Henry hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said he could not imagine the world without Matthew Harrison Brady. Even during the long years apart, Henry had often stopped to smile at reports of Matt's antics in the papers. As Matt began his Fundamentalist crusade, he had watched with growing concern but never ceased to remember him with distinct fondness. What had Matt said to him just last night? There used to be a mutuality of understanding and admiration. What Matt hadn't known was that Henry had once felt so much more for him.
Henry had been glad to see his old friend again, even under the circumstances. But he could tell from Matt's opening statement that he was not the man he used to be. The lively sparkle in his eyes had dulled to a stern, steely glint; his rich, expressive voice had become strident and stretched; his once passionate determination had weathered to dogged stubbornness. Henry sensed a rift between them, a line drawn in the sand that went deeper than the conflict at hand.
Despite their estrangement, some key elements of their relationship remained. As always, the two brought out the worst in each other. And Henry had relished it. He suspected that Matt had, too- the lively parry-and-thrust banter went both ways, after all. But then in the heat of the courtroom, the heat of battle, they became ruthless. Matt brought his star witness almost to tears on direct examination. Denied his own witnesses, Henry was forced to do the same.
Upon reflection, destroying Matt had been sickeningly easy. Henry knew Matt like he knew his own mind. He knew exactly which strings to pull, precisely how to pattern a web woven of Matt's own folly. His self-assured confidence and pride made ideal material; all Henry had to do was tie the noose. From the moment Matt took the witness stand, Henry had won. He should have known that denying him his consolation prize of a speech would finally break him. If only he had been kinder.
Hornbeck had been right about Henry. He was an old hypocrite, reprimanding the journalist for his mockery of the very man he himself had destroyed. The world was wide enough for the Bible and the Origin. Why not for the self-appointed prophet and the reverent agnostic? And now that one was gone, it seemed only natural that the other should follow.