" He then turned sharply on his heel
and went on with his preparations. The man was utterly discomfited;
he made as though he would speak, but was unable to find words; he
looked round, and eventually slunk out of the sacristy in silence.
One of those present ventured to ask Manning afterwards about the
strange scene. "Had the Cardinal," he inquired, "any sudden
premonition that the man himself would adopt the Faith in so short
a time?" Manning smiled indulgently, putting his hand on the
other's shoulder, and said: "Ah, my dear friend, who shall say? You
see, it was a very awkward moment, and I had to deal with the
situation as I best could."
That was an instance of supreme presence of mind and great dramatic
force; but one is not sure whether it was a wholly apostolical
method of handling the position.
But to transfer the question from the ecclesiastical region into
the region of common life, it is undoubtedly true that if a man or
a woman has a strong sense of moral issues, a deep feeling of
responsibility and sympathy, an anxious desire to help things
forward, then a dramatic sense of the value of manner, speech,
gesture, and demeanour is a highly effective instrument.
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