of sense whatever.
As to their being exempt from the pain of loss, grieving over their
exclusion from the sight of God and the glories of His Kingdom, it is
more commonly held that they do not suffer even this; that even if they
know others are happier than themselves, they are perfectly resigned to
God's will and suffer no pain of loss in regard to happiness not suited
to their condition.

The Presbyterian called upon them to witness that his church was thus
not unique in attaining this sentimentality regarding reprobate infants.

Then little Floud cited the case of still another heretic within the
church, a professor in a western Methodist university, who declared that
biblical infallibility is a superstitious and hurtful tradition; that
all the miracles are mere poetic fancies, incredible and untrue--even
irreverent; and that all spiritual truth comes to man through his brain
and conscience. Modern preaching, according to the book of this heretic,
lacks power because so many churches cling to the tradition that the
Bible is infallible. It is the golden calf of their worship; the
palpable lie that gives the ring of insincerity to all their moral
exhortations.

So the talk flowed on until the good men agreed that a peculiarity of
the time lay in this: that large numbers of ministers within the church
were publishing the most revolutionary heresies while still clinging to
some shred of their tattered orthodoxy.

Also they decided that it would not be without interest to know what
belief is held by the man of common education and intelligence--the man
who behaves correctly but will not go to church.

Here Father Riley sweetly reminded them--"No questions are asked in the
Mother Church, gentlemen, that may not be answered with authority. In
your churches, without an authority superior to mere reason, destructive
questions will be asked more and more frequently."

Gravely they agreed that the church was losing its hold on the people.
That but for its social and charitable activities, its state would be
alarming.

"Your churches!" Father Riley corrected with suave persistence. "No
church can endure without an infallible head."

Again and again during the meal Bernal had been tempted to speak. But
each time he had been restrained by a sense of his aloofness. These men,
too, were wheels within the machine, each revolving as he must. They
would simply pity him, or be amused.

More and more acutely was he coming to f