requently in booksellers' advertisements, and Mr. Mudie
told how he always had two thousand copies of it on his shelves.
So our friend did something in the world; but what he did do was
unfortunately not applauded by his friends.

Harcourt very plainly told him that a man who scribbled never did any
good at the bar. The two trades, he said, were not compatible.

"No," said George, "I believe not. An author must be nothing if he do
not love truth; a barrister must be nothing if he do." Harcourt was
no whit annoyed by the repartee, but having given his warning, went
his way to his work.

It was very well known that the "Romance of Scripture" was Bertram's
work, and there was a comfortable row about it at Oxford. The row
was all private, of course--as was necessary, the book having been
published without the author's name. But much was said, and many
letters were written. Bertram, in writing to the friend at Oriel who
took up the cudgels in his defence, made three statements. First,
that no one at Oxford had a right to suppose that he was the author.
Second, that he was the author, and that no one at Oxford had a right
to find fault with what he had written. Thirdly, that it was quite a
matter of indifference to him who did find fault. To this, however,
he added, that he was ready to resign his fellowship to-morrow if the
Common-room at Oriel wished to get rid of him.

So the matter rested--for awhile. Those who at this time knew Bertram
best were confident enough that his belief was shaken, in spite of
the remonstrance so loudly put forth in his first pages. He had
intended to be honest in his remonstrance; but it is not every man
who exactly knows what he does believe. Every man! Is there, one may
almost ask, any man who has such knowledge? We all believe in the
resurrection of the body; we say so at least, but what do we believe
by it?

Men may be firm believers and yet doubt some Bible statements--doubt
the letter of such statements. But men who are firm believers will
not be those to put forth their doubts with all their eloquence. Such
men, if they devote their time to Scripture history, will not be
arrested by the sun's standing on Gibeon. If they speak out at all,
they will speak out rather as to all they do believe than as to the
little that they doubt. It was soon known to Bertram's world that
those who regarded him as a freethinker did him no great injustice.

This and other things made them very unhappy