ard from his seat.

"The car was ditched, and my friend and the thief were both thrown out.
My friend was not hurt. The thief, however, had his leg broken."

"What happened then?" inquired the minister; for Orme had paused.

"Oh, my friend took the proxies from the thief's pocket and walked away.
He stopped at the nearest farmhouse and sent help back."

"Even in America," commented the minister, "the frien's of the injured
man might see that his hurt was avenge. The man who caused the accident
should be made to suffer."

"Oh, no," said Orme. "If the matter were pressed at all, the correct
thing to do would be to arrest the man with the broken leg. He had stolen
the papers in the first place. Harm came to him, when he tried to escape
with the papers after stealing them. But as a matter of fact, the average
American would consider the affair at an end."

"Your story and mine are dissimilar," remarked the minister.

"Perhaps. But they involve a similar question: whether a man should yield
passively to a power that appears to be stronger than his own. In America
we do not yield passively unless we understand all the bearings of the
case, and see that it is right to yield."

At this moment a motor-car came up the drive. "There's our car, Bob,"
said Bessie. "Wait a moment, while I get my wraps. I know that you are
impatient to go."

"I know that you are a good friend," he whispered, as she arose.

He did not care to remain with the group in Bessie's absence. With a bow,
he turned to stroll by himself down the veranda. But the minister jumped
to his feet and called:

"Mr. Orme!"

Orme looked back. "Please be so good as to return," continued the
minister.

With mere politeness, Orme halted, and took a step back toward his chair.

An air of startled expectancy was manifest in the positions taken by the
different members of the group. The minister's voice had sounded sharp
and authoritative, and he now stepped forward a pace or two, stopping at
a point where the light from one of the clubhouse windows fell full on
his face. Clearly he was laboring under great excitement.

"You have something to say to me?" inquired Orme. He foresaw an effort to
detain him.

"I am compelled to ask the ladies to leave us for a few minutes," said
the minister, seriously. "There is a matter of utmos' importance."

He bowed. The women, hesitating in their embarrassment, rose and walked
away, leaving the half-dozen men standing in a