three or four days had passed by, he despised himself
because he had not yet made for himself a fit occasion. "It is such a
mean, sneaking thing to do," he said to himself. But still it had to be
done.

It was on a Saturday afternoon that he said this to himself, as he
returned back to the parsonage garden from the cricket-ground, where he
had left Mr. Peacocke and the three other ushers playing cricket with ten
or twelve of the bigger boys of the school. There was a French master, a
German master, a master for arithmetic and mathematics with the adjacent
sciences, besides Mr. Peacocke, as assistant classical master. Among them
Mr. Peacocke was _facile princeps_ in rank and supposed ability; but they
were all admitted to the delights of the playground. Mr. Peacocke, in
spite of those years of his spent in America where cricket could not have
been familiar to him, remembered well his old pastime, and was quite an
adept at the game. It was ten thousand pities that a man should be
disturbed by unnecessary questionings who could not only teach and preach,
but play cricket also. But nevertheless it must be done. When,
therefore, the Doctor entered his own house, he went into his study and
wrote a short note to his assistant;--

"MY DEAR PEACOCKE,--Could you come over and see me in my study this
evening for half an hour? I have a question or two which I wish to ask
you. Any hour you may name will suit me after eight.--Yours most
sincerely,

"JEFFREY WORTLE."

In answer to this there came a note to say that at half-past eight Mr.
Peacocke would be with the Doctor.

At half-past eight Mr. Peacocke came. He had fancied, on reading the
Doctor's note, that some further question would be raised as to money.
The Doctor had declared that he could no longer accept gratuitous clerical
service in the parish, and had said that he must look out for some one
else if Mr. Peacocke could not oblige him by allowing his name to be
referred in the usual way to the Bishop. He had now determined to say, in
answer to this, that the school gave him enough to do, and that he would
much prefer to give up the church;--although he would always be happy to
take a part occasionally if he should be wanted. The Doctor had been
sitting alone for the last quarter of an hour when his assistant entered
the room, and had spent the time in endeavouring to arrange the
conversation that should follow. He had come at last to a conclusion. He