anxiety to listen to his long-promised discourse on the primitive apostolic churches of the East. As we have before stated, he had labored in this field; and his zeal for the apostolical churches had won for him the robes he now wore.

So absorbed had our pilgrims been, while in church, with their own matters, that at the dinner-table no one could recall the bishop's text, nor anything he had said. Indeed, the gaze of their dear friends into their pew, from time to time, was well calculated to keep their thoughts busy, so that the most remarkable sermon of modern times was neither listened to nor at all heeded. But, at the close of his sermon, the earnestness of the bishop, and the eagerness of the audience, who hung upon his lips with enthusiasm, at last awakened their attention perfectly; so that we are able to state the facts, wonderful as they are, and which for their marvellousness have rarely been surpassed by priests in Romish cathedrals on a favorite saint's day. The bishop said, with emphasis, putting his whole heart into it, "that he had seen a record in the ancient city and church of Antioch, in which each bishop, in the see of Antioch, had written, with his own hand, an account of his induction, which record it was his duty to make, and had transmitted the record to his successor; that this record had been thus kept from the time of the Apostles down to the present; and that the record there stands, first, St. Peter, second, Euodius, third, Ignatius, and so down to Elias II., the present incumbent."

The benediction had been pronounced, and the assembly rose to depart. Lord and Lady Dielincœur, and Colonel and Mrs. Proudfit, stood awaiting events. The crowd was great, and it was a long time before those about the altar made a move. Not

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a bow, not the slightest recognition, was exchanged across the church. They all looked across the church and about the church, and recognized Mrs. Henry Gibbs, Mrs. Gulphin, the T'nipnoses, and many others; and when the aisles were cleared half-way down, Lovelace and Courtney conducted our ladies along toward the door with easy, quiet courtesy, whispering as they went slowly down the aisle. In the porch the rival parties met, face to face, one going out of one door of entrance, and the other party out of the other door; they passed out of the same gate and entered their carriages at the same moment, and drove in different directions, to the great wonderment of at least a hundred dear friends, who, in various ways, lingered and watched the progress of these great events, leading to such "a dreadful rupture in the circles of the best society up-town."

CHAPTER XI.

SCENE AT THE CARLTON CLUB-HOUSE.

ON Monday Col. Courtney dined with our pilgrims. They had many inquiries to make of Mrs. Courtney, and of past events. He told them it was the belief of those who had examined his poor boy's body that he had been suffocated by chloroform; and, though his own promptings were to make war upon the Phalanstery, the parents of his wife restrained him.

He informed them he was taken with a brain fever, which, for a time, it was feared would end his life; his father-in-law had

removed him into the country for entire peace and quiet, and he was at his farm when his wife came to town; that her parents were not willing he should hazard his reputation, and the sensibilities of their daughter, by any disclosures; thus he had done nothing but get well a work of time.

"The danger I was in," said Col. Courtney, "acted as by enchantment upon my wife, who forgot her own griefs in her efforts to restore me to health; and life is all too brief for me to express my gratitude for such devotion.”

To change the topic, which was very full of sad recollections, Oliver asked the colonel what he thought of the bishop's sermon. The colonel replied: "I was surprised at the daring of the man; a hardihood founded on his utter contempt for the intelligence of his audience, whom he must believe to be as ignorant as the Druses of Mount Libanus. Ladies, from their love of the marvellous, and surprising docility when led by bishops, may, perhaps, receive it kindly, and think it very delightful."

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"Not one word about the silliness of women!" said Annie. They know quite as much about all the mysteries of apostolical succession as their husbands, fathers, or brothers."

"I think," said Gertrude, "that the hearts of those who desire assurance in this grave matter must have burned within them to be told such a record as this exists in all its integrity."

Gertrude so rarely jested, and this was said so innocently, that

all were in doubt whether she was jesting or not.

Pray, tell us, Gertrude," said Frank, "and do you believe this Munchausen-like story?”

"I do not," replied Gertrude, with something of pique in her tones; "but there are pious persons to whose anxious souls this

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question is decisive, and on which hang their hopes of heaven. To such it must be a great joy to have a bishop tell them he had seen such a record, and believed it to be true. For, if it be true, then the possibility of an unbroken chain, the conduit of grace, is established; and they may hope that theirs too is a true church."

The colonel now waked up to be interested in this topic; and, to keep it up, he asked, "Ladies, I have a conundrum, new from the mint!" tapping his forehead: Of which of the apostles is

the Bishop of Turkey a lineal successor? It is very obvious, and you will see it at once."

Our friends sent their wits on a wild-goose chase, after the solution of this conundrum.

"I've got it!" cried Annie, with great enthusiasm and delight; "Peter,—for it was Peter who drew his sword when he should have kept it in his scabbard."

"Excellent!" cried Oliver. "Has she not hit it, colonel? The colonel smiled. "That reply reminds me of the oftrepeated saying of an old commentator whose pious labors I was made to read to my grandmother. After speaking of various opinions upon the text under review, he would say: This is all true, but not the truth in the text.'"*

"What can it be, colonel?" asked Gertrude.

They all gave up the conundrum as hopeless.

"The Reverend Bishop of Turkey," said the colonel, with greatest gravity of manner," is, of all the apostles, the lineal

*Rev. Dr. John Gill, whose "Continent of Mud" Commentary — to use Robert Hall's expressive epithet-was, in our earlier days, one of the penalties and penances of Sunday.

successor of Saul of Tarsus, because he began his labors where Saul left his off persecuting the church of God, and wasting

it!'"

All but Gertrude thought this exceedingly clever; but she insisted that Annie's solution was far better than the colonel's. A pleasant dispute arose on this topic, and, when exhausted, Col. Courtney begged leave to change the topic.

"Now, my friends," said the colonel, "I have something to tell you of what has happened at the Carlton Club concerning the supper at the opera-house, and matters thereto relating. On last Saturday I dined at the club-house, by invitation of Lovelace; and the delightful prospect of a duel brought everybody there, even my Lord Dielincour and Col. Proudfit. When the dinner was over, and the servants were ordered out of the room, I rose and said, 'Gentlemen, I have been called upon by Major Lovelace to act as his second in a duel; but, on full inquiry, I find Col. Trueman has been justly offended by the toast given by Major Lovelace, and to which Col. Trueman replied; and so clear was it made to appear to Major Lovelace that he had been guilty of a breach of courtesy, that, with the promptitude of a gentleman, he waited on Col. Trueman and offered an apology, which was both frankly made and accepted.' I added: The Carlton Club has been guilty of a very doubtful act in challenging a man whose principles ought to prevent his accepting a challenge;' that I knew Col. Trueman to be a brave and honorable man, and if there was any member of the club who regarded the quarrel worth the powder and ball, I would meet him; and, in doing so, I was but repaying Col. Trueman a great debt of obligation. The effect of this speech," continued the colonel, was really