‘…What papa said was, “I am not in extremis, I have not been a practising member of the Church for twenty-five years.” ’

‘Not “the Church”, “your Church”.’

‘I don’t see the difference.’

‘There’s every difference.’

‘Bridey, it’s quite plain what he meant.’

‘I presume he meant what he said. He meant that he had not been accustomed regularly to receive the sacraments, and since he was not at the moment dying, he did not mean to change his ways – yet.’

‘That’s simply a quibble.’

‘Why do people always think that one is quibbling when one tries to be precise? His plain meaning was that he did not want to see a priest that day, but that he would when he was “in extremis”.’

‘I wish someone would explain to me,’ I said, ‘quite what the significance of these sacraments is. Do you mean that if he dies alone he goes to hell, and that if a priest puts oil on him –’

‘Oh, it’s not the oil,’ said Cordelia, ‘that’s to heal him.’

‘Odder still – well, whatever it is the priest does – that he then goes to heaven. Is that what you believe?’

Cara then interposed: ‘I think my nurse told me, someone did anyway, that if the priest got there before the body was cold it was all right. That’s so, isn’t it?’

The others turned on her.

‘No, Cara, it’s not.’

‘Of course not.’

‘You’ve got it all wrong, Cara.’

‘Well, I remember when Alphonse de Grenet died, Madame de Grenet had a priest hidden outside the door – he couldn’t bear the sight of a priest – and brought him in before the body was cold; she told me herself, and they had a full Requiem for him, and I went to it.’

‘Having a Requiem doesn’t mean you go to heaven necessarily.’

‘Madame de Grenet thought it did.’

‘Well, she was wrong.’

‘Do any of you Catholics know what good you think this priest can do?’ I asked. ‘Do you simply want to arrange it so that your father can have Christian burial? Do you want to keep him out of hell? I only want to be told.’

Brideshead told me at some length, and when he had finished Cara slightly marred the unity of the Catholic front by saying in simple wonder, ‘I never heard that before.’

‘Let’s get this clear,’ I said; ‘he has to make an act of will; he has to be contrite and wish to be reconciled; is that right? But only God knows whether he has really made an act of will; the priest can’t tell; and if there isn’t a priest there, and he makes the act of will alone, that’s as good as if there were a priest. And it’s quite possible that the will may still be working when a man is too weak to make any outward sign of it; is that right? He may be lying, as though for dead, and willing all the time, and being reconciled, and God understands that; is that right?’