"I know intimately every member of my parish and every member of every other parish by this time from sheer hearsay.

Each house I visit gives me no end of valuable and minute information about all the other houses.

I am waiting to come out with a rousing sermon against gossip, till I shall have gained all possible enlightenment and help from it.

I mustn't kill my goose that lays the golden eggs before I have all the eggs I want, must I ?" "And knowing us all so well, what do you think of Joppa as a whole ?" asked Phebe, curiously.

"You always say it is too soon to judge, but surely you must really know by this time." He did not answer for a moment, then turned to her very seriously.