"Perhaps you are right," said the doctor thoughtfully. "There may be a danger in the direction you point out. Certainly we men of science have, many of us, while valuing and respecting the Christian religion, been getting increasingly impatient of anything like religious dogmatism and exclusiveness." At this moment a servant came to say that Thomas Bradly wished to have a word with the vicar when he was disengaged. "Oh, ask him to come to me here in the garden," said the vicar.--"You shall see one of my rough diamonds now," he added smilingly to his friend; "indeed, I may call him my `Koh-i-noor,' only he hasn't been polished.--Thomas," he continued to Bradly as he entered, "here's an old friend of mine, Dr Prosser, a gentleman eminent in the scientific world, who has come down from London to see me, and to get a little experience of Crossbourne ways and manners. I tell him that he'll find us rather a rough material." "I'm sure," replied Thomas, "I'm heartily glad to see any friend of yours among us. He must take us as he finds us. Like other folks, we aren't always right side out; but we generally mean what we say, and when we do say anything we commonly make it stand for summat." "Well now, Thomas," continued Mr Maltby, "you're a plain, practical man, and I think you could give us an opinion worth having on a subject we've been talking about." "I'm sure, sir, I don't know how that may be," was the reply; "but we working-people sometimes see things in a different light from what those above us does,--at least so far as our experience goes." "That's just it, Thomas. It will interest Dr Prosser, I know, to hear how a theory about religion and truth, which is becoming very fashionable in our day, would suit yourself and the quick-witted and warm-hearted people you have daily to deal with." "Let me hear it, sir, and I'll answer according to the best of my judgment." The vicar then repeated to Bradly the substance of the conversation between himself and the doctor on religious dogmatism and breadth of views.