seemed as unwilling as ever to answer for
Lalage.

"For one thing," said Lalage, "we hadn't got any ecclesiastical
preferments to sell and we hadn't any money to buy them, so we couldn't
have simonied even if we'd wanted to. But he certainly said we had. Just
tell exactly what he did say, Hilda. It was to you he said it."

Hilda, with a very fair imitation of the Archdeacon's manner, repeated
his words:

"'Young lady, are you aware that this is the sin of simony?'"

I took the dictionary in my hand.

"There's a bit more," I said, "that you didn't read. Perhaps there is
some secondary meaning in the word. I'll go on: 'By stat: 31 Elizabeth
C. Vn. Severe penalties are enacted against this crime. In the church of
Scotland simonaical practices----' Well, we're not in Scotland anyhow,
so we needn't go into that. I wonder if stat: 31 Elizabeth C. VII runs
in this country. Some don't; but it sounds to me rather as if it would.
If it does, you're in a nasty fix, Lalage; you and Hilda. Several
penalties can hardly mean less than imprisonment with hard labour.

"But we didn't do it," said Lalage.

"The Archdeacon appears to think you did," I said, "both of you,
especially Hilda. You must have done something. You'd better tell me
exactly what occurred from the beginning of the interview until the end.
I'll try and pick out what struck the Archdeacon as simonaical. I don't
want to see either of you run in for severe penalties if we can help it.
I expect the best thing will be to repent and apologize at once."

"Repent of what?" said Lalage.

"That's what I want to find out. Begin at the beginning now and give me
the whole story."

"We drove over this morning," said Lalage, "to see the Archdeacon. I
didn't want to go a bit, for the Archdeacon is particularly horrid when
he's nice, as he is just at present. But Selby-Harrison said we ought."

"Is Selby-Harrison here?"

"No. He wrote from Dublin. He's been looking up the subject of bishops
in the college library so that we'd know exactly what we ought to do."

"He should have looked up simony first thing. I can't forgive
Selby-Harrison for letting you in for those severe penalties."

"There wasn't a bit of harm in what he said. It was nearly all out of
the Bible and the ancient Fathers of the Church and Councils and things.
It couldn't have been simony. You have his letter, haven't you, Hilda?
Read it out."

Hilda opened the small bag she always carries and took out