How strange and wonderful it was to be here—­on this night of all, when the President was to speak!  A month ago he had assented to a similar Bill in Germany, and had delivered a speech on the same subject at Turin.  To-morrow he was to be in Spain.  No one knew where he had been during the past week.  A rumour had spread that his volor had been seen passing over Lake Como, and had been instantly contradicted.  No one knew either what he would say to-night.  It might be three words or twenty thousand.  There were a few clauses in the Bill—­notably those bearing on the point as to when the new worship was to be made compulsory on all subjects over the age of seven—­it might be he would object and veto these.  In that case all must be done again, and the Bill re-passed, unless the House accepted his amendment instantly by acclamation.

Mabel herself was inclined to these clauses.  They provided that, although worship was to be offered in every parish church of England on the ensuing first day of October, this was not to be compulsory on all subjects till the New Year; whereas, Germany, who had passed the Bill only a month before, had caused it to come into full force immediately, thus compelling all her Catholic subjects either to leave the country without delay or suffer the penalties.  These penalties were not vindictive:  on a first offence a week’s detention only was to be given; on the second, one month’s imprisonment; on the third, one year’s; and on the fourth, perpetual imprisonment until the criminal yielded.  These were merciful terms, it seemed; for even imprisonment itself meant no more than reasonable confinement and employment on Government works.  There were no mediaeval horrors here; and the act of worship demanded was so little, too; it consisted of no more than bodily presence in the church or cathedral on the four new festivals of Maternity, Life, Sustenance and Paternity, celebrated on the first day of each quarter.  Sunday worship was to be purely voluntary.

She could not understand how any man could refuse this homage.  These four things were facts—­they were the manifestations of what she called the Spirit of the World—­and if others called that Power God, yet surely these ought to be considered as His functions.  Where then was the difficulty?  It was not as if Christian worship were not permitted, under the usual regulations.  Catholics could still go to mass.  And yet appalling things were threatened in Germany:  not less than twelve thousand persons had already left for Rome; and it was rumoured that forty thousand would refuse this simple act of homage a few days hence.  It bewildered and angered her to think of it.