staircase
with mine at All Angels, and we were friendly till time and affairs
separated us even more completely than usually happens. However, about
your presenting yourself for confirmation.' (The Bishop's voice grew
stern.) 'If I had known yesterday morning what I knew twelve hours
later, I wouldn't have confirmed you at all.'

'Indeed, my lord!'

'Yes, I say it, and I mean it. I visited your observatory last night.'

'You did, my lord.'

'In inspecting it I noticed something which I may truly describe as
extraordinary. I have had young men present themselves to me who turned
out to be notoriously unfit, either from giddiness, from being profane or
intemperate, or from some bad quality or other. But I never remember a
case which equalled the cool culpability of this. While infringing the
first principles of social decorum you might at least have respected the
ordinance sufficiently to have stayed away from it altogether. Now I
have sent for you here to see if a last entreaty and a direct appeal to
your sense of manly uprightness will have any effect in inducing you to
change your course of life.'

The voice of Swithin in his next remark showed how tremendously this
attack of the Bishop had told upon his feelings. Louis, of course, did
not know the reason why the words should have affected him precisely as
they did; to any one in the secret the double embarrassment arising from
misapprehended ethics and inability to set matters right, because his
word of secrecy to another was inviolable, would have accounted for the
young man's emotion sufficiently well.

'I am very sorry your lordship should have seen anything objectionable,'
said Swithin. 'May I ask what it was?'

'You know what it was. Something in your chamber, which forced me to the
above conclusions. I disguised my feelings of sorrow at the time for
obvious reasons, but I never in my whole life was so shocked!'

'At what, my lord?'

'At what I saw.'

'Pardon me, Bishop Helmsdale, but you said just now that we are
strangers; so what you saw in my cabin concerns me only.'

'There I contradict you. Twenty-four hours ago that remark would have
been plausible enough; but by presenting yourself for confirmation at my
hands you have invited my investigation into your principles.'

Swithin sighed. 'I admit it,' he said.

'And what do I find them?'

'You say reprehensible. But you might at least let me hear the proof!'

'I can do more,