t on 'Schism' appeared. Lord Newhaven always says something
disagreeable. Don't you remember, when you were thinking of exchanging
Warpington for that Scotch living, he said he knew you would not do it
because with your feeling towards Dissent you would never go to a
country where you would be a Dissenter yourself?"

"How about the proofs?" said Hester, through the open window. "I am
ready when you are, James."

CHAPTER X

Wonderful power to benumb possesses this brother.
--EMERSON.

"Of course, Hester," said Mr. Gresley, leading the way to his study and
speaking in his lesson-for-the-day voice, "I don't pretend to
write"--("They always say that," thought Hester)--"I have not sufficient
leisure to devote to the subject to insure becoming a successful author.
And even if I had I am afraid I should not be willing to sell my soul to
obtain popularity, for that is what it comes to in these days. The
public must be pandered to. It must be amused. The public likes smooth
things, and the great truths--the only things I should care to write
about--are not smooth, far from it."

"No, indeed."

"This little paper on 'Dissent,' which I propose to publish in pamphlet
form after its appearance as a serial--it will run to two numbers in the
_Southminster Advertiser_--was merely thrown off in a few days when I
had influenza, and could not attend to my usual work."

"It must be very difficult to work in illness," said Hester, who had
evidently made a vow during her brief sojourn in the garden, and was now
obviously going through that process which the society of some of our
fellow-creatures makes as necessary as it is fatiguing--namely, that of
thinking beforehand what we are going to say.

Mr. Gresley liked Hester immensely when she had freshly ironed herself
flat under one of these resolutions. He was wont to say that no one was
pleasanter than Hester when she was reasonable, or made more suitable
remarks. He perceived with joy that she was reasonable now, and the
brother and sister sat down close together at the writing-table with the
printed sheets between them.

"I will read aloud," said Mr. Gresley, "and you can follow me, and stop
me if you think--er--the sense is not quite clear."

"I see."

The two long noses, the larger freckled one surmounted by a _pince-nez_,
the other slightly pink, as if it had absorbed the tint of the
blotting-paper over which it w