dignity of his name, shall pervert thousands of the Jacobite brethren.
I have the will and the power too, to close the sluice gates against such
a disaster. Obey me, or you shall rue it with tears of blood."

The prelate paused, expecting to see Orion fall on his knees before him;
but the young man did nothing of the kind. He stood looking at him,
open-eyed and agitated, but undecided, and Benjamin went on with added
vehemence:

"I came to you to lift up my voice in protest, and I desire, I require,
I command you: sever all ties with the enemies of your nation and of your
faith, cast out your love for the Melchite Siren, who will seduce your
immortal part to inevitable perdition. . . ."

Till this Orion had listened with bowed head and in silence to the
diatribe which the patriarch had hurled at him like a curse; but at this
point his whole being rose in revolt, all self-control forsook him, and
he interrupted the speaker in loud tones:

"Never, never, never will I do such a thing! Insult me as you will.
What I am, I will still be: a faithful son of the Church to which my
fathers belonged, and for which my brothers died. In all humility I
acknowledge Jesus Christ as my Lord. I believe in him, believe in the
God-made-man who died to save us, and who brought love into the world,
and I will remain unpersuaded and faithful to my own love. Never will I
forsake her who has been to me like a messenger from God, like a good
angel to teach me how to lay hold on what is earnest and noble in life-
her whom my father, too, held dear. Power, indeed, is yours. Demand of
me anything reasonable, and within my attainment, and I will try to force
myself to obedience; but I never can and never will be faithless to her,