"Had I thought otherwise, I never would have recommended you," said
Father Paul. He looked at Franz's father and mother. "Well?"
"It's so far," Franz's mother said worriedly, "and so strange."
"It is neither as far nor as strange as you think," Father Paul
reassured her. "It is true that the summer is much shorter, the winters
much colder and the snow much deeper than you ever know them to be in
Dornblatt. But, like everyone else who serves at the Hospice, Franz has
been reared in the mountains. I assure you that he will fit in very
well."
"He may go," the elder Halle said.
"He--may go," Franz's mother quavered. "How--how shall we prepare him
for the journey?"
"Supply him with enough food and clothing for the walk," Father Paul
replied. "Since snow may fall in St. Bernard Pass any day of the year, I
suggest that he have at least one heavy coat. After he arrives, the
Hospice will provide for him."