if you had just told me the drift of the
thing.'

'It seemed to me,' said Peak, modestly, 'that the paper was worth a
little careful thought. I read it rapidly at first, but found myself
drawn to it again. It states the point of view of the average
scientific mind with such remarkable clearness, that I wished to think
it over, and the best way was to do so pen in hand.'

'Well, if you really did it on your own account'----

Mr. Warricombe took the offered sheets and glanced at the first of them.

'My only purpose,' said Godwin 'in calling again so soon was to leave
this with you.'

He made as though he would take his departure.

'You want to get home again? Wait at least till this shower is over. I
enjoy that pelting of spring rain against the window. In a minute or
two we shall have the laurels flashing in the sunshine, as if they were
hung with diamonds.'

They stood together looking out on to the garden. Presently their talk
returned to the German disquisition, which was directed against the
class of quasi-scientific authors attacked by Peak himself in his
_Critical_ article. In the end Godwin sat down and began to read the
translation he had made, Mr. Warricombe listening with a thoughtful
smile. From time to time the reader paused and offered a comment,
endeavouring to show that the arguments were merely plausible; his air
was that of placid security, and he seemed to enjoy the irony which
often fell from his lips. Martin frequently scrutinised him, and always
with a look of interest which betokened grave reflection.

'Here,' said Godwin at one point, 'he has a note citing a passage from
Reusch's book on _The Bible and Nature_. If I am not mistaken, he
misrepresents his author, though perhaps not intentionally.'

'You know the book?'

'I have studied it carefully, but I don't possess it. I thought I
remembered this particular passage very well.'

'Is it a work of authority?'

'Yes; it is very important. Unfortunately, it hasn't yet been
translated. Rather bulky, but I shouldn't mind doing it myself if I
were sure of finding a publisher.'

'_The Bible and Nature_,' said Martin, musingly. 'What is his scheme?
How does he go to work?'

Godwin gave a brief but lucid description of the book, and Mr
Warricombe listened gravely. When there had been silence for some
moments, the latter spoke in a tone he had never yet used when
conversing with Peak. He allowed himself, for the first time, to betray
a tro