venings, and
talks on art and poetry: but I believe I offended him by hinting that
he ought to come to church, which he never does, and since then our
acquaintance has all but ceased. I suppose you will say, as usual,
that I played my cards badly there also."

"Not at all," said Tom, who was disposed to take any one's part
against Elsley. "If a clergyman has not a right to tell a man that, I
don't see what right he has of any kind. Only," added he, with one of
his quaint smiles, "the clergyman, if he compels a man to deal at his
store, is bound to furnish him with the articles which he wants."

"Which he needs, or which he likes? For 'wanting' has both these
meanings."

"With something that he finds by experience does him good; and so
learns to like it, because he knows that he needs it, as my patients
do my physic."

"I wish my patients would do so by mine: but, unfortunately, half of
them seem to me not to know what their disease is, and the other half
do not think they are diseased at all."

"Well," said Tom drily, "perhaps some of them are more right than you
fancy. Every man knows his own business best."

"If it were so, they would go about it somewhat differently from what
most of the poor creatures do."

"Do you think so. I fancy myself that not one of them does a wrong
thing, but what he knows it to be wrong just as well as you do, and is
much more ashamed and frightened about it already, than you can ever
make him by preaching at him."

"Do you?"

"I do. I judge of others by myself."

"Then would you have a clergyman never warn his people of their sins?"

"If I were he, I'd much sooner take the sins for granted, and say to
them, 'Now, my friends, I know you are all, ninety-nine out of the
hundred of you, not such bad fellows at bottom, and would all like
to be good, if you only knew how; so I'll tell you as far as I know,
though I don't know much about the matter. For the truth is, you must
have a hundred troubles every day which I never felt in my life; and
it must be a very hard thing to keep body and soul together, and
to get a little pleasure on this side the grave without making
blackguards of yourselves. Therefore I don't pretend to set myself up
as a better or a wiser man than you at all: but I do know a thing or
two which I fancy may be useful to you. You can but try it. So come
up, if you like, any of you, and talk matters over with me as between
gentleman and gentleman. I shall keep you