Norris," said the priest, "that I shall preach
at you in this Retreat, and endeavour to force you into the Catholic
Church; but I shall do nothing of the kind. The whole object of the
Exercises is to clear away the false motives that darken the soul; to
place the Figure of our Redeemer before the soul as her dear and adorable
Lover and King; and then to kindle and inspire the soul to choose her
course through the grace of God, for the only true final motive of all
perfect action,--that is, the pure Love of God. Of course I believe, with
the consent of my whole being, that the Catholic Church is in the right;
but I shall not for a moment attempt to compel you to accept her. The
final choice, as indeed the Retreat too, must be your free action, not
mine."
They arranged too the details of the Retreat; and Anthony was shown the
little room beyond Father Robert's bedroom, where the Exercises would be
given; and informed that another gentleman who lived in the neighbourhood
would come in every day for them too, but that he would have his meals
separately, and that Anthony himself would have his own room and the room
beneath entirely at his private disposal, as well as the little walled
garden to walk in.
The next day Mr. Buxton took Anthony a long ride, to invigorate him for
the Retreat that would begin after supper. Anthony learned to his
astonishment and delight that Mary Corbet was a great friend of Mr.
Buxton's.
"Why, of course I know her," he said.
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