sir, that you recognised the style? . . . Ah, no;
the handwriting must have been your index. The Bishop showed it to
you, then?"

"I--er--have been permitted to glance it over."

"Over his shoulder, if I may make a guess," murmured Brother Copas,
putting his watch away and searching for his snuff-box.

"Anyway, you signed it: as Bon--as Brother Bonaday here was too
sensible to do: though," added Mr. Colt, "_his_ signature one could
at least have respected."

Brother Copas tapped his snuff-box, foreseeing comedy.

"And why not mine, sir?"

"Oh, come, come!" blurted the Chaplain. "I take you to be a man of
some education."

"Is that indeed the reason?"

"A man of some education, I say."

"And I hear you, sir." Brother Copas bowed. "'Praise from Sir
Richard Strahan is praise indeed'--though my poor friend here seems
to get the backhand of the compliment."

"And it is incredible you should go with the ignorant herd and
believe us Clergy of the Church of England to be heading for Rome, as
your Petition asserts."

Brother Copas slowly inhaled a pinch.

"In England, Mr. Chaplain, the ignorant herd has, by the admission of
other nations, a practical political sense, and a somewhat downright
way with it. It sees you reverting to many doctrines and uses from
which the Reformation cut us free--or, if you prefer it, cut us
loose; doctrines and uses which the Church of Rome has taught and
practised without a break. It says--this ignorant herd--'If these
fellows are not heading for Rome, then where the dickens _are_ they
heading?' Forgive this blunt way of putting it, but the question is
not so blunt as it looks. It is on the contrary extremely shrewd;
and until you High Anglicans answer it candidly, the ignorant herd
will suspect--and you know, sir, the lower classes are incurably
suspicious--either that yourselves do not know, or that you know and
won't tell."

"You say," answered Mr. Colt, "that we revert to many doctrines and
uses which, since the Romish clergy preach and practise them, are
ignorantly supposed to belong to Rome. But 'many' is not 'all'; nor
does it include the most radical doctrine of all. How can we intend
Romanising while we deny the supreme authority of the Pope?--or
Bishop of Rome, as I should prefer to call him."

"Fairly countered," replied Brother Copas, taking another pinch;
"though the ignorant herd would have liked better an answer to its
question. You deny the supreme aut