“Last night he passed away,” replied the Cardinal. “according to the telegram I have just received from—­his son.  But he has been dying for some time, and what he told me in Paris was no lie.  I explained his exact position to you quite recently, on the day you visited my niece at her studio.  He had a serious valvular disease of the heart,—­he might, as the doctors said, have lived, at the utmost, two years—­but the excitement of recent events has evidently proved too much for him.  As I told you, he felt that his death might occur at any moment, and he did not wish to leave the world under a false impression of his character.  I trust that now the Holy Father may be inclined to pardon him, in death, if not in life!”

Gherardi walked up and down the narrow room impatiently.

“I doubt it!” he said at last, “I very much doubt it!  The man may be dead, but the scandal he caused remains.  And his death has made the whole position very much more difficult for you, my lord Cardinal!  For as Vergniaud is not alive to endure the penalty of his offence, it is probable you may have to suffer for having condoned it!”

Felix Bonpre bent his head gently.

“I shall be ready and willing to suffer whatever God commands!” he answered, “For I most faithfully believe that nothing can injure my soul while it rests, as I humbly place it, in His Holy keeping!”

Gherardi paused in his pacing to and fro, and gazed at the frail figure, and fine old face before him, with mingled compassion and curiosity.

“You should have lived in the early days of the Faith,” he said, “You are too literal—­too exact in your following of Christian ethics.  That sort of thing does not work nowadays.  Dogma must be maintained!”

“What is dogma?” asked Manuel suddenly.

Gherardi gave him a careless glance.

“Cardinal Bonpre must teach you that in extenso!” he replied, with a little smile—­“But briefly,—­dogma is an opinion or theory derived from the Gospels, and formulated as doctrine, by the Church.”

“An opinion or theory of man, founded on the words of Christ?” said Manuel.

“Just so!”

“But if Christ was divine, should any man presume to formulate a theory on what He Himself said?” asked Manuel.  “Are not his own plain words enough?”

Gherardi stared at the young speaker half angrily.

“His own plain words enough?” he repeated mechanically.  “What do you mean, boy?”

“I mean,” answered Manuel simply, “that if He were truly a Manifestation of God in Himself, as the Church declares Him to be, I wonder that man can dare to formulate mere dogma on god’s own utterance!”

There was a dead pause.  After a few minutes of chill silence Gherardi addressed the Cardinal.

“Your young friend has a dangerous tongue!” he said sternly, “You had best warn or command him that he set a guard upon it in the Holy Father’s presence!”