“Ah!” said Tom, as he entered.  “As usual:  poor Nature is being robbed and murdered by rich Grace.”

“What do you mean now?” asked Frank, smiling, for he had become accustomed enough to Tom’s quaint parables, though he had to scold him often enough for their irreverence.

“Nature says, ‘after dinner sit awhile;’ and even the dumb animals hear her voice, and lie by for a siesta when their stomachs are full.  Grace says, ’Jump up and rush out the moment you have swallowed your food; and if you get an indigestion, abuse poor Nature for it; and lay the blame on Adam’s fall.’”

“You are irreverent, my good sir, as usual; but you are unjust also this time.”

“How then?”

“Unjust to Grace, as you phrase it,” answered Frank, with a quaint sad smile.  “I assure you on my honour, that Grace has nothing whatsoever to do with my ‘rushing out’ just now, but simply the desire to do my good works that they may be seen of men.  I hate going out.  I should like to sit and read the whole afternoon:  but I am afraid lest the dissenters should say, ’He has not been to see so-and-so for the last three days;’ so off I go, and no credit to me.”

Why had Frank dared, upon a month’s acquaintance, to lay bare his own heart thus to a man of no creed at all?  Because, I suppose, amid all differences, he had found one point of likeness between himself and Thurnall; he had found that Tom at heart was a truly genuine man, sincere and faithful to his own scheme of the universe.

How that man, through all his eventful life, had been enabled to

  “Bate not a jot of heart or hope,
  But steer right onward,”

was a problem which Frank longed curiously, and yet fearfully withal, to solve.  There were many qualities in him which Frank could not but admire, and long to imitate; and, “Whence had they come?” was another problem at which he looked, trembling as many a new thought crossed him.  He longed, too, to learn from Tom somewhat at least of that savoir faire, that power of “becoming all things to all men,” which St. Paul had; and for want of which Frank had failed.  He saw, too, with surprise, that Tom had gained in one month more real insight into the characters of his parishioners than he had done in twelve; and besides all, there was the craving of the lonely heart for human confidence and friendship.  So it befell that Frank spoke out his inmost thought that day, and thought no shame; and it befell also, that Thurnall, when he heard it, said in his heart—­

“What a noble, honest fellow you are, when you—­”

But he answered enigmatically.

“Oh, I quite agree with you that Grace has nothing to do with it.  I only referred it to that source because I thought you would do so.”

“You ought to be ashamed of your dishonesty, then.”

“I know it; but my view of the case is, that you rush out after dinner for the very same reason that the Yankee storekeeper does—­from—­You’ll forgive me if I say it?”