he rascally part he was playing. Whether they wished to unmask him, or
not, I can't say. Perhaps not. Yet I caught an odd look on Miss Moxey's
face when that man Malkin began to talk of Peak's characteristics and
achievements. It came out, by-the-bye, that he had given all his
acquaintances the slip; they had completely lost sight of him--I
suppose until Miss Moxey met him by chance at Budleigh Salterton.
There's some mystery still. She evidently kept Peak's secret from the
Moorhouses and the Walworths. A nice business, altogether!'

Again there was a long silence. Then Sidwell raised her face and said,
abruptly:

'You may be quite mistaken.'

'How?'

'You went to Mr. Peak in a spirit of enmity and anger. It is not likely
he would explain himself. You may have quite misunderstood what he
said.'

'Ridiculous! You mean that he was perhaps "converted" after writing
this article?--Then why did he allow it to be published?'

'He did not sign it. He may have been unable to withdraw it from the
editor's hands.'

'Bosh! He didn't sign it, because the idea of this Exeter campaign came
between the reception and the appearance of his paper. In the ordinary
course of things, he would have been only too glad to see his name in
_The Critical_. The scoundrelly project was conceived perhaps the very
day that I brought him here--perhaps in that moment--at lunch, do you
remember?--when he began to talk of the sermon at the Cathedral?'

'Why did he go to the Cathedral and hear that sermon?'

'To amuse a Sunday morning, I suppose.'

'That is not very likely in a man who hates and ridicules religion.'

'It is decidedly more probable than the idea of his conversion.'

Sidwell fell back again into her brooding attitude.

'The reason of your mistake in judging him,' resumed Buckland, with
emphasis, 'is that you have undervalued his intellect. I told you long
ago that a man of Peak's calibre could not possibly be a supporter of
dogmas and churches. No amount of plausible evidence would have made me
believe in his sincerity. Let me beg you to appreciate the simple fact,
that _no_ young man of brains and education is nowadays an honest
defender of mediaeval Christianity--the Christianity of your churches.
Such fellows may transact with their conscience, and make a more or
less decent business of the clerical career; or, in rare cases, they
may believe that society is served by the maintenance of a national
faith, and accordingly p