16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
line of lanterns coming down from San Pablo,
and the two little groups joined in the barnlike
shieling, friends recognizing one another
with low discreet greetings and feeling their
way towards the benches – few lights and
those high up.
First there was a long prayer, chanted, to
Stephen's surprise, by the ancient prior of the
Matucana Capuchins: he had not known that
the movement had so wide a base as to reconcile
Franciscan and Dominican.
The proceedings themselves did not interest
him very much: there was clearly much to be
said for admitting Castro; but equally clearly
there was much to be said against it. Stephen
did not possess enough knowledge either of
Castro or of those who were speaking for or
against his admission to form an opinion of
much value: in any case he did not think it
mattered a great deal one way or another.