berts growing more relieved
as he proceeded. He had never observed any want of conformity among his
servants, he assured the priest; so far as he knew, all were loyal to
the Catholic Church. By that term both gentlemen meant, not the
universal body of Christian believers (the real signification of the
word), but that minority which blindly obeys the Pope, and being a
minority, is of course not Catholic nor universal. When Mr Roberts's
apprehensions had thus been entirely lulled to rest, the wily priest
suddenly returned to the charge.

"I need not, I am fully ensured," he said in his suave manner, "ask any
questions touching your daughters."

"Of that, Father," answered Mr Roberts quickly, "you must be a better
judge than I. But I do most unfeignedly trust that neither of my maids
hath given you any trouble by neglect of her religious duties?
Gertrude, indeed, is so--"

"Mistress Gertrude hath not given me trouble," replied the priest. "Her
worst failing is one common to maidens--a certain lack of soberness.
But I cannot conceal from you, my son, that I am under some uneasiness
of mind as touching her sister."

Mr Bastian's uneasiness was nothing to that of the man he was engaged
in tormenting. The terrified mouse does not struggle more eagerly to
escape the claws of the cat, than the suffering father of Pandora to
avoid implicating her in the eyes of his insinuating confessor.

"Forsooth, Father, you do indeed distress me," said he. "If Pandora
have heard any foolish talk on matters of religion, I would gladly break
her from communication with any such of her acquaintance as can have
been thus ill-beseen. Truly, I know not of any, and methought my sister
Grena kept the maids full diligently, that they should not fall into
unseemly ways. I will speak, under your good leave, with both of them,
and will warn Pandora that she company not with such as seem like to
have any power over her for evil."

"Well said, my son!" responded the priest, with a slight twinkle in his
eye. "Therein shall you do well; and in especial if you report to me
the names of any that you shall suspect to have ill-affected the maiden.
And now, methinks, I must be on my way home."

Mr Roberts devoutly thanked all the saints when he heard it. The
priest took up his hat, brushed a stray thread from its edge, and said,
as he laid his hand upon his silver-headed stick--said it as though the
idea had just occurred to him--

"You spake