to have things both
ways--to be saints and seers of visions, and yet to come the practical
and worldly and rule ordinary men's lives. Saintly example yes; but not
saintly governance. You've been his deliverance, Nollie."

"But Daddy loves his Church."

George frowned. "Of course, it'll be a wrench. A man's bound to have a
cosey feeling about a place where he's been boss so long; and there
is something about a Church--the drone, the scent, the half darkness;
there's beauty in it, it's a pleasant drug. But he's not being asked
to give up the drug habit; only to stop administering drugs to others.
Don't worry, Nollie; I don't believe that's ever suited him, it wants a
thicker skin than he's got."

"But all the people he helps?"

"No reason he shouldn't go on helping people, is there?"

"But to go on living there, without--Mother died there, you know!"

George grunted. "Dreams, Nollie, all round him; of the past and the
future, of what people are and what he can do with them. I never see him
without a skirmish, as you know, and yet I'm fond of him. But I should
be twice as fond, and half as likely to skirmish, if he'd drop the
habits of authority. Then I believe he'd have some real influence over
me; there's something beautiful about him, I know that quite well."

"Yes," murmured Noel fervently.

"He's such a queer mixture," mused George. "Clean out of his age; chalks
above most of the parsons in a spiritual sense and chalks below most
of them in the worldly. And yet I believe he's in the right of it. The
Church ought to be a forlorn hope, Nollie; then we should believe in
it. Instead of that, it's a sort of business that no one can take
too seriously. You see, the Church spiritual can't make good in this
age--has no chance of making good, and so in the main it's given it up
for vested interests and social influence. Your father is a symbol of
what the Church is not. But what about you, my dear? There's a room at
my boarding-house, and only one old lady besides myself, who knits all
the time. If Grace can get shifted we'll find a house, and you can have
the baby. They'll send your luggage on from Paddington if you write; and
in the meantime Gracie's got some things here that you can have."

"I'll have to send a wire to Daddy."

"I'll do that. You come to my diggings at half past one, and I'll settle
you in. Until then, you'd better stay up here."

When he had gone she roamed a little farther, and lay down on th