Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

desk, her face animated.
    ‘Yes, I’ve been to the Lent service at St. Ermin’s and I saw him there. I was quite surprised. I mean,’ I added, not wanting to sound smug, ‘I was surprised because one doesn’t usually see anyone one knows there.’
    ‘You mean you don’t expect anthropologists to go to church, Miss Lathbury,’ said Helena. ‘But Everard is a convert, quite ardent, you know.’
    ‘I thought converts always were ardent,’ said Rocky. ‘Surely that’s the point about them? The whole set-up is new and interesting to them. Did he get converted in Africa, seeing the missionaries going about their work? One would have thought it might have the opposite effect.’
    ‘Oh, no’ I protested, ‘they do such splendid work.’
    ‘Splendid work,’ Rocky repeated, savouring the words, ‘how I love that expression! It has such a very noble sound. Perhaps Miss Lathbury is right—it may have been the sight of his fellow anthropologists that sent him over to the other side.’
    ‘Well, it wasn’t in Africa,’ said Helena, not sounding amused. ‘I think it happened when he was at Cambridge, though he never talks about it.’
    ‘Perhaps it is rather an awkward thing,’ said Rocky. ‘In many ways life is easier without that.’
    ‘Of course it is more of an intellectual thing with him,’ said Helena. ‘He knows all the answers.’
    ‘We certainly want people like that,’ I said. ‘The Church needs intelligent people.’
    ‘I should think so,’ said Helena scornfully. ‘All those old women swooning over a good-looking curate won’t get it anywhere.’
    ‘But our curate isn’t good-looking,’ I said indignantly, visualising Father Greatorex’s short stocky figure in its untidy clothes. ‘He isn’t even young.’
    ‘And anyway, why should the Church want to get anywhere?’ said Rocky. ‘I think it’s much more comforting to think of it staying just where it is.’
    ‘Wherever that may be,’ Helena added.
    I made a faint murmur of protest, but it was rather faint, for between the two of them I hardly knew where I was, though Rocky’s attitude seemed the more sympathetic. ‘I’m afraid we aren’t all very intelligent about our religion,’ I said, slightly on the defensive, ‘we probably don’t know many of the answers and can’t argue cleverly. And yet I suppose there’s room for the stupid as well,’ I added, for I was thinking of the lines in Bishop Heber’s hymn,
Richer by far is the heart’s adoration,
Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.
    Though obviously He must be very pleased to have somebody as clever as Everard Bone.
    ‘Did he speak to you?’ Helena asked.
    ‘Oh, no, I don’t think he saw me, or if he did he didn’t recognise me. People don’t, you know. I suppose there’s really nothing outstanding about me.’
    ‘Dear Miss Lathbury,’ Rocky smiled, ‘how completely untrue!’
    Once more I was transported to the terrace of the Admiral’s villa and took my place among the little group of Wren officers. Naturally, I did not know what to say.
    ‘Why shouldn’t we call you Mildred?’ said Rocky suddenly. ‘After all, we shall probably be seeing a lot of each other and I think we’re going to be friends.’
    I felt a little embarrassed but could hardly refuse him.
    ‘And you must call us Helena and Rocky? Could you do that?’
    ‘Yes, I think so,’ I said, wondering when I should begin.
    ‘And you can call Everard Bone Everard,’ said Helena, suddenly laughing.
    ‘Oh, no,’ I protested; ‘I can’t imagine that ever happening.’
    ‘You should have spoken to him after the service,’ she said, ‘made some comment on the sermon or something. He’s very critical.’
    ‘He hurried away,’ I explained, ‘so I had no chance to, even if he had recognised me.’
    ‘Oh, it is nice having you living above us,’ said Helena surprisingly. ‘Just think who we might have had, some dreary couple, or “business women” or a family with children,