XXI.

Gherardi sat for two or three minutes in absolute silence.  Only the twitching of his eyelids and a slight throbbing in the muscles of his throat showed with what difficulty he suppressed his rising fury.  But his astute and crafty powers of reasoning taught him that it would be worse than ridiculous to give way to anger in the presence of this cool, determined man, who, though he spoke with a passion which from its very force seemed almost to sound like “the mighty wind” which accompanied the cloven tongues of fire at the first Pentecost, still maintained his personal calm,—­that immovable calmness which is always the result of strong inward conviction.  A dangerous man!—­yes, there was no doubt of that!  He was one of those concerning whom Emerson wrote, “let the world beware when a Thinker comes into it.”  Aubrey Leigh was a thinker,—­and more than that, he was a doer.  He was of the strong heroic type of genius that turns its dreams into facts, its thoughts into deeds.  He did not talk, in common with so many men, of what they considered ought to be done, without exerting themselves to do it;—­he was sincerely in earnest, and cared nothing for any personal loss or inconvenience he might suffer from carrying out his intentions.  And Gherardi saw that there was little or no possibility of moving such a man from the firm ground of truth which he had elected to stand on.  There is nothing so inconvenient in this world as an absolutely truthful person, who can both speak and write, and has the courage of his convictions.  One can always arrange matters with liars, because they, being hampered by their own deceits, are compelled to study ways, means, and chances for appearing honest.  But with the man or woman who holds truth dearer than life, and honour more valuable than advancement, there is nothing to be done, now that governments cannot insist on the hemlock-cure, as in the case of Socrates.  Gherardi, looking furtively under his eyelids at Leigh’s strong lithe figure, and classic head, felt he could have willingly poisoned or stabbed him.  For there were, and are great interests at stake in the so-called “conversion of England,”—­it is truly one of the largest financial schemes ever set afloat in the world, if those whose duty it is to influence and control events could only be brought to see the practical side of the matter, and set a check on its advancement before it is too late.  Gherardi knew what great opportunities there were in embryo of making large fortunes;—­and not only of making large fortunes but of obtaining incredible power.  There was a great plan afoot of drawing American and English wealth into the big Church-net through the medium of superstitious fear and sentimental bigotry,—­and an opposer and enemy like Aubrey Leigh, physically handsome, with such powers of oratory as are only granted to the very few, was capable of influencing women as well