.

"I forgive you, Anne," she said; "though I am sure there is not a _lady_
in the hollow that would put up with your impudence but myself."

"I know I am hot," answered Anne, smothering her anger at this second
provocation in being called _impudent_. "The priest told us to be
obedient to those even who are not amiable nor kind; to serve them for
God's sake, as a punishment for our sins."

"Now," said Mr. Warren to his wife, "you see Anne has rather improved by
her visit to the priest, which you thought to prevent. Were you and I to
be _at her_ for six months, we could not get her to acknowledge as much
as she now has. The fact is, I am certain those much-abused priests are
far ahead of our dominies in knowledge of religion and human nature. It
is impossible otherwise to account for the influence they exercise over
the ungovernable Irish race, and over those millions whom they instruct
and rule."

"It's all priestcraft," said his wife.

"I don't know, Sarah, what craft it is, but I wish our ministers learned
a little of the same craft; for they are fast losing all influence over
the minds of the people, and especially over that of the youth. That we
can all see."

"That's because people are daily getting worse," said this female
philosopher.

"Worse! Then whose fault is it that they are? What have we ministers
for, but to prevent this state of things? There are six of them in the
small village of S----, and it can't be beat in the Union for blacklegs
and rowdies. Would we have so many wild, irreligious young men, and
women, too, if, instead of six preachers, we had six Catholic priests? I
would like to see one of your young ones show such signs of a superior
mind and training, such manliness and fortitude, as that Irish Catholic
lad, Paul, down at Prying's. They have had all the ministers within
fifty miles of you to convert him, but they could no more move him than
they could Mount Antoine. In fact, he beat them all to pieces in
Scripture and argument. Take no more pains about religion, wife," said
the honest Yankee; "let Anne alone. I won't have her disturbed any more
on the subject. If there be any religion on earth, those very people
have it whom you want to bring round to the exact pattern of your
favorite minister's manner of doubting. It's ridiculous, wife," said
he, rising, and calling his men to the fields; "it's ridiculous to try
to convert these Catholics, who appear to have some religion, to the
cou