-- even Austria is our foe."

"Poor Austria!" said the monsignore with an unctuous sneer. "Two things
made her a nation; she was German and she was Catholic, and now she is
neither."

"But you alarm me, my dear lord, with your terrible news. We once
thought that Spain would be our protector, but we hear bad news from
Spain."

"Yes," said the monsignore, "I think it highly probable that, before a
few years have elapsed, every government in Europe will be atheistical
except France. Vanity will always keep France the eldest son of the
Church, even if she wear a bonnet rouge. But, if the Holy Father keep
Rome, these strange changes will only make the occupier of the chair of
St. Peter more powerful. His subjects will be In every clime and every
country, and then they will be only his subjects. We shall get rid of
the difficulty of the divided allegiance, Lady St. Jerome, which plagued
our poor forefathers so much."

"If we keep Rome," said Lady St. Jerome.

"And we shall. Let Christendom give us her prayers for the next few
years, and Pio Nono will become the most powerful monarch In Europe, and
perhaps the only one."

"I hear a sound," exclaimed Lady St. Jerome. "Yes! the cardinal has
come. Let us greet him."

But as they were approaching the saloon the cardinal met them, and waved