The Huttig news., 1917-08-04
CHAPTER VIII.

Saturday evening 1t was the custom of the Bryants to entertain the rector at dinner.
 Now, in his absence, 1t was the as- sistant rector who dined in the paneled Jacobean dining room of the Bryant house, swallowing much unctuous die tation as to church policy with his dinner.
 Not that Ward was mild. But he had an easy way of listening to the advice of his various influential parish toners and then going ahead and doing as he liked. In nonessentials he al. ways yielded. To him the church was So much bigger than It's ritual.
 That evening Mrs. Bryant had taken up the question of women In the choir
 Frankly, MT. Ward" she said, ig- noring her fish, "I do not approve of it. It's the feminist movement, I tell you. Before long they'll want to be on the vestry"
 Ward glanced up, half smiling. The pear-shaped pearl. which usually hung at his hostess withered throat, was, naturally, not there. From the pearl to the parish house, from the parish house to Elinor-thus in two leaps of Wards mind he was far from the sub- ject in hand.
 "As president of the Chancel soci- ety." said Mrs. Bryant, "as honorary president of the Woman's guild, pro- test against women in the choir"
 Back to the choir with jump came Wards errant mind.
 "I wonder,". Ward reflected, "wheth- CT matter of tradition and custom will prevent women from singing in the heavenly choir !"
 Mrs. Bryant stabbed at her fish. But she had not finished. There were many things about Saint Jude's that did not please her. The burial of old Hilary Kingston had been one. She seized on that.
 "A on-communicant," she snapped. "An infidel, an atheist The daughter Is living alone up there at this min ute. It isn't respectable. It's a bad example to the girls in the village. The house is full of men all the time."
 "That must be a mistake"
 Ut Is quite true. Servants talk, you know. What can you expect? Raised out of the church, with no belief. and, of course. no moral instruction"
 Ward bent forward over the table.
 "That Is a very serious statement, Mrs. Bryant" His eyes were like steel. Of course you are not basing 1t merely on what you hear from serv- ants?"
 Mrs. Bryant flushed. purplish spot In the center of each sagging cheek.
 'I do not gossip with the servants, " she said, shortly. Tt Is common talk. And there are other things. Machines come and go from the house at queer hours of the night. The girl spends a great deal of money. Where does she get 1t? Where, for that matter, did old Hilary Kingston get it7"
 Thus challenged, Ward had nothing to say.
 After dinner he left early, but he did not go home. He went up the hill. As he strode on, he remembered many things. The girl was without the sheet anchor of any belief, adrift and alone and he had made no attempt to helT her unbelief. Although 1t was aftel ten, the house was still lighted down stairs, and he went without hesitation into the garden.
 Thus 1t happened that he saw ElinoI in Huff's arms, saw him thrust her vio lently from him, and rush away across the fower-beds, leaving her ther' alone.
 Ward remained in the shadows. Tt save his life he could not have spokeI to Elinor then. Under his constrained exterior he was in the thrall of th' fiercest Jealousy. This little fair haired girl, to whom his God was n' God, had taken a powerful hold ol him.
 Ellnor, who slept little that night saw the light in his window until