the Bible. He had never seen any book in which this was disputed, nor
met with anyone who doubted it. True, there was just a little scare
about geology, but there was nothing in it. If it was said that God made
the world in six days, why He did make it in six days, neither in more
nor less; if it was said that He put Adam to sleep, took out one of his
ribs and made a woman of it, why it was so as a matter of course. He,
Adam, went to sleep as it might be himself, Theobald Pontifex, in a
garden, as it might be the garden at Crampsford Rectory during the summer
months when it was so pretty, only that it was larger, and had some tame
wild animals in it. Then God came up to him, as it might be Mr Allaby or
his father, dexterously took out one of his ribs without waking him, and
miraculously healed the wound so that no trace of the operation remained.
Finally, God had taken the rib perhaps into the greenhouse, and had
turned it into just such another young woman as Christina. That was how
it was done; there was neither difficulty nor shadow of difficulty about
the matter. Could not God do anything He liked, and had He not in His
own inspired Book told us that He had done this?

This was the average attitude of fairly educated young men and women
towards the Mosaic cosmogony fifty, forty, or even twenty years ago. The
combating of infidelity, therefore, offered little scope for enterprising
young clergymen, nor had the Church awakened to the activity which she
has since displayed among the poor in our large towns. These were then
left almost without an effort at resistance or co-operation to the
labours of those who had succeeded Wesley. Missionary work indeed in
heathen countries was being carried on with some energy, but Theobald did
not feel any call to be a missionary. Christina suggested this to him
more than once, and assured him of the unspeakable happiness it would be
to her to be the wife of a missionary, and to share his dangers; she and
Theobald might even be martyred; of course they would be martyred
simultaneously, and martyrdom many years hence as regarded from the
arbour in the Rectory garden was not painful, it would ensure them a
glorious future in the next world, and at any rate posthumous renown in
this--even if they were not miraculously restored to life again--and such
things had happened ere now in the case of martyrs. Theobald, however,
had not been kindled by Christina's enthusiasm, so she f