`Ah, but we suggested it! I am afraid I have done you mischief, Jude, instead of helping you by coming!'

To have suggested such a story was certainly not very exhilarating, in a serious view of their position. However, in a few minutes Sue seemed to see that their position this morning had a ludicrous side, and wiping her eyes she laughed.

`It is droll, after all,' she said, `that we two, of all people, with our queer history, should happen to be here painting the Ten Commandments! You a reprobate, and I - in my condition.... O dear!' ... And with her hand over her eyes she laughed again silently and intermittently, till she was quite weak.

`That's better,' said Jude gaily. `Now we are right again, aren't we, little girl!'

`Oh but it is serious, all the same!' she sighed as she took up the brush and righted herself. `But do you see they don't think we are married? They won't believe it! It is extraordinary!'

`I don't care whether they think so or not,' said Jude. `I shan't take any more trouble to make them.'

They sat down to lunch - which they had brought with them not to hinder time - and having eaten it were about to set to work anew when a man entered the church, and Jude recognized in him the contractor Willis. He beckoned to Jude, and spoke to him apart.

`Here - I've just had a complaint about this,' he said, with rather breathless awkwardness. `I don't wish to go into the matter - as of course I didn't know what was going on - but I am afraid I must ask you and her to leave off, and let somebody else finish this! It is best, to avoid all unpleasantness. I'll pay you for the week, all the same.'

Jude was too independent to make any fuss; and the contractor paid him, and left. Jude picked up his tools, and Sue cleansed her brush. Then their eyes met.

`How could we be so simple as to suppose we might do this!' said she, dropping to her tragic note. `Of course we ought not - I ought not - to have come!'

`I had no idea that anybody was going to intrude into such a lonely place and see us!' Jude returned. `Well, it can't be helped, dear; and of course I wouldn't wish to injure Willis's trade-connection by staying.' They sat down passively for a few minutes, proceeded out of the church, and overtaking the boy pursued their thoughtful way to Aldbrickham.

Fawley had still a pretty zeal in the cause of education, and, as was natural with his experiences, he was active in furthering `equality of opportunity' by any humble means open to him. He had joined an Artizans' Mutual Improvement Society established in the town about the time of his arrival there; its members being young men of all creeds and denominations, including Churchmen, Congregationalists, Baptists, Unitarians, Positivists, and others - agnostics had scarcely been heard of at this time - their one common wish to enlarge their minds forming a sufficiently close bond of union. The subscription was small, and the room homely; and Jude's activity, uncustomary acquirements, and above all, singular intuition on what to read and how to set about it - begotten of his years of struggle against malignant stars - had led to his being placed on the committee.

A few evenings after his dismissal from the church repairs, and before he had obtained any more work to do, he went to attend a meeting of the aforesaid committee. It was late when he arrived: all the others had come, and as he entered they looked dubiously at him, and hardly uttered a word of greeting. He guessed that something bearing on himself had been either discussed or mooted. Some ordinary business was transacted, and it was disclosed that the number of subscriptions had shown a sudden falling off for that quarter. One member - a really well-meaning and upright man - began speaking in enigmas about certain possible causes: that it behoved them to look well into their constitution; for if the committee were not respected, and had not at least, in their differences, a common standard of conduct, they would