Madeline frowned more and looked away. "T'think about what? Ta write your mother and ask her? Like she might even know since he kept it from ya? Or just ta delay and hope I move on?" She hugged herself and glared away. "So much for believing in others. Cause I'm a nobody or full of sin? Is that why you deny yer older sister?"

"You're not a nobody," he defended. He looked at her hugging herself and repeated more quietly: "You're not a nobody. And we all sin. I just don't know what to think of it. I'm sorry..."

Madeline frowned as her eyes went down. "You say I'm not a nobody but you wish to deny me. I can not prove who I am. So I do not believe you will change your mind. You will make excuses and hope I give up or die first." She looked back towards him. "If I do die first, I hope the guilt from letting your sister die without accepting her, finally comes to you when you can no longer fix things." It was a mean thing, but for a man who didn't believe such things, he'd not be bothered.

Gabriel flinched under her words. There was a time he could keep his reactions in check. Nowadays he seemed to have no control. In any area of his life.

"I don't want you to die at all..." he said slowly, still staring ahead. "You're my sister in Christ, if that can be enough to you. But I cannot condemn a man without knowing for certain that he is guilty."

And certainly not his father.

Madeline looked at him and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. "Christ? Christ abandoned me the moment he allowed me to be born to a father who denied my mother. If it isn't your father, then whoever it was denied her and has faced no punishment for his sin. My mother said it was him and I believe her because she is the one who was there for me. Christ has done nothing against my father, and he doesn't help me in moving you to believe me when I have no way to prove it to you other than what I was told. It's easy to rely on him when he does nothing but makes you feel better."

She frowned more and wiped at her eyes and immediately stood.

"You'll always find excuses to not believe me and cherish your sinful father. Look me in the eye and tell me truthfully. You don't believe me." Madeline stared at him hard.

God he wanted this conversation to end. He didn't know what he would do after, but he didn't know what to do now either. He looked up at her as she requested. "I'm sorry. I just don't know what to believe."

Madeline stood straight and looked down at him. "You can't make yer own decision and afraid to. Hide behind a book for someone who isn't listening, see if I care." She frowned looking insulted and hurt and headed out. She knew he'd be no different.

Gabriel had no idea what she was trying to say. It didn't matter. She left. And though he felt bad, he was also relieved.

Was he?

He realized he was trembling and he felt feverish. He needed time to think, but thinking seemed impossible. He got up to go to his room, but fainted instead.

Alas, the presbytery was deserted and his sister not sister but sort of sister in Christ had just left. Sorry Gabe.

Francis had seen a strange woman leave. She looked like a woman who didn't have the class and youth for the Pony. He was wondering if he'd have some juicy gossip when he went inside to see who she'd been meeting with. He saw someone on the floor, and it was Father Richards. That was unexpected which means their meeting must have been something boring. But there was no time to be disappointed.

He had been insulted and wanted to leave the man there, but he couldn't do that. As much as the guy might have deserved to be treated like an ass, he couldn't leave him like this. He crouched down and slowly rolled him over to see if he'd hit his head in the fall or if he was already dead. He leaned in to see if he could hear his heart beat. Did the woman murder him?

Gabriel was apparently mostly unharmed. He came to, just as he felt himself roll over. He frowned before opening his eyes and looking straight up into the face of...

Had he just jumped from one nightmare into another? He had to be dreaming.