e, which sounded at the door, succeeded in severing the thread
of the conversation.

It was a printseller's man with a large book of plates.

"Well timed," said Bateman;--"put them down, Baker: or rather give them
to me;--I can take the opinion of you men on a point I have much at
heart. You know I wanted you, Freeborn, to go with me to see my chapel;
Sheffield and Reding have looked into it. Well now, just see here."

He opened the portfolio; it contained views of the Campo Santo at Pisa.
The leaves were slowly turned over in silence, the spectators partly
admiring, partly not knowing what to think, partly wondering at what was
coming.

"What do you think my plan is?" he continued. "You twitted me,
Sheffield, because my chapel would be useless. Now I mean to get a
cemetery attached to it; there is plenty of land; and then the chapel
will become a chantry. But now, what will you say if we have a copy of
these splendid medieval monuments round the burial-place, both sculpture
and painting? Now, Sheffield, Mr. Critic, what do you say to that?"

"A most admirable plan," said Sheffield, "and quite removes my
objections.... A chantry! what is that? Don't they say Mass in it for
the dead?"

"Oh, no, no, no," said Bateman, in fear of Freeborn; "we'll have none of
your Popery. It will be a simple, guileless chapel, in which the Church
Service will be read."

Meanwhile Sheffield was slowly turning over the plates. He stopped at
one. "What will you do with that figure?" he said, pointing to a
Madonna.

"Oh, it will be best, most prudent, to leave it out; certainly,
certainly."

Sheffield soon began again: "But look here, my good fellow, what do you
do with these saints and angels? do see, why here's a complete legend;
do you mean to have this? Here's a set of miracles, and a woman invoking
a saint in heaven."

Bateman looked cautiously at them, and did not answer. He would have
shut the book, but Sheffield wished to see some more. Meanwhile he said,
"Oh yes, true, there _are_ some things; but I have an expedient for all
this; I mean to make it all allegorical. The Blessed Virgin shall be the
Church, and the saints shall be cardinal and other virtues; and as to
that saint's life, St. Ranieri's, it shall be a Catholic 'Pilgrim's
Progress.'"

"Good! then you must drop all these popes and bishops, copes and
chalices," said Sheffield; "and have their names written under the rest,
that people mayn't take them for saints