Raridan attacked the bishop about some question of ritual that was agitating the English Church. It was worse than Greek to Saxton, but Raridan seemed fully informed about it, and turned up the lights to read a paragraph from an English church paper which was, he protested, rankly heretical. The bishop smoked his cigar calmly until Raridan had finished. "They tell me," he said, when Raridan had concluded by flinging the whole matter upon his clerical caller with an air of arraigning the entire episcopate, "that you're a pretty fair lawyer, Warry, only you won't work. And I hear occasionally that you're about to embrace the ministry. Now, just think what a time I'd have with you on my hands! You couldn't get the water hot enough for me. Isn't he ungracious"--turning to Saxton--"when I came here for rest and recreation, to put me on trial for my life? You ought to know, young man, that a bishop can be tried only by his peers." Raridan threw down his paper, and rang for the Chinaman. "When I embrace the ministry under you, Bishop, you may be sure that I'll be humble enough to be good." The Chinaman brought a variety of liquids, from which they helped themselves. "Don't be afraid of the Scotch, Saxton," said Raridan, "the bishop has seen the bottle before." The bishop, who was pouring seltzer on his lemon juice, smiled tolerantly at Raridan's chatter, with whose temper and quality he had long been familiar, and addressed himself to Saxton. He liked young men, and had an agreeable way of drawing them out and making them talk about themselves. When it was disclosed that Saxton had been in the cattle business, the bishop showed an intimate knowledge of the range and its ways. "You see, the bishop's ridden over most of the cattle country in his day," explained Raridan. "And evidently not all in Pullman cars," said Saxton. "I'm considered a heavy load for a cow pony," said the bishop, smiling down at his great bulk, "so they used sometimes to find a mule for me." "How are the Porters?" he asked presently of Raridan. "Very well, and staying on in the heat with the usual Clarkson fortitude." "Porter's one of the men that never rest," said the bishop. "I've known him ever since I've known the West, and he's taken few vacations in that time." "Well, he's showing signs of wear," said Raridan. "He's one of the men who begin with a small business where they do all the work themselves, and when the business outgrows them, they never realize that they need help, or that they can have any. Before they made Wheaton cashier, Porter carried the whole bank in his head. He's improving a little, and has a stenographer now; but he's nervous and anxious all the while and terribly fussy over all he does." "Wheaton ought to be a great help to him," said the bishop. "He seems a steady fellow, hard working and industrious." "Oh, he's all those things," Raridan answered carelessly. "He'll never steal anybody's money."