ther, having found that he could take no further
immediate steps towards furthering his cause in London.

And now, what steps should he take next? More than once he thought
of putting his own case into the hands of a lawyer; but what was a
lawyer to do for him? An action for breach of promise was open to
him, but he had wit enough to feel that there was very little chance
of success for him in that line. He might instruct a lawyer to look
into Miss Mackenzie's affairs, and he thought it probable that he
might find a lawyer to take such instructions. But there would be
much expense in this, and, probably, no result. Advancing logically
from one conclusion to another, he at last resolved that he must rush
boldly into print, and lay the whole iniquity of the transaction open
to the public.

He believed--I think he did believe--that the woman was being
wronged. Some particle of such belief he had, and fostering himself
with this, he sat himself down, and wrote a leading article.

Now there existed in Littlebath at this time a weekly periodical
called the _Christian Examiner_, with which Mr Maguire had for some
time had dealings. He had written for the paper, taking an earnest
part in local religious subjects; and the paper, in return, had
very frequently spoken highly of Mr Maguire's eloquence, and of Mr
Maguire's energy. There had been a give and take in this, which all
people understand who are conversant with the provincial, or perhaps
I might add, with the metropolitan press of the country. The paper
in question was not a wicked paper, nor were the gentlemen concerned
in its publication intentionally scurrilous or malignant; but it was
subject to those great temptations which beset all class newspapers
of the kind, and to avoid which seems to be almost more difficult, in
handling religious subjects, than in handling any other. The editor
of a _Christian Examiner_, if, as is probable, he have, of his own,
very strong and one-sided religious convictions, will think that
those who differ from him are in a perilous way, and so thinking,
will feel himself bound to tell them so. The man who advocates one
line of railway instead of another, or one prime minister as being
superior to all others, does not regard his opponents as being
fatally wrong,--wrong for this world and for the next,--and he can
restrain himself. But how is a newspaper writer to restrain himself
when his opponent is incurring everlasting punishment, or,