The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-07-08

door. She tried to check these reminis-
cences, but in vain. There was that still
worse thing that he had done fifteen
months ago-it had all but cost him his
life. Proctor, the sacristan, was i'll with
typhus fever of so malignant nature that
no nurse would stay with him. Paid
people might be afraid, but her dear mas
ter had gone to the mans bedside as soon
as he had heard that he was thus aban-
doned, and had nursed him night and day
single-handed, leaving his own house to a
priest who came to do his duties, and his
poor old nurse to the misery Of having to
provide every comfort for stranger, while
her master had not even bed to lie down
on or bite that was fit to eat. Hd had
nursed that man Proctor for three weeks
as tenderly as any woman could have done,
and had just strength left to arrange for
having him sent to the sea and write a
check to pay for it, before he crept into
bed to battle with the fever himself
Proctor was ''wel done to" while away,
and came back strong and well but her
poor master had a hard fight for his life,
and u fight with poverty afterwards, for
all his money had gone to bring thesacris-
tan round "You ought to have strong
beef-tea and good port wine, she had said
when she saw her masters hollow cheeks
and transparent hands, "and the butcher
says that no more meat shall come here
until we have paid up what's owing al
ready.
"It can't be paid for another fortnight,
when my salary will come, he had said; and
being frankly informed that he need not
have given away all that he had to Proc
tor, and left himself and her with nothing
but bread and water, and water and bread
for change, until money came in, be had
answered, ''They will be sweetened by the
thought that we have kept the poor fellow
alive to work for his wife and family"
She had not trusted herself to repl "
she did not hold with vexing people who
had Just risen from sick-bed, but it had
been on the tip of her tongue to tell him
that she could do very well without any
such sweetening for her food. There was
no controlling him-he might be fit for
heaven, but he was not fit for earth.
While she, poor woman, was thus occu-
pied with "reminiscences of his last years
misdoings, he was seated in the confess
sional It was not yet the hour when his
presence was expected, but he sat in the
darkness, glad to be alone and unseen
while wrestling with horrible fear which
day by day was taken more forcible pos
session of him-a fear that Proctor, the
sacristan, was stealing the money of the
church and of the poor. "It is impossible
1t is simply impossible" !" he told himself
0Proctor conducts himself excellently in
every relation of life" And yet, guided
by one of the flashes of insight peculiar to
persons of highly sensitive organization,
he had OWNED the truth, and he knew it.
'Lwould have staked my life on his hon
esty," he continued, with would-be con-
Viction but again this inner sense revealed
to him that he had almost always felt some
donbt of the man. sit would be such a
Judas-like act of treachery," he pleaded
with himself; abut if one Judas has ex-
isted, why not two? Proctor could most
easily do it, for his duties bring him to the
church at all hours Proctor has recently
opened shop, and it is hard to imagine
where he found the money and, worst of
all, he has laok in his face which tells me
that be is afraid to meet my eye. Phe in
gratitude Of 1t would kill me-
Two large tears rolled down Father ur-
quharts face They were not what peo-
pie are pleased to call tears of weakness,
but teaFs Of blood wrung from an iron soul
which had uniackily CONG into the world
in weak body, ! shall breathe freely"
he thought after while, "If find that
the thief is another man. God help me,
what am saying? Why is there to be a
thief al all? Why have | not the heart
TO sacrifice my own selfloye and say that
it will be a relief to me to discover that it
is my own incompetence and insufficiency
that have hardened the hearts of those
who, when FIRST came here, were 50 gen
Gus? Should it bo so, ! Will leave this
place at once. -"
There was a sound-it was like the faint
chink of money-and then there was
click, and Father Urguhart had heard that
click before, aud knew that it always ae-
companied the act of locking the alms-bo
Trembling with excitement, he bent for
ward and quietly raised corner of the
curtain which hung down in front of the
confessional. A man was just moving
away from the pillar to which the bog waa
affixed. Even In the semi-darkness, the
priest had no difficulty in recognizing that
this man was Proctor, and his heart began
to beat so violently that it seemed impos-
sible that it could be unheard by the thief.
Proctor paused-stOod still; then he
moved another step, and again STOOD still,
as if unable TO so through with something
that he had intended to do, Had he
heard the beating Of the priests heart ?
Had he seen the slight movement of the
curtain, or had great fear come upon him
that he was about to fall into the hands of