Page:An Australian Parsonage.djvu/366

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AN ANGRY PROTESTANT.
337

was tamed, the nurse, with his wife's connivance, had whisked it off to the priest, and now that he had found it out he was resolved on repairing the evil as far as yet lay in his power. Let who might have christened the child it should at least have the advantage of being buried amongst Protestants, and, as his own business took him betimes into the bush, he had come at this early hour to make sure of appointing the funeral. It was throwing words away to tell M'Dougall that the baptism which his child had received was valid. Although he insisted on his having been brought up a Presbyterian, religion had plainly nothing to do with the matter, but the being made a fool of had a great deal; the promised funeral seemed alone to placate him, and, the certificate of baptism having been obtained from the priest, the poor baby was duly buried.

Two years afterwards my husband was again sent for by M'Dougall's wife to baptize another child, which was also dead on his arrival: this time he offered no consolation feeling sure that the mother had acted alike on both occasions, and that she had purposely delayed her request for his attendance until within a few moments of the infant's death.

Another Roman Catholic woman once came to our house to beg that we would remonstrate with her Protestant husband on his ill-treatment of her; the priest also, as we afterwards found by comparing notes with him, having been waited upon by the man to bespeak a reproof for the wife, on account of her misconduct towards himself; though it was not often that the conflicting parties adopted such moderate measures. I recommended the woman to fill her mouth with water when her husband was angry, that she might prevent herself from giving him provocation by