er, the band following on another boat and treating them
to music all the way. Halloway stood near Gerald in the crowd, but he did
not attempt to join her until the raft reached the pier and was made
fast. Then he quietly went to her and offered his arm. De Forest stepped
up at the same moment. "Miss Vernor, will you condescend to accept of my
valuable escort home?"

"I beg your pardon," interrupted Denham, "I am Miss Vernor's escort
to-night."

De Forest stood still. "I did not know it was a return-ticket
arrangement."

"It was," answered Denham, decidedly. "You can hardly expect me to
relinquish my rights."

"I should say your rights depended wholly on Miss Vernor's choice. Fair
lady, two hearts and four arms are at your immediate disposal. If you
could make up your volatile mind to determine between them--"

"There can be no question of choice," said Gerald, quietly. "I accepted
Mr. Halloway's escort yesterday; so good-night."

"You leave me a blighted being," said De Forest. "For the peace of my
soul, let me ascribe your decision to a love of justice rather than of
individual. _Au revoir_."

Halloway drew Gerald's hand through his arm with a very comfortable
feeling of possession, and they walked on some time in silence. "Are you
tired?" he asked at last.

"No--yes. Parties always tire me, and life in Joppa consists of parties.
Do you always go?"

"Oh, always!"

"Your mental constitution must be robust to stand such a steady
strain upon it."

"The shepherd must keep by his sheep, you know," laughed Denham.

"I thought the shepherd was to lead the sheep, not to be led by them.
Don't you hope to inspire them with a love for better things? I
fancied the province of a clergyman was to improve people--not just to
preach to them."

A shadow crossed Denham's face. "There are many of them more fitted to
improve me than I them," he said, humbly. "How would you have me begin?"

"With making Mr. Hardcastle less offensively pompous, and Mrs. Hardcastle
less tedious, and Mrs. Upjohn less dogmatic, and Mrs. Anthony more
sincere, and Miss Delano less namby-pamby,--in short, by taking a little
of the superficiality and narrow-mindedness and provinciality out of the
place if possible."

Denham tossed back his head with a light laugh. "Ah, how you relieve my
mind! Most of those whom you have so scathingly described belong to other
congregations, and are therefore beyond my jurisdiction."

"Do you really feel so?