usly.

"That's thrue enough, sir," replied Father Higgins, who somehow felt
curiously at his ease, and disposed at once to be confidential with this
utter stranger. "I've often imagined meself a bishop, an' doin' wondhers
in me office. But it's nonsinse."

"What post would suit you?" inquired the visitor. "The diocese of New
York?"

"No, no," said the father. "I'm not ayqual to sich a risponsebility;
that is, not at wanst, ye ondherstand. I'd like best to come up to sich
a place as that gintly an' by degrays. It's been a drame av mine to
begin my prefarmint as biship av some far-away continent or archypilago,
like, an' convart slathers av haythins an' cannebals for a practice. It
ud plase me imagenation to prache among corrils an' coky-nuts an' naked
crachurs. Y' are aware, I suppose, Misther Heller--or Professor
Heller--av sich islands as Owyhee an' the Marquesas, famous a'ready in
the history av the Propaganda Fide. Jist suppose me havin' me episkepal
raysedence on wan av 'um, an' makin' me progresses to the others. There
be great devoshin to a spiritual father among thim simple people, I'm
thinkin.' I'd be a god to 'um, like. Sich obeyjince ud jist shuit me.
Yes, I'd enj'y bein' Biship av the Cannebal Islands, or even av wan av
um."

"Faith is necessary," replied Heller. "You must believe that you are to
be Bishop of the Cannibal Islands."

"Sure an' it's not aisy at this distance to belave in the islands
thimselves, let alone bein' spiritual father av the same," smiled the
priest. "Howandiver, there's no harrum in tryin' to belave, an' so here
goes for the exparimint. If ye'll kape silence a bit, I'll jist collect
me moind on the subject, an' we'll see what happens."

For a moment the gray, piggish eyes of the Father, and the black,
gleaming, mysterious orbs of his visitor were fixed upon each other. In
the next moment Heller, bowing with a ceremonious air of respect,
inquired, "What are your commands, my lord bishop?"

Startled by a consciousness of some wonderful change, doubtful in what
land he was, or even in what age of the world, Father Higgins stared
about him in expectation. A sunny shore, scattered groves of cocoa-nut
trees, distant villages of circular huts, beyond them far-stretching
forests and a smoking volcano; on the hither side bays alive with carved
and painted canoes, near at hand a gathering crowd of half-naked
savages--such were the objects that filled his vision.

"So this is me dioces