“Now tell me,” said George, glad to change the subject, “what will those three men do about what you said to them last night?  Will they pay any attention to it?”

My father laughed.  “My dear George, what a question—­I do not know them well enough.”

“Oh yes, you do.  At any rate say what you think most likely.”

“Very well.  I think Dr. Downie will do much as I said.  He will not throw the whole thing over, through fear of schism, loyalty to a party from which he cannot well detach himself, and because he does not think that the public is quite tired enough of its toy.  He will neither preach nor write against it, but he will live lukewarmly against it, and this is what the Hankys hate.  They can stand either hot or cold, but they are afraid of lukewarm.  In England Dr. Downie would be a Broad Churchman.”

“Do you think we shall ever get rid of Sunchildism altogether?”

“If they stick to the cock-and-bull stories they are telling now, and rub them in, as Hanky did on Sunday, it may go, and go soon.  It has taken root too quickly and easily; and its top is too heavy for its roots; still there are so many chances in its favour that it may last a long time.”

“And how about Hanky?”

“He will brazen it out, relic, chariot, and all:  and he will welcome more relics and more cock-and-bull stories; his single eye will be upon his own aggrandisement and that of his order.  Plausible, unscrupulous, heartless scoundrel that he is, he will play for the queen and the women of the court, as Dr. Downie will play for the king and the men.  He and his party will sleep neither night nor day, but they will have one redeeming feature—­whoever they may deceive, they will not deceive themselves.  They believe every one else to be as bad as they are, and see no reason why they should not push their own wares in the way of business.  Hanky is everything that we in England rightly or wrongly believe a typical Jesuit to be.”

“And Panky—­what about him?”

“Panky must persuade himself of his own lies, before he is quite comfortable about telling them to other people.  Hanky keeps Hanky well out of it; Panky must have a base of operations in Panky.  Hanky will lead him by the nose, bit by bit, for his is the master spirit.  In England Panky would be what we call an extreme ritualist.”

“Then the real battle will be between Hanky and Dr. Downie.  Which will carry the day?”

“For the present, probably Hanky.  He is the more vigilant, and energetic; in this case Sunchildism will have to go, and I am afraid your whole Musical Bank system will be swept away along with it.”

“And why not?”