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CHAPTER VIII.

"Prejudice is ever ready to accumulate supposition upon supposition, and bury truth under the hills of its own piling." WHITAKER.

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"WHEN after the departure of my dear father I spent the summer of last year with Lord and Lady Hungerford," said Geraldine, "I became of course acquainted with all the numerous visitors, who succeeded each other in that hospitable mansion,' as the Morning Post would describe it. It happened that, on my arrival, the party was not large, and the opportunity afforded of insight into each other's opinions and characters was therefore greater. I found Lady Hungerford and most of her guests occupied with a work by a Rev. Mr. Blanco White, which placed the Roman Catholic religion in a most unfavourable light, and therefore was gladly handed from one person to another, and became the text book whence to draw materials for animated discourse. The following day a young stranger, introduced to me and the other visitors by Lord Hungerford as Sir Eustace de Grey, asked me, when the topics in "Doblado's Letters" were again brought forward, whether I had ever met with, or heard of, the reply given to that work by a Catholic priest?" On my answering in the negative, "I expected as much," said he. "I am a Catholic, living constantly amongst Protestants, many of whom I love and respect as dear and esteemed friends; yet shall I own to you, that I find them, with but few exceptions, breaking through one of

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God's express commandments, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour! As an instance in point, the calumnies written by an apostate priest, who owns that, during ten years, he acted a lie-these calumnies are believed at once and for ever, without one attempt to hear a word on the other side, before passing judgment. Every Protestant is ready to taunt me with,Have you read Doblado's Letters?" but when I reply, Yes! and have you read the answer?' the reply invariably is No! So much for Protestant justice."

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Very fair! very good," cried Mr. Everard; "but you do not tell us how you liked De Grey's manners and appearance, on your first acquaintance ?"

"Everard," said the Warden gravely, "my niece is very properly confining her thoughts to subjects of more importance, than those to which you would turn her attention. It can signify but little to a daughter of General Carrington, by what vehicle is conveyed to her the substance of an opposed creed."

"I will candidly tell you, Mr. Everard," said Geraldine smiling, "that, when made aware of Sir Eustace being a practical as well as theoretical Catholic, by the days of abstinence which he strictly kept; the ride before breakfast every morning to hear mass at Burnleigh; the rapid sign of the cross when grace was said at dinner, with several other Catholic habits which were openly mentioned around me, I took an interest in your friend, which I should not have felt under other circumstances; for I cannot describe the strange effect produced on my mind by having the Catholic faith displayed to me by this young countryman! He was the first Catholic Englishman I ever conversed with; and to be persuaded that, in these enlightened days, a highly educated and rather satirical Englishman,

could believe in the spiritual supremacy of the Pope, go to confession to a priest, do penance, invoke the Virgin, and pray for the dead;-no! it was impossible; such absurdities must have given way to the universal light bursting in even upon that wilfully dark and foolish old Church! As I found that young De Grey bore with the greatest good humour the rough Protestant jokes of Lord Hungerford, and the impracticable prejudices of her ladyship, I also ventured to enquire, with due politeness, into the present actual belief of the Roman Catholic Church?

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"The present belief,' said he, why that which was the ancient belief.-The Catholic Church, from her very nature, cannot change.

"Alas!' cried I, how melancholy a state of things! I had often been told this of the Catholic Church, but believed it impossible, that, in spite of every warning, she should persist in such-pardon me, but are you obliged to believe every thing she teaches?'

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Certainly, every dogma; but as to matters of discipline, and of pious opinions and practices, not pronounced upon by Church authority, we may theorize as we like. But perhaps,' continued he, 'you will allow me to show you what we Papists' really do believe, and then, although you will pity us less, you will respect us somewhat more."

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"At night, my maid placed on my toilet a sealed packet, containing Gother's Papist Misrepresented and Represented; and when I look back on my then state of ignorance, I feel that I could not have received a better primer than that little work. You know, Katherine, my contempt for minds which require repetitions of arguments, and my weariness of books that are spun out with them. Here, the whole strength of the little book was in simple statements, and the whole weakness and weariness was

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in my own prejudiced mind. I read and wondered, and read again till day-break. Every article of the Catholic creed is first misrepresented,' and contains the usual belief amongst Protestants, of what is the faith of a Papist. The same article is then represented,' and contains the actual and unchangeable doctrine of the Catholic Church."

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"And why was all this so interesting to you?" interrupted Miss Graham. "We may very possibly misjudge the Quakers, or the Unitarians; yet never have you evinced the least curiosity to possess more than historical knowledge respecting these sects."

"First, Katherine, because they are 'sects,' and every sect is on too small a scale to satisfy my idea of the vastness, the universality, of the visible Church of Christ: next because these, and all sects, believe less even than does the Church of England, and therefore could not tempt me. I have ever loved to be with those whose faith exceeds my own."

"I hope you are, however, aware, child," interposed the Warden, "that if you push this idea to an extremity you will be led into countless absurdities."

A servant here entered with a packet, apparently of books, directed to Mr. Everard, which, on opening, proved to come from the object of their late discussion, accompanied by the following note:

"Dear Sir,-Will you offer, with my most respectful compliments, the accompanying volumes to Miss Carrington; and should they be thought worthy, after perusal, of a place in her library, I shall feel much honoured. I remain, dear sir,

Yours faithfully,

EUSTACE DE GREY."

"Everard," exclaimed the Warden, in a tone of deep displeasure, and laying his hand on the books, "is it fitting that, in the absence of General Carrington, his daughter should be betrayed by those who should supply his place, and be exposed to the dangerous subtleties of a proselyting Papist, who doubtless would find his own profit in converting this only child and heiress, to the Church of which he is the champion?"

"I will return this answer to De Grey, it being just characteristic of that charity which 'thinketh no evil,'" returned Mr. Everard, while his little eyes sparkled indignantly: "but let us first look at the books. Ha! Why, Geraldine, I could have lent you this work; capital!-incomparable!-by Berington and Kirk- The Faith of Catholics confirmed by Scripture, and attested by the Fathers of the five first Centuries of the Church.""

"The five first centuries !" exclaimed Geraldine. "Oh! how delightful! how opportune! These are exactly the pure and holy ages in the Universal Church, which the Church of England receives; and which five centuries comprise the four first General Councils, which are also admitted as having been guided by the Spirit of God. During those ages, the Catholic Church, and the Church of England were the same in doctrine. This you have fully explained to me yourself, my dear uncle; there can be, therefore, no possible danger in my taking advantage of the labours of these two Catholics, Berington and Kirk, in making extracts from the Greek and Latin writers. But how very extraor dinary that Sir Eustace should have sent me a work that must confirm me in my own Church!"

"I have most assuredly told you," said the Warden, "that our holy and Apostolic Church of England does claim those five first centuries, which the Romanists also claim. Give them up the early

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