this
world. But know that if you are not away from this place before the end of
this week, I will reveal everything to my husband, and you may be sure that
he will not let you live twenty-four hours longer, for he sincerely thinks
that your daughter is his, and he will be the avenger of her honour! I go
to denounce you this very day to the bishop, that he may take you away from
this parish, which you have so shamelessly polluted.'

"The priest threw himself at my feet, and, with tears, asked my pardon,
imploring me not to denounce him to the bishop, promising that he would
change his life and begin to live as a good priest. But I remained
inexorable. I went to the bishop, made my deposition, and warned his
lordship of the sad consequences which would follow, if he kept that curate
any longer in this place, as he seemed inclined to do. But before the eight
days had expired, he was put at the head of another parish, not very far
away from here."

The reader will, perhaps, like to know what has become of this priest.

He has remained at the head of that most beautiful parish of ----, as
curate, where I know it, he continued to destroy his penitents, till a few
years before he died, with the reputation of a good priest, an amiable man,
and a holy confessor!"

* * * * *

"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:....

"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with
the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His
coming:

"Even Him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders,

"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie:

"That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure
in unrighteousness." (2 Thess. ii. 7-12.)

* * * * *

CHAPTER VII.

SHOULD AURICULAR CONFESSION BE TOLERATED AMONG CIVILIZED NATIONS?

* * * * *

Let my readers who understand Latin peruse the extracts I give from Bishop
Kenrick, Debreyne, Burchard, Dens or Liguori, and the most incredulous will
learn for themselves that the world, even in the darkest ages of old
paganism, has never seen anything so infamous and degrading as auricular
confessi