effacement.
The country clergyman has trials that his city brother knows nothing
about. He has to figure on the pennies that rarely grow to dollars."

The two friends walked on, Mark's mind reverting to his own lack of
faith and contrasting his dubiety with the sincerity of men who firmly
believe--foremost among them the man who walked by his side. Ah, if
he, too, could only _know_! He broke the silence.

"Father." He spoke hurriedly, as if fearing he might not have courage
to continue what he had so boldly begun. "Father, I can't forget your
words regarding those who claim to have studied religion and yet who
deliberately leave out of the reckoning the greatest part of religion.
I believe I did that very thing. I was once a believer, at least so I
thought. I let my belief get away from me; it seemed no longer to
merit consideration. I thought I had studied and discarded it; I see
now that I simply cast it away. Afterwards, I gave consideration to
other religions, but they were cold, lacking in the higher appeal. I
turned at last to Theosophy, to Confucianism, but remained always
unsatisfied. I never thought to look again into the religion I had
inherited."

Father Murray's face was serious. "I am deeply interested," he said,
"deeply, although it was only as I thought. But tell me. What led you
to do this? There must have been a reason formed in your mind."

"I never thought of a reason at all; I just did it. But now it seems
to me that the reason was there, and that it was not a very worthy one.
I think I wanted to get away. My social interest and comfort, my
independence, all seemed threatened by my faith. You will acknowledge,
Father, that it is an interfering sort of a thing? It hampers one's
actions, and it has a bad habit of getting dictatorial. Don't you see
what I mean?"

"I do," said the priest; and paused as if to gauge the sincerity of his
companion. "In fact, I went through a similar experience."

"Then you can tell me what you think of my position."

"I have already told you," said the priest earnestly. "You are the one
to do the thinking now. All I can do is to point out the road by which
you may best retrace your way. You have told me just what I expected
to hear; I admire your honesty in telling it--not to me, but to
yourself. Don't you see that your reason for deserting your Faith was
but a reason for greater loyalty? The oldest idea of religion in the
world, after that