JMJ

EPILOGUE

At first it did take time for Agnes' adopted mother to believe that the same child was the babe kidnapped and (some said devoured) by murderous gypsies. Not even the baby booties that Agnes had always kept tied upon a string beneath her blouse at first convinced her, but when she did it was a floodgate's released. Tears and sobs from both girl and woman, and little Djali was quite overwhelmed and could not help but wonder if he would lose La Esmeralda like a jewel to the sea, but that was not the case. From then on Djali was the charge of Agnes and Agnes and Djali took care of Agnes' mother. Both boy and girl were ever under the watchful eyes of Pierre Giroux.

The false marriage of La Esmeralda and Sir Giroux was, of course, dissolved as though it never was. Though, they ever remained close as a girl to an older brother. In a couple years' time he married a young widow with a single child, and a couple years after that Agnes found someone to marry too with Djali as their adopted child; though Djali never called her mother. He was the one to the very last to ever call her Esmeralda and nothing more or less.

Fr. André remained at Notre Dame for some time, and for some years there was neither Archdeacon nor Archbishop until they gave that title to Fr. André.

And as chance or (more likely) Providence would have it, a new priest was sent to Paris though not at Notre Dame, a priest that had once given up the life of a king to such service, for no other service could he think to give to a Mother he had never given thought to before. Yes, yes, the King of Truands, as fantastic and almost silly as it may sound, gave heart and soul to the Church of God, and ever did he remind his flock of the tale of Notre Dame, the tale of Jean de Cloche, and true, he does still live at the cathedral, the hunchback of Notre Dame.

Ever does he ring his bells. I have heard it said too that he still lives in the bell tower though many have tried to convince him otherwise. He could not be parted with Notre Dame, he says, not for all the world.

FIN