After a minute of two of silence Mr.
Hollywell went on: 'They had a meeting here a little while ago about the appointment of a Protestant station-master.

They didn't take much by it so far as the railway company is concerned, but I happen to know that word has gone round that every shopkeeper in the town is to order his goods as far as possible from Catholics.

Now, everybody knows your boss is a Protestant, but the people are a little uncertain about you.

They've never seen you at Mass, which is suspicious, but, on the other hand, the way you gas on about Irish manufactures makes them think you can't be a Protestant.
The proper thing for you to do is to lie low till you've put in an appearance at Mass, and then go round and try for orders.' 'That's the kind of thing,' said Hyacinth, 'that I couldn't do if I had no religion at all; but it happens that I have convictions of a sort, and I don't mean to go against them.' 'Oh, well, as I said before, it's your own affair; only better Protestants than you have done as much.

Why, I do it myself constantly, and everyone knows that a Baptist is the strongest kind of Protestant there is.' This reasoning, curiously enough, proved unconvincing.
'I can't believe,' said Hyacinth, 'that a religious boycott of the kind is possible.