alk. They sat on the stony
rise above the house with a wide valley view. The starlight was
brilliant above them eager, perfervid, passionate. They were on
the rocks smoking, the Bishop between Topready and Manners, who
was not a parson, but a policeman.

'It's like this,' said Topready. 'Holy Innocents' is the first
church that has been built since I came here. It was built on a
system.'

He explained roughly how it worked. The native teacher used his
personal and official majesty for what it was worth. The people
on the Mission ground were asked for poles, grass, work, &c.
'These were given,' said Topready, 'or at least "given" is the
word that I understand my predecessor would have chosen. The
headman proclaimed that his will coincided with the will of the
native teacher. They wanted a church built that would compare
favorably with churches erected under the auspices of other
native teachers and other headmen.

'The contributions came in plentifully, sylvan or grassy. People
who never come to church, heathens who do not seem much overjoyed
with the Gospel, gave just as handsomely as Church officers. No
one was paid. The church is cheap and big, and the headman and
native teacher are both unhealthily contented.'

'Well, what's the matter?' said Manners; 'it's the way we do
these little things in Africa. White men don't build churches
from base to spire on ideal principles exactly, do they. Bishop?'

'At least we haven't had a cafe chantant lately,' the Bishop
said.

'Well, don't you be too sure one isn't going on in some outlying
parish while we sit here. As it happens, I know of one advertised
for next month.'

'Be sure of your facts,' said the Bishop.

'Anyhow, before you came, plenty of the society lash used to be
applied to get church-building doles out of Europeans. Moreover,
if you look into it, generally you'll find things at Missions
much as you find them here. These gloriously "given" Mission
churches on Mission lands that the home magazine ecstasizes over
are not given so very freely, to say the least of it. They are
put up by a sort of social pressure immensely effective,'
Topready broke in.

'They say most of the churches this side of the river are built
the one way and I don't like the one way. Archdeacon Maynard used
to advocate the one way, and impress it on his missionaries black
and white. It was he who started the church-rate and debarred
defaulters from Easter Communion. I've stopped t