ter of Pope Paul
III, and mistress of Pope Alexander VI; but such a supposition seems
unlikely.

"Entirely," insisted the Canon gravely; "those are things invented by
the Free Thinkers."

Don Calixto allowed himself to say that most of the Popes looked like
drum-majors.

Don Justo continued appraising everything he saw like a contractor.
Caesar devoted himself to retailing his observations to Don Calixto,
while the Canon walked alone.

"I will inform you," he told him, "that on Saturday one may go up in
the dome, but only decently dressed people. So a placard on that door
informs us. If by any chance an apostle should re-arise and have a
fancy to do a little gymnastics and see Rome from a height, as he would
probably be dirty and badly dressed, he would get left, they wouldn't
let him go up. And then he could say: 'Invent a religion like the
Christian religion, so that after a while they won't let you go up in
the dome.'"

"Yes, certainly, certainly," replied Don Calixto. "They are absurd. But
do not let the Canon hear you. To be sure, all this does not look very
religious, but it is magnificent."

"Yes, it is a beautiful stage-setting, but there is no performance,"
said Caesar.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Don Calixto.

"That this is an empty place. It would have been well to build a temple
as large and light as this in honour of Science, which is humanity's
great creation. These statues, instead of being stupid or warlike Popes,
ought to be the inventor of vaccination or of chloroform. Then one could
understand the chilliness and the fairly menacing air that everything in
the place wears. Let people have confidence in the truth and in work,
that is good; but that a religion founded on mysteries, on obscurities,
should build a bright, challenging, flippant temple, is ridiculous."

"Yes, yes," said Don Calixto, always preoccupied in keeping the Canon
from hearing, "you talk like a modern man. I myself, down in my heart,
you know.... I believe you follow me, eh?"

"Yes, man."

"Well, I think that all this has no transcendency.... That is to say...."

"No, it has none. You may well say so, Don Calixto."

"But it did have it. That cannot be doubted, can it? And a great deal.
This is undeniable."

_IT IS A MAGNIFICENT BUSINESS CONCERN_

"It was really a magnificent business concern," said Caesar. "Think
of monopolizing heaven and hell, selling the shares here on earth and
paying the dividends