The menace., 1917-09-01

refreshed and the pain was
gone from his head. The student
leaned toward him, smiling:
u see you are BETTER" he began
Strengthening the cover and putting
the pillows in shape.
Il am" Percy answered, a feeling
of mingled curiosity and resentment
coming over him. His first impulse
was to chill the friendliness of his
host by reserve which he would
find it impossible to penetrate, but
this suggestion he put aside, for he
desired to learn all he could of the
things about him. Was he not in the
most talked-of town in the world?
Were not the eyes of the pope and
all men turned this way? Perhaps
this mild-mannered youth, whose
face bore the marks of a rigid learn
ing, and in whose glance he saw the
steady CLEAN of a mind hard schooled
in deep thinking, would figure in the
history of their times when other
generations were born. These things
appealed to Percy, for while he was
well smothered in a reasonless ac-
ceptance of all the claims of the
church he possessed that quality Of
soul which made things worth while
very acceptable to him. No, he would
treat this man as he had been treated
by him, even though he were an
arch-heretic. Besides, Blount had
said he was connected with the uni
versity, and that was the very seat
Of Satan in the world. If this man
wanted to talk--well, let him do so.
If his views were half as good as his
face Percy assured himself that they
would be far ahead of the average.
II can see you are improving, Sir
knight, though I venture you may
not be able to ride for many days
yet. The fall was a severe one. Your
horse came down full side, your foot
under him. I got there just in time
to see how it happened" @
ut was a most unwelcome circum-
stance, I'll be bound, and the first of
! its kind for me. must have been
thinking of something, and riding
with a loose rein and dull spur. II
; had been better if you had taken
another road for your walk that day
seeing that the accident has made me
your charge" Percy was thinking
\ of the sense of disgust the young
man had inspired in him as they
:, passed just before the fall, and the
' turn of affairs which had tut him ir
the students hands operated to hum.
BILE his pride and mellow somewhat
the relentless bigotry Of his religion
In dazed way at first, and later
very clearly, he had been conscious
Of the almost womanly care of thi!
man, and in spite of any difference
Of opinion which might exist between
them, he was grateful for the kind
|. ness he had received.
r "You must not think Of that sid
= of it, friend, for is it not woven will
n the other gold of the Gospel to d,
d good to strangers?"
"But ! have purse, / will repa,
you for all this care; and the bo,
Blount is also at my charge"
It "Never think of that; would yov
9 rob me of my chance to be glad il
y doing good? It was very fortunat
i. for me that went by that lane, els
t. you had gone to some other hous
: and my own hands had been empty.
II swear it was good fortune 70
me that you did," Percy replied
much moved by the mans gentlenes
of heart.
"Let it stand at that then, and W
will consider ourselves mutually i
] high favor, for ! find that out O
these unexpected things come som
, Of the choicest relationships of lif,
May I not hope that this is the be
ginning Of what shall prove a good
\ association"
81 return your feelings in kind,
Percy replied, unable to resist til
mans goodness of heart. at is nc
often that a desire to do favo
rises above the itch for gold, and
confess that to find such a cas-
warns my soul like spring sur
shine"
Had Percy obeyed the dictates {
what he was in the habit of referrin
to as his religious zeal he would hay
scorned this mans benevolence an
withere5 tft bloom of his cha,it
with a relentless frost of hate. Bl
this he refused to do. The assertio
Of something in him which was nj
subject to the spirit of the church a
most frightened him, but he ma
tered this and was conscious of
feeling which was akin to rebellio
against that which seemed trying
force him to meet the kindness of IL
man with bitterness and contemp
Clear as a sun-lit lake it came to hi
that to do so would put him beneat
his host in point of character, ar
r for the first time in his life divisic
was more in his soul between Il
| fruit of one thing and the bettt
| fruit of another. If this man wei
| deeper in charity and goodwill ths
y he there must be some corfnectiC
between that fact and the domino
4 ing elements of his life. If the fru
| was good, and it was, then Il
branch must be the same. On Il