im. For with that boyish diffident
gesture of his he reached over presently and held me by the sleeve.

"Parson," he asked, abruptly, "is a man born with a whole soul, or
just a sort of shut-up seed of one? Is one given him free, or has he
got to earn and pay for one before he gets it, parson? I want to
know."

"We all want to know that, John Flint. And the West says Yes, and the
East, No."

"I've been reading a bit," said he, slowly and thoughtfully. "I wanted
to hear what both sides had to say. Paul is pretty plain, on his side
of the fence. But, parson, some chaps that talk as if they knew quite
as much as Paul does, say you don't get anything in this universe for
nothing; you have to pay for what you get. As near as I can figure it
out, you land here with a chance to earn yourself. You can quit or you
can go on--it's all up to you. If you're a sport and play the game
straight, why, you stand to win yourself a water-tight fire-proof
soul. Because, you see, you've earned and paid for it, parson. That
sounded like good sense to me. Looked to me as if I was sort of doing
it myself. But when I began to go deeper into the thing, why, I got
stuck. For I can't deny I'd been doing it more because I had to than
because I wanted to. But--which-ever way it is, I'm paying! Oh, yes,
I'm paying!"

"Ah, but so is everybody else, my son," said I, sadly. "... each in
his own coin. ... But after all isn't oneself worth while, whatever
the cost?"

"I don't know," said he. "That's where I'm stuck. Is the whole show a
skin game or is it worth while? But, parson, whatever it is, you pay a
hell of a price when you buy yourself on the instalment plan, believe
me!" his voice broke, as if on a suppressed groan. "If I could get it
over and done with, pay for my damned little soul in one big gob, I
wouldn't mind. But to have to buy what I'm buying, to have to pay what
I'm paying--"

"You are ill," said I, deeply concerned. "I was afraid of this."

He laughed, more like a croak.

"Sure I'm sick. I'm sick to the core of me, but you and Westmoreland
can't dose me. Nobody can do anything for me, I have to do it myself
or go under. That's part of paying on the instalment plan, too,
parson."

"I don't think I exactly understand--"

"No, you wouldn't. _You_ paid in a lump sum, you see. And you got what
you got. Whatever it was that got _you_, parson, got the best of the
bargain." His voice softened.

"You are talking in parables," said