oodness, is
gone from it! How can He remain with it while it is such a Sham! Our
bishops in England truckle to Rome--and, Rome itself is employing every
possible means to tamper with the integrity of the British constitution.
The spies and emissaries of Rome are everywhere--both in our so-called
'national' Church and in our most distinctly _un_-national Press!"

Helmsley listened with keen interest. As a man of business, education,
observation, and discernment, he knew that what Reay said was true,--but
in his assumed role of a poor and superannuated old office clerk, who
had been turned adrift from work by reason of age and infirmities, he
had always to be on his guard against expressing his opinion too openly
or frankly.

"I don't know much about the newspapers,"--he said, mildly--"I read
those I can get, just for the news--but there isn't much news, it
appears to me----"

"And what there is may be contradicted in an hour's time,"--said
Angus--"I tell you, David, when I started working in journalism, I
thought it was the finest profession going. It seemed to me to have all
the responsibilities of the world on its back. I considered it a force
with which to educate, help, and refine all peoples, and all classes.
But I found it was only a money speculation after all. How much profit
could be made out of it? That was the chief point of action. That was
the mainspring of every political discussion--and in election times, one
side had orders to abuse the other, merely to keep up the popular
excitement. By Jove! I should like to take a select body of electors
'behind the scenes' of a newspaper office and show them how the whole
business is run!"

"You know too much, evidently!" said Mary smiling--"I don't wonder you
were dismissed!"

He laughed--then as suddenly frowned.

"I swear as I stand here," he said emphatically, "that the press is not
serving the people well! Do you know--no, of course you don't!--but I
can tell you for a fact that a short time ago an offer was made from
America through certain financial powers in the city, to buy up several
of the London dailies, and run them on American lines![1] Germany had a
finger in the pie, too, through her German Jews!"

Helmsley looked at his indignant face with a slight imperceptible smile.

"Well!" he said, with a purposely miscomprehending air.

"Well! You say 'Well,' David, as if such a proposition contained nothing
remarkable. That's because you don't unders