re is a spell about the _limina Apostolorum_," said Charles; "St.
Peter and St. Paul are not there for nothing."

"There is a more tangible reason," said Campbell; "it is a place where
persons of all nations are to be found; no society is so varied as the
Roman. You go to a ballroom; your host, whom you bow to in the first
apartment, is a Frenchman; as you advance your eye catches Massena's
granddaughter in conversation with Mustapha Pasha; you soon find
yourself seated between a Yankee _charge d'affaires_ and a Russian
colonel; and an Englishman is playing the fool in front of you."

Here Campbell looked at his watch, and then at Willis, whom he had
driven over to Melford to return Bateman's call. It was time for them to
be going, or they would be overtaken by the evening. Bateman, who had
remained in a state of great dissatisfaction since he last spoke, which
had not been for a quarter of an hour past, did not find himself in
spirits to try much to detain either them or Reding; so he was speedily
left to himself. He drew his chair to the fire, and for a while felt
nothing more than a heavy load of disgust. After a time, however, his
thoughts began to draw themselves out into series, and took the
following form: "It's too bad, too bad," he said; "Campbell is a very
clever man--far cleverer than I am; a well-read man, too; but he has no
tact, no tact. It is deplorable; Reding's coming was one misfortune;
however, we might have got over that, we might have even turned it to an
advantage; but to use such arguments as he did! how could he hope to
convince him? he made us both a mere laughing-stock.... How did he throw
off? Oh, he said that the Rubrics were not binding. Who ever heard such
a thing--at least from an Anglo-Catholic? Why pretend to be a good
Catholic with such views? better call himself a Protestant or Erastian
at once, and one would know where to find him. Such a bad impression it
must make on Willis; I saw it did; he could hardly keep from smiling:
but Campbell has no tact at all. He goes on, on, his own way, bringing
out his own thoughts, which are very clever, original certainly, but
never considering his company. And he's so positive, so knock-me-down;
it is quite unpleasant, I don't know how to sit it sometimes. Oh, it is
a cruel thing this--the effect must be wretched. Poor Willis! I declare
I don't think we have moved him one inch, I really don't. I fancied at
one time he was even laughing at _me_....