‘Take my advice and read him. He is not so great a poet as Shelley, but he is a greater teacher. He and Victor Hugo are the two great moralists of the age; and I would put Tennyson higher than Hugo, because his ethics are of a graver and calmer cast. I will bring you my Tennyson to-morrow.’ ‘You are too good,’ said Emmanuel, touched by the curate’s tone of equal friendship. He went to hear Cyril preach, and listened with delight. He was willing to accept his new friend as a great moral teacher, but he was not willing to surrender his infidel opinions. He had hugged them too long. They were his hobby, as dear to him as a gallery of pictures to a wealthy connoisseur, or a cabinet of old china to a fine lady. But although the citadel had not yet yielded, its foundations were considerably weakened. After a fortnight’s acquaintance with Cyril, the cobbler took his mother to church regularly every Sunday, much to the widow’s delight. It was the only happiness that had been wanting in her simple laborious life, to go to church leaning on her son’s arm. So things went on till the middle of the summer. Emmanuel had left off reading infidel books, won altogether by the curate’s sympathy. He stuck to his opinions, but he read the books Cyril chose for him, and enlarged the range of his ideas. Hitherto he had devoured books ravenously, but had not digested or absorbed their contents. Now he read in a methodic manner, and grouped his subjects, under Cyril’s advice. He had supposed that all hard reading meant useful reading, but Cyril showed him that the best books were generally the easiest to read and remember. One day when Emmanuel began a theological discussion the curate abruptly stopped him. ‘I am not going to talk to you about religion any more,’ he said. ‘Why not?’ ‘Because it is useless and unprofitable, harmful even, for both of us. I have said all I have to say about sacred things, and I have failed to convince you. I will not talk of the gospel for the sake of argument, and with a man who has made up his mind to reject gospel truth. Let us talk of literature, politics, anything you like, except religion. I am warmly interested in the growth of your mind.’ ‘And you do not refuse to hold any communication with me because I am an infidel. You do not thrust me from you with loathing?’ ‘Assuredly not. I pity you too much.’ ‘You must be a man of very liberal opinions.’ ‘My Master was a Man of liberal opinions.’ ‘Yes, He sat at meat with publicans and sinners, the despised and the oppressed. He was the greatest, noblest, purest Man that ever lived, the wisest Teacher. If you claimed no more for Him than that----’ ‘We claim a great deal more than that; but I am not going to discuss these things. Tell me how you like Tennyson.’ ‘Better and better the more I read him.’ ‘Just so. I don’t think anybody ever thoroughly likes Tennyson at the first reading.’