e in the whole
of his experience had he known her approve word or action of his.

"Did he say anything else?" queried Mrs. Bindle.

"No; 'e soon got down, an' another cove got up. Then they started a
Christian meeting next door, and there was them two lots of people
shouting all sorts of things at each other. Wot Gawd must 'ave thought
of it all does me. Why can't they stay at home and pray if they feel
as bad as all that. A day a month at 'ome to blow orf, instead of
goin' into Regent's Park, a-kicking up a row so as you can't 'ear the
birds sing, makes you feel ashamed o' bein' a man, it does. One chap
got up and said he was goin' to prove there wasn't no Gawd."

"And what did he say?" asked Mrs. Bindle with interest.

"All 'e could say was, that 'im and 'is friends 'ad searched
everywhere through wot they called the whole physical world, an' they
'adn't found 'Im, therefore there wasn't no Gawd."

"They didn't ought to allow it," commented Mrs. Bindle indignantly.

"Then another cove got up and said 'e 'oped that 'is friend, wot 'ad
just got down, 'ad proved to the whole Park that there wasn't no Gawd,
and if there was any thinkin' different would they 'old up their
'ands."

"Did anybody hold up their hands?" asked Mrs. Bindle.

"Yes, up went my little 'and like a whiz-bang," announced Bindle.

Mrs. Bindle gave Bindle a look that she usually reserved for Mr.
Hearty.

"'Well, sir!' says 'e, lookin' at me, 'wot is your question?'

"'Well,' says I, 'will you and your pals come round with me to-morrow
morning an' try and enlist?' There was a rare lot of khaki boys round
there, and didn't they raise a yell. That was the end of that meeting.
Every time anyone tried to get up an' speak, them khaki boys started
a-'ootin' and a-callin' out, and 'avin' of a rare ole time. There was
one cove wot made us laugh fit to die. Every time one o' the atheists
started talkin', 'e said in a 'igh-pitched voice, 'Oh, Cuthbert,
don't!' as if it was a gal wot was being squeezed."

Mrs. Bindle had listened to Bindle with the nearest approach to
approval that she had ever shown.

"There was another cove there," continued Bindle, warming to his
subject. "Funny little feller 'e was too, all cap an' overcoat,
talking about the Judgment Day. Awful things 'e promised us, 'e did.
Made out as if Gawd was worse than an 'Un. 'E said 'e'd be standin'
beside Gawd when all the people was judged, and 'e'd tell 'Im 'ow 'e'd
been in Regent's