"I am not to be put down, nor am I to be frightened from doing what I conceive to be my bounden duty. I tell you again, Mr. Plumber, sir, that you ought to be ashamed of yourself. And I say further, that it is to me a monstrous proposition, that a clergyman is to be at liberty to contribute to the rising flood of public immorality, and that his parishioners are not to be allowed to offer even a word of remonstrance. You may take this from me, Mr. Plumber, that so long as you continue one of its clergy, the parish church will be deserted. You will minister, if you are to minister at all, to a beggarly array of empty pews. And, since the parish is not to be permitted to speak its mind in private, I will see that an opportunity is given it to speak its mind in public. I will see that a public meeting is held. I promise you that it will be attended by every decent-minded man and woman in Exdale. Some home truths will be uttered which, I trust, will enlighten you as to what is, and what is not, the duty of a parish clergyman." "Have you quite finished, Mr. Luxmare?" The vicar asked the question in a tone of almost dangerous quiet. "Do not think," continued Mr. Luxmare, ignoring Mr. Harding, "that in this matter I speak for myself. I speak for the whole parish." He turned to his colleague, "Is that not so?" The vicar's warden did not seem to be completely at his ease. He looked appealingly at the vicar. He shuffled with his feet. But he spoke at last, prefacing his remarks with a sort of deprecatory little cough. "I am bound to admit that I consider it somewhat unfortunate that Mr. Plumber should have contributed to a publication of this particular class." Mr. Luxmare turned to the sidesmen. "What do you think?" The sidesmen did not say much, but they managed, with what they did say, to convey the impression that they thought as the churchwardens thought. "You see," exclaimed the triumphant Mr. Luxmare, "that here we are unanimous, and I give you my word that our unanimity is but typical of the unanimous feeling which pervades the entire parish." "Has anybody else anything which he would wish to say?" The vicar asked the question in the same curiously quiet tone of voice. Mr. Ingledew stood up. "Yes, vicar, I have something which I should rather like to say. I am not pretending to have, in this matter, any _locus standi_. Nor do I intend to assail Mr. Plumber on the lines which Mr. Luxmare has followed. To me it seems to be a matter of comparative indifference to which journal a man, be he cleric or layman, may choose to send his contributions. Journals nowadays are very much of a muchness, their badness is merely a question of degree. There is, however, one point on which I should like to be enlightened by Mr. Plumber. I am told that he is the author of some verses which were published in the issue of _Skittles_, dated July 11th, and entitled 'The Lingering Lover.' Is that so, Mr. Plumber?"