Chapter 71: 72

Ford came with a bang, but when he left, he left silently. Evan was writing a letter to the bishop that day. The autumn sun shone on him and made him feel a little lazy. Mrs Sanders suddenly walked in to tell him that Ford had left.

When he heard the news, Evan was obviously stunned for a moment. It was supposed to be very relaxing news. At this moment, he didn’t know what to do and he felt a little lost, but this emotion came and went quickly. In an instant, Evan returned to normal, as if his absent-mindedness just now was not his emotion.

“Since Mr Ford has left, the church can take a sigh of relief. This incident did not damage the church’s reputation and the bishop should be very satisfied.” Evan continued his writing without pausing.

Mrs Sanders nodded in agreement. On the contrary, the bishop would not care about the difficulties the local priest would encounter. As long as the reputation and property of the church were not damaged, they would not care too much.

“Yes.” Mrs Sanders nodded slightly, “Don’t worry, this matter has passed and our church will be calm for a while.”

Evan nodded, during this period the town has been filled with energy. He almost suffered a serious injury to his reputation. It’s not only the injury that is counted, but also this whole town’s ups and downs this past few weeks. Fortunately, it is all over now.

In the afternoon, Duke Wilson sent an invitation to Evan, because of this incident, the Duke wanted to invite Evan to the gentlemen’s party.

Evan looked at this invitation and laughed in his heart. There are so many gatherings in this era. Since he came here, he has attended numerous gatherings of various sizes and every time there is a new reason for the gathering, but this time is a perfect opportunity. The gentlemen’s party organized by the Duke is definitely a perfect opportunity to break into the local gentleman class. This time, Evan has completely discovered how crucial it is to have the right to speak.

“Please tell the Duke that I will be there on time.” Evan smiled and said to the messenger who was waiting for a reply.

Only then did the messenger breathe a sigh of relief. The Duke insisted that he consult the priest in person. He was afraid that the priest would be angered by such a rude thing.

“Okay, I will report your answer truthfully to the Duke.” The messenger saluted Evan, turned and left.

Evan came into the room with the invitation card, and Mrs Sanders was sewing a tablecloth inside. The original one in the church was a little old and Mrs Sanders insisted on making a new one. For anything related to the church, she is always extremely careful and demanding.

“Gentlemen’s party.” Evan handed the invitation card to Mrs Sanders, “Have you heard of this party?”

Mrs Sanders dropped the cloth, put on her reading glasses and looked at the invitation carefully before frowning after reading it and said, “This is a party organized by Duke Wilson. I’ve only heard about it before. I heard that the gentlemen invited to the party are very close to the Duke. With your current status, you can naturally participate in this party.”

Evan nodded thoughtfully, it looks like Duke Wilson wants to pull him into his circle of friends this time, which is a very good thing.

The time is set for two days later, so Evan is not in a hurry at this time. He is a priest after all and his status in this town is placed first, so he does not need to prepare specially in order to deal with different people. He only needs to bring himself and a gentle and unblemished face will do.

However, although Evan was very calm, someone took the initiative to come to him. The next day, Evan had just finished his morning prayers and Colonel Mel came to the Delanlier Church.

Evan was very surprised when he saw Colonel Mel, because although the Colonel was a parishioner, he was rarely seen in church except during worship. This time, it was a bit unexpected for Evan.

“Colonel.” Evan smiled and greeted Colonel Mel.

Colonel Mel looked a little unnatural. Although he also smiled, his smile was also very stiff, which was very different from the usual Colonel Mel.

“Reverend Bruce…” Colonel Mel greeted Evan with a look of hesitation, “Do you know Sister Eliza?”

The nuns do not belong to Protestantism, but are a special existence in Catholicism. They dedicate their lives to the Lord and do not get married.

Evan frowned, thought for a moment, and finally said, “I have seen her once. She is a nun who belongs to St. Ryde’s Abbey. This nun also appeared when the church gave out to the poor before.”

“Oh, that’s her.” Colonel Mel seemed to be relieved, “It’s this nun, you see…” Colonel Mel chose his words carefully, “She is a kind nun who helped my poor mother get peace of mind, but now this nun is in some trouble and sent someone to come to me. I know only you as a religious person, so I had to ask for your opinion.”

“My opinion?” Evan was somewhat surprised by Colonel Mel’s question, but still nodded, “Although I may not be able to help you, I will try my best.”

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Colonel Mel finally showed a sincere smile and hurriedly said, “You are truly a noble person.”

After the praise, Colonel Mel began to talk about the topic, “You know, a nun has to serve God for life, but…” Colonel Mel was a little embarrassed when he said this as he pursed his lips, “But this Mother Eliza is only eighteen years old this year, she is still a young girl. She was sent to the convent by her parents when she was very young. It was not her will to become a nun. But before she got there, she…met a gentleman.” Colonel Mel seemed to find it particularly difficult to say the words, “She wanted to be with that gentleman, but…alas!” Colonel Mel sighed.

Evan was stunned by what he said. If this incident happened in his era, it was very likely to not cause a lot of noise or trouble. But in this feudal era, if this kind of thing happens, it is considered something very immoral. It’s just a matter of time before it spreads out, and even if it is not spread out, the nun’s fate will not be very good.

“This…this is really, it’s a bit unimaginable.” Evan really didn’t know how to react, so he could only say dryly.

Colonel Mel thought that Evan was frightened by such a bold thing, and smiled in embarrassment, “You are an upright gentleman, so I can dare to say this to you Sister Eliza is a very good lady, she is kind, gentle and knowledgeable. She is the most outstanding lady I have ever met. Although she also loves God deeply, you know, the power of love is stronger than the love for religion. Now that she can’t get rid of the shackles of religion, she is suffering from pain day and night and she can’t bear such pain, that’s why she confided her heart to me. She once helped my mother, so that she can leave safely and now I also want to help her. My dear Reverend, please give me some guidance.”

At this time, Evan finally realized what it means when something is called a dilemma. While maintaining his noble and kind character, he also knows that it’s really hard to embody the qualities of a religious figure like him.

“Colonel Mel.” Evan pursed his dry lips, “This is so surprising to me, I…I have never encountered such a thing in my life, and although I am also a religious person, you are also aware of the grievances between Protestantism* and Catholicism**. Although I am very sympathetic to the situation of this nun, please forgive me for not being able to help her, this matter is really too surprising.”

Evan’s answer made Colonel Mel dejected. Although he had expected such an answer, he was still a little sad when he actually heard it.

“You don’t need to apologize, I was too rude.” Colonel Mel said, dejected.

Evan looked at Colonel Mel looking so dejected and a puzzled look flashed in his eyes, but he didn’t think too much about it as he smiled and said, “Please don’t be so polite. I can’t help you and I’m sorry, but this kind of thing is still too much and it’s too unbelievable. I’m afraid it will be difficult to solve.”

Colonel Mel listened and smiled bitterly, “It’s true, if it wasn’t so difficult to solve, I wouldn’t be so embarrassed. You are really a noble gentleman. I have no prejudice against Sister Eliza because of this, I just sympathize with her very much. I really don’t know what she will do in the future.”

Evan could only sigh after hearing this, the nuns of this era also want to pursue love. This nun can be regarded as pitiful for thinking of such treasonous things.

Evan sent Colonel Mel, who was a little dejected, away. When he first arrived at the door, he suddenly remembered that Colonel Mel was a gentleman who had a very close relationship with Duke Wilson. That gentlemen’s party might also have Colonel Mel’s presence there.

“Colonel.” Evan stopped and looked at Colonel Mel tentatively.

Colonel Mel turned his head suspiciously, “What’s the matter with you?”

“I was invited by the Duke.” Evan replied deliberately, “He invited me to the gentlemen’s party, to be honest, I haven’t been to this kind of activity, so I don’t know if there is anything worth noting?”

When Colonel Mel heard him talk about this, he suddenly realized that, with the rapid progress in the relationship between Duke Wilson and the Reverend these past few months, this invitation can be regarded as a matter of course.

“You can rest assured.” Colonel Mel comforted with a gentle expression, “It’s not as formal an occasion as you imagined, it’s just a few gentlemen chatting about current affairs and news. Everyone has a close relationship with the Duke. And nothing unpleasant will happen.”

Colonel Mel saying this is not without a purpose. You must know that, although the etiquette seems to be rigid in this era, the private life of some gentlemen is very rotten and many gentlemen gather together not for serious meetings, but to do some stunning things. Colonel Mel was afraid that this simple priest would be frightened by such rumors.

Evan didn’t think about such a problem, but Colonel Mel’s comfort also made him feel relieved. Even if many people don’t know him, at least Colonel Mel still knows him so that, if the Duke is very busy by then, he won’t be alone there.

Thinking of this, Evan smiled slightly, “Thank you for letting me know.”

Colonel Mel also smiled at Evan, who is now the real man in front of the Duke and according to his own observations, the Duke’s feelings for him seem to be a little different from the past, and he feels that he will still have to get in touch with him.

Evan watched Colonel Mel’s back go down the forest path and then went back into the church. Today has been a really wonderful day for him.

 

1 *Protestantism is a form of Christianity that follows the tenets of the Protestant Reformation: a major movement within Western Christianity that began in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to be errors, abuses, innovations, discrepancies, and theological novums within the medieval Catholic Church.They emphasize justification by faith alone (sola fide) rather than by faith with good works; the teaching that salvation comes by divine grace or “unmerited favor” only, not as something merited (sola gratia);and either affirm the Bible as being the sole highest authority (sola scriptura “scripture alone”) or primary authority (prima scriptura “scripture first”) for Christian doctrine, rather than being on parity with outside sacred tradition. With rapid population growth, Protestants are projected to comprise the majority of Christians within the coming decades. 2 **Catholicism is the traditions and beliefs of Catholic Churches. It refers to their theology, liturgy, morals and spirituality. The term usually refers to churches, both western and eastern, that are in full communion with the Holy See. The word “Catholicism” comes from the Greek word catholikismos (καθολικισμός). This means “according to the whole”. The word “Catholicism” refers to many things, including its religious beliefs (called theologies and “doctrines”), and its form of religious worship (called liturgies). The word also refers to Catholic religious beliefs about ethics (things that are right and wrong). It also refers to the ways that members of the Catholic religion live and practice their religion. The word Catholicism is often used to tell the difference between the beliefs of Catholic Christians and the beliefs of others called Protestant Christians. Catholic and Orthodox churches use church leaders, called bishops, to determine beliefs. Protestants, however, often use each member’s own understanding of the Bible to determine beliefs. Protestants use guidelines from the 16th-century Protestant Reformation to understand the Bible. It is the world’s second largest religious denomination after Sunnism. 1 *Protestantism is a form of Christianity that follows the tenets of the Protestant Reformation: a major movement within Western Christianity that began in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to be errors, abuses, innovations, discrepancies, and theological novums within the medieval Catholic Church.They emphasize justification by faith alone (sola fide) rather than by faith with good works; the teaching that salvation comes by divine grace or “unmerited favor” only, not as something merited (sola gratia);and either affirm the Bible as being the sole highest authority (sola scriptura “scripture alone”) or primary authority (prima scriptura “scripture first”) for Christian doctrine, rather than being on parity with outside sacred tradition. With rapid population growth, Protestants are projected to comprise the majority of Christians within the coming decades. 2 **Catholicism is the traditions and beliefs of Catholic Churches. It refers to their theology, liturgy, morals and spirituality. The term usually refers to churches, both western and eastern, that are in full communion with the Holy See. The word “Catholicism” comes from the Greek word catholikismos (καθολικισμός). This means “according to the whole”. The word “Catholicism” refers to many things, including its religious beliefs (called theologies and “doctrines”), and its form of religious worship (called liturgies). The word also refers to Catholic religious beliefs about ethics (things that are right and wrong). It also refers to the ways that members of the Catholic religion live and practice their religion. The word Catholicism is often used to tell the difference between the beliefs of Catholic Christians and the beliefs of others called Protestant Christians. Catholic and Orthodox churches use church leaders, called bishops, to determine beliefs. Protestants, however, often use each member’s own understanding of the Bible to determine beliefs. Protestants use guidelines from the 16th-century Protestant Reformation to understand the Bible. It is the world’s second largest religious denomination after Sunnism.

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