and not to trust the thing which I believe to be outside myself
and more real than the blood in my body."

"Stop a moment," said Turnbull, in the same easy tone, "Even in
the very act of saying that you believe this or that, you imply
that there is a part of yourself that you trust even if there are
many parts which you mistrust. If it is only you that like me,
surely, also, it is only you that believe in the Catholic
Church."

Evan remained in an unmoved and grave attitude. "There is a part
of me which is divine," he answered, "a part that can be trusted,
but there are also affections which are entirely animal and
idle."

"And you are quite certain, I suppose," continued Turnbull, "that
if even you esteem me the esteem would be wholly animal and
idle?" For the first time MacIan started as if he had not
expected the thing that was said to him. At last he said:

"Whatever in earth or heaven it is that has joined us two
together, it seems to be something which makes it impossible to
lie. No, I do not think that the movement in me towards you
was...was that surface sort of thing. It may have been something
deeper...something strange. I cannot understand the thing at all.
But understand this and understand it thoroughly, if I loved you
my love might be divine. No, it is not some trifle that we are
fighting about. It is not some superstition or some symbol. When
you wrote those words about Our Lady, you were in that act a
wicked man doing a wicked thing. If I hate you it is because you