doubts touching my theology, and used to discuss them with
my uncle; but he said,--and said rightly, I now think,--'You young
fellows in college fancy that it's a mighty fine, bold thing to effect
radicalism and atheism, and the Lord knows what all; but it won't
stick to you when you get older. Experience will soften your heart,
and you'll find after awhile that belief and doubt are not matters of
the pure reason, but of the will. It is a question of _attitude_.
Besides, the church is broad enough to cover a good many private
differences in opinion. It isn't as if you were going to be a
blue-nosed Presbyterian. You can stay here and make your studies with
me, instead of going into a seminary, and when you are ready to go
before the bishop I'll see that you get the right send-off.' In short,
here I am! My uncle died two years after, when I was already in
orders, and I've been here ever since."

"I should think you would get lonely sometimes, and make a strike for
a city parish," I suggested.

"Why--no, I don't think I should care for ordinary parish work. The
beauty of my position here is its uniqueness. In winter I keep the
church open for the Aborigines till they get snowed up and stop
coming, and then I put down to New York for a month or two of work at
the Astor Library. Last winter I held service for two Sundays running
with one boy for congregation. Finally I announced to him that the
church would be closed until spring."

"What in the----: well, what do you find to do all alone up here?"

"Oh, there's always plenty to do, if you'll only do it. I've been
cultivating some virtuosities, among other things. Remind me to show
you my etchings when we go in. Did you notice, perhaps, that little
head over the table, on the north wall? No? Then I smatter botany
some. I'll let you look over my _hortus siccus_ before you go. It has
some very rare ferns; one of them is a new species, and Fungus--who
exchanges with me--swore that he was going to have it named after me.
I sent the first specimen to have it described in his forthcoming
report. But doubtless all this sort of thing is a bore to you. Well,
lately I have been going into genealogy, and I find it more and more
absorbing. Those piles of blank-books and manuscripts on the floor at
the south end are all crammed with genealogical notes and material."

"I should think you would find it pretty dry fodder," I said.

"That is because you take an outside, unsympathetic