Oh! the Roman nobility! Grace,
refinement, intrigue, perfect comprehension of your ideas, wishes--the
meanest trifles! Here you have every worldly charm, and all crowned by
Religion! This is my true delight. I feel at last that whatsoever I
do, I cannot go far wrong while I am within hail of my gentle priest. I
never could feel so before.

'The idea of Mr. Parsley proposing for the beautiful widow Strike! It
was indecent to do so so soon--widowed under such circumstances! But
I dare say he was as disinterested as a Protestant curate ever can be.
Beauty is a good dowry to bring a poor, lean, worldly curate of your
Church, and he knows that. Your bishops and arches are quite susceptible
to beautiful petitioners, and we know here how your livings and
benefices are dispensed. What do you intend to do? Come to me; come to
the bosom of the old and the only true Church, and I engage to marry you
to a Roman prince the very next morning or two. That is, if you have no
ideas about prosecuting a certain enterprise which I should not abandon.
In that case, stay. As Duchess of B., Mr. Duffian says you would be
cordially welcome to his Holiness, who may see women. That absurd
report is all nonsense. We do not kiss his toe, certainly, but we have
privileges equally enviable. Herbert is all charm. I confess he is a
little wearisome with his old ruins, and his Dante, the poet. He is
quite of my opinion, that Evan will never wash out the trade stain on
him until he comes over to the Church of Rome. I adjure you, Caroline,
to lay this clearly before our dear brother. In fact, while he continues
a Protestant, to me he is a tailor. But here Rose is the impediment. I
know her to be just one of those little dogged minds that are incapable
of receiving new impressions. Was it not evident in the way she stuck to
Evan after I had once brought them together? I am not at all astonished
that Mr. Raikes should have married her maid. It is a case of natural
selection. But it is amusing to think of him carrying on the old
business in 193, and with credit! I suppose his parents are to be
pitied; but what better is the creature fit for? Mama displeases me in
consenting to act as housekeeper to old Grumpus. I do not object to the
fact, for it is prospective; but she should have insisted on another
place of resort than Fallow field. I do not agree with you in thinking
her right in refusing a second marriage. Her age does not shelter her
from scandal in yo