he conversation was in another quarter dwelling upon poor
Charles.

"No, depend upon it, there's more in what the _Gazette_ says than you
think. Disappointment is generally at the bottom of these changes."

"Poor devils! they can't help it," said another, in a low voice, to his
neighbour.

"A good riddance, anyhow," said the party addressed; "we shall have a
little peace at last."

"Well," said the first of the two, drawing himself up and speaking in
the air, "how any educated man should--" his voice was overpowered by
the grave enunciation of a small man behind them, who had hitherto kept
silence, and now spoke with positiveness.

He addressed himself, between the two heads which had just been talking
in private, to the group beyond them. "It's all the effect of
rationalism," he said; "the whole movement is rationalistic. At the end
of three years all those persons who have now apostatized will be
infidels."

No one responded; at length another of the party came up to Mr.
Malcolm's acquaintance, and said, slowly, "I suppose you never heard it
hinted that there is something wrong _here_ in Mr. Reding," touching his
forehead significantly; "I have been told it's in the family."

He was answered by a deep, powerful voice, belonging to a person who
sat in the corner; it sounded like "the great bell of Bow," as if it
ought to have closed the conversation. It said abruptly, "I respect him
uncommonly; I have an extreme respect for him. He's an honest man; I
wish others were as honest. If they were, then, as the Puseyites are
becoming Catholics, so we should see old Brownside and his clique
becoming Unitarians. But they mean to stick in."

Most persons present felt the truth of his remark, and a silence
followed it for a while. It was broken by a clear cackling voice: "Did
you ever hear," said he, nodding his head, or rather his whole person,
as he spoke, "did you ever, Sheffield, happen to hear that this
gentleman, your friend Mr. Reding, when he was quite a freshman, had a
conversation with some _attache_ of the Popish Chapel in this place, at
the very door of it, after the men were gone down?"

"Impossible, Fusby," said Carlton, and laughed.

"It's quite true," returned Fusby; "I had it from the Under-Marshal, who
was passing at the moment. My eye has been on Mr. Reding for some
years."

"So it seems," said Sheffield, "for that must have been at least, let me
see, four or five years ago."

"Oh," continued Fu