t was her use of Dr. Pierce's arrow
that had thrust Ruth. She gave herself up to the thought of it all
during that wonderful afternoon meeting. Very little did she hear of the
speeches, save now and then a sentence more vivid than the rest; her
brain was busy with new thoughts. _Was_ it all so very queer? Did it
look to others than Marion a strange way to live? Did she actually
believe these things for which she had been contending? If she did, was
she in very deed an idiot? It actually began to look as though she might
be. She was not wild like Eurie, nor intense and emotional, like Marion;
she was still and cold, and, in her way, slow; given to weighing
thoughts, and acting calmly from decisions rather than from impulse. It
struck her oddly enough now that, having so stoutly defended the
cardinal doctrines of Christian faith, she should have no weapons except
sarcasm with which to meet a bold appeal to her inconsistency.

"When I get home from Saratoga," she said, at last, turning uneasily in
her seat, annoyed at the persistency of her thoughts, "I really mean to
look into this thing. I am not sure but a sense of propriety should lead
one to make a profession of religion. It is, as Marion says, strange to
believe as we do and not indicate it by our professions. I am not sure
but the right thing for me to do would be to unite with the church.
There is certainly some ground for the thrusts that Marion has been
giving. My position must seem inconsistent to her. I certainly believe
these things. What harm in my saying so to everybody? Rather, is it not
the right thing to do? I will unite with the church from a sense of
duty, not because my feelings happen to be wrought upon by some strong
excitement. I wonder just what is required of people when they join the
church? A sense of their own dependence on Christ for salvation I
suppose. I certainly feel that. I am not an unbeliever in any sense of
the word. I respect Christian people, and always did. Mother used to be
a church-member; I suppose she would be now if she were not an invalid.
Most of the married ladies in our set are church-members. I don't see
why it isn't quite as proper for young ladies to be. I certainly mean to
give some attention to this matter just as soon as the season is over at
Saratoga. In the meantime I wonder when there is a train I can get, and
if I couldn't telegraph to mother to send my trunks on and have them
there when I arrived."

CHAPTE