368
Martinique
Sketches.
— " My dear Cyrillia, I don't see what that has to do with the sky." — " Where does the Good - God stay, if there be no sky ? And where is heaven ?—and where is hell ?" — " Hell in the sky, Cyrillia ?" — " The Good-God made heaven in one part of the sky, and hell in another part, for bad people. . . . Ah ! you are a Protestant;—you do not know the things of the Good-God ! That is why you talk like that." — " What is a Protestant, Cyrillia ?" — " You are one. The Protestants do not believe in religion,—do not love the G o o d - G o d . " — " Well, I am neither a Protestant nor a Catholic, Cyrillia." — " Oh ! you do not mean that ; you cannot be a maudi, an accursed. There are only the Protestants, the Catholics, and the accursed. Y o u are not a maudi, I am sure. But you must not say there is no s k y " . . . — " But, Cyrillia " — — " No : I will not listen to you :—you are a Protestant. Where does the rain come from, if there is no sky?". . . — " Why, Cyrillia, . . . the clouds " . . . — " No, you are a Protestant. . . . How can you say such things ? There are the Three Kings and the Three Valets, — the beautiful stars that come at Christmastime,—there, over there—all beautiful, and big, big, big ! . . . And you say there is no sky !" — " Cyrillia, perhaps I am a maudi." — " No, no ! You are only a Protestant. But do not tell me there is no sky : it is wicked to say that !" — " I won't say it any more, Cyrillia—there ! But I will say there are no zombis." — " I know you are not a maudi;—you have been baptized." — " How do you know I have been baptized ?"