I don't pretend to share your Protestant fervour: but hang it! I'm an Englishman with a sense of history, and that is what no single one among your present-day High Anglicans would appear to possess.
If a man wants to understand England he has to start with one or two simple propositions, of which the first--or about the first--is that England once had a reformation, and is not going to forget it.
But that is just what these fellows would make-believe to ignore.
A fool like Colt--for at bottom, between ourselves, Colt is a fool-- says 'Reformation?
There was no such thing: we don't acknowledge it.' As the American said of some divine who didn't believe in eternal punishment, 'By gosh, he'd better not!'" "But England _is_ forgetting it!" insisted Brother Warboise.
"Look at the streams of Papist monks she has allowed to pour in ever since France took a strong line with her monastic orders.
Look at those fellows--College of St.John Lateran, as they call themselves--who took lodgings only at the far end of this village.
In the inside of six months they had made friends with everybody." "They employ local tradesmen, and are particular in paying their debts, I'm told." "Oh," said Brother Warboise, "They're cunning!" Brother Copas gazed at him admiringly, and shot a glance at Brother Bonaday.

But Brother Bonaday's eyes had wandered off again to the skimming swallows.
"Confessed Romans and their ways," said Brother Warboise, "one is prepared for, but not for these wolves in sheep's clothing.
Why, only last Sunday-week you must have heard Colt openly preaching the confessional!" "I slept," said Brother Copas.

"But I will take your word for it." "He did, I assure you; and what's more--you may know it or not--Royle and Biscoe confess to him regularly." "They probably tell him nothing worse than their suspicions of you and me.

Colt is a vain person walking in a vain show." "You don't realise the hold they are getting.

Look at the money they squeeze out of the public; the churches they restore, and the new ones they build.