outcry from his auditors. "Abominable!" said Dr. Howe,
bringing his fist heavily down on the table. "I shouldn't have thought
that of Ward,--outrageous!"

Gifford looked surprised. "What a cruel man!" Lois cried; while Miss
Deborah said suddenly,--

"Giff, dear, have those flannels of yours worn well?" But Gifford
apparently did not hear her.

"Why, doctor," he remonstrated, "you misunderstand Ward. And he is not
cruel, Lois; he is the gentlest soul I ever knew. But he is logical, he
is consistent; he simply expresses Presbyterianism with utter truth,
without shrinking from its conclusions."

"Oh, he may be consistent," the rector acknowledged, with easy transition
to good-nature, "but that doesn't alter the fact that he's a fool to
say such things. Let him believe them, if he wants to, but for Heaven's
sake let him keep silent! He can hold his tongue and yet not be a
Universalist. _Medio tutissimus ibis_, you know. It will be sure to
offend the parish, if he consigns people to the lower regions in such
a free way."

"There is no danger of that," Gifford said; "I doubt if he could say
anything on the subject of hell too tough for the spiritual digestion of
his flock. They are as sincere in their belief as he is, though they
haven't his gentleness; in fact, they have his logic without his light;
there is very little of the refinement of religion in Lockhaven."

"What a place to live!" Lois cried. "Doesn't Helen hate it? Of course she
would never say so to us, but she _must_! Everybody seems so dreadfully
disagreeable; and there is really no one Helen could know."

"Why, Helen knows them all," answered Gifford in his slow way, looking
down at the girl's impulsive face.

"Lois," said her father, "you are too emphatic in your way of speaking;
be more mild. I don't like gush."

"Lois punctuates with exclamation points," Gifford explained
good-naturedly, meaning to take the sting out of Dr. Howe's reproof,
but hurting her instead.

"But, bless my soul," said the rector, "what does Helen say to this sort
of talk?"

"I don't think she says anything, at least to him;" Gifford answered. "It
is so unimportant to Helen, she is so perfectly satisfied with Ward, his
opinions are of no consequence. She did fire up, though, about Davis,"
and then he told the story of Elder Dean and Helen's angry protest.

Dr. Howe listened, first with grave disapproval, and then with positive
irritation.

"Dean," Gifford concluded, "ha