neel beside Alice; The knowledge left him curiously
undisturbed. He saw the lawyer advance, gently insinuate himself past
the form of some kneeling mourner who was in his way, and drop on his
knees close beside the bowed figure of Alice. The two touched shoulders
as they bent forward beneath Sister Soulsby's outstretched hands, held
over them as in a blessing. Theron looked fixedly at them, and professed
to himself that he was barely interested.

A little afterward, he was standing up in his place, and reading aloud
a list of names which one of the stewards had given him. They were the
names of those who had asked that evening to be taken into the church
as members on probation. The sounds of the recent excitement were all
hushed now, save as two or three enthusiasts in a corner raised their
voices in abrupt greeting of each name in its turn, but Theron felt
somehow that this noise had been transferred to the inside of his head.
A continuous buzzing went on there, so that the sound of his voice was
far-off and unfamiliar in his ears.

He read through the list--comprising some fifteen items--and pronounced
the names with great distinctness. It was necessary to take pains with
this, because the only name his blurred eyes seemed to see anywhere on
the foolscap sheet was that of Levi Gorringe. When he had finished and
was taking his seat, some one began speaking to him from the body of the
church. He saw that this was the steward, who was explaining to him that
the most important name of the lot--that of Brother Gorringe--had not
been read out.

Theron smiled and shook his head. Then, when the Presiding Elder touched
him on the arm, and assured him that he had not mentioned the name in
question, he replied quite simply, and with another smile, "I thought it
was the only name I did read out."

Then he sat down abruptly, and let his head fall to one side. There
were hurried movements inside the pulpit, and people in the audience had
begun to stand up wonderingly, when the Presiding Elder, with uplifted
hands, confronted them.

"We will omit the Doxology, and depart quietly after the benediction,"
he said. "Brother Ware seems to have been overcome by the heat."

CHAPTER XVI

When Theron woke next morning, Alice seemed to have dressed and left the
room--a thing which had never happened before.

This fact connected itself at once in his brain with the recollection
of her having made an exhibition of herself the pr