d De Forest, as Denham went out. "If
the offence were at all proportionate, I tremble to think of the enormity
of your crime; or is it because he is a Reverend, that you demean
yourself so humbly before him?"

Halloway was still hunting for his hat in the hall, and could scarcely
help overhearing De Forest's remark and Gerald's answer.

"I demean myself before nobody in seeking to make amends for a previous
neglect. The humiliation is in the misconduct, not in the confession of
it; and whether I owed the apology to Mr. Halloway or to a beggar in the
street, I should have made it quite the same, not at all for sake of his
pardon, but simply for sake of clearing my own conscience."

"Not at all for sake of my pardon," said Denham, as he strode on toward
the church, with the uncomfortable sensation of having been an
involuntary eavesdropper. "It is fortunate that my conceit was only
veneered on."

The following Sunday Gerald was in church both morning and evening,
sitting in Phebe's accustomed place. She was one of those noticeable
presences impossible to overlook, and as Denham mounted into the pulpit
he felt as if he were preaching solely to her, or rather as if hers were
the only criticism he feared in all the friendly congregation. He was
annoyed that he should feel so, and quite conscious at the same time that
he was far from doing his best, and once or twice he caught a flash in
the serious eyes fastened on his face, that seemed to say she knew this
last fact too, and was impatient with him for it. What excuse had any
one, in Gerald's eyes, for not doing his best always? De Forest was with
her in the evening, and as Halloway came out of the vestry after service,
he found himself directly behind them.

"He's not a mighty orator," De Forest was saying with his cynical drawl.
"I doubt if he is destined to be one of the pillars or even one of the
cushions of the church."

"He was not doing his best to-night," answered Gerald.

"Thank you," said Halloway, coming quickly to her side, anxious to
avoid further eavesdropping. "Thank you--I mean for thinking I might
do better."

"That is not much to be grateful for, I am afraid," replied Gerald,
"since it implies, you know, that you have not done well."

"I hope you like uncompromising truth, Mr. Halloway," said De Forest,
leaning forward to look at him across Gerald. "It's the only kind Miss
Vernor deals in."

"I prefer it infinitely to the most flattering falseho