id.
"Do allow my wife to examine your injured ankle--she is all tenderness
and sympathy, and a gentle rubbing may perhaps restore it to its wonted
elasticity."

"I hope that I shall recover after a little rest, without giving Mrs
Lerew the trouble," answered Miss Pemberton, touched with the interest
exhibited by the new vicar. "I am deeply grateful to you. But those
sea-officers, though well-intentioned, including my poor dear
brother-in-law, are dreadfully rough and unmannerly, and have not ceased
to alarm and annoy me since I got on board that horrible little vessel,
misnamed a pleasure yacht."

"True charity would make me wish to gloss over their faults--though I
must confess I agree with you, my dear lady; but we must consider it the
result of their early education, or rather, want of education," observed
Mr Lerew, in a soft voice; "I fear, too, that their religious training
is as defective as their manners--we must, however, use our best
endeavours to correct the former, though it may be hopeless to attempt
an improvement in the latter--indeed, it is of so infinitely less
consequence, that provided we are successful in imparting the true
faith, we must rest satisfied."

"Oh, yes, I daresay I do," answered Miss Pemberton, who was thinking
more about her ankle than of what Mr Lerew was saying to her; catching
one of his words, she added, "but I don't accuse my brother-in-law of
being irreligious; I assure you, he reads prayers every morning as the
clock strikes half-past eight, and every evening at ten, with a chapter
from the Old and New Testaments, with Ryle's expositions."

"Pray, what prayers does he use?" asked Mr Lerew, in a tone which
showed that he considered the matter of great importance.

"He generally uses Bickersteth's prayers," answered Miss Pemberton.

"Sad! sad!" exclaimed Mr Lerew, in a tone of horror, "thus to neglect
the Prayer-Book and submit to the teaching of men the most deadly
enemies of the catholic faith. Do let me entreat you to beg that he
will banish Ryle and Bickersteth from his library, or rather, commit
them--I should say their works--to the flames at once, lest they should
fall into the hands of other ignorant people."

"I never thought there was any harm in them," answered Miss Pemberton,
somewhat astonished at the vehemence with which the new vicar condemned
his two brother divines, whom she had hitherto considered sound,
trustworthy teachers. "I will mention what you sa