The Master-Christian

receding chin and a narrow cranium, combined with an expression which was hypocritically humble, yet sly,-this was the type Angela Sovrani had chosen to delineate, spa

was a terribly significant suggestion. For some minutes no o

ul that it is painful as well. It cuts me to the heart that you should find it necessary to select such an exampl

ilent, looking as though she were lost in

oble face;-in vain! For an even commonly-honest face,-in vain! And my useless search has ended by impressing me with profound sorrow and disgust that so many low specimens of human intellect are selected as servants of our Lord. Do not judge me too severely! I feel that I have a work to do,-and a lesson to give in the work, when done. I may fail;-I may be told that as a woman I have no force, and no ability to make any powerful or lasting impression on this generation;-but a

genius is as he knew, a consuming one,-and he had never entirely realized how completely it filled and dominated this sli

sts,-they are for the most part despicable-looking persons,-only just a grade higher than their brothers of Italy and Spain. But what would you have? The iron hand of Rome holds them back from progress,-they are speaking and acting lies; and like the stagemimes, have to put on paint and pow

tist,-and that being inspired it follows that she must carry out her own convictions whether t

ly at the Cardinal, who still sat silent. Then without a word she with

d not name his diocese. He is very wealthy, and excessively selfi

iling lips, the gross neck and heavy jaw,-marks of high feeding and prosperous living,-and above all the perfectly self-satisfied and mock-pious air of the man,-t

much since you were last in Paris? Your strokes are firmer, your gr

esolved they shall see nothin

ne ask

ain passed over

duced they say it is I who have copied from THEM, and that women have no imagination! I h

t even Sign

little, "Not even Signor Vari

Cardinal, rousing himself

a blu

do a great thing in art,-a really great thing!" s

, knowing you?" asked A

she had perhaps implied some little point that was not quite in her beloved one's favour. "But he is l

lization, when women were something less

uch pleasanter lives. And the men for whom these poor wretched women work, lounge about in cafes all day, smoking and playing dominoes. The barbaric arrangement that a woman should be a man's drudge and chattel is quite satisfactory, I think,

e savage in low life,-the civilized savage in high. The complete savage is found in the dockyard labourer, who makes a woman bear his children and then kicks her to death,-the savage in high life is the man who equally kills the mother of his children, but in another way, namely, by neglect and infidelity, while he treats his numerous mistresses just as the Turk treats the creatures of his harem-merely as so many pretty soft animals, requiring to be fed with sweets and ornamented with jewels, and then to be cast aside

hrill of earnestness which carried conviction with s

ne of those men, M

than a very Delilah. I mean by 'good', a strong, pure, great soul in woman,-sincere, faithful, patient, full of courage and calm,-and with this I maintain she must prove a truly God-given helpmate to man. For we are rough creatures at best,-irritable creatures too!-you see," and here a slight smile lighted up his delicate features, "we really do try more or less to reach heights that are beyond us-we are always fight

very bad way," said Vergniaud smiling,

y with woman's help or

hers and sisters, ins

f celibacy for the cler

ee to work for and

to do in every day of our lives if we desire to truly follow His commands. But i

herself on her knees beside him. "Do you not see? It is just because the ministers of Christ are so lax that I have

e Cardinal gently, "and as a woman

r pen, point out to a corrupt generation the way it is going! Why? Because God has created her to be the helpmate of man! Excellent reason! Man is taking a direct straight road to destruction, and she must not stop him by so much as lifti

do!-but you will die in the allegorical sense. You will grow the stigmata of the Saviour in your hands and feet-you will bear terrible marks of the nails hammered into your flesh by your dearest friends! You will have to wear a crown of thorns, set on your brows no doubt by those whom you most love . . .

king Angela's hand and drawing her towards him. "She has a great gift,-I am sur

incorrigibly. "I am not sure that it would not be better for Donna Sovrani's happiness to marry the ami

ints in a desultory and abstracted fashion

gether. She generally has to choose between them. If she accepts love she is often compelled to forego fame, because she merges herself too closely into the existence of another to stand by her own individ

ontracted a little. But Angela did not see the slight cloud of vexa

at is in me! It is all to make Florian proud of me!-and he IS proud-and he will be prouder! You must just see this one mo

and pitiless in their straight regard,-the lips thin and compressed,-the nose delicate, with thin open nostrils, like those of a trained sleuth-hound on the scent of blood. It was a three-quarter-length picture, showing the hand of the man slightly raised, and hold

ood contemplati

cter so thoroughly! There is no pity in him,-no sentiment-there is merely an insatiable avidity to bre

Abbe Vergniaud, "Did he

quite amused when I told him frankly that I wante

e incurable, but the surgeons have given them hope of recovery through an 'operation' which, however, in their cases, will be no 'operation' at all, but simply vivisection. The poor creatures have to die a

with wide-open eyes o

horrible! Can nothing be done to int

hey would be flatly denied, even by the men who are engaged in them! And were I to write a plain statement of what I know to be true, and send it to an English journal, it would not be put in, not even in support of the Anti-Vivisection Society, lest it might 'offend' the foreign schools of surgery, and also perhaps lest English schools might prove not altogether free from similar crimes. If, however, by chanc

pre shuddere

nd care? How is Thy command of 'love one another' obeyed!" Aloud he said, "Surely such de

had gods and Paris has none! Neither Jove-nor Jupiter-nor Jehovah! As for the Christ,-He is made the subject of many a public caricature,-yes!-you may see them in the side-st

! If they are true, then shame upon you and upon all the clergy of this unhappy city to stand

e started as though stung by the lash of a whip, and drew himself up haughtily . . . then meeting the Cardinal's straight glance, his head drooped, and he stood mute and rigid. Leigh, though conscious of embarrassment as the witness of a strong reproof admini

ood of France! I am no worse than the rest of my class,-but I am certainly n

without another word turned and left the room. The Cardinal gazed af

fter him!-Cal

uld overtake him. She came back hurriedly to say so, with a pale f

permitted. I seem to have frightened you, Angela? Of a truth I have rather frightened myself! There,

because I do not belong to the Roman Church. I am supposed-I say 'supposed' advisedly-to be a Church of England man, or to put i

just?" asked

the fact that out of a thousand lads in a certain parish nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine of them never go to church! Well,

hy

perhaps another man who preaches without eloquence on some text which he utterly fails to see the true symbolical meaning of. There are no Charles Kingsleys nowadays,-if there were, I should call myself a 'Kingsleyite'. But as matters stand I am not moved by the church to feel religious. I would rather sit quietly in the fields and hear the gentle leaves whispering their joys and thanks

echoed the Cardinal, "Those words a

very expression of your face! You feel in yourself that the true spirit of Christ is lacking in all the churches of the present d

onpre's he

e edifice! No, the world is not with Christ to-day!-and unhappily it is a fact that Christ's ministers in recent years have done more to sever Him from Humanity than any other power

ee out of my mouth!'" quoted Leigh, his eyes flashing and his voice trembling with repressed earnestness, "That is the trouble all through! Apathy,-dead, u

wealth-worship of men, I cannot but think the days are drawing near when our Master will demand of us account of our service. It is just the same as in the case of the individual wrong-doer, when it seems as if punishment

le, and his eyes we

ayed so long. I will bid you farewell now. If I am in Rome when yo

m making the formal genuflection, "And let me add that it will help me very much to hear from you what progress you mak

His spirit," said Leigh, "

ut said no more, and L

"I may come and see

frank friendliness, "I shall feel the necessity

her intently

re so clear-brained, so spiritually organised, that I cannot imagine your doing anything that shall not create a power for good. You are sometimes inclined to be afraid of the largeness of your own conceptions in the picture y

lips unconsciously. The Cardinal watched her with r

, if I seemed over hasty in m

ined and sorry to see such a 'servant of Christ' as the type I chos

alas!-the majority. There is a frightful preponderance of evil influences in the world! Industry, and commerce, and science have advanced, and yet a noble and upright standard of conduct among men is sadly lacking. Men are seeking for happiness in Materialism, and find nothing but satiety and misery,-satiety and misery which become so insupportable that very o

ntly, "For then all bad work will pass aw

bad. So be happy, Angela mia! Paint your great picture with courage and hope-I will nei

taking her arm he leaned upon it affecti