'As
to the statement,' he wrote, 'of my refusing a Cardinal's Hat,
which is in the papers, you must not believe it, for this reason:
'Of course, it implies that an offer has been made me, and I have
sent an answer to it. Now I have ever understood that it is a
point of propriety and honour to consider such communications
sacred. This statement, therefore, cannot come from me. Nor could
it come from Rome, for it was made public before my answer got to
Rome.
'It could only come, then, from someone who not only read my
letter, but, instead of leaving to the Pope to interpret it, took
upon himself to put an interpretation upon it, and published that
interpretation to the world.
'A private letter, addressed to Roman Authorities, is interpreted
on its way and published in the English papers. How is it
possible that anyone can have done this?'
The crushing indictment pointed straight at Manning. And it was
true. Manning had done the impossible deed. Knowing what he did,
with the Bishop of Birmingham's two letters in his pocket, he had
put it about that Newman had refused the Hat. But a change had
come over the spirit of the Holy See. Things were not as they had
once been: Monsignor Talbot was at Passy, and Pio Nono was--
where? The Duke of Norfolk intervened once again; Manning was
profuse in his apologies for having misunderstood Newman's
intentions, and hurried to the Pope to rectify the error.
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