Sunday Morning It was, perhaps, quite as well on the whole for Mark Robarts, that he did not go to that supper party.

It was eleven o'clock before they sat down and nearly two before the gentlemen were in bed.

It must be remembered that he had to preach, on the coming Sunday morning, a charity sermon on behalf of a mission to Mr.Harold Smith's islanders; and, to tell the truth, it was a task for which he had now very little inclination.

When first invited to do this, he had regarded the task seriously enough, as he always did regard such work, and he completed his sermon for the occasion before he left Framley; but, since that, an air of ridicule had been thrown over the whole affair, in which he had joined without much thinking of his own sermon, and this made him now heartily wish that he could choose a discourse upon any other subject.

He knew well that the very points on which he had most insisted, were those which had drawn most mirth from Miss Dunstable and Mrs.Smith, and had oftenest provoked his own laughter; and how was he now to preach on those matters in a fitting mood, knowing, as he would know, that those two ladies would be looking at him, would endeavour to catch his eye, and would turn him into ridicule as they had already turned the lecturer?
In this he did injustice to one of the ladies, unconsciously.