"Well, sir," said Amanda, who was now alone with the priest in the
parlor, "there are many admirable things in your religion; there are
indeed."

"I am glad you think so; but are not all its institutions admirable and
perfect?" said the priest.

"I can't concede that, by any means," she replied, with a consciousness
of her logical powers. "For instance, there's celibacy; why don't you
priests get married? I think this very wrong; the Bible calls it the
'doctrine of devils' to encourage that institution."

"I am astonished, if you think so, miss," said the priest, "you have not
got married yourself before this, for you appear to be of age."

"O, that, perhaps, is my own choice," she said, coughing with
embarrassment.

"Well, it is my fixed and determined choice," rejoined Father Ugo, "to
lead a single, unmarried life, free from care and anxiety."

"I think you are mistaken, sir," she said; "the single life is one of
much more care and anxiety than the married. Witness pa and ma; how
happy _they_ have lived for thirty-five years in this our homestead."

"Although such may have been _your_ experience, miss," said Dr. Ugo, "I
must beg leave to decline accepting it as an authority, particularly
when I have my own experience, though not so venerable as yours, to
balance it. Besides, does not the inspired St. Paul tell us that those