The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-18
CHAPTER Continued.

CHAPTER alfA Continued
INC Extraordinary thing, which mnly
4 or. Tatller Rpon's staff were almost uil-
DIDO TO understand, was that more people
,lnl not avail Themselves OF what they
misunderstanding the thing from a
stui,Joeint az personal experience such
& llelFfnl opportunities.
."rhcy are always coming to me-"
{ Father Rlpon had said on one occasion,
.'and complaining that they find such
q tremendous difficulty IN leading IL holy
lifc--sny that the worldly surroundings
and so forth kill their good jmpulscs--'
uild yet they won't come to church.
People are such fools! My young iiicii
Imagine that they can become good Chris
tluns by d sort or sudden mngc--n low
least on Saturday night, tho twentieth
Of August, and. aftcrsa nerve storm In
church and II few tears in the vestry,
saint for evcrmprc! And then when,
they get drunk or do something benstly
HE next week, they rail- against the
Chrlstlan Faith because 1t isn't IL sore
spiritual hand GUNS! And yet IL you
old them you could manage a bank
after merely experience In u shipping
office, they would sea the absurdity OF
Z TINT ut once Donkeys!'
This with genial smile of tenderness
and compassion. for this SNhirlwind in
\ Cassock loved his flock.
So from tho very first Basil had found.
his life c0ngcnial. Privately he blessed
his good fortuncS in living in Lincoln's
Inn with Spence. On the nights when
- Journalist was tree from the Office.
aud not otherwise engaged. the two men
-.et late with pipes and coffee. enjoying
that vigorous communion OF two keen,
young. and yirilc brains which Is one OF
the truly stimulating plcasurcs Of re.
Gortrc admired Spence greatly for some
OF his qualities. Ills intellect was, Of
course. flrst class-his high position on
: the great daily papcr guaranteed Tint.
His reading and sympntties were wide.
Moreover, the clergyman found u great
refrcshncnt in the fact that, In All
age OF Indifference, at a time when the
best intcllccts Of younger London lie
were professedly agnostic. Harold Spence
was un nvoWed Christian and Church.
man. AS Gotre got to know him better,
when the silence and detachment OF mid
night III the old Inn broke down re-
.iccncc, he realized with q sense OF thank
fulness. and sometimes OF fear also, how.
3 thorough belief in religion kept the writer
straight and captain OF his oWn soul.
For the lhn was n creature OF strong
passions and wayward desires. He had
not always bcen the clean gentlemen OF
tie present. AS Is often tho case with
refined and cultured temperament, he
had dark and ugly side TO his nature.
The coarse vices OF the blood called to
him long and often, with their hollow
siren voices. Evil came to him with
swif. invitation and cunning aIlnremcnt.
He had Lintcd 10 Basil OF days OF Sin
4 and secret shame. And now. very sober.
ly and without any emotion. he clung
10 Christ for help.
And he had conquered.
This was ever glorious fact to Basil.
another miracle in those thousands Of
tally miracles which werc happening all
around him. But his fear for Harold
came from his realisation of his friends
exact spiritual grip. Spencc's Christi-
anty was rather too utilitaran for
safety. Perhaps the deep inward COM
viciion was weak 1t seemed sometimes
as II 1t were a barren, thorny thing-too
much fetish. too much a return for bene-
3 fits retcived.sr, sort OF half-conscIous
bargain. He often prayed long thar Moth
f ing should ever occur to shake Spence's
0belief: for he felt, IL that should happen.
the disaster would prove irreparable. A
damned river is u dangerous thing.
But he kept all these thoughts locked
in his heart. and never spoke OF them to
Harold.
Since The evening OF his first sermon he
had never seen Schuabe again. Now and
then the thought OF him passed through
his brain. and his mental sight seemed
obscured for a moment. as though great
wings hid the sun from him. But since
tile silent duel In the church. the curious
and ninllgn influence OF the millionaire
lad wancd. 1t was prominent no longer,4
and when it troubled him it did SO with
3 out power or force. Fine health the
tonic of constant work, the armour OF
continual prayer, had their way and were
able to Danish much of what he now
looked back on as morbidity, sinister,
though it had been.
Nevertheless one thing often remind,
+ ed him OF that night. The dark, Jewish
looking lady he had seen sitting in the
same pew with schuabe often came to
A church on Sunday nights when he was
preaching. The bold and insolently beau
tiful face looked up at him with steady
II, crest The fierce regard had some
thing passionate and yet twistfuls in it,.
Sometimes Basil found himself preach
ing almost directly to the face and soul
of the unknown woman. There was m
understanding between them. He knew
IL: he felt Utmost certainly.
Sometimes she would remain in her
,sea .rf,rr9 the mass of the congregation
had shuflled away into the night. She
4 did not pray, but sat still, with her mus nus
ing eyes fixed ton the huge ten- foot.
d cruciilx that swung down from the chan
eel arch. IA
Once, as he passed the pew on the WAY
to baptze the child OF poor woman
Of the streetsbrought in fnrtively after
the Sunday cYesong-she made a move
lnent as II to speak TO him. lie had
waited Interpretation for q moment. but
Il She remained still, and he passed on to
& the font, with its sad cluster Of out
casts. Its dim gns-1ets. and the tiny
child Of shame with Its thin8cry OF dis
tress.s 3sias p
He was asking the tremendous pues-
ton
Dost thou. in tha name of this child;
renounce the devil and all his works,
~ the vain ,pon,p and glory of the world.
with all covetous desires OF the same,
Z and the carnal desires Of tho flesh, so
hat thou wilt not follow, nor be led BY.
4 tnem?'
!. when he saw that the unknown woman
was standing by within the shadow OF
4 q pillar CLEAN of yellow light fell
through the dark on her rich dress,
her eye glittered behind her white veil.
NE io thought there was n tear in it.. But