It was a mild winter evening; a little fog still hanging about, but vanquished6 by the cheerful lamps, and the voice of the muffin-bell was just heard at intervals7; a genial8 sound that calls up visions of trim and happy hearths9. If we could only so contrive10 our lives as to go into the country for the first note of the nightingale, and return to town for the first note of the muffin-bell, existence, it is humbly11 presumed, might be more enjoyable.
Monsignore Berwick was a young man, but looking younger from a countenance13 almost of childhood; fair, with light-blue eyes, and flaxen hair and delicate features. He was the last person you would have fixed14 upon as a born Roman; but Nature, in one of the freaks of race, had resolved that his old Scottish blood should be reasserted, though his: ancestors had sedulously15 blended it, for, many generations, with that of the princely houses of the eternal city. The monsignore was the greatest statesman of Rome, formed and favored by Antonelli and probably his successor.
The mansion4 of Lord St. Jerome was a real family mansion, built by his ancestors a century and a half ago, when they believed that, from its central position, its happy contiguity16 to the court, the senate, and the seats of government, they at last, in St. James’s Square, had discovered a site which could defy the vicissitudes17 of fashion, and not share the fate of the river palaces, which they had been obliged in turn to relinquish18. And in a considerable degree they were right in their anticipation19; for, although they have somewhat unwisely, permitted the clubs to invade too successfully their territory, St. James’s Square may be looked upon as our Faubourg St. Germain, and a great patrician20 residing there dwells in the heart of that free and noble life of which he ought to be a part.
A marble hall and a marble staircase, lofty chambers22 with silk or tapestried23 hangings, gilded24 cornices, and painted ceilings, gave a glimpse of almost Venetian splendor25, and rare in our metropolitan26 houses of this age; but the first dwellers27 in St. James’s Square had tender and inspiring recollections of the Adrian bride, had frolicked in St. Mark’s, and glided28 in adventurous29 gondolas30. The monsignore was ushered31 into a chamber21 bright with lights and a blazing fire, and welcomed with extreme cordiality by his hostess, who was then alone. Lady St. Jerome was still the young wife of a nobleman not old. She was the daughter of a Protestant house, but, during a residence at Rome after her marriage, she had reverted32 to the ancient faith, which she professed33 with the enthusiastic convictions of a convert. Her whole life was dedicated34 to the triumph of the Catholic cause; and, being a woman of considerable intelligence and of an ardent35 mind, she had become a recognized power in the great confederacy which has so much influenced the human race, and which has yet to play perhaps a mighty36 part in the fortunes of the world.
“I was in great hopes that the cardinal would have met you at dinner,” said Lady St. Jerome, “but he wrote only this afternoon to say unexpected business would prevent him, but he would be here in the evening, though late.”
“It must be something sudden, for I was with his eminence37 this morning, and he then contemplated38 our meeting here.”
“Nothing from abroad?”
“I should think not, or it would be known to me. There is nothing new from abroad this afternoon: my time has been spent in writing, not receiving, dispatches.”
“And all well, I hope?”
“This Scotch39 business plagues us. So far as Scotland is concerned, it is quite ripe; but the cardinal counsels delay on account of this country, and he has such a consummate40 knowledge of England, that—”
At this moment Lord St Jerome entered the room—a grave but gracious personage, polished but looking silent, though he immediately turned the conversation to the weather. The monsignore began denouncing English fogs; but Lord St. Jerome maintained that, on the whole, there were not more fogs in England than in any other country; “and as for the French,” he added, “I like their audacity41, for, when they revolutionized the calendar, they called one of their months Brumaire.”
Then came in one of his lordships chaplains, who saluted42 the monsignore with reverence43, and immediately afterward44 a beautiful young lady, his niece, Clare Arundel.
The family were living in a convenient suite45 of small rooms on the ground-floor, called the winter-rooms so dinner was announced by the doors of an adjoining chamber being thrown open, and there they saw, in the midst of a chamber hung with green silk and adorned46 with some fine cabinet-pictures, a small round table, bright and glowing.
It was a lively dinner. Lord St. Jerome loved conversation, though he never conversed47. “There must be an audience,” he would say, “and I am the audience.” The partner of his life, whom he never ceased admiring, had originally fascinated him by her conversational48 talents; and, even if Nature had not impelled49 her, Lady St. Jerome was too wise a woman to relinquish the spell. The monsignore could always, when necessary, sparkle with anecdote50 or blaze with repartee51; and all the chaplains, who abounded52 in this house, were men of bright abilities, not merely men of reading, but of the world, learned in the world’s ways, and trained to govern mankind by versatility53 of their sympathies. It was a dinner where there could not be two conversations going on, and where even the silent take their share in the talk by their sympathy.
And among the silent, as silent even as Lord St. Jerome, was Miss Arundel; and yet her large violet eyes, darker even than her dark-brown hair, and gleaming with intelligence, and her rich face mantling54 with emotion, proved she was not insensible to the witty55 passages and the bright and interesting narratives56 that were sparkling and flowing about her.
The gentlemen left the dining-room with the ladies, in the Continental57 manner. Lady St. Jerome, who was leaning on the arm of the monsignore, guided him into a saloon farther than the one they had reentered, and then seating herself said, “You were telling me about Scotland, that you yourself thought it ripe.”
“Unquestionably. The original plan was to have established our hierarchy58 when the Kirk split up; but that would have been a mistake, it was not then ripe. There would have been a fanatical reaction. There is always a tendency that way in Scotland: as it is, at this moment, the Establishment and the Free Kirk are mutually sighing for some compromise which may bring them together and, if the proprietors59 would give up their petty patronage60, some flatter themselves it might be arranged. But we are thoroughly61 well informed, and have provided for all this. We sent two of our best men into Scotland some time ago, and they have invented a new church, called the United Presbyterians. John Knox himself was never more violent, or more mischievous62. The United Presbyterians will do the business: they will render Scotland simply impossible to live in; and then, when the crisis arrives, the distracted and despairing millions will find refuge in the bosom63 of their only mother. That is why, at home, we wanted no delay in the publication of the bull and the establishment of the hierarchy.”
“But the cardinal says no?”
“And must be followed. For these islands he has no equal. He wishes great reserve at present. Affairs here are progressing, gradually but surely. But it is Ireland where matters are critical, or will be soon.”
“Ireland! I thought there was a sort of understanding there—at least for the present.”
The monsignore shook his head. “What do you think of an American invasion of Ireland?”
“An American invasion!”
“Even so; nothing more probable, and nothing more to be deprecated by us. Now that the civil war in America is over, the Irish soldiery are resolved to employ their experience and their weapons in their own land; but they have no thought for the interest of the Holy See, or the welfare of our holy religion. Their secret organization is tampering64 with the people and tampering with the priests. The difficulty of Ireland is that the priests and the people will consider every thing in a purely65 Irish point of view. To gain some local object, they will encourage the principles of the most lawless liberalism, which naturally land them in Fenianism and atheism66. And the danger is not foreseen, because the Irish political object of the moment is alone looked to.”
“But surely they can be guided?”
“We want a statesman in Ireland. We have never been able to find one; we want a man like the cardinal. But the Irish will have a native for their chief. We caught Churchill young, and educated him in the Propaganda; but he has disappointed us. At first all seemed well; he was reserved and austere67; and we heard with satisfaction that he was unpopular. But, now that critical times are arriving, his peasant-blood cannot resist the contagion68. He proclaims the absolute equality of all religious, and of the power of the state to confiscate69 ecclesiastical property, and not restore it to us, but alienate70 it forever. For the chance of subverting71 the Anglican Establishment, he is favoring a policy which will subvert72 religion itself. 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 perilous73, 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 sanguine74, 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 foe75.”
“Poor Austria!” said the monsignore with an unctuous76 sneer77. “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 atheistical78 except France. Vanity will always keep France the eldest79 son of the Church, even if she wear a bonnet80 rouge81. 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 forefathers82 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 monarch83 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 want to say one word to you both.”
He made them sit down. “I am a little restless,” he said, and stood before the fire. “Something interesting has happened; nothing to do with public affairs. Do not pitch your expectations too high—but still of importance, and certainly of great interest—at least to me. I have seen my child—my ward3.”
“Indeed an event!” said Lady St. Jerome, evidently much interested.
“And what is he like?” inquired the monsignore.
“All that one could wish. Extremely good-looking, highly bred, and most ingenuous84; a considerable intelligence, and not untrained; but the most absolutely unaffected person I ever encountered.”
“Ah! if he had been trained by your eminence,” sighed Lady St. Jerome. “Is it too late?”
“’Tis an immense position,” murmured Berwick.
“What good might he not do?” said Lady St. Jerome; “and if he be so ingenuous, it seems impossible that he can resist the truth.”
“Your ladyship is a sort of cousin of his,” said the cardinal, musingly85.
“Yes; but very remote. I dare say he would not acknowledge the tie. But we are kin12; we have the same blood in our veins86.”
“You should make his acquaintance,” said the cardinal.
“I more than desire it. I hear he has been terribly neglected, brought up among the most dreadful people, entirely87 infidels and fanatics88.”
“He has been nearly two years at Oxford,” said the cardinal. “That may have mitigated89 the evil.”
“Ah! but you, my lord cardinal, you must interfere90. Now that you at last know him, you must undertake the great task; you must save him.”
“We must all pray, as I pray every morn and every night,” said the cardinal, “for the conversion91 of England.”
“Or the conquest,” murmured Berwick.
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1
cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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adviser
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| n.劝告者，顾问 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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mansions
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| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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hearths
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| 壁炉前的地板，炉床，壁炉边( hearth的名词复数 ) | |
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contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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sedulously
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| ad.孜孜不倦地 | |
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contiguity
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| n.邻近，接壤 | |
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vicissitudes
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| n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废 | |
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relinquish
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| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
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anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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patrician
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| adj.贵族的，显贵的；n.贵族；有教养的人；罗马帝国的地方官 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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tapestried
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| adj.饰挂绣帷的，织在绣帷上的v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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metropolitan
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| adj.大城市的，大都会的 | |
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dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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gondolas
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| n.狭长小船( gondola的名词复数 )；货架（一般指商店，例如化妆品店）；吊船工作台 | |
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ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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reverted
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| 恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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conversational
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| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
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49
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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51
repartee
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| n.机敏的应答 | |
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52
abounded
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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versatility
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| n.多才多艺，多样性，多功能 | |
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54
mantling
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| 覆巾 | |
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witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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56
narratives
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| 记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分 | |
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continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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58
hierarchy
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| n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层 | |
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proprietors
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| n.所有人，业主( proprietor的名词复数 ) | |
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patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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tampering
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| v.窜改( tamper的现在分词 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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atheism
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| n.无神论，不信神 | |
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austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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contagion
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| n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延 | |
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confiscate
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| v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公 | |
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alienate
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| vt.使疏远，离间；转让(财产等) | |
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subverting
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| v.颠覆，破坏（政治制度、宗教信仰等）( subvert的现在分词 )；使（某人）道德败坏或不忠 | |
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subvert
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| v.推翻；暗中破坏；搅乱 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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unctuous
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| adj.油腔滑调的，大胆的 | |
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77
sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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78
atheistical
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| adj.无神论（者）的 | |
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79
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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80
bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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81
rouge
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| n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红 | |
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82
forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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83
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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84
ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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85
musingly
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| adv.沉思地，冥想地 | |
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86
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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87
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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88
fanatics
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| 狂热者，入迷者( fanatic的名词复数 ) | |
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89
mitigated
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| v.减轻，缓和( mitigate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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90
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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91
conversion
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| n.转化，转换，转变 | |
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