Warricombe.'

'He might have mentioned Buckland first,' murmured Mrs. Warricombe,
resentfully.

'He of course gave them out in alphabetical order,' answered her
husband.

'Still, it isn't right that Buckland should come second.'

'That's absurd,' was the good-natured reply.

The lady of course remained unconvinced, and for years she nourished
a pique against Professor Gale, not so much owing to his having
bracketed her son as because the letter P has alphabetical
precedence of W.

In what remained of the proceedings the Warricombes had no personal
interest. For a special reason, however, their attention was excited
by the rising of Professor Walsh, who represented the science of
Physics. Early in the present year had been published a speculative
treatise which, owing to its supposed incompatibility with Christian
dogmas, provoked much controversy and was largely discussed in all
educated circles. The work was anonymous, but a rumour which gained
general currency attributed it to Professor Walsh. In the year 1874
an imputation of religious heresy was not lightly to be incurred by
a Professor--even Professor of Physics--at an English college.
There were many people in Kingsmill who considered that Mr. Walsh's
delay in repudiating so grave a charge rendered very doubtful the
propriety of his retaining the chair at Whitelaw. Significant was