he fortunate couple were advancing through the garden, looking fondly
at their own vicarage, with their own sponges hanging out of their upper
windows, and their offspring waving to them from a third, when a small,
slight figure appeared on the terrace.

"James," said Mrs. Gresley, with decision, "it is your duty to speak to
Hester about attending early service. If she can go out in the garden
she can come to church."

"I have spoken to her once," said Mr. Gresley, frowning, "and though I
put it before her very plainly she showed great obstinacy. Fond as I am
of Hester, I cannot shut my eyes to the fact that she has an arrogant
and callous nature. But we must remember, my love, that Aunt Susan was
most lax in all her views, and we must make allowance for Hester, who
lived with her till last year. It is only natural that Hester, bred up
from childhood in that worldly circle--dinner-parties all through Lent,
and Sunday luncheons--should have fallen through want of solid church
teaching into freethinking and ideas of her own upon religion."

Mr. Gresley's voice was of that peculiar metallic note which carries
farther than the owner is aware. It rose, if contradicted, into a sort
of continuous trumpet-blast which drowned all other lesser voices.
Hester's little garret was two stories above Mr. Gresley's study on the
ground floor, but, nevertheless, she often heard confused, anxious
parochial buzzings overwhelmed by that sustained high note which knew no
cessation until objection or opposition ceased. As she came towards
them, she heard with perfect distinctness what he was saying, but it did
not trouble her. Hester was gifted with imagination, and imagination
does not find it difficult to read by the shorthand of the expressions
and habitual opinions and repressions of others what they occasionally
say at full length, and to which they fondly believe they are giving
utterance for the first time. Mr. Gresley had said all this many times
already by his manner, and it had by its vain repetitions lost its
novelty. Mr. Gresley was fortunately not aware of this, for
unimaginative persons believe themselves to be sealed books, as
hermetically sealed as the characters of others are to themselves.

Hester was very like her brother. She had the same nose, slightly too
long for her small face, the same short upper lip and light hair, only
her brother's was straight and hers was crimped, as wet sand is crimped
by a placid outgoing s