CASTING OF NirS
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BY RICHARD BAGOT
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Copyright, igoi
By John Lane
All rights reserved
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UNIVERSITY PRESS • JOHN WILSON
AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
Casting of Nets
CHAPTER I
THE clock oil the church tower at Abbotsbury was
striking six. A hot day in early July was draw-
ing to its close, and long shadows were beginning to creep
across the churcliyard, while from the meadows beyond
came the scent of newly-mown hay, the screaming of
swifts, and the querulous croaking of disturbed corn-crakes
driven from their nests by the ruthless scythes of the
haymakers.
The Rev. James Russell, Rector of Abbotsbury, passed
through the lych-gate into the churchyard, removing his
black felt hat and wiping his brow with a silk pocket-
handkerchief as he paused in the refreshing shade of the
elm-trees.
He had been visiting a sick woman who lived in a
farm on the outskirts of his straggling parish, and the
sun had blazed fiercely in his face during his three-mile
walk homewards.
Mr. Russell looked across the meadows which sloped
down from beyond the sunken fence of the churchyard
to the river Trent stealing quietly through the valley
some half a mile away. The evening breeze rippled and
shivered through the patches of grass as yet uncut, and
the Rector lingered for a space, enjoying the quiet pas-
1
434871
2 •. :;C-AST;I:NGr,. O'F NETS
toral beauty of the scene, and glancing, too, with a cer-
tain satisfaction at the heavy crop of hay, a considerable
portion of which was on his own glebe-land.
Suddenly the look of tranquil content upon his features
changed, to be replaced by one of impatience, almost of
annoyance.
From a mass of gray buildings beyond the river, just
discernible among the trees surrounding it, the deep tone
of a single bell floated up with the breeze.
One — two — three; one — two — three; one — two —
three ; and then a longer pause, and nine strokes, repeated
at equal intervals.
The Rector of Abbotsbury listened, and his face wore
the expression of one who wakes from a pleasant dream
to find himself confronted by an unpleasant reality.
* The AngeluSj he said to himself, lialf aloud ; and then
he turned and continued his walk through the church-
yard, and passed through a little gate which led into the
Rectory garden. The Rectory at Abbotsbury was a pleas-
ant abode enough. The house, indeed, more resembled
the residence of a country squire than that of a clergyman.
The solid, square building stood above a terraced garden
looking over the Valley of the Trent and across a rich
agricultural country to the heather-clad ridge of Cannock
Chase on the opposite horizon. The interior of the house
was entirely oak-panelled, the rooms spacious and well
furnished. Everything at Abbotsbury Rectory bore silent
but unmistakable testimony to the fact of Abbotsbury
being a good, solid family living, which had been enjoyed
by respectable younger sons for many generations. Be-
hind the house and garden rose groups of noble trees.
CASTING OF NETS 3
with here and there a venerable oak standing majestically
apart from its fellows. Beneath spreading branches, still
green with the midsummer shoots, could be caught glimpses
of undulating park-land, where shorthorns and Alderncys
were feeding knee-deep in the luxuriant herbage, and be-
yond were great woods stretching away as far as the eye
could see.
Abbotsbury possessed the evident stamp of being the
ancient abode of au ancient family, and the Rectory, which
lay just beyond the grounds surrounding the big house, was,
as it were, an inseparable part of the Abbotsbury domain.
The Redmans of Abbotsbury had lived on their own
lands since Saxon times, and when Sir Walter Redman
accepted a peerage from George III. in the early years
of that monarch's reign, and became known by the style
and title of Baron Redman, of Redman's Cross, in the
county of Stafford, the general impression in Staffordshire
was that he conferred a favour on his Sovereign and his
country by condescending to enter the Upper House.
Redman's Cross, which gave the family its title, was the
original dwelling-place of the race, the Redman of the
day having somewhere far back in the fourteenth century
married the heiress of Abbotsbury, after which they moved
their residence to the latter place. Redman's Cross fell in-
to ruin in the midst of the wild chase surrounding it, where
herds of deer wandered at will through its forest glades
and among the mighty oak-trees for which it had been
famous even in Norman times. The present Rector of
Abbotsbury was the first for many years to hold that
office who was not a Redman by birth. From time im-
memorial the charge of souls at Abbotsbury had been
4 CASTING OF NETS
committed to a younger son of the great house, and
when the Rev. James Russell was appointed to the liv-
ing on the death of the old Rector, the villagers, who had
been accustomed for generations to be christened, married,
and buried by a Redman, had been inclined to resent Mr.
Russell's ministration as an impertinent intrusion of a
stranger into their domestic affairs.
There had been no Redman, however, to succeed to
the Honourable and Reverend Richard, the late Lord
Redman's brother, who had held the living for nearly
forty years, when he died from a chill caught while fish-
ing for grayling on a treacherous day of mid- winter; so
his nephew, the present peer, had bestowed it upon James
Russell, his second cousin by marriage.
The latter was eminently fitted, so far as presence and
natural taste were concerned, to live in the stately, oak-
panelled Rectory-house, which bore about it the atmos-
phere of the old-fashioned Tory and High-Church principles
of the early part of the nineteenth century. As he walked
across the lawn from the churchyard gate, and slowly
ascended the broad flight of gray stone steps flanked by
vases of scarlet geranium and blue lobelia which led to
the terrace above, Mr. Russell presented a typical example
of a well-bred and well-educated English clergyman.
He was about to enter his own study by the large bay-
window which opened on to the garden, when his wife
called to him from beneath the trees at the further end
of the terrace.
'James,' she cried, Hea is out here. How late you
are! I will send for some fresh tea for you.'
The Rector turned, and went to where a tea-table and
CASTING OF NETS 5
sonic gardcu-chairs were placed bcucath an old chestnut-
tree.
* Yes, I am late/ he replied, taking one of the chairs
and drawing it nearer the table. ' Mrs. Clutterbuck is
very bad ; she won't last out the night, I think. 1 have
been with her all the afternoon.'
* Poor thing ! ' said Mrs. Kussell, looking critically at
the tea she was pouring out. ' No, James ; this tea is
much too strong. You know strong tea always gives
you indigestion. I will go and ring for George to bring
some more.'
' Do,' replied the Vicar ; ' it was very hot walking back
from Clutterbuck's farm. A cup of tea is just what I
want. Ah! here are the papers. Let us see what the
Times says.'
He opened the newspaper as his wife disappeared into
the house, and settled himself down to glance over its
contents.
Presently he gave an exclamation of astonishment and
dismay. A short paragraph of two or three lines among
the personal intelligence in the Times had caught his
eye.
^ xi marriage ^vill shortly take place between Lord Red-
man and Hilda, daughter of Lady Gwendolen and the late
Mr. Ca warden, of Cawarden.'
' Mary ' — Mr. Russell called out excitedly to his wife
— ' Mary, never mind the tea ; come here at once ! What
do you think has happened? '
Mrs. Russell heard him from the drawing-room window,
where she was giving directions to the butler, and came
leisurely along the terrace.
6 CASTING OF NETS
* What do you think has happened ? ' he repeated, as
she apj)roachcd him.
* I don't know. ^ What ? Another ritual scandal ? ' she
asked.
' Worse than that/ replied tlie Rector — * a great deal
worse than that. Read that announcement/ he added,
handing her the newspaper.
Mrs. Russell's face assumed a look of lively interest as
she read the paragraph.
' I don't know what you mean, James,' she said, after
a pause ; ^ I should think it was an excellent thing. Red-
man ought to have married a long time ago.'
' An excellent thing ! ' exclaimed her husband ; * it is
a terrible thing — a — an abominable thing ! '
^ Why ? Is Miss Cawarden not — not a nice person ?
It is a good name. I have often heard of the Ca wardens
of Cawarden.'
' It is a good name enough,' said Mr. Russell irritably
— *as good as Redman, if it comes to that — but the
Cawardens are Roman Catholics.'
Mrs. Russell looked genuinely shocked.
'Romanists!' she exclaimed. ' Oh, James, no wonder
you said it was a terrible thing ! It should be stopped,'
she continued. ' Can't it be stopped, James ? '
' My dear Mary,' the Rector replied, ' Redman is old
enough to know his own mind, and nobody has any right
to interfere. They are everywhere,' he added, a little
irrelevantly ; and he looked beyond the churchyard to
the spot in the valley where the Angelus had rung a
short time before.
'What can have induced him to do it?' said Mrs.
CASTING OF NETS 7
Russell. * Poor dear Walter ! ' she eontinued, with a
little sigh, * this is what comes of having no religi(jn.
If he had only been a good Churchman, he could never
have done such a thing. But I don't think he believes
in anything. One good thing is, that he is all the less
likely to be perverted by his wife.'
The Rector looked anmsed for a moment. Of the two
Mrs. Russell was the stauncher Protestant.
* I don't know that we ought to call it perversion if she
makes him a believer in something,' he said mildly.
^ Think of Abbotsbury falling into the hands of Roman-
ists ! Of course it is very sad that Walter should be so
indifferent to religion, but you surely would n't wish him
to become a pervert to Rome, James ? '
^ Abbotsbury will probably fall into the hands of Roman
Catholics whether he does or not,' remarked Mr. Russell.
* He will have to consent to his children being brought up
in his wife's religion, otherwise the Roman Church will
not allow the marriao:e.'
* It is perfectly monstrous I ' exclaimed his wife ; * they
treat us as if we were heathens.'
'It is the inflexible spirit of Roman Catholicism,' re-
turned the Rector. 'After all,' he added, with a sigh,
'their attitude is logical — more so, perhaps, than our
own.'
' Arrogance, I call it, not logic'
Mr. Russell shrugged his shoulders.
' I think it is logical/ he replied. ' At all events, they
stick to their position, which is more than we are able
to do to ours.'
'It will be a very unpleasant situation for us,' said
8 CASTING OF NETS
Mrs. Russell. 1 suppose that Lady Redman will ig-
nore us.'
' She can scarcely do that, my dear.'
*0h, I don't mean socially, of course; but she will
ignore your position as Rector of Abbotsbury. It is enough
to have that monastery in the parish, but now that there
is to be a Romanist reigning at the Hall ' and the
Rector's wife paused expressively.
^ Perhaps,' remarked her husband, ' Miss Cawarden may
be a tolerant person. She can't help having been born a
Roman Catholic. Indeed, having been born one, she is
far more likely to be broad-minded than if she were a
con — a pervert.*
^ She will want to turn her husband,' said Mrs. Russell,
^ and she will not be pleased at finding an Anglican priest
at her very door. Mark my words, James, it will be a
very disagreeable position for us.'
A servant brought some fresh tea, and the Rector
poured himself out a cup of it.
' You could n't blame her for wanting her husband to
belong to her faith,' he said presently.
^N—no,' answered Mrs. Russell doubtfully; 'I sup-
pose not. But it would be much better if Walter con-
verted her to his own '
' But if he has none ? '
' Oh, you know what I mean, James,' said Mrs. Russell
a little impatiently. ' Walter is nominally a member of
the Church of England, and of course his wife should be
so too. Who knows ? ' she added hopefully. ' Perhaps
she will become one.'
The Rector shook his head.
CASTING OF NETS 9
' Very few people leave Rome for Canterbury and Down-
ing Street — women especially,' he remarked. 'Besides,
who is to convert her ? Not her husband, certainly.'
* You ! ' said Mrs. Russell triumphantly.
^ ? My dear Mary ! '
'Certainly. You are the priest of her future hus-
band's parish, where she will be in the position of a
dissenter.'
' There are a good many of them in my parish,' muttered
Mr. Russell, thinking of the Dominican Fathers and their
monastery in the valley near by.
' It does n't say when the marriage is going to be,' said
Mrs. Russell, glancing again at the Times.
' It will be very soon, I should imagine. We are only
at the beginning of July. Probably they will be married
at the end of the London season, and we shall have them
here in the autumn, after the honeymoon.'
' And then,' said Mrs. Russell, ' you will have to begin
to prepare the ground for the conversion.'
The Rector of Abbotsbury made no reply, but took up
the newspaper. The news of Lord Redman's engagement
to a Roman Catholic had disturbed him more than he
cared to admit, and for the moment he did not wish to
discuss the subject any further, least of all with his wife.
CHAPTER II
' "m ^ Y dear Lady Gwendolen, let me assure you that I
W\ am making absolutely no sacrifice in accepting
tlie conditions imposed by your Church with regard to my
marriage with Hilda. I quite understand that many men
— most men, perhaps, in my position — would feel differ-
ently upon the subject. To me it is a matter of complete
unconcern.'
The speaker was Lord Redman, and the three people
who listened to his words tried to look shocked.
' You are at least candid in your opinions. Lord Red-
man,' said one of the three, an elderly man with iron-gray
hair, who might have passed for a retired cavalry officer
had it not been for his priestly attire.
He spoke in a harsh and curiously abrupt voice, and his
keen, dark eyes looked searchingly at Lord Redman as he
made the remark.
The latter returned his gaze tranquilly, almost indiffer-
ently.
'Do you think so, Mr. Galsworthy?' he replied. 'I
am afraid that you are wrong there. I have no opinions,
as you would call them, or prejudices, as I should call them,
on matters concerning the religious belief of others.'
'But you have your personal opinions — or prejudices?'
' Possibly ; but they are purely negative.'
CASTING OF NETS ii
' That is a very uiiliappy state of mind to be in,' said the
priest gravely.
as it ? '
Father Galsworthy looked disconcerted for a moment,
and then he laughed.
^ I am afraid that you are the most dangerous kind of
Protestant/ he replied.
^ Because I do not protest ? '
^ Precisely.'
At this moment Lady Gwendolen Cawarden's mother,
Lady Merton, interposed.
Lady Merton bore the traces of considerable beauty, and
looked many years younger than her age. She had joined
the Roman Church late in life, and had acquired for her-
self an almost unique position among her co-religionists in
England. The number of converts she had brought into
the Church, and through the Church into Catholic society,
was very large, for experience taught her that if crowns
were eagerly sought after in the next state of life, coronets
were not less so in this. So Lady Merton, girded with
piety and her peerage, had been a more than usually suc-
cessful proselytizer, and considered that she had been the
means of launching many of her fellow-creatures into the
good society of both this world and the world to come.
Of all her children, the youngest, Lady Gwendolen Ca-
warden, was the only one who followed their mother to
Rome. The others had been more or less grown up when
Lady Merton became a convert to Catholicism, and had
declined to be convinced by her arguments.
' I am sure,' said Lady Merton, looking at her daughter,
'that dear Hilda's example will cause her husband's
12 CASTING OF NETS
tlioughts to turn towards the Church. I do not agree
with Father Galsworthy. An unprejudiced mind like
Lord Redman's is far more likely to receive the truth than
one which has to rid itself of Protestant falsehood con-
cerning our holy religion. I speak from personal experi-
ence, you know,' she added, with a little sigh, turning to
her future grandson-in-law ; * for I had many mental
struggles to pass through before grace to see the light was
vouchsafed to me.'
Lady Merton's voice was soft and purring, and she
prided herself upon being able to throw the most persua-
sive tones into it when necessary. Lord Redman listened
politely, but he made no reply, and Lady Gwendolen, who
had maintained a discreet silence during the conversa-
tion, looked at her spiritual adviser. Father Galsworthy,
as though expecting him to conclude the matter under
discussion.
The latter nodded his head appreciatively as Lady Mer-
ton finished speaking.
' No doubt Lady Merton is perfectly right,' he remarked.
'As she says, she has an experience which is denied to
those who, like myself, have been born within the fold of
the Church. It is an experience, moreover, of which, as
we all know, she has made the best use.'
If she had been a cat Lady Merton would have rubbed
herself against the ecclesiastical legs ; as it was, she only
purred a modest disclaimer.
'I do not think,' continued Father Galsworthy, 'that
there is any more to be said. Lord Redman appears to be
fully aware of the conditions which the Church imposes
in the case of what is termed a mixed marriage. No
CASTING OF NETS 13
other religious ceremony save that of the Roman Church
is permissible ; and Lord Redman must give his solemn
undertaking that any children born of his marriage shall
be brought up in the Holy Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman
religion. I understand that he is prepared to accept these
conditions unreservedly, and also to promise that Miss
Cawarden, after she has become his wife, shall have full
liberty to exercise and practise her religion as her con-
science and the precepts of the Church shall demand.'
Lord Redman bowed.
' I have already said,' he replied, ' that these matters
are comparatively unimportant to me. I respect all re-
ligions, and that of my wife would have the first claim to
my respect. I hope, Mr. Galsworthy, that I have made
my meaning clear ? "
The Oratorian looked at him.
* Yes,' he said in his abrupt manner, ' I think you have.
But you must pardon me if I say that I would rather you
did not shelter yourself behind indifference.'
^ It is a very good shield,' said Lord Redman, with a
slight smile.
' I admit it — so long as you feel you need a sliield.
It is the hardest of all to penetrate. But supposing
the day should come, after you had been married some
time, when you felt that you no longer needed such
a shield — when your indifference broke down, so to
speak '
' Yes ? ' said Lord Redman interrogatively.
' The promises which appear to you to be so easy to
give in your present frame of mind might not be so easy
to fulfil,' continued Father Galsworthy.
14 CASTING OF NETS
Lady Merton intervened once more.
* Dear Father Galsworthy,' she said gently, ^ I do not
wish to interfere with your objections, but do you not
think that we are taking too much upon ourselves in thus
striving to look into the future ? Lord Redman's scepti-
cism may vanish — that is perfectly true. But may it
not be that it shall vanish in answer to our prayers for
his enlightenment ? St. Joseph '
*Was a carpenter,' interposed Lord Redman, smiling.
' I do not think we need bring him into the question,' he
added, holding out his hand to Lady Gwendolen. ' Mr.
Galsworthy will, no doubt, report to the proper quarters
that I am prepared unreservedly to accept the conditions
imposed by the Church. I only ask for myself the same
liberty of conscience which I engage to give to my future
wife. To-morrow morning, then, I will come for Hilda,'
he added, shaking hands with the remainder of the little
party assembled in the drawing-room of the Cawardens'
house in Eaton Square ; * we are going to do some shop-
ping together.'
' And you will come back to luncheon ? ' said Lady
Gwendolen.
' Thanks, yes. To-morrow, then, at eleven o'clock.
Will you tell Hilda ? ' and so saying. Lord Redman left
the room.
Father Galsworthy took his departure a few minutes
afterwards, leaving Lady Gwendolen and her mother alone
together.
^ A very holy man, Gwen dear,' said Lady Merton when
the drawing-room door had closed upon the priest, ^ but
not a man of the world.'
CASTING OF NETS 15
' Who — Father Galsworthy ? '
* Certainly. I was not alluding to Redman. I was on
thorns lest he should spoil the whole thing. Anybody
could have seen that Redman was getting very impatient ;
he wouldn't have taken me up about St. Joseph if he
was n't.'
' He only said that St. Joseph was a carpenter,' observed
Lady Gwendolen.
' Very true,' replied Lady Merton — ' so he was ; but
it is not good taste to allude to the fact. That young
man can say some very satirical things sometimes,' she
added. ' I do hope poor dear Hilda will be happy with
him.'
'You should have thought of that before, mamma/
remarked her daughter. ' The marriage has been more
of your making than of mine. I confess that I am full of
uneasiness at the thought of Hilda marrying a Protestant.*
Lady Merton gave her a little sidelong glance.
' Tliey are very fond of one another,* she said. ' For
all we know, Hilda may be the chosen instrument to
bring Redman into the Church. It would have been most
rash to place any obstacles in the way of the marriage.
Think, Gwen, what an acquisition Redman would be to
the Faith in England I A peer, and rich — a man, too,
who has generally been considered almost an agnostic —
why, his conversion would be followed by hundreds of
others in the country. And then the joy it would be to
us all to think that Hilda had been the means of saving
his soul ! * concluded Lady Merton, drawing the beads of
a little ebony and gold rosary, which hung at her waist,
through her hands as she spoke. ' Oh no, my dear Gwen,*
i6 CASTING OF NETS
she continued, ' I do not think you need be uneasy. If
Redman had pronounced Protestant convictions, I quite
grant you that it might be different ; but he has n't. His
mind is virgin soil, my dear — virgin soil,' repeated Lady
Merton, who, as an authoress of pious works, dearly loved
a simile.
' I am not thinking of his mind,' returned Lady Gwen-
dolen Cawarden ; ' I am thinking of Hilda's. She is so
young and inexperienced, and has never been brought into
contact even with Protestants, let alone agnostics.'
* But she knows that Redman does n't believe in any-
thing ! ' said Lady Merton.
' She knows it from me and from Father Galsworthy.*
* Not from Redman ? '
^ I asked her if he ever talked upon those subjects to
her. It appears that, after he had asked her to marry
him, he once told her he had no faith himself, but that
he should never say or do anything to interfere with hers.'
' So he told me,' observed Lady Merton. ' I thought it
very sensible of him.'
' Mamma ! *
' Certainly, Gwen. If Hilda is to marry a heretic, she
may as well marry an out and out one. There is nothing
so unsatisfactory as a Protestant ! '
^ She need n't have married a heretic at all,' objected
Lady Gwendolen.
' No ; she might have married one of our Catholic young
men. They are excellent creatures — from the next world's
point of view ; and we are all delighted when our friends'
daughters marry them.'
' I married one.*
CASTING OF NETS 17
^ My dear, you married an exception. Poor dear Uoger
was a parti as well as a Catholic. We cannot live on
"Hail Marys," unfortunately. That is what priests like
P'ather Galsworthy do not understand. Hilda is an ex-
tremely lucky person. She is marrying a rich man, with
a fine place, an old name, and no objections. I really
can't imagine what you and Father Galsworthy are afraid
of.'
Lady Gwendolen was silent. She had always been
a little frightened at her mother, and her own marriage
had not been what she herself would have chosen.
Before she married Roger Cawardcn she had been very
much in love with a man who, as Lady Merton put it,
could never have supplied her with anything more sub-
stantial than 'Hail Marys.' Then Mr. Cawardcn had
come forward, and Lady Merton had taken the matter
into her own hands. It had all turned out very well, and
in after life, when left a widow with a good jointure. Lady
Gwendolen was obliged to confess that her mother had
acted in a very sensible manner.
Lady Gwendolen, however, was a sincerely earnest
Catholic, and the thought that her daughter was about
to make a mixed marriage was a matter which caused her
genuine uneasiness.
She felt the force of Father Galswortliy's objection,
which her mother had feared might have the effect of
making Lord Redman think that too many concessions
were going to be demanded of him ; and, indeed, when
she reminded Lady Merton that the engagement had been
largely due to the latter, Lady Gwendolen had only spoken
the truth.
2
i8 CASTING OF NETS
Lady Merton, as a matter of fact, had done all in her
power to bring about an alliance between her grand-
daughter and Lord Redman, and it was at her house in
the country that the two had first met.
It had not been an easy marriage to arrange, notwith-
standing that Hilda Cawarden and Lord Redman had
fallen very satisfactorily in love with each other, and that
Lord Redman was honestly indifferent as to what Hilda's
creed might be. Lady Gwendolen would not hear of her
daughter marrying a Protestant. No Cawarden of Ca-
warden had ever done such a thing. At one time it had
looked very much as if the marriage was an impossibility,
and had it not been that the young couple were sincerely
attached to each other, the influence brought to bear
upon Miss Cawarden would probably have been strong
enough to cause a rupture between them. It was at this
juncture that Lady Merton's pious reputation in the
Catholic world enabled her to overcome the opposition to
a marriage of which her worldly instincts thoroughly ap-
proved ; and Lord Redman, considerably to his surprise,
found a most energetic ally where he had expected to find
a determined opponent.
To her lay and ecclesiastical friends Lady Merton
described Lord Redman as a rudderless ship driven to
and fro on a stormy sea. The simile was by no means
a new one, and she had herself applied it indiscriminately
in her writings to the Church of England, the Old
Catholics, and United Italy. In this instance Hilda
Cawarden was the obvious rudder by means of which
Lord Redman's drifting spiritual barque was to be guided
into port. It had cost her no little trouble to make her
CASTING OF NETS 19
daughter see the matter in the same light ; and Lady
Gwendolen had said, with some directness, that slie didn't
care whetlier Lord Redman drifted into port or not.
Lady Merton had expressed herself to some of her
particular friends among the higher clergy as very much
shocked at this deliberate casting away of an opportunity
to save a perishing soul, and most of them agreed with
her.
She had found an opponent, however, in Father Gals-
worthy, whom Lady Gwendolen was in the habit of con-
sulting on spiritual matters. The Oratorian was from the
first absolutely opposed to the projected marriage, and
he used all his influence with Lady Gwendolen to make
her oppose it also. Lady Merton, however, had found
means, if not to gain his approval, at least to silence his
objections. She intended that Hilda should be Lady
Redman, and she was a woman w^ho had generally suc-
ceeded in having her own w^ay. When she became aware
that Father Galsworthy's influence was encouraging Lady
Gwendolen in her opposition to Hilda's engagement, she
betook herself to his ecclesiastical superiors. Whether
Lord Redman \vould have been altogether pleased at the
picture w^hich she drew of him to the latter was by no means
certain. According to Lady Merton, he was a weary and
dissatisfied soul, knocking at the door of the Church and
only needing a little encouragement to enter in and rest.
She had told Hilda the same thing so often that the
girl believed her, and love added a fresh strength to her
determination to be the means of opening the doors of
belief to her lover. The end of it had been that Father
Galsworthy received a hint, from a quarter which he dared
20 CASTING OF NETS
not ignore, to allow matters to take their natural course
and to do nothing either to promote or impede Miss
Cawarden's marriage. He was given to understand that
Lord Redman had declared his readiness to accept the
terms imposed by the Church in England in the case of
the marriage of a Catholic with a person beyond its pale,
and that, therefore, no more was to be said.
That afternoon in Eaton Square Lord Redman had
been asked by Lady Gwendolen finally to promise, in the
presence of Father Galsworthy, that he would never
in any way interfere with her daughter's faith ; that no
other religious ceremony save that of her Church should
be performed at the marriage ; and that all the children
which might be born to them should be brought up
Catholics.
Lord Redman, as he had said himself, had found no
difficulty in promising each and all of these things, and
two or three days afterwards appeared the paragraph in
the newspapers which had so greatly exercised the minds
of the Rector of Abbotsbury and his wife.
' I have always turned out right in these matters,' said
Lady Merton complacently, as she saw that her daughter
was not convinced. ^ Redman will come into the Church
in time,' she continued ; ' but even if he does n't, think
what we shall have gained. Abbotsbury will be another
great Catholic house in the country, and who knows
how many souls may be saved in future days by its
influence. It would have been a terrible responsibility to
incur, Gwen, to have disallowed this marriage, and I
think Father Galsworthy must be blind not to see it.
But then, priests cannot be expected to understand our
CASTING OF NETS 21
world, you know. May I have the carriage, dear? 1 am
going to Benediction at Farm Street. Do you know
what I have done? Now that thuigs are ha{)i)ily Hcttled
I will tell you. I have written to Home, to dear Mon-
signor Chester, and asked him to get permission to say
Mass in the crypt of St. Peter's, and to offer it for Red-
man's conversion.' And Lady Merton rustled gracefully
out of the room, her rosary and little gold crucifix clink-
ing as she moved, and went to dress for her drive to
Farm Street.
CHAPTER III
AS Mr. Russell had foreseen, Lord and Lady Redman
came to Abbotsbury early in September, when the
first breath of autumn was touching the fields and the
hedgerows, and the bryony berries were beginning to
redden, while the roses and the honeysuckle in the cottage
gardens had given place to the more gorgeous colouring
of hollyhocks and gladioli, and scarlet groups of ' red-hot
poker.'
Lord and Lady Redman's home-coming had been a very
simple affair. Indeed, they had arrived late in the even-
ing at Abbotsbury, and the demonstrations of welcome to
the bride had been confined to the ringing cheers of a
group of villagers and tenants as the carriage passed into
the park gates. Lord Redman was a considerate and
popular landlord, and the Abbotsbury people were glad to
feel that he was bringing a wife among them, for they and
theirs for many generations had been born, and lived, and
died on the Redman property.
There had been, it must be confessed, a feeling almost
akin to dismay when it became known that Lord Redman
was marrying a Roman Catholic. Abbotsbury and Rome
had not had much opportunity of studying each other, for
very few of the Abbotsbury folk had ever penetrated
beyond the high stone wall surrounding the domain of the
CASTING OF NETS 23
Doniiiiicaii inonastery, wliicli, once the residence of an old
StafFordsbirc family, had been bought by the Order some
ten years previously. Occasionally some of them would
go out of curiosity to a service in the monastery church on
a Sunday afternoon in summer, but they returned home
more perplexed than impressed by what they had seen and
heard there.
If the monastic establishment at iVbbotsbridge, as the
spot was called where the Dominican Fathers had settled
themselves, was something of a mystery to the inhabitants
of the neighbouring village of Abbotsbury, at least the
latter bore no ill-feeling towards its inmates. In wliatever
way the monks might occupy themselves, they did not
interfere with the affairs of others. The monastery gave a
certain amount of employment, agricultural and otherwise,
to the labourers and tradespeople of the district, and paid
punctually and liberally. In other ways, save for hearing
the bells of the church, the Abbotsbury people knew very
little about them.
It was a different thing, however, to feel that the mis-
tress of Abbotsbury was a Roman Catholic, and people
began to wonder whether Lord Redman's wife would be
like the black-and-white-robed monks by the river-side,
and live in a mysterious seclusion. Mr. Russell and his
wife had received many interrogations on the subject, but,
though they looked forward to the bride's advent with no
little uneasiness and dislike, they had been too loyal to
Lord Redman to say anything which could prejudice his
dependents against the woman he had married. As Mr.
Russell said, the thing was done, and it was no use mak-
ing matters more unpleasant than they need be. All that
24 CASTING OF NETS
could be hoped was that Lady Redman was not a bigot,
and would not try to proselytize in Abbotsbury, or under-
mine the legitimate influence of the Rectory and the parish
church.
The morning after the arrival of the Redmans Mr. Rus-
sell was writing letters in his study, and his wife was
sitting with him, when a servant announced that his lord-
ship and Lady Redman were in the drawing-room.
The Russells looked at each other.
* That is very nice of him, bringing her to see us at once/
said the Rector.
^ James/ said Mrs. Russell nervously, ' I wonder what
she will be like. I 'm sure I shan't know what to talk to
her about.'
^ Never mind ; let us go in and get it over ; ' and they
went to the drawing-room together.
^ How are you, Mary ? ' said Lord Redman, coming for-
ward to meet them. ' We have paid you an early visit ;
but I wanted you and Russell to be the first people at
Abbotsbury to know my wife, your new cousin. Hilda, I
don't think I need introduce you formally ? '
Lady Redman shook hands with them.
' No, indeed ! ' she said, smiling. * I hope we have n't
disturbed you by coming at this informal hour,' she added ;
' but, you see, we were determined that our first visit
should be to the Rectory. What a delightful place, and
wliat a garden ! How happy you must be here ! '
Lady Redman was so perfectly natural and at her ease,
that Mrs. Russell's nervousness vanished at once.
* We have grown very fond of it,' she answered ; and
then she looked at her cousin's wife, and found that she
CASTING OF NETS 25
was quite a different person in appearance and manners
from all that she had imagined she would be.
Hilda Redman seemed to be the personification of care-
less youth and happiness. Mrs. Russell saw a pretty,
smiling face looking at her from under the broad brim of
a Gainsborough hat, and surrounded by a wealth of curl-
ing auburn hair ; a tall, well-modelled figure, which with
years would become stately ; a general, indefinable look
of high-breeding and the natural simplicity which nearly
always accompanies it.
* You are pleased with your first impressions of Abbots-
bury, I hope, Lady Redman ? * said the Rector.
* More than pleased — enchanted,' replied Hilda. * It
is a beautiful old place. Walter is going to take me
everywhere. We are going to visit every house and cot-
tage on the property. I shan't feel at home until I have
made acquaintance with all his people. Do you think
they will be kind to me ? ' she added half appealingly.
* Kind to you ! ' echoed Mr. Russell. ' I am sure you
will be kind to them, which is far more to the purpose.'
'The kindness must be mutual to be satisfactory,' said
Lady Redman, with a little laugh. 'I don't mean soup
and jellies on one side, and curtsies and thanks on
the other. I want to know the people and to make
them feel that they know me,' she added, with a little
emphasis.
'That will not be difficult,' said the Rector. 'Our
Abbotsbury folk are a little behind the times, perhaps, but
they are very approachable, especially for anybody who
bears the name of Redman. You will find an almost
feudal feeling remaining about here for your husband's
i6 CASTING OF NETS
family. There are farmers and labourers whose families
have been on the estate for centuries.'
^Can we look into the church, Russell?' asked Lord
Redman. ^ Hilda would like to see it.'
Mr. Russell looked a little surprised.
^ Of course ! ' he replied. ^ Abbotsbury Church is al-
ways open. Mary and I will show Lady Redman the
garden on our way there.'
They went out through the drawing-room window on
to the terrace, and Hilda lingered, admiring the old-
fashioned garden, with its sweet-scented flowers and
herbaceous borders, and the view over the Trent Valley
to the high ground of Cannock Chase.
^ There,' said the Rector, pointing to the monastery
buildings in the distance, *is Abbotsbridge. It will be
your nearest church, Lady Redman — only a mile and a
half from here.'
^ Within the three-mile limit, Hilda,' said her husband,
laughing ; ' so you can't get out of going.'
'The three-mile limit?' asked Mrs. Russell vaguely.
'What do you mean, Walter?'
^ If there is a church within three miles of her, Hilda
is obliged to go there on Sundays and holy days,' ex-
plained Lord Redman.
Mrs. Russell felt inclined to remark that there was a
church within a hundred yards of Abbotsbury, but, catch-
ing her husband's eye, she refrained.
Abbotsbury Church was a very ancient building, and
among the arches of the nave were two or three remain-
ing of Saxon architecture, which the Rector pointed out
to Hilda with pardonable pride. The chancel, however.
CASTING OF NETS 27
was the most interesting part of the edifice. As in
several cliurches in StafFordshire, it was considerably
below the level of the nave, so that the conerreL'ation
looked down upon the altar. The tombs of dead and
gone Redmans surrounded it on all sides. Recumbent
effigies of knightly Crusaders in armour, with their dames
by their sides, lay gazing up to the vaulted roof, their
feet crossed on their couchant hound, and their marble
hands, yellow with time, joined in an attitude of prayer.
Here and there, above one of the ^Yarriors, hung a rusty
helmet or dinted casque, or a pair of mailed gauntlets,
to which the leather still hung in mouldering strips. The
walls were covered with brasses and memorials of the
past bearers of the name. Soldiers, priests, courtiers,
statesmen — there were records of all, above and beneath ;
for the chancel was in reality the mortuary chapel of the
Redmans, whose family vaults lay beneath its pavement,
and it was the property, not of the Church, but of the
head of the ancient house which for nearly a thousand
years had dwelt at Abbotsbury.
Hilda looked at her husband as he stood by the marble
effigy of one of the earliest of his ancestors, also a Walter
Redman, which lay at the right-hand side of the altar.
The rich tracery of the reredos still remained, but the
niches which had held the figures of the saints were
empty. In the centre space, which the crucifix had once
filled, and sometimes the monstrance containing the Host,
stood brass vases of autumnal flowers. On the altar itself
a plain brass cross occupied the place where once tlie
ciborium had been, flanked by two candlesticks. Except
for the cross, it more resembled, to Hilda's mind, a
2g CASTING OF NETS
dressing-table or a side-board than an altar. As she
looked at Lord Redman, the living representative of the
dead all around him, she could not but feel that the
latter were worthily replaced by their descendant so far
as character and personal appearance were concerned.
Nobody could look at Walter Redman and take him for
other than a high-bred gentleman.
Tall, with a slight but strong figure, he had the open
brow and steady, straightforward expression of counte-
nance that was remarkable in the faces of many of the
family portraits at Abbotsbury. It was not a hard face,
but there was that about the lines of the mouth and chin
which spoke of a certain degree of quiet determination
of character. The living Walter Redman looked very
handsome as he leaned carelessly against the tomb of the
dead one — the goodly heir of a goodly English race. As
Hilda watched him, a sudden sense of the incongruity of
the situation came to her. What had he, her husband,
in common with those old Redmans who had been laid
to rest with all the stately ritual of the Faith he denied ?
She looked beyond him to the stripped and barren
altar, and the emptiness of it all smote her. How
could Walter stand there so calmly and indifferently,
she wondered, and not realize how separated he was
from all that those lying at his feet had held most
sacred? She looked at the Russells. The Rector was
adjusting the blue ribbons of the markers in the large
Bible on the lectern, and his wife was pushing refractory
dahlias into the brass vases on the altar.
Hilda wished that she and her husband had been
alone together in the church. She longed to say to
CASTING OF NETS 29
him somctliing of what was passing in her mind — to
ask him how he coukl stand there among his dead and
be untouched by the Faith that had been theirs. Here,
around and beneath them, generation after generation
had kxid themselves down in peace and a sure and
certain hope ; but the okl Faith had changed, and he,
Walter Redman, was the result of the change — a man
with no hopes and no fears, no trust in the future, no
belief in the present.
Never since the day of her marriage had Hilda felt
so great a longing to speak. It would be a relief, she
thought, if she could only ask Walter the simple
question, 'Why?' But the compact made at their
marriage rose up like a barrier between them. Her
husband had hitherto scrupulously adhered to his
promise never to interfere with her religious opinions,
and Hilda always remembered that he had stipulated
for a similar non-interference on her part with his views
on such subjects. However much, therefore, she might
wish to break down this barrier, she felt that she could
not fail in maintaining her part of the compact made at
their engagement. The latter had, as a matter of fact,
been not so much of her making as of Lady Merton's.
There had been a time when Lord Redman became
impatient of the objections to the marriage which Lady
Gwendolen, inspired by her own fears and Father
Galsworthy's counsels, had perpetually brought forward.
He w^as quite prepared to allow to his wife the full liberty
of her conscience, but he had no .intention of resigning
the liberty of his own. Lady ]Merton foresaw the danger
of a rupture of any further negotiations on Lord Redman's
30 CASTING OF NETS
part. It was she who had suggested this compact to
Walter, and had advised her grand-daughter to agree to
it. Hilda would have agreed to anything which did not
entail the loss of her lover. Her religious convictions
were the result rather of heredity and education than of
reason and spiritual discernment. With how many of
us are they not?
When Lady Merton found a way out of the difficulty
acceptable alike to Walter Redman and to Hilda, she
probably did not believe that the latter would consider
herself as bound in honour to adhere to her part of the
contract. Indeed, in the course of the conversations
which they had had together on the subject, she had
tried to make Hilda understand that the measure was
one to be undertaken for the protection of her own
faith and spiritual welfare, and as a security that the
commencement of her married life should be serene,
and free from any of those petty differences which
divergence of religious opinions might produce. After-
wards, she had told the girl, it might be her duty to do
all in her power to overcome her husband's scepticism
and bring him into the Church.
Lady Gwendolen, accustomed all her life to submit
her own more simple judgment to the guidance of Lady
Merton's superior worldly experience and spiritual tact,
talked to her daughter in the same sense when once she
had brought herself to accept Lady Merton's argument,
that the Almighty had arranged that Hilda and Lord
Redman should marry each other with the double object
in view of saving the latter's soul and of benefiting the
position of His Church.
CASTING OF NETS 31
Hilda had listened and acquiesced. Slie had been so
supremely happy durnig the (ew weeks which had
elapsed since her marriage, that the thought of any
difference of belief existing between Walter Redman
and herself had scarcely ever occurred to her, and had
certainly never troubled her. They had spent tlieir
honeymoon in the North of Scotland, and it was only
when the time drew near for their arrival at Abbotsbury
that Hilda had sometimes felt nervous as to how she
might be received in her husband's place, and whether
she should be looked upon with coldness and distrust
as a Roman Catholic, who was probably trying to con-
vert him.
She had confided her fears to ^Y alter, and he had
laughed at her.
' You may be sure,' he had said to her, ' that acquaint-
ance with people who look coldly on others on account
of their beliefs or disbeliefs is not worth cultivating,' and
with this remark he had dropped the subject.
That very morning, while they wxre wandering through
the rooms at Abbotsbury, Lord Redman had taken his
wife into what had once been the old chapel, but which
for many long years had been dismantled and used as a
kind of lumber-room.
'We used to be turned in here to play on wet days
when we were children,' he said, with a smik^ And
then he had added : ' I dare say you would like to have
it restored to its old use. It could very easily be done,
if you wish it.'
Hilda was roused from her reflections by her husband's
voice.
32 CASTING OF NETS
^ What are you tliinking about ? ' he asked. ' You
look very serious.'
Hilda smiled.
' All sorts of things, Walter/ she replied. ^ I am glad
you brought me here,' she added softly.
^ I hope you will often come, Lady Redman,' said the
Rector; ^you will always find the church open.'
'We have three services on Sundays, and Matins
and Evensong on Wednesdays and Fridays,' remarked
Mrs. Russell from the altar.
Lord Redman intervened a little hastily.
'Come, Hilda,' he said; 'I think we must be going
back to the house. You have been introduced to the
dead, and there are plenty of the living who are anxious
to see you.'
'Won't you and Mary come and dine with us to-
night ? ' he added, turning to Mr. Russell.
' Shan't we be de trop ? ' asked the Rector.
Lady Redman laughed.
' Oh no,' she replied ; * Walter and I have dined alone
for nearly six weeks. I believe he is simply longing for
a change of company.'
'You will be doing Hilda a kindness, you see,'
remarked Lord Redman.
The Russells parted with them in the churchyard,
and walked slowly back to the Rectory together.
' Mary,' said the Rector solemnly, ' she is charming.'
' Yes ; but, oh dear ! that makes it all the worse.'
' Makes what all the worse ? '
' Why, her being a Romanist, of course ! '
Mr. Russell frowned a little.
CASTING OF NETS 33
* It is ii sad misfortune,' ho said, sigliin*; ; 'but at any
rate a pleasant Romanist is better than a disagreeable
one, and they can be very disagreeable sometimes ; the
women especially, if they arc perverts.'
Mr. Russell had a vivid recollection of days passed
in a hotel at Rome nmcli frequented by p]nglishwomen
of middle age and fervent piety, who talked at him
amongst each other during meals in the hopes of making
him realize the falsity of the Anglican position.
' She is evidently anxious to be friendly,' he con-
tinued, ^and Redman and she appear to be very happy.
I liked what she said about wishing to know all the
people, and not to be merely a sort of Lady Bountiful
to them.'
* Yes, I suppose so,' replied his wife dubiously, * so long
as she does n't try to proselytize among them. I must
say, James, she is quite a different sort of person from
what I had pictured her, and I don't wonder that
Walter fell in love with her. We must wait and see,
however, what line she will take, and whether she will
fill the house with her Roman Catholic friends and re-
lations and surround W^alter with priests. There will be
many influences at work upon her, you may be sure, for
Walter would be a great catch for her Church.'
The Rector stepped across a bed of onions, and
released a blackbird from the meshes of a net stretched
across a plum-tree on the red-brick wall of the garden.
'Heaven knows I don't want Redman to become a
Roman Catholic,' he said when he had completed the
operation, 'but an element of belief introduced into his
life would not be a bad thing for him. I confess that
3
34 CASTING OF NETS
I shall be curious to see how things go at the Hall.
Her bringing up must have been so utterly different,
and I can't think how she will get on among the set
that Redman likes to have about him. Luckily for
both of them, the marriage is evidently one of affection.
If it were not so, I should be afraid there might be dis-
agreeables in the future, when they have to settle down
to their everyday life.'
CHAPTER IV
^ I^IE autumn days faded gently and ^inipereeptibly
A into winter. Except for an occasional three days'
visit, Lord and Lady Redman had remaified at Abbotsbury.
After the first week or so they had seldom been alone, for
there had been a succession of guests coming and going on
their way south from Scotland to the various country-
houses in the Midlands. Hilda had experienced none of
the petty annoyances which in the earlier days of her mar-
ried life she had feared she might encounter owing to her
being a Catholic. Perhaps her personal beauty and charm
of manner disarmed those of her husband's county neigh-
bours who mif]:ht have been inclined to resent his marria<]re
with her on the score of her faith. A certain amount of
disapproval had not unnaturally been expressed in Staf-
fordshire at the marriage, for Abbotsbury had been looked
upon from time immemorial as an institution in the county,
and many of the old friends and connections of the Red-
man family were genuinely grieved at the thought that the
old place and name must, in all probability, pass in the
future to Catholic owners.
The late Lord Redman and his predecessors before him
had entertained at Abbotsbury on a princely scale. In
their reign the place had been a centre of the intimate
^6 CASTING OF NETS
county society of those times, when people did not hurry
madly from one country-house to another through the
length and breadth of the kingdom, staying three days
here and three days there, and spending half of their exist-
ence and much of their substance on the railway. Abbots-
bury had been a house where the worthies of all the
country between tlie Peak and the Wrekin met, and three
counties had been proud of its hospitality and venerable
traditions.
There were those yet alive who remembered how Christ-
mas had been kept at Abbotsbury in the days of the grand-
father of the present owner, and could see the stately old
peer seated at the head of the long table in the Barons'
Hall, a room rich with the associations of the Redmans
and of England itself. The light of the wax-candles fell
upon the old stained-glass windows emblazoned with the
various coats of arms and quarterings of the house since
the twelfth century. Over the great fireplace, carved in
bas-relief, was a representation of the signing of Magna
Charta, and ancient tapestries, depicting famous episodes
of war and statecraft in wliich the race had taken part,
hung from the walls. The old folk would tell how, at the
conclusion of dinner, the head forester of Redman's Cross
would enter the hall, followed by his subordinates clad in
their uniforms of green and gold, each leading a leash of
the famous blood-hounds which had been bred in the ken-
nels at Redman's Cross for centuries. They would tell
how the hounds, so formidable in appearance, so gentle in
reality, would be led round the dining-table and up to the
old lord, who would caress them and give to each his por-
tion of Christmas fare.
CASTING OF NETS 37
And then the mummers would come in, with their
horned masks and their hobby-horses, and sing the old
songs that were sung, it may be, to Robin Hood and Maid
Marion, and the simple, quaint Christmas carols of past
days. Christmas-tide over, they would hang up their
mummers' toggery in Abbotsbury Church, not to be taken
down till the Festival of the Holy Child should come
round again ; and chance visitors to the church would ask
what the presence of the grotesque garments and horned
masks in the sacred building might mean, and would
wonder at having stumbled upon a survival of medieval
customs in this remote portion of the county which con-
tains the Potteries and the Black Country within its
boundaries.
If the feeling of regret remained among Lord Redman's
friends and neighbours that Abbotsbury should eventually
pass into Catholic hands, the new Lady Redman succeeded
in winning the goodwill of all who came into contact with
her. Her simple, natural manner, the same to rich and
poor, quickly overcame any prejudices which might have
been harboured against her personally. People said that,
after all. Lord Redman was very lucky, and began to reflect
that if he did not mind his wife being a Roman Catholic,
and his children, if he had any, being brought up in an-
other religion to that of his forefathers, there was no par-
ticular reason why anybody else should do so. This liberal
view of the situation was, to be sure, confined to the more
important of the Redmans' country neighbours, and to
their own tenants and cottagers. That portion of the
county society which took its views from the local clergy
and the parish magazines shook its head ominously over
38 CASTING OF NETS
the future of Abbotsbury, and sniffed the air to catch the
first breath of proselytism.
In the more immediate neighbourhood of Abbotsbury
Mrs. Russell had been the means of tranquillizing the
minds of many who had expected nothing less than an im-
mediate invasion of secret emissaries of Rome to follow
the appearance of a Catholic mistress of the Hall, as the
great house was called for miles round it.
The Rector had been astonished, knowing his wife's
prejudices against what she termed Romanism, at the
friendliness which she had developed in the course of a
few weeks for Lady Redman.
Mary Russell seemed to have quite overcome her suspi-
cions that her cousin's wife would interfere in her work
among the cottagers and poor people in the parish. She
would often allude to the fact of Hilda being a Romanist
as deplorable, but, as the weeks went by, even these objec-
tions became less frequent on her part, and the Rector,
who had always feared that the two would dislike each
other, and that his position would thereby become some-
what difficult, watched the friendship growing up between
them with considerable satisfaction. It would have been
very unpleasant had the Hall and the Rectory at Abbots-
bury not been upon friendly terms, and Mary Russell's con-
nection with Lord Redman would have made such a state
of things doubly disagreeable for all parties.
The Rector's wife was almost as much surprised as the
Rector himself, not only to find that she was rapidly be-
coming intimate with Lady Redman, but that the latter
interested her almost in spite of herself and of her foregone
conclusions concerning Roman Catholics in general.
CASTING OF NETS 39
She had made up lier mind that Hilda would be aggres-
sive, and had expected to be kept at a distance as the wife
of the minister of a religion which was heretical in Lady
Redman's eyes. Instead of this, she had found herself
treated from the first as a relation and friend, and in her
almost daily intercourse with Hilda she was obliged to
confess to herself that whenever their conversation hap-
pened to touch in the remotest degree upon religious mat-
ters, it was invariably she herself who gave that particular
turn to it. Indeed, had it not been for the absence of
Lady Redman from the church services, and the occasional
presence of Lord Redman sitting alone in the family seat
in the chancel on Sunday mornings, Mary Russell would
scarcely have remembered that Hilda was not one of them-
selves in matters of faith.
When he was at Abbotsbury, Walter Redman made
a point of occasionally appearing at the parish church.
He did not do so, like a well-known great lady in Lon-
don of the middle of the century, in order to ' do the
ci\il thing by the Almighty,' but in order to support an
institution which he considered to be of use to society
generally. It was neither known nor suspected at Ab-
botsbury that Lord Redman was an agnostic, or, as
Abbotsbury would have called it with greater directness,
a heathen. In AYalter Redman's opinion the majority of
mankind required some form or another of dogmatic be-
lief, while a minority of it did not; but he was unable
to admit that the minority had any right to attempt to
interfere with that which experience had taught the
majority was to the latter's advantage to believe in.
He himself had been brought up in all the formal tra-
40 CASTING OF NETS
ditions of a Protestantism into which Puseyism had never
penetrated. The Honourable and Reverend Richard, his
uncle, would have been extremely annoyed had his High
Church principles been called into question ; but he would
also have been considerably perplexed had he been de-
fined as an Anglican priest. Regularly as a boy, on
Sunday mornings, Walter had sat from eleven o'clock
until a quarter to one in the oak stalls of the chancel in
Abbotsbury Church, and wondered how Sir Walter de
Redman could have squeezed himself into the armour
which hung on the opposite wall. He found himself at
thirty wondering the same thing, especially during the
Psalms, or while Mr. Russell was preaching. Every
morning at nine o'clock his father had been in the habit
of reading family prayers in the presence of his house-
hold, in measured, exhortatory tones, as though giving
the Almighty His orders for the day.
It was not until he was a young fellow of twenty that
Walter had realized with some surprise that such things
were not necessary to existence, and he was some years
older before it became apparent to him that he had no
positive belief at all. Walter Redman had always been
of a thoughtful disposition. Life, in all its manifold
representations, had ever possessed for him an extreme
fascination. This fascination had not stopped short at
the point of deriving as much enjoyment out of it as
possible, as was the case with the great majority of men
of his age and class. The circumstances of his boyhood
had doubtless contributed in no slight degree to the
formation of a somewhat serious and critical turn of
mind.
CASTING OF NETS 41
He had been, to begin witli, an only surviving son.
Two of his brothers had died in infaney, and his lite be-
came, therefore, doubly precious to his parents. His
father had given way to the mother's desire to keep her
boy at home until he should be of an age to go to a pub-
lic school ; and when that age arrived, Walter had been
sent, like all his family before him, to Eton, Lord Red-
man being very strongly of the opinion that only the
training of a public school could properly fit a lad to
take up his position in the world as a man in after-life.
The quiet years spent with a private tutor at Abbots-
bury had not been without their effect upon the boy.
For good or ill, there is no such teacher as solitude for
youth, and until he was fourteen years old Walter Red-
man had necessarily had his fair share of it. During the
long summer months, when Abbotsbury was empty and
his father and motlier were up in London, he had no
companions but his pony and his dog when the hours
for work with the tutor were over. Solitary rambles
through the woods, or afternoons spent on the banks of
the trout-stream with his fishing-rod, had been his chief
recreations, and with these had come a great love for
the life of the woodland and water, and a feeling of
friendship and sympathy with Nature generally. Li those
years W^alter Redman had unconsciously made intimate
acquaintance with those simple beauties of life which
were to help him to grapple with its problems later on.
After four years or so at Eton, he had gone to Oxford,
Lord Redman's idea having been that his son should go
into Parliament. At the University W^alter had speedily
found the path which his temperament and the habits of
42 CASTING OF NETS
observation contracted in earlier years inclined him to
follow. He began to interest himself in natural science
and in the social questions of the day, and his pursuit
of these studies soon brought him into contact with the
more serious portion of college life. Men in this set far
older than the future Lord Redman recognised in him a
personality which was singularly attractive to them, and
they admitted him into their circle with more readiness
than they would have shown in the case of the majority
of undergraduates. With all his interest in the more
serious problems of existence, there was nothing of the
prig about Walter Redman. It very soon became known
that he was not one of those young men who affected
mental superiority in order to conceal moral and physical
deficiencies.
Lord Redman's unexpected death, which took place
when Walter had been at Oxford about four years, put
an end to all schemes of a Parliamentary career for the
latter, and for a year or two after his succession to the
title he continued his University life, at the conclusion
of which, having taken an unusually brilliant degree, he
had devoted much of his time to travelling. The world
of society in London had, consequently, known little or
nothing of the young Lord Redman, and he had been
looked upon by mothers with marriageable daughters as
completely beyond their reach. Lady Merton, however,
had met him at Rome, where he had spent some weeks
on his way back from an expedition in Asia Minor.
Walter had been introduced to her by a mutual acquaint-
ance as a Free-thinker, and Lady Merton, who knew all
about him as soon as she heard his name, while duly
CASTING OF NETS 43
deploring the fact, began to wonder wliethcr his wandcr-
inf'- thoughts might not eventually be turned in the direc-
tion of her grand- daughter, Hilda Cawarden, who was
to come out the following season in London.
Lady Mcrton was very civil to young Lord Redman in
Rome. She asked him to her luncheon parties in the
Via Gresroriana, where she hired au ill-furnished and
dreary apartment at the usual exorbitant rent demanded
in the English quarter of the city, and entertained Cardi-
nals, iNIonsignori, the black world generally, and a sprink-
ling of possible converts whose interest in Catholicism
might judiciously be increased by finding themselves
seated between an Archbishop in picturesque clothes and
a Roman princess. Walter Redman quietly studied both
his hostess and her entourage, as he studied most people.
Lady Merton amused him. She was so obviously a pro-
fessional in her Catholicism, and her capacity for assimi-
lating the miraculous seemed to him to be second only to
her powers of invention. The priests did not amuse him.
Their countenances as a rule inspired him ^\X\ distrust,
and sometimes with a stronger feeling, while their conver-
sation gave him the impression of men who were laughing
in their sleeves at the things in which they professed to
believe. The Roman princesses as a rule simply bored
him.
Lady jNIerton, however, had no intention of losing sight
of so eligible a young man as Lord Redman, and she had
pressed him to come to Ware the following autumn for
one of her shooting parties, for which she had taken good
care that ]Miss Cawarden should be staying witli her.
Hilda had been married but a short time before she
44 CASTING OF NETS
found out that the state of perplexity and dissatisfaction
in which Lady Merton had depicted her husband as
labouring existed only in her grandmother's imagination.
She could not but see that Walter was entirely happy,
and that he was very far indeed from evincing the interest
in his wife's religion which she had been so repeatedly
assured would show itself directly after their marriage.
The absence of it did not disturb her very seriously. A
young girl, married to the man she loved, and who she
knew returned her love, it was not to be wondered at if
she had no place for other thoughts in her mind than of
her husband's and her own happiness. She drove over
to Abbotsbridge to Mass on Sunday mornings, and when
she got there it seemed easier to thank God for all that
had been given to Walter and to herself than to ask for
anything more. It was quite in vain that Lady Merton
urffed her in her letters to address herself to the interven-
tion of St. Joseph as a means of obtaining her husband's
speedy conversion. Hilda felt that the interference of
St. Joseph, or of any other saint, would not be acceptable
just then. She did not believe that Walter and she
would be either more or less happy if he were a Catholic,
and she was not at all sure that St. Joseph, with the best
intentions, might not introduce discordant elements into
their lives. On the whole, therefore, it seemed to be
safer not to make any effort to interest him in the matter
for the present, and she felt almost uneasy at the thought
of the possible effects which the attempts of her relations
to do so might produce.
Curiously enough, the only person at Abbotsbury with
whom Hilda was able to talk of her religion was Mary
CASTING OF NETS 45
Russell. The subject seemed to have a strange fascina-
tion for Mrs. Kussell, and as she became more intimate
with her cousin's wife, she would ask her for information
on many points of Catholic doctrine, although she was
scarcely able to conceal her disapproval when these were
explained to her by Lady Redman. The Roman Church,
indeed, exercised the attraction of the candle to the moth
for the wife of the Rector of Abbotsbury, but, notwith-
standing her strong prejudices against Romanists, as she
invariably termed its members, she had never been
brought into contact with one of them, except in the
most formal and transitory manner. She had not, there-
fore, been able to recover her astonishment, during the
first weeks of her acquaintance with Hilda, at finding the
latter to be like other people, and, as she daily had
occasion to think, nicer than the majority. She had
expected to find a supercilious young woman who would
look upon her as an ignorant heretic, to be pitied, per-
haps, but also to be made to feel both her ignorance and
her heresy. She had found instead a natural, unaffected
girl, full of the happiness and high spirits of youth.
That this attitude had not proceeded from carelessness
or indifference on Lady Redman's part Mary Russell had
very quickly realized. She had not been able to avoid
observing that while Hilda never spontaneously talked
about her o^vn religion, she often inquired very minutely
into matters which were indirectly connected with the
parish church.
'I shall come to you for information about the village
people and the farmers,' Hilda had said to her, smiling,
at- an early period of their acquaintanceship. 'You see,*
46 CASTING OF NETS
she had added, * at Cawarden it was difFereut. Almost
all our people there are Catholics, so, of course, I knew
just how to talk to them, and all about their wants and
their grievances. But here I am afraid of being looked
upon as an intruder on account of our not all going to the
same church.'
This little speech had done much to allay Mary
Russell's fears, into which there had entered a certain
amount of jealousy. Jest Hilda should seek to undermine
her influence in the parish and perhaps attempt to intro-
duce disturbing ideas into the heads of the Abbotsbury
folk. She very soon became satisfied that Lady Redman
had no intention of doing anything of the kind. It was
wonderful how soon Hilda made friends, as she had ex-
pressed her determination of doing, with all her husband's
tenants. Even the Tomlinsons, the dissenting farmer and
his wife who were the tenants of one of the most important
of the Abbotsbury farms, and who were thorns in the sides
of the Rector and Mary Russell, were among her most
devoted admirers. The odium theologiciim had kindled
somewhat over this point at the Rectory, and Mrs. Rus-
sell had even gone so far as to remark a little irritably
that, after all, it was very natural. Dissenters always
made friends with each other, and Hilda, when all was
said and done, was a dissenter just as much as the Tom-
linsons were.
So the weeks passed, and already Christ mas- time was
approaching. It soon became known in the neighbour-
hood that Christmas that year was to be kept up at
Abbotsbury according to the traditions of the place.
Lord and Lady Rednum had expressed their determina-
CASTING OF NETS 47
tion to revive all the kindly hospitality and picturesque
usages which had been neglected while the present owner
was a bachelor and absent on his travels in far-off coun-
tries. The Hall was to be filled by a large party of guests
staying in the house from the day before Christmas Eve
until after Twelfth Night. None, rich or poor, was to be
forgotten or left out in the cold. Hilda, assisted by Mary
Russell, was already occupied in writing the invitations
for a ball, to which all the hostesses of the country-houses
within driving distance were asked to bring their guests
on the night of the New Year, and this was to be fol-
lowed two nights afterwards by a tenants' ball, to which
all the farmers and their families, the tradespeople of
Trentford (tlie little town which lay in the valley some
five miles from Abbotsbury), the servants, keepers, forest-
ers, and retainers of the estate generally were bidden,
together with any of the neighbouring gentry who cared
to come to it. Then there was to be a big Christmas-
tree for the school-children, a dinner for the cottagers
and their wives — a ten-days' round of feasting and re-
joicing, in fact, in which all were to have their part
according to time-honoured custom at Abbotsbury.
The house-party for these festivities was to include
relations of both Hilda and her husband, and among
those of Lady Redman, Lady Gwendolen Cawarden and
Lady INIerton were expected.
Hilda was a little anxious concerning the latter's visit
to Abbotsbury. Her mother had already stayed a few
days at Abbotsbury, soon after she and Walter had
come there at the conclusion of their honeymoon. Lady
Gwendolen, however, seeing that her daughter was evi-
48 CASTING OF NETS
dently perfectly happy in her new surroundings, had
wisely refrained from questioning her as to whether her
husband showed any signs of being attracted to the
Church.
Hilda knew her grandmother too well, however, not
to feel sure that she would take the earliest opportunity
of ascertaining whether St. Joseph had been doing
what was expected of him during the months which
had elapsed since her marriage. It had been an easy
matter enough to respond in a vague manner to Lady
Merton's questions on the subject in her letters; but
Hilda thought it more than probable that, in her zeal
for the faith, she would attempt to give St. Joseph
some assistance, and would endeavour herself to talk
to Walter on religious topics.
Lady Redman was not at all sure what the effect of
such an attempt might be. Hitherto the most perfect
confidence had existed between herself and her husband.
She had often been surprised at the similarity of views
which they possessed on many subjects. It seemed to
her to be extraordinary that their convictions regarding
spiritual things should be so widely diverse, and that
this should yet create so little impression upon their
relations to each other in their daily life. Sometimes
she experienced qualms of conscience, and wondered
whether she were not allowing her love for her husband
to supplant that other love which her training had taught
her to believe was required by God for Himself and His
Church. She knew very well what was expected of
her by her family, and, indeed, by her co-religionists
generally. Lady Gwendolen had been thankful, as
CASTING OF NETS 49
soon as her mother had persuaded her into giving her
consent to Hilda's marriage with a Protestant, to seize
upon that which Lady Merton had impressed upon her
was its great redeeming feature, and she had never
ceased to remind her daughter that the hitter had the
grave responsibility of being chosen to bring about the
return of an ancient family to the faith of its forefathers.
Father Galsworthy had talked to her long and earnestly
upon this responsibility, and upon the influence which
the proper use of it on her part might bring to Catholicism
in England, while Lady Merton had solemnly told her
on repeated occasions that she was an instrument in the
hands of God for bringing salvation to souls yet unborn.
During her brief engagement it had seemed to Hilda
that to be an instrument of any such purpose was, on
the whole, an enviable position of which any Catholic
girl might reasonably be proud. She had been brought
up in an atmosphere of which religion was the principal
component part. It had appeared to her, in the days
immediately preceding her marriage, that it would be an
easy thing to win her lover over to her faith. She had
expected, so entirely had religion dominated the details
of her life at Cawarden — the Mass in the chapel which
commenced the day, the recital of the rosary which ended
it, the visits to the Blessed Sacrament which the Ca-
wardens were privileged to reserve in their family chapel
— that there could be no intercommunion of ideas and
sympathies from which a common bond of faith in the
things unseen was absent.
When Hilda looked back upon the short weeks of her
married life, it amazed her, and at times almost frightened
4
50 CASTING OF NETS
her, to see how very quickly she had drifted into a con-
dition of existence in whicli not only did these things
have no part, but she did not feel their absence as she
believed she ought to feel it. To be sure, she went to
Mass on Sundays and days of obligation, and otherwise
conformed to the observances which the Church required
of her ; but her life was no longer the same. The atmos-
phere of Cawarden and that of Abbotsbury were entirely
different. It was extraordinary, she thought, that she
had felt the difterence so little — that Walter and she
should be ,so happy together that what had seemed at
Cawarden to be spiritual necessities of life, at Abbotsbury
should have, in a manner, ceased to be so. Hilda won-
dered what Father Galsworthy would say to her should
she seek his counsel on the subject. Her conscience
would sometimes assert itself, and tell her that this put-
ting off of the work which her confessor and her relations
had told her was appointed for her to do, in order to
avoid risking any interruption in the happiness of her
life with Walter, was a dereliction from duty and an
act of moral cowardice.
It had been a relief sometimes to talk to Mary Russell
on religious matters. The Rector's wife at least dis-
played an interest in her faith, although it was an an-
tagonistic and prejudiced interest, and Hilda found this
attitude of Mrs. Russell's an easier one to deal with than
the absolute indifference to all forms of dogmatic belief
which seemed to form an impenetrable barrier against
any approach to discussion with her husband on the sub-
ject. She was always ready, therefore, to answer Mrs.
Russell's questions, which, as their intimacy increased,
CASTING OF NETS 51
became more frequent and more searching. To say the
truth, Mary Russell displayed an ignorance of the real
tenets of the Church to which she was so opposed which
astonished Hilda even while it amused her. It became
quite interesting to explain to her inquiring cousin how
completely mistaken she was in many of her most cher-
ished suppositions respecting the belief held by Roman
Catholics.
Though Lady Redman possessed neither more nor less
theological knowledge than the average girl brought up
and educated in Catholic surroundings, she found that
it cost her no great effort completely to demolish more
than one of Mrs. Russell's strongest positions, inasmuch
as these were chiefly based on stock misrepresentations
of Catholic doctrine which Mary had learned in the first
instance from her governess, and in later life from con-
troversial books of the militant school of Protestantism.
Now, however, a few hours would bring Lady Merton
and various other relatives to Abbotsbury, and Hilda felt
that they would certainly try to make her give some ac-
count of her stewardship of Walter as far as it had gone.
She wished she could believe that the happiness of her
new life might be sufficient to justify this account in their
eyes ; but the letters she liad received since her marriage
both from her mother and from Lady Merton convinced
Lady Redman that the mere fact of her husband and her-
self enjoying mutual happiness would not be admitted as a
justification for her having placed that happiness before
any other consideration.
CHAPTER V
CHRISTMAS was ushered in that year in Stafford-
shire by genuine Christmas weather. A heavy fall
of snow had been succeeded by a hard frost. The great
oaks in the park at Abbotsbury stood out majestically
against the general whiteness around them, and the scarlet
berries of the old holly-trees shov/ed like little stains of
blood on their snow-laden branches.
It was nearly five o'clock, and Lady Redman was await-
ing the arrival of some of her guests in the gallery at
Abbotsbury. The room occupied the entire length of the
fagade of one of the courtyards around which the house
was built. The green painted windows were uncurtained,
and the light from inside the gallery shone through the
stained glass, casting patches of colour on the snow be-
neath them. Within the room all was warmth and com-
fort. Three large fireplaces, in which were burning great
logs of wood, mingled with blocks of Cannock Chase coal,
warmed it, and the smell of the burning wood mingled
pleasantly with the scent of orchids, lilies of the valley,
and other flowers, which were distributed about it.
Lady Redman, as she sat in a low armchair by one of
the fireplaces, looked in every way a woman fitted to be
the mistress of so stately a home as Abbotsbury, Apart
from the beauty of her features and colouring, and the
CASTING OF NETS
S3
warm tints of the auburn hair clustering upon the small?
high-bred-looking head, there was a certain grace and dig-
nity about Hilda Redman which was certainly suitable to
her surroundings. She had none of the spasmodic and
awkward movements of the arms and legs affected by the
modern English girl. The worn expression in the eyes,
and the hard lines about the mouth, which make the
athletic Englishwoman of two or three and twenty of to-
day look double her age were conspicuous by their absence
from Hilda's face, though she could take part in all the
forms of outdoor exercise necessary for a woman to indulge
in. There was a certain natural, tranquil air about Lady
Redman which attracted attention quite as much as her
undeniable good looks. Like the portrait of some well-
bred lady of a past generation, she was as a pleasant pic-
ture upon which to rest the eye, and Abbotsbury as a frame
suited her admirably.
The sound of horses' hoofs beating dully on the frozen
snow in the courtyard below roused Hilda from a reverie
into which she had fallen as she sat opposite the fire,
watching the colours of the flames as they licked the
great wooden logs. With a little sigh she rose from her
chair and put away the book which was lying open in her
lap. There would be a perpetual arrival of guests, some
coming from the north and some from the south, from
five o'clock to nearly dinner-time, for there was to be a
party of over twenty people in the house during the
coming Christmas festivities. Lady Merton and those
of the visitors who were coming from London would be
the earliest to reach Abbotsbury, and Hilda had barely
time to walk to the end of the gallery when the doors
54 CASTING OF NETS
were thrown open and the grooni-of-the-chambers an-
nounced them.
Lady Merton was the first to enter the room, and she
several times kissed her grand-daughter affectionately.
^ Such a pleasure/ she murmured sweetly, ^ to find
my dearest Hilda in her new home ! ' and she cast an
appreciative glance around her over Lady Redman's
shoulder.
^ You must all be frozen,' said Hilda, leading the way
to the fire, near which some tea-tables were arranged.
'I hope you found the carriages and got away at once.
Trentford Station is not a pleasant place on such an
evening.'
'We were not kept a moment. Lady Redman,' said
Mr. Shirley, an old college friend of Walter Redman's,
who was among these first arrivals ; ' and we found the
foot-warmers which had been so thoughtfully provided
for us in the carriages much hotter than those supplied
by the railway company.'
*They will bring tea directly,' said Hilda, helloing
Lady Merton to disengage herself from the folds of a
large fur cloak. 'By the way,' she added, smiling, 'I
have taken it for granted that you all know each other.'
Mr. Shirley looked inquiringly at Lady Merton, with
whom he had driven from the station.
*We made acquaintance over the foot-warmer,' said
the latter graciously, ' but I do not think that we know
each other's names.'
Lady Eedman laughed.
'Then you shall be formally introduced,' she replied.
' Mr. Edward Shirley — my grandmother. Lady Merton.'
CASTING OF NETS 55
Lady Merton made a dignified aud old-fashioned bow,
and Mr. Shirley a jerky and modern one, and then he
looked at his new acquaintance with some curiosity. He
had often heard of her, and Lord Redman had told Iiim
that he would meet her if he came to Abbotsbury for
Christmas. He had never suspected, however, that the
agreeable, middle-aged lady with whom he had conversed
during the four-mile drive from the station was Lady
Merton. He had expected, from all that he had heard,
to meet a rather formidable old woman, who would quote
the writings of the early Fathers to him after a few
minutes' acquaintance.
Lady Merton, on her part, gave the faintest possible
start of surprise when she heard his name, and looked
at her grand-daughter.
^Mr. Shirley the — writer?' she said, pausing a little
before the last word.
Hilda looked puzzled, and Mr. Shirley came to her
assistance.
' Yes,' he replied simply, with a twinkle of amusement
in his eyes.
Hilda felt a little uncomfortable. It struck her that
when a hostess numbered an author among her guests
she should at least be aware of the fact.
^ I 'm afraid you must think me very ignorant,' she
said to him, with a smile, ^ but Redman never told me
that you wrote ; so, you see, I must confess that my
grandmother asked me a question which I was unable
to answer.'
Mr. Shirley laughed outright this time.
* My dear Lady Redman,' he replied, ^ I should have
56 CASTING OF NETS
been very much surprised to find that you were ac-
quainted with the fact. I fear that my literary efforts
would not be at all interesting to you, and Walter prob-
ably did not think it worth while to allude to so tire-
some a subject.'
Lady Merton went to the tea-table and sat down.
* Where is Walter ? ' she asked presently.
*I have not seen him since luncheon/ replied Hilda,
busying herself with pouring out tea. ' He went off
directly afterwards with his retriever, saying that he
should go down the river and look for wild duck. This
frost has brought us a quantity of them, I believe. But
he will be here very soon,' she added.
Before long more guests arrived, including Lady Gwen-
dolen Cawarden and her son, who had come from
Lancashire, in which county the Cawarden estates were
situated. Then Lord Redman came in, and cordially
welcomed all his relations and friends. He appeared to
be particularly pleased to see Mr. Shirley. The two had
been at Oxford together, and their tastes and ideas were
very similar. Edward Shirley, however, had not been
born to succeed to a peerage and thirty or forty thousand
a year. He had been obliged to use the brains and the
mind which had been given to him, and, though Walter
Redman's natural gifts had been very much of the same
calibre, the necessity which the other had experienced
of having continually to practise his powers of analysis
and criticism had caused the latter to develop themselves
and win for their owner a foremost place among modern
philosophical and critical writers.
Mr. Shirley was Lord Redman's senior by some years,
CASTING OF NETS 57
and while Walter was travelling about the world at the
conclusion of his college days, Edward Shirley was study-
m<r in Berlin and learning how to think in Paris. The
material which he had acquired from the master-minds of
Germany he had learned how to assimilate under the
fashioners of the intellect and the teachers of the art of
consecutive thought of France. The result had been a
combination of the pitiless powers of probing the depths
of human thought and uncovering its humanity belonging
to the former school, and the keen and concise reasoning
and orderly application of the reasoning faculty when ac-
quired which are the brilliant characteristics of the latter.
' Why did you never tell me that INIr. Shirley was a dis-
tinf^uished author, Walter?' said Lady Redman to her
husband, smiling. 'I shall have fallen in his estimation
for ever in consequence.'
Lord Redman looked a little embarrassed.
' Well, really,' he replied, after a pause, ' I did not tliink
that you would be much the wiser if I had told you. Shir-
ley doesn't write on subjects which would particularly
interest you.'
'There, Lady Redman!' exclaimed Mr. Shirley trium-
phantly ; ^you see that I was perfectly right. If I were a
novelist or a newspaper correspondent, Redman would
have told you, and I feel sure that I should have found a
copy of my last book, with the leaves duly cut, lying in a
prominent position on one of those tables.'
'You are only making matters worse,' said Hilda, laugh-
ing. 'You evidently think me unworthy of any deeper
literature than fiction. I can't say that either you or my
husband are very complimentary, T^Ir. Shirley.'
58 CASTING OF NETS
The latter looked round the circle at the tea-table with
a little smile.
' Lady Redman is rather severe on special correspondents,
is she not ? ' he remarked.
It was nearly time to dress for dinner before all the
members of the party who were expected that evening
had arrived and everybody had been shown their various
rooms. A small suite, consisting of a bed and dressing
room and a sitting-room, had been apportioned by Hilda
for Lady Merton's use, and her mother occupied the rooms
adjoining these. Lady Merton called her daughter into
the sitting-room while their respective maids were com-
pleting the necessary preparations for dressing for dinner.
Lady Gwendolen saw at a glance that something had oc-
curred to upset her mother. Lady Merton was not a per-
son who could disguise her feelings with tliose over whom
she felt she could dominate, and she had greater confidence
in her influence over her daughter than she had ever been
able to feel in that which she might possess over her
grand-daughter.
She closed the doors of the sitting-room, and sat down
with a little exclamation of disgust.
^ Gwen,' she said impressively, ' I am deeply distressed.'
* Distressed ? ' asked Lady Gwendolen. ^ About what,
mamma ? '
* Distressed and astonished,' continued Lady Merton,
ignoring the interruption — ^ distressed that Hilda should
be kept in ignorance by her husband of tlie character of the
friends whom he asks into the house ; astonished that I
should be invited to meet such individuals.'
Lady Gwendolen stared at her mother.
CASTING OF NETS 59
* I do not understand; slic said. ' What people do you
mean ? '
' What people ? ' returned Lady Merton. ' Why, infidel
writers such as Mr. Shirley, a man who spends his life in
attempting to lead souls astray by means of his vile calum-
nies against the Church — against all religions, indeed!
And Hilda did not even know who he was! Redman
had kept it from her, of course. His books are on the
Index,' she concluded in a lower tone.
Lady Gwendolen sighed.
* I do not see what can be done,' she replied. ' Mar-
riage with a Protestant must necessarily expose Hilda to
meeting irreligious people. It is one of the things I
always dreaded for her. I used to tell you so, mamma,
if you remember, before the engagement was settled.'
'Did you, Gwen ? I dare say,' said Lady Merton
indifferently. 'But to return to Mr. Shirley: he is a
person whom no Catholic ought to be asked to meet.'
Lady Merton gave a defiant breadth to the 'a' in
' Catholic ' which was redolent of orthodoxy.
'You must warn Hilda against him,' she continued;
'he is a most dangerous man, plausible, clever — one
of Satan's angels, in fact.'
'She can't prevent Walter asking his friends,' objected
Lady Gwendolen.
Lady Merton folded her hands together on her lap.
They were beautifully shaped hands, smooth and rounded,
not at all the hands of an old woman.
' She must be made to see that it is her duty to exert
all her influence in order to eliminate such friends from
his life,' she replied. ' I do not think that Hilda's letters
6o CASTING OF NETS
have been at all satisfactory since she married,' she con-
tinued. ' I have looked in vain for any allusions in them
to what, after all, ought to "be the great object of her exist-
ence, and the questions I asked her in my letters have
always remained unanswered.'
' Hilda is perfectly happy, at any rate,' said Lady Gwen-
dolen. 'I was much struck by that when I was last
here.'
' Of course she is happy ; she has everything to make
her so from a worldly point of view. I did n't suppose
Redman would ill-treat her because she was a Catholic ;
but happiness is not the question. I fear that Hilda has
been neglecting the duty which this marriage imposed
upon her. However, we shall very soon see how things
are progressing, though Mr. Shirley's presence here is
not an encouraging sign. Yes, Spencer, I am coming
directly. A quarter to eight, is it? Gwen, I must go
and dress, and so must you. I hope you will take an
early opportunity of telling Redman how greatly you
deplore that Hilda should be brought into contact with
such a person as Mr. Shirley. How can we expect our
prayers to be answered if we allow her to be exposed
No, a low body, of course, Spencer. Gwen, we shall be
horribly late for dinner ! ' and Lady Merton disappeared
into the dressing-room.
The following day was Christmas Eve. The cold was
keener than ever, and the snow had been frozen to a crisp,
dry powder which was pleasant to walk and drive upon.
It had been arranged that the men of the party were to
shoot the woods at Redman's Cross that day, and though
the snow would interfere w^ith the sport, and add con-
CASTING OF NETS 6i
siderably to tlie difficulties of beating and bringing the
game properly up to the guns, the majority of the men to
whom Walter Redman had put the choice the night before
in the smoking-room of adhering to the arrangements or
deferring them until the weather was more favourable voted
for the former. Many of them were anxious to see the
old deer-park and its famous oaks, and to catch a glimpse,
if possible, of the herd of wild goats which roamed about
its more sequestered spots, and which had been a feature
of the place since the time of Richard II., who, according
to certain documents preserved in the muniment-room at
Abbotsbury, had presented the Redman of the day with
its progenitors, in acknowledgment of a mighty hunting
at Redman's Cross in which the monarch had taken part.
The brilliant sunshine and crisp, invigorating air made
Hilda suggest that such of the ladies as cared to make
the expedition should drive over to luncheon with the
shooters. The plan was voted a delightful one, and
even Lady Merton, when she heard that the meal would
be eaten in the house of the head forester, a portion of
which was fitted up as a shooting lodge, expressed her
determination to accompany the party.
Abbotsbury was a carefully organized establishment,
and Lord Redman liked to have everything well done in
each department of it. The shooters breakfasted to-
gether, and at nine o'clock an omnibus and a pair of
powerful, well-bred bays came round, and Walter mounted
the box and took the reins himself. A little before twelve
o'clock an open break, drawn by four horses, with a
couple of postilions, clad in the dark-blue and orange
liveries of the Redmans, was waiting at the hall-door for
62 CASTING OF NETS
Hilda and the ladies, and a landau for Lady Merton and
any other guest who might feel the cold too great for
driving in an open carriage.
The parks of Abbotsbury and Redman's Cross almost
joined each other, although the distance between the two
places was some six or seven miles. The latter, how-
ever, was entirely different in its characteristics from the
domain which surrounded Abbotsbury. The carriages
swept between two ancient stone lodges, ivy-clad and
battlemented, with deep muUioned vrindows, and sur-
mounted by the goats which formed the crest and sup-
porters of the Redman family. Once within the gates,
the scenery changed, and the occupants of the carriages
looked upon a tract of country such as characterized the
England of Saxon and Norman times. Mighty oaks,
with their gnarled and wide-spreading boughs, stood up
gaunt and black against the snow-covered banks ; and
withered bracken, russet-coloured, covered the ground,
relieved here and there by patches of vivid scarlet, where
bramble-leaves nestled in the undergrowth. Clumps of
venerable hollies, which had attained to the size and
dignity of forest- trees, held the snowflakes sparkling in
the sunlight between their prickly foliage, and every now
and then a stag or a fallow-deer would start out of the
fern and bound away to closer covert, frightened by the
thud of the horses' hoofs and the ring of the carriage-
wheels on the frozen ground. Away in the hollow a
pool of water stood, wild and solitary-looking as that
over which King Arthur passed to his rest. The ghostly
stems of stunted birch-trees, and patches of heather,
among which broods of black game still lingered, dotted
CASTING OF NETS 6;^
its shores, and tlic wildfowl llockcd to it in the hard
weather, knowing that the springs by which it was fed
prevented it from ever being entirely iee-bonnd.
As the carriages passed through the glades of the old
chase, Lady Redman pointed out some of the more famous
oaks to her guests — the Beggar's Oak, which was men-
tioned as a landmark in Domesday Book ; the King's
Oak, and the Venison Oak, around each of which hung
popular legends and traditions of centuries long dead.
It was nearly one o'clock when they drove up to the
door of the forest lodge at Redman's Cross, where the
shooters were to join them at luncheon. The room in
which the table was laid was in keeping with its sylvan
surroundings. The high roof was supported by rafters of
ancient oak, fashioned, perhaps, from fallen limbs of the
trees which the party had just looked upon. On the walls,
panelled with the same timber, hung the antlers of red
and fallow deer, and the curved horns and wicked-looking
skulls of departed patriarchs of the herd of wild goats.
Between these were specimens of bows of yew and arrows
of box- wood, which had laid many a fat buck low in the
olden days, when a man in those parts often depended
upon his woodcraft for his supper.
' What a possession ! ' exclaimed Mr. Shirley enthusias-
tically. He did not shoot, and had accompanied the occu-
pants of the break, which, with its four horses, had arrived
at the lodge before the more sober landau. ' I had no
idea,' he continued, ^ that so perfect a bit of medieval Eng-
land was in existence, and still less that it was to be found
in Staffordshire.'
' Staffordshire is not all Black Country and Potteries,'
64 CASTING OF NETS
said Hilda, smiling. ' I wish you could see Redman Cross
in autumn,' she added ; ' the snow and the bare trees give
it quite a different effect.'
* No doubt,' answered Mr. Shirley ; ' but the effect suits
it. It is strong, and northern, like the oak-trees. Look
at those men,' he continued, ' coming in with their abomi-
nable breech-loading guns under their arms. If I were
Redman, I would insist upon everybody who shot at Red-
man's Cross using those bows and arrows.'
' I am afraid the game-larder at Abbotsbury would be
very empty,' replied Hilda, laughing. ' Are you so reac-
tionary in your ideas, Mr. Shirley ? '
Her husband entered the room at this moment, followed
by the other guns.
' Shirley a reactionary ! ' he said. ^ This is a new depart-
ure, Ned,' he added, laughing. ' What strange sentiments
have you been expounding ? '
^ You are all to put away your guns and shoot with bows
and arrows for the remainder of the day,' said Hilda. ' Mr.
Shirley is shocked at anything so modern as breech-loaders
being used at Redman's Cross.'
'He shall try his fourteenth-century w^eapons on my
nineteenth-century pheasants after luncheon if he likes,'
said Lord Redman.
' Reactionary ideas,' said Mr. Shirley, ' are very seldom
put into practice by those who advocate them. Look at
our Socialists, for example.'
The luncheon party was a merry one. The food was as
good and varied as though it were being served in the
dining-room at Abbotsbury ; for no sooner had Hilda sug-
gested that they should drive over to Redman's Cross that
CASTING OF NETS 65
morning, than all the necessary materials for the meal had
been despatched thither, together with one of the cooks to
give the finishing touches to the diflferent hot dishes of
which it was composed.
Lady Merton sat and ate her luncheon in a very com-
placent frame of mind. Being Christmas Eve, and, there-
fore, a fast-day, such things as cutlets and game-pie were
forbidden to her ; but there was no lack of maigre dishes
— cunningly-prepared eggs and varieties of fish and vege-
tables — which were a very acceptable substitute for flesh
meats. She expressed her fears that the flavour of some
of these had been assisted by an irreligious admixture of
stock, but Lord Redman assured her that his cook was
French, and he felt sure, therefore, incapable of so inciting
to crime the Catholic members of the party, for whom
maigre fare had been specially ordered.
Lady Merton had been mistress of a large establish-
ment herself during her husband's life, and her dower-
house of Ware w^as admirably managed. She appre-
ciated the organization of Abbotsbury, and the scale of
ease and comfort upon wliich everything was mounted.
She congratulated herself, as she glanced at Hilda sitting
smiling and happy at the end of the table, on ha\ing
settled her grand-daughter very satisfactorily in the world,
and she was well aware that, had it not been for her,
Lady Gwendolen would never have so far overcome her
objections to Hilda marrj'ing a Protestant as to sanction
the alliance with Lord Redman, notwithstanding all that
the latter was able to bestow on his wife.
Luncheon over, Lord Redman hurried the shooters
away to their work. The shortness of the December
5
66 CASTING OF NETS
afternoons did not admit of any time being wasted.
Some of the ladies of the party accompanied the guns
to their respective posts; but Hilda disliked looking on
at shooting, and she volunteered to show Lady Merton,
Mr. Shirley, and others who did not care to stand about
with the guns, some of the big trees, and the famous
bloodhounds in the kennels behind the lodge.
Lady Merton walked rather more slowly than the
rest, and her grand-daughter remained with her, after
directing the others to the path which would lead them
to the Beggar's Oak.
' It is a great pleasure to find you so happy and with
everything that this world can give, dear Hilda,' said
Lady Merton, in her gentle, caressing tones, as Mr.
Shirley and his companions disappeared among the
trees.
' I do not think anybody could be happier than I am,'
answered Hilda simply.
' Ah ! ' continued Lady Merton. * Happiness is a great
gift — a most undeserved blessing,' and she gave a little
sigh; 'but, my dear child, it has its dangers.'
' Its dangers ? '
' Grave dangers/ repeated Lady Merton. ' We are
so apt to allow it to make us forget our responsibilities.'
' I hope Walter and I shall not do that,' answered
Hilda. ' You have no idea,' she continued, ' how keenly
sensible he is of his duties as a large proprietor, and how
all the people about here respect and love him. I am
only anxious to do my part as his wife, though, of course,
as yet I feel a comparative stranger in the place.'
'That is very right — very proper. But I was not
CASTING OF NETS 67
thinking of your responsibilities to your husband's people,
but of those to your husband himself. I eould not be
happy if I were married to a man who was not a Catholic,
Hilda/
* But,' said Lady Redman, ^ we had both taken that
question into consideration before we married.'
Lady Merton gave her a little glance from beneath
half-closed eyelids.
* Of course. But what are considerations in compari-
son to the safety of a human soul ? ' she replied, after a
slight pause.
' Let us call them promises — mutual promises, not
considerations,' said Hilda.
Lady Merton stooped and disengaged a bramble from
her skirt.
^ My dear Hilda,' she remarked, * call them what you
will, but the fact remains that a wife who is a good Cath-
olic has no right to be happy so long as her husband
remains outside the Church. Besides, your mutual prom-
ises, as you choose to call them, were not mutual at all.
The Church demanded that your husband should agree
to certain stipulations. Had he not done so, your mar-
riage could not have taken place. You must recollect
that those stipulations did not proceed from you, they
proceeded from the Church.'
' Even so,' replied Hilda, ^ Walter would not have
agreed to them had I not promised to agree to his
own.'
* You agreed — yes,' said Lady Merton ; ' but with the
mental reservation — a very necessary one under the cir-
cumstances — that you would use all the influence you
68 CASTING OF NETS
might possess over your husband to compass his conver-
sion in the future.'
Hilda was silent. She could not deny that, during
her engagement, she had always clung to the idea that
Walter's conversion would be effected through her love
for him. It was the first time, however, that this feeling,
which had seemed to her to be but a part of her love, had
struck her in the light of a mental reservation.
* And Walter ? ' she said, at length. ^ He might lay
claim to mental reservations on his side.'
' Exactly,' answered Lady Merton. ^ He might do so.
I am not sure,' she abided slowly, Hhat there are not
already signs of his doing so. It is this point upon
which I feel it is my duty to put you on your guard,
Hilda.'
'Oh!' exclaimed Hilda, smiling, 'you are quite mis-
taken there. Nobody could be more scrupulous than
Walter in allowing me full liberty to practise my religion.
Indeed, the subject is never mentioned between us. He
goes to his church — at least, he sometimes goes — and I
go to mine.'
'That is just the danger. The subject, you say, is
never mentioned between you. You resign all the
influence which you ought to have — which it is your
duty to have — over your husband. But are you sure that
he is not all the while exercising a silent influence over
you, and causing you to forget the duty you owe to God
and to the Church ? I think you are deceiving yourself,
Hilda. You talked very differently before your marriage,
when we spoke of these things together.'
'I cannot think what you mean/ said Hilda wonder-
CASTING OF NETS 69
ingly. ' As I have said before, Walter is most careful
never to allude to the difference in our beliefs. Even the
Russells, who might naturally resent the fact of my being
a Catholic, never interfere with me in any way. Indeed,
Mary Russell is the only person to whom I ever open my
lips on the subject, and, though she makes no secret of be-
ing a strong Protestant, I think that she is in reality very
much interested in the Church. She often asks me
questions about it, and lately I lent her some books.
She said she wished to read something on our side.*
^ Poor thing ! ' said Lady Merton. ' A parson's wife is
in a ridiculous position. What was it Queen Elizabeth
said to the wife of the man who called himself Arch-
bishop of Canterbury ? " * Madam ' I may not call you,
and * mistress ' I am loath to call you." But, to return to
Walter, I would much rather that he asked you questions
as Mrs. Russell does. It would be far more satisfactory,
even if he disagreed with your answers. I confess that
I distrust this method of apparently ignoring so vital a
subject. It is a subtile attempt to inoculate you with
his own indifference to such things.'
Hilda began to feel uncomfortable. Lady Merton was
putting into words ideas which her own conscience, trained
to be supersensitive by those who had moulded and directed
it from childhood, had been suggesting to her of late.
^ There is another thing,' pursued Lady JMerton, appar-
ently unconscious of her grand-daughter's embarrassment,
' which makes us all very uneasy. Walter has no right to
expose you to the presence of such a man as Mr. Shirley.
I was horrified to find him a guest in your house, Hilda.*
* He is a great friend of my husband,' said the latter,
yo CASTING OF NETS
^ but I hardly know him. Walter introduced him to me
in London before we were married. As you heard, I did
not even know that he wrote.'
'No/ replied Lady Merton. 'That is what I cannot
forgive your husband. He should have told you, and at
least have given you the option of declining to know a
man whose writings have been condemned as pernicious
and immoral, and whom no Catholic ought to meet.'
' I will never interfere with Walter's friends, or refuse
to receive them,' said Lady Redman, speaking with more
determination than she had hitherto done.
Lady ]\Ierton's eyes drooped, with a peculiar, depre-
cating expression acquired in the course of periodical
retreats in conventual establishments.
' Ah, well, my dear cliild,' she replied gently, ' I have
done my duty in warning you of what I believe to be
dangers and troubles in store for you. God grant,' she
continued in a lower tone, 'that you may some day
realize more fully than you seem to do at present that
in your hands lies the possibility of saving the soul of
the husband you profess to love, and, through his ex-
ample, perhaps of numberless others. Come,' she added,
' let us walk a little quicker and overtake the others, now
that we have had our little talk.'
CILVPTER VI
' T^ROFESSIONAL saints arc very tiresome people,'
J7 siii^ Lord Kednian, pocketing the red ball with
somewhat unnecessary violence.
' I have always thought so,' replied Mr. Shirley. ' Ama-
teur sinners are much more interesting.'
The two were alone together in the billiard-room at
Abbotsbury, the remainder of the men having gone to
bed, leaving them to finish their game.
Lord Redman spotted the red and continued his break.
* I wish you would tell my respected grand mother-in-
law so,' he said presently, with a slight laugh.
^ I am afraid it would have no effect,' remarked Mr.
Shirley. 'Lady Merton regards me as the most profes-
sional of sinners. I believe that she would like to sprinkle
me with holy- water. But why are you annoyed with
her?'
' Because she is unable to forget her profession,' an-
swered Lord Redman.
Mr. Shirley shrugged his shoulders.
* She has a reputation to keep up,' he said dryly.
' I wish tliat she would give herself a holiday at Ab-
botsbury,' replied Lord Redman. ' "What an extraordi-
nary thing religion is, Xed ! ' he continued. ' Why can't
people let each other alone about it, and not think that
72 CASTING OF NETS
they are the only ones on terras of particular intimacy
with the Almighty?'
' For a very simple reason : The Almighty is everyone's
own particular creation. The man who makes the pup-
pet surely has the right to pull the wires.'
Walter Redman laughed.
^ Oh,' he returned, ' I know that you are a hopeless
person to talk to on these subjects. You are on so serene
a level of '
^ Of what?'
^ Well, upon my word, I hardly know ! Atheism, I
suppose.'
' By no means,' said Mr. Shirley emphatically. ' There
is no such thing as atheism in the world. Those who
profess it make a deity of themselves ; and this deity
which they make is neither more nor less a true god
than the deity of the Churches. He remains pitiably
human.'
' I am afraid you have been giving Lady Merton some
of your sentiments.'
'No; I never talk about these things to strangers.
Lady Merton attacked me on the subject of my writings
yesterday. I told her that, as they had been placed upon
the Index, I was surprised she had read them.'
'What did she say?'
'Well,' replied Mr. Shirley, smiling. 'I don't think
she liked the remark. She told me, however, that she
had a dispensation to read works condemned by the Con-
gregation of the Index. It was a privilege, so she assured
me, granted to her as a student and writer on questions
of faith.'
CASTING OF NETS 73
'Lady Mertoii has a very vivid imagination,' said
Walter.
' So I have always understood. I suppose that many
very religious people have. I soon learned, however, that
she had not availed herself of her dispensation so far as I
was concerned, but only of her imagination. lias she been
complaining of me ? ' added Mr. Shirley, laughing.
'Of you? No; but of me for exposing her grand-
daughter to such dangerous influences as those which she
thinks you exercise. Shall I be frank with you, Ned?
My relations-in-law have made a little scene. They say
that I purposely kept my wife in ignorance of the fact that
you are, as they express it, an infidel writer, and that I am
interfering with her faith, in an indirect but none the less
subtile manner, by bringing her into contact with people
holding your views.'
Mr. Shirley smiled. ' Under the circumstances,' he said,
' the best thing I can do is to remove my dangerous per-
son from your house as soon as possible.'
Walter Redman's face assumed the determined expres-
sion characteristic of some of the family portraits at
Abbotsbur}^
'No!' he replied decidedly. 'No, Ned. You will
oblige me very much by doing nothing of the sort.'
' But Lady Redman '
' Is not her grandmother. My wife has not alluded to
the subject to me, nor I to her.'
Mr. Shirley was silent for a few moments.
' Lady Redman does not appear to me to be — well, a
bigoted person,' he said presently. ' I have been rather
surprised, knowing the surroundings in which she must
74 CASTING OF NETS
have been brought up, to find a certain breadth of vision
in her. We have had some conversation together, and she
interested me very much. Your wife is a person who
thinks, Walter.'
Walter Redman shrugged his shoulders a little im-
patiently.
^ Yes,' he answered, ^ she thinks. But does it not strike
you as unfortunate that circumstances should oblige her to
be silent to her husband concerning her thoughts on cer-
tain matters ? '
' The circumstances apply equally to yourself.'
' They do, and that is the worst of it. Our damned re-
ligions stand in the way of any interchange of ideas on the
more serious things of life.'
Mr. Shirley looked keenly at his companion. He was
not a married man himself, nor even one who had experi-
enced the necessity of the presence in his life of another
mind with which his own could freely mingle. He had
sought for his intercommunion of ideas rather among
his books and his studies than among beings of flesh and
blood. Nevertheless, his knowledge of human nature, and
a certain quick sympathy with its needs and cravings which
a profound observation of humanity had caused him to
possess, gave him an instant clue to the state of mind
which he was convinced had prompted Walter Redman's
last remark.
^ Already,' he said to himself ' As Lady Redman has
made no objection to my being a guest in her house, I
should certainly not wish to curtail my visit,' he observed,
after a pause. ^ To do so would be to admit the right of
others to interfere between you and your wife.'
CASTING OF NETS 75
Lord Redman nodded.
* I am glad that you understand,' he said.
Mr. Shirley went to a little table, and mixed himself a
whisky-and-soda with some deliberation.
' My dear Walter,' he said, ' it is always a delicate
matter, even for an old friend, to talk to a man about
his wife, but you have in a manner encouraged me to
do so.'
' Go ahead, and don't apologize, Ned ! ' said Lord
Redman, knocking the balls about the billiard-table.
' Well, to speak plainly, I think that you are uncon-
sciously drifting into a rather critical position. In the
first place, you have married a woman who is very fond
of you.'
* As I am of her.'
' I know it. You both of you thought when you
married that your mutual affection would neutralize con-
flicting opinions upon what are called religious matters.
It doesn't.'
' It should do so, were it not for outside interference,
which, as you implied just now, cannot be admitted.'
' No — pardon me — it will do nothing of the kind. It
will have the reverse effect.'
' What do you mean, Ned ? '
' Precisely what I say. Your very love for each other
will create the critical position for you both in which you
\vill find yourselves placed before long. The outside
interference to which you allude will merely be a second-
ary factor in the bringing about of that position. Take
my advice, Walter : should difficulties arise between you,
look in the right quarter if you wish to discover both
76 CASTING OF NETS
their origin and their solution, but do not expect to find
the latter in your love for each other.'
^ Then where should I look for it ? '
' In yourself partly, but principally, unless I am much
mistaken, in your wife.'
'Is not that something of a truism?' asked Walter,
smiling.
' I believe not. Lady Redman is a woman who, sooner
or later, will think for herself. Up to now others have
thought for her ; that is the system of Roman Catholicism
— the system which has kept the nations which are
under its influence at a dead-level of ignorance and
intellectual stagnation, even though individuals belonging
to those nations have emancipated themselves from its
yoke.'
'But you are going too fast, Ned,' objected Lord
Redman. 'You assume that Hilda has a desire to
exercise her own private judgment. I should be very
glad to think that the necessity for doing so would ever
present itself to her. I am afraid, on the contrary, that
the old hereditary ties and influences will be strong
enough to crush any incipient desire which she might
have to think for herself. It may be my imagination,' he
continued, lighting a fresh cigar, ' but during the last few
days, since her family have been round her, I have thought
that Hilda seemed a little grave and preoccupied, as
though something were troubling her. I should not have
regarded it, probably, had it not been that, as I told you.
Lady Merton considered it necessary to expostulate with
me on your presence here, and to tell me that Hilda
should have been informed that you were — yourself.
CASTING OF NETS 77
She even went so far as to hint that I was not acting
up to my promises not to interfere with her grand-
daughter's religion, and Lady Gwendolen agreed with
her.'
^But Lady Redman?' asked Mr, Shirley. *You say
that she has said nothing to you of all this ? '
^ Not a word. But, putting two and two together, it
is i)robable that these women have been talking to her,
and if so, that would account for the worried look I have
noticed in her face during the last day or two.'
Mr. Shirley smiled.
'I think,' he said, Hhat Lady Redman took the first
step towards liberty of thought when she decided to
marry you. I remember you told me how greatly opposed
her family were to the idea, and that in spite of this
opposition she persisted in her determination.*
' Yes ; but without Lady Morton's assistance the mar-
riage would never have taken place. That is the odd
part of it,' added Walter. ^ She smoothed away all the
difficulties which the Cawardens made before sanctioning
our engagement, and now that we are married it looks
very much as though she were the first person on my
wife's side to ti7 and make mischief. As for my not
having told Hilda all about you, that is a ridiculous
grievance to bring forward. I did not do so because I
should have had to talk upon subjects which we were
both pledged to avoid. Moreover,' continued Lord Red-
man, ^ if my wife chose to invite a Bishop to Abbotsbury
I should have no objection. We are each absolutely free
so far as the choice of our friends is concerned.'
' From all I have ever heard of Lady ^lerton,' obser\^ed
78 CASTING OF NETS
Mr. Shirley, ^I should say that she has invariably kept
one eye upon the next world and the other upon eldest
sons in this. I am not at all surprised at her having
done her best to further your engagement. She allowed
one of her daughters to marry that drunken brute, Wear-
mouth. A mother who could have done that would give
her daughter to any man who had enough to offer.'
* But the Duchess of Wearmouth was not a Catholic.
I do not see her motive for worrying Hilda now that
we are married/ persisted Walter.
' It is because you are married,' returned Mr. Shirley
briefly.
Lord Redman swore a little oath under his breath.
' Well; he said, ' I mean to put a stop to anything of
that kind at the beginning. Hilda was perfectly happy
till her relations came here, and, let alone, she would be
so always.'
' Are you so sure of that ? '
^ As sure as I am of my own happiness.'
' I think you are mistaken,' replied Mr. Shirley quietly,
'and if I were you I should not attempt to interfere
between your wife and her family.'
' But that is absurd, my dear fellow.'
' Not so absurd as it seems. We have agreed that Lady
Redman is a woman who thinks on certain matters ? '
' Yes.'
' Well, let her think.'
' I don't know what you are driving at, Ned.'
' I will try to explain. Your wife is not like her aunt,
the Duchess of Wearmouth ; she married you because
she loved you. It is evident that Lady Merton's world-
CASTING OF NETS 79
lincss could liavc had no influence over her in her choice
of a husband.'
* No, I am thankful to say.'
'But yet,' continued Mr. Shirley, 'Lady Merton in a
way brought about your marriage. I am afraid, Walter,'
he continued, with an amused look, ' that her ladyship's
other eye was upon you — the heavenly one, I mean.
She had marked you down for conversion, hence her good-
will towards her grand-daughter's affection for you.'
Walter burst out laughing.
' But, my dear fellow, nothing could have been clearer
than my explanations on that subject. The whole family,
including Hilda herself, knew perfectly well that the
latter was not marrying a staunch Protestant who might
be converted, but a nondescript kind of article like
myself.'
' That would make no diff'erencc. Indeed, it would be
a greater triumph for the Church to secure you. Listen
to me, Walter. Let your wife think. The more her
Catliolic relations attempt to interfere with her, the
more she will be divided between her love for you and
her wish to be loyal to your mutual compact on the one
side, and her devotion to her Church on the otiier. Any
endeavour on your part to combat their interference
would weaken your position. Remember tliat Lady Red-
man will have to struggle against very complex feelings.
Who knows that this mental struggle has not already
begun — that it did not begin, indeed, directly you were
man and wife ? She is a Catholic, fresh from the peculiar
psychological surroimdings of that religion. You are not
dealing with her mind as yet; you are dealing with a
8o CASTING OF NETS
mould, fashioned partly by heredity, partly by the priests.
The belief in that God which the latter have created, and
in the supernatural beings around Him, is to her the
pivot of her existence. To please Him is to secure ever-
lasting happiness ; to offend Him, everlasting pain.'
* You are giving God a bad character,' said Lord Red-
man.
' I am giving Him the character which the priests attrib-
ute to him,' returned Mr. Shirley. ' They are unable to
make a god except in their own image. He is not your
God, nor mine,' he added more gently ; ' but let that pass.
What I was going to say was : Think how cruel a depri-
vation it must be, to a mind thus trained, to be debarred
from all intercourse on such vital subjects with the being
it loves. Why it must be a deprivation even to you,
Walter;' and Mr. Shirley gave his companion a quick,
penetrating glance, which, nevertheless, had something
very kindly in its expression.
Lord Redman did not meet his gaze. ' You ought to
be a married man, Ned,' he said, with a short laugh.
Mr. Shirley lighted a candle preparatory to going up-
stairs to his room.
' It is rather presumption on my part to offer you advice
as to how to conduct your own domestic affairs/ he re-
plied, witli a smile.
^ I believe that your advice is very sound,' said Walter.
' I am not sure,' he added slowly, ' but I think so. Time
will show.'
'Yes, time will show. But, in the meanwhile, be
patient, Walter. You will have to watch the struggle
going on in your wife's mind. Devoted to her Church,
CASTING OF NETS 8i
and believing, as the priest and her edueation have taught
her, that in it ak)ne is to be found the Divine truth, the
consciousness that her husband is outside that Church
\n\\ be an ever-present sorrow to her. Devoted to you,
learning every day to know you better, and to realize that
your happiness and peace of mind are not dependent
upon dogmatic faith, she will shrink from the responsibil-
ity of introducing disturbing elements into that happiness/
^But if the action of others compels her to place
the supposed interest of my soul before any other con-
sideration ? '
jMr. Shirley paused in his walk towards the door of the
billiard-room.
* Ah ! ' he replied slowly, ^ that will be the crisis of the
struggle. We are hardly able to determine the force of
the influences which may be brought to bear upon your
wife. Remember that behind her may be ranged all that
subtle psychological power which the Roman Church so
well knows how to wield — the exploitation of that ener-
vating fear of the unknown which is implanted, in a greater
or less degree, in us all. There is one force, and one only,
which may neutralize, and eventually overpower, the lat-
ter, but the process will be a very disturbing one. Not
the least conflicting element in it will be that very one to
which you have both of you looked as a certain resolvent
of all your difficulties.'
' I understand,' said Walter, ^ but, if I am not mistaken,
you began by saying that I was not to look to this element
for a solution of any problems which might arise in our
lives owing to the fact of Hilda being a Catholic and my-
self a nominal Protestant.'
6
82 CASTING OF NETS
' You are not mistaken ; I did say so. The solution, if
it comes at all, will do so through the gradual emancipa-
tion of your wife's powers of thought and judgment from
the ties by which they have hitherto been bound. Your
mutual love will be an all-important factor in promoting
this emancipation, but, in the first instance, it will retard
it. The influences which will be at work upon Lady Red-
man will quickly seize upon her love and make it serve
their own end. That is why I preach patience to you,'
added Mr. Shirley — 'patience and reliance, not upon
afibction only, but still more upon that emancipation from
mental bondage without which Lady Redman's love could
only have the eff"ect of widening the gulf that you both feel
exists between you.'
Lord Redman looked at his friend attentively.
' What leads you to suppose this ? ' he asked after a
pause. ^ You have only been three or four days in the
house with Hilda — not long enough to have learned so
much of her character.'
Mr. Shirley smiled.
^You have put two and two together about Lady
Merton,' he replied, 'and I have done the same thing
about Lady Redman. As I told you, we have had some
conversation together, and, though of course she did not
talk to me about these things, I believe I have some sort
of idea as to her state of mind. Besides, your cousin, Mrs.
Russell, has spoken a good deal to me of Lady Redman.
It appears that they are great friends, and I think per-
haps the latter has felt she could speak more freely to
Mrs. Russell on certain matters than to anybody else at
Abbotsbury.'
CASTING OF NETS 83
' Well,' said Walter, * I suppose things will settle them-
selves somehow, but I don't like to feel that all these old
women, egged on by their confessors, may be putting their
heads together to make my wife unhappy, hoping thereby
to make a Catholic of me. I will take your advice, how-
ever, and do nothing. Come Ned,' he added, turning out
the lights over the billiard-table, *let us go to bed, and
send dogma to the devil, with whom I verily believe it
originates.'
The two men went upstairs together, and Lord Redman
bade Mr. Shirley good-night and went to his own rooms.
Mr. Shirley sat himself down opposite the fire in his
bedroom, which the keen frost without was causing to
glow hot and fiercely.
* Walter will need all his skill to steer a safe course
ahead,' he said to himself. ' The priests have their eyes
upon Abbotsbury, and they won't care about having to
wait until Walter's son succeeds, if he has one. The
son Ah ! there 's where the rub will come, though
it was no good saying anything to Walter about it now.
" Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." ' And then
he fell into a meditation.
CHAPTER VII
THE ball given to the tenantry and principal employes
of the Abbotsbury estate concluded the round of
Christmastide festivities at which Lord and Lady Redman
had so hospitably entertained their neighbours of every con-
dition of life. The Barons' Hall blazed with the light of
innumerable wax-candles ; garlands of holly and mistletoe
adorned the dark oaken roof, and twined between its
massive beams and rafters ; while King John, pen in hand,
with the scroll of Magna Charta before him, scowled upon
the varied throng of dancers on the floor beneath.
The upper domestics of Abbotsbury moved pompously
through the crowd, fearful lest they should lose for a
moment the sense of their own dignity and importance
by mingling with their subordinates, their whole manner
clearly expressing the fact that their affability was a tribute
to the exigencies of the occasion, and was not to be pre-
sumed upon or misinterpreted. The trades-people of Trent-
ford, sleek and prosperous-looking, with black coats closely
buttoned, and tight shoes written all over their counte-
nances, stood by their wives and watched their daughters
going ' down the middle and up again ' with the young
farmers in ^ The Triumph,' or threading the intricate mazes
of the 'Corn Riggs.' Then there were groups of local
clergy and their better halves, and the local representatives
CASTING OF NETS 85
of law, finance, and medical science. Wandering from one
to the other of these groups was the wife of the well-to-do
draper in the market-place, who had built himself a villa
on the Stafford Road, which, on the strength of two
recently-planted Wellingtonias, bore the name of * The
Ehns ' painted in (jothic characters on its front gate.
* My pa,' Mrs. Greensmith was in the habit of informing
her acquaintances, ' was a medical man ' ; and so, on public
occasions, she made a point of asserting her right to enter
the professional circles of Trentford.
The guests who most thoroughly enjoyed themselves
were undoubtedly those to whom the social ambitions
of Trentford and the etiquette of the housekeeper's room
were matters of secondary importance. The tenants and
the outdoor servants of Abbotsbury came to the ball with
the firm intention of spending a cheerful evening, and they
succeeded in doing so.
Mr. Tomlinson, the dissenting farmer, to be sure, had
scruples of conscience as to whether the act of dancing
were not a confession to concupiscence; nevertheless, his
face beamed with pride and pleasure when, at the com-
mencement of the proceedings, Lady Redman came up to
him and said that she hoped he would dance the opening
country dance with her. He compromised with Satan by
making no attempt at steps, for which his partner was
grateful ; but the compromise necessitated an awkward
run with his hostess ^down the middle and up again*
through tlie double line of the dancers, on the execution
and effect of which Hilda had afterwards to receive the
sarcastic compliments of her husband and the party stay-
ing in the house.
86 CASTING OF NETS
* It is very unfortunate/ said Mr. Russell to his wife,
as they watched the scene, * that the Tomlinsons should
be placed in such a prominent position. It is hard upon
the Church people to see dissenters being put over their
heads. I wish Redman would recognise the necessity in
these days of supporting the claims of the Established
Church.'
* He has n't taken them into consideration in choosing
his wife, so I don't see why you expect him to do so in
minor details,' replied Mrs. Russell in an undertone.
* I have nothing to say against Lady Redman,' returned
the Rector. * I must confess that she conducts herself
admirably. It is a very strange thing, but I often think
that she shows more anxiety to promote the influence of
her husband's religion in the parish than her husband him-
self does. What do you think of all these Roman Catho-
lics, Mary,' he added, ^ now that you have seen more of
them?'
* I think them charming,' answered Mary Russell, ' espe-
cially Lady Merton. I like Lady Gwendolen, too, very
much ; but Lady Merton is delightful — so interesting to
talk to, and such a grande dame ! '
The Rector laughed pleasantly.
* Be careful, my dear,' he said. ' She has a great repu-
tation for making converts — at least, so Mr. Shirley tells
me.'
^ I hope, James,' replied Mrs. Russell with dignity, ' that
I am not so weak in my religion as to be perverted by the
first Romanist whom I happen to find an agreeable person.'
Her husband glanced at her with some surprise.
^ Of course not,' he said, smiling. ^ I was only joking.
CASTING OF NETS 87
I know you have a horror of them all, as far as their
doctrine is concerned — more so, indeed, than 1 have —
eh, Mary?'
Mrs. Russell hesitated a little.
* One understands people's ideas better when one has
been brought into contact with them,' she replied. ' Cer-
tainly they believe in some things wliich I could never
accept as truth — never,' she repeated decidedly, ' but '
* They are not so black as they are painted,' interrupted
the Rector. ^ That,' he continued, * I have always held.
Individual Roman Catholics, however, are one thing, and
Romanism is another. It is the system which is anti-
Scriptural and altogether abominable.'
Mary Russell did not reply, and at that moment Lady
Merton approached them.
' I think I have done my duty,' she said to Mrs. Rus-
sell, with a' little smile. ^I have talked about the
weather, prize stock, and babies, and I have danced a
quadrille with the butler. Shall we leave this perspir-
ing humanity for a little while, and go and sit down in
one of the other rooms? There is always a moment at
these entertainments when the odour of hair-oil becomes
oppressive.'
Mary Russell was quite ready to do so, and the two
wandered through the various drawing-rooms together,
until they eventually found themselves in the gallery,
which, save for two or three couples who were looking
at the pictures and the ornaments which it contained,
was deserted.
Lady INIerton sat down in an armchair by one of the
fireplaces at the further end of the room.
88 CASTING OF NETS
' These functions are always tiring/ she said. ' Every-
one feels they must talk, and no one quite knows what
to talk about.'
' For an outsider they must be not only tiring but tire-
some as well/ replied Mary Russell. 'Of course, when
one knows all the people's home-life and interests it
makes it much easier.'
'Naturally/ said Lady Merton. 'At Ware/ she con-
tinued, ' we had a ball of this kind every year ; but it
was not given upon this scale. I must say that every-
thing is done en prince at Abbotsbury. It is very sat-
isfactory to see how popular your cousin is with all the
people here.*
' Oh yes, he is popular, certainly,' replied Mrs. Russell.
* You know. Lady Merton, a Redman would have to be
a very bad specimen of his race not to be popular about
here. There is a great feeling for the family in this part
of the county. I must say,' she added, ' Walter deserves
his popularity. He is a most kind and just landlord/
' How nice ! ' said Lady Merton absently ; and then
she gave Mrs. Russell one of her exploratory glances.
'And Hilda? I hope she is liked also. She seems to
be having a great success to-night.'
' I am sure that she already shares Walter's popularity,'
answered Mary Russell. ' But ' she added, and then
she stopped abruptly.
'Ah!' said Lady Merton. 'I know what you were
going to say. The difference of religion naturally makes
her position a little difficult. These divisions are so sad,
so unnecessary. If people would only read their Bibles
and believe, everyone would be united.'
CASTING OF NETS 89
* Their Bibles ? ' repeated Mrs. Russell.
' Certainly — their Bibles,' said Lady Merton. There
was the faintest touch of asperity in her voice, for Mary
Russell's question had in it an accent of surprise and in-
credulity. ' My grand-daughter tells me,' she continued,
' that you are interested in our holy religion, Mrs. Russell.
I am sure that, in the present unhappy state of her hus-
band's mind regarding such matters, it is a great comfort
to Hilda to have anybody like yourself to whom she
can sometimes talk on these things, even though, unfor-
tunately, you are not one of us.'
' I am interested — yes. But, Lady Merton, Hilda will
have told you that I am a strong believer in my own
Church.'
' She told me that you were very prejudiced,' replied
Lady Merton; ^but, then, prejudice is so often the result
of ignorance.' From anybody else's lips but Lady Merton's
these words would have sounded discourteous, but the
gentle and deprecatory tone in which they were spoken
made it impossible for Mary Russell to feel offended.
' You must remember, my dear Mrs. Russell, that I was
once a Protestant myself, so I know better than most
people how true my words are,' she continued.
Mary Russell was silent. Of late more than one of her
pet prejudices had turned out to be born of ignorance.
' I am glad,' she said, after a pause, during which Lady
Merton sat and watched her quietly, ' that Hilda finds it
some relief to talk to me. I am often sorry for her, for I
can understand that it must be trying to her to feel that
she and her husband are so opposed to each other on
spiritual matters.'
go CASTING OF NETS
' It is very sad/ said Lady Merton, sighing. ' Poor dear
Hilda ! Her letters have been full of anxiety concerning
her husband's state of mind. She feels it acutely, but it
is very difficult for us to help her. You see, any attempt
on our part to do so would be immediately to lay ourselves
and her open to the suspicion that we were trying to con-
vert him.'
' But surely,' said Mrs. Russell wonderingly, ' that
Walter should join your Church is what you would all
wish?'
Lady Merton laughed — a soft, musical little laugh.
' My dear,' she replied, ' when you know us Catholics
better you will realize that the idea that we are always
striving after conversions is another of your prejudices.
The grace to find the truth does not come from us — it
comes from God. Conversions are brought about not, as
our enemies would have it, by personal influence, but by
the free exercise on the part of the convert of his or her
powers of reason, directed, as I have just said, by the
grace of God. All that we who possess the inestimable
privilege and blessing of being within the Churcli can do
is to extend a helping hand to those without by endeavour-
ing to dispel their ignorance of the Church's doctrines, if
they require such assistance of us. We are merely instru-
ments of the Divine Will, acting, it may be quite uncon-
sciously, to further the Divine ends.'
^ I did not know ' began Mrs. Russell.
Her companion interrupted her.
' No,' she said gently ; ' of course you did not know.
We Catholics, alas ! are well accustomed to be judged by
people who do not know, as our Master was. But do not
CASTING OF NETS 91
let us drift into a discussion on these points,' continued
Lady JNIerton. ^ What I wanted to say to you has nothing
to do with this subject, except very indirectly. I think,
Mrs. llussell, that it is in your power to be of great ser-
vice both to your cousin and to liis wife.'
'1 am afraid that I do not see how,' replied Mary
Russell ; ' for, as you say, I am not one of you.'
' That is the very reason.'
* How do you mean. Lady Merton ? '
'Hilda can talk to you freely — all the more freely,
perhaps, because you are of the same Church to which
her husband nominally belongs. Nobody could suppose
that you, the wife of the Rector of Abbotsbury, were
attempting to convert Lord Redman to Catholicism if
you tried to make him understand how greatly Hilda is
grieving over his materialism, and at the thought that
he is surrounded by such dangerous friends as Mr.
Shirley, for instance.'
'But Hilda has never confided her anxieties to me,'
objected Mary Russell. ' I feel sure that she is supremely
happy. I confess I have sometimes wondered that she
does not seem to mind the fact of her husband being of
a different religion from her own.'
'Ah!' rephed Lady Merton. 'If it were really a
religion, if Walter were truly a member of your Church,
it would be very different. Under these circumstances,
Hilda, as a Catholic, might regi'et that he should profess
an alien creed, but she w^ould not have the grief of feeling
that he had practically no belief at all.'
' But are you sure this grieves her so much ? '
'Too sure! The poor child's letters to her mother
92 CASTING OF NETS
and myself contain nothing but expressions of her earnest
longing that her husband may be brought to have some
religious faith. She feels very bitterly the fact of being
unable to discuss such things with him without exciting
his suspicions that she is aiming at converting him to
her Church.'
^If Hilda had ever talked to me about Walter, it
would be very much easier for me to try and give him
a hint as to what was troubling her,' said Mrs. Russell.
'She naturally might not like to mention the subject
to you/ replied Lady Merton. 'Of course, to her own
family she feels she can do so, and that we, as Catholics,
would be able to sympathize with her in her distress of
mind.'
' Tell me what I can do, dear Lady Merton,' said Mary
Russell warmly. 'I am afraid that neither I nor my
husband have any influence over Walter. We are very
good friends, but I suppose that we have tacitly agreed
not to embark in religious questions, for the latter are
never mentioned between us.'
Lady Merton considered for a few moments before
replying.
'Well,' she answered at length, 'I think you have it
in your power to do a good deal. I am not asking you
to further Lord Redman's conversion to Catholicism. As
I have already said, conversions are the work of God,
not of individuals. Will you allow an old woman to be
very frank with you, Mrs. Russell ? '
'Please.'
'Be a friend to Hilda. One woman can do so much
for another. Try to impress upon her that it is her
CASTING OF NETS 93
duty to rouse her husband from tlic lamentable state of
iudifference towards all faith into which he has fallen.
Even though she may never have spoken to you about
her feelings, she will listen more readily to you than she
would to one of her own family. You would supply, so
to speak, a neutral ground, upon which she and Walter
could meet — a channel through which they could com-
municate without fear of being misunderstood by one
another.'
* But Hilda might very naturally resent any such inter-
ference on my part. As I say, she has given me no
encouragement to offer her my advice or my sympathy.
She might ask what had led me to suppose that she needed
them, and I could hardly tell her that I was acting upon
your suggestion.'
' Certainly not ! ' replied Lady Merton hastily. ' You
must never let her know that I have spoken to you on
the subject. Let her think that anything you say to her is
prompted by your own sympathy with her in a very trying
position. After all, you told me just now that you often
wondered she did not feel her husband's spiritual state
more keenly. Why should you not let her see that her
apparent indifference to it surprises and distresses you.'
^ Well,' said Mrs. Russell, ' I will try. Heaven knows,
both James and I would be thankful to think that Walter
had some belief, which, you say, is Hilda's one anxiety.
She does not make a point of that belief being in all re-
spects the same as her own ? '
'By no means,' replied Lady Merton. 'If you can
bring them both to feel that, even though the forms of
their faith may differ, a common basis of belief unites
94 CASTING OF NETS
them, you will have done a great work. Their present
state of existence is deplorable, and you cannot imagine
how deeply poor Hilda feels it ; for, from what you tell
me, she has contrived to conceal her unhappiness from
you. Think over it, I entreat you, my dear Mrs. Russell,
and help us if you can ; but, above all things, never let
either Hilda or her husband know that you are acting on
any suggestion from me. I am sure that you quite under-
stand how fatal it would be to our hopes should they
suspect such a thing.'
' You may rely upon me not to do that,' answered Mary
Russell. ^ It is very odd,' she continued, ' but do you
know, I always had quite a different idea of you Roman
Catholics. I believed that you ^^ compassed heaven and
earth to make one proselyte " ; but, since I have talked to
Hilda and you on these subjects, I begin to see that you
look at the spirit of belief, not merely at its external
forms.'
Lady Merton's eyes drooped.
' Yes,' she said, ' you are right : we look to the spirit.
The power of directing that spirit into its true home is in
other hands than ours. Is your husband, the Rector, also
interested in these things ? ' she added suddenly.
Mrs. Russell smiled.
' James is a High Churchman,' she replied ; * but noth-
ing extreme, and he is devotedly attached to his Church.'
' Ah ! very anti-Catholic, I suppose ? '
' Anti-Roman,' said Mrs. Russell.
Lady Merton laughed.
' Ah well, my dear/ she said, ' you will learn to appre-
ciate us better some day ; at least I don't know about
CASTING OF NETS 95
your luisband, but I am sure that you will do so. You
will find that wc arc uot such very silly people after all.
Shall wc go back to the ball-room ? I suppose you ought
to return to your duties, and I shall go and look for Hilda,
to wish her good-night. It is time for old women like
me to be in bed.'
Dancing was going on with renewed vigour when Lady
Merton and Mary Russell returned to the Barons' Hall.
A plentiful supper had caused the last remnants of shy-
ness to disappear from among the guests, and even the
frigid exclusiveness of the upper servants had thawed
under the influence of roast beef and turkeys, haunches
of venison and a reckless mixture of port, sherry, and old
ale. Lord Redman's champagne had been contemptu-
ously declined by the majority of his tenants as 'nowt
but gas, which blows a man out and spoils his appetite.'
Walter himself, after dancing with the wives of his
principal tenants and the ladies of the magnates of Trent-
ford, and mingling among the company saying a cheery
word to everyone, had retired from the scene, and his
example had been followed by the majority of those
staying in the house. Lady Redman, however, and a
few of the younger members of the party had remained,
and Lady Merton and Mrs. Russell found her dancing
the Highland schottische with the Trentford doctor. As
they made their way towards her, many flattering and
kindly remarks passed upon her by those who were
watching the dancers fell upon their ears.
' If all Papists be like my lady there,' one old dame
said to her companion as Hilda and her partner passed
them, ^ they can't be such a good-for-nothing lot after all.'
96 CASTING OF NETS
'Eh, deary me, Mrs. Lyons, but isn't it downright
awful to think of a real lady like she a-worshipping of
graven images, for all the world like them heathens in
foreign parts ! '
'They do say,' replied the first speaker in a hoarse
whisper, 'as how all the children, if so be as there is
any, must be reared Papists, same as their mother.'
' Well, well ! They 've queer ways, has the quality.'
Mrs. Russell laughed witli some embarrassment. She
and Lady Merton were standing behind the two women,
who had not noticed their proximity.
' Yes see,' she said, ' Abbotsbury has its own way of
looking at things.'
' So sad ! ' murmured Lady Merton ; ' and to think,'
she added, 'that the forefathers of these people were
Catholics, and that the poor things should be so ignorant
of the Faith of which they have been robbed.'
At this moment Lady Gwendolen came towards them.
'Why, mamma,' she said to her mother, 'I thought
you had gone to bed.'
' I am on my way there,' answered Lady Merton. ' I
am just going to say good-night to Hilda, and then I will
come. You are not going to stay any longer, I suppose,
Gwen ? *
' Oh no. I believe they will keep the ball up till five
o'clock.'
Lady Gwendolen accompanied her mother upstairs, and
stayed for a few minutes in her sitting-room.
' You must unfasten my gown at the back, Gwen/ said
Lady Merton. 'I can't get at it, and I told Spencer I
should n't want her.'
CASTING OF NETS 97
' Where have you been for the Last half-hour? ' asked
Lady (hveiidulen, struggling with a knot.
' In the gallery, talking to ^Irs. Russell. AVliat du
you think of her ? '
* I don't know that I have thought much about her.
8hc Bcems a nice woman, but I never know what to talk
about to clergymen's wives. Hilda likes her very much,
I believe.'
^Yes, it is very lucky that she does. Do you know,
Gwen,' added Lady Merton, 'I think that she is very
much interested in the Church.'
* Really? ' said Lady Gwendolen a little indifferently.
She had suffered in her time from her mother's converts.
Lady Merto;i Jiad a way of handing them over to the
Cawardens after conversion, to be introduced into Catho-
lic society.
* I am sure of it,'* continued Lady jNIerton, taking
off her diamonds. ^We had quite a long conversation
together.'
"You must tell Hilda,' said Lady Gwendolen, ^she
will be able to help her, if she really has any leanings
towards the Church.'
* No, Gwen ; Hilda must know nothing about it. Her
doing so might interfere with a little plan of mine/ replied
Lady Merton.
* But surely she is the very person who ought to be
told. She could do so much.*
^ She ought to have plenty to do in trying to bring
about her husband's conversion, without undertaking
anybody else's,' Lady Merton answered decidedly. ' I
mean Mrs. Russell to be of use. Reallv, Hilda is too
7
98 CASTING OF NETS
ridiculously in love. Caunot you see, Gwen, that she
is sacrificing everything to the desire to keep up a kind
of perpetual honeymoon? I am glad to perceive that
our remonstrances have had the effect of making her
uneasy, but the thought that someone outside her own
family, and a Protestant, was scandalized at her quiet
acceptance of her husband's agnosticism would make
far more impression upon her than any objections of
ours.'
Lady Gwendolen looked puzzled.
' I don't see what use Mrs. Russell could be,' she said.
' Perhaps not, but I do,' replied Lady Merton a little
irritably. ^ I have much more experience in these things
than you have, Gwen. It is owing to me that your
daughter is Lady Redman. If I had not taken the
matter in hand, Redman would have gone off in a huff,
and you would have married Hilda to one of your tire-
some young men with good names and second-rate man-
ners whom I always meet at Cawarden. I dare say they
would have said the rosary together before they went
to bed, and would have driven in the wagonette to Mass
on Sundays, but nothing more would have come of it in
this world.'
' In this world, no.'
*My dear Gwen,' said Lady Merton, 'I really think
that you are a little short-sighted in the way you regard
things. We have to get through this world before we
can get into the next. If you owe it to me that Hilda
is tlie wife of a rich peer with a magnificent property,
instead of being the partner in the joys of one of your
Lancashire squireens, you will equally owe it to me that
CASTING OF NETS 99
Iicr husbiiiul is eventually brouj^lit intu the Church. I
ueed hardly remind you tliat the gain to our cause in
England will be rather greater in this case than it would
have been had Hilda married one of your Catholic young
men and sunk into respectable insignificance.'
Lady Gwendolen was silenced, as indeed, she had been
all her life when her mother reasoned with her on questions
of expediency.
' But you have not told me what Mrs. Russell is to do/
she said presently.
* iMrs. Russell/ replied Lady Merton, ^ can be utilized in
two ways. She can assist us in wakening Hilda to a
sense of her responsibilities towards her husband's soul
and of her duties towards the Churcli ; and she can also,
by reason of her position here, point out to Walter Red-
man that his attitude towards religion is a source of pain
and trouble to his wife.'
^ But I don't believe that it is, mamma,' exclaimed Lady
Gwendolen, ' and neither do you ! '
Lady Merton looked compassionately at her daughter.
The Duchess of Wearmouth had been much more amen-
able to reason.
^I have told Mrs. Russell that it is,' she answered,
'and she will tell her cousin so.'
^ And she will equally tell Hilda what she has learned
from you,' said Lady Gwendolen.
Lady ]\Ierton smiled indulgently.
* Oh no, my dear,' she replied, ' she will not. I had
foreseen that contingency. Leave the management of this
affair to me, Gwen. Hilda must be made to understand
that the time for dreaming is over, and that the moment
loo CASTING OF NETS
for action has arrived. She and Walter have been mar-
ried five months/ Lady Merton added significantly. * We
may reasonably suppose that in a few more there will be
some result of the marriage.'
^ No doubt/ said Lady Gwendolen ; * but what has that
to do with Walter's attitude to religion and Hilda's ap-
parent carelessness ? '
* Evei-ything. Do you recollect Father Galsworthy's
reason for objecting to Walter's indifference to the condi-
tions imposed by tlie Church ? '
' Perfectly.'
' Father Galsworthy was quite right. Supposing Hilda
has a son, Walter will begin to feel that those conditions
are more important than he imagined when he so readily
agreed to them. If he is under the impression that Hilda
is indifferent to the fact of his not being a Catholic, the
temptation to break his promises with regard to the bring-
ing up of the son who is to succeed him will be very strong.
He would not be the first Protestant who has made a
mixed marriage, and broken his word when brought face
to face with the necessity of seeing his children educated
as Catholics.'
Lady Gwendolen looked troubled.
' Ah ! ' she replied ; ^ I begin to sec what you mean.
But Mrs. Russell will not be likely to use her influence on
the side of our religion. Why should she ? '
* She may be made to do so unconsciously,' said Lady
Merton. ' How often do we not see the interests of the
Church furthered by those who, unknown to themselves,
are the agents of God's will? In Mrs. RusselFs case,
however, I have great hopes that the part which she is
CASTING OF ^[KtS: loi
called upon to phiy at Abbotsbiiry may iiltiniatcly lead to
her own conversion. At all events, my dear Owen, leave
tilings to me, and say nothing to Ilihla of what 1 have told
you. It is very important that both she and Walter should
be able to regard Mrs. Russell as quite independent in her
views. Mrs. Russell is fond of Hilda, and of course, she
is Walter's cousin. She may prove a great help to us,
and save her own soul into the bargain by being so ; for,
after all, she will be serving the Church. She is a person
I shall not lose sight of,' concluded Lady Mertou, as she
kissed her daughter and bade her good-night. ' I shall
try and get her to come to Ware for a few days. A
Catholic atmosphere has a marvellous effect upon a dissat-
isfied soul. All the same, it would not be advisable that
she should be converted just yet.' And she picked up her
diamonds, which she had laid upon the table, and retired
into her bedroom, as Lady Gwendolen left her and went
to her own apartment.
CHAPTER VIII
EARLY in April Lord and Lady Redman went to
London, and took up their abode at the family
residence in St. James's Square. Lady Merton's prog-
nostications seemed as though they would shortly be
fulfilled, for Hilda's confinement was expected to^take
place before the close of the spring. During the weeks
which had elapsed between Christmas and Easter, Hilda
and her husband had remained quietly at home. The
latter found plenty of occupation in the affairs of the
property, and in hunting with the Meynell hounds, in
the heart of whose ' country ' Abbotsbury was situated.
Occasionally a few people had come and stayed with
them, but since the large gathering which had filled the
house at Christmas-time, Hilda had seemed to be disin-
clined to receive many guests. Walter Redman noticed
with some concern that the preoccupied and worried air
which he had first observed in his wife after the arrival of
her own relatives at Abbotsbury did not disappear when
they had departed, as he had hoped would be the case.
Indeed, as the days went by, it seemed to increase, and
her spirits were no longer so elastic and buoyant as they
had been during the first months of her married life.
Under any other circumstances Walter might have con-
soled himself Avith the reflection that the state of his
CASTING OF NETS 103
wife's health wiuj answeniblc for the cluinge which he
could not but observe in her temperament. It was not
that she was less affectionate than before ; and the sweet-
ness of disposition which was one of her charms, and
whicli attracted even those who were brought into contact
with her for the first time, never deserted her. A casual
observer, and even, perhaps, an intimate acquaintance,
would not have noticed the change ; but Lord Redman
adored his wife, and the eyes of love are not to be de-
ceived. iNIindful of Mr. Shirley's counsel, and faithful
to his determination to test its efficacy, Walter forbore
to question Hilda as to what might be troubling her.
He affected to be unaware of the change in her, though
all the time he had no doubt as to the causes which were
contributing to it, and his feelings towards those whom
he fully believed to be responsible for it were the reverse
of charitable.
He was glad to see that the society of his cousin Mary
Russell was evidently a pleasure to Hilda. The two were
a great deal together, and Walter reflected that it was
very natural that they should be so. It was rather dreary,
he thought, for his wife to have no female society in a big
house like Abbotsbury, and it was very lucky that Mrs.
Russell should be close by, and that they should be such
good friends.
Walter often wished that Hilda would speak to him of
what was troubling her, but this she never did; and
tliough it would have been a relief to him had she broken
through her reserve, he honoured her the more for not
doing so, knowing the motive which prompted her
silence.
I04 CASTING OF NETS
It had not escaped Lord Redman's observation that
his wife went much more often to the monastery church
at Abbotsbridge than she had formerly done. Hitherto
Hilda had contented herself with going to Mass on the
prescribed days, and occasionally to Vespers and Bene-
diction on Sunday afternoons. Now, however, her hus-
band frequently heard her ordering a carriage overnight
to take her to Abbotsbridge early the following morning,
and she would return as he was finishing his breakfast,
and tell him she had been to church. He knew that
Lent had commenced, and concluded that this fact would
account for her increased attendance to her religious
devotions, but it seemed to him that her preoccupation of
mind, and the worried expression on her face, were more
noticeable on these days than they were at other times.
As the weeks went by, he wondered whether these early
morning excursions to Abbotsbridge were not an impru-
dence on her part in her then condition, but he did not
expostulate with her on the subject.
Easter fell early that year, and as the last days of Lent
approached it became very evident to Walter that his
fears lest Hilda should over-fatigue herself were far from
being groundless. She looked pale, and at times unwell,
and he noticed, moreover, that she was very strict in her
observance of eating maigre on the days when meat was
forbidden by the Church, and thought she should be
dispensed from doing so.
Finally, he determined to confide his fears to Mary
Russell, and to ask her if she could not urge Hilda to be
more careful of herself. Any remarks on the subject, he
felt, would come much better from Mrs. Russell than
CASTING OF NETS 105
from him, and Hilda could not think that they were
made with any view of interfering with that full liberty
to practise her religion which he had promised she should
always enjoy.
Full of his plan of taking Mary Russell into his con-
fidence, Walter had walked across to the Rectory one
morning when his wife had gone to her church, and had
found his cousin in her garden, discussing with the
gardener as to the grouping of the colours in the flower-
beds for the coming season.
' I want to talk to you about Hilda, Mary,' he said, as
they walked up and down the terrace together. *I do
not feel quite satisfied about her.'
Mrs. Russell looked at him curiously.
' In what way ? ' she asked.
^ Well, I can hardly say,' he replied. ' I have thought
of late that she has not been in her usual good spirits.
No doubt,' lie added a little constrainedly, ^ it can easily
be accounted for, and that is my reason for coming to
you about it. I suspect that it is more a matter for a
woman's interference than a man's.'
' I do not know, Walter. I am not sure,' began his
cousin hesitatingly.
' I thought, perhaps, that you could say a word to her,
and beg her not to overtire herself by going so perpetually
to her church as she has been doing lately. I am sure
that going off" to Abbotsbridge before breakfast cannot be
good for her in her present condition. She would listen
to you more readily than to me.'
*I do not see why she should do so,' replied Mary
Russell.
io6 CASTING OF NETS
' Oh, well, it is a little «awkward for me to say anything
to her/ said Walter. ^ You see, she might think I wished
to interfere with her devotions. Coming from you, she
could not feel that. Have you noticed that she has not
been looking well of late ? ' he added.
Mrs. Russell paused for a moment before replying.
^ Yes,' she said at length, ^ I have. But, Walter, I
don't think that it is caused by any bodily ailment.'
* What else should cause it ? '
' I am afraid that she is troubled in her mind.'
' My dear Mary ! what can she have to trouble her
mind?'
'You.'
Lord Redman looked at her.
' Will you explain ? ' he said briefly.
'I have always been wanting to tell you,' answered
Mrs. Russell quickly. 'I wonder you have not guessed
at the cause of it before. Hilda is fretting about you,
Walter. She cannot bear the thought that you have no
religious belief. I know it has always troubled her
greatly, but it is natural that just now, in her present
state, the thought should distress her more than ever.'
* Has she told you so ? '
Mrs. Russell turned aside and arranged a straggling
bunch of japonica, the red blossoms of which were just
coming into bloom.
' Yes,' she replied.
Walter Redman was silent.
' It is very natural,' repeated his cousin. * You should
put yourself in her place, Walter. Remember all that
religious faith means to her. We may think that Roman
CASTING OF NETS 107
Catholics are in error, but we cannot deny that their faith
is a very real thing to them.'
'No one interferes with her faith.'
Mary Russell made a little movement of impatience.
* That is a regular man's remark/ she said. ^ We
women do not look upon our religion only as a matter of
personal advantage to ourselves ; we want those who are
near and dear to us to benefit by it also. It is this which
is distressing your wife. She is full of fear for the
future.'
'Let us put it plainly/ vsaid Walter. 'She believes
that she w411 go to heaven, and that I shall go to hell.'
Mrs. Russell looked shocked.
' It is too serious a subject for flippancy/ she said stiffly.
^ I do not intend any flippancy ; it is a plain statement
of facts.'
'Well/ replied Mrs. Russell, 'I suppose that it is;
but, being so, can you wonder if she is unhappy ? It is
not so much the thought of your being of another faith
which grieves her, as that you have no belief in the form
of religion which you nominally profess. Hilda does
not want to convert you to Catholicism, but she does
want to feel that you and she have a common faith in
Christianity.'
Lord Redman looked at his cousin somewhat search-
ingly.
' Has she said as much to you ? ' he asked.
'No, she has never said so in words, but I am quite
sure it is the case. Of course, I do not pretend to be-
lieve that she could ever be thoroughly happy so long
as you were outside that which she naturally believes to
io8 CASTING OF NETS
be the only true Church. I understand that, when you
married, you pledged yourselves to respect your mutual
religions.'
' That is true.'
* But you have no religion, Walter ; and, therefore,
Hilda is left with nothing to respect so far as that pledge
is concerned, and everything to fear for you. The cer-
tainty of this has gradually been growing in her mind,
and now it is beginning to tell upon her spirits, and per-
haps upon her health.'
' But what would you have me do ? I do not suppose
that you, of all people, would suggest that I should turn
Catholic in order to allay fears which I regard as result-
ing from a deplorable misconception of the nature of the
Almighty ! '
Mary Russell shook her head.
* No,' she replied, ' not unless you were convinced
of the truth of Roman Catholicism. If you were so, I
should say that it would be the best thing you could do.
You must recollect that you practically severed your con-
nection with the Church of your forefathers when you
married. Your descendants must be Roman Catholics,
so it would only be anticipating matters, so far as Ab-
botsbury is concerned, if you were one yourself.'
Walter Redman looked at her with surprise. Before
his marriage he had often heard his cousin speak of con-
verts to Rome in the terms of the strongest disapproval,
not to say contempt. The thought of how the news of
his engagement to a Catholic would be received at the
Rectory had troubled him not a little at the time, for he
had been afraid lest the prejudices of Mrs. Russell might
CASTING OF NETS 109
have their cfTect upon the people of the place, to his
wife's disadvantage. He could only conclude that her
friendship with Hilda had caused her to take a more
liberal-minded view of Roman Catholicism generally, but
he had certainly not expected to hear her discussing the
possibility of his embracing it with so much equanimity.
' Why, Mary,' he could not help saying to her, ^ you
surely have modified your opinions of late ? '
' I am sorry for Hilda,' Mrs. Russell replied, ignoring
the question. ^I do not think you realize how great a
trial it must be to her to see you in what her conscience
tells her is a very deplorable state, and what her Church
teaches her is a very perilous one. She is not a person
who is indifferent to such things, and I know that she
thinks deeply on these matters. It must be inexpressibly
painful to her to have to keep silence about them in order
not to appear faithless to a promise made to you before
marriage.'
They walked on for a few minutes without speaking.
Walter could not help being struck by the similarity
between Mary Russell's words and those which Mr.
Shirley had spoken. He did not feel the slightest doubt
that his wife had confided her troubles to Mrs. Russell,
and that the latter's remarks were the direct result of this
confidence.
'The promise was a mutual one, made with the object
of preventing any of those disagreeables which religious
opinions are so apt to produce in life,' Ijord Redman said,
a little satirically. ' The arrangement seemed to answer
very well during the first months of our marriage,' he
added, ' and I cannot understand why Hilda should
no CASTING OF NETS
suddenly have become so sensitive on the subject, unless,
of course, some external influences are at work upon her.
I have, unfortunately, strong reason to believe that this is
the case, and that if, as you say, Hilda is worrying herself,
the fact is chiefly owing to interference on the part of some
of her family.'
Mrs. Russell shook her head decidedly.
* No, Walter,' she replied. * I am convinced that you
are wrong there. I feel sure that it is no external influ-
ence which is at work upon your wife, but something far
more powerful — namely, the internal promptings of her
conscience, supported by the traditional teaching of her
Church.'
Here Mary Russell spoke what she genuinely believed
to be the truth.
' I must say,' she continued, ^ I think Hilda is wonder-
fully broad-minded, considering the school in which she
has been brought up. You jump to the conclusion that
nothing short of your embracing her faith would satisfy
her. I believe, as I have said before, that she would be
content with the knowledge that you accepted the religion
of your predecessors.'
* It is all the more fortunate for her that I do not do so.'
' I do not see why.
* For a very simple reason. If I were a man with
decided opinions on those subjects, do you suppose that
it would be a pleasant thing to see myself forced to give
way to the arrogant claims of my wife's Church, and to
allow my children to be brought up in another creed to
my own? You know very well, Mary, what the tradi-
tions of our family are. You have only got to look
CASTING OF NETS iii
round tlic walls of the church yonder to be reminded of
them.'
* Yes/ replied Mrs. Russell, ^ but remember that the
traditions you allude to are comparatively modern ones
in the family history. What would Sir Walter have
thought of them, and of your ideas?'
'I could argue that point with you also,' said Lord
Redman, smiling. * Even in pre-Reformation days the
Redmnns were always loyal Englishmen first and Catho-
lics afterwards, and they were among the earliest to reject
the claims of Rome. It seems,' he added, a little bitterly,
' that it has been reserved for their latest representative
to submit to the latter.'
jVIary Russell glanced at him inquiringly. It was the
first remark which she had ever heard him make which
could have led her to suppose that he had any feeling for
the religious traditions of his house in the past.
' However,' he continued, ' I did not come here to talk
about myself and my ideas, but about Hilda. Do you not
think you could try and persuade her not to trouble her-
self uimecessarily about all these things ? I am sure that
it is very bad for her just now to do so.*
' She does not regard it as unnecessary, you see,' said
Mrs. Russell.
' W^ell,' exclaimed Walter, in a tone of mingled amuse-
ment and impatience, ' I '11 be hanged if I can make you
religious people out ! You set up a deity, and no sooner
have you done so than you treat him as though he were
an absolute fool, and incapable of managing his own affairs.
At any rate, Mary,' he added, ' you might advise her, as you
say she talks to you, to leave things in the hands of Pro\'i-
112 CASTING OF NETS
dence, at all events for the present. I notice that people
generally take that course when they don't choose to be
troubled. And if you could give her a hint not to let Lady
Merton and the priests worry her, it would be a good
thing. You could point out to her that she was much
happier before she began to allow all these ideas to disturb
Iier ; and for that matter, you might tell her that I was
much happier also. Perhaps, if she thought that, she
miijht not trouble herself so much about me.'
' Well, Walter, I will see what I can do,' replied Mrs.
Russell ; 'but remember I think that it is perfectly natural
that Hilda should distress herself. The remedy lies in
your own hands. She may very reasonably consider that
if you really cared for her you would make some effort to
overcome your scepticism when you know that it is this,
and this alone, which is troubling her.'
* Do you think she could really suppose such a thing ? '
asked Walter.
The idea had not struck him before, and it seemed to
add a fresh complication to his position.
^She might very easily do so — in fact, I have little
doubt that this thought is adding to her trouble. After
all, it must be mortifying to her to feel that you are sur-
rounded by agnostics, such as Mr. Shirley, for instance,
whose views you are always ready to accept, and to whom
you can talk freely on all these questions, whereas to her
your lips are sealed. You give her no reason to suppose
that you are otherwise than indifferent to her peace of
mind. You see, I speak plainly,' added Mrs. Russell, ^as
you have asked me for my opinion.'
'Yes,' said Walter thoughtfully, 'you certainly do, and
CASTING OF NETS 113
I might believe that you were right if it were not for ono
point upon whieh 1 am not quite clear.'
* And that is ? '
* As to how nuich of Hilda's distress of mind is sponta-
neous and how nuieh is the result of suggestion. You
know as well as I do, Mary, how many subtile influences
can be brought to bear upon a Catholic who is devoted to
his or her religion, and your sex is generally supposed to
be the more open to such influences of the two.'
' We are always told so, but those things are often very
much exaggerated. Unscrupulous people in any creed
can abuse the religious devotion of others. In this case,
however, I cannot see any grounds for such a suspicion.*
' Perhaps not,' said Walter, ^ but it is a curious coinci-
dence that Hilda's frequent visits to Abbotsbridge seem
to have the effect, not of tranquillizing her mind, but
apparently of still further disturbing it. I have noticed
that she is invariably in lower spirits and looks more
worried after them, and I often wonder what is said to
her there. I never ask her any questions, but I conclude
that she has some special spiritual adviser among the
monks.'
*Yes,' replied Mary Russell, 'she has. She told me
that one of the Fathers at Abbotsbridge had been par-
ticularly recommended to her by an Oratorian priest in
London who is very intimate with her family.'
' Ah ! Father Galsworthy probably.'
^ I think that was the name she said. Of course it is
quite natural that she should have a confessor here, and
doubtless she consults him upon her difficulties.'
' Of course ! '
8
114 CASTING OF NETS
Lord Redman did not add any more, but the tone of
his voice expressed his thoughts eloquently enough.
Turning at the end of the terrace, they saw the Rector
approaching them from the house. He had seen them
from his study windows, and wondered what Lord Red-
man had come to talk about. As they were evidently
in earnest conversation, he had refrained from joining
them sooner.
' Well, Mary,' said V/alter, as he drew near, * I hope
you will do your best to prevent Hilda from dwelling
too much upon her thoughts, whether they are her own
or other people's. It is evident that they are doing her
no good, and if things are as I cannot help suspecting,
it will surely not be an objectionable task to you to try
and counteract influences which could only succeed in
making us both unhappy. Your Protestant principles
ought to support you in so good a work,' he added,
smiling.
^ I should not like to say anything which might appear
as though I were seeking to destroy Hilda's faith in her
Church,' said ISIrs. Russell. .
* Neither should I wish you to do so. All that I would
ask of you is to help her to protect herself against those
who may be seeking to abuse her faith and employ it as
a means to securing their own ends. Ah ! Russell, good-
morning. Mary and I have been having a little talk
about my wife's health. We are off* to London, you
know, very soon. Great nonsense, I call it, leaving the
country just as spring has come; but we are slaves to
fashion '
^ And to doctors,' said the Rector, with a smile.
CASTING OF NETS 115
^ Oh yes, of course ! I forgot. Doctors, certainly ;
though I 've no doubt that Turnbull of Treutford would
do just as well as Siddoiis of Belgravia, and charge a
good deal less for doing it.'
After talking a little while with the Kussells, Walter
had gone back to the Hall. As he passed through the
churchyard something prompted him to look into the
old building itself. He opened the heavy oaken door
gently and entered. The church was empty, and he went
through the nave and down the steps into the chancel.
Here he paused and looked around him. The March
sunlight was streaming through the windows, some of
which were open, and the voices of the spring — the
liquid notes of blackbirds and thrushes, the bleating of
the young lambs in the meadows, the cawing of the nest-
ing rooks — floated in with it, the eternal song of Life,
unhushed by the presence of the dead. Walter Redman
leaned against the carved oaken pillars of the chancel
stalls in which so many generations had worshipped and
prayed. His glance rested on one after another of the
monuments of his race, from that of Sir Walter de Red-
man, staring up at his armour on the wall above him as
though wondering, as some irreverent descendant had
said, how he should ever get into it again, to that of his
own father, which he himself had erected a few years
previously. He had been familiar with the scene all his
life, but none the less he was conscious of a little thrill
of pride as he looked upon it — of pride and of some sad-
ness. There were not many such resting-places of a race
which could point to an unbroken descent and o^vner-
ship of the soil on which it lived of well-nigh a thousand
ii6 CASTING OF NETS
years. The words which his cousin Mary Russell had
spoken to him that morning returned to his mind. * You
practically severed your connection with the Church of
your forefathers when you married/ she had told him.
It was true. He had also severed the unborn who, in
the ordinary course of nature would come after him, from
all spiritual connection with those others who were lying
around him and beneath his feet.
Walter Redman was too well versed in history and in
the records of his own family for the thought that his
heirs would revert to the primitive faith of their ancestors
to afford him much satisfaction. The fact remained that,
however faithful the earlier members of the race might
have been to their medieval beliefs, their immediate
descendants had flung these aside so soon as education
and enlightenment had enabled them to understand their
true value, scope, and origin, in the same way that the
nation at large had done. And now he had severed the
connection of those who would succeed to them and to
him with that national faith, the inheritance of a purer
age, with which were bound up some of the best tradi-
tions of their common house.
'By what right?'
Walter Redman started and half turned round. It
seemed to him as though the words were spoken aloud
by some person standing at his side.
Then he remembered that he was alone, and knew
that they were his own thoughts.
' By what right ? ' he repeated to himself, and had to
reply that it was by right of his own indifference — his
inability to believe.
CASTING OF NETS 117
In the silence of the church, with only liiniself and
the dead to hear it, the answer did not sound satisfactory.
It was strange, he thought, that it should not. He had
analyzed that same indillcrence and inability to believe
so deeply and so often, even there in that very place,
while the offices of the Church were being celebrated
around him, and the result of the analysis had never
struck him as unsatisfactory until that moment.
Turning away almost impatiently, Walter retraced his
steps to the west door of the church, and, opening it,
found himself confronted by his wife, who was apparently
about to enter it.
Hilda started when she saw him, and looked surprised.
'Whv, Walter,' she said, 'I had no idea you were
here.'
'I have been at the Rectory,' he replied, 'and just
looked into the church on my way home. Do you want
to go in ? ' he added. ' I will come back with you if you
do.'
'Oh no,' said Hilda a little hurriedly. 'I thought I
would go in for a minute or two ; but it does n't matter.
Let us go into the gardens instead; it is such a lovely
spring morning.'
' You have been to Abbotsbridge ? '
' Yes ; I have just got back.'
Walter looked at her.
* Don't you think you are doing a little too much?'
he said.
* I ? Oh, no ! Why should you think that ? '
' For no particular reason,' answered Walter lightly ;
' only I have thought you sometimes looked tired of late,
ii8 CASTING OF NETS
and that is not very wise of you/ he added, with a
smile.
Hilda was silent. She was, indeed, feeling very tired,
and she had walked through the gardens to the church,
meaning to sit down in the latter in order to rest and
think for a little while. She knew that she should, in
all probability, find the building empty at that hour,
and that nobody would be likely to disturb her, unless
it were Mary Russell, who might come with fresh flowers
for the altar. She had been considerably astonished at
meeting her husband coming out of the church, and could
not help wondering what had taken him there.
That morning she had had a long conversation with
the Dominican Father to whom Father Galsworthy had
advised her to go for spiritual counsel while she was at
Abbotsbridge. As had been the case after all the inter-
views which she had recently had with him, she had
returned from it more troubled and perplexed in her mind
than ever. It was in vain that she tried to explain to
the Dominican her perplexity. He either could not, or
would not, understand it in the sense in which she
attempted to present it to him. Father Vincent insisted
upon looking at her case from a point of view which,
though a logical one, Hilda felt in her heart not to be a
true one, or only to be so in part. Carnal affection, he
never ceased to assure his penitent, was at the bottom of
her doubts and difficulties, and she was allowing her
material love for her husband to cast out and destroy that
spiritual love which alone could bring happiness and peace
of mind to both of them in the future. The troubled
state in which she found herself was, he impressed upon
CASTING OF NETS 119
her, the Divine voice of conscience calling to her and
urging her to do lier duty towards God and His Church
by putting aside all considerations of worldly love — by
thinking, as he had implied to her with some frankness,
more of her husband's soul and less of his body.
It was in vain that Ilikla pleaded her scruples at
breaking the promise which she had made never to
interfere with her husband's religious views, and that
she dreaded to disturb his evident happiness. Father
Vincent had refused to listen for a moment to such
objections. They were mere excuses, he told her —
plausible inventions of Satan to obscure her vision and
cause her to stray from that path of duty and sacrifice
of all selfish motives which her conscience was so clearly
telling her to follow. The point of honour which she
advanced — the maintenance on her part of a compact to
which her husband had shown himself punctually obser-
vant — was swept scornfully aside by her confessor.
The Church, he declared to her, recognised no promise
as binding the maintenance of which was detrimental to
a human soul. The true dishonour would be for a
Catholic to keep such a promise had it been exacted.
The responsibility for breaking it would rest, not with
her, but with those who had caused her to give a pledge
which was in itself a sin.
Hilda's condition of health had certainly contributed
towards those mental anxieties which had been increased
rather than diminished by her attempts to seek spiritual
advice and consolation from Father Vincent. Her ap-
proaching confinement, moreover, had afforded the latter
occasion to remind her that she was about to pass through
I20 CASTING OF NETS
a period of pain and danger. He besought her to make
peace with her conscience before that time should arrive.
He pointed out how terrible a thing it would be should
she have to reproach herself with having allowed her
husband's soul to perish for the want of any attempt on
her part to save it; how bitter would be the discovery
that her vaunted affection for him had been no true love,
but only an earthly passion.
AVeary in body, distressed and harassed in mind, Hilda's
soul had sometimes risen up in revolt against what her
heart told her was both unjust and tyrannical. Then
would follow hours of reaction, in which she would
upbraid herself for her distrust, her lack of humility and
discipline, and strive to convict herself of that purely
material passion to which Father Vincent had more
than hinted that she was a prey.
But it was not true. Something deep down in her
heart, and far removed from the disturbing elements
which ruffled the surface of life, assured her of this. She
could not lay her finger upon the falseness and insincerity
of the reasoning which was brought to bear upon her, but
it was in vain that she tried to combat the intuition that
both the one and the other lay concealed in the counsel
which was given to her at Abbotsbridge.
That morning Hilda had found Father Vincent more
uncompromising than ever, and, if possible, less sym-
pathetic. The Dominican had relied a little too much
upon the fact that he was dealing with a woman who
had been bred and born a Catholic, and had therefore
ventured to bring more pressure to bear upon his visitor
than was quite advisable. He had miscalculated the
CASTING OF NETS 121
strength of Lady Rcdinan'H affection for her husband,
and miscalculated also the limits of her submissiveness
to spiritual authority. Much to Father Vincent's as-
tonishment, Hilda had given him to understand that she
was by no means disposed to follow his directions and
advice. The moment had been a trying one to the
Dominican, and in attempting to redeem one psychological
blunder he had fallen into another, and had drawn so
vivid a picture of the evil which Lady Redman was bring-
ing upon herself and her husband by her contumacy as
to arouse both the suspicions and the temper of his
penitent.
The result of that morning's interview had been that
Hilda had gently but firmly told Father Vincent that
she should soon be in Loudon, where she could consult
Father Galsworthy, and that, therefore, she did not think
she need ask him to receive her again.
It was while still upset in her mind by this interview
and its termination that Hilda had unexpectedly met
her husband in the porch of the church at Abbotsbury.
A few days afterwards they moved up to London.
CHAPTER IX
CONTRARY to her usual custom, Lady Merton spent
her Easter in London. As a rule, she made a
point of going to Rome before the Holy Week, and re-
maining there until the middle or end of June. She re-
garded herself, indeed, as a kind of charge d 'affaires of the
English Catholics during her residence in the Eternal City.
The latter flocked to her to procure them tickets to wit-
ness the Papal functions, and recent converts of a certain
class beheld in her the portal by which they hoped to enter
into Roman society — not merely the Anglo-American
world, but that more exclusive one in which they should
make the acquaintance of Roman princes and princesses,
and meet the higher dignitaries of the Church face to
face.
This year, however. Lady Merton had reluctantly post-
poned her visit ad limina. She felt that her duties to the
Church would be more worthily fulfilled by remaining in
London — at least, until after her grand-daughter Lady
Redman's confinement. Since leaving Abbotsbury she
had several times corresponded with Mary Russell. The
latter had been a little surprised to learn through Lady
Merton's letters tliat Hilda s epistles to her family more
than ever expressed the unhappiness and distress of mind
under which their writer was labouring. She thought it
CASTING OF NETS 123
strange that Hilda should be so reticent to her regarding
her thoughts and feelings, and at the same time so ready to
discuss them with others. To be sure, Lady Merton had,
in a manner, warned her that this was the case, and her
explanation of it had seemed to be a very natural one
under the circumstances.
Mary Russell, however, felt a little hurt with her
cousin's wife. Considering herself not only to be fulfilling
Lady Merton's request that she should help Hilda in her
difficulties, but also to be acting for Walter's spiritual
benefit and ultimate happiness, she had endeavoured to
make the former understand that she was aware of her
anxieties and sympathized with her in them. The result
had not been as satisfactory as she had hoped, and Hilda's
reserve had only increased. Her advances had not been
responded to in any way, and Lady Redman had displayed
so marked a disinclination to discuss her husband's opin-
ions, or her own views regarding them, that Mrs. Russell
had felt snubbed, and had judged it to be more pi-udent
not to make a second attempt to induce her to do so. She
concluded that Lady jMcrton had been mistaken in think-
ing that Hilda would speak all the more freely to her be-
cause she was not a Catholic, and thought that it was
probably for this very reason that she declined to take her
into her confidence.
With Walter, however, it was different. He and Mary
Russell had several conversations together after their first
discussion in the Rectory garden. Having once made up
his mind to consult his cousin in the matter, it seemed to
be a relief to him to be able to talk about his wife. Mary
Russell encouraged him to do so, thinking that in this at
124 CASTING OF NETS
any rate she was rendering good service. If it occurred to
her that Walter talked openly to her because he was
under the impression that his wife did the same, she did
not think it either necessary or wise to undeceive him.
Lord Redman himself had no doubt that it was owing to
his cousin's remonstrances with her that Hilda's visits to
Abbotsbridge had been far less frequent during the fort-
night or so which elapsed before their departure for Lon-
don. He had congratulated Mrs. Russell on the successful
results of her remonstrances, and on this point, again, she
had considered it more prudent to allow him to think that
she had earned his congratulations and had spoken to
Hilda.
Lady Merton had been by no means pleased when she
received Mrs. Russell's letter describing the failure of her
endeavours to induce her grand-daughter to talk about her
husband's spiritual shortcomings. It was obviously impos-
sible that Mrs. Russell should be able to arouse Hilda to
a sense of shame that even the Protestant wife of the
clergyman of her husband's parish was astonished at her
indifference to his irreligion, if she were not allowed to
approach the question.
Lady Merton felt extremely provoked with Hilda for
upsetting her plans, and she took the note to Lady Gwen
dolen, and made the latter read it in her presence to
Father Galsworthy.
She was more annoyed than ever when, after he had
listened to this letter. Father Galsworthy drew another
from his pocket-book.
'I have a communication here,' he said, ^ which, I
think, throws some light upon this matter. It is from my
CASTING OF NETS 125
friend Father Vincent, tlie sub-Prior of the monastery at
Abbotsbridge. You made his acquaintance, I think,'
he added, ' when you were both at Abbotsbury last
Christmas.'
' Yes,' said Lady IMcrton ; ' Hilda took us over to the
monastery clmrch and introduced us to him.'
' He writes to me,' continued Father Galsworthy, ' that
he is very much concerned at Lady Redman's frame of
mind. I shall not be disclosing any sacred confidences if
I read you a part of his letter. The details he gives me
do not, I need hardly say, enter into matters which passed
between him and Lady Redman under the seal of confes-
sion. They are merely his own comments on her general
attitude towards her husband's unfortunate agnosticism —
the result of impressions formed during conversations quite
independent of the confessional.'
^ Of course,' said Lady ]\Ierton.
* It ^\all be sufficient, I think, if I read the following
extract from his letter,' pursued Father Galsworthy : ' " I
deeply regret to say that I appear to have failed in my
efforts to awaken Lady Redman to a proper sense of her
duties as the Catholic wife of an infidel husband. An
afi'ection which seems to me to be essentially material and
physical has, alas ! obscured her powers of moral percep-
tion. My last conversation with Lady Redman on these
matters was far from satisfactory, and she parted from me
in a spirit which I can only qualify as rebellious. I learn
from her that she is soon to be in London, and no doubt
you will see her. I can only pray that your counsel may
prevail, and that 1 may be forgiven by Almighty God for
my inability to induce her to execute the task which He,
126 CASTING OF NETS
in His mercy to one outside His Church, has so clearly
assigned to her." '
Lady Merton sighed profoundly as Father Galsworthy
ceased reading.
' Such beautiful humility ! ' she murmured, with her
eyes fixed upon the crucifix of her rosary, which she
was drawing through her hands. ' Fatlier Vincent, like
a true Christian, ascribes his failure to touch Hilda's
heart rather to his own incapacity of dealing with a
penitent than to her obstinacy and rebelliousness. Did
I not tell you, Gwen,' she added, turning to her daughter,
Hhat Hilda is ridiculously in love with her husband?
Father Vincent is evidently of the same opinion. The
poor child is a prey to an earthly passion which blinds
her to all sense of her terrible responsibilities. Is it not
so, Father?'
Father Galsworthy paused for a moment before he
answered her.
' It is possible,' he said slowly, ' that Father Vincent
may be right in blaming himself for his apparent want
of success in this case. It often happens that a doctor,
however skilful, fails in his diagnosis of a bodily ailment,
where another no more skilful than he succeeds in dis-
covering the source of the malady. It is the same with
us physicians to the soul. It may be that Father Vin-
cent has been a little too precipitate in his mode of
dealing with Lady Redman's difficulties, owing to his
not having had sufficient opportunities of studying her
character and disposition. The human soul is a far more
complex and sensitive machine than the human body,
but it is equally a machine, which will answer to the
CASTING OF NETS 127
touch of the expert, and refuse to respond to that of the
amateur. I do not mean to imply that Father Vincent
is an amateur, far from it. But I can conceive that
lie may have neglected to make suificient allowance for
the influence of that earthly passion from which he recog-
nises that Lady Redman's spiritual state proceeds.'
^Ile should have endeavoured to crusli it,' said Lady
ISIcrton decidedly. 'If he had used his authority as
a priest, Hilda would not have dared to oppose his
directions.'
' I imagine that this is what he has attempted to do.
It is a great mistake,' replied Father Galsworthy abruptly.
'You cannot crush human passions among human beings
who live in the world. There is no method of doing so
except one, and that is the embracing of a religious life.'
' But, my dear Father Galsworthy/ expostulated Lady
Gwendolen mildly, ' we can't all be monks and nuns.
The majority of us have not the vocation.'
'No; therefore the Church, in her marvellous wisdom,
has another method of dealing with the passions and
weaknesses of mankind.'
' And what is that, Father ? ' asked Lady IVIerton.
' She utilizes them,' replied Father Galsworthy. ' That,'
he added, ' is one of the di\dne attributes of the Sacra-
ment of Penance. It is the intuition of when and how
the human passions can be used, and converted from
dangers into blessings, which forms the diff'erence between
a priest who is expert in the management of his penitents
and one who is not so.'
Lady INIerton looked at him wdth reverent admiration.
' AhV she said, ' I wish that you had been at Abbots-
128 CASTING OF NETS
bridge, dear Father Galsworthy. I feel con\dnced that
poor Hilda's case has been mismanaged, not, of course,
from any fault of Father Vincent's, but from the fact of
his not properly understanding her nature, and the
peculiar position in which she is placed.'
^ I do not suppose that I should have succeeded where
Father Vincent failed. I only venture to think that he
may have been a little too hasty. So delicate a matter
needs time and very gentle treatment. It should be the
aim of Lady Redman's spiritual director to try and ex-
ercise that very gift to which I have just alluded. The
material elements of the love she bears to her husband
should be made use of, not trampled down and despised.
They must by degrees be transformed from masters into
servants. As the former, they are pernicious; as the
latter, they may be rendered valuable. I do not know
if I have explained myself,* he added.
^ It appears to me to be a dangerous thing to inter-
fere with a woman's love for her husband,' said Lady
Gwendolen hesitatingly.
Lady Merton glanced at her reprovingly.
* Really, Gwen, I am surprised at you,' she said. ^ Of
course Father Galsworthy does not propose to do that;
it would be monstrous. As I understand it, all that he
would wish is that Hilda's eyes should be opened, and
that she should distinguish between that true love for her
husband which will be the happiness and the consolation
both of her own life and of his, and the mere — er —
human affection which at present dominates her. Am I
not right, Father ? '
' You are perfectly right. Lady ^lerton. As you know.
CASTING OF NETS 129
I was always opposed to this marriage. I do not ap[)rovc
of Catholies marrying those professing herctieal or sehis-
matic creeds. The risk is too great, and I have seldom
known such alliances not lead to undesirable complica-
tions. My advice, however, was overruled. I am quite
aware, of course, that you all consented to the marriage
from the laudable desire that it should lead to the saving
of a soul.'
* And to the extending of the influence of our holy
religion in this country,' added Lady Merton.
* Precisely. We may reasonably hope that the latter
object has been attained, or will very shortly be so, as
far as the future is concerned. But we cannot be sure
of it. Lord Redman is a young man. It must in all
probability be many years before we can indeed say
that Abbotsbury is in Catholic hands, and that another
prominent English house has returned to the faith of
its forefathers.'
Lady Merton nodded her head approvingly.
'Who can say,' continued Father Galsworthy, 'what
the influence of a Protestant father— we will call Lord
Redman for courtesy's sake a Protestant — may not
effect upon a young man? In her solicitude for her
children, the Church protects the offspring of such mar-
riaores, as far as she is able to do so, by the most wise
stipulation that they shall be educated in her divine
truths; but she cannot guard them against the baneful
influences of the Protestantism of this country in their
after-life. The dangers to which they are exposed are
all the greater from the fact of one of their parents being
a Protestant. For my part, I wish that the Church
9
ijo CASTING OF NETS
would disallow mixed marriages in toto. The restrictions
which she has placed upon them in England of recent
years are but half-measures. There should be no com-
promising with heretics.'
^ Ah, yes ! all you say is very true/ said Lady Merton.
'It would be better, no doubt, if mixed marriages were
definitely forbidden. But, as they are not, it is clearly
the duty of all Catholics to endeavour that when entered
upon they should so far as possible advance the cause of
the Church. I often wonder,' she added, with a sigh,
'what I should have done if all my children had been
Catholics, and not you only, Gwen ! Our choice, you see,
is so limited — so very limited,' she concluded, thinking of
the marriageable young men in the Catholic world.
Father Galsworthy thought that he knew very well
what Lady Merton would have done, and so, it must
be confessed, did Lady Gwendolen.
' I do not understand,' he said, ' what can have wrought
such a change in Lady Redman's intentions. During her
engagement she spoke enthusiastically of the joy it would
be to her to be the means of bringing her future husband
into the Church. I was surprised that she did not appear
to realize his attitude towards Christianity generally.'
Lady Merton looked at him with a frank smile.
'Dear Father Galsworthy,' she said, 'you are so re-
moved from the vanities of our world that I do not won-
der you are surprised. I was so myself. Hilda deceived
herself, and, quite unintentionally, poor dear child, she
deceived us. You nmst remember that she was very
much in love. Probably we are better able to make
allowances for her in that matter than you could be.'
CASTING OF NETS 131
' She deceived you ? ' asked Father Galsworthy.
'Yes; quite unintentionally, as I have just said, but
she deceived us — at least, she certainly did nie ; and I,
of course, repeated to her mother what she had told me.
From all she said, I quite thought she had good grounds
for believing that Walter Redman was not so sceptical as
he gave himself out to be. Irreligion in young men is
very often a j^ose. She appeared to be so certain of being
able to influence him when once they were married, that
I felt convinced wc were very sliort-sighted in attempting
to prevent the engagement. I am quite as much aston-
ished as you are at her apparent indifference, and at her
unwillino-ness to further her husband's conversion, as
indeed, I have told her very plainly.'
^ And what did she say ? '
'Well, she evidently took it to heart,' replied Lady
Merton. ^ There is no doubt that she had not realized
the position at all. Mrs. Russell, whose letter you have
just heard, tells me that, though Hilda will not speak
to her about it, she is certainly very troubled in her
mind, w^hich is a good sign.'
^We must do our best to remove the cause of her
trouble,' said Father Galsw^orthy.
'Ah!' exclaimed Lady Gwendolen. 'I am sure you
will be able to help her better than anyone else could do.
You have known Hilda from her childhood. Father, and
I feel so thankful to think she will be under your direction
again, now that she is coming to London. And w^ith all
that is before her, too ! '
' I am very disappointed about Mrs. Russell,' said
Lady Merton, ' for I had hoped that she would have been
132 CASTING OF NETS
able to do so much with Hilda. However, she appears
to have had several conversations with Walter Redman,
and from what she has written to me lately I think she
has been very discreet. She has allowed him to think
that his wife is confiding in her, and this, of course, gives
greater weight to all that she says to him.'
* Mrs. Russell is likely to join the Church, you say ? '
asked Father Galsworthy.
Lady Merton smiled.
*She is one of those people who have had violent
prejudices,' she replied, * and is now in a state of bewil-
derment because many of them have been exploded.'
^ It is always a good thing when the wives of the
Protestant clergy become converts,' said Father Gals-
worthy ; ^ it brings the claims of the Church home to
their husbands' parishioners, and puts the husbands them-
selves in a very false position.'
^I mean to take her in hand,' said Lady Merton.
' She has promised to pay me a visit at Ware this summer.
It certainly would be a great thing if we could open her
eyes to the truth, and, of course, the more the Faith is
propagated at Abbotsbury the better. There is so much
in gradually accustoming people to an idea, especially
in a country place where old traditions have to be
overcome.'
* But is there not a fear,' said Father Galsworthy, ' that
this lady may only succeed in attaching Lord Redman
more to Protestantism ? He will naturally conclude that
she is talking to him in the interests of that religion.'
^ I think not,' replied Lady Merton. ^ He is very much
in love with his wife, and you must remember that he
CASTING OF NETS 133
will always believe that it is she who is pionipting Mrs.
Russell'
*But even so ' began the Oratorian.
Lady Mertou interrupted him.
* I sec what you are afraid of/ she said, smiling. ' Mrs.
Russell herself is quite satisfied that no one is aiming at
Lord Redman's conversion to Catholicism. 8he believes
she is actiuG: in the interests of her own Church, and that
Hilda merely desires that her husband should have some
religious faith. She has no idea that she is fulfilling the
part of a stepping-stone.'
* But is not that policy rather a dangerous one ? '
* Something must be risked in such a cause, Father ! *
replied Lady Merton, looking at him from beneath
drooping eyelids. ' Mrs. Russell is not a very far-seeing
person, I think,' she continued. ' She will play the part
all the better because she is so unconscious of having as-
sumed it. If Walter Redman is to be converted at all,
he must be made to think about religion. Protestantism
will be as good as any other form to begin with.*
^ But he might never get any further ! '
' I am convinced that he would. Once he could be
made to believe in something, his love for Hilda, and hers
for him, would lead him on. Besides, there will be the
child — that ought to prove a great bond of union.'
* Father Vincent says that Lady Redman has scruples
of conscience — or what she believes to be scruples of
conscience — about breaking a certain promise which it
appears she made to her husband at the time of their
marriage,' said Father Galsworthy.
*0h,' replied Lady Merton, ^a very ridiculous thing!
134 CASTING OF NETS
Hilda was extremely foolish to agree to it ; but then, a
young girl in love is hardly to be held responsible for all
that she may say. She told me about it at the time,
and of course I advised her not to commit herself in any
way. It seems, however, that she allowed her fiance to
extract a promise from her that she would never attempt
to interfere with his religious opinions. She alluded to
this piece of folly at Abbotsbury, and I explained to her
that such a promise could not be binding. Besides,
Walter Redman has no religious opinions — they arc all
anti-religious ; so, under any circumstances, it could not
hold good.'
' No such promise could hold good for a Catholic,' said
Father Galsworthy in his abrupt voice.
* So I told her. I pointed out to her that she must have
made it with a certain mental reservation, for she was
determined to effect her husband's conversion. I cannot
think why it should appear to her to be so serious a matter.'
' Let us hope she will look at it in a different light be-
fore long,' said Father Galsworthy. 'We must be patient,'
he continued, ' and not try to hurry things unduly. I am
afraid that this has been Father Vincent's mistake. The
birth of her child will probably work a great change in
Lady Redman's mind, and she will be likely to listen more
readily to advice. Once she is a mother, the future will
mean much more to her. It must be our task to make
her realize how grave a responsibility lies with her, espe-
cially if the child should be a son.'
' And my son-in-law must be thrown more with Catholics,
if possible,' said Lady Gwendolen. ' He must be taken
out of a Protestant atmosphere. Look what an influence
CASTING OF NETS 135
Hilda's society has already had upon ^Irs. Russell. 1 am
conviuccd that had it not been for this absurd promise be-
tween them, and Hilda's folly in observing it so strictly,
she would have had quite as much influence over her hus-
band, or more.'
'ISTo doubt,' said Father Galsworthy. 'I agree with
you, Lady Gwendolen : it is most desirable that Lord
Redman should be brought under the influence of Catholi-
cism, and learn to know the everyday life of those who,
like yourselves, are faithful children of the Church. And
now,' he added, 'I must leave you. I think that these
letters have shown us exactly where we stand, and what
we shall have to do in order to help Lady Redman, and,
we will hope, with God's blessing. Lord Redman's soul.
They will be here in a few days, I conclude, and, of
course, I shall go and call on her. If there is anything
more that I can do, you will let me know, will you not ? '
he concluded, turning to Lady Merton.
^ Dear Father Galsworthy,' the latter replied, ^ you are
of such help and comfort to us in our anxieties ! Xo,
I think there is nothing more to be said for the present.
Stay,' she murmured ; ^ there is one thing. Before you
leave us. Father, will you not say a Hail Mary and Our
Father with us, and let us offer them to St. Joseph to-
gether, and implore his aid in our efibrts to advance the
cause of the Church of which he is patron ? '
Lady Merton sank on her knees as she spoke. Father
Galsworthy recited the opening clauses of the prayers,
while she and Lady Gwendolen joined in the concluding
portions.
CHAPTER X
FATHER GALSWORTHY had not been obliged to
call upon Hilda in St. James's Square after all.
A note from Lady Gwendolen informed him that her
daughter and Lord Redman had duly arrived in London,
and he was contemplating paying his promised visit, when
one morning, as he was sitting in his own room at the
Oratory, he was informed that a lady was anxious to see
him. He descended to the little rooms on the ground-
floor of the building which are set apart for the reception
of those who wish for interviews with the Fathers, and
in one of these he found Hilda awaiting him.
She evidently had not heard him open the door, and
when he entered the apartment she was standing in front
of a print of St. Philip Neri, which, with a crucifix, was
the only object that adorned its walls. A small tabic and
two or three chairs formed the furniture of the room. On
one of the latter was lying a stole of white silk, the ends
of which were embroidered with a cross fringed with
gold lace. Confessions were often heard by the Fathers
in these waiting-rooms, and the vestment, which had
evidently been forgotten, was worn by the priests who
heard them.
Father Galsworthy paused for a moment on the thresh-
old and gave his visitor a keen, comprehensive glance.
CASTING OF NETS 137
Then he coughed slightly. Hilda started and turned
round.
'Ah!' he said. 'Lady Redman, I am very glad to
see you. I hope you have not been waiting long/ and
he drew a chair forward and motioned to her to sit down.
' Lady Gwendolen told me that you had arrived in Lon-
don,' he continued, ' and I meant to have taken an oppor-
tunity of calling upon you whenever I should find myself
in the neighbourhood of St. James's Square. I hope
Lord Redman is wxll — and you also ? '
' Walter is very well,' answered Lady Redman ; and
then she paused.
' That sounds as if you were not so,' said Father Gals-
worthy, looking at her.
Hilda laughed a little nervously.
'I? Oh, I am very well. Father — at least, as well
as I can hope to be just now.'
' Yes, yes, I understand ; but, my dear child, I trust
you are well in mind, and not only so in body.'
Hilda was silent for a moment.
'No,' she said presently ; ' it is that which I have come
to see you about.'
Father Galsworthy took up the stole which was lying
on the chair near him, and, folding it, placed it on the
table.
' You have done quite rightly to come to me if you
are in any difficulty,' he said. 'No doubt you are
troubled about your husband. It must, of course, be
a great sorrow to you to know that he is an unbeliever.'
'I am troubled about myself, Father,' replied Hilda
in a low voice.
138 CASTING OF NETS
'Yes?'
' I consulted Father Vincent at Abbotsbridge.'
' And could he not help you ? '
' No/ said Hilda wearil3\ ' He could not understand.
Nobody seems to understand; but I am sure tliat you
will do so. That is why I have come.'
Father Galsworthy drew his chair up to the table and
rested his elbows upon the latter.
* Let us hope so,' he said abruptly. ' What is your
trouble? We will see if a remedy cannot be found
for it.'
'Yes,' answered Hilda eagerly. 'I want to tell you
everything/ she added, ' from the beginning. It is easier
with you — you have always known me, and you also
know the circumstances of my marriage/
' Tell me all,' said Father Galsworthy — ' all, that is,
which your conscience warns you that you ought to make
me acquainted with.'
' You remember how, when I was engaged, I hoped
to be the means of bringing Walter into the Church ?
I thought then that he was unsettled and unhappy in
his mind, and that in reality he was longing for some
form of faith in which he could believe.'
Father Galsworthy bent his penetrating black eyes
upon her, but he said nothing.
' Now,' continued Hilda simply, ' I do not think it any
more. I do not know why I believed it when they told
me so.'
' When they told you so ? ' repeated Father Galsworthy.
'When he told you so, you mean.'
Hilda looked at him with surprise.
CASTING OF NETS 139
' Walter ? ' she exclaimed — ' Redman ? lie never told
me so. He never would speak to me about religion.'
Father Galsworthy frowned.
' Go on, my child/ he said.
^ Since I have been married/ continued Hilda, ' I have
learned to understand my husband better, lie is per-
fectly happy. What his religion may be I do not know,
but to say that he possesses none is as untrue as to say
that he is unhappy. I know that he is too good to be
the latter.'
' Then what is troubling you ? ' asked Father Galsworthy
gravely.
Hilda hesitated for a moment.
* The feeling that I am not doing my duty to the Church
— that I cannot do it without breaking my word to my
husband.'
^ And why are you not doing what your conscience tells
you is your duty as a Catholic ? '
^ Ah, Father, that is what they all ask me — my fother
and mother, my grandmother, Father Vincent, all of
them.'
* It is a very obvious question.'
' I know it, but '
' But what ? '
* How can I explain ? It clashes with that other duty
which to me is sacred — my duty to my husband.'
' I see,' replied Father Galsworthy. ' Well ? '
Hilda looked at him a little appcalingly. His manner
was not encouraging, and she felt that he was nearly
as difficult to talk to as the Dominican at Abbotsbridge
had been. A feeling of disappointment came over her.
I40 CASTING OF NETS
She had hoped for something different from the Oratorian,
who had known her all her life.
' You do not understand/ she said to him after a pause,
gathering courage as she spoke. 'You wonder why I
should have changed my intentions since my marriage,
and why I have not long ago tried to convert my husband.
I dare not.'
Father Galsworthy made a movement of surprise.
' You dare not ? ' he repeated. ' Why ? Is Lord Red-
man so formidable ? I thought you said that he was so
— so good to you.'
Hilda smiled faintly.
' That is the very reason,' she replied — * at least, it is
one of the reasons. We are so happy together. Until
my grandmother spoke to me at Abbotsbury I had none
of these doubts and fears which have since oppressed me.
I have seen for myself how contented Walter is, and how
honourably he maintains his promise to allow me full
liberty to practise my religion.'
' I see/ said Father Galsworthy again. ' And the other
reasons — what are they ? '
' As I say, I dare not interfere with his happiness, and
be the one to break our mutual promise. Why should I
be faithless to that promise while he is loyal to it ? What
right have I to attempt to compel him to embrace my
faith when his own suffices to him ? Can you not under-
stand, Father ? '
' Perfectly.'
Hilda gave a little sigh of relief.
' I felt sure that you w^ould,' she exclaimed.
'But/ continued Father Galsworthy, 'you have only
CASTING OF NETS 141
told me your reasons for neglecting your duty to the
cause of the Church. You have not told nie why that
neglect should give you so much uneasiness of mind and
conscience.'
* Father Vincent would not allow that 1 have any right
to consider what I believe to be my duty to my husband
if tliat duty is opposed to the claims of the Church. He
declares that I have no true love for my husband, and
that I am sacrificing the welfare of his soul and my own
to '
'To what?'
' To a purely material passion,' replied Hilda, blushing.
' And does your conscience tell you that Father Vincent
is right?' inquired Father Galsworthy.
' That is what I do not know. Sometimes I think he
may be so, and that my love for Walter is making me too
fearful of saying or doing anything to disturb the happi-
ness which it brings me. At other times I feel that Father
Vincent is wrong, and that my action — or, rather, inaction
— is prompted by very different motives. JNIy trouble is
that I am not sure of myself, Father. At first I felt so
sure, and was so happy. But, little by little, the letters I
received from my relations disturbed that certainty. Then
I went to Father Vincent, as you had advised me to do,
and all he said to me unsettled my mind still more. He
could not understand that I want to do my duty as a
Catholic, but I dare not, and I will not, fail in my promise
to my husband. It is a terrible thing to feel that the one
course is opposed to the other.'
'Are you sure that it is so opposed?' said Father Gals-
worthy, less abmptly than he had hitherto spoken.
142 CASTING OF NETS
^ Father Vinceut assures me that it is, and my own rela-
tions all think so.'
Father Galsworthy was silent for a minute or two.
^ Well, my dear daughter/ he said presently, ' what we
have to do is to ascertain whether you and Father Vincent
have not somewhat misunderstood each other, and whether
you have not misunderstood yourself. This may possibly
turn out to be at the bottom of all your misgivings and
difficulties. To begin with, let us examine this promise
which you and your husband made to each other at the
time of your engagement. Why did you agree to it, if you
did not intend to keep it? '
' But I did intend to keep it.'
'My dear child, did you realize to what you were com-
mitting yourself? You were deliberately resigning all the
influence over your husband's soul which, as a Catholic,
you were bound to do your best to acquire and preserve.
Aiid yet, at the same time, you were quieting the reproaches
of your conscience for your alliance with a heretic by tell-
ing yourself that you were to be the means of bringing
him to the Church. There is a grave contradiction of
motives here, my daughter, and we must endeavour to dis-
cover the true origin of this contradiction.'
' I can explain it,' replied Hilda eagerly. ^ I know that
it must appear to have been an act of deception both as
regards myself and as regards my husband ; but in reality
it was not so. When I agreed to Walter's condition that
we should never interfere with each other's religious
opinions, I did so under the impression that he was not
happy or settled in his views. I believed that, after we
were married, he would of his own accord release me from
CASTING OF NETS 143
the promise, and that we sliouhl be able to talk freely of
these things together. Every week that passed showed
me how mistaken I had been in my ideas eoneerning his
longing for some fixed belief, and how impossible it was
for me not to adhere to my part of the compact made be-
tween us.'
' Did you explain this to Father Vincent.'
' Yes.'
' And what did he say ? *
' He told me that I had allowed myself to be too easily
persuaded that Walter had any religious ideals — that I
had permitted my inclinations to gain the mastery over
my religious faith. I do not like to say what he gave me
to understand that he considered to be the real impulses
which moved me/ concluded Hilda, averting her gaze
from Father Galsworthy.
^ There is no necessity for you to say it,' returned the
latter quietly ; ^ I quite agree with him.'
Hilda coloured violently.
' Father,' she said, and her voice trembled a little, ' I
thought that you said you understood. It is not that ! '
she added, almost passionately. ' You are all of you
mistaken. I am quite sure it is not that.'
Father Galsworthy looked at her calmly.
' And if it were ? ' he asked, and then he paused. ' If
it were,' he continued, always looking at her with a
steady, tranquil gaze, ^ why should the fact so greatly
distress you? Listen to me, my child. You think that
we do not understand you. It is not we who do not
understand, but you who are misunderstanding yourself.
It is no sin to love vour husband, and in all such love
144 CASTING OF NETS
there must be a carnal, as well as a spiritual, side. The
two are not necessarily opposed, any more than the body
and the soul are necessarily opposed to each other. You
are mistaken in thinking your duty towards your husband
and your duty towards the Church to be at variance, and
that you are unable to carry out the one without being
disloyal to the other. Your doubts upon these points
appear to me to arise from a misconception of the true
nature of both.'
' If I could only see how ! ' said Hilda. ' I do not want
to be a bad Catholic, Father,' she added earnestly.
* I am sure that you do not. Your uneasiness of mind
is a proof of your good intentions. You told me just
now you were assured that your husband was very un-
settled in Ids religious views, also that this knowledge
largely influenced you in your hopes of converting him,
and, it may be presumed, in your determination to marry
him. Wlio gave you sucli assurances ? '
Hilda looked at him with surprise.
^Why,' she replied, 'my grandmother. She told me
that she had also said the same thing to you.'
Father Galsworthy shook his head.
' You deceived yourself, my daughter,' he said. ' This is
a point upon which you should examine yourself very
closely. I do not mean to say,' he added, * that you did
so intentionally, but I fear that in this matter the wish
was father to the thought. Your love for Lord Redman
made you seize upon any point which could help towards
the removal of the very natural dislike which your rela-
tives entertained for the idea of your marriage with a
Protestant. Was it not so?'
CASTING OF NETS 145
Hilda was silent. She could not deny the fact that
her Imsband's supposed yearnings for some religious faith
had been largely used by her in her conversations with
Lady Merton and her relations as an argument to induce
the latter to consent to her engagement. Nevertheless,
she felt that Father Galsworthy was not presenting the case
fairly to her. As Father Vincent had done, only in less un-
compromising language, he was holding her responsible for
that which her innermost conscience told her had not origi-
nated with herself, but had been the suggestion of others.
Father Galsworthy watched her quietly for a moment
or two.
^ Are you quite sure,' he continued, ^ that, in your
anxiety that all should turn out as you and your lover
wished, and in order to support your own very natural
hopes that through your love he would be brouglit into
the Church, you did not unconsciously lead those around
you to regard as a fact what w^as in reality no more than
a supposition on your part ? And was not this supposi-
tion founded, perhaps, on what you believed that you
discerned in your lover's character ? Passion is a very
insidious thing, my child, and when we are under its
influence we are too apt to lose the mastery over our
other feelings. We are ready eagerly to grasp at any
excuse and at any extenuating circumstances which we
can find, if by so doing we can facilitate indulgence in
our passion, and at the same time supply our consciences
with a plausible reason for having given way to it. If
you had been quite honest with yourself in the beginning,
you would not now have to regret your neglect of the
truest interests of your husband's spiritual welfare. You
10
146 CASTING OF NETS
would not have bound yourself to that promise which
now fetters you/
* I ought never to have agreed to it/ said Hilda. ' In
that I have since reproached myself for being dishonest
— both to my husband and to myself. I should have
realized that I was failing in my duty as a Catholic,
and that I had no right to trust to other agencies to
promote the conversion of my husband, which I then
so earnestly desired. I have often repented bitterly of
my dishonesty; for now I know that, though I have
kept the letter of my promise, the spirit in which it was
made was a false spirit.'
^ Ah ! you realize this ? ' asked Father Galsworthy.
' I cannot help realizing it. I ought to have told
Walter that I could not make such a promise when
all the time I was praying that it might be given to
me to bring him into the fold of the Church.'
^ And why do you consider yourself as bound to keep
a promise the spirit of which, to use your own words,
you know to be false ? '
' A promise is a promise,' replied Hilda simply. ' How-
ever nmch I may regret having made it, I do not feel the
less bound to respect it. Indeed, I feel all the more
bound to do so because, if I have deceived my husband
once by pretending to be indifferent to his religious views,
I do not wish to do so a second time by failing to observe
a mutual compact which he is so scrupulous in maintaining.
That,' she continued, ' is another thing which I could not
make Father Vincent understand, nor will my own family
see what I mean. To me it is so clear. I regard it as a
point of honour. If my husband attempted to interfere
CASTING OF NETS 147
with mc ill my religion, I should consider tiiat lie was
acting dishonourably. Would he not have an equal right
to think the same of me under similar circumstances ? '
Father Galsworthy listened patiently to her. Once
or twice lie seemed to be about to interrupt her, but he
checked himself.
* There can be no point of honour in a matter which
has its origin in a dishonest act,' he said, when he had
heard her to tlie end. 'Here again,' he continued, 'I
think Father Vincent was right. The truth is, you have
been deceiving yourself throughout ; or, rather, you have
been allo\\dng your love for your husband to deceive you.
No,' he added, as Hilda made a gesture which had some-
thing of impatience and denial in it, ' do not misunderstand
me, my dear child. I am not blaming you. As I said
before, it is no sin for a wife to love her husband ; and
even the grosser and more material part of that love can,
if rightly used, be purged of its sinful nature. With what
other object was the Sacrament of Matrimony instituted
by God and approved by the Church? But this, the
carnal element in the love which should exist between
husband and wife, has need of careful watching, lest it
assume the mastery over that spiritual element which
alone can bring true happiness in the married state. It
should never be forgotten that the former is a concession
by God to the weakness of human nature, not to the
strength of human affection. Have you not been in
danger of forgetting this? And is not your present
state of trouble and difficulty the direct result of this
forgetfulness ? '
' How, Father ? ' murmured Hilda.
148 CASTING OF NETS
* I will tell you. It began by allowing you to deceive
others; it has ended by encouraging you to deceive
yourself. It has blinded you to a proper sense of your
responsibilities towards the higher and more spiritual
attributes of your love. It has made you fearful where
you should have been courageous, weak where you should
have been strong. You are content to seize hold of any
pretext which can afford you an excuse for turning a
deaf ear to the remonstrances of your conscience. You
dread to disturb your present happiness, but you are not
afraid to remain inactive while the soul of the husband
whom you profess to love is in deadly peril. My dear
daughter, can you wonder that you are troubled? You
should rather thank God that you are so, as those who love
you thank Him for allowing your conscience to speak and
arouse in you a truer sense of your duties towards Him.'
Father Galsworthy paused, and Hilda's gaze strayed
beyond him to the window, whence she could see across
the piece of garden outside it to the Brompton Road.
She followed absently the stream of cabs and omnibuses
passing to and fro along the thoroughfare, and found
herself wondering, with that curious interest in triviali-
ties which so often overtakes us in moments of mental
anxiety or emotion, what the people who sat on the tops
of the latter were thinking about as they looked over
the boundary wall into the precincts of the Oratory.
What were the lives of those careless-looking human
beings speeding eastward and westward ? Did they give
a thought in passing to the tales of moral distress and
perplexity which, perchance, were being told a few yards
away from them ?
CASTING OF NETS 149
The sound of Father Ualsworthy's voice arrested IlihUi'w
wandering thouglits. His tones were somewhat less harsh
and abrupt than they had hitherto been.
*You think that 1 am judging you severely, do you
not, my ehild?' he was saying to her. 'And yet,' he
added, ' I hope to make you reahze how I am striving
to show you the true causes of your distress of mind, in
order that, knowing them, you may be able to eradicate
them, and so procure for yourself that peace for which
you arc longing. I hope I have succeeded in explaining
to you how you have deceived yourself — or, rather, how
your carnal love for your husband has deceived you and
made you incapable of correctly analyzing your own mo-
tives. There is another point, however, which I want
to impress upon you. Do not think that we, the minis-
ters of the Church, to whom you have turned for advice,
are not able to sympathize with you in your very natural
repugnance to breaking what I am sure you conscien-
tiously believe to be a sacred promise. I said just now
that it was possible Father Vincent misunderstood your
motives, and I still believe that he did so. He does not
know you as I know you, and, though our conclusions
are the same, I should not counsel you to attempt to
interfere with the natural course of your wifely affection
for your husband. I would not have you despise it, nor
even have you regard it as the direct cause of your diffi-
culties, but rather as the indirect cause. The direct cause,
my daughter, has been your own want of faith in the
Church, your own heedlessness of the Church's claims
and authority. Had you possessed a proper sense of
these, even your material love for your husband would
I50 CASTING OF NETS
have been powerless to make you forget your responsi-
bilities toward his soul. Have you considered the difter-
ence between your position and his ? I do not think
you can have done so. You have the priceless heritage
of the Faith, and it rests with yourself to be a partaker
in all those joys to which the Church can admit her
children. But how is it with your husband ? He is not
even a believing Protestant. He cannot, therefore, par-
ticipate in those spiritual benefits which we may reason-
ably hope that God in His mercy will eventually confer
on all conscientious believers in Christianity, even though
these be not of His Church. You have married this
man, my child, whose soul is condemned to everlasting
punishment unless a means of grace be found to intervene
and save him from himself and from his doom. When
your hour comes for judgment, will it serve your cause,
think you, to plead this loyalty to a compact which you
know in your heart to be sinful — a compact made with
the Evil One to hinder the divine truth from reaching
the ears and the heart of a soul which is groping in the
darkness in search of it? Will you not be asked what
steps you took — you, a Catholic — to help your husband
in his struggle with scepticism and unbelief? And what
will your answer be ? '
Hilda hid her face in her hands, and her bosom heaved
convulsively. The strain was too great after weeks of
doubt and self-torture. Father Galsworthy had struck a
chord on the keyboard of the Unknown which he knew
would find an awakening echo in the heart of the woman
before him.
' There is yet another point to remind you of,' he con-
CASTING OF NETS 151
tinned pitilessly. ^ You will soon be a mother. I need
not warn you of the bodily peril with whieh you must
shortly be brought faee to face. It is not the sense of
personal danger, or the fear that you might be called to
give an account of your stewardship sooner than you had
expected, which I should wish to be the means of arous-
ing you to a right understanding of your responsibilities.
The future of other souls, besides that of your husband,
may depend upon your recognising these responsibilities
— of souls yet to be born throughout all the ages. Arc
you prepared to face the risks of making no effort to
prevent your children, and those who come after them,
from being exposed to the influence of infidelity ? Is the
keeping of a promise, hastily made and indefensible in
itself, and the selfish dread of interfering with a material
happiness, to lose countless souls to the Church and work
your own future misery? Ah, my child, it is you, not
we, who do not understand I it is you who are walking
blindly and heedlessly towards an abyss, while we shrink
back appalled at what we see before you and those who
depend upon you, and strive to hold you back.'
^ What can I do. Father ? Tell me, ^vhat can I do ? *
exclaimed Hilda, in a broken voice.
Father Galsworthy rose from his chair and paced up and
down the room with the firm, swinging step which belonged
rather to the cavalry officer than to the priest.
*Do?' he said abruptly. 'Your duty — that is what
you have to do. Refuse to listen any longer to the voices
which are striving to keep you from it. Answer them
that you know them for what they are, and whence they
come. They wiU soon leave you in peace. Break through
152 CASTING OF NETS
this imaginary barrier which separates you from your hus-
band in spiritual things and only permits you the enjoy-
ment of material things. Oblige him to listen to you.
" The kingdom of Heaven sufFereth violence, and the vio-
lent do take it by force." You will have trouble, perhaps.
The tranquillity and domestic happiness which you have
prized so much, and for which you have risked so much,
may seem to break up and disappear for a time. But
what of that ? The knowledge that you are working to
save your husband's soul, that you are a Catholic fighting
for the cause of the Church, will support you through the
darkest hours. The Blessed Mother of God will be by
your side, and every day the path will become clearer to
you.'
Hilda sat listening in silence to Father Galsworthy's
words, her mind full of conflicting emotions. It was all
so plausible, and the Oratorian's advice was so sound,
but and here she found herself confronted by the
same doubts which she had experienced during her inter-
views with Father Vincent at Abbotsbridge. It seemed to
her that Father Galsworthy had taken her case out of her
hands and dexterously worked it up so that it no longer
was her own. He had imputed to her motives, thoughts,
and feelings which she was not conscious of possessing,
or of ever having possessed. He had taken it for granted
that she had deceived her relatives into believing her hus-
band to have an unsatisfied desire for some form of religi-
ous belief, and her conscience, to which her counsellor had
so often appealed, and of which he appeared to hold the
key, told her that she had done nothing of the kind. She
was convinced it was not she who had assumed that
CASTING OF NETS 153
Walter would surely become a Catholic after his marriage
to her. The idea had beeu suggested to her — how, she
had no very clear remembrance — and she had caressed it
and dwelt upon it until she liad grown to regard it as a
fact. But Father Galsworthy had beeu so explicit in his
statement, so clear in his deductions, that she felt almost
persuaded she had indeed, as he said, aHowed the wish to
be father to the thought, and that she had traded upon
Walter's imaginary yearnings after religious faith in order
to overcome the difficulties which stood in the way of her
engagement, and the material satisfaction of her love. She
felt unable to separate in her own mind the truth of Father
Galswortliy's words from the untruth which she was
vaguely conscious lurked behind them, or the half-truths
in them wliich were the hardest of all to dispute. She
was not aware that she had been subjected to an experi-
mental system in a psychological laboratory, and her mind
was left dazed and confused, conscious only of doubt and
of a great w^eariness.
Had Father Galsworthy stopped short at attempting
to demonstrate her culpability in having allowed her
material love for her husband to permit her to deceive
herself and others, a sense of justice to lierself would
probably have asserted itself in Hilda, as it had done in
the case of her last interview with Father Vincent. At
the bottom of her heart there remained the consciousness
that her engagement to Walter Redman had been the
result of a mutual affection — a purely human love, with
which, whatever the priests might say, spiritual things
had nothing to do. It was in vain that she tried to
persuade herself that this was not the case. She had
154 CASTING OF NETS
wanted to possess Walter, and Walter had wanted to
possess her. This was the stubborn truth, which in-
sisted upon asserting itself, notwithstanding all the
sophistries which sought to disguise it and hide it out
of sight beneath a cloak of spirituality, as though it were
some unclean thing.
Hilda was conscious of the fact that, when she and
her husband had fallen in love with one another, the
question of their individual ideas upon matters of religion
had been of no consideration whatever to either of them,
and she had been obliged to confess to herself that it
was only owing to the accident of her being a Catholic
that the question had ever arisen. It was her Church
which was responsible for the introduction of the super-
natural into the natural element of their affection. She
was quite aw^are that the Church to which her husband
nominally belonged would have advanced no such claims,
and would have formulated no such stipulations as those
to which the latter had been obliged to submit before
he could make her his wife.
The more closely she questioned herself upon the
subject, the clearer did it become to her that not only
had her anxiety that Walter should embrace her faith
been non-existent at the time when she first began to
love him, but that this had been an element which had
been introduced, or had introduced itself, gradually into
her love, and which was altogether extraneous to it. It
was in the introduction of this extraneous element that
the deception lay for which her spiritual directors and
her relations sought to hold her responsible. The single
deception, however, for which, in her calmer moments
CASTING OF NETS 155
of reflection, she felt able to reproach herself, was the
promise made to her husband to leave him absolute free-
dom in his religious opinions when she had already allowed
herself earnestly to desire his conversion to her own. It
was Walter whom she felt she had deceived; not, as
Father Galsworthy insisted, herself and her relations.
So long as Father Galsworthy had confined his argu-
ments to these limits, Hilda had experienced a series of
conflicting emotions in which perplexity, distrust, and dis-
belief had in turn played their parts. The speciousness
of his arguments notwithstanding, she felt that he did not
comprehend her scruples and difficulties any better than
her Dominican adviser had done.
Father Galsworthy, however, had carried his reasoning
further than the latter. He had entrenched himself be-
hind the spiritual powers of the Church, and had revealed
a picture of the future results of Hilda's neglect to assert
the Church's claims the more terrible because, from all
which the Church taught her, and required her to believe,
it was a logical one.
Against the judgment of the Church, delivered by a
priest of the Church, there was no possible appeal, and
Hilda's religious training told her that Father Gals-
worthy's arguments as to the ine\dtab]c results of her
refusal to try and compass her husband's conversion both
to his soul and her own, and probably to those of their
descendants, were unanswerable.
A great horror possessed her as she listened to his
words. The question as to whether or not she were too
much under the domination of a carnal love, or^whether
or not she had allowed her conduct to be swayed by this
156 CASTING OF NETS
love, shrank into utter insignificance beside the vista
which unfolded itself before her imagination in response
to Father Galsworthy's reasoning. How could she ven-
ture, in the face of such a warning, proceeding from
such a source, to refuse to act up to her responsibilities
as a Catholic? She had declared that she dared not
undertake the responsibility of interfering with her hus-
band's religion ; but could she dare to incur that of
allowing his soul to perish everlastingly for want of an
effort on her part to save it? And her children, when
they came — her little innocent children — what if they
should fall, as Father Galsworthy had warned her, under
the influence of their father's infidelity? Had she not
read that it was better for a man to have a millstone
hanged round his neck and to be cast into the sea, than
that he should offend one of Christ's little ones ? What,
then, should be the condemnation of a mother who had
left her little ones' souls in danger of eternal loss ?
As she listened to Father Galsworthy's words, memo-
ries of the old, peaceful life at Cawarden in the days of
her girlhood returned to Hilda's mind. She was in the
chapel again, kneeling before the high altar, joining in
the litanies and the hymns to the Blessed Virgin, or
bowing her head to receive the Body of her Saviour
from the hands of the old chaplain who had listened to
her childish confession and understood so well all her
childish troubles and diflficulties. It hfKl all been so
easy, and so happy, in those years when heaven and hell
seemed far-away places, and the troubles of tlie day
melted away in the hours of the night — to be forgotten
with the morrow's sun.
CASTING OF NETS 157
Father Galsworthy had resumed Iiis scat and sat watch-
ing Hilda in silence.
Every now and then, as some door was opened, the
sound of chanting and the strains of the great organ
echoed down the corridor from the church, and penetrated
into the room, while from without came the confused
roar of the traffic and the cries of the flower-sellers.
Hilda rose from her chair. She was very pale, and
her face bore the traces of the emotion which she endeav-
oured to conceal.
' Well, my child,' said Father Galsworthy, ' have you
considered carefully what I have told you ? Believe me,
the path is not so hard a one as you think.'
Hilda Redman looked at him.
' Yes,' she replied ; ^ I have considered.'
' And you will listen to the voice of the Church ? *
* I do not know.'
' You do not know ? ' repeated Father Galsworthy, in
amazement. ^ My daughter,' he added, ' do you presume
to doubt the authority of that voice ? '
'Not over myself — no, but over my husband.'
'The Church has authority over all souls, even over
those who are the most estranged from her. Think of
what I have said to you to-day, I implore of you, my dear
child. Do not allow valuable time to slip away, for who
can tell how much may be granted to you in which to
fulfil your duty? Reflect what the consequences must be
if you should only realize your responsibilities when it is
too late. You are tired, upset. Quiet reflection will calm
you and open your heart to the call of our holy religion.
Come to me again whenever you wish, but do not turn
158 CASTING OF NETS
back from the task which Almighty God has sent you ; do
not dare to delay any longer in striving to execute it. Do
you wish to make your confession before you go?' he
added, taking up the stole from the table.
Hilda shook her head.
' No, Father,' she said, in a low voice, holding out her
hand. ' I will leave you now. I am tired, and I want to
think.'
Father Galsworthy accompanied her to the door of the
room.
'You have your carriage waiting for you? ' he asked.
' I told them to wait for me outside the door of the
church. I think I will go in there for a little while before
I go home.'
'Do, my child, and implore the aid of our Blessed Lady
of Good Counsel; said Father Galsworthy. ' Come this
way, then,' he added, and took her down a passage whence
a door communicated with the church. ' I will remember
you in the Holy Mass,' he said. ' God bless you, my child !
Pray for me.'
And opening the door, he drew back, and allowed Hilda
to enter the sacred building alone.
CHAPTER XI
' T ET us hope, Gweii, that she and Walter will regard
I -J it as a waniiug sent from God — a sign of His
displeasure/
Lady Merton was sitting with lier daughter in tlie
library of the Redmans' house in St. James's Square.
Lady Gwendolen looked anxious and unhappy, and every
now and then she glanced nervously at the door, as if
expecting someone to enter it with news which might be
of a bad nature.
' It is marvellous,' continued Lady Merton, * how clearly
God speaks to us sometimes ! Do not be afraid, Gwen ; I
feel sure that Hilda will recover, and in due time we shall
realize that, in His all-seeing wisdom. He has visited us
with this trial for a merciful purpose.'
^I feel so terribly anxious,' exclaimed Lady Gwendolen,
' even though Siddons' last report was more favourable.
Walter promised to let me know at six o'clock how she
was. It is past six now,' she added, glancing at the clock
on the chimney-piece.
' At any rate,' said Lady Merton, ' Hilda is in good
hands. Siddons is wonderfully clever, and he is confident
that all will go well with her. I must say,' she continued,
' that he has been very arbitrary in excluding us all from
her room, and I am very angry with him for refusing to
i6o CASTING OF NETS
employ the Sister whom I recommended. She is an excel-
lent nurse, well accustomed to these cases, and it is shock-
ing to think that when her life is in danger poor dear Hilda
should be surrounded by nobody but Protestants. Do you
know what I cannot help suspecting, Gwen ? '
' What, mamma ? '
' Why, that Walter has persuaded Siddons not to allow
us to come near her, and that Sister Veronica was not per-
mitted to nurse her because she is a religious. They want
to keep all Catholics away from her.'
' Oh, I really don't think so,' replied Lady Gwendolen.
* Siddons, of course, likes to have his own nurse in so crit-
ical a case — all these great accoucheurs do.'
'These doctors think of nothing but the body,' said
Lady Merton, sighing. 'I told Walter so, and I must
say he was quite rude to me. Ah ! ' she added, check-
ing herself abruptly as the door of the library opened,
'here he is.'
Lady Gwendolen rose hurriedly from her seat, and went
forward to meet her son-in-law.
' How is she ? ' she asked, in anxious tones.
' Better, thank God ! ' said Lord Redman. ' Siddons is
much more satisfied about her.'
He was very pale, and his voice shook a little as he
replied to Lady Gwendolen's question.
' Can I see her ? ' asked the latter.
'I am afraid not. She must see no one.'
Lady Merton gave a snort of disapproval.
' Really, Walter,' she said, ' is her own mother always to
be kept from her? That is carrying things a little too
far/
CASTING OF NETS i6i
Lord Redman looked at her (quietly.
' Do you think so ? ' he replied coldly.
Lady Merton felt considerably ruftled in her temper.
She was not accustomed to haviii^^ her opinions ignored,
and the tone of Walter Redman's voice was more than
significant.
*I certainly do think it,' she returned, * and so does
your mother-in-law. I never heard of anything so mon-
strous in my life.'
' Had you not better tell Dr. Siddons so ? I am only
repeating his directions.'
'Well, Walter,' answered Lady Merton, 'of course, if
you like to deprive your wife of the consolation of having
her mother and those of her own faith about her when
she is lying at death's door, I have nothing more to say.'
Lord Redman made a step towards her, and seemed as
though he were about to reply angrily. Whatever his
inclination may have been, however, he restrained it.
' I am glad,' he answered, ' that you have nothing more
to say on this point. Lady JMerton ; ' and then he turned
to Lady Gwendolen.
' Siddons thinks that there is every probability of her
doing well now,' he continued ; ' but I am sure you will
understand me, Lady Gwendolen, when I say that it is
still absolutely necessary to keep her perfectly quiet.
Your presence would excite her, and any excitement
might be fatal.'
Lady Merton got up from the armchair in which she
had been sitting.
'Will you be so kind as to ring and ask for my
carriage ? ' she said to Lord Redman. ' If we are never
11
i62 CASTING OF NETS
to be allowed access to Hilda, I do not see the use of
my remaining. Gwen,' she continued, turning to her
daughter, 'you will stay here again to-night, I con-
clude, in case Hilda should not be so well.'
Walter accompanied Lady Merton to her carriage,
which had been waiting at the door for her, and it was
with a feeling of relief that he watched it drive away.
* A little more,' he muttered to himself as he turned to
re-enter the house, 'and I should have lost my temper
and told that old cat some home-truths ! '
The day before Walter had been hastily summoned
from a debate in the House of Lords by a messenger who
brought him the tidings that Hilda had been suddenly
taken ill. Knowing that her confinement was not ex-
pected to take place before another month had elapsed,
and full of anxious misgivings, he jumped into a hansom
and drove rapidly home. Since her arrival in London,
Lord Redman had noticed that his wife looked even paler
and more suffering than she had done at Abbotsbury,
and he had taken an opportunity of having a private
interview with Dr. Siddons on the subject of her health.
The opinion of that great accoucheur confirmed the
suspicions which he had formed at Abbotsbury as to the
causes of Hilda's anxious and troubled demeanour.
' Lady Redman has something on her mind,' Dr. Sid-
dons told him, after he had paid Hilda one or two visits.
'There is nothing organically wrong, and everything is
I)ursuing its normal course, so far ; but some extraneous
causes are threatening to exert a prejudicial effect upon
her state of health. Have you any clue as to what may
be troubling her ? ' he inquired.
CASTING OF NETS 163
Walter had hesitated to mention his suspicions, as to
the correctness of which he felt lie had no positive evidence.
* I have thouglit it possible,' he replied, ' that my wife
is troubling herself about religious matters. She is a
Roman Catholic, and I am not. There are no disagree-
ments between us on this point,' he had hastened to add,
^ and we never discuss the subject.'
The doctor looked thoughtful.
^ Ah ! ' he said, ^ religion has played me a bad turn
more than once in my profession. If you take my advice,
Lord Redman, you will keep her mind off the subject as
much as you can. The time to think about religion is
when w^e are well. It is a very poor doctor.'
When Walter reached St. James's Square he found his
wife very ill. There was no doubt as to wiiat was about
to happen, and a messenger had already been despatched
to summon Doctor Siddons. Hilda begged her husband
not to leave her until the latter should arrive, and he had
to promise her again and again that he would not do so
before she would be pacified. He saw that she followed
his movements with a look in her eyes which was both
apprehensive and frightened, as though she dreaded to
lose sight of him for an instant.
Presently she said to him, in a low, faint voice :
* Walter!'
He bent over her tenderly.
^ I want you to promise me something. You will think
it very strange, I know^, but you will promise, will you
not?'
She gripped his hand feverishly, and her face was
flushed as she gazed at him intently.
i64 CASTING OF NETS
' Of course, dear, of course ! ' he answered soothingly.
' Siddons will be here directly, and the pain will soon be
over,' he added.
' It is not the pain,' said Hilda hurriedly. ' It is very
bad, but it is not that. I want to tell you before they
come. Do not let them come, Walter. Promise me that
you will not let them come/
'Who, dearest?'
* They will come and tell me terrible things,' she con-
tinued excitedly. ' You do not know, but they have told
me such dreadful things, and I am frightened, Walter.
Promise me,' she exclaimed again, with her eyes fixed
upon his face.
Walter Redman looked keenly at her. For a moment
he believed that she was wandering in her mind.
' No,' she said, as though divining his thought — ' no, I
am not raving. Promise me.'
* Nobody shall come near you whom you do not want,'
he answered her gently. * I am here to take care of you.
But tell me who you mean. Who has been frightening
you? '
Even as he spoke the suspicion as to whom she referred
struck him, and the thought made his blood boil within him.
' Tell me,' he said again, almost imperiously.
* My grandmother — and Father Galsworthy/ whispered
Hilda, casting a terrified glance at the door : * my mother,
too. It is not her fault, but they make her tell me things
— such terrible things, Walter ! I do not want them to
come to me, and I know that they will if you do not pre-
vent them.'
Walter Redman ground his teeth. *
CASTING OF NETS 165
' They shall not conic near you, Hilda ; I swear it,' he
said.
She lay back with a sigh of relief, and then smiled at
him — a faint, wan little smile.
' That is enough,' she whispered. * I know that you
keep your promises. There is one more thing,' she added.
'Do not let them send anybody — no nurse, I mean, or
doctor.'
' Siddons will take charge of you,' Walter said gently.
'Do not be afraid. You are quite safe with him, and
no one shall come in here without his permission.*
At this moment Hilda's maid entered the room.
' Lady Gwendolen Cawardeu is here, my lord,' she said
in a low^ voice.
Hilda clutched his arm.
' No, Walter — no ! ' she exclaimed.
'Hush!' he said. 'Listen, Hilda.' And then, in a
louder voice, he said to the maid : ' Tell Lady Gwendolen
that I am with her ladyship, and that nobody else can see
her until Dr. Siddons arrives.'
As the woman turned to leave the room, the door
opened a second time, and Dr. Siddons came in, followed
by a nurse.
Hilda looked at the latter, and then glanced at her
husband inquiringly.
' One of your nurses? ' asked Walter of the doctor.
The latter looked surprised.
' Yes,' he replied. ' Fortunately, I knew^ w^hcre to find
her, so I brought her with me. You had better leave us
now. Lord Redman. I will come to you later on.'
Walter looked at his wife. Dr. Siddons' presence
i66 CASTING OF NETS
seemed to have had a tranquilliziog effect upon her,
and he himself felt somewhat reassured by the latter's
quiet, confident manner. With a silent pressure of
Hilda's hand he left the room.
As he descended the staircase he encountered Lady
Gwendolen, accompanied by a nun.
'Dr. Siddons is with her now,' he said to his mother-
in-law.
as it '
'Yes, undoubtedly; but I know nothing. Siddons
has this moment arrived.'
As he spoke, Walter looked at the nun and then at
Lady Gwendolen.
'This is Sister Veronica,' explained the latter. 'A
nurse will be a necessity. Sister Veronica is admirable
in these cases, and has the highest certificates. Of course,
my mother and I guessed what was wrong. When the
message reached me I was at her house, and my mother
sent for Sister Veronica instantly. Had she not better
go to Hilda at once ? '
' Sister Veronica's services will not be required,' replied
Lord Redman somewhat curtly. ' I am sorry that Lady
Merton had the trouble of sending for her. Siddons, of
course, prefers his own nurses, and he has brought one of
them with him. She is already assisting him.'
Lady Gwendolen looked somewhat taken aback.
'My mother will be very disappointed, Walter,' she
said. ' She has great confidence in Sister Veronica.'
Her son-in-law did not reply.
' James,' he called to a servant who was waiting in the
hall, ' get a cab for this lady.'
CASTING OF NETS 167
Lady Gwendolen interposed nervously.
'Oh, Walter!' she said, 'had we not better wait for
my mother? She is coming here immediately.'
Lord Redman turned to the Sister.
' I am sorry,' he said courteously, ' that you should have
Lad the trouble of coming here, but, as you see, Lady
Merton has made a mistake.'
'Perhaps,' said Sister Veronica, 'a second nurse may
be necessary. If so, I should be very pleased to place
myself at Dr. Siddons' service.'
' Thank vou ; but if Dr. Siddons finds that a second
nurse is required, he will make his own arrangements.
The case is entirely in his hands.'
Sister Veronica made no reply. At this moment the
footman informed Lord Redman that a cab was at the
door, and she followed him to it.
Walter and Lady Gwendolen went into the library,
and no sooner had the hansom left than Lady Merton's
carriage drove up to the house, and she was shown into
the room.
^My dear Walter,' she said, as the door closed upon
her, ^I need hardly ask what is the matter. Poor dear
Hilda ! What can have brought it on so soon ? How-
ever, let us trust that all will be well. Let me see, eight
months, is it not ? To be sure, it would have been better
had it been seven ; but, as I say, we will pray that all
may go well with her and the child. Siddons is here,
of course, and the nurse I sent directly the news reached
us ? Sister Veronica is an admirable nurse, Walter, and
a very holy w^oman. She will be a great comfort to dear
Hilda.'
i68 CASTING OF NETS
'The person you sent has gone away, Lady Merton;
her services here are not required.'
* Not required I ' exclaimed Lady Merton. ' But, Wal-
ter, of course they are required ! Hilda must have a
nurse.'
' She has one. Siddons has provided for that.'
* And you have sent Sister Veronica away ? Gwen,
what were you thinking of to allow such a thing ? What
do we know of this nurse of Dr. Siddons ? Hilda would
naturally have preferred a Sister of Charity about her,
and Sister Veronica is a lady. She belongs to the Order
of St. Vincent de Paul, and besides being a trained nurse,
she is a true saint.'
Walter Redman looked her full in the face.
* My wife has more need of bodily assistance just now
than of spiritual advice. Lady Merton,' he replied quietly.
Lady Merton cast down her eyes.
'It seems to me that you forget Hilda is a Catholic,
Walter,' she said. 'We do not look upon these things
in the same light that you do. I am deeply grieved,'
she added, 'to think that my grand-daughter should be
deprived of the services of a person whose presence by
her sick-bed would have been the greatest consolation
to her. However, you are dans voire droits and we can
say nothing.'
Fearing lest he should be led into making remarks
which he might afterwards regret, Walter left the two
alone together, after telling them that he would bring
Dr. Siddons to them so soon as the latter should have
left Hilda.
The air of the library seemed to stifle him, and he felt
CASTING OF NETS 169
that he coukl no longer endure Lady Merton's presence.
Restless and uneasy, he wandered about the house, strain-
ing his ears to catch the faintest sound, yet dreading to
hear anything. Hours seemed to have passed before he
heard low voices in the corridor outside Hilda's room, and
Dr. Siddons came down the staircase.
His face was grave, and Walter's heart sank within
him as he studied it.
^ Lady Redman is in a very critical state,' he said.
' I need hardly tell you that it is a case of premature
confinement.'
Lord Redman led him into his own room, which ad-
joined the library.
i Ig she ' he began ; then his voice failed him, and
he stood looking at Dr. Siddons in silence.
The latter knew what he wished to ask ; he heard the
question so often.
'I hope not,' he replied, 'and I think not. But it
would be useless to disguise to you that the case is
critical. There are many such, however, and I have seen
recoveries made from more serious ones than this.'
'The child?'
* Stillborn,' answered Dr. Siddons — * a male child.'
' It is better so,' said Lord Redman.
The doctor glanced at him with surprise.
' That is the cause of all the trouble/ he remarked.
' Perhaps so. You are naturally better able to judge
than I. Dr. Siddons,' added Walter suddenly, 'can you
account for this premature confinement?'
' I cannot,' replied the doctor. ' Can you tell me of
anything which may have caused it ? Lady Redman has
lyo CASTING OF NETS
not been over-exerting herself, or committing any impru-
dences, I suppose ? '
^She has not been over-exerting her body, certainly.
You discovered for yourself that she was over-exerting
her mind. Could this fact be in any way responsible for
her present state ? '
^ I should think it could indeed ! ' exclaimed Dr.
Siddons. ' When I visited Lady Redman,' he continued,
^ I found, as I told you at the time, that, so far as I could
judge, things were pursuing their normal course, but my
observation of her convinced me that she was labouring
under some very marked distress of mind. The fact
made me uneasy lest it should cause mischief, and I can-
not say that it was altogether a surprise to me when
I was summoned here to-day and found her in this
condition.'
' Dr. Siddons,' said Walter, ' I can, I know, rely upon
your discretion and silence if I tell you of certain matters
the knowledge of which may assist you in your treatment
of my wife's case.'
The doctor bowed.
' Of course. Lord Redman, I regard such confidences as
sacred,' he replied.
' I have just discovered,' continued Walter, ' that my
wife has been far more distressed in her mind than I have
suspected. I thought, as I told you, that she was troub-
ling herself over the difference in our religion, and I had
very good reasons for believing that her anxieties were
largely due to outside influences which were being brought
to bear upon her. Before your arrival to-day I was with
her, and I then discovered that she was in a condition,
CASTING OF NETS 171
not of mental uneasiness and distress only, but of positive
terror.'
Dr. Siddons looked at liini curiously.
' Ah ! ' he said sharply, ^ about what ? '
' I think that it will only be necessary for mc to tell
you of a promise which she implored me to make her in
order to enable you to form your own conclusions on that
point,' replied Walter. ' My wife,' he continued, ' asked
me to promise her that neither her own relatives nor any
person sent by them, nor a priest to whom, I believe, she
is in the habit of confessing, should be allowed to come
near her in her illness.'
^ You promised this, of course ? '
' Of course ! I tremble to think what the effect of not
having done so would have had upon her. I did more,
Dr. Siddons : I promised her that you, no less than my-
self, would make it impossible that anyone should approach
her except those whom you authorized to do so.'
'You did quite rightly. Lord Redman. But are you
not, perhaps, attributing a little too much importance to
Lady Redman's words ? You must remember that women
in her state are apt to take strange fancies into their
heads. Besides this, the pain and the physical fear from
which she was suffering would naturally have unnerved
her.'
'Her mother. Lady Gwendolen Caw^arden, and her
grandmother. Lady Merton, are in the next room,' replied
Walter quietly, pointing to the library. ^ When I left you,
and the nurse whom you brought with you, with my wife,
I went downstairs to see Lady Gwendolen, w^ho had al-
ready arrived. I met her on the staircase, accompanied
172 CASTING OF NETS
by a nun — a Sister Veronica — who, she explained, had
been engaged as a nurse for my wife by Lady Merton.
The latter has assured me that Sister Veronica is not only
a certificated nurse, but also a saint.'
* And what did you do, Lord Redman ? '
' I told the footman to call a cab.'
The gravity of Dr. Siddons' face relaxed for a mo-
ment.
'I am very glad you have told me,' he said, after a
pause ; ' and you were quite right in saying that I should
be able to form my own conclusions on the subject. I
have formed them, and, so long as Lady Redman remains
under my care, I shall be guided by them.'
'I trust to you to use your authority as her doctor,
should it be required,' said Walter.
' Do not doubt it. And now,' continued Dr. Siddons,
' I must return to my patient. I hope that I may be able
to give you a better report towards evening. For the next
few hours I shall not leave the house.'
'If you can stay a few moments more before you go up-
stairs, I should be glad if you would come with me into
the library,' said Lord Redman. ' Lady Gwendolen will
be very anxious to hear your report, as, naturally, I have
not been able to tell her anything definite.'
The two went together into the adjoining room, where
Lady Gwendolen and her mother were sitting talking in
low tones to each other.
' Here is Dr. Siddons,' Walter said, and they both came
anxiously forward to question him.
' I cannot commit myself to an opinion,' the doctor re-
plied in answer to their demands. ' Lady Redman is in a
CASTING OF NETS 173
very critical condition — a premature confinement of a
stillborn child — a boy.'
Lady Merton wiped her eyes with her pocket-handker-
chief.
' It is a judgment ! ' she said in an undertone to her
daughter.
' Can I not see her, Dr. Siddons ? It would be such
a comfort to me only to be in the room, and to feel
my daughter knew that I was with her ! ' said Lady
Gwendolen.
' Impossible ! ' answered Dr. Siddons gravely. ' I am
sorry to be obliged to refuse you. Lady Gwendolen, but
nobody except myself and the nurse must enter my
patient's room. I will not answer for the consequences
if my directions are disregarded.'
' I am afraid there has been a misunderstanding about
the nurse. Dr. Siddons,' said Lady Merton. ' I had
engaged a Sister in whose skill I have great confidence,
but Lord Redman tells me that you have no need of
her, and he has sent her away.'
'Lord Redman is quite right,' replied Dr. Siddons.
' I make a point of being assisted in my cases by nurses
whose capabilities are personally known to me.'
' But perhaps a second may be required ? I can easily
send again for Sister Veronica. Would it not be wiser ? '
asked Lady iSIerton.
'I do not require a second nurse, Lady Merton, and
should it become necessary to engage one, I must still
insist that she shall be a woman who is accustomed to
nursing under my orders. I do not know Sister Veronica.
My nurses,' he added dryly, ' have only one calling in life.
174 CASTING OF NETS
If they take to a second, I cease to entrust my patients to
their charge.'
' But, Dr. Siddons, I don't think you quite understand,
and neither does Lord Redman,' returned Lady Merton.
' My daughter and I are positive that it would be a great
consolation to your patient to have a person of her own
faith about her. To us Catholics these things, which no
doubt appear to you to be unimportant, are very precious.'
Dr. Siddons smiled a little sarcastically.
' I beg your pardon. Lady Merton. You are quite
right : I did not understand you. I thought that you
were recommending Sister — Veronica, is it ? — as a
nurse. I regret to say that Lady Redman is not at
present in a condition to occupy herself with spiritual
matters. It would be highly injurious to her bodily
health to do so.'
Lady Merton shrugged her shoulders and turned away
from him somewhat abruptly.
^Are we, my daughter and I, to understand that we
are forbidden to approach Lady Redman ? ' she asked
presently.
' Yes, if you please,' replied Dr. Siddons suavely ; ' that
is my request, as Lady Redman's medical adviser.'
'Walter,' said Lady Merton, 'what is your opinion?
Do you wish your wife to be debarred from the presence
of her own relations — her own mother — at such a
moment ? '
' Certainly, under the circumstances.'
Lady Merton glanced at him, one of her oblique little
glances from beneath her half-closed eyelids.
'Under what circumstances?' she asked. 'Could any
CASTING OF NETS 175
circumstances doniaiul a mother's presence more urgently
than the present ? '
Dr. Siddons interposed a little hastily, lie had seen a
look on Lord Redman's face which betrayed the hitter's
rising anger.
' I am sorry to appear to be such a tyrant,' he said.
^But I am sure you will remember, Lady Merton, that
a grave responsibility rests with us doctors in such a
case as Lady Redman's. My professional experience
tells me that she must be kept from all risks of excite-
ment or emotion. You and Lady Gwendolen must exer-
cise a little patience, if you will pardon me for telling you
so. The next few hours will, I have every reason to hope,
bring with them an improvement ; but for the present,
and, indeed, for some days to come, I must insist that,
while I am in charge of Lady Redman's case, my instruc-
tions shall be scrupulously carried out. If you will excuse
me,' he added, * I must return at once to my duties.'
Walter Redman and he left the library together.
' You see how matters stand,' said the former, as they
went up the staircase. ^ I can rely upon you, doctor, to
help me to protect my wife from these good ladies ? '
' You may, indeed. Lord Redman. It is not the first
time I have met with this sort of thing in my career, as I
told you the other day, I think, when you came to see me.'
^ You can give me some hope ? ' asked Walter earnestly,
as they reached the landing near which Hilda's rooms were
situated.
* Yes,' replied Dr. Siddons, ' I can. Lady Redman is
strong and healthy. Of course, unforeseen circumstances
may occur — one never can be sure in these cases for some
176 CASTING OF NETS
days, as you know. If all goes well, however, during the
next twenty-four hours, I shall be able to speak with
greater confidence. But pray understand. Lord Redman,
that I do not at all regard the case as hopeless, but only as
critical.'
' May I see her ? '
' Not yet. Later on — to-morrow perhaps — it may do
her good to see you for a few minutes. Possibly,' he
added, with a smile, 'it will help to pacify the ladies
downstairs if they know that I have excluded you from
her room.'
' And you can trust the nurse not to admit anyone,
under any pretext ? '
'Certainly! You need be under no fear about that.
She will carry out my instructions implicitly.'
Dr. Siddons left Walter in the corridor, and disappeared
noiselessly into his patient's room. Lord Redman felt no
inclination to face Lady Merton and his mother-in-law
again for the present. The words which had escaped his
wife, the confession that had so evidently been wrung from
her by pain and nervous terror, had horrified and disgusted
him. He knew Hilda well enough to feel sure that she
must have suffered far more in her mind than he had any
idea of. Had it not been so, he felt convinced that she
would never have opened her lips on the subject. He
could vaguely guess at those terrible things which had been
told to her, and which, during the months of her preg-
nancy, had worked upon her imagination and her fears
until they had left her a prey to hideous anxieties which
had brought about the present catastrophe. If she died,
he thought, with impotent rage in his heart, these pious
CASTING OF NETS 177
people would have murdered lier, as they had murdered
her ehild — his child. They would talk about their God,
and their imaginary saints, and their holy religion, and
they would have Classes said for her soul. Walter Red-
man walked savagely up and down the thickly-carpeted
corridor outside the room where his wife lay, consuming
himself in his own thoughts, and cursing the God whose
worshippers and votaries were such as these. It was as
well that Lady Merton could not see him just then or be
inspired to know his reflections.
So the weary hours of that day passed, amidst hopes
and fears, a deep and bitter anger, and an immeasurable
disgust.
As evening came on, Dr. Siddons had left Hilda^s
bedside, and he and liord Redman dined alone together.
Lady Merton and Lady Gwendolen ate their meal in
dreary solitude in the big dining-room, waited upon by
domestics whose countenances bore traces of sorrow
and anxiety, for Hilda was greatly beloved by all her
husband's household.
Hilda was still in the same state, and Dr. Siddons
determined to pass the night in the house, in case of
any change for the worse taking place. Walter had
ordered a room to be prepared for Lady Gwendolen
also. He was sorry for the latter in her anxiety, and
he remembered how Hilda had made excuses for her
mother for the part she had taken. He reflected that,
after all, Lady Gwendolen had honestly opposed her
daughter's marriage, and had yielded at the advice of
Lady Merton. He felt, however, that he could encounter
neither Lady Merton nor his mother-in-law again that
12
lyS CASTING OF NETS
day, and the presence of Dr. Siddons afforded an excuse
to the two men to dine alone together — an excuse which
the doctor seized upon no less readily than did his host.
That night Walter lay down upon a couch in his
dressing-room, which was close to his wife's room. He
had fallen into a troubled sleep towards morning, worn
out with anxiety and mental fatigue. He woke with a
start to find Dr. Siddons standing beside him.
* Come ! ' the latter said to him hurriedly. ' Lady
Redman must see you at once.'
He sprang from the sofa, and then he staggered a little.
' Is she worse ? ' he asked.
' She is terribly excited, and I fear it may make her
worse. She had been sleeping quietly enough, but she
woke with a start, and is asking repeatedly for you.
She may be more quiet when she has seen you.'
They entered Hilda's room together.
'Here is your husband. Lady Redman,' said Dr.
Siddons gently.
Walter went to her side and knelt down by the bed.
' I am here, Hilda,' he said. ' What is it, dear ? '
She looked at him with wild, frightened eyes.
* Walter ! ' she exclaimed, ' stay with me ! Why did
you leave me ? I thought they had taken you away from
me '
* Who could do that, dearest ? You have been asleep
and dreaming.'
A slight shiver shook her. Dr. Siddons looked at her
narrowly.
She groped feebly for her husband's hand, and held it
in hers.
CASTING OF NETS 179
* Yes,' she said eagerly ; ' it was a dream — nothing
but a dream; but it frightened me, Walter. They said
you were lost — and the ehild What did they
mean wheu they said I had done it? That was not a
dream ; he told me so — Father Galsworthy. But it
is n't true, Walter — tell me that it is n't true ! '
^ Hilda, it is a lie ! Do you understand ? It is a
damnable lie ! '
The words rang out and resounded through the room.
The nurse shrank back, and Dr. Siddons laid his linger on
his lips with a warning gesture.
Hilda looked at him ; her face flushed, and she
smiled.
^ I knew, Walter — I knew ' she said.
The colour in her face faded away, to be replaced by
a deadly pallor. She lay motionless, her eyes, which a
moment before had been full of feverish brilliancy, still
open, and fixed upon her husband's face.
^ She is going ! ' exclaimed the nurse, in a hushed voice.
Dr. Siddons bent over the bed.
' Lady Redman,' he said, in a loud and authoritative
voice, leaning over her until his mouth nearly touched
her ear — ^ Lady Redman, you must rouse yourself ! Do
you hear me? Yoio must! Your husband wants you.'
And then he shook her.
A moment of breathless suspense followed his sudden
action. Then Hilda's face quivered slightly and her lips
parted in a faint sigh.
' Hilda ! '
A gleam of recognition stole into Hilda's eyes, and very
slowly a suspicion of colour returned to her face.
i8o CASTING OF NETS
Dr. Siddons made a rapid sign to the nurse, and took
a glass from her hand.
* Swallow ! ' he said imperiously, holding it to Hilda's
lips.
Gradually her consciousness returned to her. Walter
felt the failing hand within his own tremble, and then he
became sensible of a slight pressure. Dr. Siddons had
laid his fingers on her other wrist.
Presently she turned her head a little, and then she
spoke, but so faintly that Walter had to lean over her
till their faces almost touched, in order to catch her
words.
' You want me, Walter ? '
' Yes, I want you.'
' I heard someone tell me. I was sleepy '
She lay quiet for a short time, and then her eyes closed.
Walter looked at Dr. Siddons — a look of agonized
uncertainty.
' Do not move I ' the latter said in a low voice.
A few minutes passed, and then he motioned the nurse
away from the bed and lifted his touch from Hilda's
pulse.
' Let her feel your hand in hers when she awakes,' he
whispered to Lord Redman.
CHAPTER XII
IN the beginning of August Mrs. Russell paid her pro-
mised visit to Lady Merton at Ware. The Russells
were in the habit of taking an annual holiday from their
parochial duties at Abbotsbury for six weeks or so to-
wards the end of summer, and the Rector liad no difficulty
in finding some hard-worked brother divine who was de-
lighted to take the Sunday services at Abbotsbury for
that period, and exchange the responsibilities of a thickly
populated town parish for the lighter labours of a country
cure.
Lady Merton had of course felt herself obliged to in-
vite Mr. Russell as well as his wife to spend a few days
at AYare. The Rector, however, had excused himself,
feeling, possibly, that his position as an Anglican clergy-
man in a Roman Catholic house would be somewhat
invidious, and that his acceptance of the invitation would
be embarrassing to its donor and to himself It had been
arranged, therefore, that Mary Russell was to go by her-
self to Ware for a few days, and that she should join the
Rector in the Isle of Wight at the conclusion of her visit.
The news of Lady Redman's premature confinement
had been received with genuine sorrow and consterna-
tion at Abbotsbury, and both Mr. and iNIrs. Russell were
surprised at the feeling shown by all classes in the neigh-
i82 CASTING OF NETS
bourhood when it became known that Hilda was dancfer-
ously' ill. It was a revelation to them how completely
she had succeeded, in the space of a few months, in
winning the affection and esteem of all the people at
Abbotsburj and for many miles round it.
Perhaps Mr. Russell was not altogether sorry that the
child had been stillborn. He could not reconcile him-
self to the idea of Abbotsbury passing into Roman Cath-
olic hands, and he remembered that should the present
owner of it have no son, the title and estates would de-
volve, at the latter's death, on the son of his predecessor
in the living, Walter Redman's first cousin. The Rector
had reminded his wife of this fact, and, while honestly
praying that Lady Redman might recover, had pointed
out that it would be, after all, very much to the advantage
of Abbotsbury if she were to have no children, or, at any
rate, no sons.
Mr. Russell had thought his wife rather unresponsive
on the subject ; indeed, he felt rather ashamed of having
alluded to it when poor Hilda was lying so ill, and sus-
pected that Mary thought him unfeeling for doing so.
It was very natural, he reflected, that she should sym-
pathize with Lady Redman in the latter's disappoint-
ment. The Russells themselves had no children, and
Mr. Russell knew that the fact was a great sorrow to
his wdfe, and thought that it doubtless made her more
ready to feel for Hilda. During the last few months he
had noticed that she hardly ever spoke of the misfortune
of her cousin's wife being a Roman Catholic, as she had
formerly been so ready to do. Occasionally he had re-
minded her half laughingly of her idea that he should be
CASTING OF NETS 183
the means of converting Hilda from Iltjman Catholicism
to Anglicanism, but Mary Russell had answered him that
she thought such tilings were best left alone. She had
entertained the idea, she explained, wiien they neither
of them knew Ilikla, and had tliought that she might be
a person who would attempt to make mischief at Ab-
botsbury. The Rector had been by no means ill-pleased
that his wife's Protestantism should have moderated it-
self. Things were going on very well as they were, and
he was fain to admit that Lady Redman was most scrup-
ulous in never seeking to undermine the authority of the
Rectory and the parish church in Abbotsbury, and that
she appeared to regard her religion as a purely personal
matter. Mr. Russell had congratulated himself more
than once that the two houses should continue to be on
such friendly terms as to make the fact of the mistress
of the Hall being a Roman Catholic a mere accident,
which he found himself able almost entirely to forget,
and w^ould probably have forgotten completely had it
not been for the thought of the future, when the Catholic
influence must infallibly impress itself upon the village
and neighbourhood.
Mary Russell had never spoken to her husband of her
conversations either with Lady Merton or with Walter
Redman. She had, it is true, sometimes talked to him
on the subject of the latter's scepticism, and had told
him she felt con\inced that Hilda would be much happier
if she could feel that Walter was a conscientious believer
in his own Church. This was a matter, however, in
which Mr. Russell, much as he deplored it, knew himself
to be powerless to interfere. Lord Redman had given
i84 CASTING OF NETS
him the living of Abbotsbury, but he had, at the same
time, made Mr. Russell clearly understand that he placed
him there to minister to the spiritual needs of the Abbots-
bury parishioners, and that though he, Walter Redman,
should always support the Church, the Rector must not
expect him to be what he would consider a Churchman.
To do him justice, Mr. Russell had often suffered from
scruples of conscience as to whether he were not sadly
failing in his pastoral duties in making no effort to combat
the scepticism of his principal parishioner, and he had at
first attempted to speak to Lord Redman on the matter.
Walter, however, was not a very easy person to approach
on such questions. The Rector had found it impossible
to induce him to talk on religious topics, or to betray any
interest in them.
Walter's absolute indifference had baffled Mr. Russell.
Had he ever shown signs of resentment, or of active
opposition, the Rector would have considered it to be
his duty to argue with him and to attempt to convince
him; but when he found himself met, as he invariably
had so found himself, by a good-humoured unconcern,
he had been compelled to retire discomfited, and to tell
his wife that he believed her cousin to be the re-incar-
nation of some pagan of old Greece. It was impossible,
however, to pretend that Lord Redman's paganism was
injurious to the moral welfare of Abbotsbury, and the
Rector was sufficiently a man of the world to know that
a constant attendance at church and an edifying frequen-
tation of the Sacrament were quite compatible with lives
very different from that led by the sceptical patron of his
benefice.
CASTING OF NETS 185
Mr. Russell had no idea of the understandine: which
existed between his wife and Lady Merton, nor that the
two were in frequent correspondence. The invitation to
Ware had been cordially given when Lady Merton had
left Abbotsbury in January, and it had been an understood
thing between the Rector and Mary Russell that the
latter should accept it.
The events which had occurred since then had caused
Lady Merton to be more anxious than ever that Mrs.
Russell should come and stay with her, and when August
came, Mr. Russell had taken himself and his bicycle off
to the Isle of Wight, leaving his wife to pay her visit at
Ware alone.
The late Lord Merton had left Ware to his widow for
her lifetime, together with a large jointure to enable her
to keep it up. At the time of her husband's death Lady
Merton was still a Protestant, her conversion to Rome
not taking place until three or four years afterwards.
The INIerton estates were large, and Ware was not the
principal place belonging to the family. The latter had
passed to Lady Merton's only son, who, together with his
sister, the Duchess of Wearmouth, and another unmarried
sister w^ho preferred to live by herself, had resolutely
declined to be convinced by his mother's arguments and
those of the priests who she had hoped would convert
them to her new faith.
Under Lady Merton's rule, Ware had become a great
centre of Catholicism in England. The atmosphere was
one of picturesque religion, but Lady Merton was careful
to infuse into it a little worldly oxygen. It was by no
means a Catholic house in the sense in which Cawarden
i86 CASTING OF NETS
and many others similar to the latter were Catholic
houses. The taint of provincialism and restriction to
a narrow and not-too-well-cducated set was altogether
absent from Ware. Its mistress was too much a woman
of the world to tolerate the elimination of worldliness
from her house. Her passion in life being to bring souls
into the Church, Lady Merton was clever enough to
temper her Catholicism to her non-Catholic guests, and
to allow the latter to find themselves in surroundings
which were doubly attractive on account of an artistic
blending of the vanities of this world with the most
pleasing of the supposed attributes of the next.
At her parties at Ware, Lady Merton made a point
of having a certain number of Protestants among the
guests, and among these there was almost invariably
a promising candidate for conversion. She prided her-
self upon the fact that the atmosphere of Ware had been
the means of causing not a few to leave their Protestant-
ism behind them when they had once breathed it.
She intended that Ware should represent a species of
object-lesson to those without the Church who were
invited to stay there. They were to feel themselves
under the spell of a religion which would show them
how mistaken they were in thinking that Catholics were
eccentric sectarians who sought to make life dull and
unlovely, and who were altogether unfashionable. In
the foreground of the picture was all that the most
fastidious worldling of either sex could require in a
modern country-house. Indoors was luxury studied in
all its details, pleasant and remarkable people, absolute
liberty of conversation and ideas ; out of doors was good
CASTING OF NETS 187
shooting, properly organized, for tlie men, and other
amusements, and both indoors and out a eertain indefin-
able sense of ease and freedom from all stiffness wliieh
made Ware eompare favourably with any country-house
in the land as a place in which to pass a three or four
days' visit pleasantly. But it was the background of the
picture which formed its chief attraction to the vast
majority of Lady jNIerton's guests. Catholic and Protestant
alike. The latter, indeed, were more struck by it than
the former, as it was intended that they should be.
In this background, behind all the comfort, the luxury,
and the pleasant worldliness, a sense of something not of
this world — peaceful, serene, mysterious — asserted it-
self, as though some unseen Presence were in the house.
In the midst of the talking and the laughter, or even
breaking in upon the rattle of roulette balls, would sound
the soft, deep tones of a church bell, and people would
slip away quietly from the drawing-rooms and disappear
for a while. Perhaps some of the Protestant members of
the party would follow out of curiosity, and find them-
selves in the lofty, dimly-lighted chapel which Lady
Merton had built at great cost, and filled with rare
marbles and works of art brought from Italy and Spain.
The lamp burning before the high altar shone like a red
star in the dusk, and a faint, lingerhig scent of incense
filled the air, for Lady Merton possessed the privilege of
having the Host reserved in her chapel at Ware. A
finely-wrought statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, with
lighted tapers burning before it, stood out white and
gleaming in the sanctuary. The silence was only broken
by the murmur of a priest, the domestic chaplain, reciting
i88 CASTING OF NETS
a portion of the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, and the
voices of the kneeling worshippers repeating in quick
monotony the latter part of the Paternoster and ten Hail
Marys, which followed the recital of each Mystery.
The contrast between the brilliantly lighted drawing-
rooms and the worldly occupations just left, and the
quiet, peaceful chapel, was great and almost startling.
It impressed even those to whom such things said little.
The actuality of the next world seemed to be brought
suddenly and sharply into the carelessness of everyday
life; the Known felt itself to be face to face with the
Unknown, and everyone, worshipper or mere spectator,
found himself confronted with the uncomfortable con-
sciousness of his own mortality. A few minutes would
pass, and the priest would disappear into the sacristy,
the worshippers would silently leave the chapel and
return to the drawing-rooms, and in some way or another
the object-lesson would have had its effect.
Mrs. Russell found a very small party assembled at
Ware on her arrival. It was, as Lady Merton had
warned her, only a family gathering. Lady Gwendolen
and her son were staying there, and one of Lady Merton's
converts, Mrs. St. Leger, a middle-aged widow, with a
devotion to St. Anthony of Padua and the Peerage. A
young nephew of Lady Gwendolen's, who was studying
for the priesthood, and an English monsignore from
Rome, made up the party, and Mary Russell found her-
self the only member of it who was not a Catholic.
The cordiality of her welcome quickly removed any
little embarrassment which Mrs. Russell might have felt
at being, so to speak, an intruder. Lady Merton was an
CASTING OF NETS 189
admirable hostess ; she knew liow to put people at once
at their ease, and before INIary Russell had been an hour
in the house she had been made to feel that she was a
welcome guest.
Mrs. St. Lcger devoted herself to Mary Russell from
the first. She and Lady Merton were a groat deal to-
gether. She generally accompanied the latter to Rome,
and assisted her in her entertaining in the Via Gregoriana.
Mrs. St. Leger's reputation for piety was second only to
that of Lady Merton herself. She had fashioned the raw
material of many a convert, and shaped it preparatory to
its recei\ang the finishing touches from Lady Merton's
master-hand. This, indeed, was her humble mission in
life, but, in the fulfilment of it, she moved, more especially
in Rome, in social spheres which as a Protestant she had
never hoped to enter. Somebody had once described
Mrs. St. Leger as a religious noiweau riche, and her
spiritual riches certainly obtained for her consideration
and respect in the clerical world at Rome, while her
intimacy with Lady Merton was accepted as a sufficient
guarantee of her social position by the unsuspicious
Romans, and by the English of the class in which
Lady Merton's conversions were chiefly, though not
entirely, made.
The week of Mary Russell's visit to Ware was a very
hot one, and it was pleasanter to sit or stroll in the
gardens after dinner tlian to remain in the house. Mrs.
St. Leger attached herself to the new-comer on the first
night of the latter's arrival, and the two walked about the
garden together after dinner, while Lady Merton and the
remainder of the party sat outside the open windows of
I90 CASTING OF NETS
the drawing-room. It was perfectly natural, under the
circumstances, that their conversation should touch upon
Abbotsbury and the Redmans. Mary Russell, indeed, was
anxious to obtain news of Hilda. She had not seen the
latter since her serious illness, neither had Hilda written
more than a few lines, in which she told her that she and
Walter would not be returning to Abbotsbury until late in
the autumn, as she was ordered by the doctors to go to
the sea as soon as she should be well enough to leave
London.
^ Poor dear Lady Merton ! ' said Mrs. St. Leger with a
sigh, as she and Mary Russell walked up and down in
front of the house together. ' She is so unhappy about the
Redmans! Lady Redman is quite her favourite grand-
child, you know, Mrs. Russell.'
^ But Hilda is making a very good recovery,' replied the
latter.
'Ah yes, mercifully, so far as the body is concerned;
but it is the state of her soul which is distressing dear
Lady Merton so much. Would you believe it? Lady
Redman has never been allowed to see her relatives alone
since her illness. On the rare occasions when her mother
and Lady Merton have been admitted to her room, either
Lord Redman or a person whom the doctor insists on
placing in charge of her has invariably been present. Even
her spiritual director. Father Galsworthy, has not suc-
ceeded in having any private conversation with her.'
Mrs. Russell looked exceedingly astonished.
* What an extraordinary thing ! ' she exclaimed. ' What
can be the reason of it ? I am sure that Hilda — Lady
Redman — would not have wished to be deprived of the
CASTING OF NETS 191
society of her relations, and the consolation of seeing
Father Galswortliy. T suppose Dr. Siddons is responsible
for it'
Mrs. St. Lcger shook her head mysteriously.
'Of course,' she replied, 'that is the excuse which is
given by Lord Redman.'
^ I am sure that my cousin would not take such a step
unless the doctor had recommended it,' said Mary Russell.
Mrs. St. Leger sighed again.
'It is quite natural that you should think so,' she
said, ' but ' and then she paused hesitatingly. ^ It
is rather a delicate matter to discuss with you, Mrs.
Russell,' she continued ; ^ you and Lord Redman are
relatives, and you cannot, of course, look at the question
from Lady Merton's point of view.'
' I do not see why,' said ]Mary Russell.
* Oh, well, my dear Mrs. Russell, you arc not one of us,
you see. That makes all the difference. You cannot be
expected to realize how great a sorrow it is to dear Lady
Merton and to Lady Gwendolen to feel that Lady Redman
is surrounded by anti-Catholic influences. This makes it
very difficult to talk to you on the subject. I should not
like to say anything which might hurt your feelings, for
you and Lord Redman are both Protestants. You belong
to the same Church, and you would naturally, therefore,
sympathize with his action.'
' Not at all ! ' exclaimed ^lary Russell warmly. ' You
may regard my cousin Walter Redman and myself as
belonging to the same Church, but I assure you, Mrs.
St. Leger, that we hold very different \iews. My cousin
is practically a free-thinker and I am an Anglican. If I
192
CASTING OF NETS
thought that he was seeking to deprive his wife of the
comforts of her religion, I should disapprove of his action
quite as much as Lady Merton could do. I know, of
course, that to you we are all free-thinkers, and that you
Roman Catholics see no difference between us.'
Mrs. St. Leger smiled — a quiet, superior little smile.
' Yes,' she replied, * in a sense you are right. To us
Catholics those who are not within the Church are all
free-thinkers. Your differences of opinion do not alter
your position in our eyes. The most advanced Ritualists
and the most confirmed agnostics are equally Protestants
so far as we are concerned.'
Mary Russell did not answer immediately.
* But why should you think that my cousin has other
motives for preventing his wife from seeing her relations in
private than those which he has given ? ' she asked, after
a pause. ' I have often noticed,' she added, ^ how careful
Walter is not to interfere with her religion in any way.'
* Ah ! ' replied Mrs. St. Leger, ' there are more insidious
ways of undermining a person's faith than by open inter-
ference. I am afraid dear Lady Merton thinks that Lord
Redman is taking advantage of his wife's affection for him,
and is trying gradually to contaminate her with his own
infidel ideas. I hear that Lady Redman is very unhappy,
poor thing ; but apparently, since her illness, she has not
got the mental strength to shake herself free from the con-
spiracy of which she is a victim. But I ought not to talk
of these things to you, Mrs. Russell ; I am forgetting all
the time that you are a Protestant.'
Mary Russell winced a little. Somehow the term
* Protestant ' jarred upon her.
CASTING OF NETS 193
* I shall bo very ghid if you will talk to iiic about it,'
slic replied. ' I had no idea that things were as you
dcseribe them, and perhaps 1 could be of some use. My
cousin and 1 have had several conversations together
about his wife's unhappiness concerning his lack of faith.
No doubt Lady jNlerton will have told you.'
* She told nie that you were doing your best to awaken
some religious belief in Lord Redman's heart,' said Mrs.
St. Leger ; * but oh ! dear Mrs. Russell, unless it is the
true belief, what will it avail him ? '
Mary Russell sighed.
* It all seems so plain and so simple to you who belong
to what you are convinced is the only true Church,' she
said. * I envy the people who were born Roman Catholics.'
* Ah yes, indeed ! ' said Mrs. St. Leger. * Converts like
myself know how many a struggle with prejudice and
error we have to undergo before the grace comes to us
to discern the truth.'
^ You became a Roman Catholic, then ? ' asked Mary
Russell.
Mrs. St. Leger smiled.
' Yes,' she replied softly, with an upward glance. * In
His great mercy God opened my eyes to the truth and
led me into His Church. I used to call myself, as you
do, an xVnglican. When I look back to those days, it
seems incredible to me how I can have been so blinded.
Ah ! ' she exclaimed, * here is Lady Morton coming to-
wards us. She will scold me for monopolizing your
society, Mrs. Russell.'
They paused in their walk in order to allow Lady
Morton to join them.
13
194 CASTING OF NETS
* What are you two in such deep conversatiou about ? '
she asked, smiling.
* I was giving Mrs. Russell some news of Lady Red-
man,' said Mrs. St. Leger. 'She had not heard of her
for some little time.'
' So sad ! ' murmured Lady Merton, ' so very sad —
poor dear Hilda ! ' and then she paused and looked at
Mrs. Russell. 'Has Mrs. St. Leger told you/ she con-
tinued, 'that neither my daughter nor myself has ever
been allowed to see Hilda alone ? '
'I cannot understand it,' said Mary Russell. 'Surely
she is not so ill now as to make it necessary for her
relations to be kept away from her?'
'She is making a wonderful recovery,' returned Lady
Merton. 'The whole thing is preposterous,' she added,
' and Walter is behaving disgracefully ! We have not
the slightest doubt that her illness was entirely brought
about by the distress of mind which he has made her
suffer ; and now, when she is weak and unable to assert
herself, he has got that abominable doctor to tell her
that she must not even see Father Galsworthy. Even
the old priest at Cawarden, who has known her ever
since she was born, was refused admittance. Gwendolen
sent him to St. James's Square, and your cousin told
him that Hilda was very sorry, but she was unable to
receive him. Of course, all this is put into the poor
child's head by those who are secretly working to estrange
her from our holy religion.'
' Dear Lady Merton,' expostulated Mrs. St. Leger gently,
'remember that our friend here is a Protestant. She
cannot be expected to understand our grief and indigna-
CASTING OF NETS i
95
tiou at tlic fiiilurc of Lord Redman to keep the promises
he made when he married a Catholic.'
Lady Merton sighed.
' That is very true, Emily/ she said. ' I beg your
pardon, my dear Mrs. Russell,' she added ; ' I should
have remembered that you are not a Catholic. You can-
not understand how jealously we are obliged to guard our
faith from contamination in this Protestant country. As
you know/ she continued, ' I was always opposed to this
marriage between your cousin and Hilda. I do not ap-
prove of mixed marriages. But I and all of us were mis-
led by Lord Redman's apparent honesty of purpose. I
must say that I always felt uneasy about the future. I
do not want to offend you, dear ^Irs. Russell, but I have
known so many instances in which your co-religionists
have broken their promises after marriage with a Catholic,
and have tried to evade the obligations into which they
had to enter in order to obtain the sanction of the Church
to their union. Emily/ continued Lady Merton, turning to
]\Irs. St. Leger, ' go back and amuse the others like a good
creature. Mrs. Russell and I will rejoin you presently.'
Mrs. St. Leger retraced her steps obediently towards
the house. Lady Merton looked after her with a benevo-
lent little smile.
' Such a pious soul ! ' she said in an undertone to her
companion. * Like yourself, Mrs. Russell, she used to
be very much prejudiced against the Church, but now
she is a fervxnt Catholic. She has a great devotion to
St. Anthony of Padua. It is truly marvellous how many
graces he has obtained for her.'
CHAPTER XIII
^ TT is a great pity that the child did not live,' said Mary
X Russell when Mrs. St. Leger had left them. ^ It
would have been a bond of union between Walter and
Hilda. I am sure Walter would have kept his word,
and that he would have made no difficulties about its
religious training.'
^ I wish I could think that they would both look upon
what has happened as a sign of Almighty God's dis-
pleasure,' replied Lady Merton. ' Hilda, I am convinced,
must feel it to be so. I had hoped so much from your
influence with her, dear Mrs. Russell ! Your letters were
a sad disappointment both to Gwendolen and myself.'
'Hilda made it impossible to me to speak about her
husband,' said Mary Russell. 'After all,' she continued,
'you must remember that I am not a Catholic, Lady
Merton. Just before you joined us Mrs. St. Leger was
saying that you Catholics recognise no difference between
believing and unbelieving Protestants. To you we are
all in the same category. No doubt Hilda considers that
if her husband is not a Catholic, it matters little whether
he is a believer in his own Church or not. I can only
account for the way in which she met my attempts to
induce her to try and make him believe in something by
assuming that she feels this.'
CASTING OF NETS 197
Lady Mertoii paused for a nioiiicnt before replying.
* Emily St. Leger is a very devoted Catholic/ she
observed. * I often tell her that she is a little too uncom-
promising in her judgment upon people who are outside
the Church. She cannot distinguish between those who
are wilfully blind to the truth and those who, conscien-
tiously searching for it, only lack the grace to discern it.
I do not suppose for a moment that Hilda would not listen
to you because you are a Protestant. I wish I could think
so — it would be more excusable.'
Mary Russell looked a little offended.
* Yes, my dear,' continued Lady Mcrton, * it would be
more excusable from our point of view. It would be a
proof that Hilda refused to be satisfied with anything less
than her husband's conversion to the Church, and that she
would countenance no attempt to make him believe in any
form of religion but the true one.'
*But you told me at Abbotsbury that she would be
content to feel that Walter had any religious faith,' said
Mrs. Russell.
^ Quite true, my dear,' replied Lady Merton. * I did say
so, and at that time both her mother and I thought it.
Of course we should prefer to see Walter Redman a
Catholic ; it would be absurd to pretend that we should
not. As this seemed to be impossible, so far as our human
foresight could judge, it would have been at least some
consolation to think that he was a conscientious Protestant,
and this is what we felt sure that Hilda most earnestly
desired. It was for this reason that we sought your help
— as a Protestant.'
* It was not of much use,' said Mary RusselL
198 CASTING OF NETS
* No, and this is what distresses us all so much/ replied
Lady Merton. 'Now that we are alone together,' she
continued, ' I can explain to you what I mean. Unfortu-
nately, we have too much reason to suspect that Hilda is
allowing herself to become indifferent to her husband's
spiritual welfare. At one time, as I told you at Abbots-
bury in the winter, her letters were full of misgivings and
anxiety about him. She used to declare that she should
be happy if only she could feel that he was a true mem-
ber of your creed. By degrees, however, other influences
have gained the mastery over her, and she is sacrificing
everything to these.'
' What influences ? ' asked Mary Russell.
Lady Merton cast down her eyes.
* Oh, my dear,' she said, * I hardly like to tell you. I
fear — well, I fear that Hilda is becoming a slave to her
carnal love for her husband. They are perfectly happy
together — in this sense of the word " happiness " — and
she has ceased to wish for anything higher. It is a state
of moral apathy from which nothing can rouse her. It
is so clear to me tliat this terrible confinement has been
sent by God in His mercy in order to make her reflect and
repent. And now, at the very time when she might listen
to advice, your cousin has practically isolated her from all
her own belongings. Can you wonder that we are dis-
tressed, Mrs. Russell ? ' she concluded, sighing.
' But this state of things cannot last, dear Lady Merton,'
replied Mary Russell. ' Hilda wrote to me some time ago
to say that she was getting much stronger, and that she
hoped, after a few weeks by the sea, to be quite herself
again. It would be impossible for Walter to continue to
CASTING OF NETS 199
separate her from Lady Gwendolen and you when once she
is well. When they return to Abbotsbury I shall certainly
do my best to speak both to her and to Walter. He and
I have had more than one conversation together, as I told
you.'
* Yes,' answered Lady Mcrton. ^ I remember that you
wrote to me about it. You will not think me indis-
creet, I hope, if I ask you whether anything which he
said gave you the impression that he distrusted Hilda's
family ? '
Mary Russell hesitated.
^ Distrust — no,' she replied. ' But '
* I hope you will be open with me, dear Mrs. Russell,'
said Lady Merton gently. ' You need not be afraid of
quoting your cousin's words. I am sure that you are as
anxious as we are that all should go well with him and
Hilda, and I think that, should Walter have taken any
unjust ideas into his head, you are probably the person
who will best be able to remove them.'
' Well,' answered Mary Russell, ^ I am afraid Walter
thinks that in some way his wife is being worried and
made unhappy over her religion. I think he suspects
the Dominican Father at Abbotsbridge, to whom Hilda
used, I believe, to go to confession, of unnecessarily dis-
turbing her mind.'
Lady Merton laughed softly.
' It is so funny,' she said, ' the absurd ideas which
Protestants get hold of about us ! We do not go to
confession in order to have our peace of mind disturbed,
but in order to regain it when we have lost it. But your
cousin need not hold us responsible for what Hilda may
200 CASTING OF NETS
have been told at Abbotsbridge,' she added, with a quick
glance at Mrs. Russell. 'It is quite possible that this
Dominican may have spoken to her seriously if he believed
that she was not acting up to her duty. Some priests are
over-zealous occasionally, and Dominicans are apt to be
severe.'
' It was very evident that something was troubling
Hilda,' replied Mary Russell. ' She used to go over to
Abbotsbridge very frequently, and Walter thought that
she always looked more worried after her visits there.'
'And, of course, concluded that her religion was to
blame for it,' said Lady Merton. 'It was perfectly
natural that she should be troubled, dear Mrs. Russell.
Her conscience was perpetually reproaching her for allow-
ing considerations of her worldly happiness to interfere
with what she knew to be her responsibilities towards
her husband's spiritual welfare. Her letters to us showed
very plainly the state of her mind. Lord Redman, of
course, has never been able to realize that, to a Catholic,
duty towards the Church supersedes all other calls. He
has been disappointed and mortified to find that Hilda's
religion has so much hold over her, and now, under the
plea of her health, he is striving to prevent its influence
from reaching her.'
At this moment the bell of the chapel interrupted
their conversation, and Lady Merton turned towards the
house.
' We always have prayers at ten o'clock,' she explained,
as she led the way into the drawing-room, where the
others had preceded them.
After a minute or two everybody moved towards the
CASTING OF NETS 201
chapel. Mary Russell bung back and opened one of
tbe books lying upon a little table. Iler hostess had
not invited her to accompany them, and she hardly
knew whether it would not be resented were she to do
so unasked.
'Will you not join us, Mrs. Russell ? ' said a soft voice
at her elbow ; and, turning round, Mary Russell saw Mrs.
St. Leger standing by her side,
* I do not know/ she began hesitatingly. ' Will not
Lady ]Merton be surprised at seeing me ? '
Mrs. St. Leger smiled.
* Dear Lady Merton ! ' she said. ' She is much too
absorbed in her devotions to notice who comes and who
stays away I I am sure she would wish you to join us,
if you feel inclined to do so.'
Mary Russell followed her to the chapel and knelt on
one of the cushioned chairs while Lady Merton's chaplain
recited a portion of the Rosary. The quiet devotion of
the scene impressed her, and she found herself wondering
how it was that Roman Catholics were able to make their
religion so completely a part of their everyday life. It all
appeared to be so natural and so unstrained ; and she could
not help thinking of the Rector's attempts to induce his
parishioners at Abbotsbury to come to church on other
occasions than those of the orthodox Sunday serWces, and
the difficulties and heart-burnings which resulted from
them.
In a few minutes all was over, and they returned to the
drawing-room together. Lady INIerton was the first to
rise from her knees, and her eyes rested for a moment on
Mary Russell as she passed her. She made no comment,
202 CASTING OF NETS
however, to Mrs. Russell afterwards on the fact of the
latter having been present; and Mary thought that, as
Mrs. St. Leger had said would be the case, she had not
noticed she was there.
' The chapel is very pretty, is it not ? ' Mrs. St. Leger
said to her as they sat down on a sofa in the drawing-
room.
' Yes ; it must be a great pleasure to have so beautiful
a chapel in the house.'
^ And the inestimable privilege of being allowed to re-
serve the Blessed Sacrament there,' added Mrs. St. Leger.
' The concession was specially granted to dear Lady Merton
from Rome. I wonder if you feel the mysterious influence
of that Holy Presence ? I suppose not,' she added pen-
sively. ' I suppose that you are too much separated from
us to be able to feel it as we do.'
* How long have you been a Roman Catholic, Mrs.
St. Leger ? ' asked Mary Russell.
'I became a Catholic five years ago,' replied Mrs. St.
Leger ; ^ but it seems to me as though I had never been
anything else. The old days seem as if they formed part
of the life of another person. I cannot realize that I was
once a Protestant.'
' It must require great courage to take such a step,' said
Mrs. Russell thoughtfully.
* I do not think so. When once conviction comes, the
claims of the Church become so clear, her summons so
imperative, that it would require far greater courage to
refuse to listen to her voice.'
' Since I have learned more about your religion and read
some of your books on the subject, I often envy you all.
CASTING OF NETS 203
It must be so comfortable to feel that you belong to an
infallible Church — that you have no individual responsi-
bility beyond obedience to the precepts of that Church.
How different it is with us in the Anglican communion !
We have no infallible counsellor to wliom we can turn for
advice in our spiritual doubts and difficulties.'
Mrs. St. Leger smiled.
'But, my dear Mrs. Russell,' she replied, 'you Prot-
estants are by way of not requiring any such infallible
guide and counsellor. You have God, you say, to whom
you can turn, and you ignore the fact that He constituted
a Church which was to speak in Ilis name, and by His
authority.'
' We claim to be a branch of that Church.'
'No doubt. But can you prove your claim? You
know that we Catholics do not admit it. The Holy
Father has pronounced against the validity of your Orders,
thereby demolishing the last support upon which that
claim could logically rest.'
'What would my position be, as the wife of an An-
glican priest, if I accepted that decision ? ' asked Mary
Russell.
Lady Merton approached them at this moment, and
overheard her question.
' What decision ? ' she asked, smiling. ' I hope,' she
added, ' that Emily has not been talking theology to you,
Mrs. Russell ? '
'The decision of the Vatican regarding our Anglican
Orders,' replied Mary Russell. 'I was asking Mrs. St.
Leger what my position would be if I believed that the
Pope was right.'
204 CASTING OF NETS
'Your position,' said Lady Merton slowly, 'would be
exactly the same as it was before.'
' But my husband '
' My dear, you married your husband because he was a
man, not because he was a priest. The Pope's decision
cannot unsex him.'
Mrs. Russell laughed in spite of herself.
' I have never looked at the matter in that light,' she
answered.
' I do not know what you and Emily were discussing,'
returned Lady Merton, sitting down by them. 'I am
only supposing the case that you accepted the decision
as to the invalidity of the Anglican Orders, and, there-
fore, could no longer believe Mr. Russell to be a true
priest.'
' It would be a terrible position.'
'I do not see why. It is a position in which many
have found themselves of recent years.'
'A wife must believe in her husband,' said Mary
Russell.
'Certainly!' replied Lady Merton. 'It is very much
better when she is able to do so ; but she is not bound
to believe in his errors. Besides,' she added, 'when a
person has once accepted the teaching of the Church on
any point of doctrine or faith, no mere worldly considera-
tion can be taken into account. Our Lord says distinctly
that all earthly ties, even those between parents and
children, must be severed if they interfere with the de-
sire to follow Him. Well, my dear, we Catholics know
that there is only one way by which He can surely be
followed, and that is by the path which His Church
CASTING OF NETS 205
points out to us. If wc deliberately refuse to take that
way, we lose ourselves and grope blindly after the truth,
ever straying more widely from it.'
Mrs. St. Lcger sighed.
'Dear Lady Merton!' she exclaimed, 'it is so true!
Your words bring back to me the time when I, too, was
losing my way. Who knows whether, but for you, t
should not have lost it irretrievably?'
* I was an instrument, Emily,' murmured Lady Merton
< only an instrument. No one knows better than my-
self the difficulties and uncertainties through which Prot-
estants have to pass before the final moment of conviction
comes. But when it does come, the whole glorious fact
seems to reveal itself in a flash. The darkest places in
the doubting mind are illumined, and our doubts them-
selves shrivel up and disappear under the searching radi-
ance of the Divine truth.'
Mary Russell sat and listened in silence. Nothing in
Catholicism impressed her so much as the strong, un-
doubting faith which its members displayed in their
Church, and the calm, tranquil conviction with which
they regarded that Church as the sole exponent upon
earth of the Divine will and authority. She felt that
if she were once persuaded of the truth of the claim of
Rome to be the one and only legitimate repository of that
authority, she would be able to accept all the doctrines
of the Roman Church which had formerly appeared to
her to be so anti-spiritual and superstitious.
The antagonism which she had entertained against
the Church of Rome had given Mrs. Russell a keen
interest in Roman Catholicism, and this interest had
2o6 CASTING OF NETS
been enhanced by the accident of having been brought
into almost daily intercourse with a member of that
communion. The books which, at Mary's special re-
quest, Hilda Redman had lent her, had aroused in her
an eager desire to learn more of a religious system which
she had once so thoroughly despised. Beyond the limited
occupations which her husband's parish afforded, life at
Abbotsbury was a little aimless. The cares and duties
of the mother of a family had been denied to Mary Russell,
and she disliked dogs. The sudden introduction of a
Roman Catholic element into her surroundings had un--
doubtedly supplied her with a fresh interest in life, and,
little by little, this interest had become very engi'ossing.
Perhaps not the least fascinating part of it was the feeling
that the subject to a clergyman's wife was, or should be,
forbidden; though it is doubtful whether Mary Russell
was more than dimly conscious that she was influenced
to a certain extent by that attraction which forbidden
fruit has for each of us.
She had long ceased to discuss Roman Catholicism
with the Rector, and the latter had no idea that his
wife had been diligently reading every book dealing
with the subject from the Catholic point of view which
she had been able to obtain. The two or three volumes
which Hilda had lent her had merely been, as it were,
the gate through which she had entered into the field
of Catholic controversial literature. She had sent for
many of the works referred to in them, and in their pages
had found confutation of all her most cherished prejudices,
and more than a hundred and one plain reasons for joining
the Church of Rome. The Rector of Abbotsbury never
CASTING OF NETS 207
knew how much unorthodox literature lay hidden among
the books in his wile's sitting-room. At first, in the days
when she still talked about Romanists, Mr. Russell used
to wonder how she knew so nmch about their tenets, and
would conclude that her obviously extended knowledge
was the result of her friendship with Lady Redman. By
degrees, however, as Mary Russell pursued her studies,
she experienced an ever-increasing difficulty and reluctance
in discussing religious topics with her husband. She
secreted her books more carefully than before, and this
reticence and secrecy became something in the nature of
an excitement — a feature in her otherwise prosaic life at
Abbotsbury which gradually brought a new note and
colour into it.
* Ah ! ' she exclaimed, as Lady Merton finished speak-
ing, ' it is all so easy for you who have the con\iction
that your Church is the only true one. If I were con-
vinced- ' she added, and then she stopped short.
* But I do not want to be convinced,' she said, after a
pause. ' It is all very well for people who can join your
Church without distressing others who depend upon them.'
Lady Merton and IMrs. St. Leger looked at her curiously
and then at one another.
* My dear,' said the former gently, ' we have no right to
place other people's prejudices before the salvation of our
own souls. If you are ever genuinely convinced of the
truth, you will realize that no such considerations can be
allowed to stand in the way of obedience to the voice of
the Church. You are thinking of your husband, of course,
and it is very natural that you should do so. Now, I am
putting a merely hyi)othetical case. Supposing you be-
2o8 CASTING OF NETS
came convinced that you and he were members of a false
Church ; would you allow consideration for his feelings to
stand in the way of your attempting to save yourself and
him from such a perilous position ? Would it not be your
clear duty to set him the example of casting off your false
religion in the hope that he might follow you ? '
' You do not know James/ replied Mary Russell. ' He
is devoted to his profession and to his Church. I have
never dared to tell him how much my views concerning
the Roman Church have been modified of late. He thinks
me a staunch Protestant, even more convinced than he of
the errors of Roman Catholicism. He would never get
over it were I to become a Catholic'
Lady Merton smiled indulgently.
' Oh yes, my dear, he would,' she replied. ' We are all
given to magnifying the obstacles in our path. It would
be a shock to him at first, of course ; but when once your
conversion (I am only supposing such a thing, remember)
was an accomplished fact, he would become reconciled to
it. It is always wiser not to talk about these things till
they are done. Discussion before the final step is taken
is only unsettling to the convert and painful to his or her
Protestant belongings. However, we will talk about this
some other time. It is getting late, and I dare say you
are tired after your hot journey to-day. There is only one
thing I should like to say, dear Mrs. Russell, and that is,
pray go to the chapel whenever you like. It is never
closed, and I am sure you will find help and comfort there,
if you are in need of either. Nobody will notice or disturb
you.'
Mrs. St. Leger murmured a gentle and sympathetic
CASTING OF NETS 209
* Good-night' as the ladies went upstairs. Mrs. Russell
had to pass the door of the chapel on her way to her
room. It was partly open, and she paused and looked
into it. The light of two or three candles burning in
front of the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, and the red
lamp glowing before the Blessed Sacrament, scarcely illu-
mined the gloom of the building. Mary could dimly dis-
cern shadowy forms kneeling in silent prayer before the
altar. The peace and the stillness of it seemed to force
themselves on her attention and to hold her imagination.
There was peace and stillness in the old church at Abbots-
bury also, but here surely dwelt the shadow of some mys-
terious Presence — the invisible Dispenser of a sweet and
holy calm.
The sound of a door opening softly above caused her to
look upward, and Lady Merton and Mrs. St. Leger, with
veils thrown over their heads, came into a small gallery in
the sanctuary and kneeled silently. For a moment Mary
Russell felt impelled to enter the chapel, and then, with
a quick sigh, she turned and went thoughtfully to her own
room.
14
CHAPTER XIV
IT was late in October before Lord and Lady Redman
returned to Abbotsbury. Hilda had quite recovered
her health, and appeared at the same time to have regained
her natural good spirits. After six weeks spent in the
bracing air of the Yorkshire coast she and Walter had
gone to the north of Scotland, where the latter had rented
a shooting-lodge and some salmon-fishing. The house
was very small, and, indeed, they had chosen it for this
very reason. There had been sufficient sport to occupy
Walter and one or two of his friends, and the dearth of
spare bedrooms in the lodge prevented any possibility of
Hilda being obliged to receive members of her own family
who might otherwise have proposed a visit.
The complete change of scene, and the out-of-door life
which she had been able to lead in the Highlands during
the earlier part of the autunm, had done much towards
insuring Hilda's complete recovery ; but another agent had
been at work, which was at least as powerful as either of
the others, for it had reacted upon her mind, and hence
upon her nerves, which had suffered keenly during the
weeks which had immediately preceded her confinement.
Hilda felt that the barrier which had existed between
her husband and herself had collapsed and vanished.
The confession which fear and pain combined had wrung
CASTING OF NETS 211
from her as to the pressure wliicli liad been brought to
bear upon her b)' her rehitives and by her spiritual direetors
had resulted in breaking the ice of that reserve which both
she and Walter had deemed it their duty to each other to
maintain on all matters connected with their respective
religious beliefs. As if by mutual consent, they had tacitly
released one another from the promise made at their en-
gagement. The effect on Hilda had been very marked.
The knowledge that there was no longer a subject which
could not be mentioned between her and Walter seemed
to complete her happiness. She determined that he should
see for himself that she had no intention of attempting to
convert him to Catholicism. During the long hours of
recovery from her illness she had thought deeply and
earnestly, and Walter, as Mr. Shirley had advised him to
do, had let her think.
The result had been a firm resolution on Hilda's part
not to allow her relatives to interfere between her hus-
band and herself. If he were to be brought into the
Church, she told herself that it should be through the
action of love, but not through the intrigues of man. It
was not, she had now convinced herself, the anxiety to
save Walter's soul that troubled Lady Merton and the
priests, but the desire to secure a prominent convert to
the Church. But they had gone too far in their endeav-
ours to work upon her fears for the future, and Hilda
determined that she would leave the future to God.
Walter had told her of the attempt made to introduce a
religious into her sick-room, and of the difficulty which
he and Dr. Siddons had in preventing her relations from
forcing their presence upou her. The letters which she
212 CASTING OF NETS
had received during her convalescence from Lady Merton
and from her mother had been full of bitter reproaches
for her unnatural conduct in consenting that they should
be kept at a distance from her, and Lady Merton es-
pecially implored her to take to heart the solemn warning
of His displeasure with which Almighty God had visited
her. Hilda showed the letters to her husband. That
she felt herself able to do so was a proof in itself of the
difference which had taken place in their mutual rela-
tions so far as the discussing of religious matters was
concerned.
Walter Redman had said very little after reading the
letters ; he had already had ample opportunity of forming
his own conclusions as to the tactics which had been
pursued in order to compass his conversion, and he
refrained from uttering a word to his wife which would
seem to hold her faith responsible for the dishonesty and
worldliness of those who professed to be acting in accord-
ance with its maxims.
He had been much struck, indeed, by the fact that,
notwithstanding all that Hilda had passed through at
the hands of her Church, and her evident pain and
disgust at the part which had been played by her family
and her clerical advisers, her belief in her religion re-
mained unshaken. She had said to him repeatedly that
the Church was not responsible for the sayings and
doings of those who were over-zealous in its cause, and
Walter thought he detected in his wife an almost nervous
eagerness that he should not imagine she blamed her
religion for all which had been done in its name.
It was very evident to both of them that after their
CASTING OF NETS 213
return to Abbotsbury it would be impossible to prevent
Lady Gwendolen from visiting her daughter. Hilda
had felt the separation from her mother very aeutely,
but she knew well enough that the latter was entirely
under Lady Merton's influence, and would certainly
continue her propaganda should she be allowed to be
with her. Walter had implored her to be firm, and
to decline Lady Gwendolen's suggestion that the latter
should accompany her to Filey and remain with her
while he was shooting in Scotland. The knowledge
that she was no longer obliged to keep her thoughts
locked up in her own heart, but could now talk freely
with her husband, caused Hilda to feel almost indifferent
to the prospect of future remonstrances and pious lectures
on the part of her mother and Lady Merton. She felt
that it was beyond their power to terrify her any more
by their pictures of the future misery which was await-
ing her and those dear to her. Even Father Galsworthy,
she said to herself, would be unable to overawe her by
his threats and expostulations. The spell of superstition
had broken down under the calm and quiet reasoning
of the past few weeks ; a twofold strength had come to
her, for she knew that she was no longer to fight a
spiritual fight single-handed.
Both Hilda and her husband were delighted to find
themselves back at Abbotsbury once more, and the
autumn and winter months were to be devoted to the
entertaining of a succession of shooting-parties. Hilda
was naturally fond of society, and she looked forward
to seeing her friends at Abbotsbury after so many months
of enforced retirement. The people of the place welcomed
214 CASTING OF NETS
them back with a genuine heartiness, for the news of
Hilda's illness had been received with sorrow and dismay
by all classes in the district round Abbotsbury. From
no one did Hilda receive a warmer greeting than from
Mr. Russell. The Rector had rapidly grown both to
like and esteem Lady Redman. At the time of her ill-
ness many instances of her thoughtful kindness to the
poor and the ailing, not only at Abbotsbury, but also at
Trentford and more distant places, came to his ears, and
he had reproached himself somewhat severely for his
narrow-mindedness in having been inclined to regard her
coming to Abbotsbury as a misfortune.
Mr. Russell had been a little surprised that his wife
did not respond so cordially to his praises of Lady Red-
man as he had expected her to do. He had noticed of
late that when he mentioned Hilda's name she had spoken
of her with an almost disapproving air, and he wondered
what the reason for it might be.
' I consider that Hilda is strangely careless of her duty
towards Walter,' she had said to the Rector a day or two
before the Redmans' return home. ' Her utter indiifer-
ence to his atheism is shocking, especially in a Catholic.
I know that her mother and all her family are greatly
distressed at the callous way in which she accepts what
ought to be so great a sorrow to her.'
Lord and Lady Redman had not been at the Hall many
days before it became evident that the intimacy which had
existed during the previous winter between the latter and
ISIary Russell was not taken up exactly where it had been
left. Hilda herself was certainly not to blame for this.
She had gone over to the Rectory the day after her
CASTING OF NETS 215
arrival at Abbotsbury, and it liad struck her that, though
the Rector's welcome was cordial enough, that of his wife
was somewhat cold.
Mr. Russell had innocently alluded to his wife having
stayed with Lady Merton in the course of the conversa-
tion, and had politely expressed his regret at not having
been able to accompany her. To Hilda's surprise, Mary
Russell had looked somewhat embarrassed at the mention
of the visit, and Iiad rather abruptly begun to talk on
some other topic. Hilda thouglit it strange that neither
Mrs. Russell nor Lady Merton should ever have alluded
to the fact of the former having been to Ware in their
letters to her, and that evening at dinner she mentioned
it to her husband.
Walter did not attach any particular importance to the
matter. He had never told his wife of the conversations
w^hich he and Mary Russell had together before her ill-
ness. Mary had begged him not to do so, and, believ-
ing that Hilda had confided in her, he had judged it to
be wiser not to let the former suppose that Mrs. Russell
talked to him of what she might have said.
As a matter of fact, Walter Redman had pondered
very deeply over some of his cousin's words. Until
Mary Russell had told him so, it had never struck him
that Hilda might resent his silence as to his religious
ideas and opinions as a want of confidence in his wife,
and the thought that she might be mortified and hurt
at his reticence on such matters had perhaps left more
impression on his mind than Mrs. Russell had calculated
would be the case.
* I think that Mary is a little offended \vith me/ said
2i6 CASTING OF NETS
Hilda that evening at dinner. Walter and she were alone
together. The following day some guests were coniijig
to stay with them, and, among others, Lady Gwendolen
Cawarden was to be of the party.
^ Why should she be so ? ' asked Walter.
*I have no idea. Unless it is because I have not
written to her very often since we have been away.
Mr. Russell was very friendly this morning, and he
looked quite pleased to see me, but I thought Mary's
manner was a little stiff.'
^ Russell is a good chap,' said Lord Redman, ' as long as
he don't preach ; then he is apt to be exceedingly tiresome.'
Hilda laughed.
' I don't believe you know anything about it, Walter,'
she said. ^ I expect you are generally asleep during the
sermons, on the rare occasions when you make up your
mind to go to church.'
Walter looked at her and laughed also.
' I 'm afraid that is true,' he replied. ' Do you know,
Hilda,' he continued, ' I am going to be very virtuous
this winter. I expect church-going is a habit — very
much like cleaning one's teeth. I think I shall try and
get into it, and then, perhaps, it will not seem to be
such a waste of time.'
'You might try it, certainly,' said Hilda indifferently,
though there was laughter in her eyes. ' Your teeth have
not suffered from the habit of cleaning them, I imagine,'
she added.
' I believe not,' replied Walter gravely. ' Perhaps,' he
continued hesitatingly, * you would take me with you to
Abbotsbridge sometimes ? '
CASTING OF NETS 217
The smile died out of Hilda's eyes, and an uneasy
expression came into them.
'I do not intend to go to church at Abbotsbridge any
more,' she answered. * I shall go into Trentford instead/
' Take me to Trentford, then.'
Hilda looked at him.
'No, Walter, I will not,' she said decidedly. 'You
have your own church here, and it is much better for
all the people about that you should attend it. If you
came with me, everybody would say that I was trying to
convert you.*
' And would they not be right ? '
'No, they would not ! you know that they would not,
Walter. Shall I tell you something ? ' she added. ' I
used to think how thankful and happy I should be if I
could be the means of influencing you, and of making
you become a Catholic'
She paused for a moment and looked at her husband
earnestly.
' And now ? ' he asked gently
' Now,' replied Hilda, ' I have learned to hate the w^ord
" influence." I do not think that you will ever become a
Catholic ; but if you do, it shall be through no influence
of mine.'
Walter looked at her in surprise.
' Who else should influence me ? '
'God.'
' Everything is put upon God's shoulders,' answered
Walter.
' Yes, T know,' returned Hilda hurriedly ; ' that is what
is so canting ; but I mean God's influence really, not the
2i8 CASTING OF NETS
human influence working for human motives which is
hypocritically attributed to Him in order to conceal its
true nature. That is why I have learned to hate the
word as applied to conversions. It means the discover-
ing of a weak place in the character of the convert, and
playing upon that weakness in the name of God for mo-
tives with which God has nothing to do.'
* And you would not play upon my weak point ? ' said
Walter Redman, smiling.
' Your weak point ! ' repeated Hilda. ' I do not
know '
' Dear,' he interrupted softly, ' I think that you know
very well.'
Hilda was silent for a moment.
' And if I do,' she said presently, ^ I am all the more
determined never to attempt to influence your religious
opinions. If God wants you to be a Catholic, Walter,
you will be one without any human interference.'
' What would Lady Merton say to such a sentiment ? '
'Oh,' replied Hilda, 'you know what she would say;
but you must remember that she considers herself to have
an especial calling to make converts. You must not think
that we are all like my grandmother.'
' I assure you that I do not ! ' answered Walter, smil-
ing a little at his wife's eaojerness. ' I think the mania
for convert-making is almost a peculiarity of you English
Catholics, and no doubt it is very natural that it should
be so. I have known plenty of foreign Catholics, but I
have not found this mania among them. In England
I have noticed that it exists chiefly among the elderly
women and the priests, and the young men who have
CASTING OF NETS 219
been converted themselves. I have always regarded it
as another example of the egoism of religion.'
' And why so ? ' asked Hilda.
Lord Redman shrugged his shoulders.
' You know the fable of the fox who lost his brush/ he
replied. ^ When a person is converted to another religion,
he has to try his best not to be thought a fool by his former
co-religionists, and the latter are annoyed with him be-
cause it is evident that he considers them to be fools.*
Hilda laughed. Since she and her husband had dis-
cussed such topics together she had become accustomed
to his satirical remarks. It was not to be w^ondered at,
she thought, if strangers and casual acquaintances regarded
him as a sceptic in matters of religious faith.
'At any rate you can't think me a fool, Walter,' she
observed quietly.
AValter Redman glanced at her appreciatively. It was
satisfactory to live with a woman who had a sense of
humour.
'You are not a convert,' he replied, lighting a cigarette.
' Then you will not take me to church with you at Trent-
ford?' he added.
'No,' replied Hilda, smiling, 'I will not. Do you
think it very odd of me? I should be very thankful if
you and I w^ere both of the same faith ; but I do not
want you to become a Catholic from any other motive than
a genuine convection of the truth of Catholicism. Do you
know what the one question is which I have invariably
heard asked about a convert? "Who has converted
him ? " I have always noticed that the answer is never
that which it surely ought to be. It is never "God."'
220 CASTING OF NETS
There was no levity in Walter Redman's glance, or in
the tone of his voice as he answered her.
' What has made you think of these things ? ' he said.
*I have had plenty of time for thinking lately,'
replied Hilda; ^and if you were ever to become a
Catholic, I should like the reply to the question which
would inevitably be asked as to who converted you to
be "God." I would not have it be "His wife," or
"Father Somebody.'"
*But, Hilda, God is supposed to work through
intermediaries ! '
Hilda Redman made a little gesture of impatience.
^ Yes,' she answered, and there was a ring of contempt
in her voice which Walter had never heard before. ' It
is a very convenient means of trading upon the supersti-
tions of those who believe in Him. I might persuade
myself, as others have left no methods untried to persuade
me, that God willed me to convert you to Catholicism,
and it is barely conceivable that I might succeed in doing
so. But it would all be a lie, my action, your conversion
— all. I wonder how much of our longing that those
about us should be of the same religion as ourselves is
due to the fact that our vanity is offended because they
differ from us?'
^That is probably at the basis of most dogmatic
religion,' said Walter. ^Does it make so much differ-
ence to you that I am not a Catholic?' he continued,
looking at his wife steadily.
'It does not offend my vanity, if you mean that,'
replied Hilda, with a slight smile. 'I wish you were
one, because I hate to feel that there is anything which
CASTING OF NETS 221
divides us from each other, and if it is all true — if it is
all true ' she repeated, and then she hesitated and
stopped.
Walter Redman sat and watched her in silence. He
would not tell her that to him it was all theory, this
mighty fabric which theology had built upon the primitive
superstitions of mankind ; this fetish which the priests
and the churches had set up in the place of that true
God who, dwelling in the midst of His creatures, needed
no priest or temple from whence to speak to those who
knew where to search for Him, and how to read His
gospel in the writings traced by His own hand in the
woodlands and the waters, and in all the moving pageantry
ofUfe.
CHAPTER XV
THE autumn passed pleasantly enougli at Abbots-
bury. A succession of visitors filled the house
throughout November and December, and the Christmas
festivities of the preceding year had been repeated ac-
cording to the old traditions of the place. The gathering
at the Hall, however, during Christmastide had not been
so much of a family function as that of the year before.
The Cawardens were keeping Christmas at their own
place in Lancashire, and Lady Merton was in Rome.
There were various members of the Redman family, and
the remainder of the party consisted of old friends, of
whom Mr. Shirley was one.
Hilda had been strongly advised by her doctor to go
abroad immediately after Christmas. Though she had
recovered satisfactorily, the climate of the Trent Valley
in winter and early spring, with its damp, cold fogs, or
keen easterly winds, was not all that could be desired
for one who had recently been through a severe illness.
The difficulty had been to decide where she and Walter
should go. Hilda declared that she would not go to the
Riviera. She had been several times to Cannes and
Mentone when she was a girl, and had cordially disliked
them, and Walter shared her dislike both of the places
and of the life led in them.
CASTING OF NETS 223
The most interesting place that year within a reason-
able distance of England seemed to be Rome. Lady
JMerton had written to her daughter glowing descriptions
of the impressive scenes to be witnessed in the Eternal
City in consequence of the solemnities of the Anno Santo,
and Lady Gwendolen had duly passed them on to Hilda ;
for since Lady Redman's illness her grandmother had
corresponded with the latter far less frequently, and her
letters were marked by a tone of decided disapproval
and almost of coldness.
Hilda had never been to Rome, and the idea of visiting
it for the first time during a Jubilee year appealed to her.
Though she scarcely confessed as much to herself, she
cherished some latent hope that a spring spent at Rome
at a moment when the Church was celebrating some of
its most imposing functions might serve as an object-
lesson to Walter, and might help to awaken in him a
sense of the universal power and influence of Catholicism.
The suggestion that they should spend two or three
months at Rome had originated with Lady Gwendolen,
and when Lord Redman saw that his wife was evidently
pleased with the idea, he had at once agreed to it. In-
deed, Walter Redman was thankful that the Riviera was
not to be his fate for the spring. He knew Rome fairly
well, and was fond of it — as who is not who really knows
Rome ?
The matter was not finally settled until shortly before
Christmas, and when Mr. Shirley heard where Lord and
Lady Redman were thinking of going for the spring, he
manifested some surprise. He had heard from Walter
of the circumstances which had attended Hilda's illness,
224 CASTING OF NETS
and whence the direct cause of her premature confine-
ment had proceeded.
' I think Rome is as good a place as any other to spend
a few weeks in, and my wife has never been there/ Walter
said, when discussing his plans with Mr. Shirley, as they
were walking together one foggy afternoon at Abbots-
bm-y, in a wooded part of the grounds known as the
Groves.
Mr. Shirley paused and poked a piece of paper into
the damp soil with the point of his walking-stick.
' I cannot bear seeing bits of paper lying about ; it is
one of my eccentricities,' he said, smiling.
' It is probably a love-letter of one of the under-garden-
ers,' remarked Walter. ' But what do you think of our
Roman scheme ? ' he added after his companion had com-
pleted the operation to his satisfaction, and had carefully
smoothed the surface of the soil which covered the offend-
ing object.
'I think,' replied Mr. Shirley, 'that you are a very
bold man. You are taking your wife to a place where
she will immediately be surrounded by people of the Lady
Merton type. It is a species which flourishes exceedingly
at Rome — in the English society, I mean — and in that
Black world to which piety, real or assumed, is an en-
trance ticket. I am afraid that they will surround Lady
Redman like flies.'
Walter Redman laughed.
'I have seen the sort of thing,' he said. 'It is very
amusing: to watch for a short time. I don't think, Ned,
that it will be bad for Hilda to see it also. She can take
care of herself now, I fancy.'
CASTING OF NETS 225
Mr. Shirley luukcd at him with .sonic curiosity.
* Do you inciui to go to lloiue as au experiment ? ' he
asked dryly.
'No,' said Walter simply. 'I have never thought of
it in that light. There is nothing to experimentalize
about, I am glad to say. Hilda and I understand one
another perfectly, and there is now no fear of mischief
being made between us by our pious friends.'
' Well/ said ]Mr. Shirley, ^ whether you intend it to
be so, or not, I still regard your taking Lady Redman
to Rome in the light of an experiment. One thing is
certain : nobody — no thinking person, that is — can go to
Rome for the first time and leave it in the same state of
mind as that in which they came to it. I am speaking,
of course, of its effect upon religious thought.'
^You must remember that it is her Mecca,' replied
Walter Redman. ^It is natural that she should wish
to go there this year, which, as I understand, is par-
ticularly holy.'
Mr. Shirley's lips curled slightly. He knew the true
history and origin of Papal Jubilees.
* Of course,' he said quietly ; ' but I was not thinking
so much of Lady Redman as of yourself, Walter.'
^ And why of me ? Rome is not my Mecca, and I
am not going to it for the first time ! '
'In a sense you are going to it for the first time,'
said Mr. Sliirley ; * for, on your former visits there, you
were merely a spectator, looking on at a remarkable
psychological phenomenon in which you had no personal
concern beyond that prompted by curiosity.'
' Do you call the Church of Rome a psychological
15
226 CASTING OF NETS
phenomenon?' asked Walter, laughing. 'That is a
very characteristic remark of yours, Ned I'
' Certainly I do,' answered Mr. Shirley. ' It is that
which causes its study to be one of almost inexhaustible
interest ; and nowhere can it be studied to more advan-
tage than at its centre.'
*But I have little more personal concern in it now
than I had formerly,' said Walter.
' Have you not ? If that child had been born alive,
you would already have begun to think differently.
This is why I cannot help wondering what the result of
your visit to Rome will be. Lady Redman is hardly
likely to be disillusionized by what she will see there —
and you have no illusions.'
' And therefore we shall both return in the same frame
of mind as we went.'
Mr. Shirley shook his head.
* I do not think that you will,' he replied, ' whatever
may be the case with your wife. I am afraid,' he con-
tinued, ' that Lady Redman will naturally fall into the Eng-
lish Catholic set in Rome. It will be very difficult for her
not to do so. Have you considered this contingency ? '
'Yes,' answered Lord Redman; 'we have both con-
sidered it — Hilda not less so than myself. I am more
bored than alarmed at the prospect.'
Mr. Shirley chuckled.
' That I can well understand,* he said ; ' I have studied
that society myself. At first it is interesting, if only on
account of the novelty of finding one's self among a set of
one's fellow-creatures who have lost both the power of
reasoning and the sense of humour. They are forbidden
CASTING OF NETS 227
to exercise the former, even if tliey possess it. The dan-
ger to Lady Redman will be that the old ladies, and the
priests who go to tea with them, will attempt to renew
their endeavours to oblige your wife to convert you, which
have already nearly led to such disastrous consequences.'
' I am happy to say,' replied Walter, * that my wife
has shown signs of being determined to exercise her
reason ; and she has no lack of the sense of humour.
I feel no uneasiness as to her again allowing her re-
ligious feelings to be worked upon. She seems to me
to have drawn a very distinct line in her own mind
between religion and religious people. I think that she
will defend herself against any further attempts of these
last to interfere with her. But you say that you are
more inclined to think of some mysterious danger to me
as resulting from our expedition to Rome. I really can't
see where I come in, Ned.'
Mr. Shirley smiled.
' Perhaps you won't come in,' he replied. ^ It will very
much depend upon the effect which Rome produces upon
you, under the present circumstance of your life, whether
you do or don't. In one thing, however, I may advise you
for your future happiness and peace of mind : Do your
best to show your wife the other side of the picture at
Rome. Do not let her imaorine that what she is allowed
to see, and hear, and know, by Lady Merton and her en-
tourage, is the real Rome. The priests play with these
pious old ladies and weak-minded men as cats play with
mice. Most of them are honest, and believe all they are
told. A certain number are not so, and are advertising
their piety merely as a means of getting into society. Thg
228 CASTING OF NETS
latter peculiarity, I have always thought, is oue of the
most amusing features of Roman life. There are men and
women who get up very early every morning and go to
Mass, in order that they may sit up very late in the evening
and be seen in the exclusive Black houses. You do not
understand ? Ah, well, you will do so if you watch a few
social careers in Rome — among our English compatriots,
I mean ; no other nationality exploits the next world in
order to obtain social successes in this. No ! I advise
you both to watch the show as you would watcli any
other comedy — for a good deal of amusement and a little
instruction. After all, from the Pope on the Sedia Gesta-
toria blessing the crowd in St. Peter's to the monsignori
at Lady Merton's parties, from the miraculous Madonnas
in the churches to the Venuses in the museums, from the
Christs and St. Sebastians to the Apollos and the Adonises,
all Rome is a puppet-show, and the only things which have
been altered by Roman Christianity are the names of the
puppets.'
Lord Redman looked at his companion with an amused
expression. He enjoyed drawing Mr. Shirley out upon his
favourite theories.
* Then Roman Catholicism '
^ Is an adapted form of Grseco-Roman paganism, with a
dash of Egyptian cult thrown in.'
' And the result is ? '
' Lady Merton ! ' said Mr. Shirley dryly.
Walter Redman burst into a shout of laughter.
' You would be a most useful guide in Rome, Ned,' he
exclaimed. ' I think you had better come with us, only
your sentiments would horrify my wife.'
CASTING OF NETS 229
Mr. Shirley smiled again.
*I keep my pagan sentiments for your old oak-trees,' he
said, looking round the groves. 'They understand.'
Walter looked at him quiekly.
' I never know how far to take you seriously,' he said.
* Is there uo such thing as truth for you anywhere in the
world?'
* Wherever the Breath of Life is, there is Truth ! ' replied
My. Shirley, and the sarcasm of his manner vanished as he
spoke ; ' but the special location of Truth is the greatest
of all lies. That is the lie common to Christianity, and
which, in the Roman Church, reaches the depths of igno-
rant blasphemy. But, even so, Truth exists in Christianity,
as it exists wherever created matter follows the Supreme
Will and shapes its course to the Divine Ends. There is
onlv one thins: in this world which has been able to con-
found Truth, and that is Fear. It is Fear which makes
men seek to locate Truth — human fear and distrust of
God, and it is upon these that the churches and the
priests thrive and multiply. Do you know many people
in Rome ? ' added Mr. Shirley somewhat abruptly.
* Hardly anyone,' replied Walter, * except a few Romans
whom I have met over here. I know the Brancaleones,
of course, and one or two others who come to England,
but I don't think that Hilda knows anybody there.'
' Oh, the Brancaleones ! ' said Mr. Shirley. ' They have
a pleasant house. You will not meet the convert element
in Princess Brancaleone's drawing-rooms. I should like
to give you a letter of introduction to a very old friend of
mine in Rome. He is a man in whom you and Lady Red-
man would be interested.'
230 CASTING OF NETS
* Do, by all means/ replied Walter. ' What is his line
— literary, scientific? His ideas won't shock Hilda, I
hope ! '
* He is a priest/ replied Mr. Shirley.
^ A priest ! and a friend of yours ? '
'And why not? I have several friends among the
Roman Catholic clergy, both in Italy and in France. Does
the fact surprise you so much ? '
^ Well, yes, my dear fellow, it does.'
* I cannot see why it should. I don't agree with them,
but I respect and admire them. They are rare of their
kind, that I grant you; but, being so, they are all the
more valuable. This particular priest, whose acquaintance
I should like you to make, is a certain Monsignor Martini.
He is a Roman, but he has travelled much, and is an ex-
tremely enlightened and cultivated man. You are very
likely to meet him if you go to the Brancaleones' ; he is a
great favourite of theirs. But if you care to take a letter
to him from me, I think he would be useful to you. He
will make you and Lady Redman acquainted with some
of the most interesting people, lay and ecclesiastical, of the
city — people you would rarely meet in ordinary society,
and never in the houses frequented by Lady IMerton's
clique'
'■ I should like very much to have a letter to him,' said
Walter; ^but I hope he talks something else besides
Italian, for Hilda does not know the language.'
^ Martini is supposed to know fourteen languages,' an-
swered ]Mr. Shirley, ^ and to talk them all well. If he talks
the remaining thirteen as well as he talks English, I envy
him his talent as a linguist. He has been a great deal in
CASTING OF NETS 231
Englaiul, aiul you will find liiiii perfectly well inforiiied on
all our peculiarities, religious and otherwise.'
*Is he at the Vaticau? ' inquired Walter.
*Not now. He used to be. I forget in what capacity.
At present he is not at all well looked u})on by the author-
ities, on account of his liberal and conciliatory utterances
and writings. lie is a Rosniinian, and is not, therefore,
tolerated by the reactionary and ultramontane wire-pullers
who stand behind the Pope. He is obliged to keep very
quiet, lest he should have an attack of pneumonia.'
' Pneumonia ! '
* Pobnonite, it is called in Rome. It is very fatal in
that climate, especially to would-be religious reformers,'
said Mr. Shirley dryly. ^ Martini, I conclude, does not
want to share the fate of his hero, Rosmini. He keeps
himself very carefully in the background so long as the
Jesuits rule through Leo XIII. But to those with whom
he feels it is safe to do so, he will talk freely, and I have
spent many delightful hours in his company, and in that
of some of his friends to w^hom he has introduced me.'
' I hope you will come to Rome yourself, Ned, while
we are there,' said Walter Redman.
* Perhaps I may get there,' replied Mr. Shirley. * Are
you going to a hotel ? '
' No ; Hilda thinks it would be tiresome. We mean
to stay three months between Rome and Naples, so
we are going to take an apartment and bring some of
our own servants out with us. I have no doubt we
could give you a room if you came,' he added.
Mr. Shirley laughed.
' What would Lady Redman's family say if she extended
232 CASTING OF NETS
her hospitality in Rome to such a heretic as myself ? ' he
replied. * No, Walter ; many thanks, all the same, but
you would more than ever be supposed to be trying to
pervert your wife from Catholicism by exposing her to
my pernicious influence. I shall be extremely curious
to see the result of your experiment. I insist upon call-
ing it an experiment, though you decline to see it in that
light.'
They turned into a broad gravel walk which led down
a gentle slope, at the foot of which stood the gray, battle-
mented old hall. The faint, red rays of the winter sunset
glanced on the mullioned windows. The foggy air had
cleared as evening approached, and a procession of rooks
was streaming across a primrose-coloured sky, on their
way to their homes in the ancient rookeries of Redman's
Cross. The harsh crow of cock pheasants challenging
each other before going to roost, and blackbirds chatter-
ing excitedly in the clumps of rhododendrons, alone broke
the silence after Mr. Shirley's last remark. The latter
glanced at Lord Redman, and then his gaze wandered
to the picturesque old pile of buildings below them.
They passed through the great gateway into the court-
yard, and thence into the entrance-hall, with its trophies
of armour and windows of painted glass.
^ I wonder very much,' he said to himself, as a footman
took his hat and walking-stick from him and helped him
off with his overcoat, ^ what the result of the experiment
will be ! '
CHAPTER XVI
LADY MERTON hud received the intelligence that
Hilda and her liusband were coming to Rome for
the remainder of the winter and spring with great satis-
faction. She had been not a little mortified at the failure
of her attempts to arouse in her grand-daughter a proper
sense of her duties towards the Church, but she consoled
herself with the reflection that at Rome she would
have greater focilities for bringing both Hilda and Lord
Redman under the influence of the outward pomp and
circumstance of Catholicism by which she herself was
so much fascinated and impressed. She would be able,
moreover, to surround them with an atmosphere of what
she and her friend Mrs. St. Leger described as ' Catholic
piety/ and with this object in view she had already
told all her more intimate acquaintances in the Black
world that Lord and Lady Redman were about to arrive,
and had given them to understand that great advantages
to the cause of Catholicism in England were likely to be
the result of the \isit of so rich and influential a peer
as Lord Redman to the Eternal City during the Holy
Year of Jubilee.
Notwithstanding her recent experiences, she did not
hesitate to represent Lord Redman to her friends in
Rome as she had represented him to those in England
234 CASTING OF NETS
who had been disi:)osed to object to Miss Cawarden's
engagement to him on the score of his Protestantism.
It was not difficult to arouse the curiosity and interest of
her Roman friends regarding the Redmans, and in this
Lady Merton was ably seconded by Mrs. St. Leger.
The latter was barely acquainted with Hilda, whom
she had only seen before her marriage, and Lord Red-
man she had never seen at all. Her ideas concerning
him were entirely derived from all that she had heard
from Lady Merton and from his cousin, Mary Russell.
The conversation in the Via Gregoriana, w^here I^ady
Merton and Mrs. St. Leger were installed in the apart-
ment which the former usually rented when she came
to Rome, had frequently turned upon the Redmans,
and Lady Merton would draw vi\4d word-pictures to
sympathizing ladies and ecclesiastics of the anguish of
mind which her grand-daughter was undergoing on ac-
count of her husband's reluctance to take the final step
and join the Church.
'There can be no doubt,' she said, 'that this deter-
mination to come to Rome is a direct answer to our
prayers that Lord Redman may be brought nearer to the
Church. His wife is terribly anxious that all he sees
and hears while here should make a good impression
upon him. Her letters to me are really quite touching,
poor thing!'
Lady Merton had been giving one of her periodical
luncheon parties, and her guests were sitting in the
drawing-room afterwards discussing their coffee and their
acquaintances.
'It is so fortunate that they will see Rome under
CASTING OF NETS 23s
your auspices, my dear Lady Merton/ said Madame de
Hoheuthal. 'As your dear Queeu used to say to me,
it makes such a difference how and with whom one sees
Rome.'
* I did not know that the Queen luid ever been here/
said a young Englishman who was one of tlie party. He
had but recently come to Rome, and was not aware of
Madame de Ilohenthal's peculiarities.
'Ah, well, monsieur, perhaps it was not your Queen.
No, now I think of it, it was the Princess of Wales. One
gets confused, you know. During my official life in your
country I was so intimate with your royalties.'
' Oh; said Lady Merton, ' as to that, of course I shall
do my best to insure that they shall see Rome properly ;
not the Rome of these miserable Italians, but our Rome,
you know. They could not come at a better moment.
Nobody could fail to be impressed by the scenes of en-
thusiasm and devotion which we daily see around us in
this wonderful year.'
'I quite agree wdth you, Lady Merton,' observed an
English monsignore, taking a liberal pinch of snuff as he
spoke. ' This year Rome belongs to the pilgrims, not to
the tourists. It is a wonderful sight, a marvellous proof
of the power of the Church to draw her children from all
quarters of the globe. I hear that the Protestants are
very much impressed, and no doubt Lord Redman will
be so. He is a clever man, you say ? '
'Yes,' answered Lady Merton, 'he is clever, but oh,
so helpless ! blown about by every wind of doctrine, poor
fellow ! Like all Protestants, he lacks the stability which
only reliance on the authority of the true Church can give.*
236 CASTING OF NETS
' If he is a clever man/ said Monsignor Chester, blow-
ing his nose loudly with a coloured silk pocket-handker-
chief, * he cannot fail to be struck with the proofs of the
Church's authority which he will see all around him in
Rome. Of course you will take steps to procure him and
Lady Redman an audience of the Holy Father ? '
' Most certainly ! ' replied Lady Merton. ^ I have al-
ready told the Maestro di Camera all about them both,
and he has promised me to arrange that matter. I am
most anxious that it should be fully understood at the
Vatican how much the conversion of a man like Lord
Redman would mean for our cause in England.'
' Yes,' said Monsignor Chester bluntly ; ' English people
like lords.*
' The influence of a prominent man like Lord Red-
man on the masses is naturally considerable,' said Mrs.
St. Leger; Miis conversion would be followed by many
others.'
' And his own soul,' said Madame de Hohenthal.
^ Think of the joy it will be to dear Lady Merton to
know that she has been the means of bringing salvation
to this gentleman, Lord — Redman — is it not ? '
' Oh, yes, his soul — yes, of course,' replied Lady
Merton, a little absently.
'Ah, madame,' said Mrs. St. Leger to Madame de
Hohenthal, ' Lady Merton's object is so wide, so far-
reaching. She is thinking of the good of our holy
religion in a schismatic country. The salvation of an
individual soul is important enough, of course. But
when, as in the case of Lord Redman, a conversion im-
plies the setting of an example which is sure to give
CASTING OF NETS 237
confidence to other doubting souls, and so enable them
to imitate it, it becomes doubly important. The influence
of the nobility is so great in England.'
Lady Merton coughed. Her converts were a little
trying to her occasionally ; for, though she was largely
surrounded by people of Mrs. St. Leger's class, whose
piety was more apparent than their good breeding, she
was what she looked, a well-born woman of the world.
When her friend Mrs. St. Leger talked of the ' aristocracy '
or, as she frequently did, with bated breath, of the ^ Ro-
man nobility,' Lady Merton felt uncomfortable and would
try to turn the conversation.
^ They will be here by the end of the week,' she said.
* My grand-daughter writes to me that she feels so thank-
ful to think her prayers have, so far, been answered, and
that she has been able to prevail upon her husband to
come to Rome during this Holy Year. Of course he
has been here before, but simply e7i tourist, and before
the days when he had any leanings towards the Church.'
' I have heard Lord Redman spoken of as being an
absolute sceptic/ observed Mousignor Chester. ' I am
surprised to hear you say that he has any leanings
towards Catholicism.'
Lady Merton glanced at Mrs. St. Leger, and then
smiled indulgently.
' People always exaggerate things,' she replied ; ' so
many very young men profess religious scepticism. They
imagine that by doing so they will be considered inter-
esting. I believe that at one time Walter Redman was
really what is called a free-thinker, and that it was not
a youthful j^ose on his part. He was a decidedly clever
238 CASTING OF NETS
young man, and no doubt fell into bad hands at one of
those horrid Protestant universities — Cambridge, I think
it was — where nothing is allowed to be true unless it
agrees with the latest scientific fad. By degrees, how-
ever, his common-sense has asserted itself, and he has
emancipated himself to a great extent from his earlier
ideas. Of course, there still remain old prejudices to
be overcome, and, I regret to say, he still keeps up his
intercourse with some of his University friends, whose
influence is probably holding him back. His marriage
with my grand-daughter has, naturally, brought him into
closer contact with Catholicism, and we are convinced
that he is gradually becoming more and more attracted
towards the Church.'
^ Mixed marriages are a great mistake,' remarked Mon-
signor Chester, fumbling in his pocket for his snuff'-box.
Lady Merton looked annoyed for an instant. Mon-
signor Chester possessed the knack — a very uncommon
one with Roman ecclesiastics — of invariably saying the
wrong thing at the wrong moment. He was a convert
himself, and had been an Anglican clergyman of pro-
nounced High Church views. The garb of the Roman
priest, however, had never been able to conceal the
parsonic manner, while, owing, no doubt, to his English
and Protestant training and education, he had never
been able to acquire the suave and polished address
usual among the higher grades of the clergy of his
newly-adopted creed.
^My grand-daughter's marriage was one of affection,*
said Lady Merton. ' We were all very much opposed
to it, and it was the first time that one of the Cawarden
CASTING OF NETS 239
family had ever married a Protestant. Lord Redman's
evident interest in the Clmreh, liowever, caused my
daughter to feel that she might be interfering with the
ways of Almighty God were slie to persist in her refusal
to allow it. I must say that, personally, I always con-
sidered the engagement to be an unfortunate one ; but
my advice was not listened to.'
Madame do Ilohenthal leaned forward in her chair
with some eagerness.
'Ah!' she exclaimed, ' th<7 are not happy together?
He does not treat her well, no doubt. I suppose that
she is persecuted on account of her religion ! '
Lady Merton hesitated for a moment before replying.
Madame de Hohenthal's tongue had caused mischief in
more than one European capital where her late husband
had represented his Government diplomatically ; and she
had not laid aside with her Protestantism her capacity
for damaging the reputations of her acquaintances. In-
deed, the air of Rome being unusually favourable to the
development of such a capacity, many little stories were
conceived and born in Madame de Hohenthal's sitting-
room at the little hotel wiiich she patronized during her
winter residenje in the Eternal City.
'It would be too strong a thing to assert that they
are not happy together,' said Lady Merton after a pause.
' As I say, the man-iage was one of affection,' she added,
markinjr the tense of the latter verb with the faintest
possible inflexion. ' Monsignor Chester is quite right,'
she continued, with a little sigh, 'when he says that
mixed marriages are a mistake. My grand-daughter
cannot, of course, be as happy as we should wish to see
240 CASTING OF NETS
her, when she knows that her husband is surrounded by
friends and relations who are striving to counteract her
influence over him.'
' Poor Lady Redman ! ' murmured Madame de Hohen-
thal, whose face had assumed an expression of keen
interest while Lady Merton was speaking. ^I can sym-
pathize with her so well. Ah! they are such bigoted
people, those Protestants! I remember what it was
when I became a Catholic. How happy I am to think
that they are coming to Rome! Here we shall have
them in our charge, dear Lady Merton. We will take
care that Lord Redman falls into good hands, will we
not, Mrs. St. Leger?'
'Yes, indeed!' said the latter. 'We may hope that
the society in which Lord and Lady Redman will find
themselves will have its good influence on the former.
To be in the midst of good Catholic society '
'They know very few people here, I conclude?'
interrupted Monsignor Chester — ' among the Romans,
I mean.'
'Very few, I think,' replied Lady Merton. 'I met
that odious woman Princess Brancaleone the other day
at a tea, and she told me that Lord Redman was a friend
of hers, and that she was delighted to hear he was
coming, and hoped to make the acquaintance of his wife.
It is so disagreeable meeting those Quirinal people,' she
added, 'but I could not avoid her. She came up and
spoke to me.'
Madame de Hohenthal held up her hands in horror.
'Princess Brancaleone!' she exclaimed. 'Oh, my
dear Lady Merton, you nuist not let them go to the
CASTING OF NETS 241
Talazzo IMontclupi ! She is a horrid woman! There
are all sorts of stories about licr first marriage, you
know, and how she got her money. They will meet
all the canaille of the White party there, and — oh, no,
it is certainly not the house for a respectable young
married woman to go to, is it, Mousiguore ? ' she added,
appealing to Monsignor Chester.
'Certainly not,' said the latter in his most abrupt
manner ; ' they are a most mischievous couple, the young
Prince and Princess Brancalcone. They are Liberals ! '
he concluded, getting rather red, and wiping his brow
with his pocket-handkerchief.
' They say that he is secretly a Freemason,' said Madame
de Hohenthal.
Mrs. St. Leger made the sign of the cross.
*T shall certainly warn my grand-daughter to have
nothing to do with Princess Brancalcone," said Lady
]\Ierton. ' I trust that she will prevent her husband from
going to the Palazzo Montelupi.'
When she and Mrs. St. Leger were left alone together,
the latter ventured to remark that Madame de Hohenthal
would certainly spread about a report that Lord and Lady
Redman did not get on well with each other.
' I dare say she will,' replied Lady ^lerton. ' Poor dear
INIadame de Hohenthal's tongue runs away with her some-
times. It will do no harm if she does invent some story
about them ; and if it should come to Lord Redman's ears,
it may make him realize wliat is thought of his conduct in
trying to separate his \vife from those of her own faith.'
Mrs. St. Leger was silent. She had a profound rever-
ence for Lady Mcrton as one who had been the means of
16
242 CASTING OF NETS
converting many souls to the Church ; and however much
she might be aware of the inaccuracy of her statements
regarding the condition of things between her grand-
daughter and Lord Redman, she was quite convinced in
her own mind that, where the making of converts or the
advancement of the interests of the Church was concerned,
all methods were lawful.
CHAPTER XVII
THROUGH the good offices of a friend in the English
Embassy, Walter Redman had secured the lease
of a villa situated in the modern quarter of Rome for the
winter and spring months.
It was tenanted by a diplomatic couple who were away
on leave, and as both Lord Redman and Hilda disliked the
idea of hotel life for so many weeks, they had considered
themselves fortunate to find a comfortably furnished house
which would hold themselves and their servants, and in
which they could feel independent of the tourists who
were crowding the hotels out of curiosity to witness the
medieval ceremonies of the Anno Santo.
The impression left upon Hilda's mind by the first few
days after her arrival in Rome was one of complete be-
wilderment. The place seemed so small, and yet so full
of vast and varied interests, that it appeared to be well-
nigh hopeless to decide as to how to commence the process
which she felt could only be described as one of disen-
tanglement.
For the first day or two it was occupation enough to
drive about the city and watch the various nationalities
with which the streets were thronged. Rome that year
seemed to be indeed the mother of the world, and the
mixtures of races to be seen jostling each other in the
244 CASTING OF NETS
Corso, or watching the sunset from the Pincio, could only
be equalled by the coming and going of the peoples of the
earth crossing the Golden Horn by the famous bridge of
Galata.
As a matter of course the first building that Hilda
visited was St. Peter's. She and Walter drove down to
the great basilica on the morning after their arrival. As
they pushed aside the heavy leathern curtains — the
' squash-babies ' of the Romans — and entered the church,
her first impression had been one of awed admiration.
She had heard that the first glimpse of St. Peter's pro-
voked disappointment, that its immense size was not
realized except upon better acquaintance with the mighty
fabric.
To Hilda, on the contrary, the imposing dimensions of
the church seemed at once to seize hold of her imagination,
and to keep it spell-bound. She almost wished afterwards
that she had turned and left the building when that one
first sense of bewildered admiration was fresh in her
mind.
The vast expanse of marble pavement was dotted over
with ever-moving groups of human beings, the sound of
whose footsteps was as the sound of the sea in her ears.
Broad rays of sunlight were streaming down through
the square windows of the cupola, flashing upon the
golden lamps burning round the confessional of the
Apostles, and falling here and there upon the violet
robes of some ecclesiastic as he passed to or from the
sacristy, and made his genuflection before the sacred tomb
or opposite the great gates which guard the altar of the
Sacrament.
CASTING OF NETS 245
Faintly, as though echoed from the threshold of another
world, the sounds of chanting fell upon her ears, voices of
invisible singers, now swelling into harmony, now soaring
aloft in the rich, full notes of a single soprano, the
strains of which seemed to tremble and then dissolve into
the majestic space of the great dome above.
Walter Redman, standing by his wife's side, watched
the varying expressions of her face.
' You are not disappointed ? ' he asked.
Hilda drew a long breath.
* Disappointed ! No,' she replied. * It is glorious,
Walter. Were you not impressed the first time you came
into St. Peter's ? '
* Yes,' he said, * I think that I felt as you are feeling
now.'
They walked slowly up the nave of the church together,
and the sound of the chanting in the chapel on the left
sounded ever louder and more triumphant. High Mass
was being celebrated. 'Et credo in Unam Sanctam
Catholicam et Apostolicam Ecclesiam ! ' The words of the
creed rang out clearly, almost defiantly, as Hilda and her
husband paused opposite the open gates of the chapel. A
dense crowd was around them. Some few, the oldest and
the poorest, were kneeling on the marble pavement, their
lips moving in prayer, and a look of rapt devotion on
their faces. The majority were whispering and laughing
together, nudging each other to look at some peculiarity
of the ritual, or standing on camp-stools in order to get a
better view.
* Come away from these people,' said Hilda, in an under-
tone, surveying them with a look of mingled surprise and
246 CASTING OF NETS
disgust. * Let us try to get inside the chapel/ she added ;
^ it will bo better there/
It was no very easy matter to push their way gradually
through the throng, and by the time they found them-
selves within the chapel, the choir in the gallery above
burst forth with the opening strains of the Sanctus,
Clouds of incense rose and hung, blue and wavering in
the sunbeams ; the acolytes and officiating priests grouped
themselves in front of the altar, preparatory to the conse-
cration of the elements and the elevation of the Host.
Hilda's eyes wandered round the chapel, and rested
upon the rows of ecclesiastics seated in the stalls on
each side of the altar, with their purple cassocks and
the fur capes on their shoulders. A stir and rustle in
the crowd around her betokened the approach of the
solemn moments of the Elevation, but the look of bored
indifference on the faces of the Canons of St. Peter's gave
place to no expression of reverence. Hilda noticed, with
the same sense of astonishment and distaste which she
had experienced at the behaviour of the sightseers in the
nave of the church, that some of the richly robed digni-
taries were half asleep, others were taking snuff or whis-
pering to one another, while on the countenances of all,
with one or two exceptions, was written the weariness
produced by a tiresome routine, and on some, she could
not help thinking, an impatient incredulity.
After the Elevation, Hilda and her husband made an
attempt to leave the chapel, but the crowd had by this
time closed up all means of exit, and they were obliged
to await the conclusion of the Mass.
As the ecclesiastics left, the crowd parted to allow
CASTING OF NETS 247
them to pass through it. As they came by, not in
orderly procession, but shuiiiing carelessly one after the
other, Hilda could not help scanning their faces. It
was with au undefined feeling of repulsion that she gazed
upon the heavy, sensual countenances, the unpleasant-
looking mouths, and the furtive, restless eyes which were
the distinguishing features of the majority.
It was with a little sigh of relief that she found herself
once more in the broad, open space of the nave. She
leaned for a while against one of the pillars, and allowed
her gaze to wander round the great temple. As she
looked, she became conscious that the first impressions
which she had received on entering the building had
become less intense. Perhaps her eyes had grown ac-
customed to the vastuess around her. It was certain
that she felt no longer the same sensation of awe and
admiration which had laid hold of her with such force at
the moment of her passing the portals of the basilica.
The scene at the High Mass had jarred upon her. It
had seemed to strike a false note on what should be one
complete harmony of religious feeling. Hilda was glad
that her husband had made no remark to her as they
left the chapel. She wondered whether he, also, had
noticed the carelessness and want of reverence durincr the
Mass.
But Walter said nothing. He stood by her side and
watched with quiet attention the groups of people pass-
ing up and down the nave.
Presently they moved onwards towards the Confes-
sional, and here Walter hung back. He knew that his
wife, as a Catholic, would wish to kneel before the tomb
248 CASTING OF NETS
of the Apostles on the occasion of her first visit to St.
Peter's. Hilda went forward alone, and joined the group
of worshippers kneeling at the white marble balustrade
surrounding the steps which lead down to the golden
gates of the shrine.
She knelt a few minutes in silent prayer, and as she
endeavoured to concentrate her thoughts, and pray in a
spirit which should be worthy of that holy place, she
glanced upwards into the great vault of the cupola. Why
was it, she wondered, that she could not feel as she wished
to feel ? She had prayed better, and felt herself to be
nearer to God, in many a little humble church in England
— nay, in the privacy of her own room — than she did
here in the mighty temple of her faith — in St. Peter's
at Rome. Her thoughts refused to submit themselves
to her will, and with a vague feeling at once of disappoint-
ment and of dissatisfaction with herself, she rose from her
knees. She looked round for Walter, and for a minute
or two could not see him. At last she distinguished him.
He was standing near the supposed statue of St. Peter,
watching the people coming up and kissing its worn
bronze foot. As Hilda came closer to him, she was
struck with the expression on his face. It was not con-
tempt or disapproval which she saw written on his coun-
tenance, but rather a look of great reverence. She stood
a few paces from him, watching him silently.
A group of pilgrims who had gathered round the statue
passed on, and following in their wake came an old peas-
ant woman, bent and infirm, leading or being led by a
little child. Tremblingly she advanced, and reaching up
her mouth to the foot of the statue, kissed it with her
CASTING OF NETS 249
withered lips, and then pressed her wrinkled brow upon
tlie cokl bronze. Stooping down, she tried to lift the
child, but her strength was unequal to the task. Then
Hilda saw her husband step forward. Raising the child
gently in his arms, he held its little face to the statue,
the old woman blessing him as he did so. Turning round,
he saw Hilda, and came towards her.
' The little beggar could n't reach so far,' he said, and
Hilda smiled at him without replying.
Presently he looked inquiringly at her. He had ex-
pected her to be more enthusiastic on the glories of St.
Peter's, and a glance at her face told him that something
was troubling her. The look of reverent admiration which
he had seen on her countenance as she came into the
church had disappeared, and in its place was one of doubt
and perplexity.
' It does not impress you ? ' he asked her.
' I do not know,' answered Hilda ; ^ it oppresses rather
than impresses me, I think. It is not like a church.'
She gazed around and above her as she spoke. There
seemed to her to be no repose for the eye in any part
of the vast edifice. Indeed, now that she was able more
thoroughly to grasp its details, she realized that it was
the eye which was offended at every turn, and that the
one redeeming feature which seemed to crush and absorb
the vulgarity of the building was the majesty of its pro-
portions. Her gaze wandered, seeking rest and finding
none, from the distorted statues in their niches above the
nave to the grotesque and occasionally painful monuments
to the Popes around tlie walls ; from the meretricious
haldacchlno above the high altar to the pompous ugliness
250 CASTING OF NETS
of Bernini's chair of St. Peter behind it at the western
extremity of the basilica.
^ I suppose that I cannot take it in/ she said, a little
wearily ; ^ perhaps a second visit ' and then she
stopped, feeling in her heart that she should never re-
cover the lost impression which the first glimpse of the
interior of St. Peter's had made upon her. 'Shall we
go ? ' she continued. ' I think I have seen enough for
this morning.'
Walter Redman assented readily enough.
The interior of St. Peter's had never possessed any
charm for him ; he regarded it as a colossal monu-
ment to bad taste and to arrogance, both worldly and
spiritual.
It was a relief to both when they emerged from the
portico, and stood under the pure, blue sky of the heavens.
The great fountains were tossing up their waters to the
sunlight laughing and sparkling upon them, and the
Piazza was thronged with carriages and pedestrians
coming and going to and from the basilica and the
Vatican.
They descended the steps, trying to distinguish their
carriage among the ranks of those drawn up in the shade
of the Colonnades. Winged words were flying between
a group of French and German pilgrims as they passed.
The faces of the disputants did not wear a particularly
holy expression, while ' Cochons d'Allemands ! ' from the
Frenchmen, and some decidedly unscriptural language
from the Teutons fell upon their ears as they approached
them.
A guardia politely invited the pilgrims to move on,
CASTING OF NETS 251
and some Romans who witnessed the little scene lanfi^hcd.
One of them made some remark which caused Lord Red-
man, who overheard it, to laiic^h also.
^ What is it all about ? ' Hilda asked him, for Italian
was an unknown tongue to her.
^ Apparently it is about half a franc,' said Walter,
smiling.
'But what did those Italians say which made the
people laugh ? '
Walter hesitated.
* Oh, well, Romans arc very cynical, you know, es-
pecially about their priests. One of the pilgrims had
dropped half a franc, and another, a German, picked it up
and declared that the coin was his. A Roman said to
him, "Take it up to the Holy Father and buy an indul-
gence w ith it." Of course they could n't understand him,
but their language was decidedly bad.'
' It was very irreverent of you to laugh, Walter,' said
Hilda.
* I could n't help it,' replied Lord Redman, looking at
his wife with some contrition ; ' it was a typical Roman
observation, and they have a very luimorous way of say-
ing the most sarcastic things. Pasquino would never be
at a loss for something to say, if he were allowed to speak
in these days.'
Walter did not think it necessary to explain to his wife
the bitter irony which was wrapped up in the remark
which had caused so much merriment in the crowd. He
had determined to leave her to form her o\vn conclusions
from her \isit to Rome, and not to attempt to influence
her judgment in any way.
252 CASTING OF NETS
^ What shall we do this afternoon ? ' he asked, as they
drove homeward to luncheon.
* I thought that we might leave some cards, and drive
into the Campagna/ replied Hilda. ^You want to call
upon Princess Brancaleone, and to leave the letter which
Mr. Shirley gave us to Monsignor Martini,' she continued.
* Yes,' Walter answered, ^ let us do that. It is better
to keep our sight-seeing for the mornings, and a drive
in the afternoons will rest you.'
Hilda looked up at the clock on the Castle of St.
Angelo as the carriage turned to cross the bridge.
^We shall find my grandmother and Mrs. St. Leger
waiting for us,' she said. ' I did not know it was so late.'
' Mrs. St. Leger ! Who is she ? ' asked Walter.
*0h, did I not tell you?' exclaimed Hilda. 'It was
very stupid of me to forget to do so. Mrs. St. Leger is
a great friend of grandmama's, and when I asked the
latter to come to luncheon with us to-day, she asked if
she might bring Mrs. St. Leger, as she is staying witli
her.'
' Do you know her ? '
Hilda made a little face.
'I have seen her once or twice before I married,' she
replied. ' She became a Catholic, and she is constantly
with my grandmother. I don't think you will like her,
Walter.'
'Probably not,' said the latter dryly; 'but I don't
see how you could have avoided asking her under the
circumstances.'
When they readied the villa in the Via Gaeta, the
servant who opened the door informed Hilda that
CASTING OF NETS 253
Lady Merton and another lady were waiting in the
drawing-room.
Whatever coldness had existed towards Hilda and
her husband on Lady Merton's part was evidently to
be forgotten in Rome, for nothing could exceed the
cordiality of her manner to both of them. The meeting
between them was rendered the easier inasmuch as there
had never been any open hostility on either side. Indig-
nant as Walter had been with Lady Merton at the time
of his wife's illness, he had determined to have no quarrel
with her, and he ;had therefore never enlightened her as
to what had made him take such decided measures for
preventing Hilda's relatives from having any private
access to her while she was laid up. Lady Merton,
indeed, had not the least idea of the state of nervous
excitement in which her grand-daughter had been, and
still less did she suspect that it was Hilda herself who
had implored her husband to act as he had done.
As matters had turned out, Walter Redman felt that
he had reason to be grateful to Lady Merton rather
than otherwise, since the fact that he and Hilda no
longer felt that their difference of opinion on religious
subjects was never to be discussed between them was
entirely the result, albeit an unforeseen one, of her
policy. The conversation at luncheon naturally turned
upon Hilda's first impressions of Rome. Lady Merton
purred soft notes of approval when she heard that they
had been spending their morning at St. Peter's.
' Of course,' she said ; ' it is the first thing you would
wish to see. One does not feel in Rome until a visit
has been paid to the tomb of the Apo.stles.'
254 CASTING OF NETS
' And do tell me, Lady Redman/ said Mrs. St. Leger,
' what did you think of it ? It is so interesting to hear
people's first impressions of St. Peter's.'
Hilda hesitated. Looking across the table, she met
her husband's eyes fixed upon her, as though he also
was interested to hear her reply. The feeling that he
was listening for it seemed to add to the difficulty she
found in answering Mrs. St. Leger's question.
' It is very — large ! ' she said, after a pause ; and as
the words left her lips she fully realized their weakness.
Mrs. St. Leger and Lady Merton looked surprised,
and Hilda fancied that her husband was struggling
with an inclination to laugh. It certainly was a very
hanal remark, she thought, and she was glad when Mrs.
St. Leger's next observation helped her to redeem it.
' Ah, yes ! ' the latter replied. ^ One is absolutely
bewildered by the immense size of the church; over-
come, too, by the holiness and the sacred traditions of
the spot. It is only after repeated visits that one is able
to take in the full beauty of St. Peter's.'
'Yes,' exclaimed Hilda with eagerness; 'I am quite
sure it must be so! We cannot possibly judge of it
from a single visit.'
'But you,' added Mrs. St. Leger, turning to AValter,
'have been several times in Rome, have you not, Lord
Redman? You will be able to point out the wonders
of St. Peter's to Lady Redman.'
' I am afraid I should be a poor guide,' replied Walter
with a smile.
'Ah, well, unluckily you are not one of us, but
stiU '
CASTING OF NETS 255
Mrs. St. Lcgcr paused aiul became rather red. Lord
Redman was looking at lier (juietly, and there was some-
tliing in his glance which caused her to feel that she was
taking a liberty.
^ I am afraid,' continued Walter, ignoring her remark,
' that I have nothing to add to my wife's criticism of
St. Peter's that you would be likely to agree with. Ft
is certainly very large. That,' he added, a little mali-
ciously, ' is a characteristic which nobody can deny to it.'
'But you do not admire it?' said Lady Merton in
astonishment.
' Honestly, no, I do not. Tliere are churches in Rome
that I admire far more — Santa Maria Maggiore, for
instance.'
'But, surely, Lord Redman, the sanctity of St.
Peter's ' murmured Mrs. St. Leger.
' I am not criticising its sanctity, but merely its artistic
beauty,' replied Walter.
' Ah ! ' said Lady Merton. * You must realize the one
in order to appreciate the other, my dear Walter ! '
Hilda hastened to change the topic of conversation,
and caused it to flow into less dangerous channels. As
soon as luncheon was over, Walter left the ladies alone
together, after suggesting to Hilda that the carriage
should be ordered at half-past two.
' How are you going to employ your afternoon ? ' asked
Lady Merton, when they reached the drawing-room and
the servants had brought in the coffee.
' We are going to drive on the Campagna,' replied
Hilda. 'And Walter wants to call upon one or two
people. By the way,' she added, ' iu what part of Rome
is the Palazzo jNIontelupi ? '
256 CASTING OF NETS
'It is in the old quarter, near the Capitol/ said Lady
Merton.
'I suppose you know the Brancaleones ? ' continued
Hilda. ' They are friends of Walter's, but I have never
seen them.'
Lady Merton drew herself up stiffly.
' I have the barest possible acquaintance with Princess
Brancaleone. The Palazzo Montelupi is not a house
which loyal Catholics ought to frequent.'
' No, indeed ! ' interposed Mrs. St. Leger, with a sigh.
'Prince Brancaleone is a traitor/ continued Lady
Merton. ' He has thrown off his allegiance to his law-
ful Sovereign and joined the Italian usurpers of Rome.
His wife is not at all a nice person, Hilda, and I am very
sorry to hear that Walter knows her.'
' But he says she is charming I ' said Hilda. * And I
have heard many people say the same thing.'
'Plenty of men think her charming,' replied Lady
Merton dryly, 'but I do not know that their wives
agree with them on the subject.'
' She is very handsome, is she not ? '
' Yes, undeniably so, and always beautifully dressed —
one of those women who put on exactly the right thing
for every occasion.*
* A very dangerous woman ! ' murmured Mrs. St. Leger,
looking at Lady Redman out of the corners of her eyes.
' In what way dangerous ? ' asked the latter.
' Oh, my dear child 1 ' said Lady Merton. ' These sol-
disantes political women are always dangerous when they
are young and good-looking. There are even some who
succeed in being so when they are old. If a woman
CASTING OF NETS 257
wants to keep a certain number of men, and one particu-
lar man, at her feet without causing a scandal, she lias
only to i)retend to be political. As a pose it is safer than
the artistic or literary one. Artists and authors always
manage to get their liaisons talked about. Political
women, I suppose, have more knowledge of the world.'
* Is Princess Brancaleone a political woman ? ' asked
Hilda.
' She has made her house a centre for the political ad-
venturers of the Quirinal party,' answered Lady Merton,
Sand for those who are opposed to the Church and religion
generally. But there are many people who say that the
political salon is only an ante-chamber after all.'
* Her politics are not likely to interest either Walter or
myself,' said Hilda quietly.
Lady Merton looked a little searchingly at her grand-
daughter.
' Of course not,' she answered. ' As a Catholic, you
could have only one opinion of her political views.'
^ But Princess Brancaleone is a Catholic ? I thought
that she was born a Carmichael.'
Lady INIerton shrugged her shoulders.
' All these people pretend to be Catholics,' she said,
' but they are false Catholics, traitors to their religion
and to the Holy Father. Complete submission, and
implicit obedience to the Vatican as representing the
seat of civil and religious govcmraent, are the marks of
a true Catholic. You will discover that for yourself
when you have been a short time in Rome — will she
not, Emily ? '
* Indeed you will. Lady Redman,' said Mrs. St. Leger,
17
258 CASTING OF NETS
' and I am thankful that dear Lady Merton, who knows
Rome so well, is here to warn you against those wicked
people who pretend to be Catholics like ourselves, but who
are striving all the time to overthrow our holy religion.'
' Well, Hilda/ said Lady Merton solemnly, ^ I hope you
will take my advice, for I think that I may fairly claim to
know Rome well. You must recollect that Walter is
not a Catholic, and he will be unable to protect you from
the contaminating influences of such people as the Bran-
caleones. It should be your duty, on the other hand,
to protect him. You should try your best to ensure that,
while your husband is in Rome, he should be thrown
with good Catholics.'
' Walter is quite capable of taking care of himself,' re-
plied Hilda, smiling. ' I should not think of attempting
to influence his choice of friends,' she added firmly.
Lady Merton drew herself up in her arm-chair, and
looked in astonishment at her grand-daughter, while Mrs.
St. Leger cast her eyes up to the ceiling, whereon were
divers well-developed cherubs disporting themselves in a
state of nudity, tossing pink legs about among garlands and
rose-coloured clouds.
' I must confess that I am utterly unable to understand
your frame of mind, Hilda,' she said severely.
There was an uncomfortable pause after Lady Merton's
remark. Hilda wished tliat her husband had not deserted
her, for she dreaded lest Lady Merton should seize the
opportunity of lecturing her upon the necessity of convert-
ing him. Since her illness, however, her grandmother did
not appear to be so formidable a person. The conscious-
ness that she could turn to Walter for advice and assist-
CASTING OF NETS 259
ancc, and that they were able freely to talk to each other
on matters of religious belief, seemed to have given her the
strenirth to feel more or less indifferent to what others
might think of her conduct in not endeavouring to bring
about his conversion to Catholicism. Even the super-
natural fears which had been so easily worked upon before
her illness now seemed almost entirely to have vanished.
She wondered that the words of her relations, and those
of the priest whom they had deputed to reason with her,
should have had the power to terrify her so much. They
did not care about her husband's soul any more than those
old Canons whom she had seen lolling in their stalls in
St. Peter's that morning cared about the Mass at which
they were nominally assisting. It was the temporal wel-
fare and influence of an institution which they were seek-
ing to advance, not the spiritual benefit of an individual.
It was with a feeling of relief that Hilda saw the door
of the drawing-room open and Walter reappear. Perhaps
he had returned to her with the purpose of not leaving her
too long alone with Lady Merton and the lady who, had
she received any encouragement, would have talked relig-
ion to him at luncheon. Hilda noticed that he looked at
her a little anxiously as he entered the room. Very shortly
after his return to the drawing-room Lady Merton rose,
and, accompanied by Mrs. St. liCger, took her departure.
The cordiality of her manner had somewhat modified, and
Hilda, who knew her moods, could see that she was
thoroughly displeased.
' A detestable woman ! ' exclaimed Walter, as he heard
the hall-door close upon the two ladies.
* Which — my grandmother ? ' asked Hilda demurely.
26o CASTING OF NETS
Her husband laughed.
* I was alluding to the other/ he replied.
' Mrs. St. Leger ? I told you that you would not like
her. She is supposed to be a saint.'
Lord Redman laughed again. His wife amused him
considerably sometimes.
' So I only like the society of sinners/ he replied ; * you
should not say so, at all events.'
' Walter/ said Hilda suddenly, * is Princess Brancaleone
a political woman ? '
* Not that I know of/ replied her husband. ' She may
be so, perhaps, for she has a great position here. But
why do you ask ? '
^My grandmother was talking of her just now. She
has been warning me against her.'
Walter Redman looked puzzled.
^ Warning you against her ? ' he repeated. * Why on
earth should she do that, I wonder? She is a woman
whom everybody knows and likes.'
* So I thought,' said Hilda. * But they both spoke of
her as though she were not a very nice person.'
*I think that I understand/ observed Walter, after a
pause, as though a sudden idea had struck him. *You
will soon make her acquaintance,' he added, * and then
you will be able to judge for yourself. Perhaps you will
find that she is less of a politician than Lady Merton.'
It was Hilda's turn to look puzzled now, and she was
about to ask Walter what he meant when a servant came
in to announce that the carriage was waiting, and she
went upstairs to dress for her drive.
CHAPTER XVIII
HILDA aud her husband had barely finished dinner
tliat evening when Prince and Princess Bran-
caleone's cards were brought to them. These were ac-
companied by a letter addressed to Lady Redman and a
note for Walter, and they were told that a servant was
waiting for an answer.
On opening her missive, Hilda found a card inviting
her and her husband to dinner at the Palazzo Montelupi
the following evening at half-past eight.
Walter's note was from the Princess herself In it
she apologized for the shortness of the invitation, but
explained that the evening for which she had asked them
was the one on which she received, and that, therefore,
if Lady Redman and he would come, she hoped to make
them acquainted ^vith some of the Roman world.
W^alter pushed the note across the table to his wife.
' Let us go, by all means ! ' she said when she had read
it. ' It is very kind of them asking us at once to dine
with them, and I am longing to see the inside of a great
Roman palace.'
She wrote a formal acceptance in French, in which
language the invitation was couched, and Walter wrote
a note thanking Princess Brancaleone for her kindness
in asking his wife and himself, and saying that they should
262 CASTING OF NETS
both be delighted to come, as he was anxious to present
Hilda to her.
Hilda looked forward with some curiosity to meeting
Princess Brancaleone. She had often heard of her as
the beautiful Mrs. Vesey who had married a prominent
Roman magnate, and, until Lady Merton and Mrs. St.
Leger had represented her as a person to be avoided, she
had never heard anything but praise of her. Mr. Shirley,
she remembered, had been enthusiastic on the subject of
Princess Brancaleone when he was at Abbotsbury, and
Hilda had become sufficiently acquainted with him to
know that he was not given to enthusiasm where women
were concerned. She recollected that he had declared
Princess Brancaleone to be his ideal of a great lady who
understood the responsibilities of her position, and that
the Prince was grand seigneur in the same sense of the
term. She had been, therefore, considerably surprised
at hearing so different an account from Lady Merton, and
her curiosity was aroused as to why the latter should
have so bad an opinion of her. Walter had declined to
enlighten her on the subject, though she had ended by
telling him that Lady Merton had solemnly warned her
against Princess Brancaleone as ^ a very dangerous wo-
man,' and had more than hinted that the danger applied
to himself or to any man who might fall under her influ-
ence. The account of Lady Merton's warning had moved
her husband to laughter, and all that Hilda could induce
him to say was that she must judge of the Princess for
lierself when she knew her.
When the hour came for them to go to the Palazzo
Montelupi, and they were driving down the brilliantly
CASTING OF NETS 263
lighted Via Nazionalc and Corso Vittorio Eniaiiucle,
Hilda confessed to feeling rather nervous. It was the
first time that she had ever been into foreign society, and
she was beset by the fear of saying or doing the wrong
thing. Walter smilingly reassured her. The only thing
which he begged her to remember was, that the man
who took her in to dinner would also offer her his arm
to take her back to the drawing-room when the meal
was over.
* So do not look at him as if you thought he was going
to commit an assault on you, as most Englishwomen who
are not used to this custom look at their unfortunate neigh-
bour under the circumstances,' he had added, laughing.
Lord Redman thought that his wife had no cause to
feel anxious as to her appearance. Hilda was very well
dressed and wore some beautiful jewels, and she was
looking extremely pretty.
The carriage turned out of the main thoroughfare into
a network of narrow streets, where cobblers and watch-
makers were plying their trade, and could be seen bend-
ing over their work by the light of old-fashioned oil-lamps.
Picturesque figures, with mantles of green cloth and foxes*
fur wrapped close around them to keep out the keen
tramontana wind, drew back to avoid being run over,
and dark, handsome faces peered in at the carriage win-
dows. Presently they drove into the courtyard of the
Palazzo Montelupi, and a gorgeously dressed porter, silver
stick in hand, advanced to the carriage door and opened
it. As Hilda and her husband ascended the great marble
staircase, with its banks of palms and bright-coloured
azaleas on each side, and found themselves in the first
264 CASTING OF NETS
of the long suite of magnificent rooms on the first floor of
the palace, the former could not help contrasting the
space and the beauty around her with the respectable
dinginess of their own abode in St. James's Square. It
seemed to her that a succession of servants in splendid
liveries had ushered them through innumerable apart-
ments, each one more imposing than the last, before they
were finally handed over to the care of a stately-looking
personage in black, who preceded them into a long and
brilliantly-lighted room and announced their names.
Then Hilda saw a tall, beautiful woman with dark hair
advancing to meet them with a smile of welcome on her
face, and heard Walter saying :
* Let me present my wife, Princess.'
' I am so pleased ; it was really kind of you to come at
such short notice, Lady Redman. Lodovico, I want to
present you to Lady Redman; you already know Lord
Redman, I think ? '
It was a singularly soft, musical voice, and the English
was spoken with that somewhat slow, deliberate intonation
which suggested that the Princess was more accustomed
to speak in other languages than in her own native tongue.
After a few more words of cordial welcome from her
hostess, Hilda was presented to all the members of the
party assembled in the room, and Prince Brancaleone per-
formed the same ceremony by Walter. There were some
sixteen or eighteen guests besides themselves, and Hilda
noticed that she and her husband were the only English
present. Though she did not understand any Italian, she
could, for an Englishwoman, speak French very fairly
well, and the conversation appeared to be conducted al-
CASTING OF NETS 265
most entirely in that language. Dinner was announced
presently, and Prince lirancaleone took in one of the Am-
bassadresses to the Quirinal, while Hilda found herself
placed by the man who had escorted her, whose name she
had vainly endeavoured to catch when he was introduced,
on the other side of her host.
There was certainly no stiffness or formality about the
dinner-parties at the Palazzo Montelupi, and l^rince Bran-
caleone proved to be a very pleasant neighbour. Hilda
found the rapidity with which he passed from French to
English in his conversation a little confusing at first, but
she soon became used to it, and there was a general atmos-
phere of ease and kindly hospitality which quickly dispelled
any feeling of shyness.
She was lost in admiration of the beautiful decorations
of the dining-room, and could hardly take her eyes off the
gorgeous frescoes of the ceiling and the painted frieze
which ran round the walls of the apartment.
' The ceiling is by Giulio Romano,' said Prince Branca-
leone, in answer to her inquiries ; and Hilda found him
extremely well-informed on the art treasures of Rome.
He gave her, moreover, some useful advice as to what to
go to see, and what to avoid going to see, in the Eternal
City.
After dinner Princess Brancaleone came and sat down
by her. Hilda thought that she had never met any woman
who had made so agreeable an impression upon her on a
first acquaintanceship, and she could not help wondering
why Lady ^lerton and Mrs. St. Leger had been so severe
in tlieir remarks. On one point, however, Lady Merton
had certainly been right : Princess Brancaleone was beau-
266 CASTING OF NETS
tifully dressed, and the only jewels which she wore — a
single rivihre of diamonds round her neck — were magnifi-
cent. They found many friends in common to talk about,
and particularly Mr. Shirley, for whom the Princess seemed
to have a sincere regard.
' I have known him since I was a girl,' she explained ;
and then she added with a smile : ^ Poor dear Mr.
Shirley ! his bark is so much worse than his bite. With
all his scepticism, there is no one who has a kinder heart,
or who does more generous actions.'
' You know my grandmother, Lady Merton, do you
not ? ' Hilda asked her presently.
Princess Brancaleone smiled.
^Very slightly,' she replied. ^We meet very rarely
in the world, and, of course, she would not come here,
were I to ask her.'
'Why not?' asked Hilda.
Her hostess looked surprised.
' Well,' she answered, '■ Lady Merton, I have always
heard, is very Black, and does not approve of our
political opinions. Like most of our English converts,
she is very extreme in her views. They believe what
the priests and the clerical newspapers tell them, and
regard us Liberals as heretics. They are quite ignorant
of all that relates *to this country, of course, and look at
everything through the spectacles of the sacristy.'
'I see,' replied Hilda thoughtfully. 'I am quite
ignorant of this country myself,' she added, with a
smile, 'but I do not think that I have any prejudices.
You are very much interested in politics, are you not,
Princess ? '
CASTING OF NETS 267
Princess Braiicalconc lauglicHl inorrily.
* I ? • slic exclaimed. * I detest tlieni ! Lodovico,'
she called to lier husband, who hai)pened to be 'near
them, 'what do you think — am I a politician?'
' Well,' remarked the Prince, ' if you arc, P]lena, I liavc
never discovered it ! '
There was a general laugh at his reply among those
who liad overheard the Princess's question.
' Now, I wonder,' she continued, ' why you thouglit
that, Lady Redman. My husband is in Parliament, and
he is keenly interested in politics, but I — no, certainly
not! they are not a woman's province We women are
better occupied in our own sphere ; there is so much for
us to do in it, especially here in Italy.'
At this moment the doors at the end of the room
were thrown open, and several people entered. The
Princess rose from the sofa on which she and Hilda
were sitting, and went forward to receive them. After
this fresh visitors were constantly arriving, and soon there
were some fifty or sixty people scattered about the
rooms, while a general buzz of conversation pervaded
them. Both the Princess and her husband repeatedly
brought up people and presented Hilda to them. She
was soon surrounded by a little group, and new-comers
instantly inquired who la belle dame Anglaise with the
beautiful hair and the fine diamonds might be.
Presently the Prince approached her, followed by an
ecclesiastic dressed in the black cassock stitched with
red, and the violet mantle worn by the monsignori when
out in the world.
' Madame,' he said to her in French, ' permit me to
268 CASTING OF NETS
present to you an old friend of ours, Monsignor Martini,
a great admirer of your country.'
Hilda rose from her seat, and held out her hand with a
smile.
' My husband and I are bearers of a letter of introduc-
tion to Monsignor Martini from our mutual friend Mr.
Shirley,' she replied, smiling.
Monsignor Martini bowed as he shook hands with her.
*I must apologize,' he said, ^for not havhig returned
Lord Redman's visit, but I was out of Rome until this
afternoon, when I found his card and Mr. Shirley's
letter.'
He spoke in excellent English, with scarcely a trace
of accent. Hilda looked at him with some attention,
and was struck by his frank and benevolent expression
of countenance. She moved a little on her sofa in order
to make room for him, and Monsignor Martini sat down
by her.
He was a man of middle height, with iron-gray hair,
which was already turning to white upon his temples.
Tlie face was one of extreme refinement — a refinement
which bore about it the stamp of nature, and was un-
marred by the traces of severity so often visible in that
produced by asceticism. The mouth was gentle though
firm, and the heavy, loose lips and disagreeable lines
at the corners of them, so common to the priesthood,
were features altogether absent from it. Perhaps Mon-
signor Martini's eyes were the most remarkable part of
his face, after the gentle benevolence of his expression.
They were brown eyes, deep and penetrating, yet at
the same time soft and kindly in their glance — eyes
CASTING OF NETS 269
that inspired conridence, and spoke of sympatliy and
an understanding of humanity.
' And so, Lady llednian, you are in Rome for the first
time ? ' ho said, k)oking at Hilda with his steady, tranquil
gaze. 'Well, I envy you. I am not going to ask you
tiresome questions about your impressions of it.'
Hilda smiled.
' And why not, Monsignore ? ' she asked.
'Because/ returned Monsignor Martini quietly, 'T do
not care to hear them. First impressions of Rome are
worth nothing at all.'
Hilda felt convinced that she should like her new
acquaintance. There Avas something about him which
both fascinated and interested her.
* You are a Catholic, I understand,' he said to her
presently.
' Yes/ replied Hilda.
' But Lord Redman — he is not so ? *
'No.'
' And you have come to Rome to gain the indulgences
of the Anno Santo, no doubt ? '
' I have come to see Rome.'
Monsignor Martini looked at her somewhat more
attentively.
' And you will see it,' he replied. ' Yes/ he continued,
almost as though he were speaking to himself, 'you will
see Rome in one of her most interesting phases. Are you
medieval in your tastes. Lady Redman ? '
' I really do not know/ answered Hilda, smiling. ' Not
particularly so, I think.'
'That is a pity,' remarked Monsignor Martini. 'One
270 CASTING OF NETS
should have medieval tastes in order properly to appre-
ciate Rome in the year 1900.'
Hilda glanced at him. It was difficult to tell whether
he was speaking seriously or not.
' I have really seen nothing of Rome as yet,' she said.
' We only arrived two days ago. Of course I have been
to St. Peter's, and yesterday afternoon, after leaving
our letter for you, we went for a lovely drive in the
Campagna.'
Monsignor Martini's eyes lightened.
'Ah! ' he said. ' I see that you are wise. Lady Redman.
Most people would have gone to the Pincio. i\.nd what
do you think of our Roman Campagna ? '
'Is not that a tiresome question, Monsignore?* asked
HUda.
Monsignor Martini laughed — a laugh of quiet amuse-
ment.
' A very fair retort,' he replied. ' But the Campagna
is not Rome. It is the work of God — not that of man.
I should like to hear your first impressions of it, for you
will probably not have occasion to change them.'
' Well,' said Hilda, ' it is beautiful, but it gave me an
impression of infinite sadness. You will laugh at me,
Monsignore, but I felt surrounded by death.'
' I do not laugh at you at all. You are quite right. In
the Campagna one is surrounded by the dead. Dead
civilizations, vanished races '
' A dead religion.'
Monsignor Martini interrupted her.
' A dead religion ? Oh no. Lady Redman ! there you
are mistaken. No religion dies.'
CASTING OF NETS 271
Hilda was about to ask him what lie meant when her
husband approaclicd them.
' Walter,' she exchiimed, as, seeing her engaged in con-
versation with an ecclesiastic, he was about to pass on,
' this is Monsignor Martini. Let me introduce my husband
to you, iNIonsignore,* she added, and the two men shook
hands with each other.
* And tell me about my friend Mr. Shirley,' said Mon-
signor Martini. * Have you seen him lately ? and is he
coming to Rome this spring? Ah ! Lord Redman, there
is a man with a head — a head to think and a heart to feel.
So few people have both.'
' You admire him so much ? ' asked Walter Redman,
looking at the priest curiously. ' And yet,' he added, ' I
should have thought that you would be utterly opposed
to his views, iNIonsignore.'
^Monsignor Martini twitched his violet silk mantle a little
impatiently.
* I do not care about his ^4ews,' he replied ; ^ they are
for himself, and for those who think as he does. You ask
me why I admire him ? Well, I admire him for not pre-
tending to believe in Christianity when he does not really
do so. I admire liim, also, because he is probably a better
man without Christianity than he would be with it. In
these days such natures are interesting to study.'
'They arc not so uncommon as people like to think,'
said W^alter. ' If I may venture to say so,' he added,
with a smile, * such liberal sentiments as those which you
have just expressed are uncommon, especially among the
clergy.'
' I must re-echo your own objection,' said Monsignor
272 CASTING OF NETS
Martini; 'they are not so uncommon as people like to
think.'
^ The laity seldom hear them.'
'Ah! as to that,' replied Monsignor Martini, with a
twinkle of suppressed merriment in his eyes, 'it is not
considered expedient. We do not — what is your English
proverb ? — wash our dirty linen in public'
Lord Redman laughed.
' I suppose,' he said, ' that you are afraid of offending
your weaker brethren ? '
'No,' replied Monsignor Martini dryly. 'We are
far more afraid, as a rule, of offending our stronger
brethren.'
The distant notes of stringed instruments came to their
ears at that moment, and several people rose from their
seats and moved into the other rooms.
'The Princess generally has music on her Thursday
evenings,' said Monsignor Martini. 'She is very fond
of it, but she often has it out of charity, as well as out
of love for it. She is very kind to struggling artists,
and gives them an opportunity of being heard in her
house.'
' What a beautiful woman she is ! ' said Hilda ; ' and
Prince Brancaleone also is extremely good-looking.'
'She is one of the most noble women we have in
Rome ! ' replied Monsignor Martini. ' The good slie has
done with her money and her great position in a quiet
and sensible way is enormous. I wish that more of our
women were like her. Her husband, too, is worthy of
her. And now,' he added, ' if Lady Redman will excuse
me, I am going to listen to the music. It is for that
CASTING OF NETS 273
I conic licrc on Thursday evenings. 1 am not very
worldly, I am afraid.'
' I hope/ said llikhi, ' tiiat you will come and dine
with us quietly some evening. It would be such a
pleasure to us, would it not, Walter?'
* It would indeed, Monsignore,' added Lord Redman
cordially. * To-day is Thursday. Could you come ou
Saturday at halt-past eight?'
' I should be delighted.'
'I am so glad,' said Hilda. *You will not mind if
we are alone, or nearly so? You see, we are unknown
people in Rome.'
^ I shall enjoy myself the more if you are quite alone,'
replied Monsiguor Martini, smiling. ^ Ou Saturday,
then, at half-past eight ' ; and, bowing over Hilda's
extended hand, he left them and made his way towards
the room where the music was going on, into which
none were supposed to enter who wished to talk ; for
Princess Brancaleone, notwithstanding her British birth,
had better taste, and better manners towards the artists,
than to tolerate conversation in the same room where
music was being performed.
18
CHAPTER XIX
«1V TO, Hilda/ said Lord Redman decidedly, 'I'll be
JL^ hanged if I '11 go ! I did n't come to Rome to
attend old ladies' tea-parties. The sight of the women at
that embassy last night curtseying and bowing to the
priests, and hanging upon every word tliey said, as though
they were men inspired, made me feel sick.'
'But, Walter, grandmamma will be dreadfully
oflfended.'
' Then she must get over it,' returned Walter Redman.
' I was introduced to one tiresome woman after another
last night, chiefly English and all impossible; and the
men were worse than the women. By Jove ! ' he added,
drawing a long breath, ' I never saw such a set of
bounders as the men!'
Hilda laughed in spite of herself, though she felt sure
that Lady Merton would resent her husband's absence
from the tea-party which she was giving that Saturday
afternoon, in order, as she had told her grand-daughter
markedly, to introduce her and Walter to some of the
respectable Catholic society of the place. She had sent
them cards for an evening party given the night before by
one of the Ambassadresses to the Holy See, who, she
declared, had expressed a great desire to make their
acquaintance. Both Lord and Lady Redman had been
CASTING OF NETS
275
quite ready, after the pleasant evening wliicli tliey had
spent at the Pakizzo Montchipi, to essay the lihiek world
under Lady Merton's winj^. Tiie result had not been
satisfaetory. The Uednians had found themselves in the
midst of a soeiety whieh had appeared to them to be a
strange mixture of eeelesiasties and English people of the
middle class, with a sprinkling of Romans and of other
nationalities. Neither Walter llednuui nor Hilda liked
being toadied, and the attentions of IMrs. St. Leger and
her frieuds, whose acquanitancc she msisted on their
making, had at first bored and then annoyed them.
Madame de Ilohenthal had discoursed to Walter of her
friendship with half the well-known people of England,
without being at all aware that in some cases she was
talking to him of his near relatives, and of her intimacy
with English and Continental royalty generally. His
patience being at length exhausted, Lord Redman had
told her that for his part he would walk a quarter of a
mile to avoid meeting a royalty, whereat she had stared
at him with ill-concealed astonishment and contempt, and
had concluded that he was a socialist.
Lady Merton was in her favourite clement that evening.
She purred to Cardinals and dignitaries of the Vatican,
who were among the guests of the Ambassadress, while
she received a considerable amount of homage from the
English converts, and a certain attention from the prom-
inent Romans of the Black party, who saw in her a zealous
disseminator in England of their political ideas. She
presented her grand-daughter to various Princes of the
Church and other ecclesiastics, and also to some of the
principal ladies of the Black world in Rome. It was evi-
276 CASTING OF NETS
dent to Hilda that she and Walter were regarded with a
certain interest, but she wished that some other topic of
conversation could be found than the Anno Santo, the
pilgrims, and the prescribed visits to the basilicas in
order to gain the indulgences. The ease and simplicity
which had been a characteristic of the gathering at
the Palazzo Montelupi were altogether absent, and it
seemed as though everyone were acting a part, and
that each one was trying to outdo his or her neighbour
in orthodoxy.
The end of it had been that Walter had grown uncon-
trollably restive, and had insisted upon going away. As
they drove homeward through the Piazza di Spagna, and
up the steep hill of the Quattro Fontane, he had vowed
that he would never go to another Black entertainment,
declaring that if Hilda liked to do so she would have to
go alone, and that he would go to a theatre.
As for Lady Merton's tea-party, he would not hear
of it. Hilda must go, of course, aud she could tell him
how she had enjoyed herself when she returned.
And so Hilda went. She made what excuses she could
for her husband, but when she looked round the room she
could not blame him for his decision to stop away. She
saw a predominant number of her own sex, two or three
English priests, and a few men who, for some reason or
other, were not priests.
' And how do you like Rome ? ' said Madame de Hohen-
thal to her.
They were all seated about the tea-tables, and Hilda's
wants were being ministered to by one of the untonsured
men.
CASTING OF NETS 277
'I have not been here long enough to judge/ whe
replied.
^ It is such II privilege to be in lloiue this year/ said
Mrs. St. Leger, with a sigh.
' Hilda/ said Lady Merton from the tea-table, * we are
all very nuieh astonished to hear tliat you and Walter
dined with Prince and Princess Brancaleone the other
night.'
Hilda was conscious of many pairs of eyes being fixed
upon her.
^ Yes/ she replied ; ^ we had an extremely pleasant
evening. What a magnificent house it is ! We have
nothing in London which can the least compare with
it. Of course you know it, madame ? '
Madame de Hohenthal shuddered.
' I ? My dear Lady Redman ! We, who trust that
we are good Catholics, do not visit such people as
Prince and Princess Brancaleone ! You are a stranger
to Rome, and cannot be expected to know *
'A stranger may be forgiven for not feeling nmch
interest in political differences,' said Hilda, smiling.
* Nobody is a stranger in Rome who is a Catholic,' said
Father Remington.
^ So true — so beautifully true I ' murmured Lady
Merton. 'I do not think/ she continued, ^tliat you
know Father Remington, Hilda, except of course by
name as one of our most valued converts. Father
Remington is preaching a series of sermons at San
Silvestro for English-speaking Catholics. But with
regard to Princess Brancaleone, she is not a person
whose set is a very desirable one for you to fall into.'
278 CASTING OF NETS
* She has done untold harm in Rome/ said the Am-
bassadress at whose house Hilda had been the night
before, ^ and not in Rome only, but wherever her husband
has property.'
*And, besides, her antecedents,' added Madame de
Hohenthal ; ' they are more than questionable. I do
not mean as to birth, of course ; but everybody knows
that her first husband was on the point of divorcing her
when he died by an accident, and before he had altered
his will ; so she got all his money, after having behaved
disgracefully to him.'
^ But Lady Redman cannot be expected to understand
all these things,' observed Mrs. St. Lcgcr.
'Did you know her in England?' asked Madame de
Montana, the Ambassadress.
^My husband has known her for some years,' replied
Hilda.
Madame de Hohenthal glanced significantly at Mrs.
St. Leger.
' She is the sort of woman whom everybody's husband
has known for some years,' she remarked.
Hilda coloured, and was about to reply. Then she
checked herself, and gave Madame de Hohenthal a
haughty little stare, which the latter, being extremely
short-sighted, did not see.
' I am sure,' said Lady Merton to the company gener-
ally, ' that my grand-daughter would not knowingly go to
anti-Catholic houses in Rome, and still less would she
wish to encourage her husband to do so. We must
remember that Lord Redman is not as yet a Catholic.
He cannot be expected to understand the feeling with
CASTING OF NETS 279
which loyiil .subjects of the Holy Fjitlicr regard tliose
who, like Prince Bmncaleoue and his wife, have turned
against their hiwful Sovereign and our holy religion.'
*And yet,' observed Hilda quietly, * my husband and
I met a Catholic priest among l^incess Brancaleouc's
guests.'
^A priest!' exclaimed several of those around her in
astonishment. * What priest could you have met in
that house ? '
* Lady Redman probably refers to Moiisignor Martini.
I believe that he is a freciuent visitor at the Palazzo
Moutclupi,' said Father llemingtou in smooth, level
tones.
Hilda glanced at him, and made a rapid mental com-
parison betwecu Mousignor Martini's kindly, intellectual
countenance, and that of Father Remington, which was
not to the advantage of the latter.
* Yes,' she replied, ' Monsignor Martini. I thought
him a most interesting man. I am glad to say that he
is dining with us to-night.'
^Monsignor Martini!' exclahned Lady Merton. *OIi,
my dear child, you do indeed require somebody at your
side to advise you in Rome ! Why, the man is disgraced
— a suspended priest ! '
'Pardon me, dear Lady Merton,' said Father Rem-
ington, ' but Monsignor Martini is not suspended a
divinis ; he is forbidden to preach in the diocese of
Rome on account of his subversive doctrine and Liberal
tendencies.'
* It is almost the same thing,' replied Lady Merton.
'He turned his church into a sort of political meeting-
28o CASTING OF NETS
house, and insulted his congregation by asking them to
pray for tlie Italian monarchy — here in Rome ! '
^ Ah ! ' said Madame de Hohenthal. ^ If it were only
his politics which were open to objection ! '
'He is certainly not a person of very good repute,'
remarked Father Remington ; ' but he has powerful
friends at the Vatican, otherwise he would not have
been let off so easily.'
' You see, Lady Redman, the sort of priest whom
you meet at the Palazzo Montelupi/ said Mrs. St.
Leger.
' Yes, Emily,' said Lady Merton, ' you are quite right.
A priest who had any sense of respect for his sacred office
would not be seen at Princess Brancaleone's receptions.
Monsignor Martini is very badly looked upon in Rome,
as any one of us could have told you had you made in-
quiries about him before asking him to dine with you.'
Hilda did not reply, but sat looking from one to the
other of Lady Merton's guests with a feeling of disgust in
her heart. She had only been a few days in Rome, but
already she was beginning dimly to understand that
Catholicism here did not mean quite the same thing as
in England. She was vaguely conscious of the existence
of an element at Rome which, if it existed at all in Eng-
lish Roman Catholicism, was carefully kept in the back-
ground, whereas here it appeared to occupy the primary
position, and to relegate religion to a secondary place.
The want of charity among her co-religionists surprised
her, while the readiness to attack the moral characters of
those from whom they differed shocked and offended her.
' I hope/ said ]Mrs. St. Leger to her, ' that Lord Red-
CASTING OF NETS 281
man is impressed by all he is seeing at Rome. Of course
you will take him to witness the extraordinary scenes of
piety at the basilicas ? How earnestly you must be pray-
ing that he may receive the grace to discern the truth !
You know,' she continued in an undertone, 'Father
Remington has such a marvellous influence with men.
He has brought so many young men into the Church ;
it is his particular gift. It would be such a good thing
if he and Lord Redman could be thrown together. Do
not think me presuming, dear Lady Redman, but we all
take so much interest in your happiness, for your dear
grandmother's sake as well as for your own.'
'And my husband,' asked Hilda— 'are you not in-
terested in his conversion for his sake, Mrs. St. Leger ?
It seems to me that it is a matter which should affect
him more than anybody else.*
Mrs. St. Leger cast down her eyes.
'Oh, of course,' she replied, and then she lookc»l at
Hilda a little doubtfully, as though uncertain whether
the latter's words did not contain some sarcasm. 'Of
course, Lord Redman's soul is our first thought, but we
all feel so much sympathy for you. Now, Father Rem-
inoion is wonderful in these cases. If your husband
would only confide his difficulties to him, I am sure that
he would not repent having done so. He understands
men so well ; in fact, he does not like confessing women.
Do, dear Lady Redman, make the experiment, and invite
Father Reminp^ton to your house.*
'Thank you, Mrs. St. Leger,' replied Hilda coldly.
' You are vcit kind to take so much interest in us both ;
but I am not in the habit of experimenting upon my
282 CASTING OF NETS
husband ; and, to tell you the truth, I do not feel in need
of any sympathy.'
Mrs. St. Leger looked shocked.
^ Oh, my dear Lady Redman ! ' she began.
Hilda rose from her chair and crossed the room to
where Lady Merton was sitting talking to Madame de
Hohenthal and Father Remington.
^ Surely you are not going to leave us, Hilda ? ' ex-
claimed Lady Merton. * I am expecting several more
people. Monsignor Chester promised to come, and Prin-
cess Castelnuovo and her daughters. She is a delightful
person. The Castelnuovo are a great Roman house, and,
unlike the Brancaleone, they have remained loyal to the
Sovereign Pontiff.'
' Thank you, but I really must go,' replied Hilda. She
felt that a little more of Mrs. St. Leger and Madame de
Hohenthal would cause her to lose her temper.
' Poor thing ! ' said Madame de Hohenthal, when the
door of the drawing-room had closed upon Lady Redman.
' She is very brave about it,' said Mrs. St. Leger, ' but
it must be a terrible trial to her.'
^ It is a great misfortune that they have come across
Monsignor Martini,' observed Father Remington. 'I re-
gard him as a most dangerous man. He is one of those
misguided spirits who, as Mivart did, attempt to reconcile
Catholic doctrine with the exercise of private judgment.
The end of such men is always the same ; but how many
others do they not drag down with them to everlasting
misery ! '
' Ah ! ' sighed Lady Merton ; ' how many, indeed ! '
' It is a pity,' said Madame de Hohenthal, ^ that Lady
CASTING OF NETS 283
Redman docs not sccni to understand what a dangerous
friend such a woman as Princess Hrancaleonc is for a
young man like lier husband. I must confess I feel very
sorry for her when I think that Lord Redman will have
every facility here in Rome for resuming what is, no
doubt, an old flirtation. Perhaps, if she could be made
to see the matter in this light, jealousy would make her
avoid the Brancaleone set, and her husband would be
thrown more with Catholics. What do you think, dear
Lady Merton?'
' Possibly,' replied the latter. ^ But we have no grounds
for saying that anything more than a mere accjuaintance-
ship ever existed between Lord Redman and Princess
Brancaleone.'
' If it is not true, so much the better,' returned Madame
de Hohcnthal. * There surely can be no harm in making
use of Lady Redman's affection for her husband in order
to protect him against a very mischievous entourage —
do you think so, Father Remington ? '
' Considering the ultimate aim in view/ replied Father
Remington slowly, ' and the fact that Lord Redman's
conversion to the Church would be imperilled by intimacy
with Liberals like Prince and Princess Brancaleone and
the party by which they are surrounded, I should say.
Certainly not. ]\Iadamc de Hohcnthal regards the case
from a diplomatic point of view. If diplomacy is some-
times necessary in worldly matters, it is surely permissible
to employ it when great spiritual interests are at stake.'
' Exactly ! ' said Madame de Ilohentiial.
' But how do you propose to arouse in her a dislike
to Princess Brancaleone ? ' asked Lady Merton.
284 CASTING OF NETS
Madame de Hohenthal smiled.
' It should not be difficult/ she replied, ^ as Lady Red-
man is so devoted to her husband. A word here, and a
word there, and doubts will arise in her mind, the more
easily as Princess Brancaleone is a good-looking woman.'
'But,' objected Mrs. St. Leger, 'if there is no truth in
it all, Lady Redman will not care.'
' Probably not ; but Lord Redman will care. He will
avoid the Palazzo Montelupi in order to show his wife that
there is nothing in the story, and the same end will have
been gained.'
' Ah ! ' said Father Remington, smiling. ' One sees that
Madame de Hohenthal has had a diplomatic training.'
CHAPTER XX
BOTH Hilda and licr Imsband found tliat the favour-
able impression which IMonsignor Martini had made
upon them increased on their becoming better acquainted
with him. Notwithstanding Lady Merton's remonstrances
with her grand-daughter, he was their constant companion
in their visits to the churches, galleries, and antiquities of
Rome. The fund of information which he possessed, his
intimate acquaintance with the art treasures of the Eternal
City, and his knowledge of classic and medieval Rome,
caused him to be a most useful guide, while the breadth of
his mental \ision and a certain quiet sense of humour made
his companionship at once instructive and amusing. Walter
Redman and he rapidly became great friends, and found in
each other a common bond of sympathy with, and interest
in, the social problems of life.
As Mr. Shirley had said was the case, Monsignor
Martini had travelled much. His knowledge of England
and the English character was as remarkable as his com-
plete command of the English tongue, and his Italian
quickness of perception, coupled with a considerable ele-
ment of that spirit of satire which has ever been engrained
in the Roman nature, often added a pungency to his obser-
vations which Walter was very capable (jf appreciating.
286 CASTING OF NETS
Hilda regarded the increasing intimacy between her
husband and Monsignor Martini with secret satisfaction.
Hitherto she had observed that it was sufficient for a man
to belong to the clergy of any denomination for Walter to
shut himself up in an impenetrable reserve when in his
company, and to assume a courteous indifference to spirit-
ual matters which she knew he was very far from feeling.
It was this indifference which Father Galsworthy had so
much deplored, and which he had truly described as the
most unassailable form of Protestantism.
Since she had been able freely to talk to him on such
subjects, she had more than once expostulated with him
on this attitude, which, she had frankly told him, was both
an unfair and narrow-minded one. He should at least
hear what the men from whom he differed had to say in
support of their own doctrines and systems. Walter as-
sured her that he had not assumed it without cause or
provocation. He had often, he told her, attempted to dis-
cuss religious difficulties with ecclesiastics, both Catholic
and Protestant, but the result had not been satisfactory.
They had invariably entrenched themselves behind dogma,
and when this entrenchment was no longer defensible,
they had retreated and raised up another, and called it the
Holy Ghost. From the shelter of this last position argu-
ments were no longer necessary. Assertions were employed
instead, and discussion became impossible.
Hilda was obliged to confess to herself that Walter was
not altogether misstating the facts of the situation, and
she found it hard to reply to the objection.
As the weeks passed in Rome, she realized more and
more clearly that were her husband to see much of Lady
CASTING OF NETS 287
Merton and the set by wliicli the hitter was surrounded,
his prejudices a<j;ainst dogmatic religion generally, and
Catholicism in particular, would inevitably become stronger
than ever. Her own faith, moreover, had been severely
tried by much tliat she had seen and heard in Rome. Re-
garding Lady Re(bnan as one of themselves, the Catholics
whom she met in the houses of Lady Merton and her
friends had not considered it to be necessary to moderate
their opinions in her presence. Indeed, they had talked
before her with the object of demonstrating that the
Church in Italy was persecuted, and that nobody could
honestly claim to be a Catholic who did not protest against
the existing form of government. It was evident to Hilda
that religion at the centre of Catholicism was a mere
question of party politics, and that the cnvj, hatred, and
uncharitableness to be found in all political arenas existed
in their most pronounced and virulent forms among the
political faction in Rome which carried on its campaign in
the name of Christ.
She had spoken both to Monsignor Martini and to Prin-
cess Brancaleone on the subject. A mutual friendship had
sprung up between the latter and herself, and the more
intimate Hilda became with the Princess, the more indig-
nant she felt wdien she heard the ill-natured innuendos
which her Black acquaintances were never weary of mak-
ing: concerning: her and her husband.
The whole object of the Prince and Princess seemed to
be to promote the well-being and progress of their less
fortunate fellow-creatures. Far from hearing religion
treated with contempt and derision, as she had been as-
sured was the case in the Palazzo Montelupi, she could
288 CASTING OF NETS
not help noticing that a much greater reverence and re-
spect was paid to it by her White friends than by her
Black ones. It was less talked about, perhaps, but sacred
things were not alluded to with the careless irreverence
which not unfrequently startled and shocked her when
proceeding from ecclesiastics and from those who professed
tlie greatest devotion to the Church. Superstitious obser-
vances and manifest impostures were honestly condemned
by those whom she heard designated as traitors and bad
Catholics by the devotees whom she met in such houses as
Lady Merton's. Their degrading influence on the lower
orders was sorrowfully admitted and deplored ; they were
not dismissed with a shrug of the shoulders and a cynical
admission that the mob must believe in something, and
that the shrines where such impostures were practised
brought money to the coffers of the Church ; or, worse
still, declared with hypocritical insistence to be holy
miracles by those who privately scoffed at them.
Hilda had poured forth some of her perplexities, and
some of her disillusions, into Princess Brancaleone's ears ;
and the latter had gazed at her with a quiet smile on the
beautiful face which looked so happy and peaceful, and
yet, Hilda thought, as if its owner had known sorrow and
unhappiness in the past.
' You are learning the meaning of our Roman proverb,
"The nearer the Church, the further from God,"' the
Princess had said to her. ' I liad to learn it also when
I became a Roman by marriage. We are pagans here.
It is only when it gets far away from the influences of
the Vatican, with its miasma of worldly intrigue and
ambitions, that Catholicism becomes a spiritual power.
CASTING OF NETS 289
Ask Consignor IMartini; Jic is a priest, and a good
man. He knows Kunie as few men know it, and he
remains a C'atholie priest. A weaker man than he would
have left the Chureh/
In the course of their excursions together about the
city, and expeditions into the Campagna and the Alban
Hills, Hilda had many conversations with Consignor
Martini. At first she had rather avoided any mention
of religion to him, thinking that it would bore her
husband or cause him to suspect that she and the priest
were talking at him.
It was Walter himself, however, who appeared anxious
to hear Monsignor Martini's views, and that he should
be so was a proof to his wife that he regarded them
as worthy of attention. She desired nothing better than
that he should listen to the ideas of an enlightened and
broad-minded man who was at the same time a priest of
the Roman Church, and the fact that Monsignor Martini
had incurred the displeasure of the Vatican did not weigh
with her so greatly as it would have done before her visit
to Rome. That Walter would ever become a Catholic
she had ceased to hope ; but it might be that a man like
Monsignor Martini, with his broad sympathies and faith
in the spirit of Christianity rather than in the letter of
dogmatic teaching, would open out to him a way to that
reconciliation between his reason and some settled form
of religious belief and trust of which she was convinced
that her husband stood more in need than he was con-
scious of being.
It was the first week of April, and spring was rushing
with great strides over the land, as spring in Italy does.
19
290 CASTING OF NETS
The very air felt tingling and quivering with the Spirit of
Life. The billowy green plains of the Roman Campagna
were sweet with the scent of wild flowers, starred with
jonquils, or clothed here and there as with drifts of newly-
fallen snow, where patches of delicate narcissi gleamed
white in the hollows and on the slopes of the broken
banks. The ghostly asphodel sighed and rustled as the
light breeze passed over it, as though whispering a mes-
sage to the dead, and to the forgotten gods of the past.
In every spot where man had spared trees or left a thicket
a nightingale trilled, and overhead, from somewhere far
up in the turquoise-coloured sky, came floating earthwards
the ceaseless song of larks.
Walter and Hilda had spent the day at Nerai, and
wandering among the chestnut and oak woods of Gen-
zano. They had left Rome early that morning, and
Monsignor Martini accompanied them. The latter was
always ready to join them on an expedition into the
country. The love of nature was another taste which
he shared in common with Walter Redman, and one
which had been the means of drawing the two more
closely together. The Redmans often thought that he
talked more freely when he had left the walls of Rome
behind him.
The three were sitting beneath a group of ancient
olive-trees, whence they could see the sun sinking slowly
downwards to the silver line of the Mediterranean glitter-
ing in the west, and the purple shadows creeping across
the plain to where the cupola of St. Peter's rose through
the golden haze, showing where Rome lay. From the
vineyards and orchards on the slopes below came the
CASTING OF NETS 291
voices of the peasants, singing as they worked the mourn-
ful Romancsco songs, with their pathetic minor cadences
suggestive of Eastern origin.
' I think,' said Lord Redman, * that one of the pleasant-
est things in Rome is being able to get out of it'
Monsignor Martini smiled.
'That is rather what you call a bull, is it not?' he
replied ; ' but I quite agree with you, and so did tlie old
Romans. Their descendants,' he added, ^as a rule do
not love the country.'
^ You are an exception, Monsignore,' said Hilda.
' It is the old paganism coming out in him,' observed
her husband, smiling. ' Its spirit is too strong to be
conquered, even by the Church.'
' The Church has, very wisely, never attempted to con-
quer it,' replied Monsignor Martini. ' In this country we
arc all pagans at heart,' he continued, 'and the Church
assimilates our paganism, and seeks to direct it into
deeper and purer channels. If Christianity would hon-
estly admit its debt to paganism, there would be fewer
incredulous Christians in the world.'
Hilda turned and looked at him earnestly.
* Oh,' she exclaimed, ^ I am glad to hear you say that ;
it explains so many things in Rome which have '
' Distressed you,' interrupted Monsignor Martini gently,
as she paused. ' I have known many Catholics who have
been distressed at what they see in this Italy of ours, and
many Protestants who have been scandalized. You, Lady
Redman, are one of the former. You have been more
perplexed than edified by what you have seen in Rome,
have you not ? '
292 CASTING OF NETS
' Yes/ answered Hilda simply ; ' but how do you know,
Monsignore ? '
' Your face is not a very hard one to read,' he replied,
^ and as to your perplexity, it is as natural as the disgust
of the Protestants. You do not understand our paganism,
that is all.'
^ May I speak plainly ? ' asked Hilda.
' We are not in Rome,' said Monsignor Martini, look-
ing beyond her to where in the far distance the sun was
shining on the golden cross of St. Peter's.
' Well,' returned Hilda, * it is a shock to find that
paganism is not dead. It seems to me that one is re-
minded of it at every turn.'
Monsignor Martini shrugged his shoulders.
' Pan never died,' he said. ^ Some foolish people have
said and thought that he did ; but it is not true. He
and the gods live on. Does that shock you so much ? '
^ The superstition shocks me ; it all seems to • be so
material,' said Hilda. ^ One cannot help wondering
whether the uneducated people do not lose sight of the
truth when it is surrounded by so much symbolism.'
* They are superstitious — grossly superstitious,' an-
swered Monsignor Martini, ^ but in all superstition there
is a far-off whisper of truth. Our paganism should not
shock you. Remember that the Roman Church is the
residuary legatee of the Roman Empire, and that she
has given civilization to the world. What would you
give us. Lord Redman,' he added, turning suddenly to
the latter, ' instead of our superstitions 1 '
Walter had been listening attentively to the conver-
sation between his wife and the ecclesiastic. It was the
CASTING OF NETS 293
first time that he had heard Hilda remark upon the im-
pressions whieh her visits to the lloman Churehes had
left upon her mind, and her words had eoniirmed his
suspicions that these impressions had not been entirely
satisfactory.
^I cannot argue the matter with you, Monsignore,' he
said after a pause.
* And why not? Because I am a priest, I suppose ! '
* Indirectly, yes. One cannot discuss the gods with
a creator of God.'
Monsignor Martini's eyes contracted a little, and then
the expression of a great reverence overspread his features.
* Ah ! ' he replied in a low tone. * That is a mystery
into which I, a priest, dare not seek to penetrate. The
Church has willed that we should accept a material as
well as a spiritual interpretation of it. Why do you
introduce it into our present discussion. Lord Redman ? '
He looked round him uneasily as he spoke, though the
three were alone together under the olive-trees. The
cuckoos were calling to each other in the woods above
them, the cicale shrilled at their feet, and Rome was far
away, yonder where the haze was denser, and only the
great dome, poised between heaven and earth, marked
the site of the Eternal City.
Walter Redman raised himself into a sitting posture,
his back against one of the gnarled, moss-covered stems
of the olives.
^ I did not introduce it,' he said, looking at the priest.
' It introduces itself into any discussion upon your creed.
How could it be otherwise ? To you, and to those like
you, Monsignore, it is given to work a stupendous miracle
294 CASTING OF NETS
— a thing before which the human imagination reels
and shrinks back awe-stricken. What can the old gods
be to such as you, who, by speaking certain words, and
making certain signs, can hold in the hollow of your
hand the flesh and the blood of the Creator of the
universe ? '
'It is a mystery,' repeated Monsignor Martini; 'and
the words of Christ but veil some deeper mystery still
— the Mystery of Life. Were the corn god and the wine
god not worshipped and sacrificed here where we are
sitting? Did Christ speak a new thing, or did He not
rather set His seal upon a hidden truth which is as old
as the world itself? jS'o, Lord Redman ! The old gods
are dear to me inasmuch as they prefigure those eternal
truths of which the Catholic Church of to-day is the de-
pository. The ancient faiths had their divine element,
though they lacked a Christ. We Latins have grafted
the rose of Christianity on the briar of Paganism, but the
stock is the same.'
'But surely,' interposed Hilda, 'you would not com-
pare the two systems ? '
'No,' replied Monsignor Martini, 'I would not, so far
as the good efi*ect which they have had on mankind is
concerned, for there can be no comparison. Christianity,
when true to itself, has a more ennobling influence on
human nature than the purest forms of paganism ever
exercised. But our Christianity is not true to itself It
is of Caesar, not of Christ. That is why you find your-
self perplexed in Rome, Lady Redman ; but there is no
reason why you should be shocked.'
' It is so diflferent with us in England.'
CASTING OF NETS 295
* Of course it is. Your Eiiglisli Catholicism is Koiiiau
only in name. Here it is Roman in reality. It can no
more rid itself of its pagan elements than the grafted rose
can rid itself of its briar stock. A political Christianity
has succeeded to a political Paganism, that is all. Leo
XIII. has succeeded to the Cicsars.*
' Then you do not consider Christianity to be true to
itself in Rome ? ' asked Walter.
Monsignor JMartini paused for a moment.
' Was Paganism true to itself in Rome ? ' he remarked
presently. * It degenerated into a purely political religion.
The ancient truths, or semi-truths, were lost sight of in
political struggles. Only the superstitions remained among
the vulgar. Christianity came and collected the debris,
working them into her wider and deeper truths.'
' And now ? '
' Now Christianity in this country, and in all Latin
countries, is going through the same phase as its pre-
cursor. The Roman Emperors created new deities in
order to conceal the weakness of the older ones, and to
maintain their own authority. The Roman Pontiffs create
new dogmas and people heaven with new inhabitants for
the same reason. And yet,' continued Monsignor Martini,
as if to himself, ' amid all the ambition and the worldli-
ness, behind all the symbolism and the superstition, there
shines the light of a Divine truth which even the theo-
logians have been unable wholly to extinguish.'
' And it is that light which makes you cling to the
Church ? ' said Lord Redman, looking at him curiously.
' Yes ; I do not wish to go out into the darkness,'
replied Monsignor Tvlartini.
296 CASTING OF NETS
'But the Church may drive you into it, Monsignore,'
observed Walter, smiling.
' What do you call " the Church " ? '
'Surely you admit but one — the body to which you
belong, and whose priest you arc ? I always understood
that the chief credential of the Roman Church was the
unity of faith to be found among her members.*
' Yes,' interrupted Hilda ; ' and that is what perplexes
me at Rome, Monsignore. Is it possible that highly
educated ecclesiastics, and cultured men and women,
can believe in the religion of the people ? And if they
do not believe in it, why do they tolerate it, and wliy
does the Church encourage what appears to be a con-
tinuation of paganism ? Is there one religion for the
rich and another for the poor ? '
]\Ionsignor Martini sighed.
' Unity of Faith is a misleading term. Unity of alle-
giance would better express the truth. There never has
been Unity of Faith from the time of the Apostles down-
wards. I am acquainted with Catholic priests, here in
Rome, who all but deny the divinity of Christ, and who
altogether deny such dogmas as the Immaculate Concep-
tion and Papal Infallibility. I know men and women
who are devoted Christians, and who utterly repudiate
the dogma of Transubstantiation. They are not true
Catholics, you say — and the Church says so likewise.
But the Church does not cast them out for what they
believe or disbelieve, so long as they do not oblige her
to do so. Do you suppose that Rome is not clever
enough to know her own weakness ? If you go among
our lower orders, you will find the same divergence of
CASTING OF NETS 297
fiiith. Many believe with uiireusoiiin;^ enthusiasm all
that the Church teaches, and more. It is not so long
ago since thousands thronged a church in the centre of
Rome because a woman declared that a picture in that
church had moved its eyes. Do you suppose that these
were all Catholics in the Vatican's sense of the term?
I think that if you had questioned a dozen of those
people you would not have found three who agreed as to
their belief, and you might very easily have failed to find
one who could explain to you why he was a Catholic.
There is as much difference of religious opinion in the
Roman Church as in any other spiritual body, and the
Roman Church is perfectly aware of the fact.'
^ But why, if' there are men and women in all classes,
and even ecclesiastics whose reason and intelligence cause
them to protest against certain dogmas and irrational
doctrines, does the Church crucify some and affect to
ignore the majority ? ' asked Walter.
Monsignor JNIartini smiled.
'My dear Lord Redman,' he replied, 'in Rome you
may think what you please — you may even speak your
thoughts aloud, so long as you do not do so in the pulpit.
But you must not commit them to print. That will not
surprise you, probably.'
' But it does surprise me,' said Hilda.
' Xo doubt, Lady Redman ; you are an English
Catholic, and you cannot yet realize that, in Rome,
politics take the precedence of religion. Your husband
will tell you that a (jovernment does not much care
what the individual opinions of its supporters may be
so long as the latter vote for it. That is the policy of
298 CASTING OF NETS
the Vatican. It was the policy of the Palatine in the
days of our predecessors. We know that, in pagan
times, every thinking man had a religion of his own —
the gods were for the populace, which got what truth
out of them it could, and, no doubt, to countless in-
dividuals it was given to extract much truth. Unless
a cult were suspected of being inimical to the State, it
was ignored by the authorities. So in the Rome of
to-day, dogmas and doctrines are dealt out with a free
hand to the multitude ; superstitions, revived from ancient
times, are encouraged and bear financial fruit at a hundred
shrines of the Madonna and the Saints, as they did of old
at those of the goddesses and the gods. Disbelief and
dissent there may be, and disgust among the better
educated and the honest, but all will be tolerated except
the publishing of it.'
*And the people — those among the multitude who
never find the truth concealed amidst the superstition —
in what are they better than their pagan ancestors?'
asked Hilda.
' In nothing, probably,' said her husband.
' In much ! ' returned Monsignor Martini hastily. ^ The
Church has taught them, amongst much superstition, a
belief in the future life. The uneducated Christian has
a sense of personal responsibility to himself and to his
fellows which the uneducated pagan could seldom, if
ever, have possessed.'
'Yes,' said Walter thoughtfully, 'that is probably
true.'
'It is indisputably true,' replied Monsignor Martini,
fixing his soft brown eyes upon him. 'No man can
CASTING OF NETS 299
have a proper sense of his rerti)onsibility in this world,
or of the dignity of human nature, unless he believes in
a future state ; and, exeept througli the medium of the
Chureh, how can he arrive at a clear understanding of
that state ? '
* You speak as a Catholic priest,' said Walter.
' No ; I speak as a Christian. You asked me a few
minutes ago what I called the Chureh, and I did not
answer your question. You assume that, because I am a
priest, I admit no Churcli outside the Roman comnmnion
to be a true Church.'
' That is what the Roman Cliurch asserts,' said Walter.
' The Roman Church,' replied ^lonsignor Martini slowly,
^ asserts many things. For me there is only one Church —
that is perfectly true. But for me, again, every human
being who accepts the teaching of Christ belongs to that
Church. "Whosoever shall do the will of }Jy Father
that is in Heaven, he is i\Iy brotiier, and sister, and
mother."^ There is but one true Church, and of that
all are members who, in their different ways, and accord-
ing to their different lights, are scrWng their fellow-
creatures for the love of God.'
Walter Redman looked across the great plain which lay
beneath them. The sun was sinking down to the sea, and
all the western sky was aflame. A little later the Ave
Maria ^vould ring from the churclies, and the peasants
would leave their fields and vineyards and come up to
the villages, for the twilight is short in Italy, and when
once the sunset glow has faded, night sinks swiftly over
the land.
1 Monsignor Martini quotes from the Douai ti-anslation of the Vulgate.
300 CASTING OF NETS
' I beg your pardon, Monsignore/ he said, turning
suddenly to the priest. ^I misjudged you.'
Monsignor Martini smiled.
^ Did you ? In what way, Lord Redman ? ' he asked.
' I thought that, as a priest, you would not acknowledge
liberty of thought on questions of dogmatic belief
Monsignor Martini rose from his seat beneath the
olive-tree.
' Dogma ! ' he said, a little impatiently. ^ We have too
much dogma and too little faith. Do you not think that
there are many of us who realize this and would say so, if
we dared ? '
'Then you would imply that a man may be a Chris-
tian and yet not belong to any Church ? ' said Walter.
'And you would consider that man to be as good a
Christian \n the sight of God as though he were a
Catholic ? '
'Most assuredly.'
'But he must believe in the great dogmas of Chris-
tianity ? '
'He must believe and accept the teaching of Christ.
Dogmas were evolved from that teaching, but some of
them have little to do with it. Come, Lord Redman,'
added Monsignor Martini, 'we should be returning to
Albano. The sun has set, and it will be dark long before
we reach Rome.'
They had taken a little carriage for the day in Albano,
intending to drive back from the latter place to Rome in
the landau which Walter had hired for the months he and
Hilda were going to pass there.
' I will walk on into Genzano and find our driver,' said
CASTING OF NETS 301
Lord Redman to liis wife, ' if you and Mousignor Martini
will follow me.'
Hilda watched his tall figure striding away down the
white road.
* I have never heard ray husband talk to any ecclesiastic
as he does to you, Monsigiioro/ she said presently. ' I
am so very glad that he should do so. He always de-
clares that he has no religion, you know, but it is not
true.'
' Nobody could be much in Lord Redman's company and
believe that he has no religion/ replied Monsignor Martini.
* He is one of the many people whom dogma has driven
into a feigned indifference.'
Hilda looked at him earnestly.
' Do you really believe that one form of religion is as
true as another in the sight of God ? *
* I believe that God does not inquire whether we are
Romans, or Greeks, or Anglicans/ said Monsignor Martini,
with a smile. ^Your husband will never be a Catholic,
Lady Redman,' he added. ' I have had many conversa-
tions with him. He cannot believe all that would be re-
quired of him as a convert. I do not think you could
expect him to do so, neither should you allow the fact to
distress you.'
^ It does not distress me/ replied Hilda.
Monsignor Martini directed a keen glance at her. He
was about to reply when a little carriage came round a
bend in the road. Walter had met it coming in search of
them, as they were nearly an hour later than the time fixed
upon to rejoin it at Gcnzano.
'Are you going to the Canonization in St. Peter's,
302 CASTING OF NETS
Monsignore ? ' asked Walter, as they were rattling over the
rough-paved road leading to Albano.
Monsignor Martini shook his head.
^ No/ he said. ' I should not apply for a ticket. It
would certainly be refused me. I might, I believe, insist
upon taking my proper place in the Papal procession,
but ' and here he paused significantly.
^ I wonder/ said Hilda, ^ whether you would come with
us ? We have three tickets which Cardinal Macchi gave
us. It would be so interesting to have you with us to
explain the ceremony.'
'I will come with pleasure,' said Monsignor Martini,
after hesitating for a moment or two. ^ It is a veiy curi-
ous ceremony/ he added, ' an interesting study of human
nature, and an imposing spectacle. You will feel how
greatly we are still under the influence of paganism. In-
stead of a Roman Emperor creating a minor deity, you will
see the Roman Pontiff creating a saint.'
'At any rate you will come with us?' said Walter.
' I am not fond of ecclesiastical functions,' he added,
'as you have discovered. But it will be interesting to
see how saints are made. I am told by a French
friend of mine that the French candidate for celestial
honours is a decidedly political candidate. Is this so,
Monsignore ? '
Monsignor Martini laughed.
'What is the advantage of possessing the keys of
heaven if the Vatican cannot use them to oblige a
friend?' he replied enigmatically.
CHAPTER XXI
ONE afternoon, ;i few days after their excursion
among the Alban Hills, Hilda was writing letters
in the drawing-room of the villa in the Via Gaeta, while
Walter Redman was reading by the windows which
opened into the little garden partly surrounding the
house. The weather, for so late in the si)ring, was
unprecedentedly bad, as, indeed, it had been all the year.
The Romans grumbled at the Anno Santo, which, they
declared, was the cause of all the rain and the sclrocco
which had spoilt the beautiful Roman spring. Nothing
ever prospered in a Holy Year, they averred, and it would
be well if some ^reat disaster did not befall Rome and
Italy during its course.
Walter had just laid aside his book, and had proposed
a walk in spite of the weather, when a footman whom
they had brought with them from Abbotsbury entered
the room.
' Mr. Russell wants to see you, my lord,' lie said.
'Mr. Russell!' exclaimed Walter, in astonishment.
'What ]\rr. Russell? Not the Rector?'
'Yes, my lord — the Rector. I have shown him into
your lordshi})'s sitting-room.'
' Show him in here at once,' said Walter. ' What
brings him to Rome, I wonder?' he added as the man
304 CASTING OF NETS
left the room. ^Did you know anything of their coming,
Hilda?'
*No/ answered the latter; 'I am amazed. I have
never heard from Mary since we left England. I have
written to her, but she has never replied. I wonder if
she is with him.'
The door opened, and the servant announced Mr.
Russell.
' Why, Russell,' said Walter, ' this is a surprise. When
did you arrive in Rome ? '
^ Is Mary here ? ' asked Hilda.
They advanced to meet him with outstretched hands
of welcome, but a look on the Rector's face caused them
to pause hesitatingly. An expression of mental anguish
was reflected on Mr. Russell's usually calm and contented
countenance.
^ Mary ! ' exclaimed Hilda. ' Something has happened
to her, Mr. Russell ? Is she ill ? I have been expecting
to hear from her for so long.'
Mr. Russell turned from her abruptly.
* Lord Redman,' he said, and his voice trembled with a
strongly-repressed emotion, * I understood that you were
alone. I did not wish to intrude upon Lady Redman.'
He spoke with a cold, studied politeness, which
caused Walter and his wife to look at each other with
astonishment.
'I will leave you and my husband alone together,'
Hilda said, a little stiffly. ^I was afraid that something
had occurred to distress you, and could only think that
perhaps Mary was ill. However, as it is only business
which has brought you here '
CASTING OK Nl/rS 305
Mr. Russell iiitcrniptcd her.
' Plciisc rciiKiiii, L;uly KtMlinan,' he said coldly; M)ut
spare me any eiHiiiiries about luy wife.'
' Good Cod, Russell ! ' exclaimed Walter, ' what do
you mean? What has happened to ]\Iary? She is
not ' lie hesitated, and then looked anxiously in
the Rector's face.
The latter laughed — a short, bitter laugh which was
unplcjusant to hear.
'Lady Redman has not told you?' he asked. * Well,
Lord Redman, I am glad of that. I am glad that you,
at least, arc ignorant of the matter ; that you have not
allowed this blow to fall upon me without having given
me a friendly word of warning. My business with you
need not detain us long. Lady Redman is no doubt
aware why I am in Rome, and I will leave it to her to
explain my presence here. Li the meantime, I wish to
notify to you my resignation of the living of Abbotsbury.
I have already informed the Bishop of my intention to
do so.'
Walter stared at him in bewilderment. There was
a great anger as well as grief in Mr. Russell's tones.
The man would not be so angry if his wife were dead.
Lord Redman reflected, and that iMary should have run
away from her husband was a thought which provoked
a smile. He knew few women more eminently staid and
respectable than his cousin, iNfary Russell.
He was about to reply when Hilda, who had moved
towards the door with the intention of leaving the
drawing-room, turned, and came slowly up to where
the Rector and her husband were standing.
20
3o6 CASTING OF NETS
^Mr. Russell/ she said quietly, ^perhaps you will
explain to us what you mean. Your words imply that
I am acquainted with some fact relating to Mary of
which my husband is in ignorance. Please understand
that, since leaving Abbotsbury, I have heard neither
from nor of her.*
Mr. Russell looked at her with an expression in which
incredulity and disgust were but ill-concealed. His hands
plucked nervously at a little gold cross which hung from
his watch-chain.
* I have no doubt. Lady Redman, that you are acting
a part which you conscientiously consider to be a right
one,' he replied. *Your priests have probably told you
to keep up the deception to the last, but, believe me, it
is quite unnecessary. You have succeeded in your task.
You have separated a husband and wife, and ruined a
happy home. You and your Church should be satisfied.'
Hilda grew very pale.
' Once again, Mr. Russell,' she said with quiet dignity,
* I must ask you to explain yourself.'
* Does it need so much explanation ? Under the pre-
tence of friendship for my wife, have you not gradually
undermined her faith in her own Church? Have you
not worked upon her religious temperament, you, and
the priests to whom you sent her, until you succeeded in
convincing her that she was pleasing her God by deceiv-
inf^ her husband ? Well, what does it matter if the love
between a husband and a wife has been shattered, if all the
trust and all the sympathy of years has been broken and
destroyed ? You have made a convert for your Church -^
the rest signifies nothing.'
CASTING OF NETS 307
Walter Ucdiiiaii turned to his wife.
* Hilda,' he said, in a low voiee, * is this true ? '
* Yes,' continued Mr. Russell. ' God help me, it is
true ! I could have borne anything but the deception
of it, the cruelty of it. I am not a narrow-minded man,
Lady Redman ; I think you have cause to know that.
If you had allowed my wife to take me into her confi-
dence, your Church would have lost nothin<,^ ; it would
have gained my respect instead of my contempt for its
methods. If I had been convinced that Mary's happiness
and peace of mind depended upon her embracing your
creed, I would not have opposed her doing so in the
end, though I should have tried to reason with her
before the final step was taken. It was this of which
you were afraid — this, and a husband's affection. Your
Church boasts of crushing human affections, but you
might have had some little pity for me, Lady Redman.
I pitied you when I believed that you were distressed in
your mind, and all the time you were striving secretly
to separate my wife from me in this world and the next.
You may have been acting the part of a good Catholic —
I do not know — but, were you acting that of a good
Christian ? '
Mr. Russell's voice broke suddenly. Sitting down,
he buried his face in his hands.
' Hilda,' exclaimed Lord Redman — ' Hilda, let me
hear you say that he is mistaken. You have not done
this thing ; you could not do it. Russell,' he continued,
' my wife is incapable of acting as you suppose. There is
some absurd mistake.'
Mr. Russell raised his head.
3o8 CASTING OF NETS
'There is no mistake/ he said dully. 'Mary used
to be very bitter about Roman Catholics. It was a
surprise to me that she ceased to be so shortly after
Lady Redman came to Abbotsbury, but I was glad that
her prejudices should be modified. I knew nothing,
suspected nothing. Just after Easter she went to Lon-
don, to pay a visit to her own relations. One morning
I received a letter from her, telling me that she had been
received into the Roman Catholic Church at the Oratory
the day before by a Father Galsworthy. She had been
" instructed," so she wrote, for some weeks, and had long
been contemplating the step. Her spiritual directors,
she told me, and others whom she had consulted, had
counselled her not to tell me of her intention until her
conversion was an accomplished fact. Nothing, she
declared — no earthly ties or human affection — could be
suffered to interfere between a Catholic and the Church.
I have not seen her since.'
' You have not seen her since ? ' repeated Hilda.
' No, Lady Redman, I could not. It is not that she has
changed her faith — God must be the Judge of that — but
it is the manner of her changing it, the dishonesty, the
heartless cruelty. Can a just action come out of so much
evil ? I suppose your priests believe that it can. Your
grandmother. Lady Merton, wrote to me. She told me
that God in His mercy had opened the eyes of my wife to
the truth, and had called her into His Church. Daily inter-
course with a Catholic, she said, had contributed to this
blessed result. That Catholic was, of course, yourself.'
' What grounds have you for supposing so^ Mr. Russell ? '
asked Hilda,
CASTING OF NKTS 309
* Lady Morton's letters/ replied Mr. Uussell, * and other
evidence. Mary, too, does not deny that you were instru-
mentid in convertinj^ her. It would have been kinder to
warn nic, Liuly Redman. In her room I found controver-
sial books — books in which your name was written —
lent to her by you, she tells me in her letters. They were
hidden away, as though she had wished to keep their
existence in our house a secret.'
' Where is she now ? ' asked Hilda.
Mr. Russell looked at her indignantly.
* AYhy need you keep up the comedy any longer ? ' he
answered bitterly. * You have probably seen her. She is
in Rome.'
* In Rome ! ' exclaimed Walter.
* Yes, in a retreat. So much I, her husband, am allowed
to know. No doubt you are acquainted with a certain
Father Remington in this town, Lady Redman. It appears
that, acting on Lady Merton's and Father Galsworthy's
suggestion, Mary came to Rome, and Lady Merton under-
took to find a ^* retreat," as she called it, for her, until —
as my wife was pleased to explain to me — Almighty God
should see fit to soften my anger against her. I was not
angry with her, poor child, but — well, when love and
trust are betrayed, it is a hard thing to bear ! Perhaps I
was ungenerous, but I wrote and told her not to return to
the Rectory just then ; I wanted to be alone. It was after
writing this to her that I received her letter saying she
should go to Rome ; and since then she has written to tell
me that she is here, in a " retreat " conducted by a certain
Father Remington, and that she hopes to benefit by the in-
dulgences of the Holy Year. But I do not know why I
3IO CASTING OF NETS
am telling you things which you already know better than
1/ concluded Mr. Russell abruptly.
'Have you seen Lady Merton since you arrived in
Rome?' asked Hilda quietly.
She was filled with a great compassion for the Rector,
and, in her indignation at the manner in which his wife
had treated him, the fact that he regarded her as respon-
sible for his unhappiness seemed of little importance.
'No. I arrived this morning only. My duties at
Abbotsbury prevented my coming sooner.'
' And why have you come, Mr. Russell ? '
' I have come for Mary,' he answered simply. ' I want
to explain to her that I am not angry. I was angry at
first that she should have listened to others, and have
lost her confidence in me. We must begin life afresh. I
cannot return to Abbotsbury.'
' We will talk about that later on,' said Walter Redman
gently. ' In the meantime,' he added, ' you are under
the impression that Mary has been influenced by my
wife?'
' How can I think otherwise ? Mary does not deny it.
Lady Merton has distinctly given me to understand that
Lady Redman's influence has caused her conversion ; and
I find further proofs of it among my wife's books.'
' And if I deny it ? ' asked Hilda.
Mr. Russell made no reply.
' Will you listen to me, Mr. Russell ? ' she continued,
after a pause. ' Hitherto I have listened to you with-
out attempting to defend myself. Will you believe me
when I tell you that the news of Mary having become
a Catholic is as great a surprise to me as it was to you ?
CASTING OF NETS jii
It cannot be so great a shock, but, all the same, it is a
shock ; and I am more grieved U)r you than I can say.'
The Rector looked at her in silence, but it was evident
that he did not believe her.
* The books you found were mine,' she continued, ^ and I
lent them to her. When I iirst came to Abbotsbury we
used to talk about the difFerenecs in our religions, and 1
was astonished to find how greatly Mary was prejudiced
against the Roman Church, and how very ignorant she
was of its tenets. She used to tell mc the most absurd
thinirs of what she imaGrined that we believed. I lent her
those books at her own request. By degrees she ceased
to mention the subject to me, and I concluded that she
wished to avoid it. Afterwards,' and here Hilda glanced
at her husband, ^events happened which made me less
inclined than ever to discuss religious differences. I was
surprised to learn that ^lary had visited my grandmother
at Ware. I first heard of this visit from you ; Mary never
alluded to it. In fact, to be brief, I am absolutely inno-
cent of any attempt or desire to make Mary abandon the
Church of England, and I must decline to be held respon-
sible in any way for the action of other people. I think,
Mr. Russell, my husband will tell you that I am speaking
the trutli when I say that I strongly condemn any inter-
ference with the religious opinion of others, whether it
proceeds from Catholics or Protestants.'
' Russell,' exclaimed Walter warmly, ' you must dismiss
from your mind any suspicion of my wife having been a
party to this business. She is incapable of it. Nobody
knows that better than I do. If you will reflect for a
moment, you will see what I mean.'
312 CASTING OF NETS
Mr. Russell hesitated.
^ I would give much to believe it/ he said. ^ Lady
Redman and I have always been good friends, and the
feeling that she has known of all this from the beginning,
and has been the instigator of it, has made the blow a
harder one still to bear.'
* Mr. Russell/ said Hilda, * I declare to you upon my
honour that I have had no part, direct or indirect, in the
step Mary has taken, save the wholly innocent one of
having attempted to disabuse her mind of certain foolish
prejudices, and of having, at her own request, lent her
some books on the position of the Roman Church.'
Lady Redman spoke in clear, firm tones which carried
conviction with them. Mr. Russell looked at her keenly
for some seconds.
' If I have misjudged you,' he said quietly, ^ I beg your
forgiveness, Lady Redman. I thought that zeal for your
Church had caused you to forget all other things. My
wife's letters to me are full of allusions to the duty of a
Catholic to give up, if necessary, all human affections for
the sake of Christ. She means for the sake of the Church
she has joined, but that is no matter. Submission and
obedience to the counsels of her confessor, Father Gals-
worthy, she assures me, made her keep all her intentions
secret from her husband until she had actually been
received into the Roman Catholic Church. I have read
that a wife should cleave unto her husband, and surely
she should not desert her husband's faith for another.
But you are a Catholic, Lady Redman. I cannot expect
you to sympathize with me. Your sympathies will be
with the soul which has been rescued to the Church.'
CASTING OF NETS 313
Hilda siuldenly biirRt into tears.
* It is hateful ! ' she exclaimed, struggling to regain the
mastery over herself. * Is there no truth or loyalty any-
where ? Does religion destroy honour ? Mr. Russell/
she continued, with a little sob, * I abhor what your wife
has done. Do you understand me ? — I abhor it, and
those who have made her do it.'
Walter sprang to her side.
' Hush, Hilda, hush ! ' he said. * Russell knows now
that you have no hand in it.'
Since her illness the year before he had not seen his
wife so excited.
*Get Mary away from those people,' she continued,
scarcely heeding him. ^ Get her away from them, or they
will make her destroy your happiness and her own, and
they will tell her that she is doing a righteous act. Do
you think they care for her soul or for yours ? They want
converts — money, numbers, to swell the influence of the
Church ! '
^ Hilda !'
^ No, Walter ; let me speak ! I have thought so much
all these months — you do not know how much ! They
want you, Walter ; they cannot wait for your child. But
they shall have neither. I will not have my child —
your child — brought up a Catholic'
Walter Redman thought that he had never seen his
wife look so beautiful as at that moment. She stood
erect and defiant. Her tears had vanished, and a great
contempt shone in her eyes. Hilda's last words caused
a thrill to pass through him. The circumstances attend-
ing her illness had made him bitterly regret the conditions
314 CASTING OF NETS
to which he had been obliged to agree at his marriage,
and which he had then so lightly pledged himself to
observe. The thought that Abbotsbury and his family
title and estates must in all probability pass into Cath-
olic hands in the future had haunted him of late with
unpleasant insistency, for his resentment at the conduct
of Lady Merton and the priests had been very deep, and
it was only for Hilda's sake that he had kept silence.
The birth of the still-born son had brought home to him
the gravity of the promise which he had made, and he
had often wondered how it was that he could no longer
feel the same indifference to the idea of his successor be-
longing to an alien faith. The voice which he had heard
in the old chancel at Abbotsbury had spoken the same
words to him many times since. By what right had he
pledged his successors to membership of a Church to
protect their country from whicli the dead of the race
he represented had suffered and fought? The promise,
once given, however, must be maintained, and Walter
Redman was too proud a man, and too loyal a gentle-
man, to think of not maintaining it. Hilda had married
him upon the condition that the children born to them
should be brought up Catliolics, and Catholics they must
be, unless their mother changed her faith.
'I will not have my child — your child — brought up a
Catholic'
The words rang in Lord Redman's ears as he looked at
his wife in silence. He had suspected her state since they
had been in Rome, but she had said no word of it to him.
Mr. Russell approached Hilda with outstretched hand.
' Lady Redman,' he said in a low voice, ' I have done
CASTING OF NETS 315
you a great wrong. Can you forgive me ? The trial has
been a very hard one, for though Mary and I must live to-
gether as man and wife, things can never be the same as
in the past. A broken confidence will always rise up be-
tween us. Thank God we have no children ! At least I
shall not have to witness a struggle for my children's
souls.'
Hilda took his hand with a faint smile.
* I have nothing to forgive,* she replied. * But, oh, I do
grieve for you, Mr. Russell! I cannot forgive Mary.
What she has done is no religious act, but one of utter
selfishness.'
^ You must forgive INIary also,' said the Rector gently.
^ We must remember that she believes her soul to be at
stake.*
' Her soul ! ' exclaimed Hilda contemptuously. ' There
is nothing that people are so cruelly selfish about as their
souls. But, Mr. Russell, what can we do? You say
Mary is in a retreat conducted by Father Remington?'
' Yes. Do you know him ? '
' No ; I have met him. He is a famous preacher, and
much sought after by the English converts here in Rome.'
'T must see my wife. Lady Redman,' said Mr. Russell.
' I wish to leave her full liberty in her new religion, and
to do all I can that it should separate us as little as
possible. Of course, in my position as a clergyman, it is
most embarrassing. Mary's action is not only a moral blow
to me, but it is an insult to my ministry. I felt that I
must at once resign my charge at Abbotsbury, and '
The door of the drawing-room opened, and one of the
Italian servants asked if their Excellencies received.
3i6 CASTING OF NETS
' Who is it, Andrea ? ' asked Walter.
^Miladi Merton, Eccellenza.'
Walter and Hilda looked at each other in dismay, and
then at Mr. Russell.
* No,' said Walter hurriedly to the footman ; ' say
that '
' I was sure that you would be at home on such a bad
afternoon. How are you, dear Hilda ? '
Lady Merton had followed on the servant's heels, and
was already inside the room. She gave a slight start of
surprise on seeing Mr. Russell, but, recovering herself, she
made him a dignified bow and sat down in the arm-chair
by the side of which her grand-daughter was standing.
CHAPTER XXII
WALTER was the first to break the constrained
silence which followed Lady Merton's entrance.*
His manner was dryness itself as he turned to her.
' Your visit is opportune, Lady Merton,' he said ; ' it will
save Mr. Russell the trouble of calling upon you.'
The words were studiedly cold, and not altogether
polite, but Walter had difficulty enough in restraining the
indignation which was boiling within him.
Lady Merton gave a deprecatory little smile.
* I was not aware that Mr. Russell was in Rome/ she
remarked.
' And I,' said Hilda, ' was not aware that Mrs. Russell
was here. Perhaps/ she added, ' you will explain to Mr.
Russell that I am in no way responsible for the deception
which has been practised upon him. He came here this
afternoon under the impression that I had brought about
his ^vife's conversion, if it can be called conversion.'
Lady Merton's eyes drooped.
* All, my dear Hilda,' she said, ' to some of us it is given
to sow the good seed unconsciously. I can quite enter into
Mr. Russell's fcclinjjs. But we will trust that Almifirhtv
God, in His own good time, will open his eyes to the
truth, and that he will profit by liis dear wife's example.
3i8 CASTING OF NETS
In the meantime, she is willing and thankful to endure
persecution for the Church's sake.'
^ No doubt/ exclaimed Mr. Russell ; ' but at whose
hands does she expect persecution, Lady Merton? Not
at her husband's, surely ! '
' You have refused to receive your wife back into your
house because she has become a Catholic, Mr. Russell,' re-
joined Lady Merton. ^ Is that not an act of persecution ? '
The Rector looked at her in bewilderment.
' I have refused to receive her back ! ' he repeated.
' That is an absurd statement to make. May I ask. Lady
Merton, who has told you such an untruth ? '
' Your wife herself. She showed me your letter to
her. It was a cruel letter, Mr. Russell, but, alas ! we
converts are accustomed to encounter cruelty from those
who profess to care for us.'
Mr. Russell paced backwards and forwards up and
down the drawing-room.
' If she has so misunderstood me,' he exclaimed, ' it
is time that I came to fetch her back. I only asked
for time — a few days, perhaps — to recover from the
shock I had received. Can you not understand, Lady
Merton? She is my wife! I have nobody but her in
this world, and now your Church has divided us— in
this world and the next. Oh ! it is not a bodily separa-
tion — that I know; but you have separated our souls.
You have destroyed confidence and trust. Can love
exist without them? Can there be a greater, a more
unending cruelty ? '
*Not unending,' said Hilda softly; 'there will be no
Churches in the next world.'
CASTING OF NETS 319
Lady Morton turned to licr indignimtly.
MIild:i!' she exclaimed; ^ arc you losing your faith?
Surely you must rejoice over Mrs. Russell's conversion !
It was through you that she first became acquainted with
Catholic doctrine.'
' Please do not try to fix the responsibility of Mrs.
Ilussell's conduct upon me,' replied Hilda coldly. ' I
entirely disapprove of a wife leaving her husband in
ignorance of such a matter as her change of faitli. If
Mary had been honest, she would have made no mystery
about it. Those who allowx'd her to act in such a
manner have much to answer for.'
Lady Merton shook her head sadly.
*Ah, my dear child, this comes of living with Pro-
testants! You have forgotten that virtue of obedience
which is the mark of a good Catholic. If Mrs. Russell
kept silence as to her intentions, it was because she was
directed to do so by her spiritual advisers. We are not
to be judges in such matters ; it is our duty to obey.
As I say, I feel for Mr. Russell. No doubt, to a Pro-
testant like himself it appears an unnecessary hardship
to be excluded from his wife's confidence in spiritual
matters ; but he must learn that human affections cannot
be allowed to impede the work of the Church. In this
instance, what appears to Mr. Russell to be a cruelty is
iu reality a kindness. The knowledge of his ^\^fe's impend-
ing conversion could only have led to painful discussions
between him and her. Father Galsworthy ver\' rightly
wished to spare both his penitent and her husband any
superfluous trials or difficulties. Mr. Russell must sub-
mit himself to the will of God, and pray that to him also
320 CASTING OF NETS
may be vouchsafed the grace which has been bestowed
upon his wife.'
' It appears to me/ said Lord Redman dryly, * that God
has very little to do with the business.'
Lady Merton darted a look of angry contempt at
him.
' As you do not believe in Him, my dear Walter/ she
replied, ' you are hardly competent to judge.'
'I understand that my wife is at present in retreat,
Lady Merton,' said Mr. Russell.
He spoke very calmly, and with a quiet dignity of
manner.
'Yes,' replied Lady Merton. 'Father Remington is
conducting a retreat at this moment. A most holy
man!' she added. 'I am sure that Mrs. Russell will
emerge from it having gained fresh strength and cour-
age to encounter the trials and difficulties which she
may be called upon to bear for her religion's sake.'
Mr. Russell looked at her quietly.
'Those trials and difficulties will not come from me,'
he said. 'I, like Father Remington, am a priest of
Christ's Church, Lady Merton. If my wife has for-
gotten this, I do not forget it. Perhaps you will tell
her so. Tell her also that I am in Rome, waiting for
her to return to me.'
Lady Merton seemed as though she were about to
reply, but she contented herself with bowing stiffly.
* No doubt you would like to see Mrs. Russell ? ' she
said, turning to Hilda. 'Under the circumstances, a
visit would probably be permitted.*
' No,' replied Hilda ; ' I have no wish to see Mrs.
CASTING OF NKIS 321
Russell until she lias returned to lier proper plaee by
her hushimd's side. Please tell her so,'
Lady JNlerton looked from one to the other of them
with aggrieved astonishment.
' It is so sad,' she nun-mured, * to find such intolerance
— so very sad! Hut we Catholics are proud to be per-
secuted for our ijord's sake. As for you, Hilda,' she
continued, ' I am distressed beyond words at your atti-
tude. Instead of standing by your friend JMrs. Russell,
you hold aloof from her. You, a Catholic, deny your
help and sympathy to one who has sacrificed nmch for
the Church's sake.'
* She has indeed sacrificed much/ exclaimed Hilda,
with scarcely repressed indignation. ^ She has sacrificed
truth and honour, and a husband's happiness, at the
bidding of those who move heaven and earth to make
one proselyte, even if that proselyte be a weak woman.
Well, if this is religion, I have no sympathy with it.
I '
Mr. Russell interposed.
* Lady Redman,' he said gently, ' do not allow your
compassion for me to lessen your faith. We must make
allowances for the opinions of others, however nmch we
may disagree with them. After all, we are all of us
Christians. I have no right to speak to you, for I am not
of your Church ; but, thank God ! the Church of England
teaches tolerance, and shall I, her minister, not practise
it ? Lady ^Merton, I hope, will believe that I shall not
persecute my wife for Christ's sake, however much I may
grieve over what I hold to be a terrible error on her part.
But you, Lady Redman, I would not have you shaken in
21
322 CASTING OF NETS
your faith by things in which, as your husband said a few
minutes ago, God has no part.'
Lady Merton rose from her seat.
' I shall leave you to benefit by your Protestant sur-
roundings, Hilda,' she said scornfully. ^ I cannot remain
in your house to hear our holy religion insulted. Ours,
did I say ? I should rather have said mine ; for, whatever
you may be, Hilda, you are no longer a Catholic. Poor,
misguided child ! has not the warning of God's anger
which you have so recently received been sufficient for
you?'
* One moment, Lady Merton ; we shall not detain you
long.'
Walter Redman suddenly broke the silence which he
had maintained.
^ You are very ready to take God into partnership,' he
said. * Let me assure you that the warning to which you
allude has been more than enough for my wife — and for
myself. Your zeal for proselytism nearly cost Hilda her
life. It did cost the life of her child. You need not be
at all uneasy, for we shall scarcely fail to profit by your
warning — indeed, I believe that Hilda has profited by it
already.'
*I do not know what you mean, Walter/ said Lady
Merton loftily. 'But I do know that since you have
married my grand-daughter you have systematically
endeavoured to undermine and destroy her faith. In
England you have surrounded her with agnostics like
Mr. Shirley, and here in Rome you have thrown her
with people whose acquaintance good Catholics seek
to avoid. How far such conduct on your part is honour-
CASTING OF Nt/rs 323
able, and consistent with the promises you made at your
marriage, 1 leave to your conscience to decide.'
' It is nut true!' exclaimed Hilda indignantly. 'You
have no right to say such things. Walter has been loyal,
and more than loyal, to his word. It is you, and those
about you, who have done your best to destroy my faith.
My luisband has never told you this, but now 1 will tell
you, and perhaps you will understand. It was I who
asked him to protect me from you, and from those whom
you had set to try to terrorize me into doing what you
wished. Thank God, my ffiith in His goodness and my
love for my husband have been strong enough to vanquish
the superstitious fears upon which you tried to work.
Walter is right: you nearly killed me, among you, and
you did kill my child — his child. You would have had
me break my promise to him without scruple — the promise
you urged me to give, making me believe that my future
husband was certain to become a C^atholic, and that it
was all a mere matter of form to facilitate our marriai^e.
You meant me to make him become a Catholic, because
his conversion would add to the Church's influence, and
you would not have cared had Walter been another
Wearmouth ; you would have encouraged me to marry
him all the same.'
^ Hilda ! ' exclaimed her husband. ' What are you
saving ? '
' Walter, I will speak ! ' she continued impetuously.
* I am weary and sick of the falseness, the pretence
of religion, where there is nothing but ambition and
worldliness, the mad desire to extend the influence of
the Church at all costs, the use of Almighty God to
324 CASTING OF NETS
frighten the weak, as nurses conjure up a bogey with
which to frighten naughty children. And now you
have made another convert ; and in what way ? By
encouraging a wife to deceive her husband, by ruining
a home, by breaking the heart of a good man.'
Hilda stopped. She was breathing rapidly and her
eyes flashed indignantly upon Lady Merton. The latter
looked at her grand-daughter with an expression of
stunned amazement on her face, which presently disap-
peared before her rising anger.
' I hope you are satisfied with the result of your efforts
to destroy your wife's faith,' she said to Walter bitterly.
^ This is the natural consequence of associating with so-
called Liberal Catholics like the Brancaleone, and un-
worthy priests like Monsignor Martini. I will not dwell
upon the ingratitude which both of you are showing
towards me. Every word which you have uttered, Hilda,
tells me but too plainly that what we have all dreaded
for you has come to pass. You are no longer a Catholic.
You have allowed an earthly affection to blind you to
your duty towards the Church. You have lost your
faith.'
There was a moment's pause as Lady Merton ceased
speaking. Hilda's face quivered with an emotion which
she was determined to control. Almost unconsciously
she crossed the room to her husband and stood by his
side.
^ I think,' she replied gently, ' that I have found it.'
CHAPTER XXIII
HILDA had kept the fact that she expected again
to become a mother very carefully to herself.
Had it not been for the agitation which the discovery of
Mary Russell's clandestine conversion had caused her,
she would probably have allowed a few more weeks to
pass before acquainting Walter with what had now passed
from a hope into a certainty.
Since she had been in Rome many influences had been
at work in her mind. She had come to the fountain-head
of her religion believing that she should be strengthened
in her faith, and anxious to assure herself that here at
least she should recover the respect for the Church which
the events of the last few months had so severely tried.
But from the day on which she first entered St. Peter's
her disappointment had become ever greater, her dis-
satisfaction more complete.
This was not the Rome she had so often imagined in
the days of her girlhood at Cawarden, the Holy City
^vhcre the Vicar of Christ watched over the needs of
the Churcli, and where men should feel themselves as
standing at the threshold of heaven.
Being, as Mr. Shirley had said of her, a woman who
thought. Lady Redman had quickly realized that what-
ever Roman Catholicism might be in England, at Rome
326 CASTING OF NETS
it was far less of a religious than a political power, and it
had not taken her long to discover that the ^ exaltation
of our Holy Mother the Church' signified in reality the
furtherance of the social and political aims of the Vatican.
The circumstances under which she had made her first
acquaintance with Rome had contributed in no slight
degree towards enabling Hilda to penetrate the artificial
surface which masks the most complicated, and possibly
the most powerful, political institution of modern times.
The fact of her being by birth a member of an old Cath-
olic family in England, and grand-daughter to Lady Mer-
ton, whose name was as a household word among the
Black society of the capital, had given her the entrance
not only into the houses of the English-speaking convert
society, of which her grandmother was an acknowledged
leader, but also into that more exclusive world of the
genuine Romans belonging to the clerical party who
afiected to ignore the existence of the Quirinal and the
Government, and to regard the Vatican as the Court and
the centre of authority. On the other hand, her marriage
with the Protestant head of a well-known English house
had opened to her other doors than those of the narrow
and bigoted society in whose midst she would certainly
have found herself, and into which the English Roman
Catholic, on first coming to Rome, usually drifts. She
had not been slow to seize the opportunity of escaping
from Lady Merton's entourage, and Walter's absolute
refusal, after his first experiences, to enter it, had greatly
facilitated her emancipation from the social and moral
nets which are carefully woven to prevent the novice at
Rome from falling under Liberal influences.
CASTING OF NKTS 327
Of all the ac(iiiaint;uiccs bIic liail made at Home, Hilda
undoubtedly preferred the Princess Hrancaleone antl Con-
signor Martini. These, indeed, had become more than
ac(iuaintances, and Hilda regarded them both as friends to
whom she could talk unrestrainedly. Princess Branca-
leono, with her ready sympathies, had (juickly discovered
that Lady Redman was both puzzled and disappointed
by what she saw around her. As an Englishwoman,
married to one of the most important of the Roman
princes, she had frequently to receive compatriots who
were recommended to her good offices by friends in Eng-
land. As a rule, however, she found that they preferred
beins: left to their hotel life and to their Endish tea-
parties, their one idea being to see as little of Italian
life as they could, in order, possibly, to feel more free to
abuse the Italians. She had made up her mind the first
nidit on which the Redmans dined at the Palazzo Mon-
telupi that they were not people to ask to dinner once
and then relegate to the limbo of the English colony.
Princess Brancaleone was nothing if not a woman of the
world, and it had not escaped her that Lady Redman,
instead of sitting alone in a corner with an expression of
superiority and disapproval, as did most of her English
guests, was always surrounded by a grouj) of people who
were evidently pleased to meet her. Lord Redman, too,
instead of standing awkwardly near a door, speaking to
nobody and looking unutterably bored, was able to talk
in other tongues besides his own, and to talk well. Tlic
consequences had been that the Princess and her husband
had compared notes, and the Redmans from that day
became frequent guests at the Palazzo ^lontelupi, and
328 CASTING OF NETS
at the dinners which thej were perpetually giving during
the Roman season. It was here that Hilda and Walter
met all the most interesting people of the capital. The
Princess had no sooner discovered that they were anxious
to see the true life of Rome, and that the foreign colony
bored them, than she exerted herself to make them ac-
quainted with those men and women who were forming
the history of their day in Italy and elsewhere.
Princess Brancaleone's salon was not only cosmopolitan,
but it was also one in which talent was welcomed as an
honoured guest, and birth had sometimes to be content
with the second place.
The letters which she had received from her old friend
Mr. Shirley concerning Lord and Lady Redman had
increased the interest which she already felt in them.
He had given her more than one hint as to how matters
stood between Walter and his wife, and the Princess,
though her acquaintance with Lady Merton was of the
slightest nature, was well aware of the latter's mania for
proselytism, and both distrusted and disliked the set by
which she was surrounded in Rome.
She had not been surprised, therefore, when Hilda had
talked of her disappointment at finding political animos-
ities where she had expected to find religion ; malice and
evil-speaking where Christian charity ought to have
reigned. Possessing, as she did, a clue to Hilda's char-
acter, and a tolerably correct idea of the difficulties with
which she had to contend. Princess Brancaleone was able
to guess at the spirit which prompted many of her
remarks.
She had hardly known how to reply when Hilda had
CASTING OF NETS 329
sometimes asked what she should have done had Prince
Brancalcone been a Protestant, and wlicthcr she would
have tried to convert him. She herself had come to
Rome a sincere though liberal-minded Catholic, but a
few years passed under the shadow of the Vatican had
caused her to relinquish all attempts to believe in its
spirituality. Both her husband and she had suffered too
deeply from the vindictive spite of the clerical party, from
whose ranks Prince Brancalcone, for patriotic motives
and from a sense of disgust at the degrading effects of
the policy of the Church upon the people, had separated
himself.
The Princess had tried to parry Hilda's questions by
pointing out that, at Rome, it was the custom for a
husband and wife to be at least nominally of the same
faith, and that had she not already been a Catholic when
she married the Prince, she would have been obliged to
become one.
' It would have been much simpler,' Hilda had observed,
*if I had become a Protestant when I married Walter.
A wife ought certainly to belong to the same religion as
her husband.'
Hilda had been deeply shocked and disgusted at the
deception and dishonesty which had attended Mary
Russell's conversion. She had adhered to her deter-
mination not to see Mrs. Russell until the latter had
returned to her husband. When she did see her, after
she emerged from her * retreat,' she soon discovered that
Mary was as violently Catholic as she had once been
anti-Catholic. She had adopted the aggressive attitude
which she had learned from those Avho had brouorht about
330 CASTING OF NETS
her change of faith. Mrs. St. Leger had, so to speak,
appropriated the new convert for her own, and already
she and Madame de Hohenthal had whispered tales of
Mr. Russell's persecution of his wife and accounts of the
trials which she was undergoing for the Church's sake
into the ears of ready sympathizers.
From the bottom of her heart Hilda pitied the Rector,
and admired him for his generous and dignified attitude
under circumstances so trying and painful. Of his own
feelings, since the day when he had come to Rome and
told them of the blow which had fallen upon him, he had
never spoken either to Hilda or Lord Redman, but both
could read in his face the sorrow and mortification through
which he was passing. Strangely enough, it was from
Monsignor Martini that Mr. Russell appeared to derive
the most consolation and support. The two had met in
the Via Gaeta on several occasions, and Walter Redman
had told the Monsignore the story of the Rector's
troubles. Lord Redman was greatly impressed by the
way in which the latter took his trials, and said so to
the priest.
' Ah ! ' Monsignor Martini had replied, ' that man is
not a Protestant or a Catholic; he is simply a good
Christian. He is suffering horribly, wounded alike in
his love for his wife and in his religious convictions.
I believe that he feels the slight cast upon his ministry
more than he does the betrayal of the trust which should
exist between husband and wife.'
The date fixed for the Redmans' departure from Rome
was fast approaching. They had abandoned their original
idea of going to Naples. Tliere had been so much to
CASTING OK NETS 331
occupy their days in Rome that Ilikla had felt unwilling
to leave it, and she and Walter were both desirous of
seeing the great ceremony of the Canonization of Saints
which w\is to take place in St. Peter's, and form the chief
among the ecclesiastical spectacles of the Anno Santo.
Hilda had duly received the three tickets to be present
at the ceremonial which had been promised to her, and
slie and her husband had arranged to call for Monsignor
Martini on their way to the basilica.
By the time they arrived at St. Peter's, an enormous
crowd had assembled, and those who possessed tickets
were endeavouring to make their way through it, in
order to reach the doors of the church. Companies
of the soldiers of United Italy were drawn up in the
piazza and at the entrance to the basilica, their patience
and courtesy contrasting favourably with the ill-manners
and selfishness displayed by the Seminarists and pilgrims
who at intervals made futile attempts to break through
the military cordon, hustling and ill-treating women and
children in their mad impatience to enter the building,
and insulting the Italian soldiers when the latter were
ordered by their officers to close up and make them await
their turn to pass on.
At length the carriage which conveyed Lord and Lady
Redman and jMonsignor Martini reached the sacristy, for
which ingress their tickets w^ere available, and a few
minutes afterwards they found themselves inside the great
church. The building was completely transformed. The
marble columns and pillars WTrc draped with red damask.
The window^s were covered, and from the roof hung
innumerable candelabra, blazing with wax candles, while
332 CASTING OF NETS
over the apse was the gloria of the newly-made saints —
a painting representing their miracles — surrounded by
rays of electric light from countless lamps. In front,
opposite the High Altar, rose the Papal throne, and to
right and left of it were the seats for the Sacred College
of Cardinals, the Archbishops, Patriarchs, and high
ecclesiastical dignitaries of the Papal Court. Behind
these, again, were the tribunes reserved for the foreign
Sovereigns and royalties, the Diplomatic Corps accredited
to the Holy See, the Roman patriciate and high officials
of the Vatican, and immediately to the right of the throne
were the posts of the Grand Master and Knights of
the Sovereign Order of Malta. Behind the Confes-
sional of St. Peter, in the body of the church, rose
the vast tribunes devoted to the pilgrims, the secular
and regular clergy of Rome, the Seminarists, and the
public ; and in the centre a broad space, patrolled by
chamberlains and soldiers of the Swiss and Palatine
Guards, was kept clear for the passing of the Papal
procession.
The organization for the handling of the many thousands
of people assembled in St. Peter's was admirable, and, once
inside the church, the Redmans and Monsignor Martini
were able to find their seats without delay. There was
yet more than an hour to elapse before the time fixed for
the commencement of the ceremony, and Monsignor Mar-
tini had warned Hilda that Leo XIII. was invariably
unpunctual.
' In that,' he observed, with a twinkle in his eyes, ' the
Pope is a true Italian.'
Hilda occupied herself with looking at the brilliant spec-
CASTING OF NETS ^^3
tacic wliich the great basilica i^rcscnted. The pompous
vulgarity of the interior of the church had given place to
an effect even less suitable to a sacred edifice. The hang-
ings and the draperies, the glass chandeliers, and the de-
vices of electric light, gave her the impression of being in
some colossal nuisic-liall, or in an opera house prei)ared,
with doubtful taste, for a giUa rei)resentati()n. From the
tribune in which their seats were situated the statue of St.
Peter was plainly visible. A mitre had been placed on the
bronze head of the figure, and a rich, bejewelled cope hung
stiffly from its shoulders, an offence to the art of the
sculptor.
Monsignor Martini watched Hilda's countenance.
' You have come to witness a pagan ceremony in Chris-
tian dress,' he said in a low voice, as he followed her gaze
and saw that it was fixed upon the grotesque figure sup-
posed to represent the chief of the Apostles. ' I have al-
ways thought,' he added, ' that statue, when robed in the
pontifical vestments, to be typical of our Roman faith and
system, the pagan form clothed with the emblems of Chris-
tian sacerdotalism.'
As the hour at which the Pope was expected to make
his entry into the basilica approached, the scene increased
in brilliancy and animation. The clash of steel resounded
as the Papal Guards presented arms to the ambassadors
and ministers accredited to the Holy See, who arrived in
quick succession, followed by their staffs, their uniforms
blazing with stars and orders. Then a gleam of scarlet and
white flashed through the ranks of black-veiled women
and men clad in their evening dress, as the Grand ^faster
of ^lalta, received with sovereign honours, and his at ten-
334 CASTING OF NETS
dant knights, were escorted to the places reserved for the
Order. Suddenly a quiver of excitement ran through the
church, and the great mass of human beings seemed to
sway and heave like the swell of the sea. Cries of ^ Viva
il Papa-Re ! ' were raised by fanatical Seminarists and
Ultramontanes, to be hushed down by those standing
around them, for it had been notified that the Pope did
not on this occasion wish to be greeted by the cheers and
plaudits which, since the fall of the temporal power of the
Papacy, usually accompany his appearance in St. Peter's.
Then the tempestuous movement of the crowd subsided,
and the murmurs died away into an oppressive silence.
Every head was turned towards the great doors of the
portico, by which the Papal procession was to enter.
Presently the strains of distant chanting fell upon the
ears of the listening multitude, faintly audible and con-
fused at first, but gradually growing louder and more
distinct. A glimmer of candles slowly advancing marked
the approach of the procession preceding that of the Papal
Court which escorted the Pontiff himself. Two by two
the Regular Clergy entered the basilica — first those of
the Mendicant Orders, the Augustinians, Capuchins, Fran-
ciscans, Carmelites, Dominicans, and many more ; and
following these the Monastic Orders — the Olivetans,
Benedictines, Cistercians ; the Canons of St. John Lateran,
the Cathedral Church of Rome, bringing up the rear.
Preceded by a cross-bearer and two acolytes, there fol-
lowed in endless array the parish priests and Vicars of
Rome ; behind these came the Canons and dignitaries of
the collegiate churches and basilicas, with the secular
clergy attached to them ; and at their head the Cardinal-
CASTING OF NKTS ^35
Vicar of the Eternal City and ofTicials of the CUiria. Slowly
the lonj; procession advanced up the centre of the basilica,
each member of it carryin*; a li<,Hited candle in his hand.
Uoligious confraternities, with their banners, and person-
a<;cs belun«,'in^ to the families and Keli.<;i(jus Orders of
those about to be canonized, formed the rearicuard of this
army of clerics.
A pause, and the hynm Ave Maris Stella echoed
through the church, sung by the Papal choir, who entered
heralding the coming of the Pope. Following them were
two of the Swiss Guard in full uniform, and a pontifical
Master of the Ceremonies. Then, two and two walked
the Papal Chamberlains, the Pope's confessor and domestic
preacher, and his chaplains bearing the triple crowns and
jewelled mitres of the Head of Christendom, while imme-
diately after these came, in right of his office, the jeweller
to the Papal Court.
Next in order advanced the high ecclesiastics of the
United Greek Rite, a deacon bearing aloft the Papal
Cross, surrounded by seven dignitaries acting as acolytes
and carrying seven candelabra with burning and richly-
ornamented candles. Before the penitentiaries of the
Vatican basilica walked two priests, holding long rods
adorned with flowers, emblematic of the power of the
former to chastise consciences and to temper chastisement
with mercy.
'I notice,' said Walter Redman, as the group passed
them and Monsignor Martini explained the meaning of the
rods, ' that the flowers are sham.*
Monsignor Martini gave him a quick glance of anmse-
ment, but he did not reply.
236 CASTING OF NETS
And now the cortege assumed a character of majestic
brilliancy. In bewildering succession came the Abbots-
General, the Bishops, Archbishops, Primates and Patri-
archs, and following them the three grades of the Sacred
College of Cardinals.
The strains of the Ave Maris Stella sound ever louder
and clearer, and from the trumpets posted above the en-
trance ring out the notes of the Papal March.
The Prince- Assistant to the throne, chief of the ancient
House of Colonna, and the Vice-Chamberlain of the Holy
Church, advance alone, followed by the Apostolic notaries,
and then two Cardinal-Deacons and the Cardinal-Priest
whose office it is to assist the Pope at the Mass celebrated
immediately itfter the formal declaration of canonization.
After these walk the Masters of Ceremonies.
And then from beneath the portico slowly emerges a
group more brilliant than all the rest, and raised high
above it a figure of dazzling whiteness. The frail, bent
body sits on the Sedia Gestatoria bowed down beneath
the weight of the rich vestments, and the triple tiara,
blazing with jewels, crowns the snow-white head. It is
an imposing figure, and a very pathetic one.
Slowly and evenly the raised throne with its white
occupant seems to glide through the kneeling throng,
and the Pope passes, holding in his left hand a lighted
candle, while his right arm is upraised in blessing, and
the long, trembling fingers make the sign of the cross over
the prostrate people. Every now and then Leo XIII.
leans back as though exhausted, and those who do not
know the Pope wonder if he is about to succumb under
the physical and mental strain. But the keen eyes never
CASTING OF NETS 337
lose their intensity, and seem to pierce tlie fnrtliest re-
cesses of the vast church. The smile, wliicli is no smile,
is always there, and <:ji\'es an impression of benevolence
belied by the harsh lines of the mouth, and the stern, im-
perious glance which gleams from under the white brow.
Around the Pope walk with drawn swords the officers
of the Noble (^uard, while beside the Sedia Gestatoria
are borne the great ostrich-feather fans, and behind it
arc the Papal physician and other officers of the Apos-
tolic household. Behind these, again, walk a body of
choral chaplains chanting the * Star of the Sea/ and
the magnificent procession is closed by the Generals of
the Religious Orders.
Contrary to the usual practice when the Pope descends
in St. Peter's, a halt is not made at the Chapel of the
Blessed Sacrament for the Pontiff to pray before the
Host. The Vicegerent of God, with the keys of heaven
in his hand, passes triumphantly on his way to his throne,
and the nations gathered together in St. Peter's bow down
in reverence before the human being who is about to open
the gates of heaven and to increase the company of the
Saints.
With stately pomp and circumstance, tlie Papal cortege
moves up the church, and in front of the altar of the Con-
fessional the Sedia Gestatoria is gently lowered to the
ground. The Pope descends from it, and with rapid,
uneven strides advances to a golden faldstool, at which
he kneels for a few moments in prayer ; then rising, he
ascends the steps of the throne and seats himself upon it.
The Cardinals advance one by one and kiss his hand ;
the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops and Bishops pay
22
338 CASTING OF NETS
their homage by kissing the cross on the stole, the ends
of which rest on the Pontiff's knees ; the Ahhota-nuUms
and the Abbots-General kiss his foot. Then the dignita-
ries of the church resume their places, and the formalities
of the making of Saints commence.
The Cardinal-Procurator of the canonization advances
towards the throne, supported by a Master of Cere-
monies, and a consistorial advocate. Kneeling before
the Pope, he petitions the latter instanter that the
candidates for canonization may be inscribed by His
Holiness among Christ's Saints, and that they may be
venerated as Saints by all the faithful.
The Secretary of Briefs, standing on the steps of the
throne, replies for the Pope in Latin. He informs the
Cardinal-Procurator that the virtues and merits of the
proposed candidates are known to the Holy Father, as
also are the miracles performed by them. Before, how-
ever. His Holiness can pronounce upon a matter of such
gravity, he exhorts ail present to implore that the Divine
aid may be vouchsafed to him through the intercession
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holy Apostles Peter and
Paul, and the Celestial Court. The Cardinal-Procurator
returns to his seat. The Pope kneels once more at the
faldstool before the altar while the Litany of the Saints
is chanted.
At the close of the Litany, His Holiness returns to the
throne, and the Cardinal-Procurator advances with the
same ceremony, and repeats his petition, substituting for
the word instanter the comparative term instantius.
The Secretary of Briefs replies that His Holiness,
realizing the importance and greatness of the act which
CASTING OF NKTS 339
he is about to perform, implores the help of the Holy
Ghost, the soiiree of illumiiiJitioii Jind of wisdom.
The Pope, assuminjj; the mitre, kneels before the altar,
while the first Assisting Cardinal-Deacon says in a loud
voice : ^ Orate.' Removing the mitre, the Pope prays
while the Miserere is being sung, only rising from his
knees when the second Cardinal- Deacon exclaims: ' Lc-
vatc.' All present rise with the Pope. Two J^ishops
approach him with book and candles, and he intones
the Veni Creator Spirltus. At the close of the hymn
the Pope resumes his seat on the throne, and the solemn
moment of ratification of the canonization approaches.
The Cardinal-Procurator kneels before the Vicar of
Christ a third time, and the consistorial advocate a third
time repeats the petition, adding to the terms imtanter^
instantius, the superlative instantissime.
The Secretary of Briefs replies that His Holiness, per-
suaded that the canonization prayed for is pleasing to
God, deigns to pronounce definitely upon the matter.
At these words all rise to their feet. The mitred Pontiff
speaks ex cathedrd, and, as Head of the Universal Church,
delivers his infallible judgment.
The voice of the old man of ninety years rings out
clear and strong, and a great hush falls upon the vast
crowd. It is the Vice-God who is speaking now, he
who has power to loose and to bind, to save and to de-
stroy, wdiose authority reaches beyond the grave, even
through the cycles of eternity.
The Pope emphasizes the Latin words with a peculiar
con\nilsive movement of his frail body. The white arms
are uplifted, and the eyes of 60,000 people are riveted
340 CASTING OF NETS
upon the figure of this old man who is speaking, not
with the tongue of Count Gioacchino Pecci, whom the
world calls Leo XIII., but with that of the Holy Ghost :
'Ad honorem Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis, ad exal-
tationem Fidei Catholicae, et Christian^e Religionis augmen-
tum, auctoritate Domini Nostri Jesu Christi, Beatorum
Apostolorum Petri et Pauli ac Nostra ; matura deliberatione
prffibabita et Diviua Ope sa^pius implorata, ac de Venera-
bilium Fratrum Nostrorum Sanctse Romanse Ecclesi?e Car-
dinalium, Patriarcharum, Archiepiscoporum et Episcoporum
in Urbe existentium consilio, Beatos Ritam a Cassia, et
Johannem Baptistam de la Salle Confessores, Sanctos esse
decernimus et definimus ac Sanctorum Catologo adscribimus.
... In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.' ^
The infallible decree has gone forth, and the new
Saints are elevated to the honours of the altar. Leo
XIII. sinks back on his throne as if exhausted, but the
keen eyes are gleaming with a scarcely concealed satis-
faction. The Cardinal- Procurator and consistorial advo-
cate kneel again at his feet. The latter thanks the Pope
in the Cardinal's name, and begs of him yet one more
favour, namely the direction of Letters Apostolic con-
firming the dignity of the newly-canonized. The Holy
Father signifies his consent, and the Cardinal-Procurator
1 * In honour of tlie Holy and Indivisible Trinity, for the exaltation
of the Catholic Faith, and for the increase of the Christian Religion, by
the authority of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of the blessed Apostles, Peter
and Paul, and by Our own Authority ; after mature deliberation, and
after havincr implored the Divine Assistance, having heard the judgment
of Our Venerable brothers, the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, the
Patriarchs, Archbishops and Bishops present in the City, we decree and
name Saints, and inscribe in the Calendar of the Saints, the blessed Rita
da Cascia and Jean Baptiste de la Salle. ... In the Name of the Father,
the Son, and th^ Holy Spirit. Amen.*
CASTING OF NETS 341
ascends the steps of the throne, and, witli a profound
genuflection, kisses the hands and the knees of the
Supreme Pontift'.
Then the Pope, risin^,', intones the first strophe of the
Te Deum, A flourish of trumpets sounds from the sum-
mit of the dome, followed by the boominf^ of the great
bolls of the basilica, while all the bells of Rome peal and
clash in response to the signal from St. Peter's, announc-
ing to the city that the gates of heaven have opened
once more at the bidding of the Pontifex Maxinms.
Hilda and her husband followed attentively each suc-
cessive portion of the ceremony, while Consignor jMartini
explained to them its significance. Their places were
near enough to the Papal throne to enable them to
observe the features and bearing of its occupant.
^ Does he believe in his own power ? ' whispered Walter,
as, after pronouncing the Apostolic Benediction, the Pope
retired for a few minutes to rest and take his usual cup
of soup before the Mass succeeding the canonization
should commence.
'Does he not !' answered Monsignor Martini. 'Could
you look at the expression of his face when he said the
words " and by Our own authority," and doubt it ? Leo
XIIT. is a profound believer in his own infallibility —
more so, perhaps, than Pius IX. was. When, after the
promulgation of the dogma of Infallibility, a prelate with
whom I was acquainted, and who made no secret of his
disbelief in it, ventured to ask Pio Mono whether he
believed himself to be infallible, the answer he received
was this: "I, Mastai Ferretti, believe that the Pope is
342 CASTING OF NETS
infallible." The note of sarcasm is lost in the English,
nor can the look of humour which accompanied the
remark be reproduced. Are you impressed by this cere-
mony, Lady Redman?' he added, turning to Hilda.
'■ I am deeply interested, but not impressed. I feel as
if I were at the theatre, and that nothing around me
is real,' she replied. ^No doubt these terrible decora-
tions give one that idea,' she continued; *and then one
doubts whether it can be true that any human being
possesses so much power over the future life as is implied
by what we have just seen. Do you believe it, Monsig-
nore ? ' she asked suddenly in a lovv voice.
Monsignor Martini hesitated and looked around him
almost nervously.
'Rome has always professed to exercise authority in
the next world,' he replied, with a smile. ' Ceesar had
believers in his divinity, as Leo has in his supernatural
powers.'
At this moment the Pope reappeared.
' Some of the most curious ceremonies have yet to
come,' continued Monsignor Martini.
On a credence-table at the left-hand side of the altar
were placed the effigies of the new Saints, with the
Papal arms beneath. Enormous wax candles lay on the
table, two of which weighed no less than sixty pounds,
while the remainder weighed twelve pounds. Beside
these were two large loaves of bread, one gilded, the
other silvered, on magnificent golden dishes, a gold and a
silver barrel, the one containing wine and the other water,
and three gilded bird-cages, in which were respectively
turtle-doves, pigeons, and small birds of various species.
CASTING OF NETS 343
Durin;^' the t)irL'rt()r}' uf the Mass, the Cardiniils and
otlicrs selected fur the olliee advanced to the table,
their right hands covered with a small white napkin.
Then, preceded l»y two I\)ntitical Usliers and a Master
of Ceremonies, and escorted by Ids Gentlemen-in-Waiting,
bearing the two huge candles, a Cardinal-Dishop advanced
to the foot of the throne. He was followed by two
monks belonging to the Religious Orders of the canon-
ized, one of whom bore a smaller candle, while the
other carried the cage containing the pigeons. A similar
procession, headed by a Cardinal-priest, and a third,
escorting a Cardinal-Deacon, followed, the former bearing
the turtle-iloves, and the latter the barrels containing the
water and the wine. Finally, the Cardinal-Procurator
advanced with the offering of smaller wax candles and
the cage of little singing-birds.
Each of the gifts was presented in its order to the
Holy Father, the donors kissing his hand and knees.
^ The wax candles,' explained Monsignor INIartini,
'signify the flesh of Christ. As wax, the work of
bees, is created from the purest substance of flowers
and is incorruptible, so the flesh of Christ, derived
from Ilis Immaculate ■Mother, is incorruptible. The
liame of the candle symbolizes His Divinity, and also
the ardour for Him which should burn within us. The
oblation of the bread indicates that the Saints care for
no other food save that of the Body of Christ in the
Sacrament. It is a symbol, also, of their charity. The
wine signifies the abundance of grace poured forth upon
them, and is also an allusion to the mystic vineyard of the
Lord; the water represents the sorrows and tribulations
344 CASTING OF NETS
of life, and also purity, wisdom, grace and eternal salva-
tion. The turtle-doves are emblematic of fidelity, and,
since they are garrulous birds, of the gift of preaching/
Monsignor Martini's eyes twinkled as he proffered
the last explanation, and Walter Redman was obliged to
restrain his laughter.
^ They also signify,' he continued, ^ purity, grief, and
love of solitude. The pigeons are symbolic of charity,
and also, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, of the
seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. The little birds re-
present the winged flight of the Saints towards heaven,
the perpetual song in praise of the Most High. There
are countless other significations which theologians
have pretended to discover in these mystic offerings,'
he concluded, 'but I shall not try your patience by
enumerating them.'
The wearisome formalities of the Pontifical Mass at last
came to an end. The dressing and undressing of the
officiating ecclesiastics, and the perpetual genuflections,
were over, and the Papal procession re-formed itself. The
Pope reseated himself on the Sedia Gestatoria, and with the
same pomp and magnificence as had characterized its en-
trance, the Papal Court prepared to leave St. Peter's.
Once again the white-robed figure, tripled-crowned, raised
itself upon trembling hands, and made great sweeping
signs of the cross over the prostrate multitude. Then the
pent-up feelings of the thousands who thronged the basilica
burst forth into a storm of applause and cheering. Women
and men threw themselves on their knees and bowed their
faces to the earth as the Vicar of Christ passed by. The
pale, transparent face was suffused by a faint glow of
CASTING OF NETS 345
colour, the white hiiiul, with the iliainoiuls of the episcopal
ring glittering in the artitieiiil light, was raised again and
again in blessing, and for the first time the penetrating
expression of the eyes softened. Then, as the ostrich fans
disappeared under the portico of the church, a great shout
of * Viva il Papa ! Ev^'iva il Papa-Re ! ' rent the air, and
Leo XII 1. was borne away to his self-imposed captivity
within the Vatican.
CHAPTER XXIV
IT was two o'clock before Walter and Hilda found them-
selves back ill the Via Gaeta after the long ceremony
in St. Peter's. They brought Monsignor Martini back to
luncheon with them, and all three were more than ready
for the meal, for the canonization had lasted nearly five
hours, and they had breakfasted early in order to be at the
basilica in good time.
Walter had made an appointment that afternoon with
Prince Brancaleone to visit a horse-breeding establishment
belonging to the latter, situated a few miles out of Rome,
and as soon as luncheon was over he left Monsignor Mar-
tini and Hilda together, and drove down to the Palazzo
Montelupi.
IVIonsignor Martini was about to take his departure also,
but Hilda begged him not to do so.
'I am not going out this afternoon,' she said to him ;
Hhis morning's function was quite enough for one day.
Will you not stop a little while and talk to me, Mon-
signore ? *
'With great pleasure,' he replied; and the two went to
the drawing-room together as Walter Redman left the
house.
' Have you seen anything more of Mr. Russell ? ' asked
Hilda presently.
CASTING OF NETS 347
* Yes,' answered Monsignor Miirtini ; ' he has been
several times to see nie. It ap|)ears that he and liis wife
are going to leave Rome in a day or two. She was in
St. Peter's this morning ; 1 saw her with Mrs. St. liCger
as we went in. JUit you have uot seen Mrs. Russell, I
suppose ? ' he added.
'No,' said Hilda. 'To tell you the truth, I have
avoided her. 1 feel too angry with her to go and see her.
Do you think that very wrong of me, Monsignore ? '
'You are one of her persecutors,' replied Monsignor
Martini, with a smile.
'I?'
'So I hear. Mrs. Russell is quite a heroine in your
Endish Catholic world in Rome. I have been asked if it
was true that her husband turned her out into the street,
or, rather, I was told so as a fact, and my reply was not
listened to. Lady Mertou is — what is your expression?
— " running," is it not ? — yes, running her as a persecuted
convert ; and she has been presented to the Pope as such.
People say that her husband will give her no money, and
that Lady INIerton's charity keeps her from starving.'
Hilda laughed, notwithstanding her indignation.
' I wonder if the Pope was told that,' she said.
'Certainly he will have been told it,' said Monsignor
Martini. 'He will have given her his benediction, the
poor man I ' he added, with a little outbreak of Roman
sarcasm.
Hilda Redman was silent for a few moments, during
which she looked at the priest as though debating in her
mind whether she should speak her thoughts or not.
' Monsignore,' she said at length hesitatingly, 'I am
348 CASTING OF NETS
glad we are alone together this afternoon. In a few days
my husband and I will have left Rome, and I have always
had something on my mind about which I have been long-
ing to ask for your help and advice.'
Monsignor Martini's satirical manner left him in an
instant.
* I shall be very glad if I can be of any help to you,
Lady Redman,' he said gently ; ' but as to my advice —
well, I am afraid that it is not worth very much. I
am not going to ask you what it is you wish to con-
sult me about, for, instead of your telling me, I think it
would be easier if I told you. You can tell me if I am
mistaken/
Hilda nodded her head without speaking.
' We have had many conversations together/ continued
Monsignor Martini, ' and though you have never said as
much to me, I have gathered from them that you do not
see your way clearly before you. You came to Rome hop-
ing to see it more clearly, and you are disappointed. Is it
not so ? '
'Yes,' exclaimed Hilda eagerly, 'more than disap-
pointed.*
Monsignor Martini gave a little sigh.
' Disgusted perhaps ? ' he replied. ' Well,' he continued,
' I have known many people in your position, but most of
them have not had the courage to confess to it. But what
do you fear from this feeling, Lady Redman ? '
' That it has caused me to lose my faith in the Church,'
replied Hilda, in a low voice. ' That is a terrible thing
to say, is it not ? ' she added. ' You will tell me that I
should not think — that I should only accept and obey ;
CASTING OF NI:TS 349
and I miglit do so if I li:id only myself to consider, but
there are others — my husband, and ' She stopped
confusedly.
'I quite understand,' said Monsignor Martini quietly;
and then he added, ' I will ask you the question that I
have more than once asked your husband when we have
discussed these things together. What do you mean by
" the Church " ? '
^Why, our Church, the Roman Church, of course/
replied Hilda.
' And you have lost your faith in the Roman Church,'
repeated Monsignor Martini. ' Why ? '
Hilda looked at him with some surprise. His voice
was very gentle, and she could not help thinking how
differently Father Galsworthy or Father Vincent would
have received such a confession. His manner had
undergone no alteration. He was still the man, not
the ecclesiastic.
' Why ? ' he asked again, and as his clear brown eyes
met her own Hilda read no look of stern condemnation
in them, but only sympathy, and perhaps a little sadness.
Then she told him all the story of her married life ; how
she had been assured that Lord Redman would certainly
become a Catholic if she married him ; how quickly she
had realized that nothing was further from his thoughts
and intentions, and the pressure which had been brought
to bear upon her to make her break her promise to her
husband and force her to convert him to Catholicism.
She told him of the mental struggle through which she
had passed, and of her interviews with the Dominican at
Abbotsbridge and with the Oratorian in London.
350 CASTING OF NETS
Monsignor Martini listened in silence. Once or twice
he shaded his eyes with his hand and appeared to be
thinking deeply.
' And then/ continued Hilda, ^ I came to Rome. It
was a mistake, I think. Had I never done so, I should
still have been able to believe in the Church. I told
myself that what I had undergone in England I had
undergone at the hands of fanatical converts, but that
at Rome I should find the true Catholic Church. You
ask me why I have lost my faith, Monsignore. I have
lost it by coming to Rome. Luther lost it in the same
way, did he not ? I thought that Rome would strengthen
my belief in the Church ; I even dreamed that our being here
together might lead my husband to become a Catholic.
When I was a girl I used to picture to myself the Vatican
and the Pope. Well, the Vatican is a political and a
money-making machine, and the Pope Can a rea-
sonable human being witness such a scene as that of this
morning without a smile at the folly and at the arrogance
of it ? Those priests — you saw them — they were laugh-
ing, as they laugh at the credulity of the poor pilgrims
and at the superstition of the peasants at the Ara Coeli
or in Sant Agostino. One cannot see such things and
believe '
' In our Roman system ? Perhaps not,' interposed
Monsignor Martini calmly.
'And then,' continued Hilda, 'all the heartless deceit
which has attended Mrs. Russell's conversion. Do you
know, Monsignore, that the last time I called on my
grandmother in the Via Gregoriana they were congratu-
lating themselves on the mortification it must be to Mr.
CAsriNc; OF ni:ts 351
Russell as an Aii«^lic;iii clcr<^yman to foci that liis wife
disbelieved in his ('hurch and in the validity uf iiis Orders.
That shocked nic more than 1 can tell you, for I know
wliat a cruel blow it has been to Mr. Russell, and how
generously he has forgiven his wife's want of confidcnec
in liini. I am no theologian, and therefore I cannot reason
on points of dogma, but I cannot believe in a system which
tolerates and encourages such deception as I see around
me here in Rome. Is it possible that it can be right to
allow the uneducated to believe in thinirs which those
who countenance them must know in their hearts to be
impostures? I know the excuse which is made for doing
so — that if the people were not allowed to believe in their
miraculous shrines and images they would believe in noth-
ing at all. But would such an excuse be made if those
superstitions were not productive of money, and if they
did not keep the masses under the domination of the
Church? It does not strike one in England that one
belongs to such a system. English Catholicism seems
to be so different. But since I have been in Rome I
see Catholicism as it is. My reasons for doubting must
appear to you very superficial, very foolish — a woman's
reasons, do they not ? '
Monsignor Martini looked at lier attentively.
' What do you want my advice upon ? ' he asked.
*Can anything justify a Catliolic mother in consenting
to her child being brought up in another religion?' she
said hurriedly.
' Have you been asked to do so, I^ady Redman ?
'No; Walter — my husband — would never ask it of
me, but *
352 CASTING OF NETS
' But he would wish it, you tliiuk ? '
' Yes. When he married me he did not care, or he
thought that he did not.'
' And now ? '
' Now he does care. I am glad that he does.'
* Why should you be glad? ' asked Monsignor Martini.
Hilda looked at him quickly.
' Is it not better that he should care ? ' she said. ' He
used to be so indifferent. But for some time, ever since
my illness last year, I think, I have felt sure that he is not
indifferent any longer. If my child had lived, he would
not have placed any obstacles in the way of its being brought
up a Catholic. He would never break his promise.'
' Do you want him to break it ? '
Hilda started slightly at the question.
* No,' she replied. ' It must be my doing ; I want to
absolve him from it. Nobody but I can do so ; but I
can, can I not, Monsignore ? '
' You can do so — yes,' replied Monsignor Martini
slowly, ' by abandoning the faith in which you have
been brought up.'
' By leaving the Church ? '
' By leaving the Roman Church. Under no other
circumstances could you absolve your husband from his
promise. As I understand it, the Roman Church in
England exacts a pledge from those who make a mixed
marriage that all the children of the marriage shall be
baptized and brought up Roman Catholics. It appears
to me to be not only a very intolerant exaction, but also
a very short-sighted policy ; but I am not of your nation.'
Hilda leaned back in her chair with a sigh.
CASTING OF NETS 3S3
' I dare say that you caniiut uiKlcrstaiid,' who said
presently. ' My husband naturally (lislikes the iilea of
liis name and estates passing into Jlonian Catholie
hands. He is devoted to Abbotshury, and all the
people tliere arc devoted to him ; and besides, tlierc
are family traditions to which I am sure he clinj^s,
more especially after the experiences which he has had
of Catholicism since he married me. Why should a sou
uot be brought up in his father's faith, Monsignore ?
When that faith is a Christian one, what can it matter ?
This exaction on the part of the Church in England is
of very recent origin. A few years ago Walter's sons
would have been brought up members of the Church of
England, and his daughters in their mother's religion.'
' But what leads you to suppose that Lord Redman
has any stronger feelings on the subject than he had
when he married you ? ' asked Monsignor IMartini.
* I know it,' replied Hilda. * I cannot tell you how.
Walter is so loyal that he never would speak to me on
the subject unless I forced him to do so. But, all the
same, the thought of the future is troubling him. Per-
haps the birth of our stillborn son brought things lionic
to him. I cannot tell, but I often think that his indiftcr-
encc to religion gradually left him after that. You
have seen so much of him since we have been in Rome,
Monsignore, and no doubt he has talked to you more
openly than he has felt able to do to me.'
She paused, and looked at the priest almost wistfully.
IMonsignor Martini moved uneasily in his chair. At
last he got up and walked to the window, where he
stood looking out on to the little garden with its wealth
23
354 CASTING OF NETS
of baiiksia roses. In all his career as a priest he did
not recollect having been confronted by so difficult a
problem. Ho had become strangely interested in this
English couple, and he felt that he possessed the key to
the psychological state of both the husband and the wife.
* Your husband has talked to nic — yes/ he said pre-
sently ; * and you are right, Lady Redman, his indifference
has given place to another state of mind. He never was
really indifferent. Many men are like that. In order to
escape from the fetters of dogmatic belief, they feign a
general scepticism which they are far from feeling. Some-
times God supplies a motive for belief, and their scepti-
cism vanishes. As I have told you before, your husband
will never be a Catholic ; of that I am convinced. Our
system is not adapted to such. as he.'
' But he will have a stronger faith in the teaching of
the Anglican Church,' exclaimed Hilda. ' It is the
Church of his forefathers,' she continued; Hhe form of
faith to which he nominally belongs. That is what I
am longing for, Monsignore ; it would make me so
happy, you do not know how happy. And then,' she
murmured softly, as though speaking to herself, Svhen
his child comes it will lead him nearer to the God in
whom he already believes, and they will be united.'
She rose from her seat, and came towards the priest.
'Monsignore,' she continued, laying her hand upon
his arm, 'I cannot have the child baptized a Catholic.
Do you hear? — I will not! They tell me that I am
no longer a Catholic. I do not know; but I do know
that I will not allow the Church to separate my child
from its father. I believe that, as you said just now,
CASTING OK NETS 355
God will siii)[)ly to my husbiuid ;i motive for iiicrca«iiig
his fiiitli. Can any motive be strun<^er than that of
Nature? And I will further that motive — if it cost me
my own soul, I will further it ! You are a priest, but
you are not like the others — you have not allowed your
priesthood to crush your humanity. Tell me if I may do
this thing for my husband's sake. I want your advice,
for I know that you w ill not deceive me as the others did.'
]\lonsignor INlartini turned towards her, and his eyes
shone with a great compassion.
' I cannot advise you,' he exclaimed abruptly. ^ I will
not. You should not ask it of me, Lady Redman.'
Hilda drew back from him.
*I beg your pardon, Monsignore ! ' she said a little
bitterly, ' I forgot. Of course you cannot advise me to
lose a soul to the Church.'
Monsignor Martini was silent for a few moments.
* I dare not advise you,' he said very gently, as Hilda
did not speak again. ^I can only do my duty as a
priest of the Roman Church by reminding you of tlie
claims of that Church. You must seek counsel and
advice from a higher authority than mine — from a
higher than the Church herself. Go to God. He will
direct you, for He is above all Churches. If your
motives are good, He will pardon all that there may be
in your action which is against the tenets of a branch
of His Church. A grave responsibility lies upon you.
Your action must be guided by your Maker. No priest
can counsel you truly ; we are all of us fallible human
beings, and we are bound to advise in the interests of
our respective religions. And of all priests I am the last
;^S6 CASTING OF NETS
to whom you should come for advice. To me, all who
seek to do Christ's will, all who strive to make the world
a happier and a better place, are members of His Church.
You must remember that because I believe this, because
I have counselled conciliation and tolerance, I am coldly
looked upon here in Rome — that I am forbidden to
preach in the Roman diocese. Therefore, I do not pre-
sume to advise you as a Catholic priest, and I tell you
frankly that my advice to you would not be such as a
Catholic priest could give, were you to approach him
officially under the seal of confession.'
' I know,' replied Hilda. * I am not likely to forget
what has been said to me by every priest to whom I
have spoken on the subject except yourself,' and she
shuddered a little.
' Have you told your husband that you would not have
your child brought up a Catholic?' asked Monsignor
Martini.
'Yes, I have told him, and I also told Mr. Russell.
I think that until the latter heard me say so he always
believed that I had converted his wife.'
* And what did Lord Redman say ? '
' He would not talk about it. He told me to consult
you ; but oh, Monsignore ! the look on his face told me
better than any words what he thought. Has he spoken
to you about it ? '
'Yes,' answered Monsignor Martini, 'he has. It is
his having done so which makes it so impossible for me
to give you any advice beyond that which I have already
given. Your husband had a long conversation with me
on the subject. It was more iu the nature of a confes-
CASTING OF NETS 357
sion tluin ;i convcr.siitioii, .-ind as siicli J regard it.
While failing tu i)ersuade him ui* the truths of Catiujli-
cism, 1 believe that 1 have been the means of lea(lin«r him
to rceognize some of those truths whieh are eonnnon to all
forms of Christianity, and I am satistied with this result.'
Hilda looked at him intently.
* Monsignorc/ she said earnestly, ' will you answer me
one question — not as a priest, but as a Christian to whom
all creeds are paths to the same end ? '
'I will answer you as such a man would answer,'
replied Monsignor INIartini simply.
' Do you believe the knowledge that his children were
to be Protestants would prevent Walter from relapsing
into unbelief? Do you believe that it would be for his
happiucss here and hereafter ? '
The colour left Monsignor INIartini's face, and he hesi-
tated for a moment ; but it was for a moment only, and
then his eyes glowed with a strange, soft light.
* I believe that it would,' he said solemnly.
A sudden emotion seemed to overpower Hilda, and
she sank back in her chair and closed her eyes. As she
opened them Monsignor Martini was watching her with
a calm, benevolent smile in his eyes. Then the recol-
lection of those other eyes which she had seen in St.
Peter's that morning — the keen, cold eyes of the Pope
— flashed across her, and she closed her own again, as
though to shut out their penetrating gaze. As she did
so she thought that Monsignor Martini made the sign of
the cross over her.
And when she looked a«rain she was alone.
CHAPTER XXV
IT was summer again at Abbotsbury. The corn-fields
in the Trent Valley were ripening to harvest, and a
hot, quivering haze hung over the land and shrouded
the silent woods.
Hilda Redman was lying on a couch which had been
wheeled beneath the shade of a great lime-tree standing
a few paces from the house. Myriads of bees were at
their work overhead among its blossoms, and the drowsy
humming of their wings resounded in the sweet-scented
air. It was the season when Nature hides her tragedies
out of sight, when the restless life of spring and early
summer gives place to the calm content of maturer days,
and to the peaceful enjoyment of hopes which have been
realized.
* How happy everything is ! '
Hilda looked round her with a little sigh which had
nothing but satisfaction in it, and then her glance rested
upon Walter, who was sitting near her, idly turning over
the leaves of a book.
' And you — you are happy too, are you not ? ' he
asked gently.
' Ah, yes ! ' she answered, ' happier than I have ever
been in all my life. I think there is nothing now that
can divide us — you, me, and baby,' she added softly —
CASriNG OK N I /J S
359
* nothing l)ut death; and ivcii that will not divi<lc us
for loni;. ^V(.^ shall all lie to<;cthcr — there;' and she
lookeil aeross the lawn and over the brilliant (lower-heds
to where the gray walls of Abbotshury Ciiureh nestled
among the trees. 'It used to trouble nic so niueli —
that thought,' she eontiinied, as if to herself.
' What thought, llihla '( '
'Why, that we should be separated — in this world
and in the next. They used to tell me so, Walter; and
it seemed so unjust, so erucL'
Walter Redman smiled.
^ It was a lie,' he said to her ; ' they told you many
lies in those days.'
* Yes ; there was only one who ever told me the truth.'
' Ah ! Monsignor Martini,' said Walter. ' He is one
of those men whose minds soar above creeds. A^ou do
not regret what you have done, Hilda?' he added, draw-
ing his chair closer to his wife's couch.
^Regret it? No,' replied Hilda. ^ Tell me, W\alter,'
she continued, ' are you not glad to feel that nobody can
come between you and us — baby and me? I know that
you are, but I like to hear you say it. That is foolish
of me, is it not ? ' and she smiled at him.
Walter Redman leaned towards her.
* Listen, dear ! ' he said. ' I never told you, but, after
your confinement last year, the thought that our child,
had it lived, must be brought up a Roman Catholic be-
came intolerable to me. It was not tlie Catholic relij^ion
wdiich I had learned to hate ; it was the intolerance, the
deceit and the dishonesty of the individual Catholics by
whom you were surrounded, and who were the cause
360 CASTING OF NETS
of so much suffering to you. I was glad the child was
born dead, and I would rather have had no son to come
after me than feel that those hypocrites had succeeded in
getting hold of Abbotsbury.'
^ Not my mother, Walter ! ' interposed Hilda hurriedly.
' She was not to blame. You must remember that my
grandmother is an absolute fanatic. My mother never
dared oppose her.'
' No,' returned her husband ; * I do not blame your
mother. It is such converts as liady Merton, and those
who work upon their superstitions, who bring Catholicism
into disrepute with all who are liberal-minded, and with
all who believe that God is Himself, and not the vindic-
tive human monster whicli many delight to picture Him.'
* They will never forgive me, Walter ! ' said Hilda, and
a cloud passed over the sunshine in her face as she spoke.
He bent over her tenderly.
* Need you care whether they do or not ? ' he asked.
A servant came towards them from the house, bringing
the afternoon post and London newspapers.
* Here is one from Russell,' said Walter, looking through
a small pile of letters which were addressed to him. * I
wish he would reconsider his determination to resign
the living/ he added as he opened it. When he had
read the letter, he passed it to Hilda. * Poor fellow ! '
he said; ^but I dare say he is right.'
Mr. Russell persisted in his intention to retire from
Abbotsbury. He could not, he wrote to Lord Redman,
continue to be Rector of the parish after his wife's seces-
sion from the Church whose minister he was. There
was, moreover, another reason which would make it im-
CASTING OK NKTS 361
possible for liiiii to rcmiiin at Ahbotsbiiry Rectory. Lady
Redman's decision to have her newly-born son baptized
a member of the Church of En^dand, therei)y practically
severing herself from the Roman communion, would, he
felt sure, be the cause of nuich bitterness on the part of
his wife, who was very enthusiastic in the cause of her
new faith. He did not intend, therefore, to expose Lady
Redman to the unpleasantness which could hardly fail
to occur between the two houses should he continue to
live at the Rectory.
Hilda handed the letter back to her husband \vith a sigh.
' I am sorry,' she said, ' but I think he is right. Mary
Russell's presence here would be disagreeable for all of us.
But what a true gentleman Mr. Russell is, Walter,' she
continued— ^ a true gentleman and a true Christian.
There is not a word of blame or reproach of his wife in his
letter ; no complaint at being forced to give up his work
and his home. To the last he thinks of others before ''.im-
self. How could she do it?' she added indignantly —
* how could she ? '
Lord Redman shrugged his shoulders.
' My dear Hilda ! ' he remarked ; ' as Ned Shirley says,
" Religion is a very curious thing." '
'It is not religion,' exclaimed Hilda contemptuously;
' the religion has been all on her husband's side.'
The sun was sinking down behind the woods of Red-
man's Cross ; the evening breeze came rippling over the
pastures and rustled through the ancient oaks of Abbots-
bury.
Hilda rose from the sofa upon which she was still
obliged to pass the greater part of the day.
362 CASTING OF NETS
* I will walk a little before going indoors/ she said.
With Walter by her side she crossed the garden to the
old gateway leading into the churchyard. The doors of
the church stood open, and, as though moved by a com-
mon impulse, they entered the building. The last rays of
the setting sun were streaming in through the painted
windows, casting strange lights upon the still, marble
figures of the dead and gone Redmans. A solemn still-
ness seemed to • possess the place, broken only by the soft
notes of the wood-pigeons in the trees without. Hilda
advanced slowly till she reached the altar rails, and there
she sank upon her knees and prayed.
A touch on her hand roused her, and, raising her head,
she saw that her husband was kneeling by her side.
THE END
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