me to enter largely into minds. Your mind
is of a lofty order--calm, philosophic, benevolent. You have proved this
by your kind reception of me, a stranger, almost an intruder. You have
judged from my manners and appearance, which are shaped considerably by
the inner man, that my object was good, large, noble. And yet you have
not been quite able to refrain, at weak moments perhaps, but still a
dozen times a day, from exclaiming in the commune of your heart, 'What
the devil does this man want in my parish?'"

"My good sir, I never use bad language; and if I did my duty, I should
now inflict--"

"Five shillings for your poor-box. There it is. And it serves me quite
right for being too explicit, and forgetting my reverence to the
cloth. However, I have coarsely expressed your thoughts. Also you have
frequently said to yourself, 'This man prates of openness, but I find
him closer than any oyster.' Am I right? Yes, I see that I am, by
your bow. Very well, you may suppose what pain it gave me to have
the privilege of intercourse with a perfect gentleman and an eloquent
divine, and yet feel myself in an ambiguous position. In a few words I
will clear myself, being now at liberty to indulge that pleasure. I have
been here, as agent for Sir Duncan Yordas, to follow up the long-lost
clew to his son, and only child, who for very many years was believed
to be out of all human pursuit. My sanguine and penetrating mind scorned
rumors, and went in for certainty. I have found Sir Duncan's son, and
am able to identify him, beyond all doubt, as a certain young man well
known to you, and perhaps too widely known, by the name of Robin Lyth."

In spite of the length of his experience of the world, in a place of so
many adventures, the rector of Flamborough was astonished, and perhaps
a little vexed as well. If anything was to be found out, in such a
headlong way, about one of his parishioners, and notably such a pet
pupil and favorite, the proper thing would have been that he himself
should do it. Failing that, he should at least have been consulted,
enlisted, or at any rate apprised of what was toward. But instead of
that, here he had been hoodwinked (by this marvel of incarnate candor
employed in the dark about several little things), and then suddenly
enlightened, when the job was done. Gentle and void of self-importance
as he was, it misliked him to be treated so.

"This is a wonderful piece of news," he said, as he fixed a calm ga