第1章

ANASTRONOMERWITHOUTATELESCOPE。

“Afterall，“saidMr。Ayrton，“whatismarriage?“

“Ah！“sighedPhyllis。Sheknewthatherfatherhadbecomepossessedofaphrase，andthathewasanxioustoflutteritbeforehertoseehowitwent。Hewasaconnoisseurinthebric-a-bracofphrases。

“Marriagemeansallyoureggsinonebasket，“saidhe。

“Ah！“sighedPhyllisoncemore。Shewonderedifherfatherreallythoughtthatshewouldbecomfortedinhergreatgriefbyaphrase。

Shedidnotwanttoknowhowmarriagemightbedefined。Sheknewthatalldefinitionsareindefinite。Sheknewthatinthecaseofmarriageeverythingdependsuponthedefinerandtheoccasion。

“Soyouseethereisnoimmediatecausetogrieve，mydear，“resumedherfather。

Shedidnotquiteseethatthiswasthelogicalconclusionofthewholematter；butthatwaspossiblybecauseshewasbornawoman，andfeltthatmarriageistoawomanwhatakeelistoaship。

“IthinkthereisaverygoodcausetogrievewhenwefindamanlikeGeorgeHollandturningdeliberatelyroundfromtruthtofalsehood，“

saidPhyllissternly。

“Andwhat"sworse，runningaverygoodchanceoflosinghisliving，“

remarkedthefather。“OfcourseitwillhavetobeprovedthatMosesandAbrahamandDavidandtherestofthemwerenotwhathesaystheywere；anditstrikesmethatallthebenchofbishops，andaroyalcommissionerortwothrownin，wouldhaveconsiderabledifficultyindoingthatnowadays。”

“What！Youtakehispart，papa?“shecried，startingup。“Youtakehispart?YouthinkIwaswrongtotellhim——whatIdidtellhim?“

“Idon"ttakehispart，mydear，“saidMr。Ayrton。“Ithinkthathe"sabitofafooltorunhisheadintoahornet"snestbecausehehascometotheconclusionthatAbraham"scodeofmoralitywasatrifleshaky，andthatSamsonwasashamelesslibertine。GreatHeavens！hasthemangotnonotionoftheperspectiveofhistory?“

“Perspective?History?It"stheBible，papa！“

IndignationwasinPhyllis"eyes，buttherewasareverentialtoneinhervoice。Herfatherlookedather——listenedtoher。Inthepausehethought:

“GoodHeavens！WhatsortofamanisGeorgeHolland，whoisreadytorelinquishtheloveandlovelinessofthatgirl，simplybecausehethinkspoorlyofthepatriarchs?“

“HeattackstheBible，papa，“resumedPhyllisgravely。“WhathorriblethingshesaidaboutRuth！“

“Ah，yes，Ruth——theheroineoftheharvestfestival，“saidherfather。

“Ah，hemighthaveleftusourRuth。Besides，shewasawoman。Heavensabove！istherenochivalryremainingamongmen?“

“Ah，ifitwasonlychivalry！But——theBible！“

“Quiteso——the——yes，tobesure。Butdon"tyouthinkyoumaytaketheBibletooseriously，Phyllis?“

“Oh，papa！tooseriously?“

“Whynot?That"sGeorgeHolland"smistake，Ifear。Whyshouldheworkhimselftoafuryoverthepeccadillosofthepatriarchs?Theprincipleofthestatuteoflimitationsshouldbeappliedtosuchcases。Iftheworld，andthecollegesoftheology，havedealtlightlywithSamsonandDavidandAbrahamandJacobandtherestofthemforsomethousandsofyears，whyshouldGeorgeHollandrakeupthingsagainstthem，andthat，too，onverydoubtfulevidence?ButIshouldbethelastpersonintheworldtocomplainofthecoursewhichhehasseenfittoadopt，sinceithasleftyouwithmealittlelonger，mydearestchild。Ididnot，ofcourse，opposeyourengagement，butI

haveoftenaskedmyselfwhatIshoulddowithoutyou?HowshouldI

everworkupmyfacts，or，whatismoreimportant，myquotations，inyourabsence，Phyllis?Onsomequestions，mydear，youareaveritableBlue-book——yes，an/editiondeluxe/ofaBlue-book。”

“AndImeanttobesousefultohimaswell，“saidPhyllis，takingherfather"spraisesmoredemurelythanshehadtakenhisphrases。“I

meanttohelphiminhiswork。”

“Ah，whatafoolthemanis！Howcouldanymaninhissensesgiveupathingoffleshandbloodlikeyou，forthesakeofprovingortryingtoprove，thatsomepeoplewholivedfiveorsixthousandyearsago——

iftheyeverlivedatall——wouldhaverenderedthemselvesliabletoimprisonment，withouttheoptionofafine，iftheylivedinEnglandsincethepassingofcertainlaws——recentlaws，too，wemustremember！“

“Papa！“

“Anyhow，youhavedonewithhim，mydear。Amanwhocan"tseethatcrimeisreallyaquestionoftemperament，andsininvariablyaquestionofgeography——well，we"llsaynomoreaboutit。Atwhathourdidyousayhewascoming?“

“Four。Idon"tthinkIshallbreakdown。”

“Breakdown?Whyonearthshouldyoubreakdown?Youhaveamindtoknow，andyouknowyourownmind。That"severything。Butofcourseyou"vehadnoexperienceofmattersofthissort。Hewasyourfirstreallover?“

Phyllis"facebecamecrimson。Sheretainedsufficientpresenceofmind，however，tomakealittlefusswiththewindow-blindbeforelettingitdown。Herfatherstaredatherforamoment，andtherewasratheralongpausebeforehelaughed。

“Isaid"reallover，"mydear，“heremarked。“Therealloveristheonewhotalksdefinitelyaboutdatesandthehouseagent"scommission。

Asaruletherealloverdoesnotmakelove。Trueloveisborn，notmade。Butyou——Heavensabove！perhapsIdidaninjusticetoyou——toyouandtothemen。Maybeyou"renotsuchatyroafterall，Phyllis。”

Phyllisgaveaveryprettylittlelaugh——suchalaughaswouldhaveconvincedanymanbutafather——perhaps，indeed，somefathers——thatshewasnotwithoutexperience。Suddenlyshebecamegrave。Herfatherneverlovedhersodearlyaswhenthatlittlelaughwasflyingoverherface，leavingitslivingfootprintsatthecornersofhereyes，attheexquisitecurveofhermouth。Itrelievedherfromthesuspicionofpriggishnesstowhich，nowandagain，hergravemoodsandappropriatewordslaidheropen。Shewasnotsoproper，afterall，herfathernowfelt；shewasagirlwiththeexperiencesofagirlwhohastemptedmenandseenwhatcameofit。

Shespoke:

“Itisaveryseriousthing，givingamanyourpromiseandthen——“

“Thenfindingthatyourdutytohim——tohim，mind——forcesyoutotellhimthatyoucannotcarryoutthatpromise，“saidherfather。“Yes，itisaveryseriousthing，butnotsoseriousascarryingoutthatpromisewouldbeifyouhadeventheleastlittlefeelingthatattheendofthreemonthshewasnotabettermanthanyoususpectedhewasatthebeginning。There"sabrightsidetoeverything，evenahoneymoon；butthereasonthatahoneymoonissofrequentlyafailureisbecausethemanisboundtobefoundoutbyhiswifeinsidethemonth。Itisbetterthatyoufoundoutnow，thanlateron，thatyoucouldnotpossiblybehappywithamanwhospokeslightinglyofthepatriarchsandtheirwives。NowI"llleaveyou，withconfidencethatyouwillbeabletoexplainmatterstoMr。Holland。”

“What！youwon"tbehere?“

Dismaywasinthegirl"sfaceasshespoke。Shehadclearlylookedforthemoralsupportofherfather"spresencewhileshewouldbemakingherexplanationtothemanwhomshehad，afewmonthsbefore，promisedtomarry，butwhomshehadfounditnecessarytodismissbyletter，owingtoherwantofsympathyinsomeofhisrecentutterances。

“Youwon"tbehere?“

“No；Ihaveunfortunatelyanengagementjustatthathour，Phyllis，“

repliedMr。Ayrton。“Butdoyoureallythinkthereisanyneedformetobehere?Personally，Ifancythatmypresencewouldonlytendtocomplicatematters。Yourownfeeling，yourownwoman"sinstinct，willenableyoutoexplain——well，allthatneedsexplanation。Ihavemoreconfidenceinyourcapacitytoexplainsinceyougavethatprettylittlelaughjustnow。Experience——ah，theexperienceofagirlsuchasyouare，suggestsanastronomerwithoutatelescope。Still，therewereastronomersbeforethereweretelescopes；andsoIleaveyou，mybelovedchild——ah，myownchildonceagain！Nocoldhandofaloverisnowbetweenus。”

ItwasnotuntilhewassomedistancedownPiccadillythatitoccurredtohimthatheshouldhavepicturedtheloverwithawarmhand；andthatomissiononhispartcausedhimagreateramountofirritationthananyonewhowasunawareofhisskillinphrase-makingcouldhavethoughtpossibletoarisefromalapseapparentlysotrifling。

ItwasnotuntilhehadreachedtheAcropolisandhadreferred，inthehearingofthemosteminentlydullofthemanydistinguishedmembersofthatclub，tothepossibilityofagirl"sexperiencesofmanbeinglikenedtoanastronomerwithoutatelescope，thathefelthimselfagain。

Thedulldistinguishedmanhadsmiled。

CHAPTERII。

HEKNEWTHATITWASATROUBLESOMEPROCESS，BECOMINGAGOOD

CLERGYMAN，SOHEDETERMINEDTOBECOMEAGOODPREACHERINSTEAD。

Phyllissataloneinoneofthedrawingrooms，waitinguntilthehouroffourshouldarriveandbringintoherpresencetheRev。GeorgeHolland，topleadhiscausetoher——topleadtobereturnedtoherfavor。Hehadwrittentohertosaythathewouldmakesuchanattempt。

Shehadlookedonhimwithfavorforseveralmonths——withespecialfavorforthreemonths，forthreemonthshadjustpassedsinceshehadpromisedtomarryhim，believingthattobethewifeofaclergymanwho，thoughstillyoung，hadtwocuratestodotheroughworkforhim——clericalcharwomen，sotospeak——wouldmakeherthehappiestofwomankind。Mr。HollandwasrectorofSt。Chad"s，BattenbergSquare，andhewasthoughtveryhighlyofevenbyhisowncurates，whointonedallthecommonplace，everydayprayersintheliturgyforhim，leavinghimtodoallthehigh-classones，andtorepeattheCommandments。(A

rectorcannotbeexpectedtodojourneyman"swork，asitwere；anditisunderstoodthatabishopwillonlybeaskedtointonethreeshortprayers，thosefrombehindabarrier，too；anarchbishoprefusestodomorethanpronouncethebenediction。)

TheRev。GeorgeHollandwasagood-lookingmanofperhapsayearortwooverthirty。Hedidnotcomeofaverygoodfamily——afactwhichprobablyaccountedforhisclevernessatOxfordandintheworld。HewasaFellowofhiscollege，thoughhehadnotbeenappointedrectorofSt。Chad"sforthisreason。Theappointment，asiswellknown(intheChurch，atanyrate)，isthegiftoftheEarlofEarlscourt，anditsohappenedthat，whenatcollegetogether，GeorgeHollandhadsavedtheyoungmanwhoayearortwoafterwardbecameEarlofEarlscourtfromaverygreatmisfortune。Thefactsofthecasewerethese:TommyTrebovoir，ashewasthen，hadmadeuphismindtomarryaladywhosepiquantstyleofbeautymadethetobacconist"sshopwheresheservedthemostpopularintown。Bytheexerciseofagreatdealofdiplomacyandtheexpenditureofalittlemoney，Mr。Hollandbroughtaboutamatchbetweenherandquiteanotherman——amanwhowasnotevenonasubsidiarypathtoapeerage，andwhoseonlyconnectionwiththeuniversitywasduetohishiringouthorsestothosewhomhecalledthe“younggents。”Tommywassoindignantwithhisfriendfortheparthehadplayedinthistransactionheceasedtospeaktohim，andwentthelengthofopenlyinsultinghim。Sixyearsafterward，whenhehadbecomeEarlofEarlscourt，andhadespousedthedaughterofaduke，——aladywhowasgreatlyinterestedintheadvanceoftemperance，——hehadpresentedGeorgeHollandwiththelivingatSt。Chad"s。

PeoplethensaidthatLordEarlscourtwasalesserfoolthansomeofhisactssuggested。OtherssaidthattheRev。GeorgeHollandhadneverbeenafool，thoughhehadbeenaFellowofhiscollege。

Theywereright。GeorgeHollandknewthatitwasatroublesomeprocessbecomingagoodclergyman，sohedeterminedtobecomeagoodpreacherinstead。Inthecourseofayearhehadbecomeprobablythebest-knownpreacher(legitimate，notDissenting)inLondon，andthat，too，withoutannoyingthechurch-wardensofSt。Chad"sbydrawingcrowdsofundesirablelistenerstocrushtheirwayintotheproprietarysittings，andtojoininthesingingandresponses，andtodootherundesirableacts。No，heonlydrewtothechurchthefriendsofthesaidholders，whosecontributionstotheoffertorywereexemplary。

Hispopularitywithinacertaincirclewasgreat；but，asLordEarlscourtwasheardtosay，“Heneverplayedtothepit。”

HewasinvitedtospeaktoaresolutionataMansionHousemeetingtoexpressindignationatthemaintenanceoftheopiumtrafficinChina。

HewasalsoinvitedbytheCountessofEarlscourttoappearontheplatformtomeetthedeputationofChinesewhorepresentedthecitymeetingheldatPekininfavoroflocaloptioninEngland；forthegreatnationalvoiceofChinahadpronouncedinfavoroflocaloptioninEngland。

ShortlyafterwardhemetPhyllisAyrton，andhadaskedhertomarryhim，andshehadconsented。

AndnowPhylliswasawaitinghiscomingtoher，inorderthathemightlearnfromherownlipswhathehadalreadylearnedfromtheletterwhichhehadreceivedfromherthedaybefore；namely，thatshefounditnecessaryforherownpeaceofmindtobreakoffherengagementwithhim。

PhyllisAyrtonhadfeltforsomemonthsthatitwouldbeagreatprivilegeforanywomantobecomethewifeofaclergyman。Likemanyothergirlswhohaveagooddealoftimeforthought，——thoughtaboutthemselves，theirsurroundings，andtheworldingeneral，——shehadcertainyearningsafteracareer。ButshehadlivedallherlifeinPhilistia，andconsideredittobeverywelladaptedasaplaceofabodeforaproper-mindedyoungwoman；infact，shecouldnotimagineanyproper-mindedyoungwomanlivingunderanyotherformofgovernmentthanthatwhichfoundacceptanceinPhilistia。Shehadnoyearningtostartleherneighbors。Withalargenumberofyoungwomen，theideathatstartlingone"sneighborsisacareerbyitselfseemstoprevailjustatpresent；butPhyllishadnotasteinthisdirection。

Writingabookandridingabicyclewerealikeoutsidehercalculationsofaschemeoflife。Hospitalnursingwasnothingthatshewouldshrinkfrom；atthesametime，itdidnotattracther；shefeltthatshecoulddressquiteasbecominglyasahospitalnurseinanotherway。

Shewondered，ifitshouldcometotheknowledgeoftheheadsofthegovernmentofPhilistiathatshehadayearningtobecomethewifeofaclergyman，wouldtheyregardherasworthytobeconductedacrossthefrontier，anddoomedtoperpetualexpatriation。Whenshebegantothinkoutthispoint，shecouldnotbutfeelthatifsheweredeservingofpunishment，——shelookedonexpulsionfromPhilistiaastheseverestpunishmentthatcouldbedealtouttoher，forshewasextremelypatriotic，——therewereagoodmanyotheryoungwomen，andwomenwhowerenolongeryoung，whowereequallyculpable。ShehadwatchedthefacesofquiteanumberofthewomenwhocrowdedSt。

Chad"sateveryservice，andshehadlongagocometotheconclusionthatthedesiretobecomethewifeofaclergymanwasanaspirationwhichwasuniversallydistributedamongtheunmarriedwomenofthecongregation。

Sheknewsomuch，butshewasnotcleverenoughtoknowthatitwasherobservanceofthisfactthatconfirmedherinherbeliefthatitwouldbeablessedprivilegeforsuchawomanasshetobecomethewifeofsuchaclergymanasGeorgeHolland。Shewasnotwiseenoughtobeabletoperceivethatawomanmarriesamannotsomuchbecauseshethingshighlyofmarriage——althoughshedoesthinkhighlyofit；notsomuchbecauseshethinkshighlyoftheman——thoughshemaythinkhighlyofhim，butsimplybecausesheseesthatotherwomenwanttomarryhim。

Inthreemonthssheconsideredherselfblessedamongwomen。Shewastheonechosenoutofalltheflock。Shedidnotlookaroundherinchurchinprideofconquest；butshelookeddemurelydowntohersacredbooks，feelingthatalltheotherwomenweregazingatherinenvy；andshefeltthattherewasnoprideinthethoughtthatthehumilityofherattitude——downcasteyes，withlonglashesshadinghalfhercheeks，meeklyfoldedhands——wastherightonetoadoptunderthecircumstances。

Andthenshesawseveraloftheyoungwomenwhohadbeenwearingsobershadesofdressesforsomeyears，——thoughintheirhearts(andsheknewit)theywerepassionatelyattachedtocolors，——appearinglikepoppiesoncemore，andlookingverymuchthebetterforthechange，too；andshefeltthatitwastrulysadforyoungwomento——well，toshowtheirhands，sotospeak。Theymighthavewaitedforsomeweeksbeforereturningtothecolorsofthesecular。

Shedidnotknowthattheyfeltthattheyhadwastedtoomuchtimeinsobershadesalready。Thedaysarepreciousinaworldinwhichnoreallytrustworthyhairdyemaybeboughtformoney。

Andthentherecametoheramonthofcoldlyinquisitivedoubt。(Thiswaswhenpeoplehadceasedtocongratulateherandtotalk，theniceones，ofthegreatclevernessofGeorgeHolland；thenastyones，ofthegreatpitythatsodelightfulamandidnotcomeofabetterfamily。)

WhyshouldshebegintoaskherselfifshereallylovedGeorgeHolland；ifthefeelingshehadforhimshouldbecalledbythenameoflove，orbysomeothernamethatdidnotmeanjustthesamething?

Ofcourseshehadthoughtagooddeal——thoughherfatherdidnotknowit——oflove。Shehadseenuponotherpeopletheeffectofthepossessionofthisgiftoflove，howithadcausedthemtoforgetpainandpoverty，andshame，andinfamy，andGod，anddeath，andhell。Ah！

thatwaslove——thatwaslove！andshehadhopedthatonedaysuchagiftoflovewouldbegiventoher；foritwassurelythethingthatwasbestworthhavingintheworld！Onceortwiceshehadfanciedthatitwasatthepointofbeinggiventoher。Therehadbeencertainthrillingpassagesbetweenherselfandtwomen，——anintervalofayearbetweeneach，——andtherehadalsobeenakissinanalcovedesignedbyherdearestfriend，EllaLinton，fortheundoingofmankind，aplaceofsoftenedlightsandshadowypalms。Itwasherrecollectionoftheseincidentsthathadcausedhertofumblewiththeblindcordwhenherfatherhadbeensuggestingtoherthedisadvantagesofinexperienceinmattersoftheheart。Buttheincidentshadledtonothing，except，perhaps，aweekortwoofremorse。Butshecouldnothelpfeeling，whenthatmonthofcuriousdoubtwasuponher，thatthelittlethrillwhichshehadfeltwhenonemanhadputhisarmaroundherforaninstant，whenanotherman——hewasveryyoung——hadputhislipsuponhermouth——itwasastraightforwardkiss——suggestedanearerapproachtolovethanshehadyetbeenconsciousofinthepresenceofGeorgeHolland。(Hehadneverdonemorethankissherhand。Isitonrecordthatanymandidmorewhendressedwiththeseverityofthecleric?)

Thiswasaterribleimpressionforayoungwomantoretainbeforeherengagementtoamanhaspassedintoitsthirdmonth。Thenshebegantowonderifallherpreviousideas——allherpreviousaspirations——weremistaken。Shebegantowonderifthiswastherealityoflove——thisconvictionthattherewasnothinginthewholeworldthatshewouldwelcomewithmoreenthusiasmthananannouncementonthepartofherfatherthathewasgoingonavoyagetoAustralia，andthathemeanttotakeherwithhim。

Andthen——

Well，thenshethrewherselfuponherbedandweptforanhouroneevening，andfortwohours(atintervals)anotherevening；andthenlookeduptheoldpublishedspeechesmadebyacertaincabinetministerinhisirresponsibledays，onaquestionwhichhehadrecentlyintroduced。Herfatherwasbitterlyopposedtothemostrecentviewsoftheminister，andwasparticularlyanxioustoconfronthimwithhisownphrasesofthirtyyearsback。ShespentfourhourscopyingoutthewordswhichwerenowmeantbyMr。Ayrtontoconfoundtheutterer。

CHAPTERIII。

THEBISHOPKNEWSOMETHINGOFMAN，ANDHEKNEWSOMETHINGOFTHE

CHURCH；HEEVENKNEWSOMETHINGOFTHEBIBLE。

Herfatherwhenhecameincommendedherdiligence。Hereadoverthosedamningextracts，punctuatingthemwithchuckles；hewouldmakeanexampleofthatministerwhohadfounditconvenienttoadoptacoursediametricallyopposedtotheprincipleinvolvedinhisearlyspeeches。

Hechuckled，readingtheextractswhilehepacedtheroom，drawinguponhisstockoftellingphrases，whichwerecalculatedtoturnthederisionofthewholeHouseofCommonsuponhisopponent。

Thus，beingverywellsatisfiedwithhimself，hewassatisfiedwithher，andkissedher，withasigh。

“Whatatreasureyouaretome，dearestone！“hesaid。Therewasapausebeforeheadded，inacontemplativetone:

“Isupposeaclergymanhasnoneedevertohuntupthepastdeliverancesofanotherclergymaninordertoconfoundhimoutofhisownmouth。Ah，no；Ishouldfancynot。”

Regretwasinhisvoice。Heseemedtosuggesttoherthathebelievedherpowerswouldbewastedasthewifeofamanwho，ofcourse，beingaclergyman，couldhavenoenemies。

“Dearestpapa！“shecried，throwingherselfintohisarms，andsobbingonhisshirtfront，“dearestpapa，Iwillnotleaveyou。Idon"twanttobeanyone"swife。Iwanttobeyourdaughter——onlytobeyourdaughter。”

Hecomfortedherwithkissesandsoothingsmoothingsofthehair。No，no，hesaid；hewouldnotbeselfish。Hewouldrememberthatafatherwasthetrusteeofhischild"shappiness。

“ButIknowIcanonlybehappywithyou，myfather！“shecried；butitwasofnoavail。He，beingafatherandnotamother，wasunabletoperceivewhatwasinthegirl"sheart。Heconsidereditquitenaturalthatsheshouldbeatriflehystericalinanticipatinghernewlife——

thatstrangeuntraveledcountry！Ah，isthereanythingmorepathetic，hethought，thanagirl"santicipationsofwifehood?Buthewoulddohisduty，andhefanciedthathewasdoinghisdutywhenheputasideherearnest，almostpassionateprotestations，andtoldherhowhappyshewouldbewiththemanwhowasluckyenoughtohavewonthepuretreasureofherlove。

Whatcouldshedo?Theterribledoubtsofthatmonthofdoubtingbroadenedintocertainties。SheknewthatshedidnotloveGeorgeHolland；butshehadnotthecouragetofacePhilistiaasthegirlwhodidnotknowherownmind。Philistiawasverysolidonsuchpointsasthesacrednessofanengagementbetweenamanandawoman。Itwasacontractpracticallyasabidingasmarriage，intheeyesofPhilistia；

and，indeed，Phyllisherselfhadheldthisbelief，andhadneverhesitatedtoexpressit。SonothingwaslefttoherbuttomarryGeorgeHolland。Afterall，hewasabrilliantanddistinguishedman，andhadnotascoreofothergirlswantedtomarryhim?Oh，shewouldmarryhimandgiveupherlifetothesplendiddutieswhichdevolveuponthewifeofaclergyman。

Butjustasshehadmadeuphermindtofaceherfate，Mr。Holland"sfateinducedhimtopublishthebookatwhichhehadbeenworkingforsometime。Itcameoutjustwhenthegirlwasbecomingresignedtoherfuturebyhisside，anditattractedevenmoreattentionthantheauthorhadhopeditwouldachieve。

Thebookwastitled“RevisedVersions，“anditwasstrikinglymodernindesignandintone。ItpurportedtodealwithseveralpersonagesandnumerousepisodesoftheOldTestament，notfromthestandpointofthecomparativephilologist；notfromthestandpointofthecomparativemythologist，butfromthestandpointofthemodernmanofcommonsenseandaveragepowerofdiscrimination；andtheresultwasthatthebreathofagoodmanypeople，especiallyclergymen，wastakenfromthem，andthattheRev。GeorgeHollandbecamethebest-knownclergymaninEngland。

Hedealtwiththepatriarchsinsuccession，andtheyfaredverybadlyathishands。HeshowedthatAbrahamhadnotonegoodactrecordedtohiscredit，andcontrastedhisduplicitywiththemagnanimityoftherulerofEgyptwhomhevisited。HedweltupontheHagarepisode，showingthattheadultererwasalsoamurdererbyintention，andsoforth；whilenowordscouldbetoostrongtoapplytoSara，hiswife。

Isaacdidnotcallforelaboratenotice。Hecouldnotbeaccusedofanyactualcrime，butifhewasamanofstrongpersonality，hewassingularlyunfortunateinhavingfailedtoimparttohiswifeanyofthatintegritywhichhemayhavepracticedthroughlife。Hermethodsofdealingwithhimaftertheyhadlivedtogetherforagoodmanyyearswerecriminal，consideringthelargenessoftheissueatstakeastheresultofhisblessing。AsforJacob，notasinglepraiseworthyactofhislonglifewasavailabletohisbiographer。Hiscareerwasthatofthemostsordidofhucksters。Ofelevenofhissonsnothinggoodistold，butJosephwasundoubtedlyanableandexemplaryman；

theonlythingtohisdiscreditbeinghisuttercallousnessregardingthefateofhisfather，afterhehadattainedtoahighpositioninEgypt。

ThechapteronthepatriarchswasfollowedbyonethatdealtwiththeincidentsoftheExodus。ThewritersaidthathefearedthateventhemostindulgentcriticmustallowthatthewholeschemeofMoseswasashockingone；buthewasprobablythegreatestmanthateverlivedonthefaceoftheearth，ifhewastheleaderandorganizerofabandofdepredatorswhoforbloodthirstandrapacityhadnoparallelinhistory。Howcoulditbeexpectedthatakingdomfoundeduponthemassacreofmenandcementedbythebloodofwomenandchildrenshouldsurvive?IthadsurvivedonlyasexampletotheworldoftheimpossibilityofapermanentsuccessbeingfoundedupontheatrociousmethodspursuedbytheworstoftherobberstatesoftheEast。Whilecivilizationhadbeenspreadingonallsidesofthem，thepeopleofIsraelhadremainedtheworstofbarbarians，murderingthemenwhohadfromtimetotimearisentotryandrescuethemfromtheabyssesofcriminalityintowhichtheyhadfallen，——abyssesofcriminalityandsuperstition，——untiltheyhadfilledtheircupofcrimebythemurderoftheOnewhomtheworldworshipsto-day。

Incidentally，ofcourse，thecharacterofSamsonwasdealtwith。

Delilahwasshowntobeoneofthemostheroicofwomankind，makinggreatersacrificesthroughhersplendidpatriotismthanJoanofArc。

ButSamson——

Ruthwasalsodealtwithincidentally。ShewasthewomanwhoexpressesherwillingnesstogiveupherGodatthebiddingofanotherwoman，andwhohadenteredintoaplotwiththatsamewomantoentrapamanwhomtheylookedtosupportthem。

ThentherewasDavid。ItwasnottheBath-shebaepisode，buttheAbishag，thattheauthortreatedatlength——oneofthemostrevoltingtransactionsinhistory，especiallyasthereissomereasontobelievethattheunfortunategirlwas，whenitwasperpetrated，alreadyattachedtooneofthesonsoftheloathsome，senilesensualist。

Perhaps，onthewhole，itwasnotsurprisingthatafterthepublicationofthisbooktheRev。GeorgeHollandbecamethebest-knownclergymaninEngland，orthatthebreathofbishopsshouldbetakenfromthem。Sosoonassomeofthemrecoveredfromthefirstbruntoftheshock，theymettogetherandhelduptheirhands，sayingthattheyawaitedthetakingofimmediateactionbytheprelatewithinwhoseseeSt。Chad"swassituated。Butthatparticularprelatewasamanwhohadneverbeenknowntoerronthesideofrapidityofaction。Nearlyaweekhadpassedbeforehemadeanymoveinthematter，andthenthemovehemadewasinthedirectionoftheEngadine。HecrossedtheChannelwiththebookunderhisarm。Hedeterminedtoreaditathisleisure。Beingaclergyman，hecouldnot，ofcourse，beexpectedtohaveexamined，fromanystandpointbutthatoftheclergyman，thecharactersofthepersonsdealtwithinthebook，andhewasnaturallyshockedatthefreedomshownbytherectorofSt。Chad"sincriticisingmenwhosenameshavebeenheldinthehighestesteemforsomethousandsofyears。HeatonceperceivedthattherectorofSt。

Chad"shadbeenverynarrow-mindedinhisviewsregardingtheconductofthemenwhomhehadattacked。Itoccurredtohim，asithadtoMr。

Ayrton，thatthewriterhaddrawnhispicturewithoutanyregardforperspective。ThatwasveryfoolishonthepartofamanwhowasaFellowofhiscollege，thebishopthought；andbesides，therewasnoneedforthebook——itstendencywasnottohelptheweakerbrethren。

Buttoassumethatthebookwould，assomenewspaperarticlessaiditwould，furnishthemostpowerfulargumentthathadyetbeenbroughtforwardinfavoroftheDisestablishmentofChurch，was，hethought，toassumeagreatdealtoomuch。TheChurchthathadsurvivedWesley，Whitefield，Colenso，Darwin，andRenanwouldnotsuccumbtoGeorgeHolland。ThebishoprecollectedhowtheChurchhadbitterlyopposedalltheteachingofthemenofwisdomwhosenamescamebacktohim；

andhowithadendedbymakingtheirteachingitsown。WouldanyoneventuretoassertthattheprogressofChristianitywasdependentuponwhatpeoplethoughtoftheacceptancebyDavidofthetherapeuticcourseprescribedforhim?WasthemoralitywhichtheChurchpreachedlikelytobejeopardizedbecauseRuthwasatrickyyoungwoman?

Thebishopknewsomethingofman，andheknewsomethingoftheChurch，heevenknewsomethingoftheBible；andwhenhecametothechapterin“RevisedVersions“thatdealtwiththeepisodeofRuthandBoaz，heflungthebookintoacornerofhisbedroom，exclaiming，“Puppy！“

Andthentherecamebeforehiseyesavisionofafieldofyellowcorn，ripefortheharvest。Thegoldensunlightgleameduponthegoldengrainthroughwhichthehalf-nakedbrown-skinnedmenwalkedwiththeirsickles。Thehalf-nakedbrown-skinnedwomenfollowedthebinders，gleaningtheears，andamongthewomenwastheonewhohadsaid，“Entreatmenottoleavethee。”Hehadreadthatoldpastoralwhenhewasachildatthekneeofhismother。ItwassurelytheloveliestpastoraloftheEast，anditscharmwouldbeinnowiseimpairedbecauseamanwhofailedtoappreciatethebeautyofitssimplicity，hadalmostcalledRuthbytheworstnamethatcanbeappliedtoawoman。

ThebishopdidnotmindwhatGeorgeHollandcalledAbraham，orIsaac，orJacob，orSamson，butRuth——tosaythatRuth——

Thebishopsaid“Puppy！“onceagain。(Hehadtrainedhimselfonlytothinktheadjectiveswhichlaymenfindappropriatetouseinsuchacaseaswasunderhisconsideration。)

ButhemadeuphismindtotakenoactionwhateveragainsttheRev。

GeorgeHollandonaccountofthebook。IftheRev。GeorgeHollandfanciedthathewastobepersecutedintopopularity，theRev。GeorgeHollandwasgreatlymistaken，andthebishophadashrewdideathattherectorofSt。Chad"swasgreatlymistaken。

(Itmaybementionedthathecametothisdeterminationwhenhehadreadthebookthrough，andfounditwassocleverlywrittenthatitincludednohereticalphraseinallitspages。)

ButsosoonasPhyllisAyrtonhadreadthefirstreviewofthebookthatfellintoherhands，shefeltinexpressiblyshocked。GreatHeavens！Wasitpossiblethatshewasactuallyatthatmomentengagedtomarrythemanwhohadwrittensuchabook——abookthatheldupDelilahtoadmiration，andthatabasedRuth?(ItwassingularhoweveryonesettleduponRuthinthisconnection。)

Shedidnotpausetoanalyzeherfeelings——totryandfindoutifshewasreallysofondofRuthastomakeRuth"sinsultherown；butwithoutamoment"sdelay，withoutawordofconsultationwithherfather，shesatdownatherdeskandwrotealettertoGeorgeHolland，askinghimtoreleaseherfromherpromisetomarryhim；andaddingthatifheshoulddeclinetodosoitwouldmakenodifferencetoher；

shewouldconsidertheengagementbetweenthematanendallthesame。

Shefelt，whenthatletterwasposted，asifagreatweightwereliftedfromhermind——fromherheart。Thenacopyof“RevisedVersions“arrivedforherfromtheauthor，andwiththeinkstillwetuponthepenwithwhichshehadwrittenthatlettertohim，shecaughtupthebookandcovereditwithkisses。

Hadheseenthatactionherloverwouldhavebeenthoroughlysatisfied。Ayoungwomanmustbeverydeeplyinlovewithamanwhenshekissesthecoverofabookwhichhehasjustpublished。ThatiswhatGeorgeHollandwouldhavethought，havingbutasuperficialacquaintancewiththemotivesthatswayyoungwomen。

Laterinthedayhehadrepliedtoherletter，andhadappointedfouro"clockonthefollowingafternoonasthehourwhenhetrustedshewouldfinditconvenienttoseehim，inordertogivehimanopportunityofmakinganexplanationwhichhetrustedwouldenablehertoseethat“RevisedVersions，“sofarfrombeingthedreadfulbooksheseemedtoimagineittobe，wasinrealitywrittenwithahighpurpose。

Shehadnotshrunkfromaninterviewwithhim。Shehadsenthimalinetolethimknowthatshewouldbeathomeatfouro"clock；andnowshesatinherdrawingroomandobserved，withoutemotion，thatinfiveminutesthathourwouldstrike。

Theclockstruck，andbeforethelasttonehaddiedaway，thefootmanannouncedtheRev。GeorgeHolland。

CHAPTERIV。

SHEHADNORIGHTTOACCUSEHIMOFREADINGTHEBIBLEDAILY。

Phyllisshookhandswithhervisitor。Hesoughttoretainherhand，ashehadbeeninthehabitofdoing，ashestoodbesideherwithsomethingofaproprietaryair。Herelinquishedherhandwithalittlelookofsurprise——asortofpainedsurprise。Shewasinexorable。Shewouldnotevenallowhimtomaintainhisproprietaryair。

“Dositdown，Mr。Holland，“shesaid。

“What！"Mr。Holland"already?Oh，Phyllis！“

Hehadagoodvoice，fullofexpression——somethingbeyondmeremusicalexpression。People(theyweremostlywomen)saidthathisvoicehadsoulinit，whatevertheymeantbythat。

Shemadenoreply。Whatreplycouldshemake?Sheonlywaitedforhimtositdown。

“Yourlettercameasagreatshocktome，Phyllis，“saidhe，whenhehadseatedhimself，nottooclosetoher。Hedidnotwishhertofancythathewasdesirousofhavingasubtleinfluenceofpropinquityasanally。“Agreatshocktome。”

“Ashock?“saidshe。“Ashock，afteryouhadwrittenthatbook?“

“Ifanciedyouwouldunderstandit，Phyllis——you，atleast。OfcourseIexpectedtobemisrepresentedbytheworld——thecritics——theclerics——whatyouwill——butyou——Youhadnotreaditwhenyouwrotethatlettertome——thatterribleletter。Youcouldnothavereadit。”

“Ihadonlyreadonenoticeofit——thatwasenough。”

“Andyoucouldwritethatlettertomesolelyastheevidenceofonewretchedprint?Oh，Phyllis！“

Painwasinhisvoice。Itmayhavebeeninhisfaceaswell，butshedidnotseeit；hisfacewasavertedfromher。

“Yes，“shesaidquietly；“Iwrotethatletter，Mr。Holland。Yousee，thepapergavelargeextractsfromthebook。Ididnotcometomyconclusionfromwhatthenewspaperarticlesaid，butfromwhatyouhadsaidinyourbook——fromthequotedpassages。”

“Theydidnotdomejustice。Ididnotlookforjusticeattheirhands。Butyou，Phyllis——“

“Ihavereadyourbooknow，Mr。Holland——“

“Ah，letmepleadwithyou，Phyllis——not"Mr。Holland，"Ientreatofyou。”

“AndmyfirstthoughtonreadingitwasthatIhadnotwrittentoyousostronglyasIshouldhavedone。”

“MydearPhyllis，donotsaythat，Ibegofyou。Youcannotknowhowyoupainme。”

“Tobemisunderstoodbyyou——/you/。”

Shegotuponherfeetsoquicklythatitmightalmostbesaidshesprangup。

“/You/musthavemisunderstood/me/greatly，Mr。Holland，ifyoufanciedthatyoucouldwritesuchabookasyouwroteandnotgetsuchaletterfromme。TheBible——Ruth——andyouaclergyman——readingitdailyinthechurch——Oh！IcannottellyouallthatIthought——allthatIstillthink。”

Hedidnotcorrectthemistakeshehadmade。ShehadnorighttoaccusehimofreadingtheBibledailyinhischurch。Hewasnotinthehabitofdoingthat——itwashiscurateswhodidit。Hewatchedherasshestoodatawindowwithherbackturnedtohim。Herhandswerebehindher。Herbreathcameaudibly，forshehadspokenexcitedly。

Thenhealsoroseandcamebesideher。

“Iwrotethatbook，asIbelievedyouwouldperceivewhenyouhadreadit，inordertoremovefromthemindsofthepeople——thosepeoplewhohavenotgiventhematterathought——theimpression——Iknowitprevails——thatourfaith——thetruthofourreligion——isdependentupontheacceptanceasgoodofsuchpersonsasourveryreligionitselfenablesustopronounceevil。Myaimwastoshowthatourfaithisnotbuiltuponsuchafoundationofimpurity——ofimperfection。Thespiritwhichprevailsnowadays——themodernspirit——itistheresultofthedevelopmentofscience。Thisscientificspiritnecessitatestheconsiderationofalltheelementsofourfaithfromthestandpointofreason。”

“Faith——reason?“

“IftheChurchistoappealtoallmen，itsmethodmustbescientific。

ItissadtothinkofallthattheChurchhaslostinthepastthroughthewantofwisdomofthosewhohaditsbestinterestsatheart，andbelievedtheyweredoingitgoodservicebyopposingscientificresearch。Theyfanciedthatthefaithwouldnotsurvivethelightoftruth。Theyprofessedtobelievethatthefaithwasstrongenoughtoworkmiracles——tochangetheheartofman，andyetthatitwouldbejeopardizedbythecalculationsofastronomers。Theastronomerswereprohibitedfromcalculating；thegeologistswereforbiddentounearththemysteriesoftheirscience，lestthediscoveryofthetruthshouldbedetrimentaltothefaith。Theybelievedthatthetruthwasopposedtothefaith。WarningafterwarningtheChurchreceivedthatthetwowereone；thatmanwouldonlyacceptthetruth，whetheritcamefromthelipsofthechurchmanorfromtheinvestigationsofscience。

GrudginglytheChurchbecametolerantoftheseekersaftertruth——menwhowerenotgreatlyconcernedinthepreservationofthemummydustofdogma。Buthowmanythousandpersonsaretherenot，to-day，whothinkthattheChurchisononeside，andthetruthontheother?TheintolerantattitudeoftheChurch，stillmaintainedinthesedays，whenthespiritofsciencepervadeseveryformofthought，hasbeenproductiveofprobablythelargestbodythateverexistedinthecountry，ofsensiblemenandwomen，whoneverenterachurchdoor。

Theywanttoknowwhatsoeverthingsaretrue；theydonotwanttobedredgedwiththemummydustofdogma。”

“ButtheBible——theBible！“

“ItisnecessaryformetotellyouallthatIfeelonthissubject；

allthatIhavefeltforseveralyearspast——eversinceIleftthedivinityschoolbehindme，andwentintotheworldofthinkingmenandwomen。Itisnecessarytotellthesemenandwomeninunmistakablelanguagethatourfaithaimsataperfecttypeofmanhood——attheperfectionoftruth。Itisnecessarytotellthemthatwedonotregard，exceptwithabhorrence，suchtypesofmenashaveforcenturiesbeenhelduptoadmirationsimplybecausetheyhaveforcenturiesbeentheobjectsofadmiration，ofimitation，ofveneration，onthepartofthedebasedpeoplewhogaveustheearlierbooksoftheBible。ThememoryofJacobbecamethedominantinfluenceamongtheHebrewnation；hencethecontinuouscursethatresteduponthem，thecursethatrestsuponthecheat，thedefrauderofhisownhousehold，hisbrother，hisfather，hisuncle。Itisnecessarytosaythattheworldshouldknowthatourreligionisfoundedupontruth，purity，self-sacrifice——thatitabhorsthecheatandthesensualist。ItisnecessarytoproclaimtotheworldourabhorrenceofthecultwhosehighestdevelopmentwasthePharisee。TheaimofthereligionofChrististoproducetheperfectman，andtorootoutthePharisee。

WhentheChurchceasestoconniveatfalsehoodandsensualism；whenitopenlyprofessesitsabhorrenceofthereligionoftheHebrews；then，andthenonly，willitbecomethepowerintheearthwhichtheexponentofChristianityshouldbecome。Humanityhadbeencryingoutforthereligionofhumanity，thatis，Christianity，forcenturies，buttheChurchtellsitthattruereligionisanamalgamationofthelovelinessofChristianityandthebarbarityofJudaism——animpossibleamalgamation，andonewhichmillionsofpoorsoulshaveperishedinavainattempttoaccomplish。HumanitywantsChrist，andChristonly，andthattheChurchhashithertorefusedtogive；hencethemillionsofthinkingmenandwomen，believersinthereligionofChrist，whoremainforeveroutsidethewallsoftheChurch；hence，also，thatterriblerecordofmurderandmassacre，perpetratedthroughlongageswiththesanctionoftheChurch。Where，inthereligionofChrist，canonefindthesanctionformassacre?ItisnowheretobefoundexceptinthePsalmsofthesenilesensualist——inthecommandsofMoses，theleaderofthemaraudersofthedesert。ChristsweptawaythebarbaritiesoftheteachingofMoses。Heperceivedhowmiserablyithadfailed；howithadretardedallthatwasgoodinman，andsanctionedallthatwasevil。Heperceivedhowithadkeptthenationinaconditionofbarbarity；howithadmadeitthepreyofthecivilizednationsaroundit；howithadmadetheHebrewnationsthecontemptofcivilization；andyettheChurchthatcallsitselftheChurchofChristhasnotyethadthecouragetoofferhumanityanythingbutthatimpossibletask——theamalgamationofthelawthatcamebyMosesandthegraceandtruththatcamebyJesusChrist。”

Hespokewithallthefervorofthepreacher，withpaleface，brillianteyes，andclenchedhands；butinavoiceadaptedtoadrawingroom。PhyllisofPhilistiacouldnotbutadmitthat，inthephraseofPhilistiahehadspokeninperfecttaste。HehadnotalludeddefinitelytotheboldnessofRuthortothecalorificcourseacceptedbytheagedDavid。HehadspokeninthosegeneraltermswhichareadoptedbytheclergymenwhonevererragainstgoodtasteasdefinedbythematronsofPhilistia。

Shedidnotknowwhethersheadmiredhimordetestedhim。Butshewascertainthatshedidnotlovehim。Hemightberightinallthathehadsaid，butshehadfreedherselffromhim。Hemightbedestinedtobecomeoneofthemostprominentmenofthelasttenyearsofthecentury，butshewouldnevermarryhim。

Shestoodfacetofacewithhimwhenhehadspoken。

Therewasalongsilence。

Agleam，averyfaintgleamoftriumphcametohiseyes。

“Good-bye，“saidshe，flashingoutherhandtohim，andwithhereyesstillfixeduponhisface。

CHAPTERV。

INLOVETHEREARENOGOOD-BYES。

Hewassostartledthathetookastepbackward。Sheremainedwithherhandoutstretched。

Wasthatonlytheresultoftheeloquentexpressionofhisviews——thatoutstretchedhandwhichwasofferedtohimforaninstantonlyasasymbolofitswithdrawalfromhimforever?

“Youcannotmean——“

“Good-by，“saidshe。

“HaveInotexplainedallthatseemedtoyoutostandinneedofexplanation?“heasked。

“Thebook——thebookremains。Iaskedfornoexplanation，“saidshe。

“Butyouaretoogood，tooreasonable，todismissmeinthisfashion，Phyllis。Why，eventhebishop——/wouldsituponafencetoseehowthebookwouldbereceivedbythepublicbeforetakingactionagainsttheauthor/，“waswhatwasinhismind，buthestoppedshort，andthenaddedaphrasethathadnoreferencetothebishop。“Canyoueverhavelovedme?“wasthephrasewhichhethoughtshouldappealtohermoreforciblythananyreferencetothebishop"ssenseofwhatwasopportune。

Shetookbackherhand，andhereyesfellatthesamemomentthatherfaceflushed。

Hefeltthathehadnotbeenastrayinhisestimateofthecontroversialvalue——intheeyesofagirl，ofcourse——oftheappealwhichhemadetoher。AgirlunderstandsnothingofthesoundnessofanargumentonaBiblicalquestion(oranyother)，hethought；butsheunderstandsanappealmadetoherbyamanwhomshehadloved，andwhomshethereforelovesstill，thoughsomethingmayhaveoccurredtomakeherthinkotherwise。

“Canyoueverhavelovedme?“hesaidagain，andhisvoicewasnowmorereproachful。

Therewasapausebeforeshesaid:

“ThatisthequestionwhichIhavebeenaskingmyselfforsometime——

eversinceIreadaboutthatbook。Oh，please，Mr。Holland，donotstayanylonger！Cannotyouseethatif，afteryouhavemadeanexplanationthatshouldsatisfyanyreasonableperson，Istillremaininmyoriginalwayofthinking，Iamnotthewomanwhoshouldbeyourwife?“

“Youwouldseewithmyeyesifyouweremywife，“hesaid，andhebelievedthatshewould，solargeanamountofconfidencehadheinhisownpowertodominateawoman。

“Ah！“shesaid，“youhaveprovidedmewiththestrongestreasonwhyI

shouldneverbecomeyourwife，Mr。Holland。”

“Donotsaythat，Phyllis！“hecried，inalowvoice，almostapiteousvoice。“ImusthaveyouwithmeinthisgreatworkwhichIfeelhasbeengivenmetoaccomplish。IampreparedtomakeanysacrificeforthecausewhichIhaveatheart——thecausetowhichImeantodevotetherestofmylife；butyou——you——Imusthaveyouwithme，Phyllis。

Don"tgivemeananswernow。AllIaskofyouistothinkoverthewholematterfromthestandpointofonewholovesthetruth，andwhodoesnotfeartheresultofthosewhoareinvestigators。Afewyearsagothegeologistswereregardedastheenemiesofthefaith。Latertheevolutionistswerelookedonwithabhorrence。HadanyclergymanventuredtoassenttothatdoctrinewhichwenowknowtobetheeverlastingtruthoftheschemeofearthlylifepropoundedbytheCreator，hewouldhavebeencompelledtoleavetheChurch。Idonotknowwhatwillhappentome，myPhyllis。No，no！donotsayanythingtomenow。AllthatIaskofyouistothink——think——think。”

“Thatisit——thatisyourmodernscientificspirit！“shecried。“You，andsuchasyou，say"think——think——think"tous——topoorwomenandmenwhoareaskingforcomfort，forprotectionagainsttheeviloftheworld。Yousay"think——think——think，"whenyoushouldsaypray——pray——

pray。"Whereareyougoingtoend?youhavebegunbytakingfromusourBible。Whatdoyouproposetogiveusinexchangeforit?No——no，don"tanswerme。Ididnotmeantoenterintothequestionwithyou——

toenterintoanyquestionwithyou。Ihavenorighttodoso。”

“Youhaveeveryright，Phyllis。IfIshouldcauseoffencetotheleastofthelittleonesoftheflockwithwhichIhavebeenintrusted，itwouldbebetterthatamillstonewerehangedroundmyneckandthatI

werecastintothesea。Youhavearighttoaskanditislaidonmetoanswer。”

“ThenIdeclinetoavailmyselfoftheprivilege；Iwillaskyounothing，excepttosaygood-by。”

“Iwillnotsayit，Phyllis，andIwillnothearyousayit。Threemonthsagoyoutoldmethatyoulovedme。”

“AndIfanciedthatIdid，butnow——“

“Ah！youthinkthatyouhavethepowertoceaselovingatamoment"snotice?Youwillfindoutyourmistake，mychild。Inlovetherearenogood-bys。Itakeyourhandnow，butnottosaygood-by；Ifeelthatyouarestillmine——thatyouwillbeminemorethaneverwhenyouthink——think——andpray。”

“Ah！Youaskmetopray?“

“Pray——prayforme，child。Ineedtheprayersofsuchasyou，forI

feelthatmyhourofdeepesttrialisdrawingnigh。DoyoufancythatIamthemantotakebackanythingthatIhavewritten?Lookatme，Phyllis；ItellyouherethatIwillstandbyeverythingthatIhavewritten。Whatevercomesofit，thebookremains。EvenifIloseallthatIhaveworkedfor，——evenifIloseyou，——Iwillstillsay"thebookremains。"Iamreadytosufferforit。IsayinallhumilitythatIbelieveGodwillgivemegracetodieforit。”

Shehadgivenhimherhand。Hewasstillholdingitwhenhespokehisfinalsentence，looking，notintoherface，butintoaspacebeyondit。Hiseyesmorethansuggestedtheeyesofamartyrwaitingundauntedforthelightingofthefagots。Suddenlyhedroppedherhand。Helookedforamomentintoherface。Hesawthatthetearswereuponit。Heturnedandwalkedoutoftheroomwithoutaword。

Nowordcamefromher。

Heknewthathehadleftheratexactlytherightmoment。Shewasundoubtedlyannoyedbythepublicationofthebook；butthatwasbecauseshehadreadsomereviewsofit，andwas，girl-like，undertheimpressionthatthemurmurofthereviewerswasthemightyvoicethatechoesroundtheworld。Hefeltthatshewouldthinkdifferentlywhenhisrealpersecutionbegan。Helookedforwardwithgreathopetotheresultofhisrealpersecution。Shewouldneverholdoutagainstthat。

Ifthebishopwouldonlytakeactionatonceandattempttodeprivehimofhispastorate，therewasnothingthathemightnotlookfor。

AndthenhereflectedthatonthefollowingSundaythechurchwouldbecrowdedtothedoors。Shewouldseethat。Shewouldseethethousandsofthefashionablewomen——hehopedevenformen——whowouldfilleveryavailableseat，everyavailablestandingplaceinthechurch，andwhowouldallbeanxioustohearhisdefense。Thatwouldshowherthatthepublicationofthisbookhadraisedhimfarabovetheheadsoftheordinaryclergymanwhodronedaway，SundayafterSunday，inhalfemptychurchestocongregationsthatneverbecameinterested。Yes，formanySundaysSt。Chad"swouldbecrowdedtothedoors。Andthenhetrustedthatthebishopwouldtakeactionagainsthim，andinproportiontotheseverityofhispersecutionontheonehandwouldbehispopularityontheotherhand。

Allthiswould，hefelt，advancethecausewhichhehadatheart；forhewasthoroughlysincereinhisbeliefthattheviewswhichheadvocatedin“RevisedVersions“werecalculatedtoplacetheChurchonafirmerbasis，andtocauseittoappealtothosepersonswho，havingbeeninculcatedwiththespiritofmodernscientificinquiry，neverenteredachurchporch。

Hehadnotbeenguiltyofanemptyboastwhenhehadexpressedtoherhisreadinesstodiefortheprincipleswhichhehadenunciatedwithconsiderableclearnessinhisbook；but，atthesametime，whenhewaswalkingdownPiccadillyhecouldnotavoidthefeelingthatifhewereonlysubjectedtoavigorouspersecution——ahigh-classpersecution，ofcourse，withthebishopattheheadofit，hewouldbealmostcertaintowinbackPhyllis。Herdesertionofhimwasundoubtedlyablowtohim；buthethoughtthat，afterall，itwasnotunnaturalthatsuchasgirlassheshouldbesomewhatfrightenedattheboldnessofthebookwhichhehadpublished。Hehadseentheday，notsoverylongago，whenhewouldhavebeenfrightenedatithimself。AtanyratehefeltsurethatPhylliswouldbeabletodifferentiatebetweenthecaseoftheauthorof“RevisedVersions“andthecaseofthemediocreclergymanwhodefiedhisbishoponaquestionof——whatwasthequestion?——somethingconcerningthetwirlingofhisthumbsfromeasttowest，insteadoffromwesttoeast；yes，oranequallytrivialmatter。Hetrustedthatshewastoodiscriminatingagirltobrackethimwiththatwretched，shallow-mindedpersonwhoendeavoredtoposeasamartyr，becausehewouldnotbepermittedtodowhateverhetriedtoinsistondoing。Mr。Hollandthoughtithadsomethingtosaytothetwirlingofhisthumbsatacertainpartoftheservicefortheday，butifanyonehadsaidthathismemorywasatfault——thatthecontumaciouscurateonlywantedtomakesomegesturesatthepsychological，or，perhaps，thespiritual，moment，hewouldnothavebeensurprised。Hehadalwaysthoughtthatcurateaverysillyperson。

HethankedhisGodthathewasnotsuchaman，andhethoughtthathemighttrustPhyllistounderstandthedifferencebetweenthepositionwhichheassumedandtheposturingofthesillycurate。

Hisknowledgeofherpowersofdiscriminationwasnotatfault。

Phyllisneverforamomentthoughtofhimasposturing。Shedidhimmorethanjustice。Sheregardedhimasterriblyinearnest；nomanunlessonewhowasterriblyinearnestcouldhavewrittenthatbook——abookwhichshefeltwasboundtoalienatefromhimallthepeoplewhohadpreviouslyhonoredhimanddelightedtolistentohispreaching。

SomeonehadsaidinherhearingthatthepreachingofGeorgeHollandwas，comparedtothepreachingoftheaverageclergyman，astheelectriclightistothegas——thegasofastreetlamp。Shehadflushedwithpleasure，——thathadbeensixmonthsago，——whenitfirstoccurredtoherthattobethewifeofadistinguishedclergyman，whowasalsoascholar，wasthehighestvocationtowhichawomancouldaspire。ShehadtoldherfatherofthistestimonytotheabilityoftherectorofSt。Chad"s——pridehadbeeninhervoiceandeyes。

“Themanwhosaidthatwasatruecritic，“herfatherhadremarked。

“Electriclight?Quiteso。Intheabsenceofsunlighttheelectriclightdoesextremelywellfortherequirementsoftheaveragemanandwoman。Yourcriticsaidnothingaboutvolts?“

Thatwashowherfatherbecameirritatingtoheroccasionally——leadinguptosomephrasewhichhehadinhiscollectionofbric-a-brac。

“Volts！“

Yes，shefeltthatthesincerityofGeorgeHollandwouldalienatefromhimallthepeoplewhohadpreviouslyheldhiminhighesteem。

AlthoughshewasadaughterofPhilistia，ithadneveroccurredtoherthatthereissuchathingasa/successcandale/，andthattheeffectofsuchanincidentinconnectionwiththerectorofafashionablechurchrarelyleadstohisisolation。

ShedidGeorgeHollandmorethanjustice，forshecouldnotconceivehislookingforwardtoacrowdedandinterestedattendanceathischurchonthefollowingSundayandperhapsmanysuccessiveSundays。

Shecouldnotconceivehisthinkingwhateffectthenoticingofsuchanattendancewouldhaveuponher。Toher，astomostgirls，theheroicmanisallheroic。ThepictureoftheDukeofMarlboroughtakingalistofthelinentobesenttothewashwhilehistroopsweregettingintopositionforagreatbattleisonefromwhichtheyturnaway。ShecouldnotthinkofGeorgeHolland"scalculatingupontheeffectofacrowdedchurch，withnewspaperreportersscatteredthroughoutthebuilding，takingdowneverywordthatmightfallfromhislips。Sheregardedhimasamanwhohadbeencompelled，bytheinsidiousinfluenceofwhathecalledscientificthought，towriteashockingbook；butonethathecertainlybelievedwasdestinedtoeffectagreatreformintheworld。Hereyeshadfilledwithtearsashestoodbeforeherwiththegleamofmartyrdominhiseyes，andforaninstantshefeltawoman"simpulse——thatwasafactorwhichGeorgeHollandhadtakenintoconsiderationbeforehehadspoken——togivebothherhandstohimandtopromisetostandbyhissideinhishouroftrial。ButshethoughtofRuthandrestrainedherself。Beforehehadreachedthedoorshethoughtofhimasthemanfromwhomshehadmanagedtoescapebeforeitwastoolate。

Shewonderedifanyofthoseyoungwomenofthechurch，whohadgonebacktotheirbutterflygarmentsonhearingthatMr。Hollandhadaskedhertomarryhim，wouldhuntoutthesobergarmentswhichtheyhaddiscardedandwearthemwhentheywouldhearthatshewasnotgoingtomarryMr。Holland。

Sheratherthoughtthattheywouldgetnewdressesandhatsoftherightdegreeofsobriety。FashionschangesoquicklybetweenFebruaryandMay。

Andthentherewasthequestionofsleeves！

Anyhowtheywould，shefelt，regardthemselvesashavinganotherchance。Thatwashowtheywouldputit。

Onlyforaninstantdidshebecomethoughtful。Thenshesprangtoherfeetfromthesofaonwhichshehadthrownherselfwhenhertearswerethreatening，andcried:

“Letthemhavehim——letthemallhavehim——all——all！“

Thatwouldhavebeenabsurd。

CHAPTERVI。

IFAGIRLREALLYLOVESAMANSHEWILLMARRYHIM，EVENTHOUGHHE

SHOULDWRITEABOOK。

Phyllismeantthehalfhourwhichwouldelapsebeforeherteawasbroughttohertobeaverygratefulspace。Shemeanttodwellupontheachievementofherfreedom，forthefeelingthatshewasfreewasverysweettoher。Thefettersthathadboundherhadbeenflungaway，andshenowonlyhadasplendidsenseoffreedom。Sosweetwasthissensethatshemadeuphermindthatinfutureitwouldneverdoforhertorunanysuchriskasthattowhichshehadjustsubjectedherself。HowcouldsheeverhavebeensuchafoolastopromisetomarryGeorgeHolland?ThatwaswhatshewasaskingherselfasshelaybackonthepillowsoftheFrenchsofa，andlistenedtothesoftsoundofthecarriagewheelsofthecallersattheotherhousesinthesquare。

Whatasingularwishthatwasofhers——tobecomethewifeofaclergyman！Itseemedverysingulartoherjustnow。Justnowshedidnotwanttobecomethewifeofanyone，andshehopedthatnoonewouldaskher。Shedidnotwanttheworryofit。Ah，shewouldbeverycarefulinthefuture:shewouldtakeverygoodcarethatthefactofothergirlswantingtomarryoneparticularmanwouldnotmakeheranxioustohavehimalltoherself。

Beforeherresolutionsonthisveryimportantpointhadbeenfullyconsideredinalltheirbearings，hermaidenteredtoaskifshewasathome。Thebutlerhadsentafootmantohertomakethatinquiry，thefactbeingthatherparticularfriend，Mrs。Linton，hadcalledtoseeher。

Phyllisjumpedup，saying:

“OfcourseIamhometoMrs。Linton。Shewillhaveteawithme。”

Shewenttoaglasstoseeifthetearswhichhadbeeninhereyes——

theyhadnotfallen——hadleftanytracesthattheacutenessofEllaLintonmightdetect。Theresultofherobservationwassatisfactory；

shewouldnotevenneedtositwithherbacktothelight。

ThenMrs。Lintonwasannounced，andflowedintothearmsofherfriendPhyllis，crying:

“OfcourseIknewthatyouwouldbeathometome，mybeloved，eventhoughyoumightbeinthemidstofoneofthosebrilliantspeecheswhichyouwriteoutforyourfathertodeliverintheHouseandcausepeopletofancythatheisthewittiestmaninplace——sounlikethatdreadfulteetotalmanwhogrinsthroughthehorsecollarandthinksthatpeopleareimposedon。Nowletmelookatyou，youluckygirl！

Youarealuckygirl，youknow。”

“Yes，“saidPhyllis，“youhavecalledonme。Weshallhaveteainaminute。Howgoodofyoutocometomethefirstdayyouarrivedintown！Howwellyouarelooking，myElla！“

“Sogladyouthinkso，“saidElla。“Ihaven"tagedmuchduringtheeightmonthswehavebeenapart。Ihavehadaverygoodtimeonthewhole，andsohadStephen，thoughhewaswithmeforcloseuponamonth，poorlittleman！Butitisyou，Phyllis，itisyouwhoarethegirlofthehour。Heavens！youwerefarsighted！Whocouldhaveimaginedthathewouldbecomesofamousallinamoment?Imustconfessthatwhenyouwrotetomethatlettertellingmeofyourengagement，andhowhappyyouwere，Iwasalittlecross。Icouldnotclearlyseeyouthewifeofaparson，evensopresentableaparsonasMr。Holland。Oh，ofcourseIwroteyoutheusualexuberantletter——

whatwouldbethegoodofdoinganythingelse?Butnowthathehasbecomefamous——Oh，IwantyoutobringhimwithyoutomyfirstAtHome——Tuesdayweek。It"sveryshortnotice，Iknow，butyoumustcome，andbringhim。Youarebothcertaintobeingreatdemand。Whydoyoushakeyourheadthatway?YouneednotsaythatyouareengagedforTuesdayweek。”

“IwillnotsaythatIamengagedatall，inanysense，“saidPhyllis，withaveryshallowlaugh，atlaughthatsoundedlikearippleamongpebbles；herusuallaughwaslikearippleuponasilversand。

“Inanysense——forTuesdayweek?“

Ellaraisedhereyebrowstotheextentoftheeighthofaninch。Sheloweredtheminamoment，however，fortheteawasbeingbroughtin。

Itrequiredtwoable-bodiedmen(inplush)tocarryinadaintylittlesilvertray，withalittlesilvertea-potofapatternthatsilversmiths，forreasonswhichhaveneverbeenfullyexplained，call“QueenAnne。”Oneofthemen，however，devotedhimselftothecareofthehotcakesofvarioussubtletypeswhichwereinclosedinsilvercovereddishes。

WiththeloweringofhereyebrowsMrs。Linton"svoicelostitspreviousinflection。

“Ihavebeenfortunateenoughtohituponsomethingdistinctlynewinthatway“——sheindicatedthemuffindishes。“Acakethatmaybeeatenhotwithoutremovingone"sgloves。”

“Whataboon！“criedPhyllis。“YougotitatVienna，ofcourse。”

“Ofcourse。Youwilllearnallaboutitwhenyoucome。”

Theable-bodiedmenwithdrew，andbeforethedoorwasquiteclosedbehindthem，Ellawasgazingatherfriend，herfacealightwithinquiry。

“Nowprayexplainyourself，“shewhispered。“Notengagedinanysense——thosewereyourwords。Whatdotheymean?“

“Takethemliterally，myElla，“saidPhyllis。

“Literally?ButyouwrotetomethatyouhadengagedyourselftomarryMr。Holland?“

“AndnowItellyoubywordofmouththatIhavedisengagedmyself。”

“GoodHeavens！You，Ifancied，wouldbethelastgirlintheworldtopromisetomarryamanandthenbackoutofit。”

“ThatwaswhatImyselffancieduptillMondaylast。”

“Buthowcanyouhavechangedyourmind?Isn"titveryunfortunate——

justwhenthemanhasbecomefamous?“

“Howcoulditbeotherwise，Ella，whenthemanwrotesohorribleabookasthat?“

“Horrible?Isithorrible?Ihadnoidea。I"mnojudgeofwhatishorribleintheology，ormetaphysics，orwhateveritis。ButIdoprofesstoknowwhenamanhasmadeahit，whetherintheologyoranythingelse；andIperceivequiteclearlythatyourMr。Holland——

well，notyourMr。Holland，hasmadeadistincthit。Whatsortoffaceisthatyou"remakingatme?Oh，Isee。It"sthefaceoftheorthodoxatthementionofsomethingnotquiteorthodox。Pshut！don"tbeagoose，Phyllis。”