"How long did you stay with them?" ask I.
"Till I entered seminary. Okay, they weren't all bad. They did bankroll my education, and that was kind, even if it was assumed that my mother had to work it all off for me to continue."
"Surely they paid her". Carl said.
"They gave her free room and board, but no salary. The fact is, Mom felt so extraordinarily grateful, so indebted to the Gagnon's, that there was almost nothing she wouldn't do for them. And the official line was, in exchange for her faithful and loyal services, they would pay for my university and preparation for the priesthood. It was blackmail, but the balance of power was shared equally. Plus, there was their daughter."
"They had a daughter?" says Carl, who seems just a little bit too delighted about where this conversation could be going...
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