Critics have made too much of Gloria's assumed «heresy»; her views -and they are only outlines- would offend no one to the left of Bishop Lefebvre. Theology is, in any case, too subtle a science to be treated in the pages of a novel. The Bishop may well have misinterpreted Gloria. I have to hand an English version of the Malines catechism (undated, but of the last quarter of the nineteenth century) which would tend to support Gloria's belief in the possibility of Morton's salvation: «At the same time, it is important that this formula, 'Out of the Church there is no salvation', should be taken in its true sense. It by no means signifies that whoever is not a Catholic will be damned... Those who belong only to the soul of the Church are those heretics who are in good faith observing the law of God as far as they know it. Even a pagan may belong to the Church; for as long as he keeps the natural law, the providence and grace of God will not be wanting to him; and by means of his faith in a God who has redeemed and will reward him, he will be led at least to the baptism of desire, which will assure his justification; and so he will, belonging to the soul of the Church, obtain everlasting salvation». (Abridged Course of Religious Instruction [London: Burnes and Oates, n. d.], pp. 70-71).

See Peter B. Goldman, «Galdós and the Aesthetic of Ambiguity: Notes on the Thematic Structure of Nazarín», Anales Galdosianos, IX (1974), 100-01. Furthermore, we cannot in theory equate the «narrator» of Gloria and the author «Galdós». However, the views expressed by the unidentified narrator of the novel coincide with those of the narrator of the episodios nacionales and also with the opinions expressed by the «Galdós» who discussed Gloria in correspondence with Pereda. I shall therefore, for the purposes of this essay and in the absence of any contradictory evidence, assume that the judgments of the narrator of Gloria are those of the author Galdós, and will, where appropriate, use the terms «narrator» and «Galdós» interchangeably.

Gloria, I, 164. Cf. «[...] esta menguada España, educada en la unidad católica, y que es en gran medida el país más irreligioso, más blasfemo, y más antisocial y más perdido del mundo. No hay nacionalidad, ni religión ni secta que no nos sea superior». (Letter of March 10, 1877 to Pereda, «Veintiocho cartas», p. 18).

See «Veintiocho cartas», pp. 19, 25.

Romero presents the pragmatic argument that, in a totally intolerant system, such tragic cases as that of Gloria and Morton would never arise (II, 125).

Rodgers pertinently points out that we know nothing of the «thoughts and utterances» of the lovers before and during the seduction (p. 44); furthermore, we learn nothing of Gloria's emotions during the months of pregnancy.

Cf. Nazarín's demand that history be eliminated by the conversion of the world's literature into fertilizer (Nazarín [Madrid: Aguilar, 1960], pp. 73-75). Galdós himself was, of course, deeply immersed in the study of history during the composition of the episodios nacionales.

«-Si Dios me dio tantas cosas buenas -dijo Gloria con la convicción de un Padre de la Iglesia-, también es Él quien me ha dado este genio vivo, esta impaciencia porque pase pronto la vida y este afán de llegar a mañana» (I, 17).

Clarín's praise of Morton, in his review of Part One of Gloria, was premature: «[...] Morton es un dechado de virtudes y nobles cualidades, tan profundamente religioso como Gloria y los suyos...» (Galdós, p. 52). The brevity of Clarín's review of Part Two of Gloria, and his failure to mention Morton, suggest second thoughts.

Rodgers, p. 44.