n (he had no surname) considered the question.

"They are Christians, of course?"

"That they are, Father, and good too. Why, they say their prayers
several times a day."

The priest did not think that item of evidence so satisfactory as Isel
did. But he had not come with any intention of ferreting out doubtful
characters or suspicious facts. He was no ardent heretic-hunter, but a
quiet, peaceable man, as inoffensive as a priest could be.

"Decent and well-behaved?" he asked.

"As quiet and sensible as any living creature in this street," Isel
assured him. "The women are good workers, and none of them's a talker,
and that's no small blessing!"

"Truly, thou art right there, my daughter," said the priest, who,
knowing nothing about women, was under the impression that they rarely
did any thing but talk, and perform a little desultory housework in the
intervals between the paragraphs. "So far, good. I trust they will
continue equally well-behaved, and will give no scandal to their
neighbours."

"I'll go surety for that," answered Isel rather warmly; "more than I
will for their neighbours giving them none. Father, I'd give a silver
penny you'd take my niece Anania in hand; she'll be the death of me if
she goes on. Do give her a good talking-to, and I'll thank you all the
days of my life!"

"With what does she go on?" asked the priest, resting both hands on his
silver-headed staff.

"Words!" groaned poor Isel. "And they bain't pretty words, Father--not
by no manner of means. She's for ever and the day after interfering
with every mortal thing one does. And her own house is just right-down
slatternly, and her children are coming up any how. If she'd just spend
the time a-scouring as she spends a-chattering, her house 'd be the
cleanest place in Oxfordshire. But as for the poor children, I'm that
sorry! Whatever they do, or don't do, they get a slap for it; and then
she turns round on me because I don't treat mine the same. Why, there's
nothing spoils children's tempers like everlasting scolding and slapping
of 'em. I declare I don't know which to be sorriest for, them that
never gets no bringing up at all, or them that's slapped from morning to
night."

"Does her husband allow all that?"

"Bless you, Father, he's that easy a man, if she slapped _him_, he'd
only laugh and give it back. It's true, when he's right put out he'll
take the whip to her; but he'll stand a deal first that he'd better no