“I know they are,” replied my father, “and I do not like saying them, but there is no royal road to unlearning, and you have much to unlearn.  Still, you Musical Bank people bear witness to the fact that beyond the kingdoms of this world there is another, within which the writs of this world’s kingdoms do not run.  This is the great service which our church does for us in England, and hence many of us uphold it, though we have no sympathy with the party now dominant within it.  ‘Better,’ we think, ’a corrupt church than none at all.’  Moreover, those who in my country would step into the church’s shoes are as corrupt as the church, and more exacting.  They are also more dangerous, for the masses distrust the church, and are on their guard against aggression, whereas they do not suspect the doctrinaires and faddists, who, if they could, would interfere in every concern of our lives.

“Let me return to yourselves.  You Musical Bank Managers are very much such a body of men as your country needs—­but when I was here before you had no figurehead; I have unwittingly supplied you with one, and it is perhaps because you saw this, that you good people of Bridgeford took up with me.  Sunchildism is still young and plastic; if you will let the cock-and-bull stories about me tacitly drop, and invent no new ones, beyond saying what a delightful person I was, I really cannot see why I should not do for you as well as any one else.

“There.  What I have said is nine-tenths of it rotten and wrong, but it is the most practicable rotten and wrong that I can suggest, seeing into what a rotten and wrong state of things you have drifted.  And now, Mr. Mayor, do you not think we may join the Mayoress and Mrs. Humdrum?”

“As you please, Mr. Higgs,” answered the Mayor.

“Then let us go, for I have said too much already, and your son George tells me that we must be starting shortly.”

As they were leaving the room Panky sidled up to my father and said, “There is a point, Mr. Higgs, which you can settle for me, though I feel pretty certain how you will settle it.  I think that a corruption has crept into the text of the very beautiful—­”

At this moment, as my father, who saw what was coming, was wondering what in the world he could say, George came up to him and said, “Mr. Higgs, my mother wishes me to take you down into the store-room, to make sure that she has put everything for you as you would like it.”  On this my father said he would return directly and answer what he knew would be Panky’s question.

When Yram had shewn what she had prepared—­all of it, of course, faultless—­she said, “And now, Mr. Higgs, about our leave-taking.  Of course we shall both of us feel much.  I shall; I know you will; George will have a few more hours with you than the rest of us, but his time to say good-bye will come, and it will be painful to both of you.  I am glad you came—­I am glad you have