第2章

“Idon"tintend。HaveInottoldyouthatI"mnotgoingtomarryMr。

Holland?“

“Thatislikeoneofthephraseswhichyougivetoyourfather，sothatthepeoplemightthinkhimclever。Orthodox！Whocaresnowadaysforwhatisdullyorthodox?Whoeverheardofaheroinorthodoxynowadays?Thethingisimpossible。Theremaybe，ofcourse，thousandsoforthodoxheroes，butoneneverhearsanythingofthem。TheplanetsJupiterandSaturnandMercuryandMarsandtherestofthemcomeandgoattheirappointedseasons，andnooneevergivesthemasecondthought，pooroldrespectablethings！butthemomentacometappearsintheskyeveryonerushesouttogazeatit，andthenewspapersdealwithitfromdaytoday，andtheillustratedpapersgiveitsportrait。

Nothingcouldbemoreunorthodoxthanyourcomet。Oh，Phyllis，mychild，don"ttalknowadaysoforthodoxyortheother——whatdotheycallit?——heterodoxy。Mr。Holland"snamewillbeineveryone"smouthforthenextyearatleast，andifhisbishoporafriendlychurchwardenprosecuteshim，andthethingisworkedupproperly，heoughttobebeforethepublicforthenextfiveyears。”

“Oh，Ella！“

“I"mnotoverstatingthecase，Iassureyou，mydear。AmanwastellingmeaboutoneColenso——hewas，sofarasIcouldgather，afirst-classmanatalgebraandheresyandthingslikethat。HewasBishopofZanzibarorUgandaorsomeplace，andhewroteabookaboutMoses——showingthatMosescouldn"thavewrittensomethingorother。

Well，hetookabitofprosecuting，fiveorsixyears，Ibelieve，andhedidn"tgonearlysofarasMr。Hollanddoesinthatbookofhis。

AllthistimepeopletalkedaboutlittleelsebutColenso，andhisbooksmadehimafortune。Thatwasbeforeourtime，dear——whenthenewspapersweren"tworkedastheyarenow。Blockprintinghasmademoreheroesthanthelongestcampaignonrecord。Yes，Mr。Courtlandsaidsotwodaysago。IthinkI"lltrysomemoreofthatlovelycake:

it"slikewarmice，isn"tit?Oh，you"llnotbesofoolishastothrowoveryourMr。Holland。”

“Itisalreadydone，“saidPhyllis。“I"msogladthatyoulikethecake。Itisverysubtle。Whatadelightfulidea——warmice！“

“Nevermindthecake。IwanttohearmoreofthismatterofMr。

Holland，“saidElla。“DoyoumeantotellmeplainlythatyouthrewoverMr。Hollandbecausehewroteabookthatwillbringhimfameandfortune?“

“IhavethrownoverMr。HollandbecausehehaswrittenabooktomakepeoplehavecontemptfortheBible，“saidPhyllis。

“ThenallIcansayisthatyouwereneverinlovewiththeman，“

criedElla。

“Youmaysaythatifyouplease。”

“Idosayit。Ifagirlreallylovesaman，shewillmarryhimeventhoughheshouldwriteabookagainstDarwin。Ifagirlreallylovesamanshewillstandbyhimallthecloserwhenheisundergoingacourseofhonorablepersecution，withhisportraitineverypaperthatonepicksup。”

“Idaresaythatistrueenough，“assentedPhyllis。“PerhapsIneverdidreallyloveMr。Holland。PerhapsIonlyfanciedIcaredforhimbecauseIsawthatsomanyothergirls——tooktowearingchocolatesandgraysandkepttheirsleevesdownjustwhensleeveswerehighest。”

“Ofcourseitwasonlynaturalthatyoushouldwishto——well，colloquially，towipetheeyesoftheothergirls。Howmanygirls，I

shouldliketoknow，begintothinkofamanasapossiblehusbanduntiltheyperceivethatthethoughtsofothergirlsareturnedinhisdirection?“

“Atanyrate，whateverImayhavedonelongago——“

“Threemonthsago。”

“Threemonthsago。WhateverImayhavedonethen，IknowthatIdon"tlovehimnow。”

“Don"tbetoosure，mydearPhyllis。Ifthereisonethingmorethananotheraboutwhichawomanshouldneverbepositive，itiswhetherornotshelovesaparticularman。Whatmistakestheymake！No，I"llneverbelievethatyouturnedhimadriftsimplybecausehewrotesomethingdisparaginglyaboutSolomon，orwasitDavid?AndIdidsowantyouandhimformynextday；Imeantittobesucha/coup/，tohavereturnedtotownonlyaweekandyettohavethemostoutrageouslyunorthodoxparsonatmyhouse。Ah，thatwouldindeedhavebeena/coup/！Nevermind，Icanatleasthavethebeautifulgirlwho，thoughdevotedtotheunorthodoxparson，threwhimoveronaccountofhisunorthodoxy。”

“Yes，youarecertainofme——thatis，ifyouthinkIshould——ifitwouldn"tseemalittle——“

“Whatnonsense，Phyllis！Wherehaveyoubeenlivingforthepasttwenty-threeyearsthatyoushouldgetsuchafunnynotionintoyourhead?Doyouthinkthatgirlsnowadaysabsentthemselvesfromfelicityawhilewhentheyfinditnecessarytobecome——well，disengaged——yes，ordivorced，forthatmatter?“

“Ireallycan"trecollectanycaseof——“

“Ofcourseyoucan"t。Theydon"texist。Theproperthingforawomentodowhenshegetsadivorceistotakeaboxatatheatreandgivetheaudienceachanceofrecognizingherfromherportraitsthathavealreadyappearedintheillustratedpapers。Theblockprintinghasdonethattoo。There"snotatheatremanagerinLondonwhowouldn"tgivehisbestboxtoawomanwhohascomestraightfromthedivorcecourt。Themanagersrecognizethefactthatsheisinthesamelineasthemselves。Butforyou，mydearPhyllis——oh，youwillneverdohimtheinjusticetokeepyourthrowingoverofhimasecret。”

“Injustice?Oh，Ella！“

“Isayinjustice。Goodgracious，child！cannotyouseethatifitbecomesknownthatthegirlwhohadpromisedtomarryhimhasbrokenoffherengagementtohimsimplybecausehehaswrittenthatbook，theinterestthatattachestohimonaccountofhisunorthodoxywillbeimmeasurablyincreased?“

“Iwillnotdohimtheinjusticeoffancyingforamomentthathewouldbegratifiedonthisaccount。Whateverhemaybe，Ella，heisatleastsincereandsingle-mindedinhisaims。”

“Ihavenodoubtofit，myonlyjoy。Buthoweversincereamanmaybeinhisaims，hestillcannotreasonablyobjecttothedistinctionthatisthrustuponhimwhenhehasdonesomethingoutofthecommon。Themenwhomakebooksknowthatthatsortofthingpays。Someonetoldmetheotherday——IbelieveitwasHerbertCourtland——thatitisthemenwhowritebooksembodyingagreatandnobleaimwhomaketheclosestbargainswiththeirpublishers。IheardofagreatandgoodclergymantheotherdaywhowroteaLifeofChrist，andthencomplainedinthepapersofhispublishershavingonlygivenhimamiserablepercentageontheprofits。Thatishowtheytalknowadays；theprofitresultingfromtheLifeofChrististobemeasuredinpounds，shillings，andpence。”

“Mr。Hollandisnotamanofthisstamp，Ella。”

“I"msureheisnot。Atthesametimeifheisn"tprosecutedforheterodoxynoonewillbemoredisappointedthanMr。Holland，unless，indeed，itbeMr。Holland"spublisher。Whowouldbegrudgethemartyrhishalo，dear?Eventhemostsincereandsingle-mindedmartyrhasaneyeonthathalo。Thehalooftheup-to-datemartyrismadeupofafternoonteasprovidedbyfairwomen，andfull-pageportraitsintheillustratedpapers。”

“Andallthisleadsto——what?“

“Itleadsto——letmesee——oh，yes，itleadstoyourappearanceatmylittlegathering。Ofcourse，you"llcome。Believeme，you"llnotfeeltheleastuncomfortable。YouwillbeTheGirlwhoSacrificedherLoveforConscience"Sake。That"sagoodenoughqualificationfordistinctiononthepartofanygirlinthesehardtimes。ButImighthaveknownlongagothatyouwouldplaythispart。Thatsweetlypatheticvoice，withthatfirmmouthandthoselovelysoftgrayeyesthatwouldseemtoacasualobservertoneutralizethefirmnessofthemouth。Oh，yes，myPhyllis，youhaveundoubtedly/laphysionomiedurole/。”

“What/role/?“

“The/role/ofthegirlwhoisonthesideoftheBible。”

“IamcertainlyonthesideoftheBible。”

“AndsoamI。SoIwilllookforyoutobebymysideonTuesdayweek，andasoftenasyoupleaseinthemeantime。Bytheway，youwillprobablymeetHerbertCourtlandatourhouse。HeistheNewGuineaman，youknow。”

“OfcourseIknow。Youtalkofwantingheroesinorthodoxyatyourhouse，whileyouhaveMr。Courtland，theNewGuineaexplorer，drinkinghisteaatyourelbow?Oh，goaway！“

“Ihopeyouwilllikehim。WesawagooddealofhiminItaly，andwillprobablyseeagooddealofhimhere。”

“I"mcertaintolikehim:youlikehim。”

“Ah，that"swhatyousaidtotheyoungwomenwhoputofftheircolorsandtooktosackclothinthepresenceofMr。Holland。Don"tbetoosurethatyouwilllikeanymanbecauseotherwomenlikehim。Now，I

have，asusual，remainedtoolongwithyou。I"mgreatlyimpressedwiththesituationofthemoment。Idon"tsaythatIthinkyouarewrong，mindyou。GirlsshouldalwaysbeonthesideoftheBible。Atanyrateyouhave，Irepeat，/laphysionomiedurole/，andyoucan"tbefarastrayifyouactuptoit。Good-bye，mydearest。”

CHAPTERVII。

THEDEFENSEOFHOLLAND。

EllaLintondrovetoacertainshopnotfarfromPiccadilly，——theonlyshopwherethearrangingoffeathersistreatedasascienceindependentofthefreaksoffashion，——andatthedoorshemetatallmanwiththecomplexionofmahoganybutwithfairhairandmustache。

Peoplenudgedoneanotherandwhisperedhisnameastheywalkedpasthimbeforestandingattheshopwindow，pretendingtoadmirethefeathers，butinrealitytoglancefurtivelyroundattheman。

ThenamethattheywhisperedtooneanotherafterthenudgewasHerbertCourtland。

Hetookoffhishat——itwasatallsilkone，butnoonewhoknewanythingcouldavoidfeelingthatitshouldhavebeenasolartoupee——

whenMrs。Lintonsteppedfromhervictoria。

“Oh，youhere！“saidshe。“Whoonearthwouldexpecttoseeyouhere?“

“You，“saidhe。

“What?“

“Youaskedmeaquestion。Iansweredit。”

Shelaughedastheywalkedtogethertothedoorofthefeathershop。

“Itappearstomethatyouhaveaverygoodopinionofyourselfandaverybadoneofme，“sheremarked，smilinguptohisface。

“That"sjustwhereyoumakeamistake，“saidhe。

“How?“

“IfIdidnotthinkwellofyouIshouldnothaveorderedParkinsontomakeyouafanofthetailofthemeteor。”

“Oh，Bertie，youhavedonethat?“

“WhyshouldInotdoit?“

“Butitistheonlyoneintheworld。”

“Ah，that"sjustit。Youaretheonlyoneintheworld。”

Shelaughedagain，lookinguptohisface。

“Well，we"llhavealookatit，anyway，“saidshe。

Theywentintotheshoptoseethetailfeathersofthatwonderfulmeteor-birdwhichHerbertCourtlandhadjustbroughtbackfromNewGuineawithhim——themostgloriousthingthatnaturehadproducedandagreatexplorerhadriskedhislifetoacquire，inorderthatMrs。

Lintonmighthaveauniquefeatheredfan。

AboutthesametimetheRev。GeorgeHollandmetinthesamethoroughfarehisfriendandpatron，theEarlofEarlscourt。

“BytheLordHarry，you"vedoneforyourselfnow，myhearty！“criedtheearl。“WhattheblazesdoyoumeanbyattackingtheWordofGodinthatfashion?“

“Tommy，“saidtheRev。GeorgeHolland，smilingapatronizingsmileathispatron，“Tommy，myfriend，ifyoutakemyadviceyou"llnotmeddlewithwhatdoesn"tconcernyou。You"reapeer；betterleavetheWordofGodtome。I"mnotapeer，butaparson。”

“I"llnotleaveitwithyou；itisn"tsafe，“saidthepeer。“AnythingmoredamnablyatheisticalthanthatbookofyoursIneverread。”

“Andyoudidn"treadit，Thomas；youknowyouonlyreadascreechingreviewofit，andyoudidn"tevenreadthatthrough，“saidtheparson。

“Whotoldyouthat?“askedthepatron。“Well，atanyrateIreadwhatyousaidaboutRuth。Itwasquitescandalous！Ruth！GoodLord！whatcharacterissafenowadays?OneoftheloveliestofthewomenoftheBible——mywifesaysso。Sheknowsallaboutthem。Andthebestpaintersintheworldhaveshownherstandingamongthefieldofoats。

BytheLord，sir，it"ssheerblasphemy！andworsethanthat，it"smakingpeople——good，religiouspeople，mind，nottheruck——it"smakingthemaskwhytheblazesIgaveyoutheliving。It"safact。”

“I"msorryforyou，Tommy——verysorry。I"malsosorryforyourgoodreligiouspeople，andparticularlysorryforthephraseologyoftheirearnestinquiriesonwhatIamsureisamatteroflifeanddeathtothem——spiritually。That"smylastword，Thomas。”

“AndyouweredoingsowellattheJoss-house，too。”LordEarlscourtwasshakinghisheadsorrowfully，ashespoke。“Wewereallgettingonsocomfortably。Thatwaswhatpeoplesaidtome——theysaid——“

“Pardonme，I"maparson，thereforeI"mnotparticular；butIcan"tstandthewayyourgoodreligiouspeopleexpressthemselves。”

“Theysaid，"It"ssod——pleasanttogetholdofaparsonwhocanbetrustedinthepulpit——sermonswithagoodhealthymoraltone，andsoforth。YoumightbringyouryoungestdaughtertoSt。Chad"sinthecertaintythatshewouldhearnothingthatwouldmakeheraskuncomfortablequestionswhenshegothome。"It"safact，theysaidthat；andnowyougoandspoilall。Thebishopwillhaveawordtosaytoyousomeofthesedays，mylad。HeranawaytotheContinent，theytellme，whenyourbookwaspublished，andit"sperfectlywellknownthatheneverrunsawayunlessthingslookserious。Whenthebishopisserious，thosethatcan"tswimhadbesttaketotheboats。”

“I"llaskyouforaseatinyouryacht，Tommy。Meantimekindestregardstoherladyship。”

“Oh！bytheway，it"snottrue，isit，thatthegirlhasthrownyouoveronaccountofthebook?“

ForaninstanttherecamealittleflushtothefaceoftheRev。

GeorgeHolland；thenheshiftedhisumbrellafromonehandtotheother，saying:

“IfyoumeanPhyllis，allIcansayinreplyisthatsheisthebestandthetruestgirlaliveatpresent。I"veanengagementataquarter-

pastsix。”

“Well，good-by。Itwasmymissuswhosaidthatthegirlwouldthrowyouoveronaccountofthatbook。”

“Ah！Good-by。”

“Honestlyspeaking，George，oldman，Ithinkyou"vemadeamistakethistime。Peopledon"tmindmuchaboutJacobandJonahandJeremiahandthewholejoblotofSheenies；buttheydomindaboutRuth。Hangitallman！shewasawoman。”

“Ah！sowasJezebel，andyet——ah！good-by。I"llbelateformyappointment。”

“SeeyouonSunday，“saidtheearl，withabroadishsmile。

Andsohedid。

SodidthelargestcongregationthathadeverassembledwithinthevenerablewallsofSt。Chad"s。Theyheardhimalso，andsodidthedozenreportersofthemorningpaperswhowerepresent——sometodescribe，withthesubtlefacetiousnessofthenewspaperreporter，theamusingoccurrencesincidentaltothechurchserviceoftheday，andotherstotakedownhissermontotheextentofhalfacolumntobeheaded“TheRev。GeorgeHollandDefendsHimself。”Onereporter，however，earnedanincreaseinhissalarybymakinghisheadline，“TheDefenseofHolland。”ItwassupposedthatcasualreaderswouldfancythatthekingdomofHollandhadbeenrepellinganinvader，andwouldnotfindouttheirmistakeuntiltheyhadreadhalfthroughthesermon。

GeorgeHollandhadnotbeenmistakenwhenhehadassumedthathisappearanceinthechurchandhissermonthisdaywouldattractalargeamountofattention。Asamatteroffactthebuildingwascrowdedwithnotablepersons:Cabinetministers(2)，judgesofthesuperiorcourts(4)，companypromoters(47)，actorsandactresses(3)，musichallandvarietyartists(22)，RoyalAcademician(1)。Literaturewasrepresentedbyaladywhohadwrittenahigh-churchnovel，andfashionbythepublisherwhohadproducedit。Scienceappearedinthepersonofaprofessionalthought-reader(female)。ThesewereallstrangerstoSt。Chad"s，thoughsomeofthemcouldfollowtheservicequiteeasily。

Thehabituesofthechurchincludedseveralpeers，themembersofaforeignembassy，afewoutsidebrokers，quiteanumberofretiredofficersofbothservices，andsomeMembersofParliamentandtheLondonCountyCouncil。

Oneofthechaplainsofthebishopoccupiedaseatintheaisle；

accordingtothefacetiousnewspaperheheldawatchingbrief。

Therectorwas，ofcourse，obliviousofhisbrilliantentourage。HecouldnoteventellifPhyllisorherfatherwerepresent。(Asamatteroffactbothwereintheiraccustomedseatsintheirownpew。)

He，asusual，tookbutasmallpartintheritual——asLordEarlscourtonceremarked，GeorgeHollandwasn"tsuchafoolastokeepadoganddothebarkinghimself。(Ithasalreadybeenstatedthathehadacoupleofexcellentcurates。)Butthesermonwaspreachedbyhimself，asindeeditusuallywasafterthemorningservice。

Itwasthemostbrilliantofallhisefforts。Hetookashistextthewords，“AllScriptureisgivenbyinspirationandisprofitable，“andhehadnodifficultyinshowinghowvastwastheprofittobederivedfromaconsiderationofeveryportionofthesacredvolume，itappearedtohim，thantheaccountgivenoftheearlyhistoryoftheHebrewrace。Thataccountappealedasanobjectlessontoallnationsonthefaceoftheearth。ItallowedeverypeopletoseethecoursewhichthechildrenofIsraelhadpursuedatvariousperiodsoftheirexistenceandtoprofitbysuchobservation。TheHebrewswereaterribleexampletoalltheworld。IftheywereslaveswheninthelandofEgypt，thatwastheirownfault。Miltonhadmagnificentlyexpressedtheoriginofslavery:

“HethathathlightwithinhisownclearbreastMaywalki"thenoontideandenjoybrightday，Buthethathidesdarkdeedsandfoulthoughts……

Himselfishisowndungeon。”

ThebondageofEgyptwas，hebelieved，self-imposed。Thereisnoaccountavailable，hesaid，oftheenslavementoftheChildrenofIsraelbytheEgyptians，butacarefulconsiderationofthehistoryofvariouspeoplesshowsbeyondthepossibilityofamistakebeingmade，thatonlythosebecomeenslavedwhoarebestfittedforenslavement。A

kingarosethatknewnotJoseph——akingwhocouldnotbelievethatatanytimetherewasbelongingtothatraceofstrangersamanofsupremeintelligence。TheIsraelitesbowedtheirheadstotheyokeofthesuperiorrace，theEgyptians，andtooktheirrightfulplaceasslaves。AftermanydaysamanofextraordinaryintelligenceappearedinthepersonofMoses。Apatriotofpatriots，hegavetheracetheirGod——theyseemedtohavelivedinaperfectlyGodlessconditioninEgypt；andtheirtheologyhadtobeconstructedforthembytheirleader，aswellastheirlaws:thelawsforthedesertwanderers，andadecalogueforallhumanity。Hewasequaltoanyemergency，andhehadnoscruples。Healmostsucceededinmakingagreatnationoutofahordeofsuperstitiousrobbers。Hadhesucceededtherecordwouldhavethrowncivilizationbackathousandyears。Happyitwasfortheworldthatthetriumphofcrimewasbrief。ThecementofbloodshedthatkeptthekingdomofIsraeltogetherforatimesoondissolved。Captivityfollowedcaptivity。Forathousandyearsnoimprovementwhatevertookplaceintheconditionofthepeople——theyhadnoarts；theylivedinmudhutsataperiodwhenarchitecturereachedahigherlevelthanithadeverattainedtopreviously。Whenthepatriotprophetsarose，endeavoringtoreformthemwithwordsoffire——thesacredfireoftruth——theykilledthem。Onechanceremainedtothem。Theywereofferedareligionthatwouldhavepurifiedthem，inplaceofthesuperstitionthathaddemoralizedthem，andtheycriedwithonevoice，aseveryonewhohadknowntheirhistoryandtheirsocialcharacteristicsknewtheywouldcry，“NotthisMan，butBarabbas。”

ThatwasfromtheearliestperiodinthehistoryoftheracethewatchwordoftheHebrews。Nottheman，buttherobber。Allthatisgoodandnobleandtrueinmanhood——themercy，thecompassion，theself-sacrificethatarecomprisedintruemanhood——theycastbeneaththeirfeet，theyspatupon，theycrucified；butalloftheBarabbasinmantheyembraced。Thusaretheybecomeahissingintheearth，andproperlyso；forthosewhohissatthespiritwhichhasalwaysanimatedJudaismshowthattheyabhorathingthatisabhorrent。“AllScriptureisprofitable，“continuedthepreacher，“andpracticallyallthatisreferredtointhetextisanindictmentofJudaism。ThemoreearnestlyweholdtothistruththegreaterwillbetheprofitaccruingtousfromaconsiderationoftheScripture。ButwhatmoreterribleindictmentoftheHebrewsystemscouldwehavethanthatwhichisaffordedusintherecordthatthefatheroftheracehadtwelvesons?Hehad。Butwherearetenofthemnow?Sweptoutofexistencewithoutleavingasinglerecordoftheirdestructioneventotheirtwosurvivingbrethren。”HeconcludedhissermonbystatingthathehopeditwouldbeclearlyunderstoodthatherecognizedthefactthatinEnglandthosemembersoftheHebrewcommunitywhohadadoptedthemethods，theprinciples，thetruthsofChristianityeventhoughtheystillmaintainedtheirancientformofworshipintheirsynagogues，wereonalinewithcivilization。Theysearchedtheirscripturesandthesescriptureshadbeenprofitabletothem，inasmuchastheyhadbeentaughtbythosescriptureshowimpossibleitwasforthatformofsuperstitionknownasJudaismtobetheguideforanypeopleonthefaceoftheearth。

CHAPTERVIII。

IHOPETHATYOUWILLNOTEVENTUALLYMARRYANINFIDEL。

Someofthecongregationweregreatlydisappointed。TheyhadexpectedabrilliantandstartlingattackuponsomeotherBiblepersonageswhohadhithertobeenlookedonwithrespectandadmiration。ButthesermonhadonlyattackedtheJewishsystemasawhole，andeveryoneknowsthatthereisnothingpiquantinanattack，howevereloquentitmaybe，uponareligioussystemintheabstract。OnemightaswellfindentertainmentinanattackupontheMagneticPoleoradenunciationofthePrecessionoftheEquinoxes。Noonecared，theysaid，anythingmoreaboutthefailureofthelawsofMosesthanonedidaboutsuchabstractionsastheEarth"sAxis，ortheGreatGlacialEpoch。Itwasquitedifferentwhenthecharactersofwell-knownindividualsweresubjectedtoanassault。Peoplecouldlistenforhourstoanattackuponcelebratedpersons。IfMr。Holland"sbookhadonlydealtwiththecharacteristicsofthereligionoftheJews，itwouldneverhaveattractedattention，thesecriticssaid。IthadcalledfornoticesimplybecauseofitstrenchantremarksinregardtosomeofthoseBiblecelebritieswho，itwasgenerallyunderstood，wereconsideredworthyofadmiration。

WhycouldMr。HollandnothavefollowedupthecourseindicatedinhisbookbyshowingupsomeoftheotherpersonsintheBible?itwasasked。TherewerequiteanumberofcharactersintheBiblewhowereregardedasestimable。Whycouldhenotthenhavefolloweduphisoriginalschemeof“showingthemup?“——thatwasthephraseofthecritics。TherewasSolomon，forinstance。Hewasusuallyregardedasapersonofhighintellectualgifts；buttherewassurelyagooddealinhiscareerwhichwassusceptibleofpiquanttreatment。AndthensomeonesaidthatNoahshouldhaveachapteralltohimself，alsoLot；

andwhataboutthespieswhohadenteredJericho?Couldtheimaginationnotsuggestthestorywhichtheyhadtoldtotheirwivesontheirreturntothecamp，relativetothehouseinwhichtheyhadpassedalltheirsparetime?TheysupposedthatJerichowastheParisofthehighclassJewsofthosedays。

ThentheconversationofthesecriticsdriftedontotheParisofto-day，andthesermonanditslessonswereforgottenaseasilyasisanordinarysermon。Butallthesameitwasplainthattheclergymanhadfallenshortofwhatwasexpectedofhimuponthisoccasion。Hisbookhadgonefar，anditwasfeltthatheshouldhavegoneonebetterthanhisbook，sotospeak。Insteadofthathissermonhadbeenonetowhichscarcelyanyexceptioncouldbetaken。

Butthebishop"schaplain，whohadwatchedatintervalsofpraying，cametotheconclusionthattherectorofSt。Chad"swasagooddealclevererthanthemajorityofyoungishclergymenwhoendeavortoqualifyforprosecution。Itmaybeunorthodoxtocrossone"sarmswiththeregularityofclockworkoncomingtocertainwordsintheservice，andyoungclergymenhadbeenprosecutedforless；butitwasnotunorthodoxtospeakeviloftheJews——fordidnottheChurchprayfortheJewsdaily?andcananyoneinsultamanmorethanbyprayingforhim——unless，ofcourse，heisaking，inwhichcaseitisunderstoodthatnoinsultisintended?

Thebishop"schaplainpreparedareportofthesermonforhislordship，pointingoutitsgeneralharmony，broadlyspeaking，withthetenetsoftheChurch。

Mr。Ayrtonalsoseemedtoperceiveasortofclevernessinthesermon。

Therewasnothinginitthatwascalculatedtoshockeventhemostsusceptiblehearer。Indeed，itseemedtoMr。Ayrtonthattherewasagooddealinitthatwascalculatedtosoothethenervesofthosewhohadbeenshockedbythebook。Hesaidsomethingtothiseffecttohisdaughterastheywalkedhomeward。HewasratheranxioustofindoutwhatchanceGeorgeHollandhadofbeingrestoredtohisdaughter"sfavor。

ButPhylliswasfirminhercondemnationofthemethodsofMr。

Holland。

“HeattackstheJewsasaraceinordertoridiculethestatementintheBiblethattheywereGod"schosenpeople，andtheywere，youknow，papa，“shesaid。

“Theytooksomuchforgrantedthemselves，atanyrate，“saidherfather，withsomeshowofacquiescence。

“Buttheywere，andtheyaretoberestoredtotheirownland，“saidPhyllis。

“Arethey，mydear?Ishouldliketoseetheprospectusofthatenterprise。”

“Youaremocking，papa。Theyaretoberestored；itsayssointheBiblequiteclearly。”

“Iamnotmocking，Phyllis。IfgoldisdiscoveredinPalestine，theJewsmaygothereinsomenumbers；but，takemywordforit，theywon"tgootherwise。Theycouldn"tliveintheirownland，assumingthatitistheirown，whichisgoingprettyfar。Palestinewouldn"tsupportalltheJewsaliveatpresent；it"sawretchedcountry——Iknowitwell。Besides，theydon"twanttoreturntoit，andfurthermore，wecouldn"tsparethem。”

“IbelieveintheBible，andIhavefaith，“saidPhyllisfirmly。

“That"sright，“saidherfather。“Ihopeyoumayalwaysholdtoboth。

Ithinkthatthosegirlswhoexpecttoberegardedasadvanced，becausetheyscoffattheBibleandatfaith，arequitehorrid。Ialsohopethatyouwillnoteventuallymarryaninfidel。”

“Thatwouldbeimpossible，“saidPhyllisfirmly。

“Wouldit?“saidherfather。“Thereisastrongerinfluenceatworkinmostofus，attimes，thanreligion。Iwonderifitwillmakeavictimofyou，mychild，thoughyoudidsendGeorgeHollandabouthisbusiness。”

“Idon"tquiteknowwhatyoumean，“saidPhyllis，withonlytheslightestpossibleflush。

Andshedidnotknowwhathemeantuntilsixmonthshadpassed；butthensheknew。

Seeingthatshedidnotknowwhathemeant，herfatherthankedHeaventhatHeavenhadgivenhimadaughterwhowasunlikeotherdaughters。

Heprayedthatshemightneverbecomelikeotherdaughters。Hethoughtthatitwouldbegoodforhisdaughtertoremainwithoutexperienceofthoseoverwhelmingpassionswhichmakeupthelifeofawomanandaman。

Phylliswentoutagooddealduringtheweek，andeverywhereshefoundherselflookedatwithinterest；sometimesshefoundherselfbeingexaminedthrougha/pince-nez/asifshewereacuriousspecimen，andawomanortwosmiledderisivelyather。Shedidnotknowwhatwasmeantbytheircuriosity——theirderision——untilonedayanoldladynamedMrs。Haddonwentuptoherandkissedher，saying:

“ImadeupmymindthatIwouldkissyou，mydear，thefirstchanceI

had。Godblessyou，mychild！Youhavegivenyourtestimonyasawomanshould，inthesedaysofscoffingatthetruth。”

“Testimony?“saidPhyllis，quitepuzzled。Hadnotherfatherfeltathrillofgratitudeonreflectingthatshehadnoneofthequalitiesoftheprigabouther?“Testimony?“

“Youhavetestifiedtothetruth，MissAyrton，andyoushallhaveyourreward。Youhaveshownthatthetruthismoretoyouthan——thanlove——

theloveofman——allthatwomenholdsweetinlife。YouarerightMissAyrton；andalltruewomenmustloveandrespectyou。”

Phyllisturnedaverybrilliantcolor，andkepthereyesfixedontheparquetpatternofthefloor。

Thedearoldladysaidagooddealmoretoher，allinpraiseofheractofhavinggivenMr。Hollandhis/conge/onaccountofhishavingwrittenthatshockinglyunorthodoxbook。

BytheendoftheweekPhyllisAyrtonwaslookedonasquiteasmuchaheroineforhavinggivenMr。Hollandhis/conge/，asMr。Hollandwasaheroforhavingbravedthebishopinwritingthebook。Sheworeherlaurelsmeekly，thoughshehadbeenratherembarrassedwhenarayofintelligenceappearedamongthedarksayingsofthedearoldlady。Shecouldnothelpwonderinghowalltheworldhadbecomepossessedoftheknowledgethatshehadsaidgood-bytoherlover。SheconsideredifitwerepossiblethatMr。Hollandhadspreadabroadtheaccountofherill-treatmentofhim——hewouldnaturallyalludetoitasill-

treatment。ThequickjudgmentofEllaLintonhadenabledhertoperceivehowvaluabletoMr。HollandwastheincidentofhisrejectionbyPhyllis。Asabeginningofhispersecution，itsimportancecouldscarcelybeoverestimated。ButitdidnottakePhyllislongtoreassureherselfonthismatter。Itwas，ofcourse，Ellawhohadgiventheincidentpublicity。Shehaddonesofortworeasons:first，inorderthatherlittleafternoonAtHomemighthaveadditionallusterattachedtoitbythepresenceofayoungwomanwhohad，inthesedaysofamarriagemarketoverstockedwithyoungwomen(andoldwomen，forthatmatter)，thrownoveraneligiblemanforconscience"sake；andsecondly，inorderthatherAtHomemighthaveadditionallusterattachedtoitfromthepresenceofthemanwhoallowedhimselftobethrownoverbyadelightfulgirlratherthanrefrainfrompublishingwhathebelievedtobethetruth。

Mrs。Lintonachievedboththeobjectswhich，asagoodhostess，shehadinview。Mr。HollandputinanappearanceinoneofMrs。Linton"sbigdrawingrooms，andsodidPhyllisAyrton。

Everyoneadmittedthatonlyawomanofthesocialcapacity——somepeoplecalleditgenius——ofMrs。Lintoncouldaccomplishsuchafeatasthebringingintothesameroomtwopersonswhohadgivenunmistakableevidenceofpossessingaconscienceapiece——thewomanwhohadsacrificedthemanforconscience"sake，andthemanwhohadsacrificedthewomanunderthesameinfluence。Itwasasocialtriumph，beyonddoubt。

Peopletalkedinwhispersofconscience，theadvantagesandthedisadvantagesofitspossession，andtheconsensusofopinionwasofitsbeingquiteappropriateinregardtoaclergyman，andthatitwasnotaltogetheroutofplaceonthepartofaspinster，providedthatshehadcounteractingvirtues；but，onthewhole，itwasperhapswisertoleavetheconsciencewiththeNonconformists。

PhyllisdidnotseeGeorgeHollanduntilshehadgothalfwayupthefirstofMrs。Linton"srooms。ShedidnothearherfriendEllasaytosomeone，inalowvoiceofapprehension:

“ForHeaven"ssake，keepthemapart！Theyarejustthesortofpeopletogreeteachotherquitecordially；andiftheydo，nooneherewillbelievethattheirengagementisoff。Peopleheredon"tunderstandhowadelicateconscienceworks。”

ThatwaswhatEllamurmuredtoamanwhohadbeeninvitedinorderthathemightmakehimselfgenerallyuseful。Shegavehimhisinstructionstoolate，however。BeforeshehadquitecompletedhergreetingofPhyllis，Mr。Hollandwasbesidethem。

Hehadnotforcedhimselfforwardwithanymeasureofpersistency；nooneseemedtonoticeanymovementonhispartuntilhehadshakenhandswithPhyllis，andwaschattingwithherandMrs。Lintonquitepleasantly——muchtoopleasantlyforamanwithaconscience，someonesaidlaterintheafternoon；butthatwassomeonewhowantedtotalktoPhyllishimself。

Peoplewatchedherwhenshesufferedherselftobegraduallywithdrawnfromthecenteroftheroomtoaseatthatchancedtobevacant，justbehindtheopendooroftheconservatory。Coulditbepossible，theyaskedoneanother，thatshehadindeedgivenhisdismissaltoMr。

Hollandthepreviousweek?Why，theywerechattingtogetheraspleasantlyastheyhadeverchatted。Hadnotthepeoplewhotalkedsogliblyofconscienceanditsmysteriousoperationsspokenalittletoosoon?Orhadthequarrelbeenpatchedup?Ifso，whichofthetwohadgotridoftheconsciencethathadbroughtabouttheoriginalrupture?

Thesequestionswereansweredatdiversplacesbydiverspersons，allthetimethatGeorgeHollandandPhyllisAyrtonremainedsidebysideattheentrancetotheconservatory，atthefurtherendofwhichavocalquartettepartysangdelightfully——delightfully；sufficientlyloudtoenablealltheguestswhowantedtotalktodosowithoutinconvenience，andatthesametimenotsoloudastobecomeobtrusive。Itissoseldomthataquartettepartymanagetohitthishappymedium，peoplesaid。Theygenerallysingasiftheyfancythatpeoplecometogethertohearthem，notrememberingthatthelegitimateobjectofmusicatanAtHomeistoactasanaccompanimenttotheconversation。

WhenPhylliswasleavingthehousehalfanhourlater，amanwasjustenteringthefirstdrawingroom——amanwithafaceburnttothecolorofanoldmezzotint。

Helookedatherforamomentashepassedher，forherfacehadsuddenlylightedup，assuchafaceashersdoesuponoccasions。

ThemancouldscarcelyfailtoperceivethatsheknewhisnamewasHerbertCourtland。

ButthenhewasaccustomedtoberecognizedbywomenaswellasmenineverypartofEurope，sincehehadreturnedfromNewGuineawiththetailfeathersofthemeteor-bird，whichwerenowbeingmadeintoafanforMrs。Linton。

CHAPTERIX。

MYFATHERHASHISIDEASONWHAT"SCALLEDREALISM。

ThelastrumbleofapplausehaddiedawayattheParthenonTheater，buttheaudiencewereleavingveryslowly；theywishedtolingeraslongaspossiblewithintheatmosphereofthebuilding；though，liketheatmosphereofmanysacredplaces，thatoftheParthenonwas，justatthattime，atrifleunsavory。Thefirstperformanceofthedramaof“Cagliostro“hadjusttakenplace，and，asthefirstnightsattheParthenonareinvariablyregardedasthemostexclusivefunctionsoftheyear，thestallsandboxeshadbeencrowded。AndthedistinctionwhichinMayfairandBelgraviaattachestothosewhohavebeenintheboxesandstallsonParthenonfirstnightisnotgreaterthanthatwhich，inBloomsburyandCamdenTown，accruestothosewhohaveoccupiedplaces——notnecessarilyseats——intheotherpartsofthehouse。Itisunderstood，too，thatthegoodwillofBloomsburyandCamdenTownismuchmorevaluabletoaplaythanthebestwishesofMayfairandBelgravia。

Thegraciousmanagerhadmadehiscustomaryspeechofthanks，——foreverythingproducedattheParthenonwasasuccess，——andwhilethegeneralaudienceweremovingawayveryreluctantly，somedistinguishedmenandwomenfollowedtheguidanceofastrongIrishbrogueasaflockfollowsabell-wether，throughadoorthatledtothestage。

Herethegreatactorandtheever-charmingladywhodividedwithhimtheaffectionsofWestaswellasEast，receivedtheirguests"

congratulationsinsuchawayasmadetheguestsfeelthatthesuccesswaswhollyduetotheirgoodwill。

Mrs。Linton，whowasapersonageinsociety，——herhusbandhadfoundagoldmine(withtheassistanceofHerbertCourtland)andshehadherselfwrittenabookoftravelswhichdidnotsell，——hadbroughtPhylliswithherpartytothetheater，andtheyhadgoneonthestagewiththeothernotabilities，attheconclusionoftheperformance。

GeorgeHolland，havingbecomeasgreatacelebrityasthebestofthemduringthatpreviousfortnight，hadnaturallyreceivedastallandaninvitationtothestageattheconclusionoftheperformance。HehadnotbeenofMrs。Linton"sparty，buthelayinwaitforthatpartyastheyemergedfromtheirbox。

Anothermanalsolayinwaitforthem，andpeople——outsiders——nudgedoneanotherinthetheaterasthepassersdownPiccadillyhadnudgedoneanother，whisperinghisname，HerbertCourtland。Others——theywerenotquitesuchoutsiders——nudgedoneanotherwhenMrs。Lintonlaiddownhernewfeatherfanontheledgeofthebox。Itwaspossiblytheloveliestthingthatexistedintheworldatthatmoment。Noartisthadeverdreamedofsowonderfulaschemeofcolor——suchmiraclesofcolor——combinationsineveryfeatherfromthequilltothespider-web-

likefluffsatthetips，eachofwhichshonenotlikegoldbutlikeglass。Itwaswellworthallthenudgingthatitcalledforth。

ButwhenMrs。Lintonhadpickeditupfromtheledge，beginningtooscillateitinfrontofherfairface，thenudgingceased。Peoplelookedatthethingwitheyeswidewithastonishment，butwithlipsmute。

Amoresatisfactoryeveningshehadneverspent，Mrs。Lintonfelt；andnowthefanwashangingdownamongthebrocadedflowersofherdress，makingthemlooktawdryassheleftthebox，andnoticedhowatleasttwomenwerelyinginwaitforherparty。Therewas，however，afranknessinHerbertCourtland"sstrategywhichGeorgeHolland"sdidnotpossess。Mr。Courtlandwaslookingdirectlyather；Mr。Hollandwaspretendingtobeengrossedinconversationwithamaninoneoftheendstalls。

SheliftedafingerandCourtlandwenttoherside。ThedifficultiesofthejunglealongthebanksoftheFlyRiverweretriflingcomparedwiththeobstacleshehadtoovercomeinobeyingher。

“Ihadnoideathatyouwouldbehere，“shesaid。

“WhereelseshouldIbe?“hesaid，insolowatoneastobeheardonlybyher。

“Wearesoglad，“saidMrs。Linton。“Iwanttopresentyoutomydearestfriend，PhyllisAyrton。”

“Awoman！“saidhe。

“Notyet。Shehasnevermetaman。Shewillto-night，“saidElla。ThensheturnedtoPhyllis，whowaswalkingbesideLordEarlscourt。“Comehere，Phyllis，“shesaid；“youaretheonlypersoninLondonwhodoesn"tyetknowMr。HerbertCourtland。ThisisMr。Courtland。”

ThusitwasthatPhylliswentuponthestageoftheParthenonbythesideofHerbertCourtlandinsteadofbythesideofGeorgeHolland；

andthelittlelaughthatMrs。Lintongavewasduetohercarefulobservationofthelatter"sfacewhenheperceived，ashedidinspiteoftheengrossingnatureofhisconversationwithhisfriendintheendstall，howhisdesignshadbeendefeatedbyhertactics。ShewouldnothavemindedhavingHerbertCourtlandwithherforthehourtheymightremainatthetheater，butshehadmadeuphermindthatitwasnottoPhyllis"advantagethatMr。Hollandshouldcontinuebyhersideinpublicaftershehadgivenhimhisdismissal。

Shealsoperceived，withevengreatergratification，thatHerbertCourtlandwaslookingnearlyasdissatisfiedwiththeresultofhertacticsasGeorgeHolland。IfhehadlookedpleasedatbeingbythesideofPhylliswhenheexpectedtobewithher——Ella——whatwouldlifebeworthtoher?

ButifhewasdissatisfiedatbeingwithPhyllisinsteadofMrs。

Linton，hedidnotconsiderthatanyreasonforneglectingtheformer。

Hewonderedifshehadanychoiceinsandwiches——ofcourseshehadinchampagne。Hiscuriositywassatisfied，andPhylliswasamplyprovidedfor。

“YouareMrs。Linton"sdearestfriend，“heremarkedcasually，astheyleanedupagainsttheprofileoftheChurchscenein“Cagliostro，“fortheywerestandinginthe“wings“——tobeexact——ontheO。P。side。

“Sheismydearestfriend，atanyrate，“saidPhyllis。

“Youwerenotatschooltogether。Sheisfourorfiveyearsolderthanyou。”

“Onlythree。Whenshegotmarriedsheseemedtometobealmostvenerable。Threeyearsseemedalongtimethen。”

“Butnowyoufancythatyouhaveformedarightideaofwhatismeantbythreeyears?“

“Well，abetteridea，atanyrate。”

“Youarestillagoodwayoffit。Butifyouhaveformedarightestimateofawoman"sfriendship——“

“That"sstillsomething，youmeantosay?Butwhydidyoustopshort，Mr。Courtland?“

Phylliswaslookinguptohisfacewithasmileofinquiry。

“IwasafraidthatyoumightthinkIwasonthewaytopreachasermononthetextofwoman"sfriendship。Ipulledmyselfupjustintime。

I"mgladthatIdidn"tfrightenyou。”

“Oh，no；youdidn"tfrightenme，Mr。Courtland。Iwasonlywonderinghowyouwouldgoon——whetheryouwouldtreatthetopicsentimentallyorcynically。”

“Andwhatconclusiondidyoucometoonthesubject?“

“Iknowthatyouareabraveman——perhapsthebravestmanalive。Youwould，Ithink，havetreatedthequestionseriously——feelingly。”

Helaughed。

“Theadoptionofthatcourseimpliescouragecertainly。Allthemenofsentimentality——whichissomethingquitedifferentfromsentiment，mindyou——havetakentowritingmelodramaandpennynovelettes。Youdidn"thearmuchsentimentalityonthisstageto-night，oranyothernight，forthatmatter。”

“No；itwouldhavesoundedunreal。AParthenonaudiencewouldresentwhattheybelievedtobeafalsenoteinart；andaParthenonaudienceissupposedtobetheconcentrationofthespiritoftheperiodinthoughtandart；isn"tit?“

“Idon"tknow。I"mhalfasavage。ButIliketothinkthebestofaParthenonaudience；youandIformedpartofthatconcentrationto-night——yes，Iliketothinkthebestofit。Isupposeweknow——we，theParthenonaudience，Imean——whatourfeelingsareontheartofacting——theartofplay-writing。”

“Ishouldn"tliketohavetodefinemyfeelingsatamoment"snotice。”

“Onemustmakeabeginning，andthenworkupgraduallytothedefinition。”

“Forinstance——“

“Well，forinstance，there"ssomethingthatpeoplecallrealismnowadays。”

“Myfatherhashisideasonwhat"scalledrealism，“Phyllislaughed。

“"Realisminpaintingistheidealwithasmudge。"“

“Ishouldliketohearwhatyouthinkofit?“

Healsolaughedsympathetically。

“Oh，Ionlyventuretothinkthatrealismistheoppositetoreality。”

“And，sofarasIcangather，yourdefinitionisnotwantinginbreadth——no，norinaccuracy。Sentimentalityistheoppositetosentiment。”

“Thatisapointonwhichweagreedamomentago。Myfathersaysthatsentimentisastrongman"sconcealmentofwhathefeels，whilesentimentalityisaweakman"sexpressionofwhathedoesn"tfeel。”

“AndtheParthenonaudience——youandI——laughatthelatter——thatis，becausewehavepracticedsomeformofathletics。Thebicyclehasgivenits/coupdegrace/tosentimentality。Thatmanovertherewiththeheadandfacelikealion"s，andthatwomanwhosefaceisnatureilluminated，havelongagorecognizedtheshallownessofsentimentality——thedepthsofsentiment。Wecouldnotimagineeitherofthemstrikingafalsenote。Theyhavebeentheteachersofthisgeneration——thegenerationtowhichyoubelong。GreatHeavens！tothinkthatforsomanyyearshumanpassionshouldbebanishedfromart，thougheverylineofShakspereistremulouswithpassion！Why，thewordwasabsolutelybanished；itwasregardedasimpure。”

“Iknowthat——Iwasataboardingschool。Thepreceptressesregardedasimpureeverythingthatishuman。”

“Whereas，justtheoppositeisthecase?“

“Ididn"tsaythat，Mr。Courtland。”

“Youcouldscarcelysayit。Iamonlybeginningtothinkit，andI

havelivedamongsavagesforyears。Thatmanwiththelion"sfacehasnotfearedtodealwithpassion。AllactorswhohavelivedsinceGarrickhavenevergonefurtherthantoillustratepassioninthehandsofaman；butthatlion-man，whosestagewearenowstandingon，showsusnotthepassioninthehandsofaman，butthemaninthehandsofthepassion。Themanwhotearsthepassiontotattersistherobustiousperiwig-patedfellow；theactor，whoshowsusthemantornintattersbythepassion，isthesupremeartist。Iamnoauthorityonmodernliterature；butImustconfessthatIwasastonishedatthechangethatafewyearshavebroughtabout。Iwasinaproperpositionfornoticingit，havingbeenpracticallywithoutbooksfortwoyears。”

“Isitachangeforthebetter，doyouthink，Mr。Courtland?“

“Ifeelcertainthatitisforthebetter。Irefer，ofcourse，onlytothebooksofthoserealinvestigators——realartists。Irefertothefountain-heads，nottothehydrantslaiddownbythewatercompaniesattheendofabouttenmilesoffoulpiping。Idon"tliketheproductofthehydrants。Ilikethesprings，and，howevernaturaltheymaybe，Idon"tfindanythingimpureinthem。WhyIlovetheBibleisbecauseitissoverymodern。”

“Youdon"tthink，then，thatitisyetobsolete，Mr。Courtland?“

“Nobookthatdealssotrulywithmenandwomencaneverbeobsolete，thefactbeingthatmenandwomenarethesameto-dayastheyweretenthousandyearsago，perhapstenmillionyearsago，thoughI"mnotquitesosureofthat。TheBible，andShakspere，andRofudingding，aNewGuineapoet，whoatemenforhisdinnerwhenhehadachance，and，whenhehadfinished，sanglyricsthatstirtheheartsofallhisfellow-islanderstothisday，——helivedahundredyearsago，——dealtwithmenandwomen；thatiswhyallareasimpressiveto-dayastheywerewhenoriginallycomposed。Menandwomenlikereadingaboutmenandwomen，anditisbecomingunderstood，nowadays，thatthetruthaboutmenandwomencanneverbecontemptible。”

“Ah，buthowdoweknowthatitisthetruth?“

“Thereinthemetaphysicianmustministertohimself。Icannotsuggesttoyouanytestofthetruth，ifyouhavenonewithyou。EveryonecapableofpronouncingajudgmentonanymattermustfeelhowtruthfullythepersonagesintheBiblehavebeendrawn。”

“Yes；theBibleistheWordofGod。”

“Ibelievethatitis，mostcertainly。Thatprofoundwisdom；thattolerationoftheweaknessesofmen；thatsympathywithmen，whocannotfathomthemysteriesoflife，andthestruggleforlifeofallthingsthatlovelife；thatspiritIcallGod，andIdon"tthinkthatabetternamehasbeenfoundforit。”

“It——for/it/?YouthinkofGodasmerelyaforceofnature?“

“Justthecontrary。Godisthespiritthatlivesinwarfarewithnature。GreatHeavens！isn"tthatthetruthofwhichthewholeBibleistheallegory?Natureandnature"slawsconstitutetheDevil。GodistheopposingForce。Itisalawofnaturetokillofftheweak，tocrushthatwhichhasfalleninthestruggle。ItisGodwhohelpstheweak——whohelpsthefeeble。”

“Butmerelyaforce?“

“Oh，Ihavenoprivateopiniononthatpartofthequestion。IamnotlikethatmodernphilosopherwhofanciedhehadsolvedthewholeproblembyspellingGodwithasmallg。Butdon"tyouthinkthatwehavegonequitefarenoughinourexchangeofconfidenceforafirstmeeting?YouarewhattheItalianscall/simpatica/——thatis，morethanmerelysympathetic。Youlookatone，andleadoneontoconfideinyouasonedoesnotconfideinmostgirls。Youareathoroughlydangerousyoungwoman，MissAyrton，thoughyouareMrs。Linton"sdearestfriend。Bytheway，canyoumakeherconfideinyou?“

Thereseemedtobeameasureofcuriosity，nottosayanxiety，inthetoneofthisinquiry。

“Well，shemakesmeconfideinher。Iwonderifthatisjustthesamething，“saidPhyllis。

“It"snotexactlythesamething，“saidhe。“Butit"sthepropercoursefordearestfriendstoadopttowardeachother。Forthemaintenanceofafirmfriendshipbetweenanytwopersons，onlyoneshouldconfide；theothershouldbestrictlytheconfidante。Bytheway，Iwonderwhatistheaveragedurationofthedearestfriendshipbetweentwowomen。”

“Whyshouldithaveanylimits?“saidPhyllisgravely。“Whatisthedurationofthefriendshipbetweentwomen?“

“Itmostlydependsonwhenthewomanmakesherappearance，“saidhe，withalaugh。

“Ah！Sothat——Ah，nevermind。EllawasmydearestfriendbeforeMr。

Lintonputinanappearance。”

“Andhewasminebeforesheputinanappearance，“saidhe。

“Ididn"tknowthat，“saidPhyllis。

“There，yousee，ismycontentionborneout，“saidhe。“Youaretheonewhoconfides；sheistheonewhoreceivestheconfidences，andrespectsthem，I"msure。Ihopethatyouwilldothesame，MissAyrton。Don"tletanyoneknowthatIconfidedinyouallthatIthinkonthesubjectoftheoldAdamandthenewEve。”

“NooneexceptEllaLinton，andyouknowthatIcankeepnothingfromherifwearetoremaindearestfriends。Perhapssheknowsalreadythelimitsofyourbelief，Mr。Courtland。”

“Shedoes——shedoes。”

AtthatmomentEllaLintoncameupwithLordEarlscourt。

“HasMr。Courtlandbeentellingyouallaboutthebirdofparadise?“

sheaskedofPhyllis，whileshewavedthetailfeathersoftheloveliestofthebirdsofparadisebeforeherface。

“Thebird?——notthe/bird/，“laughedPhyllis。

“Butthetopicwasparadise?“Ellajoinedinthelaugh——yes，tosomeextent。

“ItalkedofAdam——theoldoneofthatname，“saidMr。Courtland。

“AndEve——thenewoneofthatname，“saidPhyllis。

“Theologyisintheair！“criedElla。“Eventhestageofatheaterisnotfreefromthetaint。ItmustbethecaseofMr。Holland。WhereisMr。Holland，bytheway，LordEarlscourt?“

“Ihaven"tseenhimforsometime。Hemusthavegoneaway。I"mnotMr。

Holland"skeeper，thankHeaven！“saidLordEarlscourt，withheartfeltdevoutness。

“Nowyouknowthateveryoneholdsyouaccountableforwhathehasdone！“saidElla。

“Thenthat"sjustwhereeveryonemakesamistake，“saidhe。“GreatLord！isityourideaofBritishjusticetopersecutethewrongman?

Whydoesn"tthebishopdohisduty?Whatdowepayhimfor?“

“Wewon"tabandonourcharityatthecalloftheology，“saidElla。

“Theology——representedbyLordEarlscourt，“saidMr。Courtland。

“Youdon"tknowhowI"vebeenabusedduringthepastfortnight，indeedyoudon"t，“moanedLordEarlscourt。“Why，there"smyownwife，sheabusedmelikeacab-driverbecauseGeorgeHollandhadbeenwithusontheplatformwhentheChineseteetotalerscameheretoprotestagainstthepublichousesinEngland；shesaysthathisbackslidingwillputbackthecauseaquarterofacentury。Thentherearetheotherchurchwardens；theylookonmeasifIhadbeenmakingasuggestiontorafflethesacredplate。GeorgeHollandhasarunforhismoney，butI"vehadnofunoutofit。”

“Itdoesseemhard，“saidCourtland。“Butit"splainthatthecasecallsforpersecution，andwhynotpersecuteyou?Someonemustbepersecuted，you"lladmit。”

“Thenwhythe——“

“IthoughtthatyourgoodoldBunyipwouldlookinonusbeforelong，“

saidCourtland。“There"snopossibilityofdiscussingdelicatepointsintheologywithouthim。”

“Ithinkwehadbettergohome，“saidElla。

“Wemusthavesomeconsiderationforourhost，“saidCourtland。“Wedidn"tallplaythepartof/Cagliostro/to-night。”

Duringthemovementofhercircleandtheadjustmentofwraps，preparatorytothedeliveryofavaledictorywordofcongratulationtothegreatactor，EllasaidinalowtonetoHerbertCourtland:

“Cagliostro?No；wedidn"tallplaythepart；but——well，Cagliostrowasaweaverofspells。”

Therewasapausebeforehesaid:

“Yes，buttheartdidnotdiewithhim。Hehadadaughtertowhomhetaughthisart。”

“NotthatIeverheardof，“saidshe。“WhatdoyouthinkofPhyllisAyrton?“

“Ithinkthatsheisthedearestfriendofmydearestfriend，“hereplied。

“AndIshouldlikehertobecomethedearestfriendofmydearestfriend。”

“Thatwouldbeimpossible，“hesaid。

Thenthefelicitousvaledictorywordwassaidtothegreatactorandactress，andMrs。Linton"scarriagereceivedPhyllis。LordEarlscourttookaseatinMr。Courtland"shansom。

“WhatdoyouthinkaboutMr。Courtland?“inquiredEllaofherdearestfriend，astheylaybackwiththeirheadsveryclosetogether。

TherewasalongpausebeforePhyllisreplied:

“Ireallydon"tknowwhatIthinkabouthim。Heis，Isuppose，thebravestmanaliveatpresent。”

“What?Isthattheresultofyourhalfhour"schatwithhim?“

“Oh，dear，no！butallthesame，it"spleasantforagirltofeelthatshehasbeentalkingtoabraveman。Itgivesoneasenseof——of——isitofbeingquitesafe?“

“Goodgracious，no！justtheopposite——thatis——Oh，youdon"tunderstand。”

“No，Idon"t。”

“Nevermind。Tellmewhathetalkedabout?“

“Oh，everything！God。”

“Iknowthatitwasintheair。Hehasideas，Ibelieve。Henevertalkedonthattopictome。Ihopeyoufoundhimtobequitesound，theologically。”

“Butitseemsratherfunny，doesn"tit?“saidPhyllis；“butIreallydon"tthinkthatwhenIwaslisteningtohimIconsideredforamomentwhetherhewassoundortheoppositeinhisviews。”

“Funny?Itwouldhavebeenratherfunnyifyouhaddonethat，“laughedElla。“Thequestionthatahealthygirl——andyouareahealthygirl，Phyllis——asksherselfaftertalkingtosuchamanasHerbertCourtlandisnot，Ishistheologysound?WhathealthygirlcaresthefractionofafarthingaboutthetheologyofamanwithafacelikeHerbertCourtland"sandarmslikeHerbertCourtland"s?Youtalkedwithhimforhalfanhour，andthencometomeandsaythatyousupposeheisthebravestmanaliveintheworld。Thatwasright——quiteright。Thatisjustwhateveryhealthygirlshouldsay。Weunderstandaman"sthewsandsinews；welikewiseunderstandwhatbraveryinamanis，butwhatdoweknow，or，forthatmatter，careabouthistheology，whetheritissoundortheopposite?Nothing。Wedon"tevencarewhetherhehasanytheologyornot。”

“Goodgracious，Ella！onewouldfancythatyouthought——“

“Thoughtwhat?“

“Idon"tquiteknow。YouseeImetMr。Courtlandquitecasually，justasImetadozenmenatvariousplacesduringtheweek。Whyshouldyouquestionmemorecloselyabouthimthanaboutthedozenothermen?Heonlytalkedalittlemorewidely，andperhapswildly。Hisbraveryisnomoretomethanhistheology。”

“Ofcourseitisn"t，Phyllis。ButtherewasthecaseofGeorgeHolland——“

“Thatisverydifferent，Ella。IhadengagedmyselftomarryGeorgeHolland。Itwouldbeimpossibleformetomarryanymanwhohadshownhiscontemptfor——foreverythingthatIregardassacred。”

“Ibelieveitwould，ifyoudidn"tlovethatman。Butifyoulovedtheman——Oh，whenyoucometoknowwhatitmeanstoloveyouwillunderstandall。Awomanbeforeshelovesis——whatisshe，aneggbeforeitishatched?Thatsoundsridiculous。Bettersayagreenchrysalisbeforeitbreaksintoabutterfly；forthetransitioncomesatonce。Theology！Oh，myPhyllis，haven"tyoureadinhistory，truehistory——novelswrittenbymenwhoknowusandhowwewerecreated，andwhy——haven"tyoureadwhatwomendowhentheytrulyloveaman?

Howtheyflingeveryconsiderationtothewinds:heaven——home——husband——God——Mrs。Grundy?Theology！Ah，youareahealthygirl。YounevercaredascrapforGeorgeHolland。Youweregladwhentheexcusepresenteditselfinordertothrowhimover。”

“Yes；Ibelievethatisquitetrue。”

Ella"scryofsurprise，andherlaughthatfollowed，shockedhercompanion，andfeelingthatthiswasthecase，theonewholaughedhastenedtomakeherapologies。

“Don"tbeannoyedwithme，dear，“shecried。“ButIreallycouldn"thelpthatlaughwhenIthoughtofyourearnestnesstheweekbeforelast。Then，youwillremember，youwereingreatpainbecauseoftheheterodoxyofGeorgeHolland。Didn"tItellyouatthattimethatyouhadneverlovedhim?Youwerereadytoassuremethatyouhad，andthatyouweremakingagreatsacrificetoyourprinciples?“

“Irememberverywell，“saidPhyllis，withasoundthatwasnotfarremovedfromasob。

“Ah，youareapuzzletoyourself，youpoorlittlechrysalis，“saidElla，puttingthemeteoricfeathersplayfullydownupontheseriousfaceofPhyllis——itsseriousnesswasapparentbeneaththelightofthecarriagelamp。“No，don"tmaketheattempttoexplainanythingtome。

Don"ttrytoreconcileyourfranknessnowwithyourpretensethen，becauseyou"llcertainlymakeamuddleofit，andbecausenosuchattemptisnecessarytobemadetome。Iknowsomethingofthegirlandhermoods——notagreatdeal，perhaps，butenoughtopreventmydoingyouaninjustice。Youareperfectlyconsistent，myPhyllis。”

“Oh，consistent?“

“Perfectlyconsistentwithyournatureasagirl。Itisthenatureofagirltochangewitheverywindthatblows。Itisonlythefemaleprigwhoactsconsistentlyunderallcircumstances。Inaworldtheleadingofwhichisitsmen，inconsistencyisthebestnatureofahealthygirlmadetobelovedbymen。Onedoesn"tsneerattheweathercockbecauseonehouritpointstothenorthandthenexttotheeast。"Tisitsnatureto。"Tisournaturetochangewitheverybreezeofmanthatbearsdownonus。That"swhytheyloveusanddetesttheprigs。Hereweareatyourhouse。Ihopeyoudon"tkeepyourmaidupforyou。Iwouldscorntokeepagirloutofherbedforthesakeofbrushingmyhair。Good-night，dear，anddreamoftheparadisethatawaitsyou——aparadiseinwhichtherearebirdstobeshot，birdsofparadisetomakefeatherfansforwomenwhoholdthemtotheirbosomsoneminute，andthenextdisposeofthemtoMr。andMme。Abednegowithlastseason"soperawrap。There"saparableforyoutosleepupon。”

“Andyou——you?“criedPhyllis。

“Oh，asforme，I"ll，I"ll——well，IthinkI"llputmymeteorfanonthepillowbesidemyownto-night。I"mstillnewfangledwithmytoyand——well，I"mawoman。”

AtthisinstantthecarriagepulleduptoMr。Ayrton"shalldoorandthefootmanjumpeddownfromtheboxtorunupthestepsandringthebell。

“Good-night，“saidPhyllis。“Ienjoyedmyeveninggreatly，andthedrivehomebestofall。”

EllaLinton"slaughwassmotheredamongthedelicateflossofthefeatherswhichshehelduptoherface。