f continuing his visits to her, and, as
Roger thought, utterly unable to free himself from his toils,--and
yet, on this man's account, Hetta was cold and hard to him. He was
conscious of the honesty of his own love, sure that he could make
her happy,--confident, not in himself, but in the fashion and ways
of his own life. What would be Hetta's lot if her heart was really
given to Paul Montague?

When he got home, he found Father Barham sitting in his library. An
accident had lately happened at Father Barham's own establishment. The
wind had blown the roof off his cottage; and Roger Carbury, though his
affection for the priest was waning, had offered him shelter while the
damage was being repaired. Shelter at Carbury Manor was very much more
comfortable than the priest's own establishment, even with the roof
on, and Father Barham was in clover. Father Barham was reading his own
favourite newspaper, 'The Surplice,' when Roger entered the room.
'Have you seen this, Mr Carbury?' he said.

'What's this? I am not likely to have seen anything that belongs
peculiarly to "The Surplice."'

'That's the prejudice of what you are pleased to call the Anglican
Church. Mr Melmotte is a convert to our faith. He is a great man, and
will perhaps be one of the greatest known on the face of the globe.'

'Melmotte a convert to Romanism! I'll make you a present of him, and
thank you to take him; but I don't believe that we've any such good
riddance.'

Then Father Barham read a paragraph out of 'The Surplice.' 'Mr
Augustus Melmotte, the great financier and capitalist, has presented a
hundred guineas towards the erection of an altar for the new church of
St Fabricius, in Tothill Fields. The donation was accompanied by a
letter from Mr Melmotte's secretary, which leaves but little doubt
that the new member for Westminster will be a member, and no
inconsiderable member, of the Catholic party in the House, during the
next session.'

'That's another dodge, is it?' said Carbury.

'What do you mean by a dodge, Mr Carbury? Because money is given for a
pious object of which you do not happen to approve, must it be a
dodge?'

'But, my dear Father Barham, the day before the same great man gave
L200 to the Protestant Curates' Aid Society. I have just left the
Bishop exulting in this great act of charity.'

'I don't believe a word of it;--or it may be a parting gift to the
Church to which he belonged in his darkness.'

'And you would be reall