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One of the things that Philip had heard definitely stated
was that the unbeliever was a wicked and a vicious man; but
Weeks, though he believed in hardly anything that Philip
believed, led a life of Christian purity. Philip had received
little kindness in his life, and he was touched by the Amer-
ican’s desire to help him: once when a cold kept him in bed
for three days, Weeks nursed him like a mother. There was
neither vice nor wickedness in him, but only sincerity and
loving-kindness. It was evidently possible to be virtuous
and unbelieving.
Also Philip had been given to understand that people ad-
hered to other faiths only from obstinacy or self-interest:
in their hearts they knew they were false; they deliberately
sought to deceive others. Now, for the sake of his German
he had been accustomed on Sunday mornings to attend the
Lutheran service, but when Hayward arrived he began in-
stead to go with him to Mass. He noticed that, whereas the
Protestant church was nearly empty and the congregation
had a listless air, the Jesuit on the other hand was crowded
and the worshippers seemed to pray with all their hearts.
They had not the look of hypocrites. He was surprised at the
contrast; for he knew of course that the Lutherans, whose
faith was closer to that of the Church of England, on that
account were nearer the truth than the Roman Catholics.
Most of the men—it was largely a masculine congrega-
tion—were South Germans; and he could not help saying
to himself that if he had been born in South Germany he
would certainly have been a Roman Catholic. He might just
as well have been born in a Roman Catholic country as in

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