equiring too much before
we are convinced. The guilt of the latter is incurred, alas! by not a
few amongst us at the present day, but if the testimony to the truth of
the wondrous event so faithfully depicted on the picture that confronts
you had been less contemporaneous, less authoritative, less unanimous,
future generations--and it is for them that we should now provide--would
be guilty of the first-named, and not less heinous sin if they believed
at all.

"Small wonder, then, that the Sunchild, having come amongst us for our
advantage, not his own, would not permit his beneficent designs to be
endangered by the discrepancies, mythical developments, idiosyncracies,
and a hundred other defects inevitably attendant on amateur and
irresponsible recording. Small wonder, then, that he should have chosen
the officials of the Musical Banks, from the Presidents and
Vice-Presidents downwards to be the authoritative exponents of his
teaching, the depositaries of his traditions, and his representatives
here on earth till he shall again see fit to visit us. For he will come.
Nay it is even possible that he may be here amongst us at this very
moment, disguised so that none may know him, and intent only on watching
our devotion towards him. If this be so, let me implore him, in the name
of the sun his father, to reveal himself."

Now Hanky had already given my father more than one look that had made
him uneasy. He had evidently recognised him as the supposed ranger of
last Thursday evening. Twice he had run his eye like a searchlight over
the front benches opposite to him, and when the beam had reached my
father there had been no more searching. It was beginning to dawn upon
my father that George might have discovered that he was not Professor
Panky; was it for this reason that these two young special constables,
though they gave up their places, still kept so close to him? Was George
only waiting his opportunity to arrest him--not of course even suspecting
who he was--but as a foreign devil who had tried to pass himself off as
Professor Panky? Had this been the meaning of his having followed him to
Fairmead? And should he have to be thrown into the Blue Pool by George
after all? "It would serve me," said he to himself, "richly right."

These fears which had been taking shape for some few minutes were turned
almost to certainties by the half-contemptuous glance Hanky threw towards
him as he uttered what was obviously