elf. In his eagerness he cannot see that the Anglicans have
only a lease of our property, a lease which is rapidly expiring."

"This is sad."

"It is perilous, and difficult to deal with. But it must be dealt
with. The problem is to suppress Fenianism, and not to strengthen the
Protestant confederacy."

"And you left Rome for this? We understood you were coming for something
else," said Lady St. Jerome, in a significant tone.

"Yes, yes, I have been there, and I have seen him."

"And have you succeeded?"

"No; and no one will--at least at present."

"Is all lost, then? Is the Malta scheme again on the carpet?"

"Our Holy Church in built upon a rock," said the monsignore, "but not
upon the rock of Malta. Nothing is lost; Antonelli is calm and sanguine,
though, rest assured, there is no doubt about what I tell you. France
has washed her hands of us."

"Where, then, are we to look for aid?" exclaimed Lady St. Jerome,
"against the assassins and atheists? Austria, the alternative ally,
is no longer near you; and if she were--that I should ever live to say
it--even Austria is our foe."

"Poor Austria!" said the monsignore with an unctuous sneer. "Two things
made her a nation; she was German and she was Catholic, and now she is
neither."

"But you alarm me, my dear lord, with your terrible news. We once
thought that Spain would be our protector, but we hear bad news from
Spain."

"Yes," said the monsignore, "I think it highly probable that, before a
few years have elapsed, every government in Europe will be atheistical
except France. Vanity will always keep France the eldest son of the
Church, even if she wear a bonnet rouge. But, if the Holy Father keep
Rome, these strange changes will only make the occupier of the chair of
St. Peter more powerful. His subjects will be In every clime and every
country, and then they will be only his subjects. We shall get rid of
the difficulty of the divided allegiance, Lady St. Jerome, which plagued
our poor forefathers so much."

"If we keep Rome," said Lady St. Jerome.

"And we shall. Let Christendom give us her prayers for the next few
years, and Pio Nono will become the most powerful monarch In Europe, and
perhaps the only one."

"I hear a sound," exclaimed Lady St. Jerome. "Yes! the cardinal has
come. Let us greet him."

But as they were approaching the saloon the cardinal met them, and waved
them back. "We will return," he said, "to our friends immediately, but I