Gabriel heard the person approach the confessional and enter. It was past the stipulated time, but no one should be turned away who asked for the sacrament, unless for grave reasons. And so Gabriel finished his prayer, got up, took his stole and also approached the confessional.

Once he had sat down and put his stole back over his shoulders, he closed his eyes for a moment and reminded himself that he was here as a vicar, not on his own account. Then he opened the wooden cover to reveal the grate between himself and the penitent.

He made a cross over the grate. "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."