They continued their walk, through the Piazza Cavallegeri and outside
the walls. As they went up one of the hills there, they could see the
facade of Saint Peter's continually nearer, with all the huge stone
figures on the cornice. "The fact is that that poor Christ plays a sad
role there in the middle," said Caesar.

"Oh! Oh! My friend," exclaimed the abbe in protest.

"A plebeian Jew in the midst of so many princes of the Church! Doesn't
it strike you as an absurdity?"

"No, not absurd at all."

"The truth is that this religion of yours is Jewish meat with a Roman
sauce."

"And yours? What is yours?"

"Mine? I have not got past fetichism. I worship the golden calf. Like
the majority of Catholics."

"I don't believe it."

They looked back; they could see the dome of the great basilica shining
in the sun; then, to one side, a little viaduct and a tower.

"What a wonderful bird you keep in this beautiful cage!" said Caesar.

"What bird?" asked Preciozi.

"The Pope, friend Preciozi, the Pope. Not the popinjay, but the Pope
in white. What a very marvellous bird! He has a feather fan like a
peacock's tail; he speaks like the cockatoo, only he differs from them
in being infallible; and he is infallible, because another bird,
also marvellous, which is called the Holy Ghost, tells him by night
everything that takes place on earth and in heaven. What very
picturesque and extravagant things!"

"For you who have no faith everything must be extravagant."

Caesar and Preciozi went on encircling the walls and reading the various
marble tablets set into them, and ascended to the Janiculum, to the
terrace where Garibaldi's statue stands.

_POOR TINDARO_

"But, are you anti-Catholic, seriously?" asked Preciozi. "But do you
believe any one can be a Catholic seriously?" said Caesar. "I can, yes;
otherwise I shouldn't be a priest."

"But are you a priest because you believe, or do you make believe that
you believe because you are a priest?"

"You are a child. I suppose you hate the Jesuits, like all Liberals."

"And I suppose you hate Masons, like all Catholics."

"No."

"No more do I hate Jesuits. What is worse, I read the life of Saint
Ignatius Loyola at school, and he seemed to me a great man."

"Well, I should think so!"

"And the Jesuits have some power still?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes, man. They give the Church its direction. Oh, nobody fools the
Society. You can see what happened to Cardinal