom to advise, Mademoiselle de Verneuil turned to
look for Francine, and was not a little astonished to see that she
shared in the rapt enthusiasm, and was devoutly saying her chaplet
over some beads which Galope-Chopine had probably given her during the
sermon.
"Francine," she said, in a low voice, "are you afraid of being a
Mahometan?"
"Oh! mademoiselle," replied the girl, "just see Pierre's mother; she
is walking!"
Francine's whole attitude showed such deep conviction that Marie
understood at once the secret of the homily, the influence of the
clergy over the rural masses, and the tremendous effect of the scene
which was now beginning.
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