They parted from the colporteur at this point.
“What think you of that?” asked Bones.
“It is strange, if true—but I don’t believe it,” replied Aspel.
“Well now, it appears to me,” rejoined Bones, “that the man seems pretty sure of what he believes, and very reasonable in what he says, but I don’t know enough about the subject to hold an opinion as to whether it’s true or false.”
It might have been well for Aspel if he had taken as modest a view of the matter as his companion, but he had been educated—that is to say, he had received an average elementary training at an ordinary school,—and on the strength of that, although he had never before given a serious thought to religion, and certainly nothing worthy of the name of study, he held himself competent to judge and to disbelieve!
While they walked towards the City, evening was spreading her grey mantle over the sky. The lamps had been lighted, and the enticing blaze from gin-palaces and beer-shops streamed frequently across their path.
At the corner of a narrow street they were arrested by the sound of music in quick time, and energetically sung.
“A penny gaff,” remarked Bones, referring to a low music-hall; “what d’ee say to go in?”
Aspel was so depressed just then that he welcomed any sort of excitement, and willingly went.
“What’s to pay?” he asked of the man at the door.