l these hard and
difficult questions for themselves. For you, and for all who yet
love Holy Church, I have this piece of counsel to give. Beware how
you seek to tamper with the unity of the one body. Beware how you
sacrifice the greater for the lesser. It is only a church at unity
in herself that can convert the world; we have the Lord's own word
for that. If you have read in any tongue His last charge on earth
to His apostles, as recorded in the Gospel of St. John, you must
see and recognize that. The burden of that wonderful pastoral is,
'That we all may be ONE: that the world may believe.' To rend the
body is to destroy its unity. To destroy its unity is to hinder the
work of Christ upon earth. Think and ponder that well, and pray for
guidance, for patience, for the submissive will which would endure
much rather than bring war amongst the members of the one body. Our
Lord Himself has warned those who are devout and sincere from the
error of straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel. Let the church
minister the Word of God. Let those who hunger for more ask of her.
She will not send them empty away. Already those who style
themselves reformers are quarrelling amongst themselves. Soon they
will be broken up into a thousand camps. Unity will cease to reign
in the church. Confusion and hatred and even bloodshed will follow.

"Be advised, Anthony Dalaber. Quit these hard and vexed questions
for a while. Take to the less perilous study of the law. With age
and experience you will learn your lesson. And I will pray for a
blessing upon you, my son, for in truth I believe that the Lord may
have work for you to do in days to come; and if so, I trow you will
not shrink from doing it."

Anthony stood mute. A thousand questions and replies seemed to
spring to his lips, but no word passed them. He felt that in
argument he was no match for the cardinal, even had disputation
with so eminent and august a personage been possible. He felt that
somewhere there was an answer to this irrefragable argument, but
for the moment he could not find it; he stood tongue tied, silent.
The cardinal looked at him with his slight, peculiar smile, and
then turned once again to Arthur.

"And now for your petition. If it is for favour to be shown to your
ardent young friend, after the statement he desired to make to me,
with greater courage than discretion (for which, however, I like
him none the less), then it is granted already."

"It is not fo