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PARTISAN REVIEW
This remark, which Duperrier had the good sense to leave
unanswered, nevertheless gave him much to think about. The very
next day there occurred another incident which shed light on its
meaning. Duperrier had always attended early Mass, and this morn–
ing, as had become his custom since dwelling in the odor of sanctity,
he had gone to the Church of the Sacred Heart. There, to be sure,
he could not avoid removing
his
hat, but without great risk, since
with only a sprinkling of early morning worshipers in the large basil–
ica he could take refuge behind a pillar if need be. On this occasion
he must have shown less prudence than usual, for when the service
was over an elderly spinster threw herself at his feet with cries of
"Saint Joseph! Saint Joseph!" Though she tried to kiss the hem of
his overcoat, Duperrier got away, flattered but vexed at having recog–
nized in his adorer an old maid who lived in his own neighborhood.
A few hours later the pious creature burst into Madame Duperrier's
apartment, repeating her cries of "Saint Joseph," and demanding
that she be permitted to see him.
Now Saint Joseph, while not a brilliant or colorful saint, is
a most deserving one. His is a name which evokes passive kindliness
and homely virtues smacking of the workbench. Such is the drabness
of his reputation, however, that many fail to do justice to his fame.
Some, even among the most pious, quite without realizing it regard
his part in the Nativity as little more than that of a good-natured
simpleton. This impression of obliging naivete is still further en–
hanced by the habit of superimposing on the person of the Saint the
other Joseph, the one who fled the advances of the wife of Potiphar.
Now, Madame Duperrier had no great regard for the alleged holiness
of her husband, but when an adorer fervently called upon him by
the name of Saint Joseph her shame and humiliation knew no
bounds. In a fit of almost insane anger she pursued the maiden lady,
brandishing her umbrella on high and upsetting several piles of dishes
as she ran. The first thing she did on her husband's return was to
collapse in a fit of nervous exhaustion. When she had recovered her
spirits, she spoke to him in the following harsh terms:
"For the last time, I ask you to take off that halo! You can,
and you know you can!"
He lowered his head, not daring to ask her how she thought
he should proceed. But she went on:
"It's simple. All you have to do is to sin!"
