Whether it was Sarah Jane's sex, or Sarah Jane's self that had awakened him, remained to be seen. He told himself, despite his admiration for her spirit and her beauty, that it could not be the individual who had aroused dormant sense, but rather the accidental fact of having been thrown into contact with her. The world was full of women. He pondered the problem, and now, by light of moon, told Brendon's wife of a decision at which he had recently arrived. "A great one for the Bible, my Dan," said she. "Miles of texts he've got by heart. A regular word-warrior he is." "If he believes it, he's right to stick to it. Why, if I believed 'twas the Word of God--actually the very thoughts of the Almighty sent by Him--I'd never open any other book, Sarah Jane. I'd think that every second of my reading time spent with man's writings was a wasted moment. If I had faith--it would move mountains." "That might be my Dan speaking. But you know pretty near so many verses as him, for all you don't believe in 'em." "We free thinkers are much keener students of the Bible than thousands who profess to live by it." "And yet you reckon there's no God and not another life after we die?" "My old grandfather had a saying, 'When a man's dead, there's no more to be said.' That was his philosophy, and though my father called him a godless heathen, yet I always agreed with the old man, though I wouldn't have dared to say so. But mind this, Sarah Jane--this I will grant: if there's another world after death, then there's a God. You won't have one without the other. Nature can look after this world; but it will take a God to look after the next. Don't think I believe there's another. I'd scorn to believe anything that nature doesn't teach me. But, none the less, it may come true; and if it does, that means God." "This life's mighty interesting," she said. "To me 'tis full to the brim; but Dan says the only drop in the cup that matters is the sure thought of the Kingdom of Heaven after."' "Trust to this life. That's a certainty, at any rate. Look after this life, and the next will look after itself." "Funny you should say that. Dan's way's just different. He says, 'Look after the next life, and this one will look after itself'!" "Nonsense--I'm right. And you know I'm right." Sarah Jane felt in a mind to tell him that she was with child. As yet only her husband and her father knew it. She was about to do so, when he spoke again. "I shall not live to be an old man," he said. "I know, as well as I know anything, that the longest half of my days are done. I thought the best of them were done too. But you've made life very interesting again and well worth living." "You shouldn't say things like that, I'm sure, though I'm very glad you like me, Mr. Woodrow. What's amiss with you?" "Nothing--everything." "Your cough's better, so Mr. Prout says. I wish you'd find a wife, sir. That might be the best physic for you."