"Oh, come, now, my dear," said the Bishop, beaming round on all of us,
"you must not believe what you hear about society being in such a bad
state. I know idle people say so, and it is very wrong of them. Why,
_I_ never see anything wrong."
"Of course not," said Ideala. "We are all on our best behaviour before
you."
The Bishop patted his apron good-humouredly. "Well, now, take yourself
for example," he said. "I am sure _you_ never do wrong--tell stories,
you know, and that kind of thing."
"Haven't I, though!" she answered, mischievously. "Not that it was much
use, for I always repented and confessed; and now I have abandoned the
practice to the best of my ability. It is horrid to feel you don't
deserve the confidence that is placed in you, Bishop, isn't it?"
"Ideala!" Claudia protested.
The Bishop looked puzzled.
"I can assure you I have suffered agonies of remorse because, in an
idle moment, I deceived my cat--a big, comfortable creature, who used
to come to me every day to be fed, and preferred to eat out of my hand.
He was greedy, though, and snapped, and one day I offered him a piece
of preserved ginger, and he dashed at it as usual, and swallowed it
before he knew what it was.
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