t of his father's presence?
And the boy was one who would turn mutinous in spirit under such a
command. The meaning of it was that he should not sit at table with
his father. But, in accordance with the ways of the family, he had
always done so. A separate breakfast must be provided for him, and
a separate dinner. Then would there not be danger that he should be
driven to look for his friends elsewhere? Would he not associate with
Father Brosnan, or, worse again, with Pat Carroll? "Ada," said Edith
that night as they sat together, "Florian must be made to confess."

"How make him?"

"You and I must do it."

"That's all very well," said Ada, "but how? You have been at him now
for nine months, and have not moved him. He's the most obstinate boy,
I think, that ever lived."

"Do you know, there is something in it all that makes me love him the
better?" said Edith.

"Is there? There is something in it that almost makes me hate him."

"Don't hate him, Ada--if you can help it. He has got some religious
idea into his head. It is all stupid."

"It is beastly," said Ada.

"You may call it as you please," said the other, "it is stupid and
beastly. He is travelling altogether in a wrong direction, and is
putting everybody concerned with him in immense trouble. It may be
quite right that a person should be a Roman Catholic--or that he
should be a Protestant; but before one turns from one to the other,
one should be old enough to know something about it. It is very
vexatious; but with Flory there is, I think, some idea of an idea. He
has got it into his head that the Catholics are a downtrodden people,
and therefore he will be one of them."

"That is such bosh," said Ada.

"It is so, to your thinking, but not to his. In loving him or hating
him you've got to love him or hate him as a boy. Of course it's
wicked that a boy should lie,--or a man, or a woman, or a girl; but
they do. I don't see why we are to turn against a boy of our own,
when we know that other boys lie. He has got a notion into his head
that he is doing quite right, because the priest has told him."

"He is doing quite wrong," said Ada.

"And now what are we to do about his breakfast? Papa says that he is
not to be allowed to come into the room, and papa means it. You and I
will have to breakfast with him and dine with him, first one and then
the other."

"But papa will miss us."

"We must go through the ceremony of a second breakfast and a second
d