to a member of the Low Church school, was nothing unusual to a Dissenter. Any persons who choose can witness the celebration of the Lord's Supper, on such occasions as it is solemnized, and, in fact, they are urgently invited to do so.

Moreover, a person who is in communion with any "Christian" Church can usually partake of the “ordinance" with either the Baptists or Independents. Now, from the invitation read by the officiating priest from the Book of Common Prayer, he understood he was invited to participate in the "Heavenly feast of the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ." Standing at the altar the celebrant said in a loud and clear voice, "Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in His holy ways; draw near with faith, and take this holy Sacrament to your comfort; and make your humble confession to Almighty God, meekly kneeling upon your knees."

He felt he could not stay away, it was right that he should, stranger to their ways though he was, go to that railing, and kneeling, receive the Sacrament from their hands; he saw only just the next step before him, nothing beyond; this he felt led to, and praying "Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief," he went and received the sacred symbols, resolving afterwards to place himself in correspondence with the clergy.

The service concluded, he made bold to inquire of one of the door-keepers if it was possible just then to see one of the clergymen. "Nothing easier," said the man, and he was conducted to the house adjoining the church, and forthwith introduced to "Father Layton," who was in his study, dispensing

from a large tin canister some sweetmeats to several choir-boys, who seemed to treat him with a loving yet familiar respect that was gratifying to see. While making up the little parcels of sweets, and saying kind things to the boys, he, with a grace that was peculiarly his own, turned his handsome, intellectual face towards Henry, and told him he should be at his service in a moment. The ex-Baptist had never been in a room so curiously decorated before, and the few minutes' delay gave him the opportunity to glance round the apartment, ere the interview with the clergyman commenced. Over the mantel hung a large crucifix, on the shelf were several statuettes beautifully painted representing Our Saviour bound for the scourging, the Virgin Mother with the Holy Child in her arms, and St. Joseph the foster-father of Christ. Several pictures hung in Oxford frames on the walls, representing scenes from the life of Jesus, and many other objects of religious art, such as he had hitherto beheld only in Catholic chapels.

The boys dismissed, Father Layton soon placed Henry at his ease. A gentleman does this so easily, a Chadband or a Stiggins, strive how he may, never does.

Briefly he told him why he came, that he was anxious to be taught Christianity ab initio, he had fallen into deadly errors, was seeking the truth, and brought his mind as a tabula rasa to the task. Would he tell him what to do next?

Asking him a few questions as to his religious training, and telling him point-blank that "Catholic truth" was the one thing needful for him, he said he would enter on a series of instructions with him, and appointed a time to commence the work.

"Remember, dear fellow," said he, "there are just

now two armies, each engaged in deadly conflict, infidelity and the devil on one side, and God and the Catholic Church on the other; under one or other of these standards the world is assembling; the sects are being absorbed by one or other, and there is no rational, logical standpoint now-a-days, but to be an infidel or a Catholic. Choose you this day whom ye will serve, God or Baal !”

A heavenly fire lit up the deep lustrous eyes of the speaker; standing erect in his long black cassock, speaking earnestly, manfully, like an Englishman and an Oxford man as he was, he gained the sympathetic heart of the ex-Baptist, and won him as some men can their fellows, by that indefinable something, that by its absence or its presence repels or attracts, we know not why.

"I will be here on Wednesday at three o'clock."

"You will find me awaiting you," replied the clergyman; "God bless you; pray on. All will be well with you, ere long."

He left the place, feeling that he had a friend, a man to whom he could open his heart; a warm, wholesouled man in whom cant and slimy hypocrisy could no more live than the unclean bird without carrion to feed on. This was the man to teach him. He should be his Gamaliel.

CHAPTER XXV.

THE A. B. C. OF CHRISTIANITY.

As the clock struck three on Wednesday afternoon, Henry was ascending the staircase of the Clergy

house of St. Matthew, Newington. It was not difficult to gain admittance. You didn't require to send in your card by a boy in buttons or a smart maid. You were not kept waiting in an elegant sitting-room, while the minister's wife or the clergyman's daughter speculated what you wanted with papa, and made you wish you hadn't bothered the man at all whom it was so difficult to see.

No; you just pulled a common iron bell-handle that hung conveniently at your side. No elegant portico with half a dozen whitened steps, which you were afraid to sully with your dirty boots; no plate inviting you to knock a ponderously ornamental knocker, and ring a magnificent and solemn-sounding bell. You gained admittance without any trouble, and were received without any ceremony. It was

wonderful! You went up the staircase, and there were no stair-carpets; you passed no matrons in silk attire, who looked afraid you had come to borrow money of the parson, and therefore joined you in the interview to see that you did not succeed. Evidently no ladies were here, the clergy were all celibates. It certainly was much more comfortable for Henry, for he could not have opened his mind before Mrs. Proudie for the life of him.

"I am so glad you are come. Now where shall we begin? I am so anxious to see you a good Churchman."

Henry declared that he would like nothing better than to be taught Church doctrine just as a child would learn it.

"Then I shall read to you the Apostles' Creed ; and as you say you no longer doubt the divinity of our dear Lord, I shall give you my instructions from these sentences only :-'I believe in the Holy Ghost; The

Holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body; And the Life everlasting.' Now, I don't care what else you may have believed while you were a Dissenter, this you never rightly believed or understood -the Person and work of the Holy Spirit-so I shall talk a little about that. Of course I do not mean that you have not a great reverence for the third person in the Blessed Trinity; but you have not, neither have your party, any right faith in the Holy Ghost, the Giver of Life, or you could not cut yourselves off from the true Catholic Church in which He abides, which He teaches and sustains. You know our Lord promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide the Church into all truth. Now, as you Dissenters are split up into many scores of sects, you cannot each and every one of you have been guided into all truth; for God is not the author of confusion, but of order. You have some of the truth with you, but not all truth; that is possessed only by the Catholic Church."

At this point Henry interrupted the speaker by demanding to know what he meant by the Catholic Church?

"I mean the English, Greek, and Roman sister Churches. The Catholic Church, rather, in its three branches."

"Do you really mean to say that you own the Roman Church as part of the true Church ?"

Oh, certainly," said the speaker, with some evident confusion. "She is our sister though in error."

Our hero being given to humour could not help saying, "Rather, if the Church of England is your mother, and the Roman Church is her sister, she must be your aunt."