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；suchatoiletasHelenmighthavewornshethought；suchatoiletasCleopatramighthavewornshefancied；suchatoiletas——asSarahBernhardtshewascertainwouldwearwhenimpersonatingawomanwhohadlosthersoulfortheloveofaman。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-spokenwomenelderlywhowentoutasmother\'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。Didthatyoungwomanexpectthatheshouldpreachasermontosuitthespecialcaseofeveryindividualsoulintrustedaccordingtoherabsurdtheorytohiskeeping?
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。