He was a bright boy, prideful of his intellect, critical often to the point of indignation, and observant of hypocrisy, especially, he insisted, in himself; and while he could accept that there was more than a touch of petulance in his decision to stop attending Mass – he made an exception for funerals and weddings, but refused to take Communion, genuflect, or sing – he was careful to subject his atheism to the same doubts and provocations with which he had once challenged his belief.
