Poor Mrs. Chadwick, standing, her brood about her, in the sweet Sabbath sunlight, had to Oldmeadow's eye an almost comically arrested air. How was a creedless, churchless mistress of Coldbrooks to be fitted in to her happy vision of Barney's future? What would the village say to a squiress who never went to church and who said her prayers in the sunlight alone? "But, of course, better alone," he seemed to hear her cogitate, "than that anyone should see her doing such a very curious thing." And aloud she did murmur: "Of course not; of course not, dear. And if you go into the little arbour down by the lake no one will disturb you, I'm sure. Must it be quite in the open? Mere conformity is such a shallow thing. But all the same I should like the rector to come and talk things over with you. He's such a good man and very, very broad-minded. He brings science so often into his sermons--sometimes I think the people don't quite follow it all; and only the other day he said to me, about modern unrest and scepticism:
'There is more faith in honest doubt, Believe me, than in half the creeds.'
Mamma met Lord Tennyson once and felt him to be a deeply religious man--though rather ill-tempered; he was really very rude to her, I always thought, and I do so dislike rudeness.--And travelling about so much, dear, you probably had so little teaching."
Miss Toner's eyes were incapable of irony and they only deepened now in benevolence as they rested on her hostess. "But I haven't any doubts," she said, shaking her head and smiling: "No doubts at all. You reach the truth through your church and I reach it through nature and love and life. And the beautiful thing is that it's the same truth, really; the same beautiful truth that God loves us all, and that we are all the children of God. I should be very pleased to meet your rector, of course, because I like meeting anyone who is good and true. But I was taught. My mother taught me always. And she was the freest, wisest soul I have ever known."
"I'll stay with you," said Palgrave suddenly from his place on the step above her. His eyes, over her shoulder, had met Oldmeadow's and perhaps what he saw in the old friend's face determined his testimony. "Church means nothing to me, either; and less than nothing. I'm not so charitable as you are, and don't think all roads lead to truth. Some lead away, I think. You know perfectly well, Mummy, that the dear old rector is a regular duffer and you slept all through the sermon the last time I went; you did, really! I was too amused to sleep. He was trying to explain original sin without mentioning Adam or Eve or the Garden of Eden. It was most endearing! Like some one trying to avoid the eye of an old acquaintance whom they'd come to the conclusion they really must cut! I do so like the idea of Adam and Eve becoming unsuitable acquaintances for the enlightened clergy!"