the Spirit's full
maturity in the young."

This remark caused Martens involuntarily to think of his own first
attempt. He answered, however, "But he maintained that we ministers,
above all others, are living a life of falsehood, shut in by meaningless
forms."

"Exaggeration! a wild and dangerous exaggeration! In that I quite agree
with you, my dear Martens. But, on the other hand, which of us can deny
that a ceremonial, be it ever so beautiful and full of meaning, still in
the course of time, when it is frequently repeated, loses something of
its influence over us? But who will dare cast the first stone? Is it not
youth, as we see, who has not yet experienced the wear of that
continuous labour which strives to be true to the end? And then
naturally we get exaggeration--dangerous exaggeration. But," continued
the dean, "before everything, let us agree to look upon his sermon in
the right light, for the opinion of many will be formed upon ours, and
if we now allow this young man to slip out of our hands he will, likely
enough, be entirely lost for the good work; and I must say I have great
hopes of him. I feel sure that in his right place, which would be in a
large town--for instance, in Christiania--he will make a name for
himself in the Church, and I venture to think that his labours will bear
abundant fruit."

Martens again looked up at the dean as he pronounced these words, and
for the first time he now perceived what it was that made his manner so
irresistible. It was the smile, that changing and varying smile, which
yet never entirely left the noble features. It seemed to mingle in all
he said, like a warm and soothing sunbeam; and as the chaplain
constrained himself to alter his opinion under its influence, he felt
that the muscles of his mouth involuntarily assumed the dean's
expression.

Madame Rasmussen could not conceal her astonishment at the moderation
with which the chaplain spoke of Johnsen's sermon. She was herself in
the highest degree shocked, and when Mr. Martens told her that, in his
opinion, Mr. Johnsen would be likely to become a clergyman of
considerable note in Christiania some day, she almost thought that he
was carrying his forbearance too far. Still she could not but like
Pastor Martens, who had now lived with her for two years without a
single ill word having passed between them. Madame Rasmussen was a young
widow, plump, good-looking, and light-hearted. She had no children, and
it was qu