tion. I am sure that the entire bench of bishops would agree with me in considering these as the two most important prerogatives that the State can confer, and they are equally unassailable by the Pope and by the minority. Further than this, I am very unwilling to carry on the warfare against them, or rather amongst ourselves."

"Well," retorted his father, "make other countries as liberal towards our faith first, and when we can have judged how these Quixotic notions work among them, we can see about testing them ourselves."

"If you would but come abroad with me sometimes, I would show you many a bright example more worthy of being emulated by us, than that which you were quoting just now. Here the wealthiest and most industrious little community in Europe, fervent beyond all in its Catholic zeal, yet tranquil and loyal, amidst universal commotion, under the rule of its Protestant king. There, another Protestant sovereign, calmly and diplomatically regulating with the See of Rome the temporal attributes of a Catholic hierarchy. Here, an all powerful Autocrat, himself the Spiritual Head of the

greatest of Christian schisms, seeking out, for the same purpose, a personal interview with the head of the parent Church. There, the most illustrious of Catholic nations freely conceding, not only extreme toleration, but even proportionate recognition and endowment to the dissenting minorities. What do you say to that, Sir Charles?"

"I say that I shall believe it, when I have seen it."

"Then just step over with me to Paris this winter, and I will show you the Archbishop complacently officiating at Notre Dame for the benefit of the nation at large, while each Protestant congregation is provided, at the expense of the State, with churches equally magnificent, and pastors wholly independent of their flocks."

"And a nice hash the whole makes, too, by all accounts."

"Ah! they are now traversing a fearful political ordeal, to be sure; yet I cannot conceive that they would be a whit the happier, were the miseries of religious contention superadded to their other self-inflicted evils."

"But you are always talking, it strikes me,

Edward," interposed Constance, "as if some direful measure of persecution were called for, and I cannot see that any such is required." "No, we only want, what is equally impolitic, And then, it is not so

a measure of vexation.

much the object which I repudiate as the means employed to attain it. story of the Quaker Conny ?"

"No, Mr. Edward."

Did you ever hear the and the Dog, Miss

"Then I must tell you, that one day the dog barked at the Quaker, upon which the Quaker said: 'I will not smite thee, and I would not injure thee, but I will give thee a bad name.' He shouted, mad dog!' the whole village rose, and, in a very few minutes, the victim was hunted to death. It strikes me that it is to some such process that we are now resorting, in response to that last bark from the Vatican, without even having the excuse of, at least, pursuing the real offender."

"I cannot see," resumed Constance, “truly, as I regret the intemperance displayed by some, that any one will be much injured after all, if a Bill should be passed to prevent the new Bishops from assuming their titles."

"Will you sketch out the Bill, wiseacre?" "No; but I should hope that the Parliament of England is competent to do so.”

"We shall see; some difficulties are insoluble in their nature, and this, I fear, is one. So complicated is the question, in all its bearings, and through all its antecedents, that I do not foresee how we can give any substantial satisfaction to the cry which we are now promoting and fostering, without contradicting the whole of our recent policy, and this, I am not prepared to do. England should not legislate in vain!"

"In short," cried his mother, "you are willing to plead every one's cause, and to enter into every one's sentiments but our own."

"Not so, dear my Lady; but when I see that the Cardinal's Pastoral has actually prevented you, a rational woman, in the enjoyment of excellent health, and of a splendidly endowed clergy, from closing your eyes during three whole weeks, I cannot but reflect upon the tortures which you would endure, were you to see his Eminence actually installed on the Archbishop of Canterbury's throne, the latter reverend prelate branded as a traitor and an impostor, and you yourself called upon to pay for the due support of his rival's dignity.

If you will just reverse the question, you will see that this is precisely the cup which a considerable portion of our countrymen, and countrywomen, too, are daily constrained to dra n, and I must own that I do not wish to add to its bitterness."

"If these were the sentiments which you expounded to-day," interposed the laughing Constance, "I should suppose that the sooner we prepared for our foreign journey the better.'

"Oh! no; I was very far from being so imprudent-I began, I can assure you, in a strain of the most orthodox bigotry, and was most rapturously cheered, until I grew still more ashamed of myself than of my audience. I then hazarded a few very guarded words of moderation and Christian charity, and thus prepared Charles Angerstein's triumph. I am sorry that you did not hear him, by the bye, Miss Conny, you, who voted him an idiot, or something of the kind, after a few minutes' conversation. really spoke remarkably well for a beginner, and he will make a very fair member for the County."

He

'I wish you had found that out three years ago," growled out Sir Charles, "that's all.