The conversion of the unbeliever could not long remain a secret. Julius de Baraglioul did not delay a single day before communicating the news to Cardinal André in France, who spread it abroad amongst the conservative party and the higher clergy; while Veronica announced it to Father Anselm, so that it soon reached the ears of the Vatican. Doubtless Armand-Dubois had been the object of special mercy. It would perhaps be imprudent to affirm that the Virgin had actually appeared to him, but even if he had seen her only in a dream, his cure was still a matter of fact--incontrovertible, demonstrable and assuredly miraculous. Now if perhaps in Anthime’s opinion it was enough that he should have been cured, in the Church’s it was not. A public recantation was demanded of him, which was to be accompanied by a ceremony of unusual splendour. “What!” said Father Anselm to him a few days later, “in the course of your errors you have propagated heresy by all the means in your power, and now you would elude the duty of allowing Heaven to dispose of you for its own high purposes of instruction and example? How many souls have been turned aside from the true Light by the false glimmers of your misguided science? It lies with you now to bring them back to the fold, and you hesitate? It lies with you? Nay! It is your strict duty. I will not insult you by supposing that you do not feel it.” No! Anthime would not elude his duty. But he could not help fearing its consequences. He had heavy pecuniary interests in Egypt which, as we have seen, were in the hands of the freemasons. What could he do without the help of the Lodge? And how could he hope to be assisted by the very institution he was flouting? Formerly he had expected fortune at their hands, and now he saw himself absolutely ruined. He confided as much to Father Anselm, and Father Anselm, who had not been aware of Anthime’s high rank as a freemason, rejoiced at the thought that his recantation would be all the more striking. Two days later Anthime’s high rank was no longer a secret for any of the readers of the _Osservatore_ and the _Santa Croce_. “You are ruining me,” said Anthime.