gleamed softly in the late afternoon sun. At that the
bishop shook his head gravely and the palm was withdrawn, when there
followed more talk in lowered tones, after which he vaulted the fence
and came slowly back, his lips compressed and a quizzical smile on his
big handsome face. He shot a look at the group but said nothing.

"What is it, sir?" asked Dibbott.

"Something that touches our conversation, curiously enough. Those two
Indians have just paddled up from the settlement to ask me to bless a
silver bullet, and they are parishioners of mine too."

"Why?" put in Manson abruptly.

"They say the bullet is to kill a wolf who is haunting the neighborhood
and is possessed by a spirit of a bad man who died there only recently.
He apparently has an insatiable appetite for Indian children, though no
damage has been done as yet. It must have been a Unitarian spirit
since he is evidently a one idea wolf," he pursued with a provocative
grimace at the stolid Manson who was of that persuasion.

The others roared, but Manson, without a smile, held his ground.

"Why a bullet that has been blessed?"

"They assure me it is the only kind that can kill an animal inhabited
by a spirit." The bishop's hand stole up to his jaw, in a favorite
gesture. "Our conversation suggested the matter of Mr. Clark."

Filmer and the rest racked their brains in vain, then pleaded for light.

"Well," went on the deep voice, "these Indians profess the Christian
faith, yet they get into their bark canoes and paddle twelve miles
against the wind and up stream with a petition that I do something that
is dead against that faith, I mean the blessing of a bullet to arm it
with supernatural power. Our friend, Mr. Clark, on the other hand,
does not, so far as I know, profess any faith at all, though I should
undoubtedly be asked to bury him should such a thing be unfortunately
necessary, yet he does many things that I consider admirable without
asking any blessing or unction or special recognition of any kind. I
cannot see him, for instance, as a man who would use his friends for
his own advantage or their money for his personal profit. In fact," he
hesitated a little and then continued with that utter candor which
characterized his entire life--"what I hope for our church is that it
may so present its message and carry out its mission that it will
ultimately attract just the type of notable men as the one of which we
speak. And now, since t