the vigorous freshness of spring with the mature
warmth of summer. As the doctor and the vicar strolled down to the
station, leaving Mrs Prosser to ride down with the luggage, they
encountered Thomas Bradly, who was also on his way to the line.

"Good morning, Thomas," said Mr Maltby; "do you know how Edward Taylor
is to-day?"

"Badly enough in body, sir," replied Bradly; "but I believe the Lord's
blessing this trouble to his soul, and so he's bringing good out of
evil.--And so I suppose we're to lose Dr Prosser. Well, I'm sorry for
it, for all the working-men I've talked with was greatly set up with the
lecture he gave us in the Town Hall the other night, and we were hoping
he'd give us another."

"We must get him to run down and favour us again when the autumn comes
round," said Mr Maltby.

"That I shall be charmed to do," replied the doctor. "It was quite
refreshing to speak td such an audience. They don't leave one in any
doubt about their understanding and appreciating what is said to them."

"That's true, sir," said Bradly, "and that makes it all the more
important they should listen to them as can show them as Scripture and
science come from the same God, and so can't possibly contradict one
another; and that's what you did, and I was very thankful to hear you do
it."

"I am glad that I made that clear," said the doctor.

"Yes, you did, sir; and I'm so glad you did it without any `ifs' and
`buts.' Why, we had a chap here the other day--the vicar weren't at
home at the time--and he puts out bills to say as he were going to give
a popular lecture on the Evidences of Christianity, Historical,
Geographical, and I don't know what besides. It were put about too as
he were an able man, and a Christian man, and so me and some of my
friends went to hear him. But, bless you, he couldn't go straight at
his subject, but he must be making all sorts of apologies, he was so
precious fearful of speaking too strongly in favour of the Word of God
and the gospel, and lest he should be uncharitable to them as didn't see
just as he did; and he were full of compliments to this sceptical writer
and that sceptical writer, and told us all their chief objections, and
was so anxious to be candid, and not put his own opinions too strongly,
that most of us began to think as the lecture ought to have been called
a lecture _against_ the evidences of Christianity. I'm sure, for one
who remembered what he said in favour of the Bi