irgin every morning before
breaking your fast. I'll say a rosary, too. You'll see yet this is only
God's love for you, and you'll welcome His holy will."

While my dear father and friend was counselling me so I heard my husband
speaking in his loud, grating tones on the landing outside, and before I
could rise from my knees he had burst open the door and entered the
room.

His face was deadly white and he was like a man out of his right mind.

"Mary," he said, looking down at me where I knelt with my hands crossed
on my bosom, "when did I give you permission to introduce a priest into
my house? Isn't it enough for a man to have a wife who is a Catholic
without having the church and its ministers shunted into his home
without his permission?"

I was so taken aback by this furious assault that at first I could not
speak, but Father Dan interposed to defend me, saying with beautiful
patience, that his visit had been quite unexpected on my part, and that
I had asked him to stay overnight only because he was an old man, and
had had a long walk from his parish.

"I'm much obliged to your reverence," said my husband, who was quivering
with fury, "but my wife is perfectly capable of answering for herself
without your assistance, and as for your parish you would have done
better to stay there instead of coming to meddle in this one."

"Aren't you measuring me by your own yard, sir?" said Father Dan, and at
that straight thrust my husband broke into ungovernable rage.

"Everybody knows what a Popish priest is," he said. "A meddlesome
busybody who pokes his nose into other men's secrets. But priest or no
priest, I'll have no man coming to my house to make mischief between
husband and wife."

"Are you sure," said Father Dan, "that some woman isn't in your house
already, making mischief between wife and husband?"

That thrust too went home. My husband looked at me with flashing eyes
and then said:

"As I thought! You've been sent for to help my wife to make a great
to-do of her imaginary grievances. You're to stay in the house too, and
before long we'll have you setting up as master here and giving orders
to my servants! But not if I know it! . . . Your reverence, if you have
any respect for your penitent, you'll please be good enough to leave my
wife to _my_ protection."

I saw that Father Dan had to gulp down his gathering anger, but he only
said:

"Say no more, my lord. No true priest ever comes between a man and t