Where would a woman, a wife-woman, be in a life like this? He poured himself out a cup of tea; the eyes turned towards the tea-pot were worried and hurried; his whole compact rounded form was a little worried and anxious. There was something--bunnyish about him. Reading Plato the expression of his person would still have something of the worried rabbit about it. His face would be calm and intent. Then he would look up from the page, taking in a thought and something in his room would bring him back again to worry. But he was too stout to belong to a religious order. "You must have a very busy life" said Miriam, her attention wandering rapidly off hither and thither. "Of course" he said turning away from the table to the fire beside which she sat. "I think the clergy should keep in touch to some extent with modern thought--in so far as it helps them with their own particular work." Miriam wondered why she felt no desire to open the subject of religion and science; or any other subject. It was so extraordinary to find herself sitting tête-à-tête with a clergyman, and still more strange to find him communicatively trying to show her his life from the inside. He went on talking, not looking at her but gazing into the fire. She tried in vain to tether her attention. It was straining away to work upon something, upon some curious evidence it had collected since she came into the room; and even with her eyes fixed upon his person and her mind noting the strange contradiction between the thin rippling many-buttoned cassock and the stout square-toed boots protruding beneath it, she could not completely convince herself that he was there. "... novels; my friends to recommend any that might be helpful." He had looked up towards her with this phrase. "Oh yes, Red Pottage" she said grasping hurriedly and looking attentive. "Have you read that novel?" "No. I imagined that you had because you lent it to Miss Dear." "Miss Dear has spoken to you of me." "Oh yes." "Of you she has spoken a great deal. You know her very well. It is because of your long friendship with her that I have taken courage to ask you to come here and discuss with me about her affairs." "I have known Miss Dear only a very short time" said Miriam, sternly gazing into the fire. Nothing should persuade her to become the caretaker of the future Mrs. Taunton. "That surprises me very much indeed" he said propping his head upon his hand by one finger held against a tooth. He sat brooding. "She is very much in need of friends just now" he said suddenly and evenly towards the fire without removing his finger from his tooth. "Yes" said Miriam gravely. "You are, nevertheless, the only intimate woman friend to whom just now she has access." "I've done little things for her. I couldn't do much." "You were sorry for her." Mr. Taunton was studying her face and waiting.