‘I’m leaving today.’

‘But the contract …’

‘No contracts are enforceable any more. You know that.’

‘But why today? What’s the urgency?’

‘All God’s work is urgent.’

‘Urgent today, but not yesterday?’

‘Until the call comes, one waits.’

In exasperation, Moncrieff twisted the pipe between his hands. He said:

‘You realize there is no going back from this sort of decision, I hope?’

‘No,’ Martin said. ‘No going back.’

Betty found him getting his things together in the common room. She called to him, and he looked up.

‘Is it true?’

‘That I’m leaving? Yes.’

‘But why? Why?’

‘To preach.’

‘You’re already spending all your evenings and your weekends preaching. Isn’t that enough?’

‘No.’

She said angrily:

‘What good do you think you will do? What possible good?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘In that case, how can you justify it?’

‘I haven’t got any answers to questions, only to imperatives. One imperative.’

She said: ‘That’s very clever. What about money? How are you going to live?’

He smiled at her. ‘The ravens fed Elijah, didn’t they?’