themselves, and yet spoken with such terrible force, a force
so terrible that within the space of a few minutes it had shattered all
her worldly ideals and destroyed the faith that she had been brought up
in, changing her whole outlook upon the world.

She had been educated on the ordinary lines of conventional
Christianity, and, until now, she had, like thousands of others,
honestly believed herself to be a good Christian woman, just as she
believed her mother to be. But, as it happened, there was that within
her soul which instantly responded to the truth which she had heard
to-day for the first time; and she saw that Vane was right, hopelessly,
piteously right.

And then as the procession passed she looked at her husband. He had
already sat down, and was getting his hat from under the seat. The
procession streamed slowly out of sight into the vestry, and the
congregation moved out into the aisles with much soft rustling and
swishing of skirts and a subdued, buzzing hum of eager conversation.

As the three streams of well-dressed men and women converged towards the
great doorway which led out into the street many began to ask themselves
and each other if any one would obey the preacher's exhortation and send
their carriages away. The carriages were lined up in the street just as
they would be outside a theatre. Some of their owners got in and drove
away, making very pointed remarks on the impropriety of bringing such
subjects as carriages and horses into sermons and the length that young
curates would go now-a-days to obtain notoriety. Others dismissed
theirs and went away trying to look unconcerned; while other people
stared after them, some smiling and others looking serious.

The Garthornes' victoria, drawn by a pair of beautiful light bays, drew
up, and Garthorne put out his hand to help Enid in, but she drew back
and said:

"No, thanks, I think I'll walk."

"Oh, nonsense, Enid!" he said impatiently. "Time is getting on, and we
must have our turn in the Park. Everybody will be there, and this is
about the last Sunday in the season. We haven't over much time either."

"I am not going into the Park, Reginald," she said decidedly. "I am
going to walk straight home. You can go and do Church Parade if you
like."

"All right, Tomkins, you can go home," he said to the coachman. "Mrs.
Garthorne prefers to walk."

The coachman and footman touched their hats, and the victoria drove
away.

"Surely to goodness,