"Father Kenelm has himself translated, published and distributed some half-million B-Bibles in two or three l-l-languages," retorted the priest.
"But, Father," said Paul, utterly serious, copying Hannam's mode of address and scarcely noticing it in his eagerness, "you can't deny that your Church burnt Bibles openly in St. Paul's Churchyard at the Reformation."
Paul stiffened angrily, though his anger relaxed into bewilderment at the other's laughing face. The priest leant forward.
"Have you ever seen a copy of what we did b-burn?" asked the other.
"Well, I could show you one at the Presbytery. We burnt P-Protestant copies of the Holy Scripture which had been mutilated by the removal of whole books and made worse than valueless by the bias of the translation and the m-marginal notes that had been added."
"Ah," said Paul, relieved, "I see. But that depends on what view you take of the notes."
"Excuse me," retorted the other, "it does not. We burnt annotated and mis-translated portions of the Scriptures, not the Holy Bible. Those are indisputable historical f-facts. The annotation cannot be denied and the mis-translation is proved even by your own Revised Version. And as for motive, may I ask what you would advise a heathen convert of yours to do who was given a Bible containing notes which taught T-Transubstantiation and M-m-mariolatry?"
The little priest laughed. "Q-q-quite so," he exploded.
"He has you, Kestern," put in Hannam; "admit it. Have a cigarette, Father."
Paul glanced from one to the other. "I do," he said frankly. "But, Father, you interest me enormously." (He hesitated.) "May I speak frankly?"
The priest nodded, with a little quick gesture, his eyes searching the other's face.
"Well, you don't speak of Christ and--and so on, one little bit as I expected a Roman Catholic to speak. Missionaries too--I hardly knew you had any. And--well, aren't they nearly always political? Aren't Catholic conversions nearly always forced?"
The priest no longer smiled. He looked away into the fire. "Do you suppose it was force," he queried solemnly, "which made South American Indians dig up their buried treasures valued at two hundred and fifty thousand pounds to give to Father Kenelm for the conversion of P-Protestant England?"