Good Books

"Wherefore," he went on, "I do adjure you, as you desire grace and
redemption, to utterly cast from you the vile trinket, I have,--Heaven
knows how reluctantly! . . . returned to your keeping,--to trample upon
it, and renounce it as a device of Satan. . ." He stopped, surprised and
indignant, as she raised the much-abused emblem to her lips and kissed
it reverently.
"It is the sign of peace and salvation," she said steadily, "to me, at
least. You waste your words, Mr. Dyceworthy; I am a Catholic."
"Oh, say not so!" exclaimed the minister, now thoroughly roused to a
pitch of unctuous enthusiasm. "Say not so. Poor child! who knowest not
the meaning of the word used. Catholic signifies universal. God forbid a
universal Papacy! You are not a Catholic--no! You are a Roman--by which
name we understand all that is most loathsome and unpleasing unto God!
But I will wrestle for your soul,--yea, night and day will I bend my
spiritual sinews to the task,--I will obtain the victory,--I will
exorcise the fiend! Alas, alas! you are on the brink of hell--think of
it!" and Mr.


Pages:
248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272