the business
ladder hand over hand, landing later on in life on the platform of
success like two corpulent acrobats, panting with the strain of it.
"For years," Mr. George would explain, "we had father and mother to
keep as well; then they died, and Dick and me saw daylight." By which
he meant no harm at all, but only stated a fact, and concealed the
virtue of it.

And being self-made men they made it a point to do what they could to
lessen the importance of such an institution as St. Asaph's Church. By
the same contrariety of nature the two Overend brothers (their business
name was Overend Brothers, Limited) were supporters of the dissentient
Young Men's Guild, and the second or rival University Settlement, and
of anything or everything that showed a likelihood of making trouble.
On this principle they were warm supporters and friends of the Rev. Dr.
McTeague. The minister had even gone so far as to present to the
brothers a copy of his philosophical work "McTeague's Exposition of the
Kantian Hypothesis." and the two brothers had read it through in the
office, devoting each of them a whole morning to it. Mr. Dick, the
senior brother, had said that he had never seen anything like it, and
Mr. George, the junior, had declared that a man who could write that
was capable of anything.

On the whole it was evident that the relations between the Overend
family and the presbyterian religion were too intimate to allow Mrs.
Tom Overend, formerly Miss Philippa Furlong, to sit anywhere else of a
Sunday than under Dr. McTeague.

"Philippa writes," continued Mr. Furlong "that under the circumstances
she and Tom would like to do something for your church. She would
like--yes, I have the letter here--to give you, as a surprise, of
course, either a new font or a carved pulpit; or perhaps a cheque; she
wishes me on no account to mention it to you directly, but to ascertain
indirectly from you, what would be the better surprise."

"Oh, a cheque, I think," said the rector; "one can do so much more with
it, after all."

"Precisely," said his father; he was well aware of many things that can
be done with a cheque that cannot possibly be done with a font.

"That's settled then," resumed Mr. Furlong; "and now I suppose you want
me to run my eye over your quarterly statements, do you not, before we
send them in to the trustees? That is what you've come for, is it not?"

"Yes," said the rector, drawing a bundle of blue and white papers