She had been entrapped into making him a promise, into swearing a terrible oath; but the Church did not consider such oaths binding.

She would go to Padre Filippo and ask his advice.
But then, if she went to Padre Filippo, she would have to confess all she had done, and she was not prepared to do that.

A few weeks would pass, and that time would be sufficient to mellow and smooth the remembrance of her revengeful projects into a less questionable shape.

No--she could not confess all that just yet.

Surely such an oath was not binding; at all events, she could not marry Del Fence, whether she broke her promise or not.