the Freyung, she pining for her mother, he for the son he never had. But she has grown to become a lovely woman. I was happy to hear of her engagement to Count Benda. He is a good man. Heâll do his best to make her happy.â
We stood quietly for a moment.
âWhile you are here, Father Bayer, I would like to ask a favor,â Krause said. âIâd be honored if you would read my latest article and give me your thoughts.â
âMore of your natural religion ideas, Maximilian?â Alois asked, his eyes twinkling.
Krause laughed. âIf you are referring to the idea that religious belief should be instilled in our flock through rational discourse rather than medieval mumbo jumbo, well then, I would say yes, that is my topic.â
âI agree with you that many of the superstitious activities the church encouraged in the past should be abolished,â Alois said. âWorshiping the icons, dressing the statues of the saints and parading them around the cityâeveryone knows those practices are ridiculous. But if you are arguing that we should not teach about the existence of Heaven and Hell, there is where we part ways.â
âBut surely you donât believe that we should lead people to God by using fear of retribution and threats of burning in Hell,â Krause protested. âThat flies in the face of all modern church philosophy.â
I stifled a yawn.
âNo, no. Not that,â Alois replied. âI just worry where all this new thinking will lead, that is all. If we take your theories to their logical ends, the laity might question whether the church is necessary at all. That is my fear.â
I coughed.
âYet you support the emperorâs reform of the church, Father Bayer, do you not?â Krause persisted. âYou must admit, the cathedral has changed for the better since Joseph took away control of the church from Rome.â He looked at me. âYouâre a priest, Lorenzo. What do you think?â
I smiled. âI think itâs time for dinner.â
The priests laughed. âSend your article over to my office, Maximilian,â Alois said. âIâd be happy to read it.â We said our good-byes to Krause and headed outside.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
Dusk was falling as I made my way home after a pleasant afternoon. We had tried the new catering shop near the Greek church, and the food had been tasty and plentiful. After the waiter had cleared away the dishes, we directed our attention to finishing the bottle of wine I had ordered. Our wide-ranging discussion eventually turned to the cathedral.
âThese new men!â Alois said. âMaximilian, spouting all the new philosophies, and now Dauer, with his political acumen. I can no longer keep up with them. Iâm happy to be retired.â
âThere are a lot of new ideas floating around this city,â I agreed.
âBut enough of that,â Alois said. âTell me. What are you working on now?â
âMozart and I are modifying Don Giovanni for the premiere on May seventh,â I told him.
âThe old Don Juan farce.â Alois laughed. âPeople never tire of that story.â Don Giovanni, like many other operas and plays that had come before mine, was based on the Don Juan legend, the story of a noted libertine who is dragged to Hell by the ghost of a father whose daughter he had seduced.
âI hope the public here in Vienna is not tired of it,â I said.
âIâm certain they wonât be,â Alois said. He reached over and patted my hand. âYou told me it was a hit in Prague last fall. It will be successful here, youâll see. Tell me, what kind of changes are you making?â
âWell, it is always necessary to change some of the arias to suit the talents of the new cast. Sometimes a singer isnât comfortable with an aria that hasnât been tailored to his or her particular voice. Wolfgang prides himself on