the mews. "But there are other girls just as good in Paris and in
Rome." And he remembered one who had sat to him in Paris, and this gave
him courage. "So it was two little boys," he said, "who wrecked my
studio. Two stupid little boys; two little boys who have been taught
their Catechism, and will one day aspire to the priesthood." And that
it should be two stupid little boys who had broken his statue seemed
significant. "Oh, the ignorance, the crass, the patent ignorance! I am
going. This is no place for a sculptor to live in. It is no country for
an educated man. It won't be fit for a man to live in for another
hundred years. It is an unwashed country, that is what it is!"

CHAPTER II

SOME PARISHIONERS

I

The way before him was plain enough, yet his uncle's apathy and
constitutional infirmity of purpose seemed at times to thwart him. Some
two or three days ago, he had come running down from Kilmore with the
news that a baby had been born out of wedlock, and Father Stafford had
shown no desire that his curate should denounce the girl from the altar.

"The greatest saints," he said, "have been kind, and have found excuses
for the sins of others."

And a few days later, when Father Maguire told his uncle that the
Salvationists had come to Kilmore, and that he had walked up the
village street and slit their drum with a carving knife, his uncle had
not approved of his conduct, and what had especially annoyed Father Tom
was that his uncle seemed to deplore the slitting of the drum in the
same way as he deplored that the Kavanaghs had a barrel of porter in
every Saturday, namely, as one of those regrettable excesses to which
human nature is liable. On being pressed he had agreed with his nephew
that dancing and drinking were no preparation for the Sabbath, but he
would not agree that evil could be suppressed by force. He had even
hinted that too strict a rule brought about a revolt against the rule,
and when Father Tom had expressed his disbelief at any revolt against
the authority of the priest, Father Stafford said:--

"They may just leave you, they may just go to America."

"Then you think that it is our condemnation of sin that is driving the
people to America."

"My dear Tom, you told me the other day that you met a lad and a lass
walking along the roadside, and that you drove them home. You told me
you were sure they were talking about things they should not talk
about; you have no right to assume