“Whereabouts?” asked Mr. Jodderel.

Half-a-dozen members filibustered at once, and Mr. Jodderel was temporarily suppressed, after which Squire Woodhouse remarked: 

“Well, now, that sounds first-rate—­I never knew before that Unitarians had such good religion in them—­no harm meant, you know, Whilcher.”

“Now let us hear from Mr. Bungfloat,” said Deacon Bates.

Mr. Bungfloat, bookkeeper to Mr. Whilcher, hopelessly explored his memory for something from Herbert Spencer that would bear upon the subject, but finding nothing at hand, he quoted some expressions from John Stuart Mill’s essay on “Nature,” and was hopelessly demoralized when he realized that they did not bear in the remotest manner upon the topic under consideration.  Then Deacon Bates announced that the subject was open for general remark and comment.  Mr. Jodderel was upon his feet in an instant, though the class has no rule compelling the members to rise while speaking.

“Mr. Leader,” said he, “everybody has spoken, but nobody has settled the main question, which is, where is the ‘kingdom of heaven’?  Everybody knows who the poor in spirit are; any one that didn’t know when we began has now a lot of first-class opinions to choose from.  But where and what is heaven—­that is what we want to know.”

A subdued but general groan indicated the possibility that Mr. Jodderel was mistaken as to the desires of the class.  Meanwhile, young Mr. Banty, who had been to Europe, and listened to much theological debate in cafes and beer-gardens, remarked: 

“I’m not a member of this respected body, but I seem to be included in the chairman’s invitation.  I profess to be a man of the world—­I’ve been around a good deal—­and I never could see that the poor in spirit amounted to a row of pins.  If they’re fit for heaven they ought to be fit for something on this side of that undiscovered locality.”

“Discovered millions upon millions of times, bless the Lord,” interrupted Squire Woodhouse.

“Well, the discoverers sent no word back, at any rate,” said young Mr. Banty, “so there’s one view I think ought to be considered; isn’t it possible that Jesus was mistaken?”

Mr. Primm turn pale and Deacon Bates shivered violently, while a low hum and a general shaking of heads showed the unpopularity of young Mr. Banty’s idea.

“The class cannot entertain such a theory for an instant,” answered Deacon Bates, as soon as he could recover his breath, “though it encourages the freest expression of opinion.”

“Oh!” remarked Mr. Banty, with a derisive smile.  The tone in which this interjection was delivered put the class upon its spirit at once.

“Our leader means exactly what he says,” said Mr. Jodderel; “any honest expression of opinion is welcome here.”

“If such were not the case,” said Mr. Primm, “a rival class would not have been formed.”

“And none of us would have learned how many sides there are to a great question,” said.  Mr. Buffle.