And then the Abbé makes open confession, before the congregation, of his past life.
"I was a priest of the Romish Church as I am
now; it would never have done for a priest to be a
social sinner! I therefore took every precaution to
hide my fault;—but out of my lie springs a living
condemnation; from my carefully concealed hypocrisy
comes a blazonry of truth, and from my secret
sin comes an open vengeance. . . ."
The report of a pistol shot sounds through the
church as the last words are uttered. A young
man has fired at the preacher. It is the son seeking
his vengeance at last. Manuel prevents the bullet
from reaching Vergniaud, who immediately announces
to the astonished congregation that he will
not make a charge: "I decline to prosecute my
own flesh and blood. I will be answerable for his
future conduct,—I am entirely answerable for his
past! He is my son!"
It is upon the persecution of Cardinal Bonpré in consequence of the attitude he adopts towards the Abbé Vergniaud after this sensational incident that Marie Corelli builds her chief indictment of the Vatican executive. An agent of the Vatican, then in Paris, is Monsignor Moretti. He calls at the Sovrani Palace. There he has an interview with the Cardinal, the Abbé, and the latter's son Cyrillon. Moretti upbraids Vergniaud for his conduct, cor-
