“Of course,” Gabriel replied kindly to the vicar’s explanation for why he had not visited the slums yet. He was judging this guy real hard. The Church of England was a church for the aristocrats and comfortable middle classes. Was it any surprise that the slums got ignored? It turned out this man was no exception. He glanced at the man’s form. Clearly he was living a comfortable enough life. Then Gabriel realized that he was being self-righteous, and he judged himself as well for good measure.

“Yes, yes, they’re catholic. The bishop brought them in to help out after…” After the parish priest had run off and left Gabriel with more than he could handle on his own. “… after it became clear that there is too much work to be done there for one person.” Whew. “Any relief project going on from your church? I was thinking it would be great if we could bundle our efforts.”