g us, sharing our problems, offering us, however
unobtrusively, sympathy and fellow-feeling. It's very human, very
human," said the Vicar, "and that's a large word! But among all the
blessings which I say you have brought us, of course my dear girl's
happiness must come first in my regard; and there I hardly know how to
express what a marvellous difference you have made! And then I feel
that I, too, have come in for some crumbs from the feast, like the dogs
under the table mentioned so eloquently in Scripture--sustenance
unregarded and unvalued, no doubt, by yourself--cast out inevitably and
naturally as light from the sun! It is not only the actual dicta," said
the Vicar, "though these alone are deeply treasured; it's the method of
thought, the reserve, the refinement, which I find insensibly affecting
my own mental processes. Before I was a mere collector of details. Now
I find myself saying, 'What is the aim of all this? What is the
synthesis? Where does it come in? Where does it tend to?' I have not as
yet found any very definite answer to these self-questionings, but the
new spirit, the synthetic spirit, is there; and I find myself too
concentrating my expression; I have become conscious in your presence
of a certain diffuseness of talk--I used, I think, to indulge much in
synonyms and parallel clauses--a characteristic, I have seen it said,
of our immortal Shakespeare himself--but I have found myself lately
considering the aim, the effect, the form of my utterances, and have
practised--mainly in my sermons--a certain economy of language, which I
hope has been perceptible to other minds besides my own."

"I always think your sermons very good," said Howard, quite sincerely;
"they seem to me arrows deliberately aimed at a definite target--they
have the grace of congruity, as the articles say."

"You are very good," said the Vicar. "I am really overwhelmed; but I
must admit that your presence--the mere chance of your presence--has
made me exercise an unwonted caution, and indeed introduce now and then
an idea which is perhaps rather above the comprehension of my flock!"

"But may I go back for one moment?" said Howard. "You will forgive my
asking this--but what you said just now about Maud interested me very
much, and of course pleased me enormously. I would do anything I could
to make her happy in any way--I wish you would tell me how and in what
you think her more content. I want to learn all I can about her earli