The House of Yorke, Chapters XXX-XXXII [pp. 295-319]

The House of Yorke.
chiefly of controversial books. So
Boadicea was now investigating the
Catholic religion. She examined it
severely and critically, through a pair
of round-eyed, horn-bowed spectacles, missing not a sentence, not date,
nor word of title-page in those volumes. She meant to show everybody
that she was searching the subject in
an exhaustive manner, and that the
doctors of the church would have to
exert themselves to the utmost, and
bring all their learning and eloquence
to bear, if they wished to convince
her. But, underneath this vain pretence, her heart yearned to enter that
fold where her lost little one had
found refuge, and where she had seen
such examples of Christian endu,,
ance and charity.
And so, with no event in the family save Melicent's marriage, the winter and summer passed away, and
another winter came. In that winter, Edith had news of an event for
which she had been looking and longing ever since Carl went away. His
letters had all been addressed to his
mother, but in one of them, about
Christmas-timne, came a note for Edith. He was in Asia, and his letter
was dated at Bangkok. He had been
across Cambodia, from the Menam
to the Mekong, as far as the country
of the savage Stiens. " And here,
in this wild place, my dear Edith,"
he wrote, "I gave up, and was baptized. I had thought, while talking
with Monsignor Miche, vicar-apostolic of the mission to Cambodia and
Laos, that, as soon as I should reach
Europe, I would enter the church.
Indeed, while I heard this, an accomplished gentleman, tell of the persecution he had suffered when he was
a simple missionary in Cochin-China,
the imprisonment, the beating with
rods which cut the flesh so that blood
followed, the asking for and taking
himself the blows intended for a
companion too frail to bear more-a
story, Edith, which carried my mind
back to St. Paul, yet which was told
with a boyish gaiety and simplicitywhile I heard this, my impulse was
to throw myself at his feet, and ask
to be baptized by his consecrated
hand. But, you know, enthusiasm
does not often overcome me; and,
since he did not urge me then, the
good minute went. When, afterward, he exhorted me, I promised
him that I would not long delay.
But, when I reached the Stien couIntry, over that miserable route of
swamps, cataracts, and forests filled
with wild beasts, and found another
soldier of Christ living there, in that
horrible solitude, sick, suffering, but
llndismayed, my Teutonic phlegm
deserted me. Tihe chief citizens of
Father Guilloux's republic are elephants, tigers, buffaloes, wild boars:
the rhinoceros; and the most frequent
and intimate visitors at his house of
bamboos are scorpions, serpents, and
centipedes. And yet, all the complaint this heroic man made was that
he had but few converts. The savages are so joined to their idols, he
said. Edith, tears ran down my face.
My xxhole heart melted.' Father,'
I said,' here is a savage convert, if
you will take him. I cannot stay
one hour longer out of the church
which gives birth to such children!'
And so I was baptized. And, my
sweet girl, I thought then that, if the
time should ever come when I should
be so happy as to make Edith my
wife, I should like to have the same
saintly hands join us. I told Father
Guilloux of you, and he sends you
his blessing. You see I have heard
all about Mr. Rowan.
" And now I turn my face homeward, though my route will not be
very direct. Since I am here, where
I shall probably never come again,
I think it best to carry out my pro.
297