ANASTRONOMERWITHOUTATELESCOPE。
“Afterall，“saidMr。Ayrton，“whatismarriage?“
“Ah！“sighedPhyllis。Sheknewthatherfatherhadbecomepossessedofaphrase，andthathewasanxioustoflutteritbeforehertoseehowitwent。Hewasaconnoisseurinthebric-a-bracofphrases。
“Marriagemeansallyoureggsinonebasket，“saidhe。
“Ah！“sighedPhyllisoncemore。Shewonderedifherfatherreallythoughtthatshewouldbecomfortedinhergreatgriefbyaphrase。
Shedidnotwanttoknowhowmarriagemightbedefined。Sheknewthatalldefinitionsareindefinite。Sheknewthatinthecaseofmarriageeverythingdependsuponthedefinerandtheoccasion。
“Soyouseethereisnoimmediatecausetogrieve，mydear，“resumedherfather。
Shedidnotquiteseethatthiswasthelogicalconclusionofthewholematter；butthatwaspossiblybecauseshewasbornawoman，andfeltthatmarriageistoawomanwhatakeelistoaship。
“IthinkthereisaverygoodcausetogrievewhenwefindamanlikeGeorgeHollandturningdeliberatelyroundfromtruthtofalsehood，“
saidPhyllissternly。
“Andwhat\'sworse，runningaverygoodchanceoflosinghisliving，“
remarkedthefather。“OfcourseitwillhavetobeprovedthatMosesandAbrahamandDavidandtherestofthemwerenotwhathesaystheywere；anditstrikesmethatallthebenchofbishops，andaroyalcommissionerortwothrownin，wouldhaveconsiderabledifficultyindoingthatnowadays。”
“What！Youtakehispart，papa?“shecried，startingup。“Youtakehispart?YouthinkIwaswrongtotellhim——whatIdidtellhim?“
“Idon\'ttakehispart，mydear，“saidMr。Ayrton。“Ithinkthathe\'sabitofafooltorunhisheadintoahornet\'snestbecausehehascometotheconclusionthatAbraham\'scodeofmoralitywasatrifleshaky，andthatSamsonwasashamelesslibertine。GreatHeavens！hasthemangotnonotionoftheperspectiveofhistory?“
“Perspective?History?It\'stheBible，papa！“
IndignationwasinPhyllis\'eyes，buttherewasareverentialtoneinhervoice。Herfatherlookedather——listenedtoher。Inthepausehethought:
“GoodHeavens！WhatsortofamanisGeorgeHolland，whoisreadytorelinquishtheloveandlovelinessofthatgirl，simplybecausehethinkspoorlyofthepatriarchs?“
“HeattackstheBible，papa，“resumedPhyllisgravely。“WhathorriblethingshesaidaboutRuth！“
“Ah，yes，Ruth——theheroineoftheharvestfestival，“saidherfather。
“Ah，hemighthaveleftusourRuth。Besides，shewasawoman。Heavensabove！istherenochivalryremainingamongmen?“
“Ah，ifitwasonlychivalry！But——theBible！“
“Quiteso——the——yes，tobesure。Butdon\'tyouthinkyoumaytaketheBibletooseriously，Phyllis?“
“Oh，papa！tooseriously?“
“Whynot?That\'sGeorgeHolland\'smistake，Ifear。Whyshouldheworkhimselftoafuryoverthepeccadillosofthepatriarchs?Theprincipleofthestatuteoflimitationsshouldbeappliedtosuchcases。Iftheworld，andthecollegesoftheology，havedealtlightlywithSamsonandDavidandAbrahamandJacobandtherestofthemforsomethousandsofyears，whyshouldGeorgeHollandrakeupthingsagainstthem，andthat，too，onverydoubtfulevidence?ButIshouldbethelastpersonintheworldtocomplainofthecoursewhichhehasseenfittoadopt，sinceithasleftyouwithmealittlelonger，mydearestchild。Ididnot，ofcourse，opposeyourengagement，butI
haveoftenaskedmyselfwhatIshoulddowithoutyou?HowshouldI
everworkupmyfacts，or，whatismoreimportant，myquotations，inyourabsence，Phyllis?Onsomequestions，mydear，youareaveritableBlue-book——yes，an/editiondeluxe/ofaBlue-book。”
“AndImeanttobesousefultohimaswell，“saidPhyllis，takingherfather\'spraisesmoredemurelythanshehadtakenhisphrases。“I
meanttohelphiminhiswork。”
“Ah，whatafoolthemanis！Howcouldanymaninhissensesgiveupathingoffleshandbloodlikeyou，forthesakeofprovingortryingtoprove，thatsomepeoplewholivedfiveorsixthousandyearsago——
iftheyeverlivedatall——wouldhaverenderedthemselvesliabletoimprisonment，withouttheoptionofafine，iftheylivedinEnglandsincethepassingofcertainlaws——recentlaws，too，wemustremember！“
“Papa！“
“Anyhow，youhavedonewithhim，mydear。Amanwhocan\'tseethatcrimeisreallyaquestionoftemperament，andsininvariablyaquestionofgeography——well，we\'llsaynomoreaboutit。Atwhathourdidyousayhewascoming?“
“Four。Idon\'tthinkIshallbreakdown。”
“Breakdown?Whyonearthshouldyoubreakdown?Youhaveamindtoknow，andyouknowyourownmind。That\'severything。Butofcourseyou\'vehadnoexperienceofmattersofthissort。Hewasyourfirstreallover?“
Phyllis\'facebecamecrimson。Sheretainedsufficientpresenceofmind，however，tomakealittlefusswiththewindow-blindbeforelettingitdown。Herfatherstaredatherforamoment，andtherewasratheralongpausebeforehelaughed。
“Isaid\'reallover，\'mydear，“heremarked。“Therealloveristheonewhotalksdefinitelyaboutdatesandthehouseagent\'scommission。
Asaruletherealloverdoesnotmakelove。Trueloveisborn，notmade。Butyou——Heavensabove！perhapsIdidaninjusticetoyou——toyouandtothemen。Maybeyou\'renotsuchatyroafterall，Phyllis。”
Phyllisgaveaveryprettylittlelaugh——suchalaughaswouldhaveconvincedanymanbutafather——perhaps，indeed，somefathers——thatshewasnotwithoutexperience。Suddenlyshebecamegrave。Herfatherneverlovedhersodearlyaswhenthatlittlelaughwasflyingoverherface，leavingitslivingfootprintsatthecornersofhereyes，attheexquisitecurveofhermouth。Itrelievedherfromthesuspicionofpriggishnesstowhich，nowandagain，hergravemoodsandappropriatewordslaidheropen。Shewasnotsoproper，afterall，herfathernowfelt；shewasagirlwiththeexperiencesofagirlwhohastemptedmenandseenwhatcameofit。
Shespoke:
“Itisaveryseriousthing，givingamanyourpromiseandthen——“
“Thenfindingthatyourdutytohim——tohim，mind——forcesyoutotellhimthatyoucannotcarryoutthatpromise，“saidherfather。“Yes，itisaveryseriousthing，butnotsoseriousascarryingoutthatpromisewouldbeifyouhadeventheleastlittlefeelingthatattheendofthreemonthshewasnotabettermanthanyoususpectedhewasatthebeginning。There\'sabrightsidetoeverything，evenahoneymoon；butthereasonthatahoneymoonissofrequentlyafailureisbecausethemanisboundtobefoundoutbyhiswifeinsidethemonth。Itisbetterthatyoufoundoutnow，thanlateron，thatyoucouldnotpossiblybehappywithamanwhospokeslightinglyofthepatriarchsandtheirwives。NowI\'llleaveyou，withconfidencethatyouwillbeabletoexplainmatterstoMr。Holland。”
“What！youwon\'tbehere?“
Dismaywasinthegirl\'sfaceasshespoke。Shehadclearlylookedforthemoralsupportofherfather\'spresencewhileshewouldbemakingherexplanationtothemanwhomshehad，afewmonthsbefore，promisedtomarry，butwhomshehadfounditnecessarytodismissbyletter，owingtoherwantofsympathyinsomeofhisrecentutterances。
“Youwon\'tbehere?“
“No；Ihaveunfortunatelyanengagementjustatthathour，Phyllis，“
repliedMr。Ayrton。“Butdoyoureallythinkthereisanyneedformetobehere?Personally，Ifancythatmypresencewouldonlytendtocomplicatematters。Yourownfeeling，yourownwoman\'sinstinct，willenableyoutoexplain——well，allthatneedsexplanation。Ihavemoreconfidenceinyourcapacitytoexplainsinceyougavethatprettylittlelaughjustnow。Experience——ah，theexperienceofagirlsuchasyouare，suggestsanastronomerwithoutatelescope。Still，therewereastronomersbeforethereweretelescopes；andsoIleaveyou，mybelovedchild——ah，myownchildonceagain！Nocoldhandofaloverisnowbetweenus。”
ItwasnotuntilhewassomedistancedownPiccadillythatitoccurredtohimthatheshouldhavepicturedtheloverwithawarmhand；andthatomissiononhispartcausedhimagreateramountofirritationthananyonewhowasunawareofhisskillinphrase-makingcouldhavethoughtpossibletoarisefromalapseapparentlysotrifling。
ItwasnotuntilhehadreachedtheAcropolisandhadreferred，inthehearingofthemosteminentlydullofthemanydistinguishedmembersofthatclub，tothepossibilityofagirl\'sexperiencesofmanbeinglikenedtoanastronomerwithoutatelescope，thathefelthimselfagain。
Thedulldistinguishedmanhadsmiled。
CHAPTERII。
HEKNEWTHATITWASATROUBLESOMEPROCESS，BECOMINGAGOOD
CLERGYMAN，SOHEDETERMINEDTOBECOMEAGOODPREACHERINSTEAD。
Phyllissataloneinoneofthedrawingrooms，waitinguntilthehouroffourshouldarriveandbringintoherpresencetheRev。GeorgeHolland，topleadhiscausetoher——topleadtobereturnedtoherfavor。Hehadwrittentohertosaythathewouldmakesuchanattempt。
Shehadlookedonhimwithfavorforseveralmonths——withespecialfavorforthreemonths，forthreemonthshadjustpassedsinceshehadpromisedtomarryhim，believingthattobethewifeofaclergymanwho，thoughstillyoung，hadtwocuratestodotheroughworkforhim——clericalcharwomen，sotospeak——wouldmakeherthehappiestofwomankind。Mr。HollandwasrectorofSt。Chad\'s，BattenbergSquare，andhewasthoughtveryhighlyofevenbyhisowncurates，whointonedallthecommonplace，everydayprayersintheliturgyforhim，leavinghimtodoallthehigh-classones，andtorepeattheCommandments。(A
rectorcannotbeexpectedtodojourneyman\'swork，asitwere；anditisunderstoodthatabishopwillonlybeaskedtointonethreeshortprayers，thosefrombehindabarrier，too；anarchbishoprefusestodomorethanpronouncethebenediction。)
TheRev。GeorgeHollandwasagood-lookingmanofperhapsayearortwooverthirty。Hedidnotcomeofaverygoodfamily——afactwhichprobablyaccountedforhisclevernessatOxfordandintheworld。HewasaFellowofhiscollege，thoughhehadnotbeenappointedrectorofSt。Chad\'sforthisreason。Theappointment，asiswellknown(intheChurch，atanyrate)，isthegiftoftheEarlofEarlscourt，anditsohappenedthat，whenatcollegetogether，GeorgeHollandhadsavedtheyoungmanwhoayearortwoafterwardbecameEarlofEarlscourtfromaverygreatmisfortune。Thefactsofthecasewerethese:TommyTrebovoir，ashewasthen，hadmadeuphismindtomarryaladywhosepiquantstyleofbeautymadethetobacconist\'sshopwheresheservedthemostpopularintown。Bytheexerciseofagreatdealofdiplomacyandtheexpenditureofalittlemoney，Mr。Hollandbroughtaboutamatchbetweenherandquiteanotherman——amanwhowasnotevenonasubsidiarypathtoapeerage，andwhoseonlyconnectionwiththeuniversitywasduetohishiringouthorsestothosewhomhecalledthe“younggents。”Tommywassoindignantwithhisfriendfortheparthehadplayedinthistransactionheceasedtospeaktohim，andwentthelengthofopenlyinsultinghim。Sixyearsafterward，whenhehadbecomeEarlofEarlscourt，andhadespousedthedaughterofaduke，——aladywhowasgreatlyinterestedintheadvanceoftemperance，——hehadpresentedGeorgeHollandwiththelivingatSt。Chad\'s。
PeoplethensaidthatLordEarlscourtwasalesserfoolthansomeofhisactssuggested。OtherssaidthattheRev。GeorgeHollandhadneverbeenafool，thoughhehadbeenaFellowofhiscollege。
Theywereright。GeorgeHollandknewthatitwasatroublesomeprocessbecomingagoodclergyman，sohedeterminedtobecomeagoodpreacherinstead。Inthecourseofayearhehadbecomeprobablythebest-knownpreacher(legitimate，notDissenting)inLondon，andthat，too，withoutannoyingthechurch-wardensofSt。Chad\'sbydrawingcrowdsofundesirablelistenerstocrushtheirwayintotheproprietarysittings，andtojoininthesingingandresponses，andtodootherundesirableacts。No，heonlydrewtothechurchthefriendsofthesaidholders，whosecontributionstotheoffertorywereexemplary。
Hispopularitywithinacertaincirclewasgreat；but，asLordEarlscourtwasheardtosay，“Heneverplayedtothepit。”
HewasinvitedtospeaktoaresolutionataMansionHousemeetingtoexpressindignationatthemaintenanceoftheopiumtrafficinChina。
HewasalsoinvitedbytheCountessofEarlscourttoappearontheplatformtomeetthedeputationofChinesewhorepresentedthecitymeetingheldatPekininfavoroflocaloptioninEngland；forthegreatnationalvoiceofChinahadpronouncedinfavoroflocaloptioninEngland。
ShortlyafterwardhemetPhyllisAyrton，andhadaskedhertomarryhim，andshehadconsented。
AndnowPhylliswasawaitinghiscomingtoher，inorderthathemightlearnfromherownlipswhathehadalreadylearnedfromtheletterwhichhehadreceivedfromherthedaybefore；namely，thatshefounditnecessaryforherownpeaceofmindtobreakoffherengagementwithhim。
PhyllisAyrtonhadfeltforsomemonthsthatitwouldbeagreatprivilegeforanywomantobecomethewifeofaclergyman。Likemanyothergirlswhohaveagooddealoftimeforthought，——thoughtaboutthemselves，theirsurroundings，andtheworldingeneral，——shehadcertainyearningsafteracareer。ButshehadlivedallherlifeinPhilistia，andconsideredittobeverywelladaptedasaplaceofabodeforaproper-mindedyoungwoman；infact，shecouldnotimagineanyproper-mindedyoungwomanlivingunderanyotherformofgovernmentthanthatwhichfoundacceptanceinPhilistia。Shehadnoyearningtostartleherneighbors。Withalargenumberofyoungwomen，theideathatstartlingone\'sneighborsisacareerbyitselfseemstoprevailjustatpresent；butPhyllishadnotasteinthisdirection。
Writingabookandridingabicyclewerealikeoutsidehercalculationsofaschemeoflife。Hospitalnursingwasnothingthatshewouldshrinkfrom；atthesametime，itdidnotattracther；shefeltthatshecoulddressquiteasbecominglyasahospitalnurseinanotherway。
Shewondered，ifitshouldcometotheknowledgeoftheheadsofthegovernmentofPhilistiathatshehadayearningtobecomethewifeofaclergyman，wouldtheyregardherasworthytobeconductedacrossthefrontier，anddoomedtoperpetualexpatriation。Whenshebegantothinkoutthispoint，shecouldnotbutfeelthatifsheweredeservingofpunishment，——shelookedonexpulsionfromPhilistiaastheseverestpunishmentthatcouldbedealtouttoher，forshewasextremelypatriotic，——therewereagoodmanyotheryoungwomen，andwomenwhowerenolongeryoung，whowereequallyculpable。ShehadwatchedthefacesofquiteanumberofthewomenwhocrowdedSt。
Chad\'sateveryservice，andshehadlongagocometotheconclusionthatthedesiretobecomethewifeofaclergymanwasanaspirationwhichwasuniversallydistributedamongtheunmarriedwomenofthecongregation。
Sheknewsomuch，butshewasnotcleverenoughtoknowthatitwasherobservanceofthisfactthatconfirmedherinherbeliefthatitwouldbeablessedprivilegeforsuchawomanasshetobecomethewifeofsuchaclergymanasGeorgeHolland。Shewasnotwiseenoughtobeabletoperceivethatawomanmarriesamannotsomuchbecauseshethingshighlyofmarriage——althoughshedoesthinkhighlyofit；notsomuchbecauseshethinkshighlyoftheman——thoughshemaythinkhighlyofhim，butsimplybecausesheseesthatotherwomenwanttomarryhim。
Inthreemonthssheconsideredherselfblessedamongwomen。Shewastheonechosenoutofalltheflock。Shedidnotlookaroundherinchurchinprideofconquest；butshelookeddemurelydowntohersacredbooks，feelingthatalltheotherwomenweregazingatherinenvy；andshefeltthattherewasnoprideinthethoughtthatthehumilityofherattitude——downcasteyes，withlonglashesshadinghalfhercheeks，meeklyfoldedhands——wastherightonetoadoptunderthecircumstances。
Andthenshesawseveraloftheyoungwomenwhohadbeenwearingsobershadesofdressesforsomeyears，——thoughintheirhearts(andsheknewit)theywerepassionatelyattachedtocolors，——appearinglikepoppiesoncemore，andlookingverymuchthebetterforthechange，too；andshefeltthatitwastrulysadforyoungwomento——well，toshowtheirhands，sotospeak。Theymighthavewaitedforsomeweeksbeforereturningtothecolorsofthesecular。
Shedidnotknowthattheyfeltthattheyhadwastedtoomuchtimeinsobershadesalready。Thedaysarepreciousinaworldinwhichnoreallytrustworthyhairdyemaybeboughtformoney。
Andthentherecametoheramonthofcoldlyinquisitivedoubt。(Thiswaswhenpeoplehadceasedtocongratulateherandtotalk，theniceones，ofthegreatclevernessofGeorgeHolland；thenastyones，ofthegreatpitythatsodelightfulamandidnotcomeofabetterfamily。)
WhyshouldshebegintoaskherselfifshereallylovedGeorgeHolland；ifthefeelingshehadforhimshouldbecalledbythenameoflove，orbysomeothernamethatdidnotmeanjustthesamething?
Ofcourseshehadthoughtagooddeal——thoughherfatherdidnotknowit——oflove。Shehadseenuponotherpeopletheeffectofthepossessionofthisgiftoflove，howithadcausedthemtoforgetpainandpoverty，andshame，andinfamy，andGod，anddeath，andhell。Ah！
thatwaslove——thatwaslove！andshehadhopedthatonedaysuchagiftoflovewouldbegiventoher；foritwassurelythethingthatwasbestworthhavingintheworld！Onceortwiceshehadfanciedthatitwasatthepointofbeinggiventoher。Therehadbeencertainthrillingpassagesbetweenherselfandtwomen，——anintervalofayearbetweeneach，——andtherehadalsobeenakissinanalcovedesignedbyherdearestfriend，EllaLinton，fortheundoingofmankind，aplaceofsoftenedlightsandshadowypalms。Itwasherrecollectionoftheseincidentsthathadcausedhertofumblewiththeblindcordwhenherfatherhadbeensuggestingtoherthedisadvantagesofinexperienceinmattersoftheheart。Buttheincidentshadledtonothing，except，perhaps，aweekortwoofremorse。Butshecouldnothelpfeeling，whenthatmonthofcuriousdoubtwasuponher，thatthelittlethrillwhichshehadfeltwhenonemanhadputhisarmaroundherforaninstant，whenanotherman——hewasveryyoung——hadputhislipsuponhermouth——itwasastraightforwardkiss——suggestedanearerapproachtolovethanshehadyetbeenconsciousofinthepresenceofGeorgeHolland。(Hehadneverdonemorethankissherhand。Isitonrecordthatanymandidmorewhendressedwiththeseverityofthecleric?)
Thiswasaterribleimpressionforayoungwomantoretainbeforeherengagementtoamanhaspassedintoitsthirdmonth。Thenshebegantowonderifallherpreviousideas——allherpreviousaspirations——weremistaken。Shebegantowonderifthiswastherealityoflove——thisconvictionthattherewasnothinginthewholeworldthatshewouldwelcomewithmoreenthusiasmthananannouncementonthepartofherfatherthathewasgoingonavoyagetoAustralia，andthathemeanttotakeherwithhim。
Andthen——
Well，thenshethrewherselfuponherbedandweptforanhouroneevening，andfortwohours(atintervals)anotherevening；andthenlookeduptheoldpublishedspeechesmadebyacertaincabinetministerinhisirresponsibledays，onaquestionwhichhehadrecentlyintroduced。Herfatherwasbitterlyopposedtothemostrecentviewsoftheminister，andwasparticularlyanxioustoconfronthimwithhisownphrasesofthirtyyearsback。ShespentfourhourscopyingoutthewordswhichwerenowmeantbyMr。Ayrtontoconfoundtheutterer。
CHAPTERIII。
THEBISHOPKNEWSOMETHINGOFMAN，ANDHEKNEWSOMETHINGOFTHE
CHURCH；HEEVENKNEWSOMETHINGOFTHEBIBLE。
Herfatherwhenhecameincommendedherdiligence。Hereadoverthosedamningextracts，punctuatingthemwithchuckles；hewouldmakeanexampleofthatministerwhohadfounditconvenienttoadoptacoursediametricallyopposedtotheprincipleinvolvedinhisearlyspeeches。
Hechuckled，readingtheextractswhilehepacedtheroom，drawinguponhisstockoftellingphrases，whichwerecalculatedtoturnthederisionofthewholeHouseofCommonsuponhisopponent。
Thus，beingverywellsatisfiedwithhimself，hewassatisfiedwithher，andkissedher，withasigh。
“Whatatreasureyouaretome，dearestone！“hesaid。Therewasapausebeforeheadded，inacontemplativetone:
“Isupposeaclergymanhasnoneedevertohuntupthepastdeliverancesofanotherclergymaninordertoconfoundhimoutofhisownmouth。Ah，no；Ishouldfancynot。”
Regretwasinhisvoice。Heseemedtosuggesttoherthathebelievedherpowerswouldbewastedasthewifeofamanwho，ofcourse，beingaclergyman，couldhavenoenemies。
“Dearestpapa！“shecried，throwingherselfintohisarms，andsobbingonhisshirtfront，“dearestpapa，Iwillnotleaveyou。Idon\'twanttobeanyone\'swife。Iwanttobeyourdaughter——onlytobeyourdaughter。”
Hecomfortedherwithkissesandsoothingsmoothingsofthehair。No，no，hesaid；hewouldnotbeselfish。Hewouldrememberthatafatherwasthetrusteeofhischild\'shappiness。
“ButIknowIcanonlybehappywithyou，myfather！“shecried；butitwasofnoavail。He，beingafatherandnotamother，wasunabletoperceivewhatwasinthegirl\'sheart。Heconsidereditquitenaturalthatsheshouldbeatriflehystericalinanticipatinghernewlife——
thatstrangeuntraveledcountry！Ah，isthereanythingmorepathetic，hethought，thanagirl\'santicipationsofwifehood?Buthewoulddohisduty，andhefanciedthathewasdoinghisdutywhenheputasideherearnest，almostpassionateprotestations，andtoldherhowhappyshewouldbewiththemanwhowasluckyenoughtohavewonthepuretreasureofherlove。
Whatcouldshedo?Theterribledoubtsofthatmonthofdoubtingbroadenedintocertainties。SheknewthatshedidnotloveGeorgeHolland；butshehadnotthecouragetofacePhilistiaasthegirlwhodidnotknowherownmind。Philistiawasverysolidonsuchpointsasthesacrednessofanengagementbetweenamanandawoman。Itwasacontractpracticallyasabidingasmarriage，intheeyesofPhilistia；
and，indeed，Phyllisherselfhadheldthisbelief，andhadneverhesitatedtoexpressit。SonothingwaslefttoherbuttomarryGeorgeHolland。Afterall，hewasabrilliantanddistinguishedman，andhadnotascoreofothergirlswantedtomarryhim?Oh，shewouldmarryhimandgiveupherlifetothesplendiddutieswhichdevolveuponthewifeofaclergyman。
Butjustasshehadmadeuphermindtofaceherfate，Mr。Holland\'sfateinducedhimtopublishthebookatwhichhehadbeenworkingforsometime。Itcameoutjustwhenthegirlwasbecomingresignedtoherfuturebyhisside，anditattractedevenmoreattentionthantheauthorhadhopeditwouldachieve。
Thebookwastitled“RevisedVersions，“anditwasstrikinglymodernindesignandintone。ItpurportedtodealwithseveralpersonagesandnumerousepisodesoftheOldTestament，notfromthestandpointofthecomparativephilologist；notfromthestandpointofthecomparativemythologist，butfromthestandpointofthemodernmanofcommonsenseandaveragepowerofdiscrimination；andtheresultwasthatthebreathofagoodmanypeople，especiallyclergymen，wastakenfromthem，andthattheRev。GeorgeHollandbecamethebest-knownclergymaninEngland。
Hedealtwiththepatriarchsinsuccession，andtheyfaredverybadlyathishands。HeshowedthatAbrahamhadnotonegoodactrecordedtohiscredit，andcontrastedhisduplicitywiththemagnanimityoftherulerofEgyptwhomhevisited。HedweltupontheHagarepisode，showingthattheadultererwasalsoamurdererbyintention，andsoforth；whilenowordscouldbetoostrongtoapplytoSara，hiswife。
Isaacdidnotcallforelaboratenotice。Hecouldnotbeaccusedofanyactualcrime，butifhewasamanofstrongpersonality，hewassingularlyunfortunateinhavingfailedtoimparttohiswifeanyofthatintegritywhichhemayhavepracticedthroughlife。Hermethodsofdealingwithhimaftertheyhadlivedtogetherforagoodmanyyearswerecriminal，consideringthelargenessoftheissueatstakeastheresultofhisblessing。AsforJacob，notasinglepraiseworthyactofhislonglifewasavailabletohisbiographer。Hiscareerwasthatofthemostsordidofhucksters。Ofelevenofhissonsnothinggoodistold，butJosephwasundoubtedlyanableandexemplaryman；
theonlythingtohisdiscreditbeinghisuttercallousnessregardingthefateofhisfather，afterhehadattainedtoahighpositioninEgypt。
ThechapteronthepatriarchswasfollowedbyonethatdealtwiththeincidentsoftheExodus。ThewritersaidthathefearedthateventhemostindulgentcriticmustallowthatthewholeschemeofMoseswasashockingone；buthewasprobablythegreatestmanthateverlivedonthefaceoftheearth，ifhewastheleaderandorganizerofabandofdepredatorswhoforbloodthirstandrapacityhadnoparallelinhistory。Howcoulditbeexpectedthatakingdomfoundeduponthemassacreofmenandcementedbythebloodofwomenandchildrenshouldsurvive?IthadsurvivedonlyasexampletotheworldoftheimpossibilityofapermanentsuccessbeingfoundedupontheatrociousmethodspursuedbytheworstoftherobberstatesoftheEast。Whilecivilizationhadbeenspreadingonallsidesofthem，thepeopleofIsraelhadremainedtheworstofbarbarians，murderingthemenwhohadfromtimetotimearisentotryandrescuethemfromtheabyssesofcriminalityintowhichtheyhadfallen，——abyssesofcriminalityandsuperstition，——untiltheyhadfilledtheircupofcrimebythemurderoftheOnewhomtheworldworshipsto-day。
Incidentally，ofcourse，thecharacterofSamsonwasdealtwith。
Delilahwasshowntobeoneofthemostheroicofwomankind，makinggreatersacrificesthroughhersplendidpatriotismthanJoanofArc。
ButSamson——
Ruthwasalsodealtwithincidentally。ShewasthewomanwhoexpressesherwillingnesstogiveupherGodatthebiddingofanotherwoman，andwhohadenteredintoaplotwiththatsamewomantoentrapamanwhomtheylookedtosupportthem。
ThentherewasDavid。ItwasnottheBath-shebaepisode，buttheAbishag，thattheauthortreatedatlength——oneofthemostrevoltingtransactionsinhistory，especiallyasthereissomereasontobelievethattheunfortunategirlwas，whenitwasperpetrated，alreadyattachedtooneofthesonsoftheloathsome，senilesensualist。
Perhaps，onthewhole，itwasnotsurprisingthatafterthepublicationofthisbooktheRev。GeorgeHollandbecamethebest-knownclergymaninEngland，orthatthebreathofbishopsshouldbetakenfromthem。Sosoonassomeofthemrecoveredfromthefirstbruntoftheshock，theymettogetherandhelduptheirhands，sayingthattheyawaitedthetakingofimmediateactionbytheprelatewithinwhoseseeSt。Chad\'swassituated。Butthatparticularprelatewasamanwhohadneverbeenknowntoerronthesideofrapidityofaction。Nearlyaweekhadpassedbeforehemadeanymoveinthematter，andthenthemovehemadewasinthedirectionoftheEngadine。HecrossedtheChannelwiththebookunderhisarm。Hedeterminedtoreaditathisleisure。Beingaclergyman，hecouldnot，ofcourse，beexpectedtohaveexamined，fromanystandpointbutthatoftheclergyman，thecharactersofthepersonsdealtwithinthebook，andhewasnaturallyshockedatthefreedomshownbytherectorofSt。Chad\'sincriticisingmenwhosenameshavebeenheldinthehighestesteemforsomethousandsofyears。HeatonceperceivedthattherectorofSt。
Chad\'shadbeenverynarrow-mindedinhisviewsregardingtheconductofthemenwhomhehadattacked。Itoccurredtohim，asithadtoMr。
Ayrton，thatthewriterhaddrawnhispicturewithoutanyregardforperspective。ThatwasveryfoolishonthepartofamanwhowasaFellowofhiscollege，thebishopthought；andbesides，therewasnoneedforthebook——itstendencywasnottohelptheweakerbrethren。
Buttoassumethatthebookwould，assomenewspaperarticlessaiditwould，furnishthemostpowerfulargumentthathadyetbeenbroughtforwardinfavoroftheDisestablishmentofChurch，was，hethought，toassumeagreatdealtoomuch。TheChurchthathadsurvivedWesley，Whitefield，Colenso，Darwin，andRenanwouldnotsuccumbtoGeorgeHolland。ThebishoprecollectedhowtheChurchhadbitterlyopposedalltheteachingofthemenofwisdomwhosenamescamebacktohim；
andhowithadendedbymakingtheirteachingitsown。WouldanyoneventuretoassertthattheprogressofChristianitywasdependentuponwhatpeoplethoughtoftheacceptancebyDavidofthetherapeuticcourseprescribedforhim?WasthemoralitywhichtheChurchpreachedlikelytobejeopardizedbecauseRuthwasatrickyyoungwoman?
Thebishopknewsomethingofman，andheknewsomethingoftheChurch，heevenknewsomethingoftheBible；andwhenhecametothechapterin“RevisedVersions“thatdealtwiththeepisodeofRuthandBoaz，heflungthebookintoacornerofhisbedroom，exclaiming，“Puppy！“
Andthentherecamebeforehiseyesavisionofafieldofyellowcorn，ripefortheharvest。Thegoldensunlightgleameduponthegoldengrainthroughwhichthehalf-nakedbrown-skinnedmenwalkedwiththeirsickles。Thehalf-nakedbrown-skinnedwomenfollowedthebinders，gleaningtheears，andamongthewomenwastheonewhohadsaid，“Entreatmenottoleavethee。”Hehadreadthatoldpastoralwhenhewasachildatthekneeofhismother。ItwassurelytheloveliestpastoraloftheEast，anditscharmwouldbeinnowiseimpairedbecauseamanwhofailedtoappreciatethebeautyofitssimplicity，hadalmostcalledRuthbytheworstnamethatcanbeappliedtoawoman。
ThebishopdidnotmindwhatGeorgeHollandcalledAbraham，orIsaac，orJacob，orSamson，butRuth——tosaythatRuth——
Thebishopsaid“Puppy！“onceagain。(Hehadtrainedhimselfonlytothinktheadjectiveswhichlaymenfindappropriatetouseinsuchacaseaswasunderhisconsideration。)
ButhemadeuphismindtotakenoactionwhateveragainsttheRev。
GeorgeHollandonaccountofthebook。IftheRev。GeorgeHollandfanciedthathewastobepersecutedintopopularity，theRev。GeorgeHollandwasgreatlymistaken，andthebishophadashrewdideathattherectorofSt。Chad\'swasgreatlymistaken。
(Itmaybementionedthathecametothisdeterminationwhenhehadreadthebookthrough，andfounditwassocleverlywrittenthatitincludednohereticalphraseinallitspages。)
ButsosoonasPhyllisAyrtonhadreadthefirstreviewofthebookthatfellintoherhands，shefeltinexpressiblyshocked。GreatHeavens！Wasitpossiblethatshewasactuallyatthatmomentengagedtomarrythemanwhohadwrittensuchabook——abookthatheldupDelilahtoadmiration，andthatabasedRuth?(ItwassingularhoweveryonesettleduponRuthinthisconnection。)
Shedidnotpausetoanalyzeherfeelings——totryandfindoutifshewasreallysofondofRuthastomakeRuth\'sinsultherown；butwithoutamoment\'sdelay，withoutawordofconsultationwithherfather，shesatdownatherdeskandwrotealettertoGeorgeHolland，askinghimtoreleaseherfromherpromisetomarryhim；andaddingthatifheshoulddeclinetodosoitwouldmakenodifferencetoher；
shewouldconsidertheengagementbetweenthematanendallthesame。
Shefelt，whenthatletterwasposted，asifagreatweightwereliftedfromhermind——fromherheart。Thenacopyof“RevisedVersions“arrivedforherfromtheauthor，andwiththeinkstillwetuponthepenwithwhichshehadwrittenthatlettertohim，shecaughtupthebookandcovereditwithkisses。
Hadheseenthatactionherloverwouldhavebeenthoroughlysatisfied。Ayoungwomanmustbeverydeeplyinlovewithamanwhenshekissesthecoverofabookwhichhehasjustpublished。ThatiswhatGeorgeHollandwouldhavethought，havingbutasuperficialacquaintancewiththemotivesthatswayyoungwomen。
Laterinthedayhehadrepliedtoherletter，andhadappointedfouro\'clockonthefollowingafternoonasthehourwhenhetrustedshewouldfinditconvenienttoseehim，inordertogivehimanopportunityofmakinganexplanationwhichhetrustedwouldenablehertoseethat“RevisedVersions，“sofarfrombeingthedreadfulbooksheseemedtoimagineittobe，wasinrealitywrittenwithahighpurpose。
Shehadnotshrunkfromaninterviewwithhim。Shehadsenthimalinetolethimknowthatshewouldbeathomeatfouro\'clock；andnowshesatinherdrawingroomandobserved，withoutemotion，thatinfiveminutesthathourwouldstrike。
Theclockstruck，andbeforethelasttonehaddiedaway，thefootmanannouncedtheRev。GeorgeHolland。
CHAPTERIV。
SHEHADNORIGHTTOACCUSEHIMOFREADINGTHEBIBLEDAILY。
Phyllisshookhandswithhervisitor。Hesoughttoretainherhand，ashehadbeeninthehabitofdoing，ashestoodbesideherwithsomethingofaproprietaryair。Herelinquishedherhandwithalittlelookofsurprise——asortofpainedsurprise。Shewasinexorable。Shewouldnotevenallowhimtomaintainhisproprietaryair。
“Dositdown，Mr。Holland，“shesaid。
“What！\'Mr。Holland\'already?Oh，Phyllis！“
Hehadagoodvoice，fullofexpression——somethingbeyondmeremusicalexpression。People(theyweremostlywomen)saidthathisvoicehadsoulinit，whatevertheymeantbythat。
Shemadenoreply。Whatreplycouldshemake?Sheonlywaitedforhimtositdown。
“Yourlettercameasagreatshocktome，Phyllis，“saidhe，whenhehadseatedhimself，nottooclosetoher。Hedidnotwishhertofancythathewasdesirousofhavingasubtleinfluenceofpropinquityasanally。“Agreatshocktome。”
“Ashock?“saidshe。“Ashock，afteryouhadwrittenthatbook?“
“Ifanciedyouwouldunderstandit，Phyllis——you，atleast。OfcourseIexpectedtobemisrepresentedbytheworld——thecritics——theclerics——whatyouwill——butyou——Youhadnotreaditwhenyouwrotethatlettertome——thatterribleletter。Youcouldnothavereadit。”
“Ihadonlyreadonenoticeofit——thatwasenough。”
“Andyoucouldwritethatlettertomesolelyastheevidenceofonewretchedprint?Oh，Phyllis！“
Painwasinhisvoice。Itmayhavebeeninhisfaceaswell，butshedidnotseeit；hisfacewasavertedfromher。
“Yes，“shesaidquietly；“Iwrotethatletter，Mr。Holland。Yousee，thepapergavelargeextractsfromthebook。Ididnotcometomyconclusionfromwhatthenewspaperarticlesaid，butfromwhatyouhadsaidinyourbook——fromthequotedpassages。”
“Theydidnotdomejustice。Ididnotlookforjusticeattheirhands。Butyou，Phyllis——“
“Ihavereadyourbooknow，Mr。Holland——“
“Ah，letmepleadwithyou，Phyllis——not\'Mr。Holland，\'Ientreatofyou。”
“AndmyfirstthoughtonreadingitwasthatIhadnotwrittentoyousostronglyasIshouldhavedone。”
“MydearPhyllis，donotsaythat，Ibegofyou。Youcannotknowhowyoupainme。”
“Tobemisunderstoodbyyou——/you/。”
Shegotuponherfeetsoquicklythatitmightalmostbesaidshesprangup。
“/You/musthavemisunderstood/me/greatly，Mr。Holland，ifyoufanciedthatyoucouldwritesuchabookasyouwroteandnotgetsuchaletterfromme。TheBible——Ruth——andyouaclergyman——readingitdailyinthechurch——Oh！IcannottellyouallthatIthought——allthatIstillthink。”
Hedidnotcorrectthemistakeshehadmade。ShehadnorighttoaccusehimofreadingtheBibledailyinhischurch。Hewasnotinthehabitofdoingthat——itwashiscurateswhodidit。Hewatchedherasshestoodatawindowwithherbackturnedtohim。Herhandswerebehindher。Herbreathcameaudibly，forshehadspokenexcitedly。
Thenhealsoroseandcamebesideher。
“Iwrotethatbook，asIbelievedyouwouldperceivewhenyouhadreadit，inordertoremovefromthemindsofthepeople——thosepeoplewhohavenotgiventhematterathought——theimpression——Iknowitprevails——thatourfaith——thetruthofourreligion——isdependentupontheacceptanceasgoodofsuchpersonsasourveryreligionitselfenablesustopronounceevil。Myaimwastoshowthatourfaithisnotbuiltuponsuchafoundationofimpurity——ofimperfection。Thespiritwhichprevailsnowadays——themodernspirit——itistheresultofthedevelopmentofscience。Thisscientificspiritnecessitatestheconsiderationofalltheelementsofourfaithfromthestandpointofreason。”
“Faith——reason?“
“IftheChurchistoappealtoallmen，itsmethodmustbescientific。
ItissadtothinkofallthattheChurchhaslostinthepastthroughthewantofwisdomofthosewhohaditsbestinterestsatheart，andbelievedtheyweredoingitgoodservicebyopposingscientificresearch。Theyfanciedthatthefaithwouldnotsurvivethelightoftruth。Theyprofessedtobelievethatthefaithwasstrongenoughtoworkmiracles——tochangetheheartofman，andyetthatitwouldbejeopardizedbythecalculationsofastronomers。Theastronomerswereprohibitedfromcalculating；thegeologistswereforbiddentounearththemysteriesoftheirscience，lestthediscoveryofthetruthshouldbedetrimentaltothefaith。Theybelievedthatthetruthwasopposedtothefaith。WarningafterwarningtheChurchreceivedthatthetwowereone；thatmanwouldonlyacceptthetruth，whetheritcamefromthelipsofthechurchmanorfromtheinvestigationsofscience。
GrudginglytheChurchbecametolerantoftheseekersaftertruth——menwhowerenotgreatlyconcernedinthepreservationofthemummydustofdogma。Buthowmanythousandpersonsaretherenot，to-day，whothinkthattheChurchisononeside，andthetruthontheother?TheintolerantattitudeoftheChurch，stillmaintainedinthesedays，whenthespiritofsciencepervadeseveryformofthought，hasbeenproductiveofprobablythelargestbodythateverexistedinthecountry，ofsensiblemenandwomen，whoneverenterachurchdoor。
Theywanttoknowwhatsoeverthingsaretrue；theydonotwanttobedredgedwiththemummydustofdogma。”
“ButtheBible——theBible！“
“ItisnecessaryformetotellyouallthatIfeelonthissubject；
allthatIhavefeltforseveralyearspast——eversinceIleftthedivinityschoolbehindme，andwentintotheworldofthinkingmenandwomen。Itisnecessarytotellthesemenandwomeninunmistakablelanguagethatourfaithaimsataperfecttypeofmanhood——attheperfectionoftruth。Itisnecessarytotellthemthatwedonotregard，exceptwithabhorrence，suchtypesofmenashaveforcenturiesbeenhelduptoadmirationsimplybecausetheyhaveforcenturiesbeentheobjectsofadmiration，ofimitation，ofveneration，onthepartofthedebasedpeoplewhogaveustheearlierbooksoftheBible。ThememoryofJacobbecamethedominantinfluenceamongtheHebrewnation；hencethecontinuouscursethatresteduponthem，thecursethatrestsuponthecheat，thedefrauderofhisownhousehold，hisbrother，hisfather，hisuncle。Itisnecessarytosaythattheworldshouldknowthatourreligionisfoundedupontruth，purity，self-sacrifice——thatitabhorsthecheatandthesensualist。ItisnecessarytoproclaimtotheworldourabhorrenceofthecultwhosehighestdevelopmentwasthePharisee。TheaimofthereligionofChrististoproducetheperfectman，andtorootoutthePharisee。
WhentheChurchceasestoconniveatfalsehoodandsensualism；whenitopenlyprofessesitsabhorrenceofthereligionoftheHebrews；then，andthenonly，willitbecomethepowerintheearthwhichtheexponentofChristianityshouldbecome。Humanityhadbeencryingoutforthereligionofhumanity，thatis，Christianity，forcenturies，buttheChurchtellsitthattruereligionisanamalgamationofthelovelinessofChristianityandthebarbarityofJudaism——animpossibleamalgamation，andonewhichmillionsofpoorsoulshaveperishedinavainattempttoaccomplish。HumanitywantsChrist，andChristonly，andthattheChurchhashithertorefusedtogive；hencethemillionsofthinkingmenandwomen，believersinthereligionofChrist，whoremainforeveroutsidethewallsoftheChurch；hence，also，thatterriblerecordofmurderandmassacre，perpetratedthroughlongageswiththesanctionoftheChurch。Where，inthereligionofChrist，canonefindthesanctionformassacre?ItisnowheretobefoundexceptinthePsalmsofthesenilesensualist——inthecommandsofMoses，theleaderofthemaraudersofthedesert。ChristsweptawaythebarbaritiesoftheteachingofMoses。Heperceivedhowmiserablyithadfailed；howithadretardedallthatwasgoodinman，andsanctionedallthatwasevil。Heperceivedhowithadkeptthenationinaconditionofbarbarity；howithadmadeitthepreyofthecivilizednationsaroundit；howithadmadetheHebrewnationsthecontemptofcivilization；andyettheChurchthatcallsitselftheChurchofChristhasnotyethadthecouragetoofferhumanityanythingbutthatimpossibletask——theamalgamationofthelawthatcamebyMosesandthegraceandtruththatcamebyJesusChrist。”
Hespokewithallthefervorofthepreacher，withpaleface，brillianteyes，andclenchedhands；butinavoiceadaptedtoadrawingroom。PhyllisofPhilistiacouldnotbutadmitthat，inthephraseofPhilistiahehadspokeninperfecttaste。HehadnotalludeddefinitelytotheboldnessofRuthortothecalorificcourseacceptedbytheagedDavid。HehadspokeninthosegeneraltermswhichareadoptedbytheclergymenwhonevererragainstgoodtasteasdefinedbythematronsofPhilistia。
Shedidnotknowwhethersheadmiredhimordetestedhim。Butshewascertainthatshedidnotlovehim。Hemightberightinallthathehadsaid，butshehadfreedherselffromhim。Hemightbedestinedtobecomeoneofthemostprominentmenofthelasttenyearsofthecentury，butshewouldnevermarryhim。
Shestoodfacetofacewithhimwhenhehadspoken。
Therewasalongsilence。
Agleam，averyfaintgleamoftriumphcametohiseyes。
“Good-bye，“saidshe，flashingoutherhandtohim，andwithhereyesstillfixeduponhisface。
CHAPTERV。
INLOVETHEREARENOGOOD-BYES。
Hewassostartledthathetookastepbackward。Sheremainedwithherhandoutstretched。
Wasthatonlytheresultoftheeloquentexpressionofhisviews——thatoutstretchedhandwhichwasofferedtohimforaninstantonlyasasymbolofitswithdrawalfromhimforever?
“Youcannotmean——“
“Good-by，“saidshe。
“HaveInotexplainedallthatseemedtoyoutostandinneedofexplanation?“heasked。
“Thebook——thebookremains。Iaskedfornoexplanation，“saidshe。
“Butyouaretoogood，tooreasonable，todismissmeinthisfashion，Phyllis。Why，eventhebishop——/wouldsituponafencetoseehowthebookwouldbereceivedbythepublicbeforetakingactionagainsttheauthor/，“waswhatwasinhismind，buthestoppedshort，andthenaddedaphrasethathadnoreferencetothebishop。“Canyoueverhavelovedme?“wasthephrasewhichhethoughtshouldappealtohermoreforciblythananyreferencetothebishop\'ssenseofwhatwasopportune。
Shetookbackherhand，andhereyesfellatthesamemomentthatherfaceflushed。
Hefeltthathehadnotbeenastrayinhisestimateofthecontroversialvalue——intheeyesofagirl，ofcourse——oftheappealwhichhemadetoher。AgirlunderstandsnothingofthesoundnessofanargumentonaBiblicalquestion(oranyother)，hethought；butsheunderstandsanappealmadetoherbyamanwhomshehadloved，andwhomshethereforelovesstill，thoughsomethingmayhaveoccurredtomakeherthinkotherwise。
“Canyoueverhavelovedme?“hesaidagain，andhisvoicewasnowmorereproachful。
Therewasapausebeforeshesaid:
“ThatisthequestionwhichIhavebeenaskingmyselfforsometime——
eversinceIreadaboutthatbook。Oh，please，Mr。Holland，donotstayanylonger！Cannotyouseethatif，afteryouhavemadeanexplanationthatshouldsatisfyanyreasonableperson，Istillremaininmyoriginalwayofthinking，Iamnotthewomanwhoshouldbeyourwife?“
“Youwouldseewithmyeyesifyouweremywife，“hesaid，andhebelievedthatshewould，solargeanamountofconfidencehadheinhisownpowertodominateawoman。
“Ah！“shesaid，“youhaveprovidedmewiththestrongestreasonwhyI
shouldneverbecomeyourwife，Mr。Holland。”
“Donotsaythat，Phyllis！“hecried，inalowvoice，almostapiteousvoice。“ImusthaveyouwithmeinthisgreatworkwhichIfeelhasbeengivenmetoaccomplish。IampreparedtomakeanysacrificeforthecausewhichIhaveatheart——thecausetowhichImeantodevotetherestofmylife；butyou——you——Imusthaveyouwithme，Phyllis。
Don\'tgivemeananswernow。AllIaskofyouistothinkoverthewholematterfromthestandpointofonewholovesthetruth，andwhodoesnotfeartheresultofthosewhoareinvestigators。Afewyearsagothegeologistswereregardedastheenemiesofthefaith。Latertheevolutionistswerelookedonwithabhorrence。HadanyclergymanventuredtoassenttothatdoctrinewhichwenowknowtobetheeverlastingtruthoftheschemeofearthlylifepropoundedbytheCreator，hewouldhavebeencompelledtoleavetheChurch。Idonotknowwhatwillhappentome，myPhyllis。No，no！donotsayanythingtomenow。AllthatIaskofyouistothink——think——think。”
“Thatisit——thatisyourmodernscientificspirit！“shecried。“You，andsuchasyou，say\'think——think——think\'tous——topoorwomenandmenwhoareaskingforcomfort，forprotectionagainsttheeviloftheworld。Yousay\'think——think——think，\'whenyoushouldsaypray——pray——
pray。\'Whereareyougoingtoend?youhavebegunbytakingfromusourBible。Whatdoyouproposetogiveusinexchangeforit?No——no，don\'tanswerme。Ididnotmeantoenterintothequestionwithyou——
toenterintoanyquestionwithyou。Ihavenorighttodoso。”
“Youhaveeveryright，Phyllis。IfIshouldcauseoffencetotheleastofthelittleonesoftheflockwithwhichIhavebeenintrusted，itwouldbebetterthatamillstonewerehangedroundmyneckandthatI
werecastintothesea。Youhavearighttoaskanditislaidonmetoanswer。”
“ThenIdeclinetoavailmyselfoftheprivilege；Iwillaskyounothing，excepttosaygood-by。”
“Iwillnotsayit，Phyllis，andIwillnothearyousayit。Threemonthsagoyoutoldmethatyoulovedme。”
“AndIfanciedthatIdid，butnow——“
“Ah！youthinkthatyouhavethepowertoceaselovingatamoment\'snotice?Youwillfindoutyourmistake，mychild。Inlovetherearenogood-bys。Itakeyourhandnow，butnottosaygood-by；Ifeelthatyouarestillmine——thatyouwillbeminemorethaneverwhenyouthink——think——andpray。”
“Ah！Youaskmetopray?“
“Pray——prayforme，child。Ineedtheprayersofsuchasyou，forI
feelthatmyhourofdeepesttrialisdrawingnigh。DoyoufancythatIamthemantotakebackanythingthatIhavewritten?Lookatme，Phyllis；ItellyouherethatIwillstandbyeverythingthatIhavewritten。Whatevercomesofit，thebookremains。EvenifIloseallthatIhaveworkedfor，——evenifIloseyou，——Iwillstillsay\'thebookremains。\'Iamreadytosufferforit。IsayinallhumilitythatIbelieveGodwillgivemegracetodieforit。”
Shehadgivenhimherhand。Hewasstillholdingitwhenhespokehisfinalsentence，looking，notintoherface，butintoaspacebeyondit。Hiseyesmorethansuggestedtheeyesofamartyrwaitingundauntedforthelightingofthefagots。Suddenlyhedroppedherhand。Helookedforamomentintoherface。Hesawthatthetearswereuponit。Heturnedandwalkedoutoftheroomwithoutaword。
Nowordcamefromher。
Heknewthathehadleftheratexactlytherightmoment。Shewasundoubtedlyannoyedbythepublicationofthebook；butthatwasbecauseshehadreadsomereviewsofit，andwas，girl-like，undertheimpressionthatthemurmurofthereviewerswasthemightyvoicethatechoesroundtheworld。Hefeltthatshewouldthinkdifferentlywhenhisrealpersecutionbegan。Helookedforwardwithgreathopetotheresultofhisrealpersecution。Shewouldneverholdoutagainstthat。
Ifthebishopwouldonlytakeactionatonceandattempttodeprivehimofhispastorate，therewasnothingthathemightnotlookfor。
AndthenhereflectedthatonthefollowingSundaythechurchwouldbecrowdedtothedoors。Shewouldseethat。Shewouldseethethousandsofthefashionablewomen——hehopedevenformen——whowouldfilleveryavailableseat，everyavailablestandingplaceinthechurch，andwhowouldallbeanxioustohearhisdefense。Thatwouldshowherthatthepublicationofthisbookhadraisedhimfarabovetheheadsoftheordinaryclergymanwhodronedaway，SundayafterSunday，inhalfemptychurchestocongregationsthatneverbecameinterested。Yes，formanySundaysSt。Chad\'swouldbecrowdedtothedoors。Andthenhetrustedthatthebishopwouldtakeactionagainsthim，andinproportiontotheseverityofhispersecutionontheonehandwouldbehispopularityontheotherhand。
Allthiswould，hefelt，advancethecausewhichhehadatheart；forhewasthoroughlysincereinhisbeliefthattheviewswhichheadvocatedin“RevisedVersions“werecalculatedtoplacetheChurchonafirmerbasis，andtocauseittoappealtothosepersonswho，havingbeeninculcatedwiththespiritofmodernscientificinquiry，neverenteredachurchporch。
Hehadnotbeenguiltyofanemptyboastwhenhehadexpressedtoherhisreadinesstodiefortheprincipleswhichhehadenunciatedwithconsiderableclearnessinhisbook；but，atthesametime，whenhewaswalkingdownPiccadillyhecouldnotavoidthefeelingthatifhewereonlysubjectedtoavigorouspersecution——ahigh-classpersecution，ofcourse，withthebishopattheheadofit，hewouldbealmostcertaintowinbackPhyllis。Herdesertionofhimwasundoubtedlyablowtohim；buthethoughtthat，afterall，itwasnotunnaturalthatsuchasgirlassheshouldbesomewhatfrightenedattheboldnessofthebookwhichhehadpublished。Hehadseentheday，notsoverylongago，whenhewouldhavebeenfrightenedatithimself。AtanyratehefeltsurethatPhylliswouldbeabletodifferentiatebetweenthecaseoftheauthorof“RevisedVersions“andthecaseofthemediocreclergymanwhodefiedhisbishoponaquestionof——whatwasthequestion?——somethingconcerningthetwirlingofhisthumbsfromeasttowest，insteadoffromwesttoeast；yes，oranequallytrivialmatter。Hetrustedthatshewastoodiscriminatingagirltobrackethimwiththatwretched，shallow-mindedpersonwhoendeavoredtoposeasamartyr，becausehewouldnotbepermittedtodowhateverhetriedtoinsistondoing。Mr。Hollandthoughtithadsomethingtosaytothetwirlingofhisthumbsatacertainpartoftheservicefortheday，butifanyonehadsaidthathismemorywasatfault——thatthecontumaciouscurateonlywantedtomakesomegesturesatthepsychological，or，perhaps，thespiritual，moment，hewouldnothavebeensurprised。Hehadalwaysthoughtthatcurateaverysillyperson。
HethankedhisGodthathewasnotsuchaman，andhethoughtthathemighttrustPhyllistounderstandthedifferencebetweenthepositionwhichheassumedandtheposturingofthesillycurate。
Hisknowledgeofherpowersofdiscriminationwasnotatfault。
Phyllisneverforamomentthoughtofhimasposturing。Shedidhimmorethanjustice。Sheregardedhimasterriblyinearnest；nomanunlessonewhowasterriblyinearnestcouldhavewrittenthatbook——abookwhichshefeltwasboundtoalienatefromhimallthepeoplewhohadpreviouslyhonoredhimanddelightedtolistentohispreaching。
SomeonehadsaidinherhearingthatthepreachingofGeorgeHollandwas，comparedtothepreachingoftheaverageclergyman，astheelectriclightistothegas——thegasofastreetlamp。Shehadflushedwithpleasure，——thathadbeensixmonthsago，——whenitfirstoccurredtoherthattobethewifeofadistinguishedclergyman，whowasalsoascholar，wasthehighestvocationtowhichawomancouldaspire。ShehadtoldherfatherofthistestimonytotheabilityoftherectorofSt。Chad\'s——pridehadbeeninhervoiceandeyes。
“Themanwhosaidthatwasatruecritic，“herfatherhadremarked。
“Electriclight?Quiteso。Intheabsenceofsunlighttheelectriclightdoesextremelywellfortherequirementsoftheaveragemanandwoman。Yourcriticsaidnothingaboutvolts?“
Thatwashowherfatherbecameirritatingtoheroccasionally——leadinguptosomephrasewhichhehadinhiscollectionofbric-a-brac。
“Volts！“
Yes，shefeltthatthesincerityofGeorgeHollandwouldalienatefromhimallthepeoplewhohadpreviouslyheldhiminhighesteem。
AlthoughshewasadaughterofPhilistia，ithadneveroccurredtoherthatthereissuchathingasa/successcandale/，andthattheeffectofsuchanincidentinconnectionwiththerectorofafashionablechurchrarelyleadstohisisolation。
ShedidGeorgeHollandmorethanjustice，forshecouldnotconceivehislookingforwardtoacrowdedandinterestedattendanceathischurchonthefollowingSundayandperhapsmanysuccessiveSundays。
Shecouldnotconceivehisthinkingwhateffectthenoticingofsuchanattendancewouldhaveuponher。Toher，astomostgirls，theheroicmanisallheroic。ThepictureoftheDukeofMarlboroughtakingalistofthelinentobesenttothewashwhilehistroopsweregettingintopositionforagreatbattleisonefromwhichtheyturnaway。ShecouldnotthinkofGeorgeHolland\'scalculatingupontheeffectofacrowdedchurch，withnewspaperreportersscatteredthroughoutthebuilding，takingdowneverywordthatmightfallfromhislips。Sheregardedhimasamanwhohadbeencompelled，bytheinsidiousinfluenceofwhathecalledscientificthought，towriteashockingbook；butonethathecertainlybelievedwasdestinedtoeffectagreatreformintheworld。Hereyeshadfilledwithtearsashestoodbeforeherwiththegleamofmartyrdominhiseyes，andforaninstantshefeltawoman\'simpulse——thatwasafactorwhichGeorgeHollandhadtakenintoconsiderationbeforehehadspoken——togivebothherhandstohimandtopromisetostandbyhissideinhishouroftrial。ButshethoughtofRuthandrestrainedherself。Beforehehadreachedthedoorshethoughtofhimasthemanfromwhomshehadmanagedtoescapebeforeitwastoolate。
Shewonderedifanyofthoseyoungwomenofthechurch，whohadgonebacktotheirbutterflygarmentsonhearingthatMr。Hollandhadaskedhertomarryhim，wouldhuntoutthesobergarmentswhichtheyhaddiscardedandwearthemwhentheywouldhearthatshewasnotgoingtomarryMr。Holland。
Sheratherthoughtthattheywouldgetnewdressesandhatsoftherightdegreeofsobriety。FashionschangesoquicklybetweenFebruaryandMay。
Andthentherewasthequestionofsleeves！
Anyhowtheywould，shefelt，regardthemselvesashavinganotherchance。Thatwashowtheywouldputit。
Onlyforaninstantdidshebecomethoughtful。Thenshesprangtoherfeetfromthesofaonwhichshehadthrownherselfwhenhertearswerethreatening，andcried:
“Letthemhavehim——letthemallhavehim——all——all！“
Thatwouldhavebeenabsurd。
CHAPTERVI。
IFAGIRLREALLYLOVESAMANSHEWILLMARRYHIM，EVENTHOUGHHE
SHOULDWRITEABOOK。
Phyllismeantthehalfhourwhichwouldelapsebeforeherteawasbroughttohertobeaverygratefulspace。Shemeanttodwellupontheachievementofherfreedom，forthefeelingthatshewasfreewasverysweettoher。Thefettersthathadboundherhadbeenflungaway，andshenowonlyhadasplendidsenseoffreedom。Sosweetwasthissensethatshemadeuphermindthatinfutureitwouldneverdoforhertorunanysuchriskasthattowhichshehadjustsubjectedherself。HowcouldsheeverhavebeensuchafoolastopromisetomarryGeorgeHolland?ThatwaswhatshewasaskingherselfasshelaybackonthepillowsoftheFrenchsofa，andlistenedtothesoftsoundofthecarriagewheelsofthecallersattheotherhousesinthesquare。
Whatasingularwishthatwasofhers——tobecomethewifeofaclergyman！Itseemedverysingulartoherjustnow。Justnowshedidnotwanttobecomethewifeofanyone，andshehopedthatnoonewouldaskher。Shedidnotwanttheworryofit。Ah，shewouldbeverycarefulinthefuture:shewouldtakeverygoodcarethatthefactofothergirlswantingtomarryoneparticularmanwouldnotmakeheranxioustohavehimalltoherself。
Beforeherresolutionsonthisveryimportantpointhadbeenfullyconsideredinalltheirbearings，hermaidenteredtoaskifshewasathome。Thebutlerhadsentafootmantohertomakethatinquiry，thefactbeingthatherparticularfriend，Mrs。Linton，hadcalledtoseeher。
Phyllisjumpedup，saying:
“OfcourseIamhometoMrs。Linton。Shewillhaveteawithme。”
Shewenttoaglasstoseeifthetearswhichhadbeeninhereyes——
theyhadnotfallen——hadleftanytracesthattheacutenessofEllaLintonmightdetect。Theresultofherobservationwassatisfactory；
shewouldnotevenneedtositwithherbacktothelight。
ThenMrs。Lintonwasannounced，andflowedintothearmsofherfriendPhyllis，crying:
“OfcourseIknewthatyouwouldbeathometome，mybeloved，eventhoughyoumightbeinthemidstofoneofthosebrilliantspeecheswhichyouwriteoutforyourfathertodeliverintheHouseandcausepeopletofancythatheisthewittiestmaninplace——sounlikethatdreadfulteetotalmanwhogrinsthroughthehorsecollarandthinksthatpeopleareimposedon。Nowletmelookatyou，youluckygirl！
Youarealuckygirl，youknow。”
“Yes，“saidPhyllis，“youhavecalledonme。Weshallhaveteainaminute。Howgoodofyoutocometomethefirstdayyouarrivedintown！Howwellyouarelooking，myElla！“
“Sogladyouthinkso，“saidElla。“Ihaven\'tagedmuchduringtheeightmonthswehavebeenapart。Ihavehadaverygoodtimeonthewhole，andsohadStephen，thoughhewaswithmeforcloseuponamonth，poorlittleman！Butitisyou，Phyllis，itisyouwhoarethegirlofthehour。Heavens！youwerefarsighted！Whocouldhaveimaginedthathewouldbecomesofamousallinamoment?Imustconfessthatwhenyouwrotetomethatlettertellingmeofyourengagement，andhowhappyyouwere，Iwasalittlecross。Icouldnotclearlyseeyouthewifeofaparson，evensopresentableaparsonasMr。Holland。Oh，ofcourseIwroteyoutheusualexuberantletter——
whatwouldbethegoodofdoinganythingelse?Butnowthathehasbecomefamous——Oh，IwantyoutobringhimwithyoutomyfirstAtHome——Tuesdayweek。It\'sveryshortnotice，Iknow，butyoumustcome，andbringhim。Youarebothcertaintobeingreatdemand。Whydoyoushakeyourheadthatway?YouneednotsaythatyouareengagedforTuesdayweek。”
“IwillnotsaythatIamengagedatall，inanysense，“saidPhyllis，withaveryshallowlaugh，atlaughthatsoundedlikearippleamongpebbles；herusuallaughwaslikearippleuponasilversand。
“Inanysense——forTuesdayweek?“
Ellaraisedhereyebrowstotheextentoftheeighthofaninch。Sheloweredtheminamoment，however，fortheteawasbeingbroughtin。
Itrequiredtwoable-bodiedmen(inplush)tocarryinadaintylittlesilvertray，withalittlesilvertea-potofapatternthatsilversmiths，forreasonswhichhaveneverbeenfullyexplained，call“QueenAnne。”Oneofthemen，however，devotedhimselftothecareofthehotcakesofvarioussubtletypeswhichwereinclosedinsilvercovereddishes。
WiththeloweringofhereyebrowsMrs。Linton\'svoicelostitspreviousinflection。
“Ihavebeenfortunateenoughtohituponsomethingdistinctlynewinthatway“——sheindicatedthemuffindishes。“Acakethatmaybeeatenhotwithoutremovingone\'sgloves。”
“Whataboon！“criedPhyllis。“YougotitatVienna，ofcourse。”
“Ofcourse。Youwilllearnallaboutitwhenyoucome。”
Theable-bodiedmenwithdrew，andbeforethedoorwasquiteclosedbehindthem，Ellawasgazingatherfriend，herfacealightwithinquiry。
“Nowprayexplainyourself，“shewhispered。“Notengagedinanysense——thosewereyourwords。Whatdotheymean?“
“Takethemliterally，myElla，“saidPhyllis。
“Literally?ButyouwrotetomethatyouhadengagedyourselftomarryMr。Holland?“
“AndnowItellyoubywordofmouththatIhavedisengagedmyself。”
“GoodHeavens！You，Ifancied，wouldbethelastgirlintheworldtopromisetomarryamanandthenbackoutofit。”
“ThatwaswhatImyselffancieduptillMondaylast。”
“Buthowcanyouhavechangedyourmind?Isn\'titveryunfortunate——
justwhenthemanhasbecomefamous?“
“Howcoulditbeotherwise，Ella，whenthemanwrotesohorribleabookasthat?“
“Horrible?Isithorrible?Ihadnoidea。I\'mnojudgeofwhatishorribleintheology，ormetaphysics，orwhateveritis。ButIdoprofesstoknowwhenamanhasmadeahit，whetherintheologyoranythingelse；andIperceivequiteclearlythatyourMr。Holland——
well，notyourMr。Holland，hasmadeadistincthit。Whatsortoffaceisthatyou\'remakingatme?Oh，Isee。It\'sthefaceoftheorthodoxatthementionofsomethingnotquiteorthodox。Pshut！don\'tbeagoose，Phyllis。”
