y proud of Mr Melmotte as a convert?'

'I would be proud of the lowest human being that has a soul,' said the
priest; 'but of course we are glad to welcome the wealthy and the
great.'

'The great! Oh dear!'

'A man is great who has made for himself such a position as that of Mr
Melmotte. And when such a one leaves your Church and joins our own, it
is a great sign to us that the Truth is prevailing.' Roger Carbury,
without another word, took his candle and went to bed.

CHAPTER LVI - FATHER BARHAM VISITS LONDON

It was considered to be a great thing to catch the Roman Catholic vote
in Westminster. For many years it has been considered a great thing
both in the House and out of the House to 'catch' Roman Catholic
votes. There are two modes of catching these votes. This or that
individual Roman Catholic may be promoted to place, so that he
personally may be made secure; or the right hand of fellowship may be
extended to the people of the Pope generally, so that the people of
the Pope may be taught to think that a general step is being made
towards the reconversion of the nation. The first measure is the
easier, but the effect is but slight and soon passes away. The
promoted one, though as far as his prayers go he may remain as good a
Catholic as ever, soon ceases to be one of the party to be
conciliated, and is apt after a while to be regarded by them as an
enemy. But the other mode, if a step be well taken, may be very
efficacious. It has now and then occurred that every Roman Catholic in
Ireland and England has been brought to believe that the nation is
coming round to them;--and in this or that borough the same conviction
has been made to grow. To catch the Protestant,--that is the peculiarly
Protestant,--vote and the Roman Catholic vote at the same instant is a
feat difficult of accomplishment; but it has been attempted before,
and was attempted now by Mr Melmotte and his friends. It was perhaps
thought by his friends that the Protestants would not notice the L100
given for the altar to St Fabricius; but Mr Alf was wide awake, and
took care that Mr Melmotte's religious opinions should be a matter of
interest to the world at large. During all that period of newspaper
excitement there was perhaps no article that created so much general
interest as that which appeared in the 'Evening Pulpit,' with a
special question asked at the head of it, 'For Priest or Parson?' In
this article, which was more than usually