She hesitated for an instant, and said, with a pretty girlish stiffness, sweeping back the skirt of her dress to free her toes in turning: 'Although you are personally unknown to me, I cannot leave you without expressing my deep sense of your profound scholarship, and my admiration for the thoroughness of your studies in divinity.' 'Your opinion gives me great pleasure,' said Somerset, bowing, and fairly blushing.

'But, believe me, I am no scholar, and no theologian.
My knowledge of the subject arises simply from the accident that some few years ago I looked into the question for a special reason.

In the study of my profession I was interested in the designing of fonts and baptisteries, and by a natural process I was led to investigate the history of baptism; and some of the arguments I then learnt up still remain with me.

That's the simple explanation of my erudition.' 'If your sermons at the church only match your address to-day, I shall not wonder at hearing that the parishioners are at last willing to attend.' It flashed upon Somerset's mind that she supposed him to be the new curate, of whose arrival he had casually heard, during his sojourn at the inn.

Before he could bring himself to correct an error to which, perhaps, more than to anything else, was owing the friendliness of her manner, she went on, as if to escape the embarrassment of silence:-- 'I need hardly say that I at least do not doubt the sincerity of your arguments.' 'Nevertheless, I was not altogether sincere,' he answered.
She was silent.
'Then why should you have delivered such a defence of me ?' she asked with simple curiosity.
Somerset involuntarily looked in her face for his answer.
Paula again teased the necklace.