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1"O, of course, there were some bad lots.... But the astonishing thing is this. Not one of them, not the biggest
2drunkard, not the most ... out-and-out ruffian, not one of them ever preached ex cathedra a word of false doctrine. Now
3isn't that an astonishing thing?" "That is," said Mr Kernan. "Yes, because when the Pope speaks ex cathedra," Mr Fogarty
4explained, "he is infallible." "Yes," said Mr Cunningham. "O, I know about the infallibility of the Pope. I remember I
5was younger then.... Or was it that----?" Mr Fogarty interrupted. He took up the bottle and helped the others to a
6little more. Mr M'Coy, seeing that there was not enough to go round, pleaded that he had not finished his first measure.
7The others accepted under protest. The light music of whisky falling into glasses made an agreeable interlude. "What's
8that you were saying, Tom?" asked Mr M'Coy. "Papal infallibility," said Mr Cunningham, "that was the greatest scene in
9the whole history of the Church." "How was that, Martin?" asked Mr Power. Mr Cunningham held up two thick fingers. "In
10the sacred college, you know, of cardinals and archbishops and bishops there were two men who held out against it while
11the others were all for it. The whole conclave except these two was unanimous. No! They wouldn't have it!" "Ha!" said Mr
12M'Coy. "And they were a German cardinal by the name of Dolling ... or Dowling ... or----" "Dowling was no German, and
13that's a sure five," said Mr Power, laughing. "Well, this great German cardinal, whatever his name was, was one; and the
14other was John MacHale." "What?" cried Mr Kernan. "Is it John of Tuam?" "Are you sure of that now?" asked Mr Fogarty
15dubiously. "I thought it was some Italian or American." "John of Tuam," repeated Mr Cunningham, "was the man." He drank
16and the other gentlemen followed his lead. Then he resumed: "There they were at it, all the cardinals and bishops and
17archbishops from all the ends of the earth and these two fighting dog and devil until at last the Pope himself stood up
18and declared infallibility a dogma of the Church ex cathedra. On the very moment John MacHale, who had been arguing and
19arguing against it, stood up and shouted out with the voice of a lion: 'Credo!'" "I believe!" said Mr Fogarty. "Credo!"
20said Mr Cunningham. "That showed the faith he had. He submitted the moment the Pope spoke." "And what about Dowling?"
21asked Mr M'Coy. "The German cardinal wouldn't submit. He left the church." Mr Cunningham's words had built up the vast
22image of the church in the minds of his hearers. His deep raucous voice had thrilled them as it uttered the word of
23belief and submission. When Mrs Kernan came into the room drying her hands she came into a solemn company. She did not
24disturb the silence, but leaned over the rail at the foot of the bed. "I once saw John MacHale," said Mr Kernan, "and
25I'll never forget it as long as I live." He turned towards his wife to be confirmed. "I often told you that?" Mrs Kernan
26nodded. "It was at the unveiling of Sir John Gray's statue. Edmund Dwyer Gray was speaking, blathering away, and here
27was this old fellow, crabbed-looking old chap, looking at him from under his bushy eyebrows." Mr Kernan knitted his
28brows and, lowering his head like an angry bull, glared at his wife. "God!" he exclaimed, resuming his natural face, "I
29never saw such an eye in a man's head. It was as much as to say: I have you properly taped, my lad. He had an eye like a
30hawk." "None of the Grays was any good," said Mr Power. There was a pause again. Mr Power turned to Mrs Kernan and said
31with abrupt joviality: "Well, Mrs Kernan, we're going to make your man here a good holy pious and God-fearing Roman
32Catholic." He swept his arm round the company inclusively. "We're all going to make a retreat together and confess our
33sins--and God knows we want it badly." "I don't mind," said Mr Kernan, smiling a little nervously. Mrs Kernan thought it
34would be wiser to conceal her satisfaction. So she said: "I pity the poor priest that has to listen to your tale." Mr
35Kernan's expression changed. "If he doesn't like it," he said bluntly, "he can ... do the other thing. I'll just tell
36him my little tale of woe. I'm not such a bad fellow----" Mr Cunningham intervened promptly. "We'll all renounce the
37devil," he said, "together, not forgetting his works and pomps." "Get behind me, Satan!" said Mr Fogarty, laughing and
38looking at the others. Mr Power said nothing. He felt completely out-generalled. But a pleased expression flickered
39across his face. "All we have to do," said Mr Cunningham, "is to stand up with lighted candles in our hands and renew
40our baptismal vows." "O, don't forget the candle, Tom," said Mr M'Coy, "whatever you do." "What?" said Mr Kernan. "Must
41I have a candle?" "O yes," said Mr Cunningham. "No, damn it all," said Mr Kernan sensibly, "I draw the line there. I'll
42do the job right enough. I'll do the retreat business and confession, and ... all that business. But ... no candles! No,
43damn it all, I bar the candles!" He shook his head with farcical gravity. "Listen to that!" said his wife. "I bar the
44candles," said Mr Kernan, conscious of having created an effect on his audience and continuing to shake his head to and
45fro. "I bar the magic-lantern business." Everyone laughed heartily. "There's a nice Catholic for you!" said his wife.
46"No candles!" repeated Mr Kernan obdurately. "That's off!" The transept of the Jesuit Church in Gardiner Street was
47almost full; and still at every moment gentlemen entered from the side door and, directed by the lay-brother, walked on
48tiptoe along the aisles until they found seating accommodation. The gentlemen were all well dressed and orderly. The
49light of the lamps of the church fell upon an assembly of black clothes and white collars, relieved here and there by
50tweeds, on dark mottled pillars of green marble and on lugubrious canvases. The gentlemen sat in the benches, having
51hitched their trousers slightly above their knees and laid their hats in security. They sat well back and gazed formally
52at the distant speck of red light which was suspended before the high altar. In one of the benches near the pulpit sat
53Mr Cunningham and Mr Kernan. In the bench behind sat Mr M'Coy alone: and in the bench behind him sat Mr Power and Mr
54Fogarty. Mr M'Coy had tried unsuccessfully to find a place in the bench with the others and, when the party had settled
55down in the form of a quincunx, he had tried unsuccessfully to make comic remarks. As these had not been well received
56he had desisted. Even he was sensible of the decorous atmosphere and even he began to respond to the religious stimulus.
57In a whisper Mr Cunningham drew Mr Kernan's attention to Mr Harford, the moneylender, who sat some distance off, and to
58Mr Fanning, the registration agent and mayor maker of the city, who was sitting immediately under the pulpit beside one
59of the newly elected councillors of the ward. To the right sat old Michael Grimes, the owner of three pawnbroker's
60shops, and Dan Hogan's nephew, who was up for the job in the Town Clerk's office. Farther in front sat Mr Hendrick, the
61chief reporter of The Freeman's Journal, and poor O'Carroll, an old friend of Mr Kernan's, who had been at one time a
62considerable commercial figure. Gradually, as he recognised familiar faces, Mr Kernan began to feel more at home. His
63hat, which had been rehabilitated by his wife, rested upon his knees. Once or twice he pulled down his cuffs with one
64hand while he held the brim of his hat lightly, but firmly, with the other hand. A powerful-looking figure, the upper
65part of which was draped with a white surplice, was observed to be struggling up into the pulpit. Simultaneously the
66congregation unsettled, produced handkerchiefs and knelt upon them with care. Mr Kernan followed the general example.
67The priest's figure now stood upright in the pulpit, two-thirds of its bulk, crowned by a massive red face, appearing
68above the balustrade. Father Purdon knelt down, turned towards the red speck of light and, covering his face with his
69hands, prayed. After an interval, he uncovered his face and rose. The congregation rose also and settled again on its
70benches. Mr Kernan restored his hat to its original position on his knee and presented an attentive face to the
71preacher. The preacher turned back each wide sleeve of his surplice with an elaborate large gesture and slowly surveyed
72the array of faces. Then he said:
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