of a boy, the old man raised himself on the altar, and held out his hand to his young favourite. "I cannot! I cannot !" exclaimed Geraldine, unable to define, even to herself, the emotion with which she beheld this desecration of the holy spot. "I know not why, but indeed, Mr. Everard, as you have seen the picture before, I wish you would not remain there."

"Ah! you have a little superstitious feeling about an altar," replied he, as he trampled up and down, to catch the best light for the admired picture. "I believe you are right! These are feelings which bespeak a devotional, even if mistaken, frame of! Ah! here's the point of sight. Now you may see the hand grasping the drapery: fine-very fine. Miss Graham, you must see this masterpiece, -decidedly an original,-so come up, that is it: now take care, for the space is not large;" and thus, having assisted Katherine to mount, he continued to expatiate on the depth of colouring, and breadth of lights and shadows,-proving to his companion, who cared little for the dissertation, that this chef-d'œuvre could have come from no hand but that of Da Vinci: while Geraldine stood below, looking around the dimly-lighted chapel, and lost in wonder at the state of preservation in which every thing appeared, as contrasted with the pile of ruins of which it formed an integral part. After some minutes thus spent, she again approached the altar, and, gazing with fresh admiration at the inimitable carving of the bas-relief, entreated her two friends, now about to descend, not to plant their feet on that which was a type of the Redeemer, but to regain the pavement by the sides of the altar; where, on moving, she had just discovered an opening, containing shelves, doubtless for the safe keeping of the books and sacred vessels of the Catholic service. By these they might descend; and to oblige Geraldine, as

well as for their better convenience, both Mr. Everard and Miss Graham made use of these shelves, and then proceeded to the second grand secret; namely, the communication between this little hidden chapel and the renowned and frequented Abbey. But Geraldine lingered at the side where she had seen these shelves; and at length, from the remote corner of one of them, she drew forth amidst dust and rubbish, a glove, a cluster of registers, tipped with dingy gold, and an old Missal, in Latin and English. Geraldine's exclamation, as this last treasure appeared, drew her companions quickly back to her side; and it required all Mr. Everard's magnanimity and benevolence to pardon Geraldine's younger eyes for having discovered these relics. He struggled, however, to forgive her, and gaily said, "When next I grope amongst old ruins, and renovated chapels, I shall stipulate, before I bring any fellow-lovers of antiquity to see my hobby, that no one rides but myself."

Geraldine's quick perception instantly felt his chagrin; and she replied,-"Every thing in this chapel is yours, as actual discoverer. I merely petition that, at some future time, I may read and study this Roman Catholic Liturgy. I have long wished to see a Missal, but knew not whom to ask, without its being immediately reported that Miss Carrington had turned Papist !'"

"If all reports were as prophetic," observed Miss Graham, "the public would be in little danger of being misled."

"Oh! Katherine," exclaimed Geraldine, "it is you who are turning false prophetess: for there is far less danger of this result in my search after truth, than there was some days ago; and docile as I intend to be to my uncle's instructions, how can you foresee such a termination to them?"

"Because, my dear," replied Miss Graham, "you VOL. I.-7

are listening, hour after hour, to arguments and reasoning from that High Church uncle of yours,— all which sink deep into your mind, while they reach no farther than my temper. By his 'decent forms,' his transmitted priesthood, his Apostolic gifts, with his clinging to his spiritual ancestry, and his anathemas against dissent from the Church, he is paving the way for your easy and obvious walk into that very Church which he actually boasts never to have left, but only to have reformed."

"Ha! lies the wind in that quarter?" said Mr. Everard, as he buttoned the Missal within the breast of his coat, and fixed his eyes with great interest on the speakers.

"I must hear all my uncle's arguments to the close," replied Geraldine, " before I can pronounce on them. At present he has intentionally touched, but slightly, on the separation between the Roman Catholic Church and that of England. He is proceeding methodically, first, to defend the arguments of a visible and hierarchical Church upon earth, for the guardianship of the Holy Scriptures, and for the instruction of the faithful. Very possibly his train of argument may bear closely on the Catholic doctrine in this respect; but that some points of union are to annul all the points of disagreement, I cannot hope."

66

Hope!" cried Mr. Everard, with fresh interest. "Yes," said Geraldine, "I often wish that some timely concession, on the Catholic side, could have prevented the breach between the Churches, which every century seems to widen. But Katherine is quite mistaken in supposing that my uncle is helping me, unknown to himself, into the Catholic Church; for it is he alone who has arrested me. Disgusted with Protestantism, as it has been displayed to me, in all the lawlessness of private interpretation, and in the severity with which every new expounder

condemned his brother's vagaries, and dogmatised on his own, I had almost made up my mind to go for instruction to this Catholic priest, Father Bernard, when my uncle arrived, and Providence favoured my confidence in him. I am earnestly wishing to be satisfied with our Church; and there is, in my uncle, a calm persuasion of being in the right, which has its effect upon me."

"Well!" cried Katherine, "I conclude that the Warden has nothing more to say to me; for, after winding up to that grand climax in favour of his Church, he can only now (to use his own Johnsonian terms, weaken by prolixity,' and I resign him wholly to you. Why, Mr. Everard, you have fallen into a complete reverie, in consequence of this interlude of ours! Let us now proceed with the wonders of this Popish fabric."

"With all my heart," cried he, "rousing himself from his fit of abstraction. "Now for the secret communication with the abbey !" and he led his young friends to the other side of the altar, from that on which they had stood and discoursed. Here were no shelves, but on opening the door, which formed the end of the altar, a wide space was discoverable: there being no back either to the altar or to the picture. They entered, by stooping, into the obscure recess, and then, closely following, Mr. Everard, ascended a small spiral staircase, which led them far above the height of the little chapel, and proved very fatiguing to the fair adventurers encumbered as they were by their long riding habits; the more so that they were nearly in the dark, the small loop-holes which had once served to admit the light being choked by ivy and rubbish. At length they were cheered by a stronger light, and each separately emerged, after many warnings of caution from Mr. Everard, upon the dismantled but still majestic wall of the abbey ruin.

"I am convinced," said Mr. Everard, "that a passage or corridor once ran along here, in the thickness of the wall, and thus formed a communication with the interior of the abbey; though I do not wish to risk your safety, or my own, by venturing farther, especially as the wind is somewhat troublesome up here. Mark well, however, that this opening, at the top of the little spiral staircase, is apparently the only one since we left the altar in the chapel below, and now, as you descend, keep one hand sliding along the wall, and call out to me if you feel any inequality in the surface; for there is a sliding door, which I may miss, having forgot. ten to count the steps down to it the other day, and passed it. It is just at thirty feet from the chapel."

"This is admirable for our white riding gloves," cried Katherine to Geraldine, as they felt the outer wall in descending the damp and mouldy tower.

"Take them off and give them to me," said Mr. Everard eagerly, "I will put them in my pocket, and your touch will be more accurate without them."

"Thank you," returned Miss Graham, much amused by his simplicity: "but I prefer on every occasion spoiling art to spoiling nature, and have much more respect for my hands than for my gloves. -Here is something different from the rest of the wall, however," continued she, suddenly stopping in her descent.

"Go down then a few steps, both of you ladies, till, I can feel it; for I cannot pass you in this narrow place. Ha! ha! we have it. Now, take care I do not strike you in pushing aside this door, which slides into the wall. I have counted this timethere are just twenty-two steps from the top; so that the tower contains just forty-two steps in all. Well done, old Everard !" cried he at length, as the reluctant panel moved in its destined groove, and left