intolerable in a people against whose liberties no Catholic sword was
ever unsheathed, though the founder of the sect of which your friend Mr.
Barker is preacher, John Wesley, offered George III. the services of his
forty thousand Methodists to put down the American rebellion. What
American, what republican, then, of spirit or intelligence, can for an
hour profess himself a follower in religion of such a fanatic as Wesley,
with this well-known fact staring him in the face? How noble the conduct
of Catholic France, or Catholic Ireland, when compared with Protestant
England or Protestant Germany, at the time of the revolution! The two
former Catholic nations sent their men, ships, money, clothing, and
provisions, to aid your insurgent ancestors; Germany and England sent
their armed vessels, their cannon, and their hireling soldiery, to burn
the homesteads, desolate the fields, and murder the wives and children
of your forefathers."

"I am afraid, Murt," she said, "you will convert me to your notions."
This was said with a tenderness that could not be mistaken.

"I fear not, miss; you are too old for that," said he, meaningly.

"I am not so very old as you suppose. I am not so old as uncle Jacob,
yet," she said, perceiving that her meaning was understood by Murty;
"and he became a Papist before he died."

"God gave him the grace, and I pray that you may receive a like grace;
but I suppose you allude to a different sort of conversion?" said he.

The truth was, Amanda, having failed to secure the permanent regard of
any of her numerous admirers, was foolish enough, as most old maids are,
to suppose that some green, young, inexperienced lover would be most