a quiet country parsonage, into many a fashionable home.  His correspondence was world-wide and came from all classes—­now a letter from a Prime Minister, now one from a blacksmith.  All were equally welcome, and all were answered with equal courtesy.  At his house met people of the most varying opinions.  Colenso, Bishop of Natal, Edward Maitland, E. Vansittart Neale, Charles Bray, Sara Hennell, W.J.  Birch, R. Suffield, and hundreds more, clerics and laymen, scholars and thinkers, all gathered in this one home, to which the right of entree was gained only by love of Truth and desire to spread Freedom among men.

Mr. Scott devoted his fortune to this great work.  He would never let publishers have his pamphlets in the ordinary way of trade, but issued them all himself and distributed them gratuitously.  If anyone desired to subscribe, well and good, they might help in the work, but make it a matter of business he would not.  If anyone sent money for some tracts, he would send out double the worth of the money enclosed, and thus for years he carried on this splendid propagandist work.  In all he was nobly seconded by his wife, his “right hand” as he well named her, a sweet, strong, gentle, noble woman, worthy of her husband, and than that no higher praise can be spoken.  Of both I shall have more to say hereafter, but at present we are at the time of my first visit to them at Upper Norwood, whither they had removed from Ramsgate.

Kindly greeting was given by both, and on Mr. Voysey suggesting that judging by one essay of mine that he had seen—­an essay which was later expanded into the one on “Inspiration”, in the Scott series—­my pen would be useful for propagandist work, Mr. Scott bade me try what I could do, and send him for criticism anything I thought good enough for publication; he did not, of course, promise to accept an essay, but he promised to read it.  A question arose as to the name to be attached to the essay, in case of publication, and I told him that my name was not my own to use, and that I did not suppose that Mr. Besant could possibly, in his position, give me permission to attach it to a heretical essay; we agreed that any essays I might write should for the present be published anonymously, and that I should try my hand to begin with on the subject of the “Deity of Jesus of Nazareth”.  And so I parted from those who were to be such good friends to me in the coming time of struggle.

IX.

My resolve was now made, and henceforth there was at least no more doubt so far as my position towards the Church was concerned.  I made up my mind to leave it, but was willing to make the leaving as little obtrusive as possible.  On my return to Sibsey I stated clearly the ground on which I stood.  I was ready to attend the Church services, joining in such parts as were addressed to “the Supreme Being”, for I was still heartily Theistic; “the Father”, shorn of all the horrible accessories