d all her force
to combat this sword of the spirit which had so suddenly risen against
her.

"You are a hard and unjust woman, to talk of the 'wages of sin.' What
do you know of my life, or of him who is sick over at the red house?
Who are you, to sit in judgment upon us?"

"I am the humblest of His servants," replied Susan Stoddard, and there
was no shadow of hypocrisy in her tones. She went on, almost
sorrowfully: "But we are sent to serve and obey. 'Keep ye separate and
apart from the children of this world,' is His commandment, and I have
no choice but to obey. Besides," and she looked up fearlessly into
Agatha's face, "we _do_ know about you. It is spoken of by all how you
follow a wicked and worldly profession. You can't touch pitch and not
be defiled. The temple must be purged and emptied of worldliness
before Christ can come in."

Agatha was baffled by the very simplicity and directness of Mrs.
Stoddard's words, even though she felt that her own texts might easily
be turned against her. But she had no heart for argument, even if it
would lead her to verbal triumph over her companion. Instinctively she
felt that not thus was Mrs. Stoddard to be won.

"Whatever you may think about me or about my profession, Mrs.
Stoddard," she said, "you must believe me when I say that Mr. Hambleton
is free from your censure, and worthy of your sincerest praise. He is
not an opera singer--of that I am convinced--"

Susan Stoddard here interpolated a stern "Don't you know?"

"Listen, Mrs. Stoddard!" cried Agatha in desperation. "When the yacht,
the _Jeanne D'Arc_, began to sink, there was panic and fear everywhere.
While I was climbing down into one of the smaller boats, the rope
broke, and I fell into the water. I should have drowned, then and
there, if it had not been for this man; for all the rest of the ship's
load jumped into the boats and rowed away to save themselves. He
helped me to come ashore, after I had become exhausted by swimming. He
is ill and near to death, because he risked his life to save mine. Is
not that a heaven-inspired act?"

Mrs. Stoddard's eyes glistened at Agatha's tale, which had at last got
behind the older woman's armor. But her next attack took a form that
Agatha had not foreseen. In her reverent voice, so suited to
exhortation, she demanded:

"And what will you do with your life, now that you have been saved by
the hand of God? Will you dedicate it to Him, whose child you