He could not brush off the
regard. Under it and his caller's continued silence he grew fidgety.

"While I'm very glad," he suggested, "to give you what time you need--"

"I've come here because I wanted to have this thing out with you face to
face."

"Well, have it out," returned the other, smiling but wary.

The young clergyman drew from his pocket a folded newspaper page to
which was pinned an oblong of paper. This he detached and extended to
the other.

"What's that?" asked the doctor, making no motion to receive it, for he
instantly recognized it.

"Your check."

"You're returning it?"

"Without thanks."

"You mean to turn down two thousand dollars!" demanded the other in slow
incredulity.

"Exactly."

"Why?"

"Is that question asked in good faith?"

"It is."

"Then you haven't seen the letter written by the superintendent of our
Sunday School to the Certina Company."

"What kind of a letter?"

"A testimonial letter--for which your two thousand dollars is payment, I
suppose."

"Two thousand for a church testimonial!" Dr. Surtaine chuckled at his
caller's innocence. "Why, I wouldn't pay that for a United States
Senator. Besides," he added virtuously, "Certina doesn't buy its
testimonials."

"Then it's an unfortunate coincidence that your check should have come
right on top of Mr. Smithson's very ill-advised letter."

By a regular follow-up mechanism devised by himself, every donation by
Dr. Surtaine was made the basis of a shrewd attempt to extract from the
beneficiary an indorsement of Certina's virtues, or, if not that, of the
personal character and professional probity of its proprietor. This is
what had happened in the instance of the check to Mr. Hale's church,
Smithson being the medium through whom the attempt was made.

The quack saw no occasion to explain this to his inquisitor. So he
merely said: "I never saw any such letter," which was, in a literal
sense, true.

"Nor will you know anything about it, I suppose, until the name of the
church is spread broadcast through your newspaper advertising."

Now, it is a rule of the patent medicine trade never to advertise an
unwilling testimonial because that kind always has a kick-back. Hence:--

"Oh, if you feel that way about it," said Dr. Surtaine disdainfully,
"I'll keep it out of print."

"And return it to me," continued the other, in a tone of calm
sequentiality, which might represent either appeal, suggestion, or
demand.