“No, I do not,” replied Aubrey, “For you keep the public in the dark as much as you can.  Your methods of action are precisely those of the priests of ancient Egypt, who juggled with what they were pleased to call their sacred ‘mysteries’ in precisely the same way as you do.  Race copies race.  Roman Christianity is grafted upon Roman Paganism.  When the Apostles were all dead, and their successors (who had never been in personal touch with Christ) came on to the scene of action, they discovered that the people of Rome would not do without the worship of woman in their creed, so they cleverly substituted the Virgin Mary for Venus and Diana.  They turned the statues of gods and heroes into figures of Apostles and Saints.  They knew it would be unwise to deprive the populace of what they had been so long accustomed to, and therefore they left them their swinging censers, their gold chalices, and their symbolic candles.  Thus it is that Roman Catholicism became, and is still, merely a Christian form of Paganism which is made to pay successfully, just as the feasts and Saturnalia of ancient days were made to pay as spectacular and theatrical pastimes.  I should not blame your Church if it declared itself to be an offshoot of Paganism at once,—­Paganism, or any other form of faith, deserves respect as long as its priests and followers are sincere; but when their belief is a mere pretence, and their system degenerates into a scheme of making money out of the fond faiths of the ignorant, then I consider it is time to protest against such blasphemy in the presence of God and all things divine and spiritual!”

Gherardi had listened to these words very quietly, his countenance gradually relaxing and smoothing into an amiable expression of forbearance.  He looked up now at Aubrey with a smile that was almost benignant.

“You are quite right, Mr. Leigh!” he said gently, “I begin to understand you now!  I see that you have studied deeply, and you have thought still more.  If you will continue your studies and your thinking also, you will see how difficult it is for us to move as rapidly with the times as you would have us do.  You must remember that it would be quite possible for Holy Mother Church to rise at once to the high scientific and psychical position you wish her to adopt, if it were not for the mass of the ignorant, with whom one must have patience!  You are a man in the prime of life—­you are zealous—­eager for improvement,—­yes!—­all that is very admirable and praiseworthy.  But you forget the numerous and widely differing interests with which we of the Church have to deal.  For the great majority of persons it would be useless, for example, to give them lessons on the majesty of God’s work in the science of Astronomy.  They would be confused, bewildered, and more or less frightened out of faith altogether.  They must have something tangible to cling to—­ for instance,”—­and he pressed the tips of his fingers delicately together, “there are