第6章

Oneofthemhadanideathathecouldplayuponthebanjo。Hewaswrong，Mr。Courtlandthinks。”

“Agoodmanypeoplearesubjecttocuriousnotionsofthesametype。

Theyusuallytakeanoptimisticviewofthesusceptibilitiesofenjoymentoftheirneighbors——notthatthereisanyconnectionbetweenenjoymentandabanjo。”

“Mr。CourtlandsaidjustnowthatwhenDr。Johnsongaveitashisopinionthatmusicwas，ofallnoises，theleastdisagreeable，thebanjohadnotbeeninvented。”

“Thatassumesthatthereissomeconnectionbetweenmusicandthebanjo，andthat"sgoingjustalittletoofar，don"tyouthink?“

“IshouldliketohearDr。Johnson"scriticismofPaderewski。”

“HiscriticismofSignorPiozziisextant:afinepieceofeighteenthcenturydirectness。”

“Isometimeslongforanhourortwooftheeighteenthcentury。YourememberFannyBurney"sreferencetothegentlemanwhothoughtitpreposterousthatReynoldsshouldhaveincreasedhispriceforaportraittothirtyguineas，thoughheadmittedthatReynoldswasagoodenoughsortofmanforapainter。IthinkIshouldliketohaveanhourwiththatman。”

“Ilongformorethanthat。IshouldliketohaveseenDavidGarrick"sreproduction，forthebenefitofhisschoolfellows，ofDr。Johnson"slovepassageswithhisverymaturewife。IshouldalsoliketohaveheardthecompletestoryofoldGrouseinthegunroom。”

“ToldbySquireHardcastle，ofcourse?“

“Ofcourse。Iquestioniftherewasanythingverymuchbetteraboardthe/WaterNymph/。Bytheway，LadyEarlscourtinvitedmetojointheyachtingparty。Shedidnotmentionittoherhusband，however。Shethoughtthatthereshouldbeachaplainaboard。Now，consideringthatLordEarlscourthadtoldmethepreviousdaythathewascompelledtotaketotheseasolelyonaccountofthewaypeoplewereworryinghimaboutme，IthinkthatIdidtherightthingwhenItoldherthatI

shouldbecompelledtostayathomeuntiltheappearanceofacertainpaperofmineinthe/ZeitGeistReview/。”

“I"msurethatyoudidtherightthingwhenyoustayedathome。”

“Andinwritingthepaperinthe/ZeitGeist/?Youhavereadit?“

“Oh，yes！Ihavereadit。”

“Youdon"tlikeit?“

“HowcouldIlikeit?Youhaveknownmenowforsometime。HowcouldyoufancythatIshouldlikeit——thatis，ifyouthoughtofmeatallinconnectionwithit?Idon"tmyselfseewhyyoushouldthinkofmeatall。”

Heroseandstoodbeforeher。Shehadrisentotakehisemptycupfromhim。

“Don"tyouknowthatIthinkofyoualways，Phyllis?“hesaid，inthatlowtoneofhiswhichflowedaroundtheheartsofhishearers，andmadetheirheartsasonewithhisheart。“Don"tyouknowthatIthinkofyoualways——thatallmyhopesarecenteredinyou?“

“Iamsosorryifthatisthecase，Mr。Holland，“saidshe。“Idon"twanttogiveyoupain，butImusttellyouagainwhatItoldyoulongago:youhavepassedcompletelyoutofmylife。Ifyouhadnotdonesobefore，thepublicationofthatarticleinthe/ZeitGeist/wouldforcemetotellyouthatyouhaddonesonow。Tomemyreligionhasalwaysbeenalivingthing；myBiblehasbeenmyguide。Youtrampledupontheonesomemonthsago，youhavetrampledontheothernow。Youshockedme，Mr。Holland。”

“Ihavealwayslovedyou，Phyllis。IthinkIloveyoubetterthanI

everdid，ifthatwerepossible，“saidhe。“Iamoverwhelmedwithgriefatthethoughtofthebarrierwhichyourfancyhasbuiltupbetweenus。”

“Fancy?“

“Yourfancy，dearchild。Ifeelthatthebarrierwhichyoufancyisnowbetweenusisunworthyofyou。”

“What?Doyoumeantosaythatyouthinkthatmydetestation——my——myhorrorofyoursneersattheBible，whichIbelievetobetheWordofGod——ofthecontemptyouhaveheapedupontheChurchwhichIbelievetobeGod"sagentonearthforthesalvationofmen"ssouls——doyouthinkthatmydetestationoftheseisameregirlishfancy?“

“Idon"tthinkthat，Phyllis。WhatIthinkis，thatifyouhadeverlovedmeyouwouldbereadytostandbymysidenow——tobeguidedbymeinamatterwhichIhavemadethestudyofmylife。”

“Insuchmattersasthese——thevalueortheworthlessnessoftheBible；thevalueortheworthlessnessoftheChurch——Irequirenoguide，Mr。Holland。Idonotneedtogotoapriesttoaskifitiswrongtosteal，tocovetanother"sgoods，tohonormyfather——Oh，I

cannotdiscusswhatissoveryobvious。TheBibleIregardasprecious；youthinkthatyouareinapositiontoedititasifitwereanordinarybook。TheChurchIregardastheTempleofGodupontheearth；youthinkthatitexistsonlytobesneeredat?andyetyoutalkoffancifulbarriersbetweenus！“

“IconsideritthegreatestprivilegeofamanonearthtobeaministeroftheChurchofChrist。”

“Why，then，doyoutakeeveryopportunityofpointingtoitasthegreatestenemytoChristianity?“

“TheChurchofto-dayrepresentssomeresultsofthegreatReformation。ThatReformationwasduetotheintelligenceofthosemenwhoperceivedthatithadbecometheenemytofreedom；theenemytothedevelopmentofthought；theenemytotheaspirationsofagreatnation。ThenationrejoicedinthefreedomofthoughtofwhichthegreatcharterwastheReformation。ButduringthehundredsofyearsthathaveelapsedsincethatReformation，someenormouschangeshavebeenbroughtaboutinthedailylifeofthepeopleofthisgreatnation。Thepeoplearebeingeducated，andtheChurchmustsoonerorlaterfacethefactthataseducationspreadschurch-goingdecreases。

Whyisthat，Iaskyou?“

“Becausemenaregrowingmorewickedeveryday。”

“Buttheyarenot。Crimeissteadilydecreasingaseducationisspreading，andyetpeoplewillnotgotochurch。Theywillgotolectures，tobandsofmusic，topoliticaldemonstrations，buttheywillnotgotochurch。Thereasontheywillnotgoisbecausetheyknowthattheywillhearwithinthechurchtheargumentsofmenwhosemindsarestuntedbyanarrowtheologicalcourseagainsteverydiscoveryofscienceorresultofinvestigation。YouknowhowthebestmindsintheChurchridiculedthediscoveriesofgeology，ofbiology，ending，ofcourse，byreluctantlyacceptingtheteachingsofthemenwhomtheyreviled。”

“Yousaidallthatinyourpaper，Mr。Holland，andyetItellyouthatIabhoryourpaper——thatIshudderedwhenIreadwhatyouwroteabouttheBible。ThewordsthatareintheBiblehavegiventomillionsofpoorsoulsaconsolationthatsciencecouldneverbringtothem。”

“AndthoseconsolingwordsarewhatIwouldreadtothepeopleeverydayoftheweek，notthewordswhichmayhaveacertainhistoricalsignification，butwhichbreatheaverydifferentspiritfromthespiritofChristianity。Phyllis，itistobetheaimofmylifetohelponthegreatworkofmakingtheChurchoncemoretheChurchofthepeople——ofmakingitinrealitytheexponentofChristianityandJudaism。Thatismyaim，andIwantyoutobemyhelperinthiswork。”

“AndItellyouthatIshallopposeyoubyallthemeansinmypower，paltrythoughmypowermaybe。”

Hereyeswereflashingandshemadealittleautomaticmotionwithherhands，asifsweepingsomethingawayfrombeforeher。Hehadbecomepaleandtherewasalightinhiseyes。Hefeltangryatthisgirlwhohadshownherselfreadytoarguewithhim，——inhergirlishfashion，ofcourse，——andwho，afterlisteningtohisincontrovertiblearguments，fellbackresolutelyuponaplatitude，andconsideredthatshehadgotthebetterofhim。

Shehadgotthebetterofhim，too；thatwastheworstofit；hisobjectingoingtoher，inarguingwithher，wastoinducehertopromisetomarryhim，andhehadfailed。

Itwasonthisaccounthewasangry。Hemighthavehadacertainconsciousnessofsucceedingasatheologian，buthehadundoubtedlyfailedasalover。Hewasangry。Hewasaslittleaccustomedasotherclergymentobewithstoodbyagirl。

“Iamdisappointedinyou，“saidhe。“IfanciedthatwhenI——whenI——“Itwasinhismindtosaythathehadselectedheroutofalargenumberofcandidatestobehishelpmeet，buthepulledhimselfupintime，andthepausethathemadeseemedpurelyemotional。“WhenIlovedyouandgotyourpromisetolovemeinreturn，youwouldsharewithmealltheglory，thepersecution，theworkincidentaltothiscrusadeonbehalfofthetruth，butnow——Ah！youcanneverhavelovedme。”

“Perhapsyouareright，indeed，“saidshemeekly。Shewasreadytocedehimthispointifhesetanystorebyit。

“Takecare，“saidhe，withsomemeasureofsternness。“Takecare，ifyoufancyyouloveanotherman，thathemaybeworthyofyou。”

“Idonotloveanotherman，Mr。Holland，“saidshegently；scarcelyregretfully。

“Doyounot?“saidhe，withequalgentleness。“ThenIwillhope。”

“Youwilldoverywrong。”

“Youcannotsaythatwithoutlovingsomeoneelse。IwouldnotliketohearofyourlovingsuchamanasHerbertCourtland。”

Shestartedatthatpieceofimpertinence，andthen，withouttheslightestfurtherwarning，shefeltherbodyblazefromheadtofoot。

Shewasspeechlesswithindignation。

“PerhapsIshouldhavesaidawordofwarningtoyoubefore。”Hehadnowassumedthecalmdignityofaclergymanwhoknowswhatisduetohimself。“Iamnotonetoplacecredenceinvulgargossip；Ithoughtthatyourfather，perhaps，mighthavegivenyouahint。Mrs。Lintonisundoubtedlyaverysillywoman。GodforbidthatIshouldeverhearrumorplaywithyournameasIhavehearditdealwithhers。”

Hisassumptionoftheclergyman"ssolemndignitydidnotmakehisremarklessimpertinent，consideringthatEllaLintonwasherdearestfriend。AndyetpeoplewereinthehabitofgivingGeorgeHollandpraiseforhistact。Suchpersonshadneverseenhimangry，wounded，andanxioustowound。

Therewasapauseafterhehadspokenhistactlesswords。Itwasbrokenbyathrice-repeatedcryfromPhyllis。

“Lies！Lies！Lies！“shecried，facinghim，thelightofscorninhereyes。“Itellyouthatyouhavelistenedtolies；you，aclergyman，havelistenedtolyinggossip，andhaverepeatedthatlyinggossiptome。Youhavelistenedlikeawickedman，andyoushouldbeashamedofyourbehavior，ofyourwords，yourwickedwords。IfEllaLintonwerewicked，youwouldberesponsibleforitinthesightofGod。You，aclergyman，whosedutyitistohelptheweakones，togivecounseltothosewhostandonthebrinkofdanger；youspeakyourowncondemnationifyouspeakEllaLinton"s。YouhavespentyourtimenotinthatpracticalworkoftheChurch——thatworkwhichisdonesilentlybythoseofherpriestswhoaredesirousofdoingtheirduty；youhavespentyourtime，notinthiswork，butintheorizing，ininventingvainsophistriestoputinabook，andsocausepeopletotalkaboutyou；whethertheytalkwellorillofyou，youcarenotsolongastheytalk；youhavebeendoingthistogratifyyourownvanity，insteadofdoingyourdutyasaclergymanonbehalfofthesoulswhichhavebeenintrustedtoyourkeeping。Goaway——goaway！Iamashamedofyou；IamashamedofmyselfthatIwaseverfoolishenoughtoallowmynametobeassociatedwithyoursevenforasingleday。Ishallnever，neveragainenterthechurchwhereyoupreach。Goaway！Goaway！“

Hestoodbeforeherwithhishandsbyhissidesasamansuddenlyparalyzedmightstand。Hehadneverrecoveredfromtheshockproducedbyhercryingoftheword“lies！lies！lies！“Hewasdazed。Hewasbarelyconsciousoftheinjusticewhichshewasdoinghim，forhefeltthathewasnotactuatedbyvanity，butsincerityinallthathehadhithertopreachedandwrittenregardingtheChurch。Stillhehadnotthepowertointerruptherinheraccusation；hehadnotthepowertotellherthatshewasfalselyaccusinghim。

Whenherimpassioneddenunciationofhimhadcometoanend，andshestoodwithflamingface，oneoutstretchedhandpointingtothedoor，herecoveredhimself——partially；andcuriouslyenough，hisfirstthoughtwasthathehadneverseenamorebeautifulgirlinamoregracefulattitude。Shehadinsultedhimgrossly；shehadbehavedasnoneofthedaughtersofPhilistiawouldbehaveinregardtohim——him，aclergymanoftheChurchofEngland；butheforgotherinsults，herinjustice，andhisonlythoughtwasthatshewassurelythemostbeautifulwomanintheworld。

“Iamamazed！“hefoundwordstosayatlast。“Iamamazed！Ifeltcertainthatyouatleastwoulddomejustice。Ithought——“

“Iwillnotlistentoyou，“shecried。“Everywordyouutterincreasesmyself-contemptathavingheardyousaysomuchasyouhavesaid。Goaway，please。No，Iwillgo——Iwillgo。”

Andshedidgo。

Hefoundhimselfstandinginthemiddleofanemptyroom。

Neverbeforehadhebeensotreatedbymanorwoman；andtheworstofthematterwasthathehadanuneasyfeelingthathehaddeservedthescornwhichshehadheapeduponhim。Heknewperfectlywellthathehadnorighttospeaktoherashehadspokenregardingherfriend，EllaLinton。Rumor——whatrighthadhetosuggesttoher，ashehadcertainlydone，thattheevilrumorsregardingherfriendwerebelievedbyhimatleast?

Yes，hefeltthatshehadtreatedhimashedeserved；andwhenhetriedtogetupacaseforhimself，sotospeak，bydwellingupontheinjusticewhichshehaddonehiminsayingthathehadbeenactuatedbyvanity，whereasheknewthathehadbeensincere，hecompletelyfailed。

Buthisgreatesthumiliationwasduetoaconsciousnessofhisownwantoftact。Anymanmayforgethimselfsofarastolosehistemperuponoccasions；butnomanneedhopetogetonintheworldwhosofarforgetshimselfastoallowotherpeopletoperceivethathehaslosthistemper。

Whatwashetodo?

Whatwasleftforhimtodobuttoleavethehousewithaslittledelayaspossible?

Hewentdownthestairs，andafootmanopenedthehalldoorforhim。

Hefeltagooddealbetterintheopenair。Eventhelargedrawingroomwhichhehadleftwasbeginningtofeelstuffy。(Hewasasingularlysensitiveman。)

Onreachingtherectoryhefoundtwoletterswaitingforhim。Onefromthebishoprequestinganearlyinterviewwithhim。Theotherwasalmostidenticalbutitwassigned“StephenLinton。”

CHAPTERXXVI。

DIDHESAYSOMETHINGMOREABOUTRUTH?

HerbertCourtlandhadfoundhiswaytoherdrawingroomontheafternoonofhisreturntoLondon；anditwasuponthiscircumstanceratherthanuponherownunusualbehaviorinthepresenceofGeorgeHollandthatPhylliswasdwellingsosoonasshehadrecoveredfromhertearfuloutburstonherbed。(Shehad，ofcourse，runintoherbedroomandthrownherselfuponthebedthemomentthatshehadleftthepresenceofthemanwhomshehadoncepromisedtomarry。)Shehadweptinthesheerexcitementofthesceneinwhichshehadplayedthepartofleadinglady；ithadbeenaveryexcitingscene，andithadoverwhelmedher；shehadnotaccustomedherselftotheuseofsuchvehementlanguageasshehadfoundnecessarytoemployinordertoadequatelydealwithMr。Hollandandthatwashowitcameaboutthatshewasoverwhelmed。

Butsosoonasshehadpartiallyrecoveredfromherexcitement，andhaddriedhereyes，shebegantothinkofthevisitwhichhadbeenpaidtoher，notbyGeorgeHolland，butbyHerbertCourtland。Shedwelt，moreover，lessuponhisamusingaccountofthecruiseofthe/WaterNymph/thanuponthewordswhichhehadsaidtoherinregardtohislastvisit。Shehadexpressedhersurpriseatseeinghim。HadhenotgoneonayachtingcruisetoNorway?Surelyfivedayswasunderratherthanoverthespaceoftimenecessarytothoroughlyenjoythefinesceneryofthefjords。

HehadthenlaughedandsaidthathehadreceivedaletteratLeithmakinghisimmediatereturnabsolutelynecessary。

“Howdisappointedyoumusthavefelt！“shesuggested，withsomethinglikeasmileuponherface。

Hissmilewasbroaderashesaid:

“Well，I"mnotsosurethatmydisappointmentwassuchaswouldtendtomakemetakeagloomyviewoflifeforanindefinitetime。LordEarlscourtisaverygoodsortoffellow；but——“

“Yes；Iquiteagreewithyou，“saidshe，stillsmiling。“Knowingwhatfollowsthat"but"ineveryone"smind，weallthoughtitratherstrangeonyourparttostartonthatcruise。Andsosuddenlyyouseemedtomakeupyourmind，too。YouneverhintedtomethatafternoonthatyouwereanxioustoseeNorwayunderthepersonalconductorshipofLordEarlscourt。”

“Itwouldhavebeenimpossibleformetogiveyousuchahint，“saidhe。“IhadnoideamyselfthatIwantedgreatlytogotoNorway，untilImetEarlscourt。”

“Sowegatheredfromwhatpapatolduswhenhecameinaboutmidnight，bringingMr。Lintonwithhim，“saidPhyllis。“Ellahadcomeacrosstomebeforenine，toaskmetogowithherto"RomeoandJuliet"atCoventGarden，forgettingthatIwasdiningwithLadyEarlscourt。”

“Butyouhadnotreturnedfromthedinnerpartyatnine，“hesuggested。Shehadcertainlysucceededinarousinghisinterest，eveninsuchordinarydetailsasthoseshewasdescribing。

“Ofcoursenot；butEllawaitedforme；Isupposeshedidnotwanttoreturntoherlonelyhouse。SheseemedsogladwhenIcameinthatshemadeuphermindtostaywithmeallnight。”

“Oh！Butshedidn"tstaywithyou?“

“Ofcoursenot，whenherhusbandappeared。Itwassofunny——sostartling。”

“Sofunny——sostartling！Yes，itmusthavebeen——funny。”

“Ellawaswearingsuchalovelyfrock——coveredwithdiamonds。Iwishthatyouhadseenher。”

“Ah！“

“Ineversawanythingsolovely。Itoldherthatitwasabridaltoilet。”

“Abridaltoilet?“

“Wethoughtitsuchapitythatitshouldbewasted。Shedidn"tgototheopera，ofcourse。”

“Anditwaswasted——wasted?“

“Oh，no！Whenherhusbandcameinwithpapa，aboutmidnight，welaughedandsaidthatherdressingherselfinthatwaywasaninspiration；thatsomethingtoldherthathewasreturning。”

“ProbablyatelegramfromParishadtoldher；thatwasthesourceofherinspiration。”

“Oh，no！whatwassofunnyaboutthematterwasthatMr。Linton"sservantbungledsendingthetelegram，sothatEllaknewnothingofhiscoming。”

“GreatHeavens！“

“YouhavenotseenEllasinceyourreturn?“

“No；Ihavebeenwithherhusbandonbusinessallday，however。”

“Andofcoursehewouldnothaveoccasiontorefertosocasualanincidentashiswife"swearinganewtoilet。”

“Ofcoursenot。Thewordinspirationhasnoplaceinacommercialvocabulary，MissAyrton。”

“Butitisagoodwordelsewhere，Mr。Courtland。

“Yes，ithasitsmeaning。Youthinkthatitmaybesafelyappliedtothewearingofaneffectivetoilet。IwonderifyouwouldthinkofapplyingittothewordsyousaidtomeonthelasteveningIwashere?“

Itwasinaverylowtone，andafteralongpause，thatshesaid:

“IhopeifwhatItoldyouMrs。Haddonsaidwasaninspiration，itwasagoodone。IfeltthatImusttellyou，Mr。Courtland，thoughIfearthatIgaveyousomepain——greatpain。Iknowwhatitistoberemindedofanirreparableloss。”

“Pain——pain?“saidhe。Thenheraisedhiseyestohers。“Iwonderifyouwilleverknowwhateffectyourwordshaduponme，MissAyrton?“

headded。“Idon"tsupposethatyouwilleverknow；butItellyouthatitwouldbeimpossibleformeevertoceasetothinkofyouasmygoodangel。”

Sheflushedslightly，veryslightly，beforesaying:

“HowoddthatEllashouldcallmehergoodangel，too，onthatsamenight！“

“Andshespokethetruth，ifevertruthwasspoken，“hecried。

Herfacewasveryseriousasshesaid:

“OfcourseIdon"tunderstandanythingofthis，Mr。Courtland。”

“No，“hesaid；“itwouldbeimpossibleforyoutounderstandanythingofit。ItwouldbeimpossibleforyoutounderstandhowIfeeltowardyou——howIhavefelttowardyousinceyouspokethosewordsinthisroom；thosewordsthatcametomeasthelightfromheavencametoSaulofTarsus；wordsofsalvation。Believeme，Ishallneverforgetthem。”

“Iamsoglad，“saidshe。“Iamglad，though，asIsay，Iunderstandnothing。”

Thentherehadbeenalongintervalofsilencebeforeshehadaskedhimsomethingfurtherregardingtheyachtingparty。

Andnowshewaslyingonherbedtryingtorecalleverywordthathehadspoken，andwithadreadoverherthatwhathehadsaidwouldbearoutthatterriblesuspicionwhichshehadprayedtoGodtoforgiveherforentertainingonthatnightwhenEllahadgonehomewithherhusband。

NorumorhadreachedherearsregardingtheclosenessoftheintimacyexistingbetweenMr。CourtlandandMrs。Linton；andthusitwasthatwhenthatsuspicionhadcomeuponher，afterEllahadlefther，shefeltthatshewasguiltyofsomethingakintoacrime——ahorriblebreachoffriendship，onlytobeexpiatedbytearsandprayers。

ThatterriblethoughthadbeenborneuponherasasuggestiontoaccountformuchthatshecouldnotunderstandinthewordsandthebehaviorofElladuringthatremarkableevening；and，inspiteofherremorseandherprayers，shecouldnotridherselfofit。Itleftitsimpressionuponhermind，uponherheart。Hithertoshehadonlyheardaboutthewayanunlawfulpassionsweepsovertwopeople，causingthemtoflingtothewindsallconsiderationsofhome，ofhusband，ofreligion，ofhonor；andshefeltittobeveryterribletobebroughtfacetofacewithsuchapower；itseemedtoherasterribleastobebroughtfacetofacewiththatpersonalSataninwhomshebelieved。

ItonlyrequiredsuchahintasthatwhichhadcomefromGeorgeHollandtosethersmolderingsuspicion——suspicionofasuspicion——inaflame。Ithadflamedupbeforehiminthosewordswhichshehadspokentohim。IfEllawereguilty，he，GeorgeHolland，wastobeheldresponsibleforherguilt。

ButEllawasnotguilty；HerbertCourtlandwasnotguilty。

“No，no，no！“shecried，inthesolitudeofherchamber。“Shedidnottalkasaguiltywomanwouldtalk；andhe——hewentstraightoutoftheroomwhereIhadtoldhimwhatMrs。Haddonsaidabouthismother，hissister——straightaboardtheyacht；andshe——“

Allatoncethetruthflasheduponher；thetruth——shefeltthatitwasthetruth；andbothofthemwereguiltless。ItwasforHerbertCourtlandthatEllahadputonthatlovelydress；butshewasguiltless，hewasguiltless。(Curiouslyenough，shefeltquiteashappyinthethoughtthathewasguiltless。)Yes，Ellahadcometoherwearingthatdressinsteadofwaitingforhim，andhe——Ah，shenowknewwhathehadmeantwhenhehadcalledherhisgoodangel。Shehadsavedhim。

SheflungherselfonherkneesinapassionofthanksgivingtoGodforhavingmadeherthemeansofsavingasoulfromhell——yes，forthetimebeing。

Andthenshebegantothinkwhatsheshoulddoinorderthatthatsoulshouldbesavedforever。

Itwastimeforhertodressfordinnerbeforeshehadfinishedworkingoutthatgreatquestion，possiblythegreatestquestionthateverengrossedtheattentionofayoungwoman:howtosavethesoulofaman，nottemporarily，buteternally。

AndallthetimethatshewasinherroomaloneshehadnotasinglethoughtregardingthescenethroughwhichshehadpassedwiththeRev。

GeorgeHolland。Shehadutterlyforgottenhimandhiswickedness——hisvainsophistries。Shehadforgottenallthathehadsaidtoher——hismonstrouscalumnyleveledagainstherdearestfriend；sheevenforgotherunjusttreatmentofGeorgeHollandandherrudeness——herunparalleledrudenesstowardhim。Shewasthinkingoversomethingverymuchmoreimportant。Whatwasaquestionofmereetiquettecomparedtothequestionofsavingaman"ssoulalive?

ButwhenshedinedoppositetoherfatheritwastothevisitofGeorgeHollandshereferredratherthantothevisitofHerbertCourtland。

“WhathadGeorgeHollandgottosaythatwascalculatedtointerestyou?“herfatherinquired。Thepeacheswereonthetableandtheservanthad，ofcourse，lefttheroom。

“Hehadnothingtosayofinteresttome，“shereplied。

“Nothing，except，ofcourse，thathisrespectfulaspirationtomarryyou——“suggestedMr。Ayrton。

“Youneednotputthe"except"beforethat，mypapa，“saidshe。

“AndyetIhaveforsomeyearsbeenundertheimpressionthatevenwhenamanwhomsherecoilsfrommarryingtalkstoayoungwomanabouthisaspirationsinthedirectionofmarriage，sheismoreinterestedthanshewouldbewhenthemanwhomshewishestomarrytalksonsomeothertopic。”

“Atanyrate，GeorgeHollanddidn"tinterestmesolongashetalkedofhisaspirations。Thenhetalkedof——well，ofsomethingelse，andI"mafraidthatIwasrudetohim。Idon"tthinkthathewillcomehereagain。IknowthatIshallnevergotoSt。Chad"sagain。”

“Heavensabove！Thisisaprettystorytotellafather。Howwereyourudetohim?Ishouldliketohaveastoryofyourrudeness，merelytoholdupagainstyouforafutureemergency。”

“Ipointedtothedoorintheattitudeoftheheroineofoneoftheoldplays，andwhenhedidn"tleaveatonce，Ilefttheroom。”

“Youmeantosaythatyoulefthimstandinginthemiddleoftheroomwhileyouwentaway?“

“ItoldyouthatIwasrude。”

“Rude，yes；butit"sonethingtoomittoleavecardsuponahostess，andquiteanothertostareherinthefacewhenshebowstoyouinthestreet。It"sonethingtoomitsendingamanapieceofyourbridescake，andquiteanothertoknockoffhishatinthestreet。

Rude，oh，mydearPhyllis！“

“Ifyouknewwhathesaidabout——aboutsomeonewhomIlove——ifyouknewhowangryIwas，youwouldnotsaythatIactedsoatrociously，afterall。”

“Oh！DidhesaysomethingmoreaboutRuth?“

“Hesaidtoomuch——fartoomuch；Icannottellyou。IfanyothermansaidsomuchIwouldtreathiminthesameway。Youmustnotaskmeanythingfurther，please。”

“Rudeandunrepentant，shockingandnotashamed。Thisisterrible。Butperhapsit"sbetterthatyoushouldberudewhenyou"reyoungandbeautiful；lateron，whenyou"renolongeryoung，itwillnotbepermittedinyou。I"llquestionyounofurther。OnlyhowaboutSunday?“

“IhavepromisedEllatogowithherpartytoTheMooringforaweek。”

“Thatwillgetoverthematterofthechurch，butonlyforoneSunday。

HowaboutthenextSundays——untiltheprorogation?Now，don"tsaytheobvious"sufficientuntotheSundayisthesermonthereof。"“

“Icertainlywillnot。IhavedoneforeverwithSt。Chad"s，unlessthebishopinterferesandwegetanewrector。”

“Thenthat"ssettled。Andsowecandrinkourcoffeeinthedrawingroomwitheasyminds。Rude！GreatHeavens！“

CHAPTERXXVII。

THAT"SWHYWOMENDONOTMAKEGOODPHILOSOPHERS。

ShehadprayedtoGodthathemightbekeptawayfromher；butimmediatelyafterward，ashasalreadybeenstated，whenshebegantothinkoverthesituationofthehour，shecametotheconclusionthatshehadbeenalittletooprecipitateinherpetition。Shefeltthatshewouldliketoaskhimhowithadcomeaboutthathehadplayedthatcontemptiblepart。Suchacontemptiblepart！Wasitonrecord，shewondered，thatanymanhadeverplayedthatcontemptiblepart?Torunaway！Andshehaddesignedandwornthatwonderfultoilet；suchatoiletasHelenmighthaveworn(shethought)；suchatoiletasCleopatramighthaveworn(shefancied)；suchatoiletas——asSarahBernhardt(shewascertain)wouldwearwhenimpersonatingawomanwhohadlosthersoulfortheloveofaman。Oh，hadeverwomanbeensohumiliated！ShethoughtofthewaySarahBernhardtwouldactthepartofoneofthosewomenifherloverhadrunawayfromheroutstretchedarms，——andsuchatoilet，——onlyitwasnotonrecordthattheloverofanyoneofthemhadeverrunaway。Thelovershadbeenonlytoofaithful；theyhadremainedtobehackedtopieceswithamediaevalknifesparklingwithjewels，ortoswallowsomecuriouspoisonoutofaByzantinegoblet。ShewouldhaveawordortwotosaytoHerbertCourtlandwhenhereturned。Shewouldcreatethepartofthewomanwhoseloverhashumiliatedher。

ThiswasherthoughtuntilherhusbandtoldherthathehadsentthatlettertoHerbertCourtland，andhewouldmostlikelydinewiththemontheeveningofhisreturn。

ThenitwasitoccurredtoherthatHerbertCourtlandmightbysomecuriousmischance——mischancesoccurredinmanyofSarahBernhardt"splays——havecometohearthatshehadpaidthatrathersingularvisittoPhyllisAyrton，justatthehourthatshehadnamedinthatletterwhichshehadwrittentohim。Whatdifferencedidthatmakeinregardtohisunparalleledflight?Hewasactuallyaboardtheyacht/WaterNymph/beforeshehadrungforherbroughamtotakehertoPhyllis"。

Hehadbeenthefirsttofly。

Thenshebegantothink，asshehadthoughtoncebefore，ofherhusband"ssuddenreturn，——thereturnofahusbandattheexacthournamedinthelettertoaloverwasbynomeansanunknownincidentinaplayofSarahBernhardt"s，——andbeforeshehadcontinueduponthiscourseofthoughtformanyminutes，shehadcometotheconclusionthatshewouldnotbetoohardonHerbertCourtland。

Shewasnottoohardonhim。

HehadaninterviewwithMr。LintonatthecityofficesofthegreatTaragondaCreekMine。(Theminehad，ashasalreadybeenstated，beendiscoveredbyHerbertCourtlandduringhisearlyexplorationsinAustralia，andhehadacquiredoutofhissomewhatslenderresources——

hehadbeenpoorinthosedays——aboutasquaremileofthewretchedcountrywhereitwassituated，andhadthencommunicatedhisdiscoverytoStephenLinton，whounderstoodthescienceandartsnecessaryforutilizingsuchadiscovery，theresultbeingthatintwoyearseveryoneconnectedwiththeTaragondaMinewasrich。Thesweepingsofthecrushingroomswereworthtwentythousandpoundsayear:andHerbertCourtlandhadspentabouttenthousandpounds——afourthofhisyear"sincome——inthequestofthemeteor-birdtomakeafeatherfanforEllaLinton。)AndwhenthebusinessforwhichhehadbeensummonedtoLondonhadbeenset/entrain/，hehadpaidavisittohispublishers。(TheywonderedcouldhegivethemanovelonNewGuinea。

Ifheintroducedplentyofdialectanditwassufficientlyunintelligibleitmightthrustthekailyardoutofthemarket；butthenovelmustbeindialect，theyassuredhim。)Afterpromisingtogivethematterhisattention，hepaidhisvisittoPhyllis，andthenwenttohisroomstodress；forwhenStephenLintonhadsaid:

“Ofcourseyou"lldinewithusto-night:ItoldEllayouwouldcome。”

Hehadsaid，“Thanks；Ishallbeverypleased。”

“Comeearly；eightsharp，“Mr。Lintonhadadded。

Andthusitwasthatatfiveminutestoeighto"clockHerbertfoundhimselffacetofacealonewiththewomanwhomhehadsogrosslyhumiliated。

Perhapsshewashardonhimafterall:sheaddressedhimasMr。

Courtland。Shefeltthatshe，atanyrate，hadreturnedtothestraightpathofdutywhenshehaddonethat。(ItwasHerbertCourtlandwhohadtalkedtoPhyllisofthemodernphilosopher——apoliticalphilosopheroraphilosophicalpolitician——who，writingagainstcompromise，becametheleadingexponentofthatscience，andhadhopedtosolvethequestionofaDeitybyusingasmallginspellingGod。OnthesameprincipleEllahadcalledHerbert“Mr。

Courtland。”)

Hefeltuneasy。Washeashamedofhimself，shewondered?

“Stephenwillbedowninamoment，Mr。Courtland，“shesaid。

Hewasgladtohearit。

“Howwarmithasbeenallday！“sheadded。“Ithoughtofyoutoilingawayoverfiguresinthecity，whenyoumighthavebeenbreathingthelovelyairofthesea。ItwastoobadofStephentobringyouback。”

“IassureyouIwasgladtogethisletteratLeith，“saidhe。“IwasthinkingforthetwodaysprevioushowIcouldbestconcoctatelegramtomyselfatLeithinorderthatImighthavesomeexcuseforrunningaway。”

“Thatisassumingthatrunningawayneedssomeexcuse，“saidshe。

Therewasaconsiderablepausebeforehesaid，inalowtone:

“Ella，Ella，Iknoweverything——thatnight。Weweresaved。”

AtthismomentMr。Lintonenteredtheroom。Hewas，afterall，notlate，hesaid:itwantedaminutestillofbeingeighto"clock。HehadjustbeenatthetelephonetoreceiveareplyregardingaboxatCoventGarden。Intheearlierpartofthedaynonehadbeenvacant，hehadbeentold；butthepeopleattheboxofficepromisedtotelephonetohimifanybecamevacantinthecourseoftheafternoon。Hehadjustcomefromthetelephone，andhadsecuredagoodenoughboxonthefirsttier。HehopedthatEllawouldnotmind“Carmen“；therewastobeanew/Carmen/。

Ellaassuredhimthatshecouldnotfailtobeinterestedinany/Carmen/，neworold。Itwassogoodofhimtotakeallthattroubleforher，knowinghowdevotedshewastoopera。ShehopedthatHerbert——shecalledhimHerbertinthepresenceofherhusband——wasina/Carmen/mood。

“I"malwaysinamoodtostudyanythingthat"sunreservedlysavage，“

saidhe。

“There"snotmuchreservationaboutourlittlefriend/Carmen/，“saidMr。Linton。“Shetellsyouherphilosophyinherfirstmomentbeforeyou。”

Hehummedthehabanera。

“Thereyouare:/Misterosoel"amore/——that"sthephilosophyofyourprettysavage，Herbert。”

“Yes，“saidHerbert；“it"sthatphilosophywhichconsistsinanabsenceofphilosophy——nottheworstkind，either，itseemstome。

It"sthephilosophyofimpulse。”

“Ithoughtthattheaimofallphilosophywastocheckeveryimpulse，“

saidElla。

“Soitis；that"swhywomendonotmakegoodphilosophers，“saidherhusband。

“Or，forthatmatter，goodmothersofphilosophers，“saidHerbert。

“That"sratherahardsaying，isn"tit?“saidtheotherman。

“No，“saidhiswife；“it"sastransparentasair。”

“LondonairinNovember?“suggestedherhusband。

“Hemeansthatthere"snosuchthing。”

“AsairinLondoninNovember?I"mwithhimthere。”

“Hemeansthatthere"snosuchthingasagoodphilosopher。”

“ThenIhopehehasanappetitefordinner。Themanwithoutphilosophyusuallyhas。”

Thebutlerhadjustannounceddinner。

Therewasnotmuchtalkamongthemofphilosophysolongasthefootmenwerefloatingroundthemlikemightytropicalbirds。TheytalkedoftheHouseofCommonsinstead。Anewmeasurewastobeintroducedthenextnight:somethingthatthreatenedbeerandsatisfiednoparty；noteventheteetotalers——onlythewivesoftheteetotalers。ThentheyhadafewwordsregardingGeorgeHolland"sarticleinthe/ZeitGeist/。Mr。LintonseemedtosomeextentinterestedinthecontentionsoftherectorofSt。Chad"s；andHerbertagreedwithhimwhenheexpressedtheopinionthatthetwogreatestproblemsthattheChurchhadtofacewere:Howtogetpeoplewithintelligencetogotochurch，andwhattodowiththemwhentheywerethere。

InanhourtheywereintheirboxatCoventGardenlisteningtothesensuousmusicof“Carmen，“andcomparingthesaucinessofthecharminglittledevilwhosangthehabanera，withthepiquancyofthelast/Carmen/butthree，andwiththerefinementoftheonewhohadmadesogreatasuccessatMunich。Theyagreedthatthesavageryofthenewestwasveryfascinating，——StephenLintoncalleditwomanly，——

buttheythoughttheyshouldliketohearherinthethirdactbeforepronouncingadefiniteopinionregardinghercapacity。

Thenthehusbandlefttheboxtotalktosomepeoplewhowereseatedopposite。

“Youknoweverything?“shesaid。

“Everything，“saidHerbert。“Canyoueverforgiveme?“

“Forrunningaway?Oh，Bertie，youcannothaveheardall。”

“Forforcingyoutowritemethatletter——canyoueverforgiveme?“

“Oh，theletter?Oh，Bertie，wewerebothwrong——terriblywrong。Butweweresaved。”

“Yes，weweresaved。ThankGod——thankGod！“

“Thatwasmyfirstcry，Bertie，whenIfeltthatIwassafe——thatwebothhadbeensaved:ThankGod！Itseemedasifamiraclehadbeendonetosaveus。”

“Soitwas——amiracle。”

“Ispentthenightprayingthatyoumightbekeptawayfromme，Bertie——awayforeverandever。IfeltthatIwasmiserablyweak；IfeltthatIcouldnottrustmyself；butnowthatyouareherebesidemeagainIfeelstrong。Oh，Bertie，weknowourselvesbetternowthanwedidaweekago——isitonlyaweekago?Itseemsmonths——years——alifetime！“

“Yes，Ithinkthatweknoweachotherbetternow，Ella。Thatnightaboardtheyachtallthehistoryofthepastsixmonthsseemedtocomebeforeme。IsawwhatawretchIhadbeen，andIwasoverwhelmedwithself-contempt。”

“Itwasallmyfault，dearBertie。Iwasfoolish——vain——amerewoman！

DonotsaythatIdidnottakeprideinwhatIcalled，inmysecretmoments，myconquest。Oh，Bertie！Ihadsunkintothedepths。Andthenthatletter！Butweweresaved，andIfeelthatwehavebeensavedforevermore。Ifeelstrongbyyoursidenow。Andyou，Iknow，feelstrong，Bertie?“

“Ihaveawakenedfrommydream，Ella。Youcalledheryourgoodangeltoo。Surelyitwasmygoodangelthatsentmetoherthatevening！“

Ellawasstaringathim。Hesaidthathekneweverything。Itappearedthatshewastheonewhowasnotinthefortunatepositionofknowingall。

Shestared。

“PhyllisAyrton——youwerewithher?“

“Forhalfanhour。Shewasunconsciousoftheeffectherwordshaduponme，——thewordsofanotherwoman，——leadingmebacktothesideofthosewhohavegoneforever。Ilistenedtoher，andthenitwasthatI

awoke。Shedidnotknow。Howcouldshetellthatthelightofheavenwasbreakinginuponasoulthatwasonthebrinkofhell?Shesavedme。”

“Shetoldmenothingofthat。”Therewasacuriouseagernessinhervoice。“Shetoldmenothing。Oh，howcouldshetellmeanything?Sheknewnothingofitherself。Shelookedonyouasanordinaryvisitor。

ShetoldyouthatIfledtoher。Oh，Bertie，Bertie！thosehoursthatIpassed——theterribleconflict。ButwhenIfeltherarmsaboutmeI

knewthatIwassafe。ThenStephenentered。Ithoughtthatwewerelost——youandI；thathehadreturnedtofindyouwaiting。Idon"tknowifhehadasuspicion。Atanyrateweweresaved，andbyher——

dearPhyllis。Oh，willsheeverknow，Iwonder，whatitistobeawoman?Bertie，sheismydearestfriend——Itoldyouso。Ithoughtofherandyou——longago。Oh，whyshouldyounotthinkofhernowthatyouhaveawakenedandarecapableofthought——thethoughtofasaneman?“

Hesatwithanelbowrestingonthefrontoftheoperabox，hisheaduponhishand。Hewasnotlookingather，butbeyondher。Heseemedtobelostinthought。

Washeconsideringthatcuriousdoctrinewhichshehadpropounded，thatifamanreallylovesawomanhewillmarryherdearestfriend?

Hemadenoreplytoher。Thepointrequiredagooddealofthought，apparently。

“Youhearme，Bertie——dearBertie?“shesaid。

Heonlynodded。

Sherememberedthat，uponapreviousoccasion，whenshehadmadethesamesuggestiontohim，hehadputitasideasunworthyofcomment——

unworthyofamoment"sthought。Howcoulditbepossibleforhim，lovingherashedid，toadmitthepossibilityofanother"sattractivenessinhiseyes?Theideahadseemedludicroustohim。

Butnowhemadenosuchprotest。Heseemedtoconsiderhersuggestionandtothinkit——well，worthyofconsideration；andthisshouldhavebeenverypleasingtoher；fordiditnotmeanthatshehadgainedherpoint?

“Youwillthinkoverit，Bertie?“shesaid。Hervoicewasnowscarcelysofullofeagernessasithadbeenbefore。Wasthatbecauseshedidnotwanttowearyhimbyherpersistence?Eventhesuggestiontoamanthatheshouldloveacertainwomanshould，sheknew，bemadewithtact。

“Ihavebeenthinkingoverit，“hesaidatlast；butonlyafteralongpause。

“Oh，Iamsoglad！“

Andsheactuallybelievedthatshewasglad。

“Ithoughtaboutheraboardtheyacht。”

“Didyou?Ifanciedthatyouwouldthinkof——ButIamsoglad！“

“Ithoughtofherasmygoodangel。Thosewordswhichshesaidtome——“

“Shehasbeenyourgoodangel，andI——“

“Ella，Ella，shehasbeenourgoodangel——yousaidso。”

“Anddon"tyouthinkthatImeantit?Somewomen——sheisoneofthem——

areborntoleadmenupward；others——Ah，there，itisonthestage:

/Carmen/，theenchantress，/Michaela/，thegoodangel。ButIamsoglad！Sheiscomingtostaywithusuptheriver；youmustbewithustoo。Youcannotpossiblyknowheryet。Butaweekbyherside——youwill，Iknow，cometoperceivewhatsheis——thesweetest——themostperfect！“

Stillhemadenoreply。Hewaslookingearnestlyattheconductor，whowaspullinghismusicianstogetherforthesecondact。

“Youwillcometous，Bertie?“shewhispered。

Heshookhishead。

“Idarenotpromise，“saidhe。“Ifeeljustnowlikeamanwhoisstilldazed，onbeingsuddenlyawakened。Ihavenotyetbeguntoseethingsastheyare。Iamnotsureofmyself。Iwillletyouknowlateron。”

Thentheconductortappedhisdesk，andthoseoftheaudiencewhohadlefttheirplacesreturned。StephenLintonslippedintohischair；hiswifetookupherlorgnetteasthefirstjingleofthetambourineswasheard，andthecurtainroseuponthepicturesquetawdrinessofthecompanyassembledatthe/SenorLoisPastia"s/placeofentertainment。

Ellagaveallherattentiontotheopera——tothattragedyoftheweaknessoftheflesh，albeitthespiritmaybewillingtolistentogood。Alas！thatthefleshshouldbesofullofcolorandcharmandseduction，whilethespiritispale，colorless，andsettomusicinaminorkey！

/Carmen/flashedaboutthestageunderthebrilliantlights，lookinglikealovelypurplebutterfly——alovelypurpleorioleendowedwiththedoublegloryofplumageandsong，andmenwhoseheartsbeatinunisonwiththeheart-beatsofthatsensuousmusicthroughwhichsheexpressedherself，lovedher；watchedherwithravishedeyes；heardherwithravishedears——yes，asmenlovesuchwomen；untilthesensesrecoverfromtheintoxicationofhereyesandherlimbsandhervoice。

Andinthethirdactthesweet/Michaela/cameonwithhersongofthedelightofpurity，andpeace，andhome。Shesangitcharmingly，everyoneallowed，andhopedthat/Carmen/wouldsingaswellinthelastactasshehadsungintheothers。

EllaLintonkepthereyesfixeduponthestagetotheveryendofall。

CHAPTERXXVIII。

THECHURCHISNOTNEUROTIC。

WhenGeorgeHollandreceivedhistwolettersandreadthemhelaidthemsidebysideandaskedhimselfwhateachofthemmeant。

Well，hecouldmakeaprettygoodguessastowhatthebishop"smeant。

Thebishopmeantbusiness。ButwhatdidMr。Lintonwantwithhim?Mr。

Lintonwasabusinessman，perhapshemeantbusinesstoo。Businessmenoccasionallymeanbusiness；theymorefrequentlyonlypretendtodoso，inordertoputofftheirguardthementheyaretryingtogetthebetterof。

Hewouldhaveaninterviewwiththebishop；somuchwascertain；andthatinterviewwasboundtobeadifficultone——forthebishop。Itwaswithsomedegreeofpridethatheanticipatedtheconflict。Hewouldwithdrawnothingthathehadwritten。Letalltheforcesoftheearthbeleaguedagainsthim，hewouldabatenotajot——notajot。(BytheforcesoftheearthhemeanttheBenchofBishops，whichwasscarcelydoingjusticetothebishops——ortotheforcesoftheearth。)

Yes，theymightdeprivehimofhisliving，butthatwouldmakenodifferencetohim。Notajot——notajot！Theymightpersecutehimtothedeath。Hewouldbefaithfuluntodeathtothetruthshehadendeavoredtospreadabroad。Hefeltthattheyweretruths。

Butthatotherletter，whichalsoaskedforaninterviewathisearliestconveniencethenextday，wasrathermorepuzzlingtoGeorgeHolland。HehadneverhadanybutthemostcasualacquaintancewithMr。Linton——suchanacquaintanceasonehaswithone"shostatahousewhereonehasoccasionallydined。HehaddinedatMr。Linton"shousemorethanonce；butthenhehadbeenseatedinsuchproximitytoMrs。

LintonasnecessitatedhisremotenessfromMr。Linton。Thereforehehadneverhadachanceofbecomingintimatewiththatgentleman。Why，then，shouldthatgentlemandesireanearlyinterviewwithhim?

ItwascertainlycuriousthatwithinafewminutesofhishavingreferredtoMrs。Linton，inthepresenceofPhyllisAyrton，inawaythathadhadaveryunhappyresultsofarashewasconcerned，heshouldreceivealetterfromMrs。Linton"shusbandaskingforanearlyinterview。

Heseatedhimselfinhisstudychairandbegantothinkwhatthewriterofthatlettermighthavetosaytohim。

HehadnottoaskhimselfifitwaspossiblethatMr。Lintonmighthaveawordortwotosaytohim，respectingthewordortwowhichhe，GeorgeHolland，hadjustsaidaboutMrs。Linton；forGeorgeknewverywellthat，thoughduringthepreviousweekortwohehadheardsomepersonsspeakinglightlyofMrs。Linton，couplinghernamewiththenameofHerbertCourtland，yethehadneverhadoccasiontocoupletheirnamestogetherexceptduringtheprevioushalfhour，sothatitcouldnotbeMr。Linton"sintentiontotakehimtotask，sotospeak，forhisindiscretion——hisslander，Phyllismightbedisposedtotermit。

Uponthatpointhewasentirelysatisfied。ButhewasnotcertainthatMr。LintondidnotwanttoconsulthimonsomematterhavingmoreorlessdirectbearinguponthecouplingtogetherofthenamesofMrs。

LintonandMr。Courtland。Peopleevenintownarefondofconsultingclergymenuponcuriouspersonalmatters——mattersuponwhichalawyeroradoctorshouldratherbeconsulted。Hehimselfhadneverencouragedsuchconfidences。Whatdidhekeepcuratesfor?Hiscurateshadsavedhimmanyalonghouroftalkwithinconsequentmenandillogicalwomenwhohadcometohimwiththeirstories。Whatweretohimthestoriesofmenwhosewivesweregivingthemtrouble?Whatweretohimthestoriesofwiveswhohaddifficultieswiththeirhousemaidsorwhocouldnotkeeptheirboysfromreadingpirateliterature?Hiscuratesmanagedthedomesticdepartmentofhischurchforhim。Theycouldgiveanyearnestinquireratamoment"snoticetheaddressesofseveralcivil-spokenwomen(elderly)whowentoutasmother"shelpsbytheday。Theywereveryusefulyoungmenandprofessedtolikethiswork。Hewouldnotdothemtheinjusticetobelievethattheyspokethetruthinthatparticularway。

HecouldnotfancyforwhatpurposeMr。Lintonwishedtoseehim。Buthemadeuphismindthat，ifMr。Lintonwasanxiousthathiswifeshouldberemonstratedwith，he，GeorgeHolland，woulddeclinetoacceptthedutyofremonstratingwithher。Hewaswiseenoughtoknowthathedidnotknowverymuchaboutwomankind；butheknewtoomuchtosupposethatthereisanymorethanklessemploymentthanremonstratingwithanextremelyprettywomanonanysubject，butparticularlyonthesubjectofaverydistinguishedmantowhomsheconsidersherselfboundbytiesofthetruestfriendship。

ButthentherecameuponhimwiththeforceofagreatshocktherecollectionofwhatPhyllishadsaidtohimonthisverypoint:

“/IfEllaLintonwerewicked，youshouldbeheldresponsibleforitinthesightofGod/。”

Thosewereherwords，andthosewordscutasunderthelaststrandofwhatevertietherehadbeenbetweenhimandPhyllis。

Hisdutyasaclergymanintrustedwiththecareofthesoulsofthepeople，hehadneglectedthat，shedeclaredwithstartlingvehemence。

Hehadbeenactuatedbyvanityinpublishinghisbook——hisarticleinthe/ZeitGeistReview/——shehadsaidso；butthereshehadbeenwrong。Hefeltthatshehaddonehimagreatinjusticeinthatparticularstatement，andhetriedtomakehissenseofthisinjusticetaketheplaceoftheuneasyfeelingofwhichhewasconscious，whenhethoughtoverherotherwords。Heknewthathewasnotactuatedbyvanityinadoptingtheboldcoursethatwasrepresentedbyhiswritings。HehonestlybelievedthathiseffortswerecalculatedtoworkagreatreformintheChurch。IfnotintheChurch，outsideit。

Buthisdutyinregardtothesoulsofthepeople——Oh！itwasthemerestsophistrytoassumethatsuchresponsibilityonthepartofaclergymanissusceptibleofbeingparticularized。Itshould，hefelt，betouchedupon，ifatall，inaverygeneralway。Didthatyoungwomanexpectthatheshouldpreachasermontosuitthespecialcaseofeveryindividualsoulintrusted(accordingtoherabsurdtheory)tohiskeeping?

Theideawaspreposterous；itcouldnotbeseriouslyconsideredforamoment。Shehadallowedherselftobecarriedawaybyheraffectionforherfriendtomakeaccusationsagainsthim，inwhichevensheherselfwouldnotpersistinherquietermoments。

HefounditquiteeasytoprovethatPhyllishadbeeninthewrongandthathewasintheright；butthisfactdidnotpreventanintermittentrecurrenceduringtheeveningofthatfeelingofuneasiness，asthosewordsofthegirl，“/IfEllaLintonwerewicked，youwouldbeheldresponsibleforitinthesightofGod/，“buzzedinhisears。

“WouldshehavemebecomeanordinaryclergymanoftheChurchofEngland?“hecriedindignantly，asheswitchedonthelightinhisbedroomshortlybeforemidnight——fortherushlightinthecellofthemodernmanofGodissuppliedatastrengthofsomanyvolts。“Wouldshehavemebecomethemodelcountryparson，preachingtothesquireandotheryokelsonSunday，andchattingabouttheirsoulstowheezyGranferthis，andGammerthat?“HehadreadtheworksofMr。ThomasHardy。“DoesshesupposethatIwasmadeforsuchalifeasthat?PoorPhyllis！Whenwillsheawakefromthisdreamofhers?“

Didhefancythathelovedherstill?orwasthepainthathefelt，whenhereflectedthathehadlosther，theresultofhiswoundedvanity——theresultofhisfeelingthatpeoplewouldsayhehadnothadsufficientskill，withallhiscleverness，toretaintheloveofthegirlwhohadpromisedtobehiswife?

Beforegoingtobedhehadwrittenrepliestothetwoletters。Thebishophadsuggestedanearlyhourfortheirinterview——hehadnamedeleveno"clockasconvenienttohimself，ifitwouldalsosuitMr。

Holland。Twoo"clockwasthehoursuggestedbyMr。Linton，ifthathourwouldnotinterferewiththeotherengagementsofMr。Holland；sohehadwrittenagreementstothesuggestionsofbothhiscorrespondents。

Ateleveno"clockexactlyhedrovethroughthegatesofthePalaceofthebishop，andwithnofalteringhandpulledthebell。(So，hereflectedforaninstant，——onlyaninstant，——Lutherhadgone，somewhereorother，heforgotatthemomentwhatwastheexactlocality；buttheoccasionhadbeenamomentousoneinthehistoryoftheChurch。)

Hewascordiallygreetedbythebishop，whosaid:

“Howdoyoudo，Holland?Itookitforgrantedthatyouwereanearlyriser——that"swhyIventuredtonameeleven。”

“Nohourcouldsuitmebetterto-day，“saidGeorge，acceptingtheseat——heperceivedatoncethatitwasagenuineChippendalechairupholsteredinoldredmorocco——towhichhislordshipmadeamotionwithhishand。Hedidnot，however，seathimselfuntilthebishophadoccupied，whichhedidverycomfortably，thecorrespondingchairatthesideofthestudydesk。

“Iwasanxioustohaveachatwithyouaboutthatbook，andthatarticleofyoursinthe/ZeitGeist/，Holland，“saidthebishop。“I

wishyouhadwrittenneither。”

“/Literascriptamanet/，“saidGeorge，withasmile。

OnemayquoteLatininconversationwithabishopwithoutbeingthoughtaprig。Inalettertothe/Times/andinconversationwithabishoparetheonlytwooccasionsintheseunclassicaldayswhenonemaysafelyquoteLatinorGreek。

“That"stheworstofit，“saidtheprelate，withashakeofhisheadthatwasEarlyNorman。“Yes，youseeabookisn"tlikeasermon。

Peopledon"trememberaman"ssermonsagainsthimnowadays；theydohisbooks，however。”

“Iamquitereadytoaccepttheconditionsofmodernlife，mylord，“

saidGeorge。

“Iwasanxioustogiveyoumyopinionasearlyaspossible，“resumedthebishop，“andthatis，thatwhatyouhavejustpublished——thebookandthe/ZeitGeist/article——reflect——yes，innoinconsiderablemeasure——whatIhavelongthought。”

“Iamflattered，indeed，mylord。”

“Youneednotbe，Holland。IbelievethattherearealargenumberofthinkingmenintheChurchwhoaretryingtosolvetheproblemwithwhichyouhavesodaringlygrappled——theproblemofhowtoinduceintellectualmenandwomentoattendtheservicesofthechurch。I"mafraidthatthereisagreatdealoftruthinwhatyousayabouttheChurchherselfbearingresponsibilityfortheexistenceofthisproblem。”

“Thereisnosettingasidethatfact，mylord。”

“Alas！thatshort-sightedpolicyhasbeentheChurch"sgreatestenemyfromtheearliestperiod。YourememberwhatSt。Augustinesays?Ah，nevermindjustnow。Aboutyourbook——that"sthematterbeforeusjustnow。ImustsaythatIdon"tconsiderthepresenttimethemostsuitablefortheissueofthatbook，orthatarticleinthe/ZeitGeist/。Youmeantthemtobestartling。Well，theyarestartling。

Therearesomecomplaints——nervouscomplaints——thatrequiretobestartledoutofthesystem；that"saphraseofSirRichard"s。Hemadeuseofitinregardtomyneuralgia。"Wemustsurpriseitoutofthesystem，"saidhe，"withalargedoseofquinine。"Thephraseseemedtometobeaverystrikingone。ButtheChurchisnotneurotic。Youcannotapplythesurprisemethodtohersystemwithanychanceofsuccess。Thatiswhereinthepublicationofyourarticleseemstometobe——shallwecallitpremature?Itiscalculatedtostartle；butyoucannotstartlepeopleintogoingtochurch，mydearHolland，andthatis，ofcourse，theonlyobjectyouhopetoachieve。Yourbookandyourarticlewerewrittenwiththesoleobjectofbringingintelligentpeopletochurch。Butitoccurstome，andIthinkitwilloccurtoyoualso，thatifthearticlebetakenseriously，——anditismeanttobetakenseriously，——itmaybethemeansofkeepingpeopleawayfromtheChurchratherthanbringingthemtochurch。Itmayevenbethemeansofalienatingfromthatfond，ifsomewhatfoolisholdmotherofours，manyofherchildrenwhoarealreadyattachedtoher。ItrustI

don"tspeakharshly。”

“Yourlordshipspeaksmostkindly；butthetruth——“

“Shouldbespokenasgentlyaspossiblewhenitiscalculatedtowound，Holland；thatiswhyItrustIamspeakinggentlynow。Ah，Holland！therearethelittlechildrentobeconsideredaswellastheScribesandPharisees。Thereareweakerbrethren。Youhaveheardofthenecessityforconsideringtheweakerbrethren。”

“IseemtohaveheardofnothingelsesinceIenteredtheChurch；allthebrethrenaretheweakerbrethren。”

“Theyare；Iamoneoftheweakerbrethrenmyself。Itisallaquestionofcomparison。Idon"tsaythatyourarticleislikelytohavetheeffectofcausingmetojointhebandofnon-church-goers。I

don"tatthismomentbelievethatitwilldrivemetogolfinsteadofGospel；butIhonestlydobelievethatitiscalculatedtodothattohundredsofpersonswhojustnowrequirebutthesmallestgrainofargumenttoturnthebalanceoftheirmindsinfavorofgolf。Youraimwasnotinthatdirection，I"msure，Holland。”

“Myaimwastospeakthetruth，mylord。”

“Inordertoachieveanobleobject——thegatheringofthestragglersintothefold。”

“Thatwasmymotive，mylord。”

“Youannounceboldlythatthisoldmotherofoursisinamoribundcondition，inorderthatyoumaygatherinasmanyofherscatteredchildrenaspossibletostandatherbedside?Ah，mydearHolland！themoribundbringstogetherthewolvesandthevulturesandallunclean，hungrythingstotryandgetamouthfuloffthoseprostratelimbsofhers——amouthfulwhileherfleshisstillwarm。Itellyouthis——Iwhohavefromtimetotimeduringthelastfiftyyearsheardthehowlofthehyena，seenthetalonsofthevultureatthedoorofherchamber。

Theyfanciedthattheendcouldnotbefaroff，thatnomorestrengthwasleftinthatagedbodythatlayproneforthemoment。ButIhaveheardthehowlingwaneintothedistanceandgetlostintheouterdarknesswhentheoldChurchrousedherselfandwentforthtofacethesnarlingteeth——theeagertalons。Thereislifeinthismightyoldmotherofoursstill。Newlifecomestoher，notasitdidtothefabledheroofold，bycontactwiththeearth，butbycommuningwithheaven。Thebarkofthewolf，thesnarlofthehyena，maybeheardinthedebatewhichtheGovernmenthaveencouragedintheHouseofCommonsontheChurch。Philistiarejoices。Letthemoversinthisobscenetumultlooktothemselves。HavetheytheconfidenceofthepeopleevenastheChurchhasthatconfidence?Letthemputittothetest。Itellyou，GeorgeHolland，thedesertandtheditch，whosevomitthosemenarewhonowmoveagainstusinParliament，shallreceivethemoncemorebeforemanymonthshavepassed。TheChurchonwhomtheyhopedtopreyshallwitnesstheirdispersal，neveragaintoreturn。Iknowthesigns。Iknowwhatthepresentsilencethroughoutthecountrymeans。ThechampionofGodandtheChurchhasdrawnhisbreathfortheconflict。Histeethareset——hisweaponisinhishand——youwillseetheresultwithinayear。Weshallhaveagovernmentinpower，agovernmentwhosepowerwillnotbedependentonthefaddistsandtheself-seekers——theignorant，theblatantbellowersofpitifulplatitudes，theplatformloaferswhocallthemselveslabor-leaders，butwhomthereallaborersrepudiate。Markmywords，theirdoomissealed；backtothedesertandtheditch！MydearHolland，pardonthisdigression。IfeelthatIneedsaynothingmoretoyouthanIhavealreadysaid。ThesurprisesystemoftherapeuticsisnotsuitedtotheexistingailmentsoftheChurch。Cautioniswhatisneededifyouwouldnotdefeatyourownworthyobject，which，Iknow，istogivefreshvitalitytotheChurch。”

“Thatiscertainlymyobject，mylord；onlyletmesaythat——“

“MydearHolland，Iwillnotletyousayanything。Iaskedyoutocomeherethismorninginorderthatyoumighthearme。Thatisallthatisnecessaryforthepresent。Perhaps，uponsomefutureoccasion，ImayhavetheprivilegeofhearingyouinadiscourseofsomegreaterlengththanthatwhichIhavejustinflicteduponyou。Ihavegivenyoumycandidopinionofyourwritings，andyouknowthatistheopinionofamanwhohasbutoneobjectinlife——youknowthatitistheopinionofanoldmanwhohasseenthebeginningandtheendofmanymovementsinsocietyandintheChurch，andwhohaslearnedthattheChurch，forallherdecrepitude，isyetthemoststablethingthattheworldhasseen。Ihavetothankyouforcomingtome，Holland。”

“Yourlordshiphasspokentomewiththegreatestkindness，“saidGeorgeHolland，ashisspiritualfatherofferedhimhishand。

Inafewminuteshewasinhishansomoncemore。