“I think you will be able to,” the young man replied; “for I believe that a very clever piece of deceit is being carried on here.”

“How?  Please explain yourself more clearly.”

“When I remonstrated with him, yesterday evening, he referred to my dead mother, and at last assured me, in a voice of the deepest conviction, that she had frequently appeared to him, and had threatened him with all the torments of the damned if he did not disinherit his son, who had fallen away from God, and leave all his property to the Church.  Now I do not believe in ghosts.”

“Neither do I,” the police director replied; “but I cannot well do anything on this dangerous ground if I had nothing but superstitions to go upon.  You know how the Church rules all our affairs since the Concordat with Rome, and if I investigate this matter, and obtain no results, I am risking my post.  It would be very different if you could adduce any proofs for your suspicions.  I do not deny that I should like to see the clerical party, which will, I fear, be the ruin of Austria, receive a staggering blow; try, therefore, to get to the bottom of this business, and then we will talk it over again.”

About a month passed without the young Latitudinarian being heard of; but then he suddenly came one evening, evidently in a great state of excitement, and told him that he was in a position to expose the priestly deceit which he had mentioned, if the authorities would assist him.  The police director asked for further information.

“I have obtained a number of important clews,” the young man said.  “In the first place, my father confessed to me that my mother did not appear to him in our house, but in the churchyard where she is buried.  My mother was consumptive for many years, and a few weeks before her death she went to the village of S——­, where she died and was buried.  In addition to this, I found out from our footman that my father has already left the house twice, late at night, in company of X——­, the Jesuit priest, and that on both occasions he did not return till morning.  Each time he was remarkably uneasy and low-spirited after his return, and had three masses said for my dead mother.  He also told me just now that he has to leave home this evening on business, but immediately he told me that, our footman saw the Jesuit go out of the house.  We may, therefore, assume that he intends this evening to consult the spirit of my dead mother again, and this would be an excellent opportunity for getting on the track of the matter, if you do not object to opposing the most powerful force in the Empire, for the sake of such an insignificant individual as myself.”

“Every citizen has an equal right to the protection of the State,” the police director replied; “and I think that I have shown often enough that I am not wanting in courage to perform my duty, no matter how serious the consequences may be; but only very young men act without any prospects of success, as they are carried away by their feelings.  When you came to me the first time, I was obliged to refuse your request for assistance, but to-day your shares have risen in value.  It is now eight o’clock, and I shall expect you in two hours’ time here in my office.  At present, all you have to do is to hold your tongue; everything else is my affair.”