particular parson was capable of doing strange things. In the course of
a supplication of some fifteen minutes' duration, Brother Hastings
managed to vent his spleen upon the people and to pay the Lord a few
clumsy compliments. During the usual special blessing which is asked
upon the preacher of the hour, he prayed, "O Lord, let not the rarin'
horses of his youth run away with Thy chariot of eternal truth. Lord,
cool his head and warm his heart and settle him firm. Grant that he may
fully realise where he 's a-standin' at, an' who he 's a-speakin' to. Do
Thou not let _him_ speak, but speak through him, that Thy gospel may be
preached to-day as Thy prophets of old preached it."

Throughout the prayer, but one thought was running through Frederick
Brent's mind, and his heart was crying in its anguish, "Oh, my God, my
God, why do they hound me so?"

It is a terrible thing, this first effort before the home people,
especially when home has not been kind.

When he arose to meet the people's eyes, his face was haggard and he
felt weak. But unflinchingly he swept his eyes over the crowd, and that
instant's glance brought before him all the panorama of the past years.
There before him was the sneaking Billy Tompkins, now grown to the
maturity of being called "Bill." Then there was Dan'l Hastings. Oh, that
night, years ago, when he had been marched up the aisle with crimson
face! In one brief second he lived it all over again, the shame, the
disgrace, the misery of it. There, severe, critical, expectant, sat his
guardian, the master-hand who had manipulated all the machinery of his
life. All this passed through his mind in a flash, as he stood there
facing the people. His face changed. The haggard look passed away. His
eyes kindled, his cheeks mantled. Even in the pulpit, even in the house
of God, about to speak His word, the blood sped hotly through his veins,
and anger burned at his heart. But he crushed down his feelings for the
moment, and began in a clear ringing voice, "Judge not, that ye be not
judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with
what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." The lesson he
drew from the words was God's recognition of the fallibility of human
judgment, and the self-condemnation brought about by ignoring the
prohibition in the text. By an effort, he spoke deliberately at first,
but the fire in his heart came out more and more in his words as he
progressed. "