yet who can deny her praise for fidelity to her own convictions?  When we read of those who have massacred and tortured their opponents in religion, have boiled alive the unfortunates who have differed from themselves as to the meaning of an unintelligible word or two, have vigorously torn the entrails out of those who have been pious with a piety different from their own, how shall we dare to say that they should be punished for their fidelity?  Mrs. Bolton spent much of that afternoon with her knees on the hard boards,—­thinking that a hassock would have taken something from the sanctity of the action,—­wrestling for her child in prayer.  And she told herself that her prayer had been heard.  She got up more than ever assured that she must not touch pitch lest she should be defiled.  Let us pray for what we will with earnestness,—­though it be for the destruction of half of a world,—­we are sure to think that our prayers have been heard.

Chapter XXIII

The New Heir

Things went on smoothly at Folking, or with apparent smoothness, for three months, during which John Caldigate surprised both his friends and his enemies by the exemplary manner in which he fulfilled his duties as a parish squire.  He was put on the commission, and was in the way to become the most active Justice of the Peace in those parts.  He made himself intimate with all the tenants, and was almost worshipped by Mr. Ralph Holt, his nearest neighbour, to whose judgment he submitted himself in all agricultural matters.  He shot a little, but moderately, having no inclination to foster what is called a head of game.  And he went to church very regularly, having renewed his intimacy with Mr. Bromley, the parson, a gentleman who had unfortunately found it necessary to quarrel with the old squire, because the old squire had been so manifestly a pagan.

There had been unhappiness in the parish on this head, and, especially, unhappiness to Mr. Bromley, who was a good man.  That Mr. Caldigate should be what he called a pagan had been represented by Mr. Bromley to his friends as a great misfortune, and especially a misfortune to the squire himself.  But he would have ignored that in regard to social life,—­so Mr. Bromley said when discussing the matter,—­if the pagan would have desisted from arguing the subject.  But when Mr. Caldigate insisted on the parson owning the unreasonableness of his own belief, and called upon him to confess himself to be either a fool or a hypocrite, then the parson found himself constrained to drop all further intercourse.  ‘It is the way with all priests,’ said the old squire triumphantly to the first man he could get to hear him.  ’The moment you disagree with them they become your enemies at once, and would straightway kill you if they had the power.’  He probably did not know how very disagreeable he had made himself to the poor clergyman.