rained
student.

It had taken all of Belle's power to make Jim face the horror of those
classrooms in the far East; and from time to time his deep repulsion
broke into expression. Then she would let him rage for a while, chew the
bit, froth and rail till his mood was somewhat spent. And when the
inevitable reaction set in she would put her arm about him and would
show him that the hard way was surely the best way, and then paint a
bright picture of their future together when his rare gifts as an orator
should bring him fame, and secure a position in the highest ranks of the
Church. Thus she had persuaded him, holding out the promise that every
vacation should be spent with her; curbing her own affections, even as
she had curbed his, she walked the path of wisdom--determined,
resigned--in the knowledge that this was the way to win. And Jim had
come to face it calmly now, even as she had done. The minute details of
the plan were being filled in. Then came those little words from
Lou-Jane.

Had Jim been a worldly-wise person with many girl friends and a mouth
full of flattery for them all, Belle would have paid no attention to the
proposed visit of Lou-Jane to Rochester. Knowing Jim as she did, and
having a very shrewd idea of Lou-Jane's intentions, Belle realized that
this was a crisis, the climax of her life and hopes, that everything
that made her life worth while was staked on the very next move.

She said little as they walked home from the parsonage, but her hand,
locked in his arm, clung just a little more than usual, and he was moved
by the tenderness of her "Good-night."

Little she slept that night; but tossed and softly moaned, "That woman,
that coarse, common woman! How _can_ he see anything in her? She is
nothing but an animal. And yet, what may happen if he is East and she is
playing around, with me far away? It cannot be. I know what men are. Now
he is mine; but, if I let him go far away and she follows----

"It cannot be! It must not be--at any price, I must stop it. I must hold
him."

And she tossed and moaned, "At any price! At any price! I'd do
anything----"

The simple, obvious plan was to put him under promise never to see or
hear from Lou-Jane; but her pride and her instincts rebelled at the
thought. "What? Admit that there was danger from that creature? No,
no--why, that would have just the wrong effect on him; she would become
doubly interesting; no, that would not do. She would ignore
tha