the audacity of his act, he found himself in the
sanctum facing a much-perplexed head master.

"Doctor, I--I----" The Big Man stopped, overwhelmed by the awful majesty
of the Doctor, on whose face still sat the grimness of the past
conference.

"Well, Joshua, what's the matter?" said the head master, relaxing a bit
before one of his favorites.

"Please, sir, I'm a little--a little embarrassed, I'm afraid," said the
Great Big Man, desperately.

"Am I so terrible as all that?" said the Doctor, smiling.

"Yes, sir--you are," the Big Man replied frankly. Then he said, plunging
in, "Doctor, is the Butcher--is Stevens--are you going to--expel him?"

"That is my painful duty, Joshua," said the Doctor, frowning.

"Oh, Doctor," said the Big Man all in a breath, "you don't know--you're
making a mistake."

"I am? Why, Joshua?"

"Because--you don't know. Because the Butcher won't tell you, he's too
proud, sir; because he doesn't want to cry out, sir."

"What do you mean exactly?" said the Doctor in surprise. "Does Stevens
know you're here?"

"Oh, Heavens, no, sir!" said the Big Man in horror. "And you must never
tell him, sir; that would be too terrible."

"Joshua," said the Doctor, impressively, "I am expelling Stevens because
he is just the influence I don't want boys of your age to come under."

"Oh, yes, sir," said the Big Man, "I know you think that, sir; but
really, Doctor, that's where you are wrong; really you are, sir."

The Doctor saw there was something under the surface, and he encouraged
the little fellow to talk. The Big Man, forgetting all fear in the
seriousness of the situation, told the listening head master all the
Butcher's conversation with him on the chapel steps the night
before--told it simply and eloquently, with an ardor that bespoke
absolute faith. Then suddenly he stopped.

"That's all, sir," he said, frightened.

The Doctor rose and walked back and forth, troubled and perplexed. There
was no doubting the sincerity of the recital: it was a side of Stevens
he had not guessed. Finally he turned and rested his hand on the Big
Man's shoulders.

"Thank you," he said; "it does put another light on the question. I'll
think it over."

When, ten days later, the school came trickling home along the road from
vacation, they saw, against all hope, the Butcher holding down first
base, frolicking over the diamond in the old familiar way, and a great
shout of joy and relief went up. But how it h