The other person replied: With great pleasure. You may rest assured that this envelope will be handed over to the holy father the moment he arrives.The first man said: Thank you very much. And now I am going to do my duty. So saying the man avoiding thelook of others quickly went out of the Church.Now the Church was full of Christians and priests and no others were expected. When all were seated it was ascertained that there was no Muslim in the assembly. Several priests went round and looked carefully at everyone and made sure that there was no Muslim. It was thenordered that all the doors of the Church should be closed and the proceedings of the meeting should begin. Enthusiasm of the Christians was such that if they had not been strictly directed to remain calm and silent, they would have raised a storm. For greater precaution some people were stationed outside so thatno one could hear the proceedings ofthe meeting. When all arrangements were complete the head priest and Michael with ten or twelve priests stood at an elevated place. Just then a man from the front row got up and quietly handed over to the head priest the envelope which a person had given him to be put up to the head priest. Before opening the envelope and reading the letter the head priest spoke in a sober tone: Mysons and daughters! Today you havebeen given the trouble to come here for a very important business which father Michael will put up to you and you should listen to his speech calmly and patiently.So father Michael stood up to make his speech and at the same time the head priest opened the envelope. But when he had read only a few lines he screamed and began to shake all over in anger. All those assembled began to look anxiously at the head priest and father Michael had to stop his speech. After a brief respite the head priest spoke: Look here! A man has just given me a letter from Isabella in which she has invited all of us to become Muslims. Who has given this envelope tome?A Christian: Holy father, it was I. A person handed it over to me to put it up before you…The poor man had not yet completed his sentence when there was a storm in the meeting and the man was hit with fists and kicks from all sides. The poor man made every effort to explain that he had no concern with the letter and was innocent, but no one heeded him and at last by so much beating he fell down senseless and was dragged out and shut up in the closet of the Church. The confusion took a long time to subside and with great difficulty.Then the head priest came forward and spoke: This man appears to be a Muslim who has made his appearance like us and, putting on our holy dress, has come here to spy. Anyway his case will be taken up tomorrow. Now we have to see that the girls about whom this meeting has been held have preached to us a bloody and barbaric [God forbid] religion like Islam. Tell us how we can succeed in bringing them back and what could be done in this connection.Thereupon Michael came forward and said: Brethren! the purpose for which this secret meeting was held has been made purposeless after thisletter of Isabella. What can we do now except to bear it with patience and pray to God that either she comes back to the fold of the Lord or sent to Hell.The head priest came forward again and said: Anyway just bring this manhere. Possibly by being pressed he may reveal some other things, although we know the Muslims are very hot-headed and they do not easily give out their secrets. Yet he is now in our hands and we may possibly force him to speak out.So the poor man was brought out from the closet of the Church to the stage. The man was not in himself being badly wounded. The head priest on looking at him cried out: O, this is the priest of the northern church and my own nephew. God forbid, he is yet breathing.So when the poor wounded man wasidentified all the priests were very sorry. Next day when the man came to himself he told them that a man brought a letter, gave it to him and quickly went out of the Church. After hearing this, all the priests decided that it was a “mischief” of the Muslims and so they lost hope of Isabella and her friends and the secret night meeting was unsuccessful as nothing could be decided in the confusion.The letter which Isabella had written to her father read as follows :
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