eed Mr. Bell of St
Margaret's, at Christmas; he was down here only for a day or two, and
called upon my husband with a message from an old friend of ours. It
appears he used to know the Warricombes, when they lived at Kingsmill,
and he had been to see them before visiting us; it was there your name
was mentioned to him.'

Godwin had seated himself, and leaned forward, his hands grasping the
glove he had drawn off.

'We were contemporaries at Whitelaw College,' he observed.

'So we learnt from him. He spoke of you with the greatest interest; he
was delighted to hear that you contemplated taking Orders. Of course we
knew Mr. Chilvers by reputation, but my husband had no idea that he was
coming to Exeter. What an energetic man he is! In a few hours he seemed
to have met everyone, and to have learnt everything. My husband says he
felt quite rebuked by such a display of vigour!'

Even in his discomposure, graver than any that had affected him since
his talks with Buckland Warricombe, Peak was able to notice that the
Rev. Bruno had not made a wholly favourable impression upon the
Lilywhites. There was an amiable causticity in that mention of his
'display of vigour', such as did not often characterise Mrs Lilywhite's
comments. Finding that the vicar would be away till evening, Godwin
stayed for only a quarter of an hour, and when he had escaped it
irritated and alarmed him to reflect how unusual his behaviour must
have appeared to the good lady.

The blow was aimed at his self-possession from such an unlikely
quarter. In Church papers he had frequently come across Chilvers's
name, and the sight of it caused him a twofold disturbance: it was
hateful to have memories of humiliation revived, and perhaps still more
harassing to be forced upon acknowledgment of the fact that he stood as
an obscure aspirant at the foot of the ladder which his old rival was
triumphantly ascending. Bad enough to be classed in any way with such a
man as Chilvers; but to be regarded as at one with him in religious
faith, to be forbidden the utterance of scorn when Chilvers was
extolled, stung him so keenly that he rushed into any distraction to
elude the thought. When he was suffering shame under the gaze of
Buckland Warricombe he remembered Chilvers, and shrank as before a
merited scoff. But the sensation had not been abiding enough to affect
his conduct. He had said to himself that he should never come in
contact with the fellow, and that, after