“Amoreperfectlyjustandrighteouslydealingman。”saidthefamilysolicitor，“Ihaveneverhadanythingtodowith——noronemorepunctualinthedischargeofeverybusinessobligation。”
“Weshallmisshimsadly。”thebishopwrotetoJoeyintheverywarmestterms。Thepoorwereinconsternation。“Thewell’snevermissed。”saidoneoldwoman，“tillit’sdry。”andsheonlysaidwhateveryoneelsefelt。Ernestknewthatthegeneralregretwasunaffectedasforalosswhichcouldnotbeeasilyrepaired。Hefeltthattherewereonlythreepeopleintheworldwhojoinedinsincerelyinthetributeofapplause，andtheseweretheverythreewhocouldleastshowtheirwantofsympathy。ImeanJoey，Charlotte，andhimself。HefeltbitteragainsthimselfforbeingofamindwitheitherJoeyorCharlotteuponanysubject，andthankfulthathemustconcealhisbeingsoasfaraspossible，notbecauseofanythinghisfatherhaddonetohim——thesegrievancesweretoooldtoberememberednow——butbecausehewouldneverallowhimtofeeltowardshimashewasalwaystryingtofeel。Aslongascommunicationwasconfinedtothemerestcommonplaceallwentwell，butiftheseweredepartedfromeversuchalittleheinvariablyfeltthathisfather’sinstinctsshowedthemselvesinimmediateoppositiontohisown。Whenhewasattackedhisfatherlaidwhateverstresswaspossibleoneverythingwhichhisopponentssaid。
Ifhemetwithanycheckhisfatherwasclearlypleased。WhattheolddoctorhadsaidaboutTheobald’sspeakingillofnomanwasperfectlytrueasregardsothersthanhimself，butheknewverywellthatnoonehadinjuredhisreputationinaquietway，sofarashedaredtodo，morethanhisownfather。Thisisaverycommoncaseandaverynaturalone。Itoftenhappensthatifthesonisright，thefatheriswrong，andthefatherisnotgoingtohavethisifhecanhelpit。
Itwasveryhard，however，tosaywhatwasthetruerootofthemischiefinthepresentcase。ItwasnotErnest’shavingbeenimprisoned。Theobaldforgotallaboutthatmuchsoonerthanninefathersoutoftenwouldhavedone。Partly，nodoubt，itwasduetoincompatibilityoftemperament，butIbelievethemaingroundofcomplaintlayinthefactthathehadbeensoindependentandsorichwhilestillveryyoung，andthatthustheoldgentlemanhadbeenrobbedofhispowertoteaseandscratchinthewaywhichhefelthewasentitledtodo。Theloveofteasinginasmallwaywhenhefeltsafeindoingsohadremainedpartofhisnaturefromthedayswhenhetoldhisnursethathewouldkeepheronpurposetotormenther。Isupposeitissowithallofus。AtanyrateIamsurethatmostfathers，especiallyiftheyareclergymen，arelikeTheobald。
Hedidnotinreality，Iamconvinced，likeJoeyorCharlotteonewhitbetterthanhelikedErnest。Hedidnotlikeanyoneoranything，orifhelikedanyoneatallitwashisbutler，wholookedafterhimwhenhewasnotwell，andtookgreatcareofhimandbelievedhimtobethebestandablestmaninthewholeworld。
WhetherthisfaithfulandattachedservantcontinuedtothinkthisafterTheobald’swillwasopenedanditwasfoundwhatkindoflegacyhadbeenlefthimIknownot。Ofhischildren，thebabywhohaddiedatadayoldwastheonlyonewhomheheldtohavetreatedhimquitefilially。AsforChristinahehardlyeverpretendedtomissherandnevermentionedhername；butthiswastakenasaproofthathefeltherlosstookeenlytobeableevertospeakofher。
Itmayhavebeenso，butIdonotthinkit。
Theobald’seffectsweresoldbyauction，andamongthemtheHarmonyoftheOldandNewTestamentswhichhehadcompiledduringmanyyearswithsuchexquisiteneatnessandahugecollectionofMS。
sermons——beingallinfactthathehadeverwritten。TheseandtheHarmonyfetchedninepenceabarrowload。IwassurprisedtohearthatJoeyhadnotgiventhethreeorfourshillingswhichwouldhaveboughtthewholelot，butErnesttellsmethatJoeywasfarfiercerinhisdislikeofhisfatherthaneverhehadbeenhimself，andwishedtogetridofeverythingthatremindedhimofhim。
IthasalreadyappearedthatbothJoeyandCharlottearemarried。
Joeyhasafamily，butheandErnestveryrarelyhaveanyintercourse。Ofcourse，Ernesttooknothingunderhisfather’swill；thishadlongbeenunderstood，sothattheothertwoarebothwellprovidedfor。
Charlotteisascleverasever，andsometimesasksErnesttocomeandstaywithherandherhusbandnearDover，Isupposebecausesheknowsthattheinvitationwillnotbeagreeabletohim。Thereisadehautenbastoneinallherletters；itisratherhardtolayone’sfingeruponitbutErnestnevergetsaletterfromherwithoutfeelingthatheisbeingwrittentobyonewhohashaddirectcommunicationwithanangel。“Whatanawfulcreature。”heoncesaidtome，“thatangelmusthavebeenifithadanythingtodowithmakingCharlottewhatsheis。”
“Couldyoulike。”shewrotetohimnotlongago，“thethoughtsofalittleseachangehere？Thetopofthecliffswillsoonbebrightwithheather：thegorsemustbeoutalready，andtheheatherI
shouldthinkbegun，tojudgebythestateofthehillatEwell，andheatherornoheather——thecliffsarealwaysbeautiful，andifyoucomeyourroomshallbecosysothatyoumayhavearestingcornertoyourself。Nineteenandsixpenceisthepriceofareturn-ticketwhichcoversamonth。Wouldyoudecidejustasyouwouldyourselflike，onlyifyoucomewewouldhopetotryandmakeitbrightforyou；butyoumustnotfeelitaburdenonyourmindifyoufeeldisinclinedtocomeinthisdirection。”
“WhenIhaveabadnightmare。”saidErnesttome，laughingasheshowedmethisletter，“IdreamthatIhavegottostaywithCharlotte。”
Herlettersaresupposedtobeunusuallywellwritten，andIbelieveitissaidamongthefamilythatCharlottehasfarmorerealliterarypowerthanErnesthas。Sometimeswethinkthatsheiswritingathimasmuchastosay，“Therenow——don’tyouthinkyouaretheonlyoneofuswhocanwrite；readthis！Andifyouwantatellingbitofdescriptivewritingforyournextbook，youcanmakewhatuseofityoulike。”Idaresayshewritesverywell，butshehasfallenunderthedominionofthewords“hope。”“think。”“feel。”
“try。”“bright。”and“little。”andcanhardlywriteapagewithoutintroducingallthesewordsandsomeofthemmorethanonce。Allthishastheeffectofmakingherstylemonotonous。
Ernestisasfondofmusicasever，perhapsmoreso，andoflateyearshasaddedmusicalcompositiontotheotherironsinhisfire。
Hefindsitstillalittledifficult，andisinconstanttroublethroughgettingintothekeyofCsharpafterbeginninginthekeyofCandbeingunabletogetbackagain。
“GettingintothekeyofCsharp。”hesaid，“islikeanunprotectedfemaletravellingontheMetropolitanRailway，andfindingherselfatShepherd’sBush，withoutquiteknowingwhereshewantstogoto。
HowissheevertogetsafebacktoClaphamJunction？AndClaphamJunctionwon’tquitedoeither，forClaphamJunctionislikethediminishedseventh——susceptibleofsuchenharmonicchange，thatyoucanresolveitintoallthepossibleterminiofmusic。”
TalkingofmusicremindsmeofalittlepassagethattookplacebetweenErnestandMissSkinner，DrSkinner’seldestdaughter，notsoverylongago。DrSkinnerhadlongleftRoughborough，andhadbecomeDeanofaCathedralinoneofourMidlandcounties——apositionwhichexactlysuitedhim。FindinghimselfonceintheneighbourhoodErnestcalled，foroldacquaintancesake，andwashospitablyentertainedatlunch。
ThirtyyearshadwhitenedtheDoctor’sbushyeyebrows——hishairtheycouldnotwhiten。Ibelievethatbutforthatwighewouldhavebeenmadeabishop。
Hisvoiceandmannerwereunchanged，andwhenErnestremarkinguponaplanofRomewhichhunginthehall，spokeinadvertentlyoftheQuirinal，herepliedwithallhiswontedpomp：“Yes，theQuirInal——
orasImyselfprefertocallit，theQuirInal。”Afterthistriumphheinhaledalongbreaththroughthecornersofhismouth，andflungitbackagainintothefaceofHeaven，asinhisfinestformduringhishead-mastership。Atlunchhedidindeedoncesay，“nexttoimpossibletothinkofanythingelse。”butheimmediatelycorrectedhimselfandsubstitutedthewords，“nexttoimpossibletoentertainirrelevantideas。”afterwhichheseemedtofeelagooddealmorecomfortable。ErnestsawthefamiliarvolumesofDrSkinner’sworksuponthebook-shelvesintheDeanerydining-room，buthesawnocopyof“RomeortheBible——Which？”
“Andareyoustillasfondofmusicasever，MrPontifex？”saidMissSkinnertoErnestduringthecourseoflunch。
“Ofsomekindsofmusic，yes，MissSkinner，butyouknowIneverdidlikemodernmusic。”
“Isn’tthatratherdreadful？——Don’tyouthinkyourather“——shewasgoingtohaveadded，“oughtto？”butsheleftitunsaid，feelingdoubtlessthatshehadsufficientlyconveyedhermeaning。
“Iwouldlikemodernmusic，ifIcould；Ihavebeentryingallmylifetolikeit，butIsucceedlessandlesstheolderIgrow。”
“Andpray，wheredoyouconsidermodernmusictobegin？”
“WithSebastianBach。”
“Anddon’tyoulikeBeethoven？”
“No，IusedtothinkIdid，whenIwasyounger，butIknownowthatIneverreallylikedhim。”
“Ah！howcanyousayso？Youcannotunderstandhim，younevercouldsaythisifyouunderstoodhim。FormeasimplechordofBeethovenisenough。Thisishappiness。”
Ernestwasamusedatherstrongfamilylikenesstoherfather——alikenesswhichhadgrownuponherasshehadbecomeolder，andwhichextendedeventovoiceandmannerofspeaking。HerememberedhowhehadheardmedescribethegameofchessIhadplayedwiththedoctorindaysgoneby，andwithhismind’searseemedtohearMissSkinnersaying，asthoughitwereanepitaph：-
“Stay：
ImaypresentlytakeAsimplechordofBeethoven，OrasmallsemiquaverFromoneofMendelssohn’sSongswithoutWords。”
AfterluncheonwhenErnestwasleftaloneforhalfanhourorsowiththeDeanhepliedhimsowellwithcomplimentsthattheoldgentlemanwaspleasedandflatteredbeyondhiswont。Heroseandbowed。“Theseexpressions。”hesaid，vocesua，“areveryvaluabletome。”“Theyarebutasmallpart，Sir。”rejoinedErnest，“ofwhatanyoneofyouroldpupilsmustfeeltowardsyou。”andthepairdancedasitwereaminuetattheendofthedining-roomtableinfrontoftheoldbaywindowthatlookeduponthesmoothshavenlawn。
OnthisErnestdeparted；butafewdaysafterwards，theDoctorwrotehimaletterandtoldhimthathiscriticswerea[Greektext]，andatthesametime[Greektext]。Ernestremembered[Greektext]，andknewthattheotherwordsweresomethingoflikenature，soitwasallright。Amonthortwoafterwards，DrSkinnerwasgatheredtohisfathers。
“Hewasanoldfool，Ernest。”saidI，“andyoushouldnotrelenttowardshim。”
“Icouldnothelpit。”hereplied，“hewassooldthatitwasalmostlikeplayingwithachild。”
Sometimes，likeallwhosemindsareactive，Ernestoverworkshimself，andthenoccasionallyhehasfierceandreproachfulencounterswithDrSkinnerorTheobaldinhissleep——butbeyondthisneitherofthesetwoworthiescannowmolesthimfurther。
Tomyselfhehasbeenasonandmorethanason；attimesIamhalfafraid——asforexamplewhenItalktohimabouthisbooks——thatI
mayhavebeentohimmorelikeafatherthanIought；ifIhave，I
trusthehasforgivenme。Hisbooksaretheonlyboneofcontentionbetweenus。Iwanthimtowritelikeotherpeople，andnottooffendsomanyofhisreaders；hesayshecannomorechangehismannerofwritingthanthecolourofhishair，andthathemustwriteashedoesornotatall。
Withthepublicgenerallyheisnotafavourite。Heisadmittedtohavetalent，butitisconsideredgenerallytobeofaqueerunpracticalkind，andnomatterhowseriousheis，heisalwaysaccusedofbeinginjest。HisfirstbookwasasuccessforreasonswhichIhavealreadyexplained，butnoneofhisothershavebeenmorethancreditablefailures。Heisoneofthoseunfortunatemen，eachoneofwhosebooksissneeredatbyliterarycriticsassoonasitcomesout，butbecomes“excellentreading“assoonasithasbeenfollowedbyalaterworkwhichmayinitsturnbecondemned。
Heneveraskedareviewertodinnerinhislife。Ihavetoldhimoverandoveragainthatthisismadness，andfindthatthisistheonlythingIcansaytohimwhichmakeshimangrywithme。
“Whatcanitmattertome。”hesays，“whetherpeoplereadmybooksornot？Itmaymattertothem——butIhavetoomuchmoneytowantmore，andifthebookshaveanystuffinthemitwillworkby-and-
by。Idonotknownorgreatlycarewhethertheyaregoodornot。
Whatopinioncananysanemanformabouthisownwork？Somepeoplemustwritestupidbooksjustastheremustbejunioropsandthirdclasspollmen。WhyshouldIcomplainofbeingamongthemediocrities？Ifamanisnotabsolutelybelowmediocritylethimbethankful——besides，thebookswillhavetostandbythemselvessomeday，sothesoonertheybeginthebetter。”
Ispoketohispublisherabouthimnotlongsince。“MrPontifex。”
hesaid，“isahomouniuslibri，butitdoesn’tdototellhimso。”
Icouldseethepublisher，whooughttoknow，hadlostallfaithinErnest’sliteraryposition，andlookeduponhimasamanwhosefailurewasallthemorehopelessforthefactofhishavingoncemadeacoup。“Heisinaverysolitaryposition，MrOverton。”
continuedthepublisher。“Hehasformednoalliances，andhasmadeenemiesnotonlyofthereligiousworldbutoftheliteraryandscientificbrotherhoodaswell。Thiswillnotdonowadays。Ifamanwishestogetonhemustbelongtoaset，andMrPontifexbelongstonoset——noteventoaclub。”
Ireplied，“MrPontifexistheexactlikenessofOthello，butwithadifference——hehatesnotwiselybuttoowell。Hewoulddisliketheliteraryandscientificswellsifheweretocometoknowthemandtheyhim；thereisnonaturalsolidaritybetweenhimandthem，andifhewerebroughtintocontactwiththemhislaststatewouldbeworsethanhisfirst。Hisinstincttellshimthis，sohekeepsclearofthem，andattacksthemwheneverhethinkstheydeserveit——
inthehope，perhaps，thatayoungergenerationwilllistentohimmorewillinglythanthepresent。”
“Cananything。”’saidthepublisher，“beconceivedmoreimpracticableandimprudent？”
ToallthisErnestreplieswithonewordonly——“Wait。”
Suchismyfriend’slatestdevelopment。Hewouldnot，itistrue，runmuchchanceatpresentoftryingtofoundaCollegeofSpiritualPathology，butImustleavethereadertodeterminewhetherthereisnotastrongfamilylikenessbetweentheErnestoftheCollegeofSpiritualPathologyandtheErnestwhowillinsistonaddressingthenextgenerationratherthanhisown。Hesayshetruststhatthereisnot，andtakesthesacramentdulyonceayearasasoptoNemesislestheshouldagainfeelstronglyuponanysubject。Itratherfatigueshim，but“noman’sopinions。”hesometimessays，“canbeworthholdingunlessheknowshowtodenythemeasilyandgracefullyuponoccasioninthecauseofcharity。”InpoliticsheisaConservativesofarashisvoteandinterestareconcerned。
InallotherrespectsheisanadvancedRadical。HisfatherandgrandfathercouldprobablynomoreunderstandhisstateofmindthantheycouldunderstandChinese，butthosewhoknowhimintimatelydonotknowthattheywishhimgreatlydifferentfromwhatheactuallyis。
End
