the
turning of the road which brought her upon them, heard Franklin's words:

'I've tried it myself for insomnia. I'm a nervous man, and I was in a
bad way at the time; over-pressure, you know, and worry. I guess it's
like that with you, too, isn't it? You get on edge. Well, there's
nothing better than self-suggestion, and if you'll give it a try you'll
be surprised by the results, I'm sure of it.'

Helen joined them and offered her assistance, for the bewildered
proselyte seemed unable to move forward now that he was upon his feet.

'Well, if you would be so kind. Just your hand on his other shoulder,
you know,' said Franklin, turning a grateful glance upon her. 'Our
friend here is in trouble, you see. It's not far to the village, and
what he wants is to get to bed, have a good sleep and then a wash. He'll
feel a different man then.'

Helen, her hand at 'our friend's' left shoulder, helped to propel him
forward, and ten minutes took them to his door, where, surrounded by a
staring crowd of women and children, they delivered him into the keeping
of his wife, a thin and weary person, who looked upon his benefactors
with almost as much resentment as upon him.

'What he really needs, I'm afraid I think,' Helen said, as she and Mr.
Kane walked away, 'is a good whipping.' She said it in order to see the
effect of the ruthlessness upon her humanitarian companion.

Mr. Kane did not look shocked or grieved; he turned a cogitating glance
upon her, and she saw that he diagnosed the state of mind that could
make such a suggestion and could not take it seriously. He smiled,
though a little gravely, in answering: 'Why, no, I don't think so; and I
don't believe you think so, Miss Buchanan. What you want to give him is
a hold on himself, hope, and self-respect; it wouldn't give you
self-respect to be whipped, would it?'

'It might give me discretion,' said Helen, smiling back.

'We don't want human beings to have the discretion of animals; we want
them to have the discretion of men,' said Franklin; 'that is,
self-mastery and wisdom.'

Helen did not feel able to argue the point; indeed, it did not interest
her; but she asked Mr. Kane, some days later, how his roadside friend
was progressing towards the discretion of a man.

'Oh, he'll be all right,' said Franklin. 'He'll pull round.
Self-suggestion will do it. It's not a bad case. He couldn't get hold of
the idea at first--he's not very bright; but I found out that he'd got