The bishop said "Puppy!" once again. (He had trained himself only to
think the adjectives which laymen find appropriate to use in such a case
as was under his consideration.)

But he made up his mind to take no action whatever against the Rev.
George Holland on account of the book. If the Rev. George Holland
fancied that he was to be persecuted into popularity, the Rev. George
Holland was greatly mistaken, and the bishop had a shrewd idea that the
rector of St. Chad's was greatly mistaken.

(It may be mentioned that he came to this determination when he had read
the book through, and found it was so cleverly written that it included
no heretical phrase in all its pages.)

But so soon as Phyllis Ayrton had read the first review of the book that
fell into her hands, she felt inexpressibly shocked. Great Heavens! Was
it possible that she was actually at that moment engaged to marry
the man who had written such a book--a book that held up Delilah to
admiration, and that abased Ruth? (It was singular how everyone settled
upon Ruth in this connection.)

She did not pause to analyze her feelings--to try and find out if she
was really so fond of Ruth as to make Ruth's insult her own; but without
a moment's delay, without a word of consultation with her father, she
sat down at her desk and wrote a letter to George Holland, asking him to
release her from her promise to marry him; and adding that if he should
decline to do so it would make no difference to her; she would consider
the engagement between them at an end all the same.

She felt, when that letter was posted, as if a great weight were lifted