ned to the footsteps of the man ahead--whom
he guessed to be a servant--and pictured him as intent upon getting up
early next morning to tell everybody that the Methodist minister had
stolen into the Catholic church at night to walk home with Miss Madden.
That was going to be very awkward--yes, worse than awkward! It might
mean ruin itself. She had mentioned aloud that she had matters to talk
over with him: that of course implied confidences, and the man might
put heaven only knew what construction on that. It was notorious that
servants did ascribe the very worst motives to those they worked for.
The bare thought of the delight an Irish servant would have in also
dragging a Protestant clergyman into the thing was sickening. And what
could she want to talk to him about, anyway? The minute of silence
stretched itself out upon his nerves into an interminable period of
anxious unhappiness. Her mention of the doctor at last somehow, seemed
to lighten the situation.

"Oh, I thought he was very smart." he made haste to answer. "Wouldn't
it be better--to--keep close to your man? He--may--think we've gone some
other way."

"It wouldn't matter if he did," remarked Celia. She appeared to
comprehend his nervousness and take pity on it, for she added, "It is
my brother Michael, as good a soul as ever lived. He is quite used to my
ways."

The Rev. Mr. Ware drew a long comforting breath. "Oh, I see! He went
with you to--bring you home."

"To blow the organ," said the girl in the dark, correctingly. "But about
that doctor; did you like him?"

"Well," Theron began, "'like' is rather a strong word for so short
an acquaintance. He talked very well; that is, fluently. But he is so
different from any other man I have come into contact with that--"

"What I wanted you to say was that you hated him," put in Celia, firmly.

"I don't make a practice of saying that of anybody," returned Theron, so
much at his ease again that he put an effect of gentle, smiling reproof
into the words. "And why specially should I make an exception for him?"

"Because he's a beast!"

Theron fancied that he understood. "I noticed that he seemed not to have
much of an ear for music," he commented, with a little laugh. "He shut
down the window when you began to play. His doing so annoyed me, because
I--I wanted very much to hear it all. I never heard such music before.
I--I came into the church to hear more of it; but then you stopped!"

"I will play for