imagined that she might be domiciled for a short time in some convent there; and knowing her poetical temperament, I thought, perhaps, she was indulging her fancy at the expense of her judg→ ment, and might not really mean all she said. I saw, too, that the whole family were hushed in admiration at the revelations of that letter; so that had etiquette allowed of any interruption, I might not have ventured to speak out. Perhaps I looked a little disconcerted at the point where I have broken off, to indulge in these remarks, for Mrs. Walkinshaw, turning towards me, asked if Laura should go on. I nodded consent; and the narrative proceeded

"But, dear mamma, let me first tell you that we have a good many enemies in this part of the world. Some of them find fault with the names we use, as if they meant anything. But you know that Moore, or Bayley, or John Parry, or some other of our great poets-I forget which-says, 'What's in a name? A rose by any name would smell as sweet.' And so I think. But I don't like argument, so I send you the opinion of one of our visitors, such a dear old gentleman, upon this point. He is speaking of such words as Prime,' Terse,'' Compline,' and those kinds of names; and these are his remarks- Of themselves, the names are as innocent as can be; they were adopted long before the corruption of the Church of Rome-as early indeed as the fourth century. The names of themselves are of no moment, and I should hardly have thought it possible that they could give offence.'

་

"Will you excuse me?" said I, unable to keep silence on a matter of which as a Christian minister, I fancied that I ought to know something; "but I think there must either be some mistake in that paragraph; or this visitor, much as I reverence hoary hairs, must have been grossly ignorant of the period at which corruptions entered the church. And Romish corruptions, too, I think I may call them; for I believe all commentators have agreed that the Mystery of Iniquity, so powerfully denounced by Paul, in writing to the Thessalonians, as already at work in the church, must refer to the Romish hierarchy, and nothing else. And by the way, as you have allowed me thus far to interrupt the reading of the letter, let me just say that names have something to do with things, and a great deal too. What sound

6

protestant would, for one moment, venture to call our Lord's Supper, the Mass ;' or prostration at the Throne of Mercy,' with humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient hearts,' an act of penance ?" "

Very true-very good," said Mrs. Walkinshaw. Mr. Walkinshaw said nothing, but leaned forward from his recessed seat in the window, and smiled approval; whilst the eldest daughter, echoed the gracious sentiment of her mother, and the younger crackling the letter in her fingers, as if to intimate that it was time to resume her reading, said, vacantly and deliberately,— "Yes."

All this, of course, meant nothing; but I felt my conscience somewhat relieved by the protest I had just uttered, and prepared myself to hear more.

"I had almost forgotten my promise," resumed Miss Caroline, reading the letter, "to tell you this droll story about the white cross. We have some high ladies-very high ladies—almost the highest in the realm-who give us their countenance and support and whose honored names throw great lustre over our little community. Well, the greatest of these great ladies heard that we were papists, and so she requested one of her esquires or gentlemen-in-waiting, or whatever they call him, to look in and see how we were going on. He came with two others; but as soon as she knew he was at the door, our Lady Superior ordered the cross and the flowers to be hurried away from the Oratory and no one knew anything of them for some days afterwards, when they were found in a little room at the top of the house.

"Well, when our fright was over, our Lady Superior thinking, as she said, that the place looked blank where the cross used to stand, hung up an engraving there, in a gilt frame, of the Virgin and Child. But some people found fault even with this, and said the inscription upon it was highly popish!' But our dear old friend, the Visitor, said it was no such thing-it was a text of scripture. As we seldom see the Bible here, I cannot tell you where to find it but this is a literal translation of the Italian words. Thou art beautiful, both Virgin and Mother.' Is not that a sweet text?"

"My dear," said Mrs. Walkinshaw to her daughter, “stop a minute there, I can see that Mr. Enderby has something to say."

"Thank you," I answered, "you have guessed rightly. I fear I must again cross swords with this old gentleman, for I never heard of such a text, and will make bold to say at once, and most decidedly, that no such passage in such a connexion exists any where in Holy Writ."

"So I should think," said Mrs. Walkinshaw.

“I should say so too," chimed in Mr. Walkinshaw.

“I never saw it; I'm quite positive,” said Louisa.

"No more did I," the letter in her lap.

added Caroline, casting her eyes down upon "Shall I read on ?"

"Now

Silence spoke consent, and the young lady continued. don't you think our Lady Superior a very clever woman? She is such a dear creature. She used to wear a cross and a string of large beads, just like the pictures you have seen of old quiet quaker-like looking nuns; and to sleep with them on her pillow: but I don't think she does it now, for people have said a great many unkind things about these 'popish trinkets,' as they call them, and she tries to forget all about it. You will say, too that she suceeeds pretty well in doing this, for when she was asked the other day whether the beads were ornamented with any devices or inscriptions,—what do you think she actually said?" I do not remember that anything is on them.' "This put me very much in mind of poor Sims and the mourning ring he wore for his father.-You recollect what he said mamma,— 'Dear me, I did'nt know it had any inscription;' "though, of course, it had been engraved by his own express direction."

Mrs. Walkinshaw was anxious to go at length into an explanation of this little piece of social history; but waiving any lengthened digression, it was ruled that Caroline should go on.

"Some over-curious people wanted to see this rosary, as they called it. How foolish! Well, what do you think our lady said to this- Oh!' she answered carelessly, ́ I have given it away. But between you and me, dear mamma, I thought it strange that she should have done so, because she used to say it was a valued gift to her when young.

"I can assure you we have suffered a great deal of this kind. of persecution, but our Lady Superior is not to be frightened You can't think how we all love her, and look up to her. does not care for public opinion, though our dear old Visitor tells

She

us we must not forget that, unfortunately, there is such a thing.' Hear what she said when she was charged with superstition.

"For the satisfaction of those who may wish to know it, a cross is sometimes laid on my pillow, reminding me in the silent hours, when recollections of a most peaceful and happy past rush upon the memory, that, it may be, He who bore that cross for us will yet grant a higher happiness, a deeper peace, amid all that is most bitter to a woman's heart-calumny and ingratitude, public animadversion and suspicion." Then again "Is there more harm in our having flowers in our oratory on a festival than in a drawing-room for an evening party? We have all been accustomed, from childhood, to see our chambers and our houses made to look as gay as they can with ever-greens and holly. Some of our friends have brought us flowers, and we have placed them in what is to us the happiest place in our house. Friends gave us some flowers-some of the sisters, when the day's labor was over, amused themselves in twining a wreath, and placed it on the cross. We have done with gay dresses, for they are expensive, but we like the brightness and gaiety of flowers, and friends give them to us; why may we not use them as we will?'

"But we wear crosses' she said again- and what lady does not? And if there may be a cross on the Queen's crown-if ladies may wear crosses of diamonds, pearls, and rubies, in courts and assemblies, who shall grudge us our simple wooden

crosses ?'

66 There, dear mamma, you see how cleverly our Lady Superior can argue. The world is ungrateful and censorious, so our lady puts a wooden cross upon her pillow. Flowers are very sweet things, and look pretty on a drawing-room table; why, therefore, in the name of goodness, should we not offer them as incense to the Virgin Mary? And, indeed, as our Superior says, why may we not use any of God's blessings in any way we choose? If the queen wear a cross upon her crown, why should we not suspend one from our rosary? I think most people would be puzzled to answer these questions. I know I am."

"The Queen?" said I-breaking in unwittingly at this juncture-" what Queen? I thought Laura was in France ?"

"O! dear no," said Mrs. Walkinshaw, "she has been in England for several months."

"But surely," I rejoined, “ this is not an English institution she is speaking of?"

"Well, to be sure!" exclaimed Miss Walkinshaw, addressing her mother, "I thought we had told Mr. Enderby long since that Laura was in one of our western counties.' "And you

really didn't know that she had returned!" she continued, turning towards myself—“ you really were not aware that Laura had come back?"

"I had no idea of it, and certainly should never have guessed it from her letter. Where is she then? In which of our many nunneries ?"

"Dear me! Mr. Enderby, you astonish me," said the mother, "To think, that after all she has said against Popery, she should be a papist! Oh no; she is any thing, I hope, but that. Perhaps, Caroline, you will read the excellent rules she sent us in her letter."

Willing to give the matter every consideration, I listened patiently till the whole of these rules-more than thirty in number--had been gone through, and then said :-" I find but little fault with any of these regulations; but, unfortunately, no legislation can renew the heart, or secure that vital godliness which is profitable for all things. If we want nothing but rules to make us religious, I know not where we could find a better code than that furnished by St. James in his Epistle. But when we look, as all christians are warranted in looking, for the fruit of such formularies, we find too often nothing but wild grapes or apples of Sodom. A life of practical holiness is enjoined, and a string of beads is worn as the result. Six hours a day are to be given to acts of mercy, and seven rehearsals of a formal service are the development of this injunction. Christ only is to be honored in every action, and the festivals of the Virgin Mary and the saints, are glorified with the brightness and gaiety of flowers,' as a commentary on this high command. The fatherless are to be visited in their affliction; and a snug little singing party is got up in the crimson oratory as a means of carrying out this beautiful mandate.

"You will excuse my plainness on these matters, Mr. Walkinshaw," I continued, "but there seems to me to be a great and fatal error prevalent as to the nature of practical religion.