"My friends and neighbours!" said Barron, "it is with sorrow and grief that I rise to say the few words that I intend to say. On the audacity and illegality of what you have just done I shall say nothing. Argument, I know, would be useless. But _this_ I have come to say: You have just been led--misled--into an act of heresy and rebellion by the man who should be your pastor in the Faith, who is responsible to God for your souls. _Why_ have you been misled?--_why_ do you follow him?" He flung out his hand toward Meynell. "Because you admire and respect him--because you believe him a good man--a man of honest and pure life. And I am here to tell you, or rather to remind you, for indeed you all know it--that your Rector lies at this moment under a painful and disgraceful charge; that this charge has been circulated--in a discreditable way--a way for which I have no defence and of which I know nothing--throughout this diocese, and indeed throughout England; that your fair fame, as well as his are concerned; and, nevertheless, he refuses to take the only steps which can clear his character, and repay you for the devotion you have shown him! I call upon you, sir!"--the speaker bent forward, pointing impressively to the chairman of the meeting and emphasizing every word--"to take those steps at once! They are open to you at any moment. Take them against myself! I have given, I will give, you every opportunity. But till that is done do not continue, in the face of the congregation you have deceived and led astray, to assume the tone of hypocritical authority in which you have just spoken! You have no moral right to any authority among us; you never had any such right; and in Christian eyes your infidel teaching has led to its natural results. At any rate, I trust that now, at last, even these your friends and dupes will see the absolute necessity, before many weeks are over, of either _forcing_ you to resign your living, or _forcing_ you to take the only means open to honest men of protecting their character!" He resumed his seat. The audience sat petrified a moment. Then Hugh Flaxman sprang to his feet, and two or three others, the local preacher among them. But Meynell had also risen. "Please, Mr. Flaxman--my friends--!" He waved a quiet hand toward those who had risen, and they unwillingly gave way. Then the Rector looked round the room for a few silent instants. He was very white, but when he spoke it was with complete composure.