"He was my best friend," said the Bishop, "and the world for me is the poorer for his absence. But tell me about your new life. Are you getting used to it?" A slight cloud crossed Rachel's face which was not unnoticed by the Bishop. "It's just a little difficult," she answered. "Luke's parishioners are quite different from any people I have met; some of them are nice, and they adore Luke. But oh they are so funny! They take offence at such small things. I don't think they like me much. You see I was labelled as young and incompetent before they saw me. But after all it does not much matter, as I have Luke. Perhaps if it were not for a few worries I should be almost too happy." "You have a good husband in Greville." Rachel looked up into the Bishop's face. Her look was enough to convince him of her happiness. "He's much too good for me," she said, "I'm not half worthy of him, and of course his people can't help seeing that, specially his mother." "She does not live with you, does she?" "No. She turned out for me, but she lives very near." The Bishop detected a shade of bitterness in the little laugh that escaped her lips. "Is it difficult?" he asked kindly. "I think you had better not ask me," said Rachel. Then unable to restrain her feelings, she added, "She just spoils everything, and I am so afraid of Luke finding it out; he is so devoted to her." The Bishop was silent. "The worst of it is," said Rachel, after a slight pause, "I can't talk it over with Luke, so there is a secret always between us. Don't you think it was horrid of her to tell people how incapable she thinks me? The result is that I can't help Luke in his work; people don't believe in me." "How do you know this?" "Someone let it out by mistake when she called," said Rachel. "There are always, I suppose, people like that in a place who talk more than they mean to. This person is a regular gossip, and I learnt more about the people in half an hour from her than I should have learnt in a year from Luke. Luke never tells me anything. I wish he would." "No, I don't think you should wish that. A man who does not talk over his people is a man to be trusted with the secrets of their souls. That is just the one disadvantage in my eyes of a man being married. It is difficult for some wives to tolerate their husbands not telling them what should be kept sacred. For every other reason I am a great advocate of married clergy. A wife may be of the very greatest help to a man. But in order to be so she must be a woman of high ideals, and one who understands what is due to his position. But my dear child, why did not you try to turn the conversation of this parishioner? Take my advice and don't listen to criticisms of yourself." "I am not sure that I have high ideals," said Rachel with a little laugh, "but I'm afraid I do like being appreciated. I am sure the people as a whole don't like me, and I can't think why." The Bishop laughed.