Miss Dodge is--she is--er--one of our leading young
people, and naturally-- She plays our little organ in church and
Sunday School. Of course you've noticed. She is most useful
and--er--helpful."

Lydia appeared to be considering his words with undue gravity.

"But I didn't come here this morning to talk to you about another
woman," he said, with undeniable hardihood. "I want to talk to
you--_to you_--and what I have to say--"

Lydia got up from her chair rather suddenly.

"Please excuse me a moment," she said, quite as if he had not spoken.

He heard her cross the hall swiftly. In a moment she had returned.

"I found this picture on the floor--after they had gone," she said,
and handed him the photograph.

He stared at it with unfeigned astonishment.

"Oh, yes," he murmured. "Well--?"

"Turn it over," she urged, somewhat breathlessly.

He obeyed, and bit his lip angrily.

"What of it?" he demanded. "A quotation from Kipling's Recessional--a
mere commonplace.... Yes; I wrote it."

Then his anger suddenly left him. His mind had leaped to the solution
of the matter, and the solution appeared to Wesley Elliot as
eminently satisfying; it was even amusing. What a transparent,
womanly little creature she was, to be sure! He had not been
altogether certain of himself as he walked out to the old Bolton
place that morning. But oddly enough, this girlish jealousy of hers,
this pretty spite--he found it piquantly charming.

"I wrote it," he repeated, his indulgent understanding of her mood
lurking in smiling lips and eyes, "on the occasion of a particularly
grubby Sunday School picnic: I assure you I shall not soon forget the
spiders which came to an untimely end in my lemonade, nor the
inquisitive ants which explored my sandwiches."

She surveyed him unsmilingly.

"But you did not mean that," she said. "You were thinking of
something--quite different."

He frowned thoughtfully. Decidedly, this matter should be settled
between them at once and for ever. A clergyman, he reflected, must
always be on friendly--even confidential terms with a wide variety of
women. His brief experience had already taught him this much. And a
jealous or unduly suspicious wife might prove a serious handicap to
future success.

"Won't you sit down," he urged. "I--You must allow me to explain.
We--er--must talk this over."

She obeyed him mechanically. All at once she was excessively
frightened at what she had attempted. She knew n