This is where Becket's little family of God ended up, the Cistercian Abbey of Pontigny, about 100 miles southeast of Paris. Built in sparkling white limestone, it seemed a stunning advertisement for purity, a perfect match for Thomas's temperament. But this was no monkish retreat. It pretty soon became apparent that what Becket had established here was a real government-in-exile. He had his own pan-European intelligence network. He had his own letter smugglers with the know-how to get through the blockade that Henry had imposed on communication. And he had his own versatile propaganda department. But most of all, Becket had his own unwavering sense of self-righteousness.


贝克特和他的追随者们最后来到了这彭帝尼的西多会修道院，位于巴黎东南部160公里处，由耀眼的白色石灰石建成，无处不彰显着纯洁之感，同托马斯的气质相得益彰，但这并非宗教式的归隐。不用多久就能体现出来。贝克特在这里设了个流亡政府，他拥有自己遍布欧洲的情报网。他有自己的通风报信者，能巧妙躲过亨利设下的天罗地网，他还拥有全能的宣传部门。但最重要的是，贝克特拥有。毫不动摇，坚持自我正义的决心。