we two-第91部分

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hteous　judgment。〃　　She　had　pushed　back　the　thick　waves　of　hair　which　usually　overshadowed　her　forehead；　and　looked　something　between　a　lion　with　a　tangled　mane　and　a　saint　with　a　halo。

〃Never　mind；〃　said　the　professor；　cheerfully；　〃it　is　to　bigotry　like　this　that　we　shall　owe　our　recovery　of　Erica。　　And　seriously；　what　can　you　think　of　a　religion　which　can　make　a　man　behave　like　this　to　one　who　had　never　injured　him；　who；　on　the　contrary；　had　befriended　his　child？〃

〃It　is　not　Christ's　religion　which　teaches　him　to　do　it；〃　said　Erica；　〃it　is　the　perversion　of　that　religion。〃

〃Then　in　all　conscience　the　perversion　is　vastly　more　powerful　and　extended　than　what　you　deem　the　reality。〃

〃Unfortunately　yes；〃　said　Erica；　sighing。　　〃At　present　it　is。〃

〃At　present！〃　retorted　the　professor；　〃why；　you　have　had　more　than　eighteen　hundred　years　to　improve　it。〃

〃You　yourself　taught　me　to　have　patience　with　the　slow　processes　of　nature；〃　said　Erica；　smiling　a　little。　　〃If　you　allow　unthinkable　ages　for　the　perfecting　of　a　layer　of　rocks；　do　you　wonder　that　in　a　few　hundred　years　a　church　is　still　far　from　perfect？〃

〃I　expect　perfection　in　no　human　being；〃　said　the　professor；　taking　up　a　Bible　from　the　table　and　turning　over　the　pages　with　the　air　of　a　man　who　knew　its　contents　well；　〃when　I　see　Christians　in　some　sort　obeying　this；　I　will　believe　that　their　system　is　the　true　system；　but　not　before。〃　　He　guided　his　finger　slowly　beneath　the　following　lines：　'Let　all　bitterness；　and　wrath；　and　anger；　and　clamor；　and　evil…speaking　be　put　away　from　you；　with　all　malice。'　　There　is　the　precept；　you　see；　and　a　very　good　precept；　to　be　found　in　the　secularist　creed　as　well；　but　now　let　us　look　at　the　practice。　　See　how　we　secularists　are　treated！　　Why；　we　live　as　it　were　in　a　foreign　land；　compelled　to　keep　the　law　yet　denied　the　protection　of　the　law！　　'Outlaws　of　the　constitution；　outlaws　of　the　human　race；〃　as　Burke　was　kind　enough　to　call　us。　　No！　　When　I　see　Christians　no　longer　slandering　our　leaders；　no　longer　coining　hateful　lies　about　us　out　of　their　own　evil　imaginations；　when　I　see　equal　justice　shown　to　all　men　of　whatever　creed；　then；　the　all…conquering　love。　　Christianity　has　yet　to　prove　itself　the　religion　of　love；　at　present　it　is　the　religion　of　exclusion。〃

Mrs。　MacNaughton；　who　was　exceedingly　fond　of　Erica；　looked　sorry　for　her。

〃You　see；　Erica；〃　she　said；　〃the　professor　judges　by　averages。　　No　one　would　deny　that　some　of　the　greatest　men　in　the　world　have　been；　and　are　even　in　the　present　day；　Christians；　they　have　been　brought　up　in　it；　and　can't　free　themselves　from　its　trammels。　You　have　a　few　people　like　the　Osmonds；　a　few　really　liberal　men；　but　you　have　only　to　see　how　they　are　treated　by　their　confreres　to　realize　the　illiberality　of　the　religion　as　a　whole。〃

〃I　think　with　you；〃　said　Erica；　〃that　if　the　revelation　of　God's　love；　and　His　purpose　for　all；　be　only　to　be　learned　from　the　lives　of　Christians；　it　is　a　bad　lookout　for　us。　　But　God　HAS　given　us　one　perfect　revelation　of　Himself；　and　the　Perfect　Son　can　make　us　see　plainly　even　when　the　imperfect　sons　are　holding　up　to　us　a　distorted　likeness　of　the　Father。〃

She　had　spoken　quietly；　but　with　the　tremulousness　of　strong　feeling；　and；　moreover；　she　was　so　sensitive　that　the　weight　of　the　hostile　atmosphere　oppressed　her；　and　made　speaking　a　great　difficulty。　　When　she　had　ended；　she　turned　away　from　the　disapproving　eyes　to　the　only　sympathetic　eyes　in　the　room　the　dog's。　　They　looked　up　into　hers　with　that　wistful　endeavor　to　understand　the　meaning　of　something　beyond　their　grasp；　which　makes　the　eyes　of　animals　so　pathetic。

There　was　a　silence；　her　use　of　the　adjective　〃perfect〃　had　been　very　trying　to　all　her　hearers；　who　strongly　disapproved　of　the　whole　sentence；　but　then　she　was　so　evidently　sincere　and　so　thoroughly　lovable　that　no　one　liked　to　give　her　pain。

Aunt　Jean　was　the　only　person　who　thought　there　was　much　chance　of　her　ever　returning　to　the　ranks　of　secularism；　she　was　the　only　one　who　spoke　now。

〃Well；　well；〃　she　said；　pityingly；　〃you　are　but　young；　you　will　think　very　differently　ten　years　hence。〃

Erica　kept　back　an　angry　retort　with　difficulty；　and　Raeburn；　whose　keen　sense　of　justice　was　offended；　instantly　came　forward　in　her　defense；　though　her　words　had　been　like　a　fresh　stab　in　the　old　wound。

〃That　is　no　argument；　Jean；〃　he　said　quickly。　　〃It　is　the　very　unjust　extinguisher　which　the　elders　use　for　the　suppression　of　individuality　in　the　young。〃

As　he　spoke；　he　readjusted　a　slide　in　his　microscope；　making　it　plain　to　all　that　he　intended　the　subject　to　be　dropped。　　He　had　a　wonderful　way　of　impressing　his　individuality　on　others；　and　the　household　settled　down　once　more　into　the　Sabbatical　calm　which　had　been　broken　by　a　bigoted　Sabbatarian。

Nothing　more　was　heard　of　Rose；　nor　did　Erica　have　an　opportunity　of　talking　over　the　events　of　that　Sunday　with　her　father　for　some　days　for　he　was　exceedingly　busy；　the　long　weeks　wasted　during　the　summer　in　the　wearisome　libel　case　having　left　upon　his　hands　vast　arrears　of　provincial　work。　　In　some　of　the　large　iron　foundries　you　may　see　hundreds　of　different　machines　all　kept　in　action　by　a　forty　horse…power　engine；　and　Raeburn　was　the　great　motive…power　which　gave　life　to　all　the　branches　of　Raeburnites　which　now　stretched　throughout　the　length　and　breadth　of　the　land。　　Without　him　they　would　have　relapsed；　very　probably；　into　that　fearfully　widespread　mass　of　indifference　which　is　not　touched　by　any　form　of　Christianity　or　religious　revival；　but　which　had　responded　to　the　practical；　secular　teaching　of　the　singularly　powerful　secularist　leader。　　He　had　a　wonderful　gift　of　stirring　up　the　heretofore　indifferent；　and　making　them　take　a　really　deep　interest　in　national　questions。　　This　was　by　far　the　happiest　part　of　his　life　because　it　was　the　healthy　part　of　it。　　The　sameness　of　his　anti…theological　work；　and　the　barrenness　of　mere　down…pulling；　were　distasteful　enough　to　him；　he　was　often　heartily　sick　of　it　all；　and　had　he　not　thought　it　a　positive　duty　to　attack　what　he　deemed　a　very　mischievous　delusion；　he　would　gladly　have　handed　over　this　part　of　his　work　to　some　one　else；　and　devoted　himself　entirely　to　national　work。

He　had　been　away　from　home　for　several　days；　lecturing　in　the　north　of　England。　　Erica　was　not　expecting　his　return　till　the　following　day；　when　one　evening　a　telegram　was　brought　in　to　her。　　It　was　from　her　father　to　this　effect：

〃Expect　me　home　by　mail　train　about　two　A。M。　　Place　too　hot　to　hold　me。〃

He　had　now　to　a　great　extent　lived　down　the　opposition　which　had　made　lecturing　in　his　younger　days　a　matter　of　no　small　risk　to　life　and　limb；　but　Erica　knew　that　there　were　reasons　which　made　the　people　of　Ashborough　particularly　angry　with　him　just　now。　　Ashborough　was　one　of　those　strange　towns　which　can　never　be　depended　upon。　　It　was　renowned　for　its　riots；　and　was；　in　fact　（to　use　a　slang　word）　a　〃rowdy〃　place。　　More　than　once　in　the　old　days　Raeburn　had　been　roughly　handled　there；　and　Erica　bore　a　special　grudge　to　it；　for　it　was　the　scene　of　her　earliest　recollection　one　of　those　dark　pictures　which；　having　been　indelibly　traced　on　the　heart　of　a　child；　influence　the　whole　character　and　the　future　life　far　more　than　some　people　think。　

It　was　perhaps　old　memory　which　made　her　waiting　so　anxious　that　evening。　　Moreover；　she　had　at　first　no　one　to　talk　to；　which　made　it　much　worse。　　Aunt　Jean　had　gone　to　bed　with　a　bad　toothache；　and　must　on　no　account　be　disturbed；　and　Tom　had　suddenly　announced　his　intention　that　morning　of　going　down　to　Brighton　on　his　bicycle；　and　had　set　off；　rather　to　Erica's　dismay；　since；　in　a　letter　to　Charles　Osmond；　Donovan　happened　to　have　mentioned　that　the　Fane…Smiths　had　taken　a　house　there　for　six　weeks。　　She　hated　herself　for　being　suspicious；　but　Tom　had　been　so　unlike　himself　since　Rose's　visit；　and　it　was　such　an　unheard…of　thing　that　he　should　take　a　day's　holiday　during　her　father's　absence；　that　it　was　scarcely　possible　to　avoid　drawing　the　natural　inference。　　She　was　very　unhappy　about　him；　but　did　not　of　course　feel　justified　in　saying　a　word　to　any　one　else　about　the　matter。　　Charles　Osmond　happened　to　look　in　for　a　few　minutes　later　on；　expecting　to　find　Raeburn　at　home；　and　then　in　her　relief　she　did　give　him　an　account　of　the　unfortunate　Sunday　though　avoiding　all　mention　of　Tom。

〃It　was　just　like　you　to　come　at　the　very　time　I　was　wanting　some　one　to　talk　to；〃　she　said；　sitting　down　in　her　favorite　nook　on　the　hearth　rug　with　Friskie　on　her　lap。　　〃Not　a　word　has　been　said　of　that　miserable　Sunday　since　though　I'm　afraid　a　good　deal　has　been　thought。　　After　all；　you　know；　there　was　a　ludicrous　side　to　it　as　well。　　I　shall　never　forget　the　look　of　them　all　when　Rose　and　I　came　down　again：　Mr。　Fane…Smith　standing　there　by　the　table；　the　very　incarnation　of　contemptuous　anger；　and　father　just　here；　looking　like　a　tired　thunder　cloud！　　But；　though　one　laughs　at　one　aspect　of　it；　one　could　cry　one's　eyes　out　over　the　thing　as　a　whole　indeed；　just　now　I　find　myself　agreeing　with　Mr。　Tulliver　that　it's　a　'puzzling　world。'〃

〃The　fact　is；〃　said　Charles　Osmond；　〃that　you　consen