from his coat before he presented himself at home. Not that he had
much fear of startling his wife and mother. It was more from the
Englishman's hatred of showing himself a hero, for Anne was
perfectly happy in the persecution he had brought on himself, for
she never had been so sure before that he was not of the world,
worldly.

The races were exceptionally brilliant, and fully attended, but the
triumph of the roughs had made them more outrageously disgraceful in
their conduct than ever; and when Miles went to the quarter-
sessions, rather doubting whether he should not find himself landed
in Coventry, not only did the calendar of offences speak for itself,
but sundry country gentlemen shook him by the hand, lamenting that
railways and rowdyism had entirely altered races from what they used
to be, that he was in the right, and what they had seen so recently
proved that the only thing to be done was to withdraw from what
respectable people could no longer keep within bounds. Such
withdrawal will not prevent them, but it will hinder the
demoralization from being so extensive as formerly, since no one of
much character to lose will attend them.

Mr. Bowater rejoiced in Miles's triumph. None of that family had
been at these same races. They had all been much too anxious about
Herbert not to view Ember Week in a very different light from that
in which they had thought of it before.

Lent had brought the junior curate back from Strawyers, not much
more than a convalescent, but with his sister to look after him, and
both Rector and senior anxious to spare him; he had gone on well
till the family returned and resumed Jenny, when he was left to his
own devices, namely, 'all work and no play.' He was as fixed as
ever in his resolution of making this a penance year, and believed
himself so entirety recovered as to be able to do without
relaxations. Cricket, riding, dinners, and garden-parties alike he
had given up, and divided his time entirely between church and
parish work and study. Hard reading had never been congenial, and
took a great deal out of him, and in fact, all his theological study
had hitherto been little more than task-work, into which he had
never fully entered, whereas these subjects had now assumed such a
force, depth, and importance, that he did in truth feel constrained
to go to the very foundation, and work through everything again,
moved and affected by them in every fibre of his soul, which