umbled to the fact of his presence. He rises.]

My--my Brother from Benares, I presume?

ROBERT. What, _my_ pal, _'is_ brother! Oh, Je'oshaphat!

BISHOP. Ten thousand pardons! Really, my eyesight is deplorable!
Delighted to meet you! . . .

I was just observing to our charming host that--er-- Humph! . . .

Bless me! Now what _was_ I . . .

MANSON. Something about your sacred obligations, I believe.

BISHOP. May I trouble you again?

[MANSON gravely fixes the ear-trumpet in his ear.]

ROBERT. That's right: stick the damned thing in 'is ear-'ole,
comride!

MANSON [through the trumpet]. Your sacred obligations.

BISHOP. Precisely, precisely! Er-- Shall we sit?

[They do so. The BISHOP looks to MANSON to begin. MANSON, failing
him, the spirit begins to work within himself.]

Well--er---speaking of that, of course, my dearly-beloved brother,
I feel very seriously on the matter, very seriously--as I am sure
you do. The restoration of a church is a tremendous, an
overwhelming responsibility. To begin with, it--it costs quite a
lot. Doesn't it?

MANSON. It does: quite a lot.

BISHOP. Hm, yes--yes! . . . You mentioned _Sacred obligations_
just now, and I think that on the whole I am inclined to agree with
you. It is an admirable way of putting it. We must awaken people
to a sense of their _sacred obligations_. This is a work in which
everybody can do something: the rich man can give of the abundance
with which it has pleased Providence specially to favour him: the
poor man with his slender savings need have no fear for the poverty
of his gift-- Let him give all: it will be accepted. Those of us
who, like yourself, my dear brother--and I say it in all modesty,
perhaps _my_self--are in possession of the endowments of learning,
of influence, of authority--we can lend our _names_ to the good
work. As you say so very beautifully: _sacred obligations_.

By-the-way, I don't think I quite caught your views as to the
probable cost. Eh, what do you think?

MANSON. I think that should depend upon the obligations; and then,
of course, the sacredness might count for something.

BISHOP. Yes, yes, we've discussed all that. But bringing it down
to a _practical_ basis: how much could we manage with?

MANSON. What do you say to--everything you have?

BISHOP. My dear sir, I'm not talking about myself!

MANSON. Well--everything the others have?

BISHOP. My dear sir, they're not fools!