f
depreciation. "How insensate they must be! To me it gives a new charm
to life. It quiets one for the day; makes one so much fitter for
one's daily trials and daily troubles. Does it not, Mr Oriel?"

"I look upon morning prayer as an imperative duty, certainly."

"Oh, certainly, a most imperative duty; but so delicious at the same
time. I spoke to Mrs Umbleby about it, but she said she could not
leave the children."

"No: I dare say not," said Mr Oriel.

"And Mr Umbleby said his business kept him up so late at night."

"Very probably. I hardly expect the attendance of men of business."

"But the servants might come, mightn't they, Mr Oriel?"

"I fear that servants seldom can have time for daily prayers in
church."

"Oh, ah, no; perhaps not." And then Miss Gushing began to bethink
herself of whom should be composed the congregation which it must be
presumed that Mr Oriel wished to see around him. But on this matter
he did not enlighten her.

Then Miss Gushing took to fasting on Fridays, and made some futile
attempts to induce her priest to give her the comfort of confessional
absolution. But, unfortunately, the zeal of the master waxed cool
as that of the pupil waxed hot; and, at last, when the young thing
returned to Greshamsbury from an autumn excursion which she had made
with Mrs Umbleby to Weston-super-Mare, she found that the delicious
morning services had died a natural death. Miss Gushing did not on
that account give up the game, but she was bound to fight with no
particular advantage in her favour.

Miss Oriel, though a good Churchwoman, was by no means a convert to
her brother's extremist views, and perhaps gave but scanty credit
to the Gushings, Athelings, and Opie Greens for the sincerity of
their religion. But, nevertheless, she and her brother were staunch
friends; and she still hoped to see the day when he might be induced
to think that an English parson might get through his parish work
with the assistance of a wife better than he could do without such
feminine encumbrance. The girl whom she selected for his bride was
not the young thing, but Beatrice Gresham.

And at last it seemed probable to Mr Oriel's nearest friends that he
was in a fair way to be overcome. Not that he had begun to make love
to Beatrice, or committed himself by the utterance of any opinion as
to the propriety of clerical marriages; but he daily became looser
about his peculiar tenets, raved less immoderately than hereto