As for the murder of Fifanti, the thing was grievous; but it had been done
in the heat of combat, and he could not think that I had meant the poor
man's death. And Fifanti himself was not entirely without blame. Largely
had he contributed to the tragedy. There had been evil in his heart. A
good man would have withdrawn his wife from surroundings which he knew to
be perilous and foul, not used her as a decoy to enable him to trap and
slay his enemy.
And the greatest blame of all he attached to that Messer Arcolano who had
recommended Fifanti to my mother as a tutor for me, knowing full well--as
he must have known--what manner of house the doctor kept and what manner of
wanton was Giuliana. Arcolano had sought to serve Fifanti's interests in
pretending to serve mine and my mother's; and my mother should be
enlightened that at last she might know that evil man for what he really
was.
"But all this," he concluded, "does not mean, Agostino, that you are to
regard yourself as other than a great sinner. You have sinned monstrously,
even when all these extenuations are considered."
"I know, I know!" I groaned.
"But beyond forgiveness no man has ever sinned, nor have you now. So that
your repentance is deep and real, and when by some penance that I shall
impose you shall have cleansed yourself of all this mire that clings to
your poor soul, you shall have absolution from me.
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