"How do you mean ?" asked Birkbeck.

"If the dogmas are put forward for your acceptance by an authority whom you acknowledge, then you accept the dogmas because you believe in the authority. If, for example, you have faith in your medical man, you will swallow the medicines he gives you because although you are not much acquainted with them yet you believe on his word that they are good for you."

"That is quite evident," rejoined Arthur, "but then the question is, is the medical man, that is, the Popeinfallible ?"

"The Pope," answered Father Clary, "is not infallible; but when he is acting in a certain capacity and doing certain things, he is not permitted, we believe, to lead the Church into error."

"But surely," said Arthur, "looking at history, that is asking us to swallow a good deal (forgive the expression, Father Clary) ?"

"No more than you swallow every day in civil matters," replied Father Clary.

"Will you explain?" asked Birkbeck.

"There are certain law books which contain the laws which govern Englishmen. These laws are complex, people differ in their interpretation of them, hence judges are appointed to decide cases, by declaring what the law is on the points which may be disputed. You may differ from the judge and appeal. So as a Catholic you may differ from your Priest and appeal to

your Bishop. You carry your case from the lower court (or Priest) to a higher court (Bishop); you are still not satisfied, and you finally carry your case before the highest court, before your Sovereign, or that which represents her, and when judgment is given you can appeal no further; in fact, the Queen is considered practically infallible, whether she is or not. So you carry an appeal from your Bishop to the Pope, but from the Pope there is no appeal, right or wrong, he is infallible as being the Final Court of Appeal. You do not approve of the actions of all the English kings, neither do I approve of the actions of all the Popes, and I am not bound to do so; but so long as I believe the Catholic Church to be a corporate body it must have a head, and that head as a matter of reason must be considered infallible whether he is or not.”

"But, Father Clary," asked Birkbeck, "is one really permitted to question the wisdom of the political actions of the Popes, and to denounce some of their past actions without being considered heretical?”

"History," said Father Clary, "remains and is in a sense infallible. Popes have aided rebellion against Sovereigns, have gloated over such an atrocity as the massacre of St. Bartholomew, have countenanced the vile treatment accorded. to Galileo, have suppressed the Jesuits, have been immoral and committed simonyneed I say any more? Well in all these actions you may condemn the Popes as much as you like, as much as

you may condemn the arbitrary actions of Charles I., the immorality of Charles II., the unconstitutional conduct of James II., or the tyranny of a Napoleon. The bad deeds of Sovereigns do not make me refuse allegiance to Her Majesty, so I owe and give allegiance to the Pope even if I think, which I am not saying, that his Privy Council (the Cardinals and Curia) advise him badly."

"Thank you much, Father Clary, for your explanation; it makes the matter and I think the issue very plain," said Arthur.

"I am glad you have found it so, and now let me say one thing before going-search where you find the greatest holiness, and as the tree is known by its fruits, so ask yourself what tree produced a St. Francis, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Theresa, or St. Augustine? Were they Monarchists or Republicans in their view of God's Church on earth?"

So saying he wished them good night and walked homewards.

CHAPTER XI.

CAPTURED BY ROME.

CORDIAL was the greeting between Arthur and his sister, and if possible all the more so on her part, as young Lumley had in his letters to her mentioned that he was frequently in Birkbeck's rooms and no less often with Father Clary.

"How is papa?" she asked, after mutual greetings had subsided.

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Rubbing along pretty much as ever, I believe," replied Arthur, "but he blamed me very much for leaving Joyce, and said it was very extraordinary I could not get on the same as other curates did?"

"Poor boy, I'm afraid you have been unlucky; what is the next place you are going to try?"

Arthur fumbled with his fingers, coloured slightly, and said, “I think of trying Rome, if Rome will have

me."

"Oh, this is too good news!" and she burst into a flood of tears.

Arthur felt rather in a fix; he thought to himself "Cold water for a faint, but what on earth is the

remedy when girls take to crying for pleasure?" The first shock over, she asked him all about the reasons which led him to think of joining the Catholic Church, and he told her that his experience of the want of charity at Sleepytown, followed by the amazing ignorance and bigotry at Battlebrook, had quite unsettled him. The Bishop, much to his astonishment, although finding no error in the sermon which had occasioned so much alarm, did not support him, but gave way to the desire to avoid creating any scandal or expression of opinion. Then Arthur furthermore pointed out that the theory of Papal government seemed most rational if Christ had founded a visible world-wide Church.

"Have you written to papa yet?" asked Anna.

"No; I dread doing so, he will be so awfully angry. I think of asking Mr. Rashleigh if he would mind breaking the news to them."

"I think papa would rather hear from you than from an outsider you had better write or see him, Arthur."

Arthur made up his mind he would write and tell him what he intended doing, and then offer to come down to Sleepytown to try and smooth matters if possible. He got no reply from his father for a few days, and at last came a letter without beginning or end, but containing simply the following brief

sentence:-