ever heard or listened to a word I said, and had never given me
anything in all my life? Now, that's just how the matter stands. It's
no use talking to a man as knows what effectual prayer is, about the
constancy of the laws of nature, and such like. He knows better; he has
put the Lord of nature and all its laws to the proof, and so may you
too. I'll just leave with you one text out of the Scripture as'll weigh
down a warehouseful of your sceptical and philosophical books; and it's
this: `Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you.'"

Not a word more was spoken on either side, and the party broke up.

CHAPTER SIX.

THE VICAR OF CROSSBOURNE.

Of all the true friends of "Tommy Tracks" none valued and loved him more
than the Reverend Ernest Maltby, vicar of Crossbourne. There is a
peculiar attraction in such men to one another, which cements their
friendship all the more strongly from the very dissimilarity of their
social positions. For each feels dependent on the other, and that the
other possesses gifts or powers of which he himself is destitute. The
refined Christian scholar, while in perfect spiritual accord with the
man of rougher mould and scanty learning, feels that his humbler brother
is able to _get at_ his fellow-workmen for good, as being on the same
level with them, in a way denied to himself. While, on the other hand,
the man of inferior education and position is conscious that all real
increase in knowledge is increase in power, and that his brother of
higher-station and more extensive reading can grasp and deal effectually
with topics of interest and importance, which could not be done justice
to by his own less skilful and less intelligent handling. And thus, as
each leans in a measure on the other, being in entire sympathy as they
are on highest things, the force of their united action on the hearts
and lives of others is powerful indeed. Such was the case in
Crossbourne. The combined work of the vicar and Thomas Bradly, both for
the salvation of souls and the rescue and reformation of the
intemperate, was being felt by the enemies of the truth to be a work of
power: they were therefore on the watch to hinder and mar that work by
every means within their reach; for Satan will not lose any of his
captives without setting his own agents on a most determined and
vigorous resistance.

The vicar himself was just the fitting man for his p