f W. Her
limitations were of course the same as ever, and from her sons she had
only learnt to be ashamed of announcing them too vehemently. Sidwell it
was who had led her to that degree of genuine humility, which is not
satisfied with hiding a fault but strives to amend it.

Martin Warricombe himself was not unaffected by the growth about him of
young men and maidens who looked upon the world with new eyes, whose
world, indeed, was another than that in which he had spent the better
part of his life. In his case contact with the young generation tended
to unsettlement, to a troublesome persistency of speculations which he
would have preferred to dismiss altogether. At the time of his
marriage, and for some years after, he was content to make a broad
distinction between those intellectual pursuits which afforded him
rather a liberal amusement than the pleasures of earnest study and the
questions of metaphysical faith which concerned his heart and
conscience. His native prejudices were almost as strong, and much the
same, as those of his wife; but with the vagueness of emotional logic
natural to his constitution, he satisfied himself that, by conceding a
few inessential points, he left himself at liberty to follow the
scientific movements of the day without damage to his religious
convictions. The tolerant smile so frequently on his countenance was
directed as often in the one quarter as in the other. Now it signified
a gentle reproof of those men of science who, like Professor Walsh,
'went too far', whose zeal for knowledge led them 'to forget the source
of all true enlightenment'; now it expressed a forbearing sympathy with
such as erred in the opposite direction, who were 'too literal in their
interpretation of the sacred volume'. Amiable as the smile was, it
betrayed weakness, and at moments Martin became unpleasantly conscious
of indisposition to examine his own mind on certain points. His life,
indeed, was one of debate postponed. As the realm of science extended,
as his intercourse with men who frankly avowed their 'infidelity' grew
more frequent, he ever and again said to himself that, one of these
days, he must sit down and 'have it out' in a solemn self-searching.
But for the most part he got on very well amid his inconsistencies.
Religious faith has rarely any connection with reasoning. Martin
believed because he believed, and avoided the impact of disagreeable
arguments because he wished to do so.

The bent