Alf effected the change of religious community with considerable tact.
He began quite simply by touching his hat to the junior curate of the parish church, when he met him in the street.
The Reverend Spink, who was a man of much the same class as Alf, was highly gratified and uplifted.
Then Alf took to saying very shyly,
"Good morning, sir," hurrying past in order not to impede by his unworthy presence the great man's view.
Next he took to dropping in to the Reverend Spink's addresses for "men only."
Here he made himself conspicuous by his thoughtfulness and the corrugations in his brow as he imbibed the teachings of his master.
One day he asked, with some confusion and stumblings of speech, a question so easy that even the curate could answer it.
Alf nodded, well satisfied.
The curate swelled in the spirit. This catechumen at the least knew what was what.