ably in practice) it appeared to him that John Wesley had
anticipated the spiritual engine which he and Pryer were preparing, and
when he left the room he was aware that he had caught more of a spiritual
Tartar than he had expected. But he must certainly explain to Pryer that
the Wesleyans had a system of Church discipline. This was very
important.

Mr Baxter advised Ernest on no account to meddle with Mr Holt, and Ernest
was much relieved at the advice. If an opportunity arose of touching the
man's heart, he would take it; he would pat the children on the head when
he saw them on the stairs, and ingratiate himself with them as far as he
dared; they were sturdy youngsters, and Ernest was afraid even of them,
for they were ready with their tongues, and knew much for their ages.
Ernest felt that it would indeed be almost better for him that a
millstone should be hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than
that he should offend one of the little Holts. However, he would try not
to offend them; perhaps an occasional penny or two might square them.
This was as much as he could do, for he saw that the attempt to be
instant out of season, as well as in season, would, St Paul's injunction
notwithstanding, end in failure.

Mrs Baxter gave a very bad account of Miss Emily Snow, who lodged in the
second floor back next to Mr Holt. Her story was quite different from
that of Mrs Jupp the landlady. She would doubtless be only too glad to
receive Ernest's ministrations or those of any other gentleman, but she
was no governess, she was in the ballet at Drury Lane, and besides this,
she was a very bad young woman, and if Mrs Baxter was landlady would not
be allowed to stay in the house a single hour, not she indeed.

Miss Maitland in the next room to Mrs Baxter's own was a quiet and
respectable young woman to all appearance; Mrs Baxter had never known of
any goings on in that quarter, but, bless you, still waters run deep, and
these girls were all alike, one as bad as the other. She was out at all
kinds of hours, and when you knew that you knew all.

Ernest did not pay much heed to these aspersions of Mrs Baxter's. Mrs
Jupp had got round the greater number of his many blind sides, and had
warned him not to believe Mrs Baxter, whose lip she said was something
awful.

Ernest had heard that women were always jealous of one another, and
certainly these young women were more attractive than Mrs Baxter was, so
jealousy