ng, conscientious man, ready to work hard
for his flock and his family; indeed, barring a certain frail leaning
toward _gourmandise_, of which a full pendulous lip told tales, and an
occasional infirmity of temper, he had as few outward failings as could
be desired. For one of no extreme views, he could count an extraordinary
number of adherents. Without being particularly agreeable or
instructive, he possessed a rather imposing readiness and rotundity of
speech, and had a knack of turning his arm-chair into a pulpit somewhat
oftener than was quite in good taste. However, I suppose the best of us
will talk "shop" when we see a fair opening. He had a large wife and
several small children. No one admired him more devotedly than this
truly excellent woman. As far as sharing in her husband's successes
went, or partaking in any other advantages of society, she might as well
have been the squaw of an Iowa brave; for her time was more than taken
up in tending her offspring, and in providing for her lord the savory
meats in which he delighted; but she looked the picture of contentment,
and so nobody thought it necessary to pity her.

From the first moment of their meeting, the chaplain had entertained a
nervous dislike, approaching to a presentiment, toward Royston Keene. He
regarded him as a brand likely to inflame others, but itself by no means
to be plucked from the burning. The latter saw his gesture as he passed,
and smiled--not pleasantly. "Remark the shepherd, M. le Vicomte," he
said; "he sees the wolves prowling, and trembles for his lambs."

"One wolf, at least, is toothless," answered Chateaumesnil. "What have
we to do with lambs, except _en supreme_? But the sun is down; I must go
home, or these cursed pains will avenge themselves. Till this evening."

"I will not fail; but you will permit me to accompany you so far," said
Keene, bending over the invalid with the grand courteous air that became
him well; and he walked by the other's side till they reached his door,
talking over the varying fortunes of last night's play.

CHAPTER IV.

You have found out already that you are only looking at a chaplet of
cameos, with just enough of story to string them together. Under these
circumstances, the right thing of course to do is to work out each
character by the rules of metaphysical mathematics, and then to reverse
the process and "prove" the result. But I never tried to extract the
square root out of _any thing_