lief we all repeat in the Communion Service. That was written only three hundred years after Christ, so you see how pure their faith was then ; many of the prayers of our Liturgy are still read in Romanist churches, but being in Latin, few of the people understand them. They were of the very earliest date, and quite free from Romanist error, written centuries before Popery began."

Before they reached home, Mr. Vernon stopped to see a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary in the church of St. Augustine. It was a large wooden figure, covered with jewels, all glittering by the light of the hundred candles always kept burning. As they stood looking at it, a young man came in and kissed its toe with great reverence, he then clasped his hands, knelt down, and as if in an agony of prayer, looked up at it again and again.

He then rose, and kept kissing the toe as if he could not leave it. Altogether he seemed so earnest, and in such trouble, that it quite distressed Mr. and Mrs. Vernon and Harry. The latter was looking anxiously towards the altar of the church at the opposite end.

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'What are you looking at, my boy?" said Mrs. Vernon.

"I was wanting to see if the ten command

ments were written up mamma, as we have them in our churches in England," replied Harry.

Mrs. Vernon-"You will look in vain for that, Harry, and I should think the Romanists would be ashamed to write them up, as we find them in their Bible. These solemn commands, which were given by God himself on Mount Sinai, they alter, but you will soon see why. The second commandment, Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image,' &c., they have taken away altogether, and divided one of the others into two instead, to make up the ten."

Harry—“ Oh, mamma, how very shocking, how wicked. When I saw that young man worshipping this great image, I remembered that commandment; and you know, mamma, it says, Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,' and I wondered if he remembered this, but I dare say he does not know there is such a command."

Mrs. Vernon-" I fear not, or this image would not be adored by him in that way. Look at the beautiful rings and other jewels hung round, there must be more than a hundred, and all offerings to this miraculous image, which is said to cure diseases in a most wonderful way."

CHAPTER X.

LETTERS and newspapers arrived, some from Mr. Hugh Vernon, to tell them of his promotion. He wrote from Tours, in France, where the fine air had done much good to Mrs. Vernon; and there were letters too from Naples, for Harry.

Rose, in her note, begged him to persevere with his drawing, as it would give him so much pleasure when he got back to England, to look over his sketches, and show them to some of his schoolfellows. She said they all missed him very much, and hoped some of the happy plans they had talked about would come true.

Edith gave him an account of a visit they had just paid to the gardens Rocca Romana. Her lovely dog, she said, was as full of fun as ever, and she had taught him a new trick, to swim after a stick just like a dog. She also hoped Harry would not think of kissing the Pope's toe, as she

had no notion of an old gentleman being so proud as all that. Donald's was a short note, but he seemed to have missed his schoolfellow very much, and as for his flowers, he was afraid they would all die, now that Harry was not there to help him in his garden.

Harry read each of the notes twice through, for they seemed to take him back to Naples, and made him very happy. He showed them to his papa and mamma, when they had finished reading their letters. And now papa," he exclaimed, "when are we to see this wonderful

Pope?"

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"I have been inquiring about it, my boy," replied Mr. Vernon, "and I think we must go to St. Peters next Sunday. It is Palm Sunday, and I wish, now we are in Italy, to see one of the most magnificent ceremonies of the Romish church.

Mr. and Mrs. Montague called, and very agreeable people they proved to be; and when Mr. and Mrs. Vernon returned the call two days after, they found out that their new friends were very musical. Harry soon spied a piano in their room, and hoped some day to hear some music from it.

The 16th of March, 1845, was Palm Sunday; at half-past seven in the morning they started for St. Peters. Mrs. Vernon was obliged to be dressed in black, with no bonnet, but a veil

Seats are

Harry remained

instead; no lady is allowed to appear in the presence of the Pope in any other dress. raised for them in St. Peter's. with his papa in the nave. At half past nine a loud knock was heard at the centre door of the cathedral, it is never opened for any one but the Pope, and then no hands touch it. Some machinery underneath opens the heavy gates. The soldiers formed a passage for the procession along the church, and then the Pope entered, sitting in his chair of state, supported on a litter, and borne on the shoulders of eight men, dressed in crimson. On each side of him was carried an immense fan, made of peacock's feathers. He was followed by numbers of cardinals, bishops, and priests, dressed in purple robes, embroidered with gold, and with very beautiful lace too. Then came officers and others in their most splendid costumes.

The motion of the chair, as it was borne along, obliged the Pope to shut his eyes, for it was known to make him quite giddy. As he just bent two of his fingers, the people round fell on their knees, for this was his blessing, and then he was taken out of his chair and placed on his throne. After having received the homage of each cardinal, and then the priests, each carrying what they call a palm branch, but which is in reality common wood cut in strips, they slowly approached the throne,