as of spluttering from the upraised tea-cup of
Professor Tybalt Smith, and Miss Matilda gave a distinctly aggressive
sniff.

"If you're not going, Josephus," she retorted, "I must send word to one
of the chaplains, though after what you had said I naturally--" But
there she paused, arrested by the incredible fact that for the first
time in her experience her brother was not listening to what she was
saying. Her silence commanded his attention.

"Oh," he replied, looking up vacantly, "do what you think proper," and
turned again to Mrs. Mackintosh, who proceeded placidly with her theme.

"Of course," she said, "you hear a lot about seeing with the eye of
faith, but I like to see with the eye of understanding, too, and I never
yet sat under a preacher who was what I should call 'up to Jonah.' I
read your book when it came out. It was one of the prizes they offered
for selling on commission fifty packets of Tinker's Tannin Tea, and I've
been wild to meet you ever since. I have been a-whaling, so to speak,
for years, but I expect you to carry me safely into port."

"Madam," said the Bishop, "you overwhelm me." He was immensely flattered
by her appreciative, if outspoken, commendation. "I'm now," he
continued, "at work on a set of supplementary sermons on this very
subject; and if it wouldn't be imposing too much on your good nature to
let me read them to you, or parts of them--they embrace some six hundred
pages."

Mrs. Mackintosh looked at him regretfully.

"Isn't there any more than that?" she said. "I wanted three volumes at
least."

The Bishop beamed with gratification.

"I trust," he replied, "that they'll be worthy of your attention. But my
treatment of the subject is--er--slightly doctrinal, and perhaps you're
not a member of the Church of England."

"Well, no," said Mrs. Mackintosh. "I can't say as I am. I was baptised a
Methodist, brought up in a Roman Catholic convent, finished at a
Presbyterian boarding-school, and married before a Justice of the Peace
to a Unitarian, and since I've been a widow I've attended a Baptist
church regularly; but I don't believe I'd mind a few weeks of an
Episcopalian, specially seeing he's a Bishop, which I haven't
experienced before."

"I shall endeavour to do my best, madam," said his Lordship. "Perhaps I
may even lead you--in time--"

"Well, I shouldn't be surprised but what you might," replied Mrs.
Mackintosh, "but I mustn't take up all your time. I want you to know m