support of his authority. It almost made me resolve to rebel the next
time I was told to do anything."

"Then I suppose that you don't agree with him," Maurice responded
rather absently.

"Oh, it isn't that. I do agree with him. I mean to be a bishop myself
some day, and then the doctrine will come in all right. I'll work it.
Down South we understand that sort of thing better than you do up
here."

"Then what did you object to in the lecture?"

"I didn't object to anything; only when anybody proves that you ought
not to do a thing isn't it human nature to want to do it, just for the
fun of it?"

Maurice felt how far from serious was the temper of the boy, and that
it would be utterly unreasonable to expect from him anything like
reverence. "Then how do you expect anybody to hold to the doctrine of
implicit obedience?" he questioned, smiling.

"Oh, everybody expects to wield the authority sometime," was the light
answer. "Nobody'd hold to it otherwise."

Maurice instinctively glanced at Ashe. In Philip's pale, enrapt face
was an expression of self-surrender which made Wynne feel how
completely the teaching to which they had just listened must appeal to
the temperament of his friend.