"Are you tired ?" he asked at last.
"No--yes.

Parties always tire me, and life in Joppa consists of parties.
Do you always go ?" "Oh, always!" "Your mental constitution must be robust to stand such a steady strain upon it." "The shepherd must keep by his sheep, you know," laughed Denham.
"I thought the shepherd was to lead the sheep, not to be led by them.
Don't you hope to inspire them with a love for better things?
I fancied the province of a clergyman was to improve people--not just to preach to them." A shadow crossed Denham's face.

"There are many of them more fitted to improve me than I them," he said, humbly.

"How would you have me begin ?" "With making Mr.Hardcastle less offensively pompous, and Mrs.Hardcastle less tedious, and Mrs.Upjohn less dogmatic, and Mrs.Anthony more sincere, and Miss Delano less namby-pamby,--in short, by taking a little of the superficiality and narrow-mindedness and provinciality out of the place if possible." Denham tossed back his head with a light laugh.

"Ah, how you relieve my mind! Most of those whom you have so scathingly described belong to other congregations, and are therefore beyond my jurisdiction." "Do you really feel so?
Are you so like a physician ?" asked Gerald, quickly.