and
was amazed at the ease and fluency with which Dr Skinner ran from subject
to subject.

The Pope's action in the matter of the Sicilian revolution naturally led
the Doctor to the reforms which his Holiness had introduced into his
dominions, and he laughed consumedly over the joke which had not long
since appeared in _Punch_, to the effect that Pio "No, No," should rather
have been named Pio "Yes, Yes," because, as the doctor explained, he
granted everything his subjects asked for. Anything like a pun went
straight to Dr Skinner's heart.

Then he went on to the matter of these reforms themselves. They opened
up a new era in the history of Christendom, and would have such momentous
and far-reaching consequences, that they might even lead to a
reconciliation between the Churches of England and Rome. Dr Skinner had
lately published a pamphlet upon this subject, which had shown great
learning, and had attacked the Church of Rome in a way which did not
promise much hope of reconciliation. He had grounded his attack upon the
letters A.M.D.G., which he had seen outside a Roman Catholic chapel, and
which of course stood for _Ad Mariam Dei Genetricem_. Could anything be
more idolatrous?

I am told, by the way, that I must have let my memory play me one of the
tricks it often does play me, when I said the Doctor proposed _Ad Mariam
Dei Genetricem_ as the full harmonies, so to speak, which should be
constructed upon the bass A.M.D.G., for that this is bad Latin, and that
the doctor really harmonised the letters thus: _Ave Maria Dei Genetrix_.
No doubt the doctor did what was right in the matter of Latinity--I have
forgotten the little Latin I ever knew, and am not going to look the
matter up, but I believe the doctor said _Ad Mariam Dei Genetricem_, and
if so we may be sure that _Ad Mariam Dei Genetricem_, is good enough
Latin at any rate for ecclesiastical purposes.

The reply of the local priest had not yet appeared, and Dr Skinner was
jubilant, but when the answer appeared, and it was solemnly declared that
A.M.D.G. stood for nothing more dangerous than _Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam_,
it was felt that though this subterfuge would not succeed with any
intelligent Englishman, still it was a pity Dr Skinner had selected this
particular point for his attack, for he had to leave his enemy in
possession of the field. When people are left in possession of the
field, spectators have an awkward habit of thinking that their adversa