"You have the advantage of me in your knowledge of it, I am bound to confess," said the tutor.
"It is my 'school of thought,'" returned Guy; "it reveals the highest, purest knowledge, and being the Word of the Living God, I must receive it as I find it, neither adding to it nor taking from it, thereby escaping the snares of both those 'schools' which by turns seem to have caught your sympathies."
"I'm afraid there is no hope for me of the pastorate of Pine-wood End," said the stranger, smiling, "but perhaps I am better and shall take an early opportunity to call and make my own impression at The Moat."
Which he did, and it was not a favourable one, notwithstanding some fascination of manner, and much general information. He also visited the Church, and after a long talk with Mr. Spadeley, left that functionary in a perplexed meditation upon his probable or possible creed.
"Well, well," thought the clerk and sexton, "it is said that extremes do meet, but I'm fairly posed to know whether he be most Papist or most unbeliever; but I hope our Master Guy ain't going to take up with him nor his ways."
Then after sundry times scratching his head, and obtaining therefrom no help to a conclusion, he added, mentally,—
"It's wonderful, it is, how he slips about like an eel, and when I thought I'd caught him, he was through my fingers afore I knew it: that's like what they call a Jesuit; then he sneered at a fine old text that came nowhere but straight from the Lord Almighty: and that was like what they call Infidel. So whether he be deep like the one, with Satan to help him, or shallow like t'other, in the pride of his own heart, he's a pitiful sight to see. He parson of Pine-wood End indeed! Not while our good Squire is above ground, any way, and I'd as lief bury the whole village, school-house and all, as let such a whirligig set up to daze poor souls as he! The Lord have mercy on the young lad that's got his tutoring."
"It is a curious 'school of thought,' that of Mr. Freakes," remarked Squire Hazelwood. "I fear he is getting Sir Ryland to support 'The Book of Sports,' and introduce Sunday games in the Park at N—. And the bailiff declares he saw him and his pupil go into the Roman Catholic Chapel in our county town. But I suppose it is no business of ours."
Mistress Hazelwood sat silent and thoughtful for some time, and then looking up at her husband, "Dear Roger," she said, in lowly suggestive tones, "should we not do unto others as we would they should do unto us?"
"Surely we should, Dolly: what is on your mind?"