them!  The priests who order us to say ten or twenty ‘Paternosters’ by way of penance, are telling us to do exactly what Christ commanded us not to do!  The terrible Litany of the Protestant Church, with its everlasting ‘Good Lord deliver us,’ is another example of vain repetition.  Again—­think of these words—­’When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and at the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men.’  Is not all our churchgoing that we may be seen of men?”

“Then, my son, it seems that you would do away with the Church altogether in the extremity of your zeal!” said the Cardinal gently, “There must surely be some outward seeming—­some city set on a hill whose light cannot be hid—­some visible sign of Christ among us—­”

“True, Monseigneur, but such a sign must be of so brilliant and pure a nature,—­so grand an uplifted Cross of unsullied light that it shall be as the sun rising out of darkness!  Oh, I would have churches built gloriously, with every possible line of beauty and curve of perfect architecture in their fabrication;—­but I would have no idolatrous emblems,—­no superstitious ceremonies within them,—­no tawdry reliquaries of gems—­no boast of the world’s wealth at all; but great Art,—­the result of man’s great Thought rendered and given with pure simplicity!  I would have great music,—­and more than all I would have thanksgiving always!  And if valuables were brought to the altar for gifts, the gifts should be given out again to those in need-not kept,—­not left untouched like a miser’s useless hoard, while one poor soul was starving!”

“My son, such a scheme of purification as yours will take centuries to accomplish,” murmured Bonpre slowly, “Almost it would need Christ to come again!”

“And who shall say He will not come!” exclaimed Cyrillon fervently, “Who shall swear He is not even now among us!  Has he not told us all to ‘watch,’ because we know not the hour at which He cometh?  No, Monseigneur!—­centuries are not needed for Truth to make itself manifest nowadays!  We hold Science by the hand,—­she is becoming our familiar friend and companion, and through her guidance we have learned that the Laws of the Universe are Truth,—­Truth which cannot be contradicted; and that only the things which move and work in harmony with those laws can last.  All else must perish!  ’Whosoever is not with me is against me’—­or in other words, whosoever opposes himself to Eternal Laws must be against the whole system of the Universe. and is therefore a discord which is bound to be silenced.  Monseigneur, Christ was a Divine Preacher of Truth;—­and I, in my humble man’s way endeavour to follow Truth.  And if I ever fail now, after to-day’s attempted crime, to honour the commands of Christ, and obey them as closely as I can, then pass your condemnation upon me, but not till then!  Meanwhile, give me a good man’s blessing!”