"Oh!—they are safe enough here," said Norham, returning the coin to its place, with another loving look at it. Then, with an effort, he pulled himself together, and with great rapidity began to question his companion as to the details and progress of the Movement. All the facts up to date, the number of Reformers enrolled since the foundation of the League, the League's finances, the astonishing growth of its petition to Parliament, the progress of the Movement in the Universities, among the ardent and intellectual youth of the day, its spread from week to week among the clergy: these things came out steadily and clearly in Meynell's replies.
"The League was started in July—it is now October. We have fifty thousand enrolled members, all communicants in Modernist churches. Meetings and demonstrations are being arranged at this moment all over England; and in January or February there will be a formal inauguration of the new Liturgy in Dunchester Cathedral."
"Heavens!" said Norham, dropping all signs of languor. "Dunchester will venture it?"
Meynell made a sign of assent.
"It is of course possible that the episcopal proceedings against the Bishop, which, as you see, have just begun, may have been brought to a close, and that the Cathedral may be no longer at our disposal, but—"
"The Dean, surely, has power to close it!"
"The Dean has come over to us, and the majority of the Canons."
Norham threw back his head with a laugh of amazement.
"The first time in history that a Dean has been of the same opinion as his Bishop! Upon my word, the government has been badly informed or I have not kept up. I had no idea—simply no idea—that things had gone so far. Markborough of course gives us very different accounts—he and the Bishops acting with him."
"A great deal is going on which our Bishop here is quite unaware of."