It seemed to him almost a wicked thing to do, but his host evidently wished him to be comfortable.
Their talk after the girls had left the room turned on politics.
Hyacinth's confession of his friendship with Augusta Goold had impressed the Canon, and he delivered himself of a very kindly little lecture on the duty of loyalty and the sinfulness of contention with the powers that be.

His way of putting the matter neither irritated Hyacinth, like the flamboyant Imperialism of the Trinity students, nor drove him into self-assertion, like Dr.Henry's contemptuous reasonableness.

Still, he felt bound to make some sort of defence of the opinions which were still his own.
'Surely,' he said, 'there must be some limit to the duty of loyalty.

If a Government has no constitutional right to rule, is a man bound to be loyal toit ?' 'I think,' said the Canon, 'that the question is decided for us.

Is it not, Mr.Conneally?
"Render unto Caesar"-- you remember the verse.