nough to settle this question. But it was far from
being so. The words myth and mythical were used half a dozen times,
and the rabbis declared that they were applied to the statements of
Scripture. Bertram declared that they were applied to the appearance
those statements must have as at present put before the English
world. Then he said something not complimentary to the translators,
and something also very uncivil as to want of intelligence on the
part of the Oxford rabbis. The war raged warmly, and was taken up by
the metropolitan press, till Bertram became a lion--a lion, however,
without a hide, for in the middle of the dispute he felt himself
called on to resign his fellowship.

He lost that hide; but he got another in lieu which his friends
assured him was of a much warmer texture. His uncle had taken
considerable interest in this dispute, alleging all through that
the Oxford men were long-eared asses and bigoted monks. It may be
presumed that his own orthodoxy was not of a high class. He had never
liked George's fellowship, and had always ridiculed the income which
he received from it. Directly he heard that it had been resigned,
he gave his nephew a thousand pounds. He said nothing about it; he
merely told Mr. Pritchett to arrange the matter.

Sir Lionel was delighted. As to the question of orthodoxy he was
perfectly indifferent. It was nothing to him whether his son called
the book of Genesis a myth or a gospel; but he had said much, very
much as to the folly of risking the fellowship; and more, a great
deal more, as to the madness of throwing it away. But now he
was quite ready to own himself wrong, and did do so in the most
straightforward manner. After all, what was a fellowship to a man
just about to be married? In his position Bertram had of course been
free to speak out. If, indeed, there had been any object in holding
to the college, then the expression of such opinions, let alone their
publication, would not have been judicious.

As it was, however, nothing could have been more lucky. His son had
shown his independence. The rich uncle had shown the warm interest
which he still took in his nephew, and Sir Lionel was able to borrow
two hundred and fifty pounds, a sum of money which, at the present
moment, was very grateful to him. Bertram's triumph was gilded on all
sides; for the booksellers had paid him handsomely for his infidel
manuscript. Infidelity that can make itself successful will, at any
r