tone to count the money,
and be ready to report the amount after the singing of the last hymn.

Turning his back to the audience, Alec emptied both boxes into the
seat of the big pulpit chair standing next to the president's. The
two chairs were old Gothic ones, recently retired from the church
pulpit to make room for new furniture. There were a number of pennies
in the lot, and during the singing he counted them carefully several
times, in order to be sure that he had made no mistake.

The hymn was a short one. It came to an end as Alec laid several
little piles of coin on the table at the secretary's elbow.

"Four dollars and ninety-six cents, did you say?" repeated the
president, leaning over to catch the report Alec gave in an
undertone. "Four dollars and ninety-six cents," he announced aloud.
"Really we must do better than that."

Alec saw Avery and Ralph exchange surprised glances. The president
went on repeating his former explanations of their financial
difficulties. Alec, still watching, saw Ralph Bently make a move to
rise, and Avery's hand was laid detainingly on his arm. She was
whispering and shaking her head; but Ralph was not to be deterred by
any remonstrance. He was on his feet, exclaiming:

"Mr. President, pardon the interruption. There is some mistake in
that report! The collection should amount to far more than four
dollars and ninety-six cents. Miss Windom alone gave more than that.
I saw her drop a five-dollar gold piece into the box."

Avery blushed furiously at being called into public notice in such a
manner by her impetuous young cousin. Every drop of blood seemed to
leave Alec's face for an instant, and then rushed back until it
burned a fiery crimson. He was indignant that Ralph Bently should have
been so wanting in courtesy as to proclaim in public the amount of
his cousin's donation, the cherished gold piece she had won at the
prize contest. And he was deeply mortified to think that he could
have made a mistake in counting it. He wondered if he could have been
such a fool as to have mistaken the coin for a new penny. What would
Avery think of him?

He turned toward the table, evidently disturbed, and counted the
money again. Then he shook his head.

"You can see for yourself," he said; "four dollars and ninety-six
cents!"

The president picked up both boxes, and, turning them upside down
over the table, shook them energetically. The secretary shoved back
the chair in which the m