one believer in all that which you
called on us to say that we believed? one, for instance, who believes
in the communion of saints? one who believes in the resurrection of
the body?"

"And why should they not believe in the communion of saints? What's
the difficulty?"

"Very little, certainly; as their belief goes--what they and you call
belief. Rumtunshid gara shushabad gerostophat. That is the shibboleth
of some of the Caucasian tribes. Do you believe in Rumtunshid?"

"If you will talk gibberish when talking on such a matter, I had
rather change the subject."

"Now you are unreasonable, and want to have all the gibberish to
yourself. That you should have it all to yourself in your own pulpit
we accede to you; but out here, on the heath, surely I may have
my turn. You do not believe in Rumtunshid? Then why should farmer
Buttercup be called on to believe in the communion of the saints?
What does he believe about it? Or why should you make little Flora
Buttercup tell such a huge fib as to say, that she believes in the
resurrection of the body?"

"It is taught her as a necessary lesson, and will be explained to her
at the proper age."

"No; there is no proper age for it. It will never be explained to
her. Neither Flora nor her father will ever understand anything about
it. But they will always believe it. Am I old enough to understand
it? Explain it to me. No one yet has ever attempted to do so; and yet
my education was not neglected."

Wilkinson had too great a fear of his friend's powers of ridicule to
venture on an explanation; so he again suggested that they should
change the subject.

"That is always the way," said Bertram. "I never knew a clergyman who
did not want to change the subject when that subject is the one on
which he should be ever willing to speak."

"If there be anything that you deem holy, you would not be willing to
hear it ridiculed."

"There is much that I deem holy, and for that I fear no laughter. I
am ready to defy ridicule. But if I talk to you of the asceticism of
Stylites, and tell you that I admire it, and will imitate it, will
you not then laugh at me? Of course we ridicule what we think is
false. But ridicule will run off truth like water from a duck's back.
Come, explain to me this about the resurrection of the body."

"Yet, in my flesh, shall I see God," said Arthur, in a solemn tone.

"But I say, no. It is impossible."

"Nothing is impossible with God."

"Yes; it is