“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:Cabinetministers2，judgesofthesuperiorcourts4，companypromoters47，actorsandactresses3，musichallandvarietyartists22，RoyalAcademician1。Literaturewasrepresentedbyaladywhohadwrittenahigh-churchnovel，andfashionbythepublisherwhohadproducedit。Scienceappearedinthepersonofaprofessionalthought-readerfemale。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，inthesedaysofamarriagemarketoverstockedwithyoungwomenandoldwomen，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，——herhusbandhadfoundagoldminewiththeassistanceofHerbertCourtlandandshehadherselfwrittenabookoftravelswhichdidnotsell，——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。