her doubts as to the existence or non-existence of any religion amongst us."

"Really, son," said the grandmother, "you are excessively severe; we have no place of worship it is true to go to, but certainly few English families at Nice have set a better example than ours has done respecting religion since we have been here."

66

Might I beg you, my dear madam, to explain yourself," said Mr. Morley; "I am all attention."

"Yes," said the old lady, with that incredulous manner, "but I ask you, do we ever visit or receive company on Sundays-do I not always read a sermon on Sunday morning-and do not the young people withdraw to their rooms to do the same, at least it is my wish that they should do so or do we ever play at cards on a Sunday or do we eat meat on a Good Friday, and if we have not the advantages of a church to attend, is it our faults ?" "I stand corrected, madam," said Mr. Morley; "I will admit that you ladies are perfectly pious, but I fear that my brother Rosebury and I have not your merits to plead in our behalf. Granting, however, that you are all, separately

66

and jointly, perfectly pious, yet you must allow that the influences of your religion have not happened to extend to Victoria, nor to have been made evident to her; therefore as she can only judge of what she has seen and heard, we cannot be surprised if she has fallen into the error of supposing that we have no religion."

"What business," said the grandmother, "has a child of that age to form opinions of her own ?"

"None at all," said Mr Morley, "and therefore instead of forming her own opinions she has adopted those of Teresa.

"To our shame and confusion she has so done," rejoined Mr. Rosebury; "there has been some grievous error and neglect somewhere, and our child has suffered for it."

"Don't lay all the blame on me, my dear," said Mrs. Rosebury.

"I do not,” replied her husband; "I blame myself more than I do you, though I do not say that you have not been very negligent; we have neglected our own souls and those of our children; we have set a bad example to our servants; we have wasted our hours and our talents, and we all stand condemned even be

fore our own children; for Victoria tells me, 'that she does not know that I have any religion at all,' and our son writes, though in the kindest manner, to entreat me to take some thought for my immortal soul. But I have one comfort even in the reproaches of my children, viz., that they both have that sense of the importance of religion which I have so grievously wanted."

In reply to this three or four voices exclaimed, Really, Mr. Rosebury, you are not well, and are getting into low spirits; we never heard speak in this way before!"

you

"Because I never felt what I now do," he replied."

66

You are nervous, my dear," said Mrs. Rosebury, "nervous and low-and you shut yourself up too much; this business of Victoria is not a pleasant one, but if you will leave her to my management I will soon set her right; don't be uneasy about her."

"How will you set her right?" asked Mr. Rosebury.

"By proving to her that she is wrong," answered Mrs. Rosebury, "and showing how ridiculous all the ceremonies and doctrines of the Roman Catholic church really are."

"In my opinion, the best way you could

take," said the grandmother,

apply a small correction.

"would be to

I know what my

good mother would have done on such an occasion."

"I think I know enough of human nature," remarked the uncle Morley, "to say, that you will never convert the little Papist by castigation. Did you never hear of the old custom in England, of flogging little boys at the boundaries of parishes, in order that they might remember these boundaries in old age? Now, according to this principle, you cannot take a better method of impressing the false notions of the little heretic, than by applying those gentle corrections which you, madam, recommend."

"It appears to me," rejoined the father, "that we have one way only of recovering our lost ground, and of setting that right which is so grievously amiss. Perhaps after all, in the sight of God, Victoria, with all her errors, is in a better state than any of her friends, with the exception of our dear George; she appears to be serious in her desire to serve God, though in a false way, whilst we are living in an utter neglect of our Creator, and, as it were, as if there were no God in the world. We are passing from

time into eternity, without a thought of what that eternity may reveal, and we are hastening into the presence of a just and holy God, laden with the sins of many years, and wholly unprovided with any excuses for our faults."

A silence of more than a minute followed this speech of Mr. Rosebury, during which Mr. Morley looked at his watch, and pleaded that he must go out. Julia whispered to her mama, and was sent out of the room by her, the two aunts followed, and Mrs. Morley and Mrs. Rosebury were only left. Mr. Rosebury then, to the very best of his knowledge, which was as yet very imperfect, pressed an attention to religion on his wife and mother-inlaw, on which the old lady seemed to have much difficulty in restraining her anger, and the younger one rang many changes upon bad health, want of spirits, too much retirement, &c., to all of which she attributed her husband's present gloomy views. However, amongst them, it was settled that it would be a prudent step to dismiss Signor Carlotti from his attendance on Victoria; and the mother took it upon herself to do this in the most polite manner she could devise; she also promised that she would keep Victoria more with herself when she was at