"But you? And your father? Verily, verily, the man who, even for an
instant, ceases to hate unbelief or false doctrine has sinned for his
whole life on this side of the grave and beyond it; sinned against
the only true and saving faith and its divine Founder. Blasphemous and
flattering praise of the piety and moderation of our foes, the very
antichrist incarnate, who kill both body and soul.--With these your
father fouled his heart and tongue..."

"Fouled?" cried Orion and the blood tingled in his cheeks. "He kept his
heart and tongue alike pure and honorable; never did a false word pass
his lips. Justice, justice to all, even to his enemies, was the ruling
principle, the guiding clue of his blameless life; and the noblest of
the heathen Greeks admired the man who could so far triumph over himself
as to recognize what was fine and good in a foe."

"And they were right," replied the patriarch, "for they were not yet
acquainted with truth. In a worldly sense, even now, each of us may aim
at such magnanimity; but the man who forgives those who tamper with
the sacred truth, which is the bread, meat, and wine of the Christian's
soul, sins against that truth; and, if he is a leader of men, he draws
on those who look up to him, and who are only too ready to follow his
example, into everlasting fire. Where your father ought to have been a
recalcitrant though conquered enemy, he became an ally; nay, so far as
the leader of the infidels was concerned, a friend--how many tears it
cost me! And our hapless people were forced to see this attitude
of their chief, and imitated it.--Forgive their seducer, Merciful
God!--forming their conduct on his. Thousands fell away from our saving
faith and went over to those, who in their eyes could not be reprobate,
could not be damned, since they saw them dwelling and working
hand-in-hand with their wise and righteous leader; and it was simply and
solely to warn his misguided people that I did not hesitate to wound my
own heart, to raise the voice of reproof at the grave of a dear friend,
and to refuse the honor and blessing of which his just and virtuous life
rendered him more worthy than thousands of others. I have spoken, and
now your foolish anger must be appeased; now you will grasp the hand
held out to you by the shepherd of the souls entrusted to him with an
easy and willing heart."

And again he offered his hand to Orion, who, however, again took it
doubtfully, and instead of looking