18 THE FLOWERS

the most elegant decorations for the feast,
or supply the most beautiful baskets of reeds
or osiers to stand in lieu of the china or plate
which adorn the tables of more magnificent
orders.

As I before said, I was then a Roman Ca-
tholic: it was the religion in which I had
been brought up, and although I will not say
that from time to time some faint apprehen-
sions might not have crossed my mind, even
then, respecting the soundness of the princi-
ples in which I had been nurtured, yet these
gleams of light had hitherto been transitory
as the irradiations which fall upon the earth
when the morning is spread upon the moun-
tains, and the clouds are driven forward
along the path of the sun. But this I trust,
that I may say of myself, and of many of my
brethren at that time, that, as far as our
knowledge went, we were sincere; and that
if we sometimes appeared to be otherwise, it
was because we were not always assured
that our faith had that foundation in truth
which it must needs have in order to be
effective. Notwithstanding which, I think I
may add, that I did endeavour when thus