lp it. My boy, about
the time you were born, there was a man in London--some folks called
him a saint, and some folks called him a fool; it's a way folks have
had ever since our Lord came into this world. His name was Irving, and
he started a new sect." (Dr. Lavendar was as open-minded as it is
possible for one of his Church to be, but even he said "sect" when it
came to outsiders.)

"He started this new sect, which believed that the Holy Ghost would
speak again by human lips, just as on the Day of Pentecost. Well,
there was 'speaking' in his congregation; sort of outbursts of
exhortation, you know. Mostly unintelligible. I remember Dr.
Alexander said it was 'gibberish'; he heard some of it when he was in
London. It may have been 'gibberish,' but nobody can doubt Irving's
sincerity in thinking it was the Voice of God. When he couldn't
understand it, he just called it an 'unknown tongue.' Of course he was
considered a heretic. He was put out of his Church. He died soon
after, poor fellow."

"Doesn't Mr. Roberts's everlasting arguing about it tire you out?"
William asked.

"Oh no," Dr. Lavendar said, cheerfully; "when he talks too long I just
shut my eyes; he never notices it! He's a gentle old soul. When I
answer back--once in a while I really have to speak up for the
Protestant Episcopal Church--I feel as if I had kicked Danny." William
King grinned. Then he got up and, drawing his coat-tails forward,
stood with his back to the jug of lilacs in Dr. Lavendar's fireplace.
"Oh, well, of course it's all bosh," he said, and yawned; "I was on a
case till four o'clock this morning," he apologized.

"William," said Dr. Lavendar, admiringly, "what an advantage you
fellows have over us poor parsons! Everything a medical man doesn't
understand is 'bosh'! Now, we can't classify things as easily as that."

"Well, I don't care," William said, doggedly; "from my point of view--"

"From your point of view," said Dr. Lavendar, "St. Paul was an
epileptic, because he heard a Voice?"

"If you really want to know what I think--"

"I don't," Dr. Lavendar said; "I want you to know what I think. Mr.
Roberts hasn't heard any Voice, yet; he is only listening for it.
William, listening for the Voice of God isn't necessarily a sign of
poor health; and provided a man doesn't set himself up to think he is
the only person his Heavenly Father is willing to speak to, listening
won't do him any harm. As for Henry Roberts, he is