nificent congregation
with a sullen face. "He has a nice voice, too, that's the strange part
of it; I could have taught him, but he is too proud to admit he was
wrong." However, _bon gre mal gre_, Father Gordon had had to submit to
Monsignor. When Monsignor makes up his mind, things have to be done. If
a thousand pounds had not been enough, he would have given two thousand
pounds; Monsignor was rich, but he was also tactful, and did not rely
entirely on his money. He had come to St. Joseph's with the Pope's
written request in his hand that St. Joseph's should attempt a revival
of the truly Catholic music, if sufficient money could be obtained for
the choir. So there was no gainsaying, the Jesuits had had to submit,
for if they had again objected to the expense, Monsignor would come
forward with a subscription of two thousand a year. He could not have
afforded to pay so much for more than a limited number of years, "but he
and I felt that it was only necessary to start the thing for it to
succeed."

Mr. Innes told his daughter of Monsignor's social influence; Monsignor
had the command of any amount of money. There is always the money, the
difficulty is to obtain the will that can direct the money. Monsignor
was the will. He was all-powerful in Rome. He spent his winters and
springs in Rome, and no one thought of going to Rome without calling on
him. It was through him that the Pope kept in touch with the English
Catholics. He had a confessional at St. Joseph's, and he was _au mieux_
with the Jesuits. It was the influence of Monsignor that had given
Palestrina his present vogue. But a revival of Palestrina was in the
air; through him the inevitable reaction against Wagner was making
itself felt. Monsignor had made all the rich Catholics understand that
it was their duty to support the unique experiment which some poor
Jesuits in Southwark were making, and the fact that he had come forward
with a subscription of one thousand a year enabled him to ask his
friends for their money. He had told Mr. Innes that a dinner party which
did not produce a subscriber he looked upon as a dinner wasted.
Monsignor knew how to carry a thing through; his influence was
extraordinary; he could get people to do what he wanted.

Evelyn and her father had so much to say that it did not seem as if they
ever would find time to say it in. There was the story to tell of the
construction of the vast choir and the difficulties he had experienced
in