Reilly's generous nature, however, could bear this miserable manoeuvring no longer.
"Come, my friend," said he, "we have been beating about the bush with each other to no purpose; although I know not your name, yet I think I do your profession." "And I would hold a wager," replied other, "that Mr.Reilly, whose house was burned down by a villain this night, is not a thousand miles from me." "And suppose you are right ?" "Then, upon my veracity, you're safe, if I am.

It would ill become my cloth and character to act dishonorably or contrary to the spirit of my religion.
'_Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco_.' You see, Mr.Reilly, I couldn't make use of any other gender but the feminine without violating prosody; for although I'm not so sharp at my Latin as I was, still I couldn't use _ignarus_, as you see, without fairly committing myself as a scholar; and indeed, if I went to that, it would surely be the first time I have been mistaken for a dunce." The honest priest, now that the ice was broken, and conscious that he was in safe hands, fell at once into his easy and natural manner, and rattled away very much to the amusement of his companion.

"Ah!" he proceeded, "many a character I have been forced to assume." "How is that ?" inquired Reilly.

"How did it happen that you were forced into such a variety of characters ?" "Why, you see, Mr.Reilly--troth and maybe I had better not be naming you aloud; walls have ears, and so may hedges.

How, you ask?
Why, you see, I'm not registered, and consequently have no permission from government to exercise my functions." "Why," said Reilly, "you labor under a mistake, my friend; the bill for registering Catholic priests did not pass; it was lost by a majority of two.