tended should hereafter prove an unwavering faith in the efficacy of
prayer, at least in certain cases, even against all sorts of bacteria,
when it was announced that Mr. Martin wished to see her. It was eight
o'clock, and the evening was a raw and rainy one in March.

"Howdy do, Miss Callender? How's all with you?" said Martin, when
Phillida appeared at the door.

"How do you do, Mr. Martin?" she said. "Won't you come in?"

"No, thank you," said Martin, standing shivering in the vestibule, his
solemn face looking neither more nor less like mortuary sculpture than
it ever did. "Mother wants to know if you won't come down right away
this evening. Our Tommy is seemingly sick."

"Seemingly sick?" asked Phillida. "How do you mean?"

"He's got a belief in a sore throat," said Mr. Martin, "and he's
seemingly not well. Mother'd like to see you."

After a moment of puzzled thought Phillida comprehended that this way of
speaking of disease was a part of the liturgy of Christian Science. She
could not persuade Mr. Martin into the parlor; he waited in the
vestibule while she got ready to go. Once out on the wet sidewalk he
said:

"It's all the fault of the infant-class teacher, down at the Mission."

"What is the fault of the infant-class teacher, Mr. Martin?" asked
Phillida with some surprise.

"This seeming sore throat of Tommy's."

"How can that be? I don't understand."

"Well, you see she talked to the children last Sunday about
swearing and other such sins of speech. Now sin and disease are
cor--what-you-may-call-it. Tommy he came home with that big head of
his running on the talk about swearing, and in two days here he is
with a--a belief in a sore throat. If I had my way I'd take the
children out of Sunday-school. But mother will have her own way,
you know, and I ain't anywhere when it comes to anything like
that."

Phillida said nothing in reply to this, and presently Mr. Martin began
again:

"It ain't my doing, the getting you to come and pray for Tommy. I wanted
somebody ruther more scientific; Miss Bowyer she knows the cause and
effect of things. But mother ain't enlightened yet, and she declared up
and down against Miss Bowyer. And I declared up and down against doctors
that can only cure sickness on the mortal plane. So, you see, we
comp'omised on you. But I let mother know that if she would be so
obs'inate ag'inst Miss Bowyer I wa'n't risponsible for the consequences;
they'd be on her head. She can't